10/15/08

Road to the White House: Barack Obama

(Democratic candidate focuses on wooing battleground voters) (1209)

In the days remaining until Election Day, Democrat Barack Obama is campaigning across the country, especially eager to win support from those in key battleground states. Here is a summary of recent campaign activities:

October 13

Speaking in Toledo, Ohio, Barack Obama laid out more details of his proposed plan to strengthen the American economy. His plan would encourage employers to hire new staff by offering a tax credit for each new employee and allow Americans to borrow from their retirement savings without paying penalties.

Obama also called for more governmental assistance for the troubled automaker industry. "You've got auto plants right here in Ohio that have been around for decades closing their doors and laying off workers who've never known another job in their entire life," he said.

The Illinois senator talked about the effect of national economic problems on states and cities, many of which are facing their own budget troubles. "For all those cities and small towns that are facing a choice between cutting services like health care and education or raising property taxes, we will provide the funding to prevent those tax hikes from happening," the Democratic candidate said.

October 10

At a stop in Ohio on what his campaign calls the "American Jobs Tour," Barack Obama again focused on the economy, saying, "I know folks are worried. But I believe that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis because I believe in this country."

Speaking at a rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, Obama said the economic crisis is having an impact worldwide. "In this global economy, financial markets have no boundaries. So the current crisis demands a global response. This weekend, finance ministers from the world's major economies will meet in Washington. They must take coordinated steps to restore confidence and to maintain our financial markets and institutions."

Obama said he would promote a "small business rescue plan" that would include tax cuts for small businesses. Tax breaks would help these businesses keep jobs and promote investment, the Democratic candidate said. Obama added that, if elected, he will repair crumbling infrastructure, reduce health care costs and improve education.

October 8

Speaking at the University of South Florida, Joe Biden said he believes his running mate won the October 7 presidential debate. He said that Obama demonstrated "what a majority of American people are looking for - a steady hand, leadership, an optimist."

The Democratic vice presidential candidate told voters at the Tampa school that the election is about "reclaiming the greatness of this country." He said the country's economic policies need a "wholesale change."

Biden will be conducting a bus tour through the swing state, famously known for its pivotal role in deciding the outcome of the 2000 election. Polls indicate the race between McCain and Obama in Florida remains close.

October 5

President Bush won North Carolina in 2004 by 13 percentage points, but Obama believes he can turn the state Democratic. Speaking to a crowd of about 28,000 at an Asheville stadium, the Illinois senator promoted his health care proposals.

Obama said he would reduce the price of prescription drugs, forbid insurance companies from denying coverage to those with pre-existing medical conditions and reduce health care inefficiencies. He said his health care plan could be funded by allowing certain tax cuts implemented by President Bush to expire.

The Democratic candidate is staying in North Carolina to prepare for his October 7 debate with John McCain. Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, will be absent from the campaign trail for a few days as well. Biden's mother-in-law died over the weekend after a long illness.

October 3

Speaking at a secondary school in the Philadelphia suburb of Abington, Obama praised his running mate's debate performance. "Didn't Joe Biden - a fellow that some people call the third senator from Pennsylvania - didn't he do a great job?" Biden is a Delaware senator, but he was born in the swing state of Pennsylvania, and his campaign hopes Biden's Pennsylvania roots will help woo voters.

In a speech that focused on the economy, Obama said that if elected, he will invest $15 billion over the next decade in renewable energy sources. He described the plan as "an investment that will generate 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced." He also called for more investment in repairing infrastructure and schools, which will "mean jobs for 2 million more Americans."

Speaking about the ongoing financial crisis, Obama said, "This is a nation that's faced tougher times than these - we've faced war and depression, great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we've risen to meet these challenges because we've never forgotten that fundamental truth - that here, in this country, our destiny is not written for us, it's written by us."

October 1

Both presidential candidates have been speaking a lot about protecting voters on "Main Street," so many may see it as appropriate that Obama made a stop at Main Street in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Wisconsin tends to lean Democratic, but there are indications it could go Republican in 2008, which might be why the Illinois senator has visited the state twice in the past nine days.

Speaking about the current financial crisis, Obama said, "While there is plenty of blame to go around ... all of us now have a responsibility to solve this crisis because it affects the financial well-being of every single American. There will be time to punish those who set this fire, but now is the moment for us to come together and put the fire out."

Obama, and his Republican opponent, John McCain, will return to Washington tonight to vote on a bill designed to shore up the U.S. financial system.

September 28

Obama, his running mate Joe Biden, and their wives, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, visited Detroit, where Obama made it clear to voters he considers Michigan a key battleground state.

"If every single one of you go out and find one more person - or two more people - to register, think about what that could do. That could be the difference-maker here in Michigan. We need you," he said at a campaign rally.

Michigan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

"I know these are difficult days, and nowhere has it been more difficult than Michigan and Detroit. But here's what I also know: We can steer ourselves out of this crisis. Because that's who we are. Because that's what we've always done as Americans," Obama said.

September 27

About 26,000 braved the pouring rain at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to see Obama and his running mate Joe Biden. Virginia is considered a swing state in the presidential race for the first time in decades.

"I'd like to cover everyone's dry cleaning bill tonight, but I can't because I've got to use it on the campaign. So consider it one more modest contribution to our efforts to change the country," Obama joked.

"We meet here at a time of great uncertainty, in the era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street. And Washington has led us into a financial crisis as serious as the Great Depression," Obama said.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)






--
Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:  +250-08470205
Home: +250-55104140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali-Rwanda
East Africa
Blog: http://www.cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID : Kayisa66

No comments:

Post a Comment