Media Cover Up Obama's Malaise Speech

Wednesday May 21, 2008, 7:37 am
I attended Saturday's Town Hall meeting in Roseburg (Republican stronghold/mostly white working-class)concerning Health Care. I was pleased with Senator Obama's honesty. The following is a more objective article that includes comments of those who attended.

Obama visits Roseburg
By Andrea Damewood

The Register-Guard

Published: May 18, 2008 12:00AM

ROSEBURG — Visiting a traditional Republican stronghold, Democratic front-runner Barack Obama leveled harsh criticism at President Bush and took aim at likely GOP opponent John McCain, saying a vote for the candidate would be asking for four more years of Bush’s policies.

Standing before a crowd of about 1,500 that packed the Roseburg High School cafeteria, Obama focused on health care before fielding questions from the audience.

Obama drew strong response as he promised universal health care and lower drug costs by the end of his first term.

In the past eight years, Bush did nothing for the health care system except “offer a few tax breaks to a few people who didn’t really need them,” he said before targeting McCain, saying “he wants to give you the same failed Bush health care plan.”

The reason drug costs aren’t lower has nothing to do with ideology, he said, but rather “cronies” of the drug companies in Washington who fight against making them affordable.

In his first visit to Douglas County — part of a weekendlong stump through the state — he also garnered applause from the mostly working-class crowd about creating jobs through manufacturing eco-friendly products, including bio­diesel from wood chips.

Obama also made several appearances in Eugene on Saturday as he traveled along Interstate 5, including stops at Sacred Heart Medical Center in the morning and Prince Puckler’s ice cream shop in the afternoon.

Addressing a question about McCain’s choice to discuss the environment in Portland last Monday, Obama once again criticized the Arizona senator, calling his plans for more drilling and a gas tax holiday a “phony solution” that isn’t thinking about the long-term but rather about “how to get through the next election.”

He also weighed in on what he called a “dustup” with Bush over statements the president made in Israel on Friday.

The pair have been sparring in the press since Bush said that negotiating with America’s enemies was “appeasement” — a seeming jab at Obama, who said he will meet with any leader for discussions.

Using a speech in a foreign country to make a political attack is “appalling,” Obama said, adding that Bush’s foreign policy has led to the war in Iraq, which he called “al-Qaeda’s greatest recruiting tool.”

McCain has also “embraced” this policy, said Obama, who promised to have troops out of the country in 16 months.

“I will end it, I will end this war,” Obama said, causing the cafeteria to erupt in cheers.

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds promptly issued a written response, saying that “Senator Obama is missing the point, it’s the ‘unconditional’ that’s unacceptable. Barack Obama’s pledge to unconditionally bring (Iranian president) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the world stage isn’t ‘new politics,’ it’s incredibly weak judgment and reveals why Americans will elect John McCain’s record of experience, and tested leadership.”

Despite suffering a loss to Hillary Clinton in West Virginia on Tuesday, Obama seemed assured that he would be the Democratic nominee, saying Clinton was a “formidable opponent.”

The senator from Illinois said he doesn’t believe that white working-class voters would necessarily vote for McCain if he becomes the nominee.

“For all the differences between myself and Senator Clinton, those differences pale in comparison,” he said. “People could not have a starker choice in this election.”

But he also said he will cooperate with members on both sides of the political aisle, noting his past work with conservative Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma on government transparency issues, and saying he would meet weekly with bipartisan groups, so “right away people feel like they’re being heard.”

Obama seemed at home during the town hall meeting, joking that he would answer questions in “boy, girl, boy, girl,” order, then quipping that the microphone being passed through the crowded rows reminded him of the way beer is served at a ballgame.

“Or a collection plate,” he added with a smile.

He ended his hourlong session with the crowd by encouraging them to cast their ballots by Tuesday, adding that they now must be dropped off at official ballot collection sites rather than be mailed.

“I’m confident I will win Oregon, I’m confident I will win the nomination and I’m confident I will win this nation,” he said before leaving the stage to a standing ovation, where he shook hands with fans before leaving the high school.

Taysia Malone said she is among the more than 60 percent of Roseburg residents who are registered as a Republican, but she’s dissatisfied with both McCain and Clinton.

Malone, 47, said her mother, a Democrat, encouraged her to attend the meeting, and Obama’s personal appearance swayed her. She’s never voted for a Democrat before, she said, but the candidate’s responses on health care and education impressed her.

“I will probably vote for him in the fall — that’s a big change,” Malone said. “I shook his hand and said I was a Republican, and he said, ‘No, you’re an Obama-can!’ ”

Myrtle Creek resident Shawn Eastridge said he’s a registered Independent, but that he and his fiancee ­— also an Independent — will vote for Obama.

“I liked the health care plan, I think it’s a good deal,” the 26-year-old millworker said.

Wednesday May 21, 2008, 8:33 am
Approximately 25% of Douglas County's (Roseburg is the County seat) labor force are employed by the Timber Industry.

http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080518/NEWS/803728937

The first group in line to see Sen. Barack Obama this morning at Roseburg High School was a family of Republicans.

Darcy Hefner, her husband, Melton, and their daughter, Keeton, 14, along with family friend Molly Hanlin, also 14, arrived at 4:45 p.m. Friday to ensure they were at the front of the line. The family spent the night outside the gate leading to the school cafeteria and despite getting little sleep, they were excited about the chance to see the Democratic presidential nominee in their hometown.

“It’s more fun to be first,” Keeton Hefner said.

Darcy and Melton Hefner said they were tired of the Republican versus Democrat divide that they said too often leads to fights that have nothing to do with setting policy or bettering people’s lives.

“I’m a registered Republican and I want to hear him,” Darcy Hefner said about 8 a.m., three and a half hours before Obama was set to take the stage. A line of about 100 people stretched down the sidewalk and lengthened to hundreds more as it got closer to 9:30, when the doors to the building opened.

Rena Shepard spent the week moving from one residence in Roseburg to another and didn’t hear about Obama’s visit until Friday morning, when her son sent her a text message. She dropped what she was doing and drove down to the campaign office to pick up a set of tickets.

She also spent the night in line.

“I didn’t sleep all night. I was so excited,” said Shepard, clutching a copy of a March 20 issue of “Rolling Stone” magazine with Obama on the cover that she later got him to sign.

Shepard, who said she voted for Obama and already turned in her ballot for Tuesday’s election, said she liked his views on college aid for students and his plan for universal health care. She also offered a suggestion for a vice presidential candidate if the Illinois senator wins the Democratic nomination.

“I think John Edwards should be his running mate. He shares a lot of Barack’s ideas and I just don’t trust Hillary Clinton,” she said.

Roseburg resident Andrea Preston said she admires Obama for his intelligence and for his way of viewing the problems of the nation and coming up with solutions. He would provide a stark contrast to eight years under President George W. Bush, she said.

“I want to feel there is someone in office who is smarter than me,” Preston said. “Barack Obama is very intelligent and will do a great job. It will be nice to have a Democrat back in the White House.”

After Obama spoke, Darcy Hefner said she would probably vote for Obama in the general election if he becomes the Democratic nominee. Her husband said he would also consider him.

“I was very impressed with what he had to say,” Melton Hefner said.
The couple said Obama gave straight answers and wasn’t “wishy-washy.”

“He sounds like an honest man with a lot of good plans,” Darcy Hefner said.

Kanan Agarwal, a native of India who obtained her permanent resident card in the past year, said Obama spoke on a level that she and others could identify with. She said his words captured his personality.

Preston, Agarwal’s friend, called the speech “fantastic.”

“This has been a well-spent Saturday morning,” Preston said.

Wednesday May 21, 2008, 2:53 pm
Your posts don't address the content of the article, which says the media outlets that attended the event neglected to mention Obama's draconian ideas of what he will expect if elected. He obviously was catering to his audience (which they all do of course) but this article simply wonders why none of the media outlets chose to address his answers to environmental issues, and the one website that did removed it just as quickly. I'm sure everyone in the audience was enthralled of course.

Thursday May 22, 2008, 10:17 am
Kathleen, I wasn't questioning the article's content just the bias. (Probably because we attended the event, I found lots of media coverage, so I was looking.)

Senator Obama has been addressing Global Warming for months and months.

Firstly, the Town Hall held here in Roseburg concerned Affordable Health Care. Most of the media coverage concerned his remarks on health care. However, after his remarks on that subject, Senator Obama welcomed questions that ran the gamut.

Senator Obama's responses to questions from the audience were intelligent and honest. I didn't have a problem with his remarks. But, I certainly did question the slant of Fitzpatrick's piece. Senator Obama was not addressing an audience that "consisted largely of environmentalists."

As you probably noted in the articles I provided, this is a Republican stronghold (60%) of citizens who have relied on the timber industry and the Federal Timber Subsidy for their livlihoods. Well, that's going away and we have some tough choices. Unemployment in Douglas County (Feb '08) neared 10 percent. Further layoffs have begun. (New unemployment figures will be released in June.)

Senator Obama did address the need to change and that we must lead. We in the U.S. do use 25% of the world's oil even though we only make up 3% of the population. We are competing with India and China who, since 2005, accounted for about 70 percent of the increase in energy demand.

I welcomed, as did the audience or so it appeared to me, the Senator's truthfulness. He did not sugar coat the facts. IMO, it's going to be hard, but we can surmount the problems facing us if we recognize that change is inevitable. But, we are smart; we will accommodate change.

Gas guzzlers are a problem. It is not draconian to suggest parking SUVs/Pick-ups and driving smaller cars or to lower the thermostat. We must pull our heads out-of-the-sand. Today oil hit $135 a barrel. This crisis is not going away.

It is not draconian to save 50% in energy costs by employing organic farming as opposed to conventional farming practices.

Again, Senator Obama's remarks/suggestions were not draconian; they were smart. Unless we adopt alternative energy policies our lifestyles will become truly draconian.

Thursday May 22, 2008, 11:18 am
Kathleen, here are Senator Obama's remarks, in response to a question from the audience, from the CNN Transcript:

ACOSTA: And so there you have it. Barack Obama addressing the health condition of Senator Ted Kennedy, who we understand is resting comfortably in Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital recovering from an apparent seizure according to his family and his senate office.

We want to go to Barack Obama now he is campaigning in Roseburg, Oregon at that event. You just heard the sound bite in which he addressed Senator Kennedy. Here is the senator from Illinois who is now taking on the front-runner status almost without question at this point, talking about green technologies and how that may affect the job picture here in Oregon.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Is a huge opportunity but we've got have leadership from Washington, the same way we had leadership when Kennedy said we're going to the moon, we want to invest what we need to make it happen and there are all sorts of spin offs benefits from that. So that's what we want to do on global warming here in the United States.

We are also, though, going have to negotiate with other countries. China, India, in particular Brazil. They are growing so fast that they are consuming more and more energy, and pretty soon, if their carpet footprint even approaches ours, we're goners. That's part of the reason why we've got to make the investment; we've got to lead by example. If we lead by example -- if we lead by example, then we can actually export and license technology that have been invented here to help them deal with their growth pain. But keep in mind, you're right. We can't tell them, don't grow. We can't -- drive our SUVs and you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on you know, 72 degrees at all times, and whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra, and then just expect that every other country's going say OK.

You guys go ahead and keep on using 25 percent of the world's energy. Even though you only account for 3 percent of the population, and we'll be fine. Don't worry about us. That's not -- that's not leadership. That's not going to happen. And that's, by the way, why, for example, I had this big argument with Senator Clinton and McCain about the gas tax, holiday. Which was an example. That's how Washington works. It's not thinking long term. It's thinking, how do we get through the next election?

And, you know, John McCain, for him to come to Oregon as an environmental president, but his big strategy is to do more drilling and to have a gas tax holiday for three months, that's a phony solution. You know, you can't -- John McCain has consistently been opposed to fuel efficiency standards, raising fuel efficiency standards on cars. How is he going to meet any of these targets? Maybe he's imagining it the way he did imaging getting out of the war in Iraq. You know? We -- we need somebody with a plan. And who is willing to talk to the American people about these difficulties and how we're going to get through these challenges together. All right? OK. All right. OK. Over here.

Thursday May 22, 2008, 11:41 am
Sorry I jumped on you Denise. Thank you for clarifying and expanding on what the event was really like.

Thursday May 22, 2008, 11:50 am
You're welcome, Kathleen. Have a great day!

Saturday May 24, 2008, 10:27 pm
The author of the article wonders why no media covered it because the author believes this is some vast leftist conspiracy to make us all poor and weak. He and his commenters pay zero heed to science and dismiss all calls to responsible green policy. Read the comments on this piece to see where this guy is coming from: they insult and attack Carter and Obama for daring to suggest that we take responsibility for our energy consumption. It's a pile of garbage, but what these people do not get is that what the Right called "malaise" back then is hitting home now for real, and this is not a weakness for liberals but a strength. We aren't buying the oil companies' arguments or candidates anymore.

Sunday May 25, 2008, 8:24 am
Actually the author mentions that there was a great deal of media coverage, but none of it mentioned this part. I think, as has been happening to both candidates, the author chose to take what could be considered poorly chosen words and take them out of context.

I find it alarming how many people seem to care nothing for the environment. I agree with you Joe that many of us aren't buying the oil companies arguments any more. People should be very conscious about the things they use that actually benefit the oil companies. When I found out that the oil companies benefit from the manufacturing of those plastic water bottles and grocery bags I immediately stopped buying bottled water and started using cloth grocery bags. It would make such a huge difference if EVERYONE in this country would pay attention to these things, but I believe MOST people are still too lazy. I can't believe how many people still don't even recycle!

But, can the president "mandate" this kind of thing in a democracy? I don't know.