LIVE FROM INDIANAPOLIS, IT’S SUNDAY NIGHT 9:50 UPDATE
Democrat Barack Obama has just taken the stage and was introduced by former Congressman Lee Hamilton. I was told the Clinton camp was opposed to the two making a joint appearance, but apparently something back stage changed all that.
Barack’s opening ovation was at least equal to Clinton’s. He reminded the audience why he was running, which was to help make badly needed change in this country. He told the audience his campaign has brought people together from all walks of life who all want change.
Barack said the economy was in serious trouble, regardless of whether it was in an official recession.
Barack, trying to connect with those working-class white voters, said America was the place where anyone could make it if they tried. He told how America gave members of his family opportunities to have lives better than the ones before them.
He asked the audience “where was the America of that generation?”
He also took a swipe at Hillary Clinton by asking how many decades have America’s serious problems existed, while elected officials did nothing but talk about them.
Barack told the audience that a better America is possible if Americans work together. (That line gave him a standing ovation.) He said politics didn’t lead him to working people, but working people led him to politics. He also said the nation could not afford four years of a McCain Presidency.
Barack said America does best when it leads by principles and convictions. He took another swipe at Hillary saying that 30 years in office did nothing to solve the nation’s energy problems and mocked her gas tax proposal saying it would only save Hoosiers 30-cents a day for a few months.
He told the audience that he was the only candidate that could fundamentally change the way things work in Washington. He also echoed the theme that the election was bigger than any candidate but about reclaiming the American dream.
He promised to pay for universal health care by rolling back the Bush tax cuts and criticized John McCain, saying the “wheels came off the straight talk express.”
He said the money to pay for his programs could come from savings from Iraq.
Much of what he said, he’s already said on the campaign trail but it still got a big round of applause from the audience.
His biggest round of applause came at the end when he told the audience the only reason he was on stage was because someone stood up for him and more and people stood up. And as if on cue the audience rose and applauded.
Barack also spoke for about 30 minutes.
