New Albany hosts Obama as race for White House tightens

By DANIEL SUDDEATH
Daniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.com

April 24, 2008 10:43 am

— Barack Obama wasn’t in the mood Wednesday to concede any ground to Hillary Clinton following her primary victory in Pennsylvania.
Instead, the Illinois senator told a crowd of 2,500 at the Indiana University Southeast Activities Building that if the undeclared superdelegates follow the lead of voters, he will be the Democratic Party’s nominee to likely take on Republican John McCain for president.
“I do believe that these elections we’re doing should count for something,” Obama said.
As Clinton and Obama prolong the battle for the party’s nod, he said Democrats would be able to rebound in time to take on McCain, despite the sometimes harsh rhetoric and personal attacks both sides have made against each other.
“The Democratic Party is going to recover as soon as we have chosen a nominee,” he said. “There’s too much at stake to be divided.”
Obama said whoever the nominee, they would make for a “clear choice” compared to McCain.
Obama leads the New York senator in total delegates — including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates — by a count of 1,719.5 to 1,591.5, according to The Associated Press.
Along with the Pennsylvania victory, the AP reported Clinton also gained a superdelegate in Tennessee Rep. John Tanner. She was on track to collect $10 million in fundraising in the 24 hours following the most recent primary.
Linda Gugin, professor of political science and co-adviser to the College Democrats at IUS, said the showdown between Clinton and Obama is actually energizing the party, especially in Indiana, where she said presidential campaigning hasn’t been this intense since 1968.
Having Obama at IUS on the heels of a recent Chelsea Clinton visit has the student body more interested in this election than any in recent memory, Gugin said.
“It’s very exciting to be part of the process when for so many years, we weren’t that significant, at least at the presidential level,” she said. “It’s exciting for our campus and for the college democrats.”
While Obama touched on his race against Clinton and the waiting game for superdelegates, he used most of his time declaring his intentions to end the war in Iraq and how he would rejuvenate the economy.
Obama said tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas should be restricted and legislation that is “very good for (oil giant) Exxon Mobil but not very good for you” should be weighed.
He received a loud ovation when he declared “too many women are still earning less than men for the same work”.
Putting Americans back to work is a staple of Obama’s economic plan, which he said is connected to legislative measures.
“If we don’t change bad politics, we won’t change our policies,” Obama said.
Obama also tied the economic struggles of America to the war in Iraq, saying the government should spend billions of dollars at home instead of Iraq, as he used the opportunity to criticize McCain’s support of the war.
“That’s four more years that we can’t afford,” Obama said.
But McCain can afford to wait out the political jockeying that’s going on, said Joe Wert, associate professor of political science and faculty adviser for the College Republicans at IUS.
“I think the national media is off McCain right now and this is giving him some time out of the spotlight where he can concentrate on siring up support around the base of the party,” Wert said.
Democrats may be stealing the attention right now, but Wert said the real campaign won’t begin until August or September, giving Republicans time to formulate a winning strategy.
But on Wednesday, the political focus for many in the area was on Obama. Floyd County Democratic Party Chairman Randy Stumler introduced the senator, saying Obama had been “fighting for over two decades for working-class families.”
Obama took a few questions from the crowd after speaking. He relayed his hope to raise the tax cap to supplement the dying Social Security program and pledged to support treatment for those afflicted with diseases by increasing research dollars.
After the question-and-answer portion, Obama spoke briefly with reporters outside the Activities Building. The heart of his comments were on the importance of winning in Indiana and staying centered on the issues, though some questioned his ability to close out the race after Clinton won in Pennsylvania.
Obama predicted he and Clinton would have a solid debate in the Hoosier state leading up to the May 6 primary.
“We’re going to keep plugging away and talk to the American people about the issues they care about the most,” Obama said. “People are not looking for politicians who call each other names.”

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