The crowd was greeted by a big “Hello Youngstown” from Luke, an Obama organizer who went on to stress the importance of early voting. Luke said: “Help us turn out voters, block by block, door by door. If we do it right, there is no stopping us.”
Ted Strickland, the Ohio Governor, was also present at the rally, and was introduced by Congressman Tim Ryan, who stressed the need for a “blow out election.”
Strickland used harsh words to criticize the Bush administration. He said: “Soon this long national nightmare known as the Bush/Cheney administration will come to an end.” He then introduced Senator Clinton.
To a noisy and enthusiastic crowd of nearly 1,000, Clinton said she supports Obama because the he watches out for working people as she does. Youngstown, which has struggled for years with the loss of steel industry jobs, had an unemployment rate of 10% in August, worse than Ohio’s 7.4%.
Clinton opined that McCain represents four more years of Bush policies. She added: “Bush has practiced what John McCain has preached.”
Highlighting the importance of Ohio in the general election, she said “Ohio is battleground state. It makes or breaks presidential candidates.”
Clinton said more important than the frequently asked question - “Who are you for?” - is the question “Who is for you?” She concluded saying: “I’m for Obama and Biden because they are for you.”
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