Obama: 'It's time for something new'

Monday, October 20, 2008

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Sen. Barack Obama spoke Monday at Steinbrenner Field.

Sen. Barack Obama spoke at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Monday afternoon.

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Tampa Monday afternoon.

Much of Obama's speech dealt with the economy.

"This is a moment of great uncertainty for America," he said. "The question isn't, 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' The question is, 'Are you better off than you were four weeks ago?'"

Obama called for a rebuilding of the economy.

"It's time for something new," he said. "It's time to turn the page on the last eight years of economic policy. We're going to rebuild this economy from the bottom up.

"We should not put your tax dollars at unnecessary risk. We should not be bailing out Wall Street. We should be restoring opportunity on Main Street."

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Obama said sacrifice would be involved in getting out of the current economic crisis.

"The change we need won't come easy," he said. "It won't come without cost. We'll all going to need to tighten our belts. We'll all need to sacrifice. We'll all need to pull our weight."

Obama on education

"As president, we will give every child, everywhere, the skills and knowledge they need to compete in this new global economy," he said. "I will not allow countries to out-teach us today so they can out-compete us tomorrow."

Obama called for recruiting more teachers and higher pay for them.

He also called for "making a deal with every young American who wants to go to college."

"If you are willing to commit to community service or serve your country in the military or in the Peace Corps, work in a veteran's home, work in a hospital, work in an underserved school, if you are willing to give back something, we will guarantee that you can afford to go to college," he said.

Walking a tightrope to first base

Obama's appearance did put him in a tricky political spot, according to CNN blogger Karin Caifa. In a blog, Caifa wrote:

"At a rally in Philadelphia last weekend, Obama told a crowd, 'I am a White Sox fan,' he told voters there. 'But since the White Sox are out of it, I'll root for the Phillies now.'

But today he lavished praise on the Phillies' opposition - and the team that knocked his beloved White Sox out of October play. 'I have said from the beginning that I am a unity candidate, bringing people together,' Obama quipped. 'So when you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays, and the Rays showing some love back, you know we're onto something right here.'

Call for early voting

Earlier, Obama's campaign said the candidate hopes to encourage Floridians to "vote for change," and to do so by hitting the voting booths early.

Obama, his wife Michelle Obama, and fellow Democrats Sen. Hillary Clinton and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will criss-cross the state over the next three days encouraging people to get out and vote.

The Democratic nominee's visit to Tampa comes after some huge rallies this weekend. A crowd estimated at 100,000 turned out for a rally in St. Louis on Saturday.

Obama also made a stop in North Carolina on Sunday, where he stayed on the defense against attacks made by Sen. John McCain, who has accused the senator of promoting socialism.

"Lately, he and Governor Palin have actually accused me of - socialism. Socialism...he just repeated the charge again this morning. And you know why? Because I want to give a tax cut to the middle class, a tax cut to 95 percent of American workers," he said.

The latest polling numbers this weekend show Obama with a six-point lead over McCain - a gap the Republican senator has been closing over the past week. Here, in Florida, the gap is even tighter, as Obama and McCain are virtually in a dead heat.