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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > October > 31
Friday, October 31, 2008
“The Boss” to rally with the Obamas in Cleveland
Bruce Springsteen will join Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle for a rally on Sunday, Nov. 2, in Cleveland.
It’s the second of three Ohio Obama rallies on Sunday. It starts at 3:45 p.m. and doors open at 2 p.m.
The first rally at 1 p.m. on the West Plaza of the Statehouse in Columbus, with doors opening at 11 a.m.
Obama will finish the day at a 9 p.m. rally at Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati, 2700 Bearcats Way. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Michelle Obama also will be in Columbus, but not Cincinnati.
In Cleveland, “The Boss” will perform an acoustical set. Springsteen also appeared with Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in Cleveland in 2004 to wind up Kerry’s campaign.
The rallies are free and no tickets are required but an RSVP is encouraged. To RSVP, click here.
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More photos from outside the Biden rally
A few more sights from outside the Biden rally at James S. Trent Arena:
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Boehner calls Obama a barnyard name
U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, is a McCain man in the race for president and doesn’t think much of Democrat Barack Obama.
That was apparent on Wednesday, Oct. 29, when Boehner stumped for fellow Republican McCain at the Brick Street Bar and Grill in Oxford and used a barnyard term to describe Obama.
According to the Miami Student, the newspaper at Miami University, Boehner complained about Obama’s practice of voting “present” rather than “yes” or “no” while in the Illinois Senate.
Here’s what Boehner said, according to the paper:
“In Congress, we have a red button, a green button and a yellow button, alright. Green means ‘yes’, red means ‘no’ and yellow means you’re a chicken shit. And the last thing we need in the White House, in the oval office, behind that big desk, is some chicken who wants to push the yellow button.”
Don Seymour Jr., a spokesman for Boehner, explained it this way in an e-mail:
“Boehner’s point was that Barack Obama consistently avoided making tough decisions and taking tough votes, and voters need to know that. You can’t take a pass on a tough issue when you’re President of the United States.”
Obama campaign spokesman Tom Reynolds had this response:
“It’s sad that John McCain and his supporters are closing their campaign with increasingly angry, desperate, false attacks instead of offering up a single thing John McCain would do differently on the economy than George Bush.
“Barack Obama can handle four more days of John McCain’s attacks, but the people of Ohio can’t afford four more years of the same failed policies.”
University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato said in an e-mail that Boehner was out of bounds:
“That’s completely inappropriate and rude, far beneath a congressional leader. The individual he is describing with an obscenity may be the next President with whom he will have to work.
“Politicians often wonder why they are held in such disrepute. Here’s a prime example. We expect more from elementary students.”
According to the Web site FactCheck.org, Obama voted “present” 129 times in his eight years in the Illinois Senate, a little more than 3 percent of his total votes.
To read the full story, click here.
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Happy Halloween from the James S. Trent Arena
Here’s our vote for best costume, worn by Lynne Cherkaoui of Dayton:
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Biden is speaking
After being introduced by his wife, Jill Biden, Biden has taken the stage.
“Who is going to make you better off four years than now today, and ladies and gentlemen, on that question, it’s Barack Obama,” he said.
The crowd is at 1,500, according to estimates. Trent’s capacity is 4,500 with people seating and standing on the floor, 3,600 seated only. But in this crowd, most people are standing on the floor in front of the podium.
“I know that it’s Halloween,” he said. “But John McCain as an agent of change is a costume that just does not fit.”
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Biden’s running late….
Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, was scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. It’s 2:48 p.m, and he’s not here yet.
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Early voting hours extended locally due to high turnout
With record numbers of citizens turning out for early voting, the Montgomery County Board of Elections is extending its hours this weekend and Monday. Hours will be the following:
Saturday, November 1: 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 2: noon to 7:30 pm
Monday, November 3: 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Registered voters can cast their ballots at the Board of Elections headquarters located on the lower level of the Montgomery County Administration Building, 451 W. Third Street, Dayton.
Here’s the times for other area counties: Greene County Board of Elections, 651 Dayton-Xenia Road, Xenia. Today and Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.
Miami County Board of Elections, 215 W. Main St., Troy. Today and Monday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m..
Warren County Board of Elections, 406 Justice Drive, Lebanon. Monday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; today, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.
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Crowds gearing up for Biden in Kettering
At 9:30 a.m., A.J. Reuscher of Beavercreek was standing in front of the James S. Trent Arena, waiting to see Sen. Joe Biden make his case for Democratic candidate Barack Obama.
He could’ve slept in a bit longer.
The crowds were thinner than they were Monday for Sen. John McCain, who also appeared at Trent, but by 1:20 p.m. a steady crowd largely comprised of Obama-Biden backers were rolling through the door.
Biden, D-Del., was scheduled to speak at 2 p.m, part of a trip around Ohio that will also take him to Lima later Friday, Oct. 31, and then Marion and Bowling Green on Saturday.
Those in the crowd said they felt pretty good about the Democrats’ chances, both nationally and in Ohio.
John Dehaven, 52, of Clarksville, clad in an Obama T-shirt, said he feels Obama has the charisma to bring people to the polls.
“To be honest with you, I think it’s going to be landslide for Mr. Obama. I think he’ll be elected president by 10 at night.”
Dehaven said he backed Obama because “he’s for the middle class.”
“He’s not for the richies,” he said.
Jennifer Kavouris, 42, of West Carrollton, was attending her second campaign event for the Obama-Biden ticket - she also saw Obama in Cincinnati Oct. 9 - and she’s also volunteering for Obama. She also was active in John Kerry’s campaign in 2004. This year, she feels more confident in her candidate’s chances.
“This feels a lot different,” she said. “There’s more excitement.”
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Obama outspending McCain on TV in Ohio, U.S.
Democrat Barack Obama is outspending Republican John McCain nearly 3-1 on TV advertising across the country, according to a report released today, Oct. 31, by the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project.
The report covers spending for Tuesday, Oct. 21- Tuesday, Oct. 28.
In Ohio, Obama outspent McCain, $1,984,000 to $753,000 during the week, nearly a 3-1 margin.
Nationally, Obama spent nearly $21.5 million to nearly $7.5 million for McCain. The Republican Party spent another $6.7 million, including $999,000 in Ohio, and interest groups spent $2.2 million.
The totals do not include the money Obama spent Wednesday, Oct. 29, on a 30-minute infomercial. The numbers for Obama put Obama on track to spend more money in October on broadcast TV - more than $100 million - than any campaign has spent in history.
The air war rages mostly on what should be McCain’s turf - states that President Bush won in 2004, the report says.
For the full report, click here.
In other campaign finance news, check out the higher education blog On Campusfor Kelly Mori’s report on how academics are opening their wallets much wider for Obama than for McCain. Mori is the health and higher education reporter for the Springfield News-Sun.
