Obama addresses Indiana steel workers
MUNSTER, Ind. — White House hopeful Barack Obama told a few hundred workers at the Munster Steel Co. today that he was the better choice for the future of the steel industry.
He reminded them that 20 years ago one of his first jobs was helping steelworkers laid off from other steel mills “right up the street.”
(AP)
Times are tough here despite a contract with the CTA to make parts for the rebuilding of the Brown Line. A steady dripping of water through parts of the plant’s roof during Obama’s town hall meeting here offered a reminder that the industry has seen better days.
Workers voting in next Tuesday’s Democratic primary must choose between Obama and Hillary Clinton, who has made more stops in northwestern Indiana in the past month than Obama
Obama’s last stop here was April 10 in Gary, though he would be presumed to have the home-field advantage here as this is, in some ways, suburban Chicago. He’s flying to North Carolina this afternoon where Clinton is already stumping. Polls show Obama still comfortably ahead in North Carolina but tied or trailing Clinton here.
“In a tight race, northwest Indiana will decide it,” said Curtis Vosti, an Obama volunteer going door-to-door in Hammond.
Overhead crane operator Jerry Moore, 52, of Schererville, listened to Obama but did not make up his mind between Obama and Clinton.
“He sounded real good about my issues,” Moore said. “I’m looking at gas prices, food prices.”
Obama continued to criticize Clinton and John McCain’s proposal for a summer gas tax holiday, saying it would save voters just 30 cents a day but kill road reconstruction projects and the jobs that go with them.
Citing economics experts who say the benefits of the gas tax holiday would be negligible, Obama said, the only “expert” she could find to back up her plan was her pollster who said, “it polls well.”
Bill Long, a U.S. Labor Department employee, asked Obama, “Could you compare your presidency to the imperial presidency of George W. Bush?”
Obama laughed and said his will be better.
“George W. Bush either hasn’t read the Constitution or doesn’t think it applies to him,” Obama said. Among the changes he will make: Allowing the public to see the coffins of soldiers coming home from Iraq, which he said Bush has shielded from public view to avoid bad press about the war.
“In other countries, every time a warrior who has fallen in action comes home, there’s a full ceremony — that’s how we used to do it. We don’t do it now,” Obama said.
At an earlier news conference in Indianapolis, Obama admitted that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy had dragged his campaign down over the past week or two but said he wanted to “move forward.” He declined repeated requests to say Clinton should drop out if it becomes clear she cannot catch up to him in delegates.
“I love how you guys come up with different ways to phrase the same question over and over again — Sen. Clinton will have to make her own decisions if she is behind in the delegate count,” he said. “That’s not what we’re spending a lot of time worrying about.”