Obama Continues Courting Working-Class Voters in Indiana

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

EVANSVILLE, IND. -- Barack Obama continued to court working-class voters this morning, a demographic that has become critical in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. As he and Hillary Clinton remain in a dead heat in Indiana and she appears to be closing in on his lead in North Carolina, Obama realizes that he can't take anything for granted.

"We're working as hard as we can and I desperately want every vote here in Indiana and in North Carolina," Obama told reporters this morning during a stop at a local construction site.

As he toured the site, Obama spoke to workers about the economy and the gas tax holiday, an issue which has become a sticking point in this election. He called the proposal by John McCain and Hillary Clinton a political "stunt" and said the issue comes up every two years during an election cycle. Obama said a second stimulus check would be a better alternative for short term relief.

"That would help people immediately relieve some crisis and that's money that you know won't be sopped up by oil companies."

He said he is going to be bouncing back and forth between North Carolina and Indiana today and tomorrow.

13 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment

See all 13 Comments


by vet_sk May 7, 2008 9:36 AM EDT: Chris Mathews was great tonight when he talked in contempt of the ditto heads of operation chaos, saying, "That all those that suffered and died for the right to vote now have to live with the embarrassmnt that is themselves."; Reply to this comment


by vet_sk May 7, 2008 9:32 AM EDT: The best comment I heard tonight from a fairly level-headed commentator was, "Hillary is post rational if she thinks she can still get the nomination.

And for the Article: non-partisan on judges. This from the same party that said the dems could no longer fillibuster judged. Go To H-E-LL; Reply to this comment


by melanig May 5, 2008 8:21 PM EDT: These attack ads are disheartening%u2026 I like both of them (a LOT), but I don%u2019t think running attack ads on Obama is the way to go. Yes, it gets her in the news, but in politics not all publicity is good publicity. Hillary is a complex, amazing woman (I read this biography of her, a href="http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=viewbook&BOOK=39255 Her Way by Jeff Gerth (ebook) /a that really impressed me) but she needs to make this campaign about her and not about Obama. Go back to talking about healthcare, I liked you better like that!; Reply to this comment


by philly1550 May 5, 2008 5:07 PM EDT: HILLARY IS COMING ON STRONG...OBAMA IS FADING FAST.

HILLARY WILL BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!; Reply to this comment


by alee25 May 5, 2008 3:54 PM EDT: I want a President who is knowledgeable, experienced, smart, and a fighter. That person is Hillary Clinton. Obama is just a Chicago politician, packaged by Axelrod who excels in presenting candidates like Obama and Patrick as something special but who are all show and no substance. Toss in Rezko, Wright, Ayers and Michelle and we have somebody who is not what he pretends to be. Obama is a coward, refusing to debate Hillary %u2013 he knows he will lose.
Voters in Indiana and North Caroline, the country depends on you. Do the right thing and vote for Hillary.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 May 5, 2008 3:13 PM EDT: Republicans supported George W. Bush and Richard Cheney whole heartedly in the last two Presidential Elections believing in %u201Cmorality%u201D, %u201Cjustice%u201D, %u201Cfreedom%u201D, %u201Cdemocracy%u201D and %u201CJesus%u201D.

These same Republicans are conducting a subversive election ploy lead by Rush Limbaugh to disrupt the Democratic Presidential Primary. This tactic shows us that Republicans aren%u2019t very moral and the principles they stand for are seditious.

Are there reasons that Republicans can%u2019t seem to run off the results of their own actions?; Reply to this comment


by joanhallhovey May 5, 2008 3:12 PM EDT: Barack Obama for President. God bless you, Senator!; Reply to this comment


by jy2008 May 5, 2008 2:33 PM EDT: What did you know before primary?
What do you know right now?
Is not the time to reconize "The Emperor''s New Clothes"
Is not the time to end this drama?; Reply to this comment


by greenfun May 5, 2008 1:19 PM EDT: Why should I believe a word Obama says?
Krauthammer Revisits the ''Race'' Speech

Fri, May 2, 2008 at 8:12:05 am PST

The Barack Obama campaign is desperately hoping that most Americans are dumb hicks with the memory retention of soap dishes; because if they start to compare what he said in that Philadelphia %u201Crace%u201D speech last March with what he said last Tuesday, he%u2019s sunk: The %u2018Race%u2019 Speech Revisited.

%u201CI can no more disown him [Jeremiah Wright] than I can disown my white grandmother.%u201D

%u2014 Barack Obama, Philadelphia, March 18

Guess it%u2019s time to disown Granny, if Obama%u2019s famous Philadelphia %u201Crace%u201D speech is to be believed; Reply to this comment


by craigh9 May 5, 2008 1:02 PM EDT: I certainly hope that the good people of Indiana can see their way through the shams and fear mongering of Hillary. This is your chance to show her that you are not as simple minded as she thinks. Show her you are tired of the same old rhetoric, like her BS gas tax holiday - She KNOWS it''s highly unlikely that any savings would actually reach consumers, she KNOWS President Bush would never OK going after the Oil Companies to pay for it, she KNOWS that even by some miracle that those things happened it would result in a few pennies in your pocket now but will cost you dollars in the future. She KNOWS it is a seriously flawed concept but she pushes it anyway because she doesn''t think Indiana is smart enough to understand - she is counting on you buying into a "Tax Break" that will be none existant and that she has absolutely no control to implement.
PLEASE Indiana PLEASE, vote against Hillary tomorrow. You have the power to put this country on a new journey, tell the old gaurd - promise anything, deliver nothing politicians like Hillary those days are over. Vote for America, vote for yourself - VOTE OBAMA!; Reply to this comment