Published: March 17, 2008 04:24 pm            

Obama calls for change through unified front

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — Impromptu and thunderous chants of “yes, we can” were commonplace at Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s town hall meeting Saturday at Plainfield High School.

That mantra is a response to Obama’s official presidential campaign slogan: Change we can believe in. But that change can only happen, Obama told the packed gym, if we’re united as a country.

“This campaign started with the idea that we’re one America,” he said to applause. “We can do all of these things, but only if we come together.”

And what are those things? During his opening speech, the Illinois senator touched on the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, what he calls a misguided conflict that is costing too much in lives and money. Contrary to President George W. Bush’s education policy, Obama says our schools are leaving millions of children behind. Health care is too expensive. And too many are working more for less, making it harder to save for the future.

When Obama started his presidential bid a little more than a year ago, he says he was asked repeatedly why he’s running so soon. He’s young. He can afford to wait. Obama says his answer has been an idea he calls the “fierce urgency of now.”

“I believe there’s such a thing as being too late,” he said. “We can’t afford to wait. The American people are hungry for something different.”

And through a year-plus time of innumerable rallies such as this — filled with handshakes, hugs, and kissing babies — Obama told Saturday’s gathering, “I’m here to report the American people are ready for change.”

His talk wasn’t just blithe rhetoric, though. Obama highlighted many of his policy stances. He wants to push back special interests from setting the agenda in Washington, subsidize health care to lower premiums and make sure everyone has some form of coverage, and close the achievement gap in our schools.

He proposed an annual $4,000 tuition credit to make college more affordable. To qualify, each student must perform community service. He called for a sensible energy policy that reduces the amount of energy we use while funding research into viable energy alternatives. While Obama wants a steady withdrawal of troops from Iraq, he defended the overall fight against terrorism, including a re-emphasis on Afghanistan.

“We need to fight the right wars,” he said.

During the question-and-answer portion, one woman asked about the climate of fear pervading the United States. Obama told her he wants to reverse that fear, particularly the idea of sacrificing civil liberties in the name of security. As president, he said he would reverse any executive order that undermined our rights as citizens.

Asked about Social Security, Obama championed raising the cap on payroll taxes, currently set at the first $97,000 one makes annually, to help ensure the program remains solvent.

While he made a lot of promises of what government can do for you, he also called upon citizens to do their part. That message was most prominent during his discussion of our education system. While Obama wants to change the assessment process so it’s not just one standardized test, he called on parents to do more.

“If your child is misbehaving at school, don’t curse out the teacher,” he said. “Discipline your child.”

None of this can be done, Obama says, without a united front. Prefacing his comments with the recognition of divisional forces rearing their ugly heads, he rejected recent comments made by his former pastor, which have gained national attention. It points to a larger problem, Obama says, of a segment of our population still dealing with the blackguard history of racism that continues to haunt this nation.

“But I think we’re ready to move on,” he said, citing his multi-racial heritage. “There’s little pieces of America in me. I will not allow us to lose this moment.”

Obama’s getting help for that from a grassroots campaign that’s still gaining momentum, one he says “isn’t top-down, but bottom-up.”

Kathy Ogle, wife of Tim Ogle, Avon Community School Corporation superintendent, introduced Obama at Saturday’s rally.

“I’m just an ordinary person who’s been inspired to get involved,” said Ogle, who volunteers for Obama’s campaign. “We need our next president to be one who unites, inspires, and offers the courage to bring people with different views together.”

Obama promised Hoosiers ample opportunity to make his vision reality, as he says he’ll actively campaign in Indiana.

“This is your chance to make your mark on history,” he said.



Wade Coggeshall writes for the Hendricks Couty Flyer in Avon, Ind.





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