Pig, Beer, Hay, Molasses, Home-Made Bread, and Obama

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Fri May-02-08 12:11 PM
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Pig, Beer, Hay, Molasses, Home-Made Bread, and Obama

UNION MILLS, Ind. - Barack Obama finished off a day-long tour of Indiana that focused on rural issues with a roundtable chat at a hog farmer's house followed by a game of PIG that served as a metaphor for the protracted primary race and even featured a direct mention of his rival. (http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2008/05/the_game_of_pig.html)

The farmer, Andy Evers, was an undecided voter who was leaning toward Obama and who also raises corn and soy.

After the Illinois senator spent about 20 minutes talking about healthcare, not taking money from lobbyists, gas prices, uniting Congress, immigration and his children, the farmer asked if he would shoot a few hoops with his 14-year-old son Aaron, who he said had been practicing all night.

"We'll play a quick game of PIG," Obama said, noting they were on a farm. He joked that Aaron would have home court advantage and that the dimming light -- it was dusk -- could prove a disadvantage for an older guy.

The assembled press joined the family to watch the game from the edge of the court.

"I’m feeling a little pressure," Obama, D-Ill., said when he hadn’t made a shot after a few tries. Villicana sunk a shot and then Obama retaliated with a swish. (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/05/obama-to-bball.html)

The score was still even.

Back and forth, the 14 year old and senator shot. Villicana got a P and then got an I.

Obama got a P.

Obama almost had the game finished off. He needed one more shot to win, but he couldn’t make one. They shot and shot. Rain started drizzling and the sun started going down . . .

"He’s tough. He keeps on coming back," Obama commented. Then, referencing parallels to his long struggle on and off the court, Obama quipped, "He’s like Hillary."

With his next chance, Obama took the ball near the imaginary top of the key and fired a jump shot into the net. (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/02/obamas_hoosier_hoop_dreams_the.html)

Villicana had one more chance. The ball banged off the rim. Game over.

Pressure encountered. Pretender vanquished. Message sent.

Of course, it was really just 10 minutes of driveway hoops with a local kid.

"Just know that by the time you're a senior," Obama told him as he paused to sign his ball -- "To Aaron. Great game. Barack Obama" -- "you'll be able to run circles around me."

NORTH LIBERTY, Ind. -- Barack Obama did some listening in Michiana today at a barn at the St. Joe. County Fairgrounds, and in a bar in North Liberty.

It was a surprise stop at the VFW that will leave people talking for years and may have some voters reconsidering their pick.

They weren't positive what they were waiting for, but they had an idea.

That rumor turned to reality when Obama turned on the charm signing autographs and mugging with the youngsters.

Then Barack bellied up to the bar and asked for some Buds that were on the house.

Obama and Gen. Scott Gration attended a "mix and mingle" with voters Thursday night at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in North Liberty south of South Bend.

The 22 people initially in the hall had only short notice about the Obama visit. He stayed about an hour, drinking a can of Budweiser beer, munching on peanuts and talking with veterans about their service, according to pool reports.

VFW Post Commander Harl Shafer, who served in the Army from 1966 to 1968 in Vietnam, got laughs from his crowd when he made Obama and the general sign the guest book as required by a notice posted on the wall.

In the parking lot, the senator was mobbed by a softball team of 10- to 12-year-olds and stopped to sign autographs.

Ashley Burnett, right, shows off an autograph by Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama to her brother Austin outside a VFW post in North Liberty, Ind., Thursday, May 1

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sitting on a stool amid hay bales and a wagon in a barn, White House hopeful Barack Obama did his best Thursday to convince Indiana farmers he understands their concerns and will let them farm instead of filling out forms to comply with government regulations.

Shawn Krull, 35, a fifth-generation family farmer, asked Obama for an assurance that if he and his dad and his brother buy 10,000 hogs, Obama won't pass any new regulations on them.

"The regulations there now are adequate but not being enforced," Krull told Obama. "I'm spending more for consultants and paperwork that I know are never going to be looked at."

Obama assured him, "I'm not going to do anything that has not been worked through by the people who know the ground best." Obama also told him, "I do want cheap pork chops."

Obama also plugged inner-city development as a way to save farmland: "We are still building as if gas is a buck a gallon. Part of the answer to our energy crisis is thinking about how we can help our cities so we don't have people two three hours away from work. How do we encourage cities to ... develop in older areas that are being abandoned? That actually makes for a better quality of life."

One farmer asked Obama if it's true he refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Obama told the man not to believe that internet rumor: "That is bogus. These e-mails been sent around, each state, depending on what state I'm about to go into, suddenly you start seeing this smear campaign. I lead the pledge of allegiance when I'm presiding in the Senate, so you can see it on videotape. I've been saying the pledge since I was 3 years old. If you get these letters from Nigeria saying, 'We've got a lot of money for ya,' don't give 'em your bank account number."

The Illinois senator’s invitation-only appearance was for farmers, students and local activists from throughout the northern Indiana area.

The audience listened as Obama talked about his agenda for rural America. He said he wants to provide incentives for young people to stay on family farms, promote alternative fuel sources such as bio-fuels, and invest in schools and other infrastructure in rural parts of the country to help it remain vital.

He said people in rural America reflect the best of American values.

"The fact that rural America is having such a difficult time indicates we've lost focus on our values and our ideals,” he told the crowd.

Obama touched on many topics Thursday, and took several shots at the Bush administration. He accused the White House of not giving the American people the full story.

"This has been a very secretive government, George Bush's government. And that's part of the reason why you've had a lot of scandals, is because everything's done behind closed doors. That's where lobbyists and special interests thrive, is when nobody's paying attention."

Several of the people who attended asked questions about Obama's stance on the war in Iraq. Obama has pledged to pull all U-S combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of his election. That had one concerned mother smiling.

"I have a son and a daughter-in-law in Iraq, and I believe that Obama's plan to end this war is my hope," said Shauna Dollinger of North Judson. "And I believe he has the answer."

Obama also said he will reach out not only to America's friends, but to our enemies in a diplomatic effort to bring the world closer together.

The Illinois Senator fielded a question at the South Bend Indiana town hall from a voter who commented, "I understand there's a nice plane waiting for you when you become president." (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/05/obama-eyes-af1.html)

Obama said he had been on Air Force One only once before in 2005, when he flew back to Washington, DC with President Bush after attending the dedication ceremony of the Lincoln library in Springfield, Illinois.

"You get on the plane it's big and spiffy, and its got all kinds of people in there doing all sorts of stuff," Obama said describing his first ride.

But what Obama's favorite part of the flight? The safety of knowing the plane likely wouldn't crash when it was toting around a president.

"The truth is the best thing about flying on Air Force One is we were flying though a thunder storm when we got to Washington and we were bumping and shaking and knocking all around and I knew we weren’t going down," he said laughing, "You feel very confident in there, turbulence doesn't bother you at all. You're just like wow – whatever else happens, this plane is staying up."

CHARLES CITY, Ind. -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried on Thursday to win over members of one of his most skeptical audiences: senior citizens. (http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/05/01/obama-courts-the-over-70-set/)

Visiting an assisted living center in Indiana, the Illinois senator shared stories about his grandfather’s service in World War II, his grandmother’s frugality and his mother’s battle with cancer.

He also expressed empathy for the daily struggles of older people worried about paying for prescription drugs and health care while trying to get by on a fixed income.

Obama seemed to impress the crowd after a nearly hour-long visit.

Lavera Schroeder, 82, said she found Obama to be a “normal person” who “talked on our terms” and did not use confusing words or jargon that the group would not understand.

“He said his mother tried to get by,” she said. “That’s how we grew up. We ate molasses and home-made bread.”