Obama's Indiana Family Day
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:
LAFAYATTE, IND. -- After enduring several weeks of criticism from his opponents who have argued that he is out of touch and elitist, Barack Obama worked hard today to prove his rivals wrong. With his wife and daughters by his side, Obama met with small crowds at several retail stops through out central Indiana in an effort to reintroduce himself to middle class voters.
His wife Michelle told a crowd of several hundred at Forest Park in Noblesville that they wanted to host a family day. "Our hope is that when we get into the White House, the White House will be a place where children and family become the core of everything that happens out of that building." She called her husband the "underdog" in the race for the White House, and urged voters to turn out on Tuesday. "We can't take anything for granted," she said. "Not a thing. Everybody has to vote."
As the Obamas spoke to the crowd, their daughters, Malia and Sasha, played in the park with the other children. The girls seemed to enjoy themselves, and appeared comfortable in the limelight. Obama noted that his daughters have grown since he announced his candidacy. "I think Malia's about a foot taller," he said. "And Sasha's about half of the roundness - now she's this long beanpole, so you know this has been a long contest, a long race."
The Obamas also visited his family's former Indiana homestead in Kempton, which was once owned by his second, third and fourth maternal great-grandfathers. According to the campaign, Jacob Dunham, Obama's fourth great-grandfather, moved to Kempton in the 1840's. "Welcome to the Dunham homestead!" Obama said to the press as he walked onto the property.
He wrapped up "family day" at Great Skates roller rink in Lafayette, where his daughters courageously strapped on skates and took a lap around the rink as photographers marked their every move. Their parents walked in shoes as the girls tried to skate.
Obama will continue campaigning in the Hoosier state tomorrow, where he is expected to make several more retail stops.