From The Road
May 21, 2008 7:58 PM

Obama Introduces Himself to Florida Voters

By
Maria Gavrilovic
Topics
Barack Obama
(CBS)


From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:


KISSIMMIEE, FLA. -- As he wrapped up his first full day of campaigning in Florida, Barack Obama told a predominately Hispanic and African-American crowd here tonight about his "mixed up" background in an effort to introduce himself to the state's voters. "When you get my family together, you've got people who look like Margaret Thatcher. You've got people who look like Bernie Mac. You've got my sister," Obama said, "she looks like Selma Hayak. I don't know if you've seen her. She looks Latin."

He encouraged the diverse crowd not to get caught up in differences because "we all have a piece of each other." Obama also used his background to support his argument that he is still connected to the middle class. "Since I'm somebody who comes from a working class, middle class family, and my wife does too, I don't forget that I was raised by a single mom, I don't forget that we had to get food stamps for a few years while she was still going to school," Obama said.

"I don't forget that up until five years ago when my books started selling, we were still trying to figure out how we were going to pay for our kids college education because we had just finished off our loans. So I think about it all the time."

In recent weeks, Obama has made a considerable effort to reacquaint voters with his biography. After a slew of questions about his patriotism and religious beliefs, Obama has decided to take on questions about his background head on. Although he has blamed his opponents for stirring up the controversies, he is beginning to realize that many voters want to learn about him in his own words.

Add a Comment See all 13 Comments
by jone775 May 22, 2008 5:17 PM EDT
Repukes approved the plan to move Florida''s primary up, against Democratic primary rules. And, Obama is only 4 points behind McSame right now. In another month, Obama will have already started the steamrolling process. Bu-bye Repukes!!
Reply to this comment
by greenfun May 22, 2008 5:08 PM EDT
McCain is already beating Obama in FL.
After Obama blocked their opportunity for a re-vote-does anybody think they are now going to fall in line behind him?
Reply to this comment
by mattcat25 May 22, 2008 4:42 PM EDT
A vote for John McCain or any Repblican Candidate is a VOTE FOR HIGHER GAS PRICES! (and war).

You decide.
Reply to this comment
by truthyness May 22, 2008 3:21 PM EDT
In a recent picture of Obama, he''s walking with a book in his left hand with his finger in between two pages as if to mark the page. The book is by Fareed Zakaria, entitled The Post-American World.....Post-American?? Post????
The idea here seems to be that as America''s power diminishes, we should set back and do nothing in the hopes that the rest of the world will like us so much that they''ll still let us be a world leader....a pretty wild liberal dream. This seems to go along with a lot of Obama''s ideas...like destroying our Nuclear Arms and them asking the rest of the world to destroy theirs as he said in the last debate he had with Hillary. No wonder he doesn''t want to debate Hillary any more. Open mouth and insert foot disease is not unknown to him. Perhaps the title of his next book.

Obama''s liberalism will lose him and the Democrates the White House.

America wants nothing to do with a POST American candidate.

Vote for America!! Vote for Hillary!!
Reply to this comment
by peoples_prez May 22, 2008 1:45 PM EDT
Why does the media allow Sen. Clinton to get away with blatant lies during their broadcast? She and her staff members are telling the public that she leads in the popular vote, which is a lie and the media never calls her out on this. Why is the media promoting this lie?
Reply to this comment
by francise223 May 22, 2008 12:40 PM EDT
On the Florida disenfranchisement of 2000-by corporate purging of public voter lists, Wall Street lawyers'' disruption of recounts, and Supreme Court overrule: "We believe that the outcome of our elections should be determined by the will of the people, nothing more, nothing less. We believe the popular vote is the truest expression of your will. Back in 2000 right here in Florida you learned what happens when you''re votes aren''t counted and a candidate with fewer votes is determined the winner. "I believe the Democratic Party must count these votes. They should count them exactly as they were cast. "Some say that counting Florida and Michigan would be changing the rules. I say that not counting Michigan and Florida is changing a central governing rule of this country--that whenever we can understand the clear intent of the voters, their votes should be counted."
Reply to this comment
by francise223 May 22, 2008 12:39 PM EDT
Hillary placed Floridians'' Constitutional right to have their votes counted the same way Black Americans and women. Clinton spoke to senior citizens whom lost their votes in the 2000 Florida election. She is continuing until the Convention, if necessary, to win this fight for Florida and Michigan, calling on Sen. Barack Obama to join it. On slavery or the right to vote: "In each successive generation, this nation was blessed by men and women who refused to accept their assigned place as second-class citizens. The abolitionists and all who fought to end slavery, and ensure that freedom came with the full right of citizenship." On the Constitutional principle: "We have certain core rights that no government can abridge and these rights are rooted in, and sustained by the principle that our Founders set forth in the Declaration of Independence. That a just government derives its power from the consent of the governed, that each of us should have an equal voice in determining the destiny of our nation."
Reply to this comment
by francise223 May 22, 2008 12:37 PM EDT
Hillary is electable because she has won big swing states such as OH, PA, WVA, MI, FLA, etc. by huge margins and gets the traditional democratic core majority groups of women, the working class, seniors, Hispanics, Jews, Asians, etc. She even won the majority of the educated/wealthy and youth votes in West Virginia and Kentucky in a landslide cutting into Obama%u2019s favored groups!

Obama is NOT electable. Wonder if the mainstream media is covering up Obama''s possible closeted homosexual relationship with Pastor Wright until the general election because the media already knew about Pastor Wright''s inflammatory and racist remarks since January 07 and didn''t expose it until April 08? And wonder if that is the reason why Obama stayed with his Pastor Wrightor for 20 years?

Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi say a Hillary/Obama ticket is a winning ticket but she will not let it happen. As Democrat Speaker of the House, the question is why? Has the DNC and Pelosi been paid off by financiers George Soros, Felix Rohayan, George Schultz (millionaires and billionaires) to give GOP the White House this fall????
Reply to this comment
by craigh9 May 22, 2008 11:42 AM EDT
Unreal ..... Here is a man who fought vehemently to ensure that YOUR VOTES and YOUR DELEGATES didn''''t count Posted by TiredoftheBS at 04:22 AM : May 22, 2008

If your screenname was actually true you would never make such statements. Obama never actively fought to not have the votes counted - he has simply left the decision up to the DNC rules committee to decide whats right and has stated he will abide by it. Why no indignation towards Hillary? She fully backed penalizing Michigan and Florida for moving up their primaries when she was the presumptive nominee because it gave her opponents less opportunities to catch her. Now that she is losing and needs these states to count she "champions their cause". Hillary has NO INTEREST in Florida or Michigan except for what they can do for her. Hopefully, those residents understand this and realize she is just blowing smoke in hopes of improving her personal position.
Reply to this comment
by tiredofthebs May 22, 2008 7:22 AM EDT
Unreal ..... Here is a man who fought vehemently to ensure that YOUR VOTES and YOUR DELEGATES didn''t count, and people show up to hear him speak?! He wanted to make sure he had a DELEGATE lead before ANYTHING was done in FL, and you''re interested in ANYTHING he has to say?! Senators CLINTON & DODD were the only candidates who left their names on the MI ballot & 200k voted for ''uncommitted''?! This insanity must be stopped! CLINTONIANS unite. Offer Hillary the VP slot on the ticket, or OBAMA looses in November!
Reply to this comment
See all 13 Comments
.

Follow From The Road

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook
  • Building You a Better Morning

  • CBS This Morning

    "CBS This Morning," anchored by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and at the same time in other time zones.
    Learn more...