by John McCormick
LOS ANGELES – Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will get plenty of questions this evening in Hollywood at their first one-on-one debate.
This morning, Obama warmed-up a bit with an outdoor "town hall" event on the campus of Trade Technical Community College, where he answered numerous questions from mostly students after speaking on matters of race, immigration and economics.
It was an increasingly rare question-answer session with potential voters as his campaign has moved from arena to arena in recent days in advance of the coast-to-coast series of primaries and caucuses on Tuesday.
Speaking to a heavily Latino and African American audience of several hundred, the Illinois Democrat used a new riff to make clear that he wants to fight for all people.
"Too many Americans today feel like the system is not designed for people like us," he said. "They feel like the education system isn't designed for people like us. And the job market isn't designed for people like us. And trying to get a mortgage isn't designed for people like us. And health care is not designed for people like us. Well let me tell you something, this is our country. America should be designed for people like us. That's why I'm running for president of the United States of America, for all people, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, all people."
For the second day in a row, Obama praised John Edwards, whose endorsement he wants following the former North Carolina senator's departure Wednesday from the Democratic race.
He also called out those who suggest there is a "black-brown" divide in the nation. "We have to stop letting those in power turn us against each other," he said.
On immigration, Obama reiterated his position on "proper boarder security," but also stressed that America has always been a place for immigrants, saying his own father from African "didn't look like he stepped off the Mayflower" when he arrived in the United States.
"Not everyone who came through Ellis Island had their papers all in order," he said. "I'm just telling the truth now."
Obama said he believes immigrants need to learn English as part of their citizenship. "Of course, I need to learn Spanish," he added.
Playing to the younger generation, where Obama is especially popular, he told the students gathered that they hold the keys to their future.
"I see the future. I want to belong to the future," he said. "You are the future. And I am going to fight along side you."
When a boy asked how his children feel about his potential of being president, Obama repeated his long-standing pledge to get his two daughters a dog, should be win the White House.
"I think they're very excited," he said, although he added that he suspects they don't want to leave Chicago.
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Comments
Barack Obama wants us to get beyond political dynasties and move forward, and so is running a campaign ad crammed with more Kennedys than a happy hour in Hyannisport.
http://go.fark.com/cgi/fark/go.pl?i=3366816&l=http://gawker.com/350669/obama-will-change-america-right-back-to-1960
Posted by: Jeff | January 31, 2008 2:38 PM
Latino have a long history of supporting Black candidates. Do let them divide us over non-issues. Check out this article:
http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_8107142
Posted by: benabong | January 31, 2008 2:40 PM
"OBAMA SPEAKS"
IMMIGRATION REFORM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. BORDER SECURITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION REFORM.
370 MILE FENCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION REFORM. THE 3 BILLION DOLLARS WAISTED HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION REFORM OR BORDER SECURITY.
SKYWATCH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION OR IMMIGRATION REFORM.
ON THE ECONOMY, BUSH OIL WAR RECONCILIATION ECONOMICS 101 HAS FAILED YOU. HAS FAILED AMERICA, HAS FAILED HIS OWN GOVERNMENT. HALLIBURTON HAS FAILED YOU. NO BID CONTRACTS HAVE FAILED YOU.
HILLARY WONT, I MEAN WE WON'T, I MEAN I WON'T. WELL YOU ALL KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
WITH HILLARY, I MEAN CHANGE, WE CAN TAKE BACK AMERICA, TAKE BACK THE CONSTITUTION AND TAKE BACK OUR BORDERS.
Posted by: Roger Morris | January 31, 2008 2:54 PM
How far left is Barack H. Obama?
National Journal just rated him the MOST LIBERAL senator for 2007.
"Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was the most liberal senator in 2007, according to National Journal's 27th annual vote ratings. The insurgent presidential candidate shifted further to the left last year in the run-up to the primaries, after ranking as the 16th- and 10th-most-liberal during his first two years in the Senate.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., the other front-runner in the Democratic presidential race, also shifted to the left last year. She ranked as the 16th-most-liberal senator in the 2007 ratings, a computer-assisted analysis that used 99 key Senate votes, selected by NJ reporters and editors, to place every senator on a liberal-to-conservative scale in each of three issue categories. In 2006, Clinton was the 32nd-most-liberal senator."
And Clinton II isn't much different:
"In their yearlong race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama and Clinton have had strikingly similar voting records. Of the 267 measures on which both senators cast votes in 2007, the two differed on only 10. "The policy differences between Clinton and Obama are so slight they are almost nonexistent to the average voter," said Richard Lau, a Rutgers University political scientist."
Posted by: Murrow | January 31, 2008 3:02 PM
Oh, Obama, just have a Hollywood set decorator make you a Chicago in the White House for your daughters, they'll love it!
Posted by: RuthieM | January 31, 2008 3:04 PM
Hillary often talks about building a bridge back to the policies of her husbands administration. I think she wants to do this to go back and institute various trade agreements that will expoet all the good paying jobs they missed the last time.
Obama talks about hope. He hopes that no one will see that his bridge is the real bridge to nowhere.
Neither one of these two offer any real change. They only offere empty promises of hope and memories of a past that didn't really exist.
I already miss John Edwards and I'm sure that in time the rest of America will too.
Posted by: Marty Cordova | January 31, 2008 3:21 PM
Isn't this race-based pandering? Who are "people like us." And why does he need to learn Spanish? If he keeps this us, before election, he will have committed to learning Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Urdu and Farsi. And if that happens, how will he ever find time to govern?
Once again, Obama brings up race and we pretend he doesn't. But guaranteed, the media will parse every word coming out of Hillary's mouth and out of every Republican's mouth in search of any shred of "racial" code words.
Posted by: Cindy | January 31, 2008 3:27 PM
"CHERTOF SPEAKS"
WE NEED ID, WE NEED DNA, WE NEED SOME TYPE OF BIOMETRIC INFORMATION ON ANYONE ATTENDING AN OBAMA SPEECH.
IF YOU ARE MEXICAN, IF YOU ARE BLACK/MEXICAN, IF YOU ARE INDIAN/MEXICAN, CANADIAN/MEXICAN YOU BETTER HAVE ALL OF THE ABOVE.
IT'S A RAID, BLACKS ON THE WALL, MEXICANS ON THE FLOOR AND ANYTHING CAUCASION GO HOME, BEFORE THE RIOTS START.
NO REAL ID, THEN YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN. NO BIOMETRIC TATOO, THEN YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN. NO DNA BAR CODE ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK, YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN THAT COUNTS.
Posted by: Roger Morris | January 31, 2008 3:31 PM
Boy if he is trying to sound like JFK he is coming off corny as all get out. Who is he referring to by "People like us"? That sounds a lot racial. Even more corny he's getting his daughters a dog if he becomes President. Is that supposed to tear at our heartstrings?
Posted by: rfb | January 31, 2008 3:37 PM
He needs to learn Spanish??? What a pandering piece of crap this man is. He's sounding more and more in favor of amnesty. People really need to start listening to what he says over and above the "dreamy, let's change stuff" tripe he continually spews.
Posted by: Linda | January 31, 2008 3:53 PM
I like qualities about both candidates. It has been difficult for me to make a decision between them both. Hopefully after tonight, I will be able to pick and be confident with my decision on Tuesday! I hope they stick to the issues and no more back bitting.
Posted by: Hard Decision | January 31, 2008 6:27 PM
What nerve. Barack Hussein Obama wants to represent all the races. Obama is the one that brought up the race issues in this election. Obama's Church supports and backs Farrakahn. Oprah gives a speech to a black audience saying you have to vote for the dream. I could give other examples, but the mainstream won't comment.
Posted by: Clarence | January 31, 2008 11:19 PM
Obama is referring to his fellow Americans when he says 'people like us.'
Posted by: afro bori | February 1, 2008 4:46 AM
Barack Obama's Health Care is the Same Universal Health Care offered by Hillary but with one Major Difference: You Have the Option of Choice! Do you want to be forced to pay for medical insurance like you are mandated to pay your auto insurance now? Or would you rather have the option of CHOICE --to be able to decide whether or not you want to buy your medical coverage at this time? This way Barack Obama's plan does not put another mandated cost, like auto insurance, on the backs of the people, especially the young who already have college costs to contend with. However, the coverage is always there for you, if and when you need it.
Posted by: Bacalove | February 1, 2008 4:51 AM
When Obama was ask if there is a rif between blacks and Mexicans due to illegals taking low income jobs, he dismissed it as scapegoating. This is interesting since in 2006 BO made the same observation that was inferred in the question. As Bill would say "I'm not making this stuff up folks", I just saw it on Tucker. I wonder if BO would have replied the same way in South Carolina. This guy is a panderer of the worst kind.
Posted by: Frankie | February 1, 2008 7:19 PM
Strange and nasty comments on this entry. Is it the blog or the place(Baltimore).
I'd say that him learning spanish isn't likely given all that he's going to be doing as President, so that's pandering a bit, but People like us, he is talking about minorities and he is one. If you read in his first book, he give a very well thought out explanation of race as it relates to blacks and it is a very nuanced situation. Even though he's Harvard educated, he spent a good deal of time in the trenches, he did turn down money to do something noble and he has been very truthful throughout this whole Presidential campaign, It's so funny that of his 4000 votes and all his public time, the Clintons were not able to uncover anything more than what he came clean on in his book and spent some time accidentally talking about it over and over again to make sure everybody knew.
So given all this, I'll let him slide with some of the pandering.
Posted by: mcj | February 1, 2008 11:45 PM
Frankie, let me get this straight, black people are the ones that should be the working low income jobs?
Posted by: afro boricua | February 6, 2008 11:57 AM
obama is so awesome. rock on!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: ocariz | April 1, 2008 4:34 PM