By Brandi Watters
April 26, 2008 08:28 pm
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ANDERSON — “Families in Madison County make over $7,000 less than other American families,” said U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Saturday at Anderson High School. The Democratic presidential candidate held a town hall meeting before a crowd of 1,500 and began his speech by addressing the economic situation in Anderson and other Indiana communities.
Obama referring to the 2007 closure of Delphi, emphasizing that such job loss does not only impact workers. “The whole community takes a blow.”
The senator said some had asked him why he did not wait to run for the presidency when he was older.
“In such circumstances, we cannot afford to wait,” Obama explained. “We can’t wait because the families across America are having a tough time. I was convinced that the American people are ready to do better.”
A familiar face
Anderson’s Tiffany Dzerve shared the stage with the senator, explaining her own life in post-GM Anderson. Dzerve, one of many workers who received buyouts, said the severance did not include insurance. With two young children, Dzerve and her husband, Chad, were unable to afford health coverage. “It costs my family $1,600 a month,” she said.
Obama told the crowd of his time in Chicago, working in depressed neighborhoods that had been adversely affected by steel mill closures.
“People from all walks of life came together,” he said, proclaiming that communities like Anderson were not unlike those he worked with in Chicago. “What is true for Chicago is true for America. It is true for Indiana. It is true for Indiana.”
Straight-talk express
Before mentioning his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama focused on GOP’s presumptive nominee, Sen. John McCain.
“He’s a genuine American hero,” Obama said, “but John McCain is running for George Bush’s third term.”
Obama said McCain’s plans for handling the war in Iraq and other American issues mirrored those of the current president. “We can’t afford four more years of failed foreign policy.”
Referring to McCain’s comment that the economy was making great progress, Obama said, “He must not be talking to the people in Anderson.
“The straight-talk express lost a wheel,” Obama joked, referencing McCain’s comments.
“I know they don’t want four more years of Bush’s economic policy,” Obama said, sending the crowd into applause.
The politics of oil
He soon referred to America’s dependence on foreign oil. “We’ve been talking about energy and oil since the ’70s. How is it that, 35 years later, we import more oil from foreign countries?”
Obama then answered his own question. “It turns out that George Bush put my cousin, Dick Cheney, in charge of the energy policy.”
During his time as vice president, Obama said, Cheney has met with renewable energy groups once and gas and oil companies 40 times.
“We’ve got to go after the oil companies and their windfall profits,” he said. “I’m not going to be able to bring gas prices down overnight.”
Obama did promise to focus on making automobiles more fuel-efficient. He also announced plans to spend time and money exploring alternative energy sources. He estimated that five million jobs could be created making wind mills, solar panels and other forms of renewable energy.
Talking education
The senator wasted no time making a link between the economy and education. “How successful America is, is going to depend on how educated its work force is.”
Obama pledged to help every student go to college by providing $4,000 tuition stipends in return for community service. “We’ll invest in you. You invest in America,” he said.
He announced plans to pay teachers more, work with at-risk parents and change the face of education. “I don’t want teachers teaching to test.”
War in Iraq
“By the time this thing is over, we will have spent over a trillion dollars,” Obama said of the war in Iraq. “I will bring it to an end in 2009!”
From the beginning, Obama has argued against war in Iraq, he said. “It’s a distraction from what we need to do in Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden.”
He said the government was no longer supporting its veterans, referring to shortcomings with the GI bill. Today, Obama said, GI Bill money barely pays one full year of tuition. “That’s a betrayal of our troops. They serve us. We have to serve them.”
Although he plans to end the war in Iraq, Obama said, he will protect Americans. “I will not hesitate to strike against those who wish to do us harm.”
Jobs and taxes
“I was not led to working people because of politics. I was led to politics because of working people,” Obama said.
He spoke of the local economy and the urgency to help keep jobs in the country. “Give those tax breaks to companies that invest right here in Anderson.
“If we can spend 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq, we can spend some of that money right here in America,” Obama said, sending the crowd to its feet.
As for the North American Free Trade Agreement, Obama said he planned to renegotiate it, emphasizing labor restrictions to keep the market competitive. “We can’t compete against forced labor or child labor.”
Far from perfect
As he closed his speech, Obama spoke frankly to the audience. “I will not be able to change everything overnight. I won’t be a perfect president.”
He made one last promise. “I will always tell you where I stand. I will listen to you even when we disagree. We can disagree without being disagreeable.
“You and I will change this country together.”
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Obama's comments:
Iraq war: “I will bring it to an end in 2009.”
Education: “How successful America is, is going to depend on how educated its work force is.”
Economy: “Our economy works from the bottom up. I want to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the top one percent.”
Gas prices, oil companies: “We’ll go after the oil companies for their windfall profits.”
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