Obama event in Terre Haute draws 1,000

TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., made a campaign stop in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday afternoon, just two days after Republicans concluded their convention in St. Paul, Minn.

The event, held at the 4-H Arena at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Ind., drew about 1,000 and included a question and answer session after the 45-minute speech.

The Illinois Senator made an appeal to the white, middle class voters he has missed out on, speaking specifically on the country’s economic woes. Obama outlined his plans on energy policies, college education, taxes, and the war in Iraq, saying he wanted to “Clean up the mess that’s been made the last eight years.” Obama said the country’s unemployment rate was the highest now than in the last five years and that the country was headed toward a future that he did not accept and that Americans should not accept.

“People are anxious out there,” Obama said. “People are hurting. And they are concerned. They’re concerned about themselves, but they’re also concerned about their children and their futures.”

Obama was introduced by Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who was originally thought to be on Obama’s short list for Vice President before Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. Bayh said he had often talked with Obama about coming to Terre Haute, which is Bayh’s hometown.

“One of the things I’m proud of this man for doing is to reaching out to the millions of Americans who have lost faith and lost hope in this country,” Bayh said. “Barack Obama understands that our country can no longer afford to be divided into red states and blue states but be united into 50 states.”