Obama Rushes to Wrap Up Support
By C. David Kotok, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
Dec. 24–HARLAN, Iowa — Nancy Olson of Exira, Iowa, left the Sunday rally for Barack Obama committed to stand up for the Illinois Democrat at the Jan. 3 caucuses.
“We live in a land of red, white and blue,” Olson said. “He gives me hope.”
Those are the types of commitments Obama tried to wrap up during a pre-Christmas swing through western Iowa. Today is for last-minute shopping and then home for the holidays before the final push to the caucuses.
In Harlan and in a final stop at Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson High School, Obama stuck closely to his campaign theme of change. There were only vague references to his chief rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination — Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.
More than 200 people showed up in Harlan. This was the type of rural rally where more people wore Wranglers than designer jeans and where moms wiped their kids’ noses.
While taking questions, Obama turned away a Chicago Cubs fan who hinted that his vote was dependent on Obama’s favorite baseball team.
“The White Sox,” Obama said. “I’m the south side” of Chicago where the White Sox play.
Then he took a little dig at Clinton, a Chicago native and former Cubs fan who pledged allegiance to the Yankees when she ran for the Senate in New York.
“Let me tell you this,” Obama joked. “Don’t trust somebody who changes the sports team when running for office.”
Obama, who never talks about the hot-button issue of immigration in his set speech, faced a tough question on the impact undocumented workers are having on the country.
A fence along the length of the border with Mexico won’t work, Obama said. A fence would do nothing to curtail those who enter the country legally and stay after their visitor or student visas expire, he said.
A combination of increased border patrols and a crackdown on employers is required, Obama said.
Without plentiful jobs for undocumented workers, he said, fewer illegal immigrants would enter the country, and many now here would return to their home countries, Obama said.
But millions of others have sunk roots in this country and have children who are U.S. citizens, he said.
“The notion that we are going to round all those people up and ship them back is just not true,” Obama said. There are not enough law enforcement officers in the country to carry out a mass roundup and deportation of millions of people, he said.
Those who insist that the undocumented workers should not be given any path to citizenship or legal status are essentially saying they have no interest in solving the immigration problem, Obama said.
Those now here illegally who do not return to their home countries should face stiff fines, be required to learn English and move to the back of the line in their application for citizenship, Obama proposed.
In both stops, Obama hit on the themes of ending the Iraq war, providing health insurance, ignoring special interests and unifying the country.
It wasn’t quite enough to close the sale to Kristina Korte of Carter Lake, Iowa. As she left the Council Bluffs rally, Korte said, she was leaning 40 percent to Clinton and 60 percent to Obama.
Tracy Davidson of Council Bluffs decided for Obama over Clinton about three weeks ago.
“I think he is more electable,” Davidson said. “Clinton feels like going backward to me.”
Nancy Wilson of Exira said she is one of the registered Republicans attracted to 46-year-old Obama.
“We need change,” Wilson said.
After meeting Obama, Wilson told him to be careful.
“I’m afraid for him,” Wilson said. “There are a lot of people who are afraid of change.”
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Copyright (c) 2007, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
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