Thousands of Democratic supporters flooded Mount Lookout’s Ault Park on October 9 to see and hear presidential candidate Barack Obama. Supporters came from every corner of Ohio, many having waited since the early hours of the morning. For many, climbing the hills of the park to reach the pavilion where Obama spoke presented a challenge in itself. To me, this was a metaphor for the last eight years our country has been through: one uphill challenge after the next into a downhill rollercoaster.
However, the atmosphere was positive and vibrant, not too far from that of a rock concert. A campaign supporter commented to me as we trekked up and down hills to reach the pavilion, “This is nothing short of biblical.” Biblical indeed.
I spoke with many people who had never voted before, but feel that Obama can and will take this country to the Promised Land, restoring dignity to the White House. After eight long years of a President with only 1/3 of the country’s support, change is needed in a big way.
As the leaves have started to change with the essence of fall, change has been Obama’s rhetoric from the beginning. Rather than bash Bush or McCain, Obama spent most of his time discussing the struggling economy; however, he did deliver a few blows to McCain, remarking, “My opponent talks about giving every family a tax credit for everyone to buy health care. What he doesn’t say is that he’ll also tax your benefits for the first time in history. Come on! That’s a bait and switch. He’ll give you a tax credit with one hand but he raises your taxes with the other.”
One lady I spoke with in the crowd went on to say, “Four years of McCain.I’ll refuse to listen to anything he has to say.” This is a woman who turns the channel in disgust whenever she sees President Bush on television.
With the general consensus of just that, disgust towards Bush, the crowd went wild when Ohio Governor Ted Strickland predicted at 11:47 on election night all the networks will simultaneously announce Barack Obama has won Ohio. This can only be achieved if we the voters do our part on November 4. Let’s make it a reality; our country will thank you.