Obama at UM: "It's Time for Resolve"
http://www.truthout.org:80/article/obama-rallies-florida
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama campaigned in South
Florida Friday for the first time in three months amid what he called
"the most serious financial crisis in generations," telling a crowd
dominated by women that his Republican rival failed to understand
their struggles.
Speaking to a nearly packed house of 8,000 people at the
University of Miami's BankUnited Center, Obama poked fun at McCain for
speaking positively about the "fundamentals" of the economy and
proposing a new financial regulatory agency for financial
institutions.
"I think it's clear Sen. McCain is a little panicked right now,"
Obama said to the delight of the raucous crowd.
The reaction echoed the sentiment among many Democrats that the
nation's economic woes could shake up the race and repel voters from
McCain, who is trying to distance himself from the unpopular Bush
administration.
"This isn't a time for fear or panic," Obama said. ``It's a time
for resolve, and it's a time for leadership."
Polls in Florida show a tight race. Obama is slated to headline
rallies Tuesday in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville.
Obama accused the GOP of wanting to "talk about Paris and Britney
and lipstick and pigs," but the splashy ads of recent weeks have
disappeared as Wall Street has reeled from shock.
Touching on the so-called "third rail" of Florida politics, Obama
accused McCain of seeking to risk Social Security money in the stock
market. McCain supported Bush's proposal to shore up the troubled fund
by investing some money in private accounts.
"When I am president we are not going to gamble with Social
Security" Obama said, echoing a new ad running in retiree-rich Palm
Beach County.
Much of Obama's speech focused on women, who he said bear the
brunt of economically hard times. He touted his sponsorship of the
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, aimed at making it easier for women to
sue employers for equal pay by giving them more time to file
complaints.
McCain opposed the measure, named for an Alabama factory worker
who took her claim of sex discrimination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"I won't give up until women in this country are paid what they
have earned and not a penny less," Obama said.
Obama's speech was preceded by a long lineup of female elected
officials, who made the pitch that the Illinois senator is on the
right side of women's issues. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri
painted a picture of a struggling working mother, clipping coupons to
save money on diapers and working two minimum-wage jobs.
"Those are real women that need Barack Obama in this election,"
said McCaskill, who sat on a stool next to Obama during his 40-minute
speech, along with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston.
In a impassioned defense of abortion rights, Broward County
Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin told the crowd: ``I don't want
government in my body! I don't want government in my bedroom!"
McCain opposes abortion in most cases and his running mate, Sarah
Palin, says it should be outlawed for victims of rape and incest.
Campaigning in Wisconsin on Friday morning, McCain called for the
formation of a new regulatory agency to troubleshoot troubled
financial institutions before they go bust. McCain frequently resisted
increased government intervention in the past but has stepped up his
attacks against greed and corruption on Wall Street.
McCain also took aim at Obama for tapping a former CEO from
collapsing mortgage giant Fannie Mae to compile his vice presidential
shortlist. The executive resigned at the outset of the search.
Obama has a new national cable ad of his own that portrays McCain
surrounded by Wall Street fat cats.
About a dozen protesters briefly interrupted Obama's speech,
waving white placards that said, "Blacks against Obama." When security
escorted out the protesters, Obama quipped, ``Bye, guys -- see you."
After days of parsing financial jargon amid the deepening
financial crisis, Obama struck a more personal note at the rally. He
described his mother struggling to put herself through graduate
school, while raising him and his sister, largely on her own.
"It is good to see so many women in the house," Obama said to
rousing cheers.
First in line at the BankUnited Center Friday morning were a
handful of students who had been there since 2 a.m., fueled by Red
Bull and political discourse.
Brandon Mitchell, 18, said he skipped three classes to attend the
rally. His friend, Tom Vasiliu, 18, skipped one -- with his
professor's blessing.
"He said I'd be doing a disservice to every college student by not
going to this," said Vasiliu, a New York native registered in Florida
who said he would vote for Obama.
Despite the numerous "Got Hope?" and "Friends don't let real
friends vote Republican" T-shirts, not everyone in line had already
decided on Obama.
"I want to hear what he has to say," said Deborah Graw, a 22-year-
old architecture graduate student from Parkland, who originally
supported Clinton. ``Right now, I'm leaning McCain."
Tom Johnson, 24, another architecture student, admitted he skipped
the 2004 election.
"I need a little push," he said. ``Maybe that's why I'm here
today."
Cheryl Dozier, who recently signed up as an Obama volunteer, said
she was determined to help Obama win Florida, despite his relatively
few visits.
"He has to spend time at both ends," she said. ``He's carrying us,
but he's not carrying North Florida yet."
Obama will attend back-to-back fundraisers Friday night at the
Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and the Miami home of mega-donor Chris
Korge, which are expected to generate a record-setting haul for a
Democratic candidate in Florida.
The last time Obama was in Miami, addressing the U.S. Conference
of Mayors in June, he left without an endorsement from Miami Mayor
Manny Diaz. Obama will not be leaving empty-handed this time, as the
registered independent who supported Hillary Clinton is expected to
offer his support.
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