Daughters' futures are at stake: Obama
ELECTION '08 | Tells women's conference he'll defend their rights, opportunities
Barack Obama told 1,500 women from around the country who gathered in Chicago on Saturday that they need to elect him president to protect their daughters' futures.
Obama said he had to conclude his remarks quickly because, while his quest for the presidency was important, guests for a scheduled wedding were due to take over the banquet hall at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel as soon as he finished speaking.
(AP)
"Change means building an America where our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons," Obama said, according to a pool report. "It means standing up for family leave and paid sick days because no matter what you do for a living, we can all agree that raising our kids and caring for our parents are the most important jobs we'll ever do.
"It means finally closing that pay gap and ensuring women are paid what they've earned, and not a penny less. And it means standing up for choice because five men on the Supreme Court don't know better than women and their doctors what's best for a woman's health."
Obama's appearance came at the National Women's Leadership Issues conference -- a fund-raiser for the Obama campaign that brought in $2,500 to $28,500 for each attendee.
Obama was introduced by his fund-raising chairwoman, Hyatt Hotels maven Penny Pritzker. Obama's wife, Michelle, and Oprah Winfrey spoke to the group Friday.
"I feel a little bit unnecessary given the extraordinary events of the last couple of days," Obama said of the forum. "Between Oprah, Suze Ormond, Michelle Obama and Penny Pritzker, I feel I'm a bit extraneous."
Obama took a brief respite from his tour of battleground states, starting his Saturday in Philadelphia.
GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has been following Obama through Ohio and Pennsylvania and also campaigned in Philadelphia on Saturday.
John McCain was on the campaign trail in Iowa. Speaking in Davenport, he turned away from recent attacks on Obama's relationship with Chicago educator Bill Ayers -- who co-founded the radical Weather Underground -- to pivot back toward his differences with Obama on the economy and other policies.
"As people are trying to stay in their homes, keep their jobs and afford health care, is what they want for us to yell at each other?" McCain said. "No. They want us to sit down together, Republican and Democrat, to work through this terrible time of crisis."
Contributing: AP