Cleopatra Nelson, 78, of Harrisonburg, cries as she listens to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama speak at a rally at the James Madison University Convocation Center in Harrisonburg on Tuesday.
Photos by Pete Marovich and Nikki Fox
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HARRISONBURG - Sen. Barack Obama started his speech at James Madison University on Tuesday by acknowledging that it has been "awhile" since a presidential nominee campaigned in Harrisonburg.
The last Democratic nominee to visit the city was Stephen Douglas in 1860, while the last major party presidential candidate to stop by was Richard Nixon, who was vying for the Republican nomination in 1968.
"It's been quite awhile, but I am glad to be here," Obama told the packed house at JMU's Convocation Center during what was his ninth stop in Virginia since the primaries ended. "It is a testimony to the path that our country has traveled that the last time a Democrat was here was Stephen Douglas, and now the next presidential candidate is Barack Obama."
While the Illinois senator's campaign stop brought out a capacity crowd of about 8,000 to JMU's Convocation Center, thousands more, unable to get in, viewed the speech via streaming video in a nearby gym and on the soccer field.
Fellow Democrats, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner introduced Obama to the crowd, calling him a leader who can bring people together to get the country "back on the right path."
"We need a leader who will appeal to us, not as Democrats and Republicans, but first and foremost as Americans," Warner said. "And Barack Obama is that leader.
"In one week, you get a chance not only to make history, but, more importantly, you have a chance to come together as a nation and get us headed in the right direction again," he continued. "Will you join me in doing all you can over the next week to make that happen and elect Barack Obama as president?"
Addressing A Fired-Up Crowd
JMU's campus was abuzz all day Tuesday with the anticipation of Obama's appearance.
Students and residents alike lined up in the cold outside the Convocation Center in hopes of seeing the candidate. And members of the local and national media awaited his appearance.
By midafternoon, the Convo's doors opened and guests were met by music that included oldies and rock ‘n' roll. Some supporters chose to stand on the floor for an up-close look of the candidate, while others filled the seats around the basketball arena.
After Kaine and Warner's introduction, Obama appeared from behind a large American flag and made his way onto a stage that jutted out into a crowd of cheering supporters, many of whom held up Obama signs and waved small American flags.
Before starting his speech titled "One Week," which he is delivering across the nation as the campaign wraps up and Election Day approaches, Obama gave a hearty "Go Dukes." It ignited the crowd into a rousing "Duuuuukes."
"Somebody told me that there was a ground movement going on, ‘Duke Dog for president,'" Obama said. "I can understand why you might vote for [Duke] Dog, but he is not on the ballot, so you might try Barack Obama, instead."
The statement got the crowd into a chant of Obama's name and a roaring cheer. The enthusiasm held up throughout the candidate's address with several outbursts of not only his name but also his signature, "Yes we can."
‘Like Our Future Depends On It'
Obama touched on several issues, including the economy, the war and education, during his speech that lasted more than a half-hour.
He promised to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, eliminate taxes for seniors who make less than $50,000 and increase taxes for those making more than $250,000 a year back to the rates of the 1990s.
He also promised to end the war in Iraq, provide a world-class education to every American child and invest in renewable sources of energy that will not only end the nation's dependence on foreign oil, but also create jobs for Americans.
"It won't be easy ... it won't be quick, but you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country," Obama said. "I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history. I ask you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours."
Obama reflected on the challenges he faced early on in his campaign, when he didn't have much money or support. He said he overcame those struggles because he believed in the people's desire for change and their ability to make it happen.
"My faith in the American people has been vindicated," he said. "That's how we've come so far and so close - because of you. That's how we'll change this country - with your help."
Obama called on the crowd to keep the momentum going through Election Day and asked that they knock on doors and convince their neighbors to vote for him.
"We can't afford to slow down, sit back or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week," he said. "Not now, not when so much is at stake. ... We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does."
Contact Jenny Jones at 574-6286 or jjones@dnronline.com