Not long after I blogged about former President Bill Clinton visiting Seymour, here I am blogging about one of the candidates running for president who visited the area April 11.
Democratic Illinois Senator Barack Obama stopped by Columbus East High School to deliver his spiel on his side of the issues, as well as having a town-hall style meeting where people could ask questions.

Clinton didn’t do that last week. I know he’s not the presidential candidate, but I think that it was much more personal. However, I will say that I enjoyed listening to both Clinton and Obama speak, and I think they both have great speaking skills. I was impressed.

I’ll touch on some of the points Obama made during the stop.
First, he is all for ending the war in Iraq, and I believe he set a time for that being in 2009. He is also looking to win the war in Afghanistan. Another big issue, that Clinton touched on, is the economy. That’s the basis of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but it’s an issue with both candidates as they both want change.

Another one of Obama’s goals is to provide insurance to the uninsured, and make it available to everyone and the federal government subsidizing it so more people can get access to it.
With his campaign, he said he’s not taking contributions (on the campaign or policy side) from lobbyists, which he said is a big difference between him and Hillary Clinton. He said he’s counting on the American voters to support him.

Obama also touched on the importance of Social Security by saying he would like to see a cap put on workers’ paychecks so it helps the middle class citizens. He said Social Security is “one of the most successful programs we’ve ever devised.”

When it came to audience questions, people asked about health care, education, gay marriage and world issues. There was an estimated 3,000 people at Obama’s visit.

One comment he made during his speech, I thought, really stood out.

“I’m accountable to you,” he said. “It’s not enough to change political parties in the White House. I’ve learned that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they are given the chance. I think unless we get the American people involved we can’t move forward to the critical issues affecting American families.”

It was good to be able to hear Obama speak in the area, and it was a great chance for people to actually see and hear one of the presidential candidates. Who knows if he will come back around this area before Election Day.
It sure will be interesting to see how Election Day pans out. I think I already know who I’m voting for…so don’t hassle me (with cards, nail files or matchbooks) on my way into the polls on May 6. So to everyone out there…get out and vote on Election Day. Let your voice be heard. It’s your right. You could make a difference.

***Check out stories by Aubrey Woods and Dan Davis at www.tribtown.com. There are also some photos posted, and I’ll be working on a video from Obama’s visit. Look for that soon…

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