Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Barack Obama’s speech in Kansas City, Mo., lasted less than an hour yesterday evening, but the crowd was clearly not disappointed with his performance.
The crowd cheered loudly and shouted Obama’s slogan, “Yes we can!” while the campaign’s theme song, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder, blared as Obama walked off the stage.
Barack Obama, 2008 Presidential Candidate, addresses supporters at a rally at Tuesday at the Municipal Auditorium Exhibition Hall in Kansas City, Mo. Obama said he would give college students $4,000 a year for tuition, but students would have to do an unnamed amount of community service in return. Obama said students could complete their community service through long-term commitments like the Peace Corp or through commitments such as serving food at a soup kitchen.
“He has a sincerity in his voice that’s really refreshing,” said Ryan Hand, Lee Summit, Mo., junior. “He just has a command in his voice that can encourage people to start stepping forward and to change things.”
Obama visited his mother’s hometown, El Dorado, yesterday afternoon before stopping off at the Municipal Auditorium Exhibition Hall in Kansas City, Mo. College students, children and baby boomers joined forces at the hall to show their support for the presidential hopeful. Obama, a Senator from Illinois, used the opportunity to discuss his platform and to reach out specifically to the area’s college students.
Obama said he would give college students $4,000 a year for tuition, but students would have to do an unnamed amount of community service in return. Obama said students could complete their community service through long-term commitments like the Peace Corp or through commitments such as serving food at a soup kitchen.
“We will invest in you, and you will invest in America,” Obama said.
Governor Sebelius openly supported Obama for the first time at yesterday’s events. She said she supported Obama because of his effort to get more students involved with politics.
“It’s not only good for the campaign, it’s good for America,” Sebelius said.
In his speech, Obama also denied allegations that had Islamic extremist connections.
“I’ve been a member of the same church for 20 years,” Obama said. “I’ve been praising Jesus in that church. When I open up the Senate I pledge allegiance to flag, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God.”
Photo Gallery
Barack Obama speech
Photo gallery of Barack Obama rally Tuesday evening at the Municipal Auditorium Exhibition Hall in Kansas City, Mo.
He also said he was not running for president because of a long-held ambition, but because the American dream was slowly slipping away and he hoped to restore it.
Obama also did not waste the opportunity to remind voters that he opposed the war in Iraq from the start.
“I will end this war,” Obama said. “I not only want to end this mindset. I want to end the mindset that got us in the war.”
Obama said that unlike the Bush administration, he would lead the United States with diplomacy.
“I want to go before the world community and say, ‘America is back,’” Obama said.
No matter what happened in the elections, Obama said, he could promise voters that no one from the Bush administration would be on the ballot.
“My cousin Dick Cheney’s name will not be on the ballot,” Obama said jokingly about the recent discovery that he and Cheney are eighth cousins. “When they do these genealogical surveys you are hoping you are related to somebody cool, like Paul Revere. But Cheney? That’s just embarrassing.”
He sent a message to people who called him a hope peddler, monger or naïve. He said he knew it was going to be hard to provide health care to every person in America, but that hope is what ended slavery and earned women the right to vote.
Many KU students, including Hand, skipped class to attend Obama’s “Stand for Change” event. Tyler Anderson, New York City, senior, said he and Hand waited outside for about two hours before they were admitted into the hall. He said the wait to see Obama was worth it, though.
Hand said he was unsure whether he would vote for Obama in the election, but that Obama made some compelling statements.
Katie Arthur, Owasso, Okla., freshman, said she had already considered voting for Obama, but his speech confirmed her vote. She said his dedication to the genocide in Darfur was moving.
“That’s a really big issue for me because I have some family that lives over there,” Arthur said. “It’s so heartbreaking. When he said something about helping out Darfur and AIDS, that was pretty great.”
Megan Do, Wichita freshman, said she has been an Obama supporter for several years. She said she has been an Obama follower since 2004 when Obama was elected to the Senate. Do was standing in the front row at the rally and shook Obama’s hand.
“It was amazing,” Do said. “I honestly thought, ‘This is going to be the next president of the United States.’”
—Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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Obama speaks to El Dorado, KC to campaign for caucus
"OBAMA PORTRAIT MUSIC VIDEO" on Youtube - Don't Miss It!
For those of you who still have not heard:
There is a WONDERFUL and INSPIRING music video on Youtube.com entitled "Obama Portrait Music Video by Bjarne O." You can use the free downloaded high-quality stereo version from the composer's website in DVD form to show at house parties and fundraisers. Even people who knew nothing at all about Obama have been moved: either a thrilling introduction, or further inspiration for those of us who already know and fight for Obama. The music soundtrack, which incorporates excerpts from the famous 2004 speech, can also be downloaded separately in high-quality.
So please, SPREAD THE WORD!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mCPwbozpIzM
YES WE CAN
Anne
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