INDIANAPOLIS — On a day when Indiana became, according to at least one poll, a battleground state in the upcoming general election, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama assured Indiana voters in Indianapolis that his tax plan would help middle-class workers.
Obama’s visit Thursday to Indianapolis took place at an outdoor forum in the heart of the city, in the American Legion Mall, surrounded on all sides by war monuments and memorials. Obama noted the 25th anniversary of the Beirut bombing of a U.S. Marines barracks that took the lives of 241 servicemen during the Lebanese Civil War.
The Big 10 Battleground Poll, sponsored by eight of the Big 10 Universities, was conducted once in September and again this past week. During the most recent poll, the Big 10 showed a 10-point spread between Obama and McCain, with McCain showing 41 percent of the vote and Obama 51 percent.
With introductions by Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jill Long Thompson, attorney general hopeful Linda Pence and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Obama spent a little less than an hour addressing the crowd of about 35,000. The day marked his 47th campaign stop in Indiana, a state that has not voted for a Democratic candidate for president in 40 years.
The crowd began arriving as early as 6 a.m., wrapping their hands around hot coffee cups for warmth, their breath visible in the early morning temperatures.
The American Legion Mall filled up over the next several hours as the sun continued to rise above the Legion’s national headquarters to warm the audience.
Obama spent the majority of his address on the economy, criticizing John McCain's tax policies.
“The truth is, my opponent and I are both proposing tax cuts,” Obama said. “The difference is he wants to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO. I want to put a new tax cut in your pocket.”
Sen. Obama added that McCain said a few years ago, “We couldn’t in good conscience support the tax cuts that went mostly to the wealthy at the expense of middle-class Americans who most need tax relief.
“He was right then,” Obama added, “but I’m right now.”
“Let’s have a show of hands,” Obama said to the crowd. “How many people here make less than a quarter million dollars a year?”
When nearly every hand in the audience went up, he said, “That seems to be the majority, which includes 90 percent of small businesses.”
The Illinois senator also noted the loss of jobs in Indiana, saying, “Where I come from, there is nothing more fundamental than a good-paying job.” He added that the economy needs to be built from the bottom-up, because, he said the top-down economic policies of the past eight years have not worked.
Obama also spoke about health care, noting his own mother’s death from cancer at age 52.
“I’ll never forget how she spent the final months of her life lying in a hospital bed, fighting with her insurance company because they claimed her cancer was a pre-existing condition,” Obama said. “They didn’t want to pay for treatment.
“As president, I’ll make sure those insurance companies will never do that again,” he added to the cheers of the crowd.
Obama made one more stop in Indiana, in South Bend, before leaving for Hawaii to visit his grandmother, who is in poor health.
Deb Kelly can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.kelly@tribstar.com.
Election 2008
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October 23, 2008
Barack Obama criticizes John McCain tax plan in 47th Indiana stop
- Election 2008
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Vigo County election results
More than 44,000 ballots were cast Tuesday of the nearly 80,000 registered voters, giving Vigo County a 55.76 percent voter turnout. Voters who cast provisional ballots have until noon Nov. 14 to show proper identification in the clerk’s office. Members of the Election Board will certify the results by the end of Nov. 14.
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Obama triumphs, will be first black U.S. president
Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation’s first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. “Change has come,” he told a huge throng of jubilant supporters.
- Ellsworth downs Goode in District 8 In a strong Democratic election year, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth was re-elected Tuesday to a second term as the 8th District congressman representing southwestern and western Indiana.
- House District 44: Former Greencastle major wins A former Greencastle mayor will head off to the Statehouse come January, and she said Tuesday night she’s ready to go.
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YOUTH VOTE: Sarah Scott students elect Obama, Daniels
Tribune-Star
Students and staff at Sarah Scott Middle School voted to make Barack Obama president and Mitch Daniels governor during a mock election Tuesday. - Vigo picks presidential winner again Vigo County voters chose Democrat Sen. Barack Obama as president, maintaining its status as a “bellwether” county, picking the winner in every presidential election since 1892 with only two exceptions.
- Harrison Township opts to keep assessor Voters in eight precincts in Harrison Township opted to retain a township assessor under a referendum vote on Tuesday’s election ballot. That’s was good news to Mick Love, who will retain his elected seat as Harrison Township assessor. The final tally on Public Question No. 1 was 6,587 for a “yes,” which would remove the office, to 9,506 for “no” which would retain the office.
- House District 46: Tincher pulls out win The race between Democrat incumbent Rep. Vern Tincher and Republican challenger Bob Heaton for the Indiana House District 46 seat went down to the wire Tuesday night, with Tincher pulling out a win.
- Republican Daniels wins 2nd term as Indiana governor Republican Mitch Daniels defeated former Democratic congresswoman Jill Long Thompson on Tuesday to win a second term as governor, but he may need a supply of olive branches to advance his agenda if Democrats retain control of the Indiana House.
- House District 45: Borders wins close race The Indiana House District 45 race between incumbent Republican Bruce Borders and Democrat Rick Marshall was too close to call for much of the evening Tuesday, with the final outcome apparent near midnight.
- House District 43: Kersey remains in seat Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute, will remain in the Indiana General Assembly for another two years, as the 12-year incumbent defeated Republican challenger Ryan Cummins for the House District 43 seat.
- Clay County's turnout one for record books Clay County’s voter turnout was one for the record books, officials said Tuesday evening.
- Parke County incumbents retain their seats Parke County incumbents retained their seats in Tuesday’s election. Republican County At-large Councilmen Dale Gerrish and John Pratt will be joined by fellow Republican J.B. Butler, a newcomer who received more votes than Gerrish and Pratt. The three GOP candidates won over the three Democrats in that race.
- Nearly 64 percent of registered Vermillion voters cast ballots Vermillion County voters turned out in big numbers Tuesday to hand victories to Democrats up and down the ballot. Nearly 64 percent of registered voters turned out in the mostly rural county, which includes the towns of Clinton and Newport.
- Sullivan County votes Repbulican in national election For the second time in its traditionally Democratic history, Sullivan County voted Republican in the national election. Overall, Democrats saw unexpected upsets, incumbent Republicans lost a few offices, and voter turnout here was exceptionally high, as expected.
- Indiana State students await impact of their votes Ashley Roce sat in the Cunningham Memorial Library eating pizza with her friends, waiting to see the impact of her first vote in a presidential election.
- Indiana transplants watch from east coast Indiana has done what couldn’t have been predicted in 2004: It has gone Blue — and by so doing, the Hoosier state has broken its 44-year tradition of being a Red state, and helped put a Democrat in the White House.
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Voter turnout in Clark County, Ill., highest it's ever been
Voter turnout in Clark County, Ill., was the largest it has ever been, but it wasn’t as high as County Clerk Bill Downey had hoped for.
- Presidential election turnout down in Edgar County Despite an increase in registered voters for Tuesday’s election, turnout was lower than the last presidential election in Edgar County, Ill.
- Incumbents easily win school board seats Three Vigo County School Board incumbents readily won re-election Tuesday. In District 1, Mel Burks and Jackie Lower retained their seats, defeating Larry Faulkner. In unofficial results, Lower had 24,321 votes, Burks, 19,253, and Faulkner, 11,383.
- Democratic Commissioner Mason gets another four years Vigo County voters on Tuesday returned Democratic Commissioner Paul Mason for an additional four-year term as one of the county’s top executive officials.
- Rader wins Vigo judge Superior Court Divisioin 5 The winner of Vigo County judge for Superior Court Division 5 is Dr. Michael Rader. With 23,636 votes, or 56 percent, Rader defeated Republican challenger Dan Kelly, who earned 18,216 votes, or 44 percent. Totals are unofficial results from the Vigo County Election office.
- Allsup defeats Royer in Vigo Recorder race In a night that was friendly to Democrats, Nancy Allsup won the office of Vigo County Recorder, defeating Republican Bruce Royer. Allsup, with 26,486 votes, or 65 percent, celebrated her victory Tuesday night with friends and family at the Paradise Pavilion in West Terre Haute.
- Mansard wins another term as Vigo County clerk Democrat Patricia “Pat” Mansard has won another term as Vigo County clerk. Mansard, who has served as county clerk for 20 years, was busily working Tuesday night to finish up election results, but she took a minute to savor her win.
- FINAL: VIGO COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Final election night results from Vigo County
- FINAL: VERMILLION COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS 2008 Election results from Vermillion County
- FINAL: CLAY COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Election results from across Clay County
- FINAL: PARKE COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Election results from Parke County
- FINAL: SULLIVAN COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS 2008 Results from Sullivan County
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NEW: Vigo County’s election record cited by Karl Rove
Karl Rove, the man credited with orchestrating President George W. Bush’s two successful campaigns for the presidency, reportedly singled out Vigo County as a place to watch tonight when election returns start coming in.
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