GOP VP Palin's visit to Omaha draws thousands
OMAHA, Neb. — A surprise visit by Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin drew thousands of people to Omaha’s Civic Auditorium Sunday, the latest in a series of unlikely events in a Republican-heavy state that rarely sees candidates visit.
First, Democrat Barack Obama campaigned in the state for the party’s first-ever caucus in February. Then he opened an Omaha office to compete for the electoral vote tied to the state’s 2nd District.
Republican nominee John McCain has been in town for a fundraiser, and now his running mate is in town.
Yvette Cordell, 41, of Omaha, says even though she plans to vote for Republican John McCain, she’s not sorry Obama decided to campaign in the 2nd District because “we like the attention.”
“Palin wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t that threat,” said Cordell, an independent.
Nebraska has given its five electoral votes to the GOP candidate in every presidential election since 1964, and presidential candidates rarely visit the state because Republicans have been so dominant. They enjoy a 178,000-voter advantage over Democrats in registered voters.
But this year, Obama’s campaign is targeting the state’s 2nd District, which includes Omaha. The state is one of just two — Maine is the other — that can split its electoral votes, although it’s never happened.
The vote would be essential to victory if the election ended in a 269-269 electoral tie, neither candidate reaching the needed 270 electoral votes. If Obama won the 2nd District vote, he’d have 270 to McCain’s 268.
A few blocks from the Omaha rally, Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson held a news conference where he said Palin’s claim that Barack Obama “pals around with terrorists” was “Swift Boat politics.”
Palin said the Democratic presidential nominee’s association with a 1960s radical is an issue that is “fair to talk about.”
Obama has denounced the radical views and actions of Bill Ayers, a founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam era.
Nelson called the comments “a thinly veiled strategy to try to change the subject.”
Across the street from the Omaha rally, 22-year-old Trisha Clark held a sign that said: “I wear lipstick too but will never vote for you.”
She said Obama running mate Joe Biden “has done more for women’s rights than Sarah Palin ever will.”
“She’s no Hillary Clinton,” the Omaha Democrat said, referring to the former Democratic presidential contender.
But Connie Marmo, 53, an Omaha Republican, brought her own sign: “Sarah Palin for the Good Life.”
“I like her down-home talking,” Marmo said. “She’s a go-getter.”
The Obama campaign is opening its second office in Omaha, while McCain has so far relied on a volunteer effort in the state.
McCain held a fundraiser in Ashland in July, while Obama hasn’t been back to Nebraska since a rally the week before February’s Democratic caucuses.
Palin’s visit to Omaha is a boost for Republican Congressman Lee Terry, who’s seeking re-election in the district. The key to Obama’s Omaha effort is a huge voter registration drive, and thousands of new Democrats added to the rolls could boost Terry opponent Jim Esch, an Omaha Democrat.
Terry said the visit shows McCain is taking the 2nd District seriously, which he’s been suggesting since the Obama effort here started.
Obama campaign: http://www.barackobama.com
McCain campaign: http://www.johnmccain.com
First, Democrat Barack Obama campaigned in the state for the party’s first-ever caucus in February. Then he opened an Omaha office to compete for the electoral vote tied to the state’s 2nd District.
Republican nominee John McCain has been in town for a fundraiser, and now his running mate is in town.
Yvette Cordell, 41, of Omaha, says even though she plans to vote for Republican John McCain, she’s not sorry Obama decided to campaign in the 2nd District because “we like the attention.”
“Palin wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t that threat,” said Cordell, an independent.
Nebraska has given its five electoral votes to the GOP candidate in every presidential election since 1964, and presidential candidates rarely visit the state because Republicans have been so dominant. They enjoy a 178,000-voter advantage over Democrats in registered voters.
But this year, Obama’s campaign is targeting the state’s 2nd District, which includes Omaha. The state is one of just two — Maine is the other — that can split its electoral votes, although it’s never happened.
The vote would be essential to victory if the election ended in a 269-269 electoral tie, neither candidate reaching the needed 270 electoral votes. If Obama won the 2nd District vote, he’d have 270 to McCain’s 268.
A few blocks from the Omaha rally, Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson held a news conference where he said Palin’s claim that Barack Obama “pals around with terrorists” was “Swift Boat politics.”
Palin said the Democratic presidential nominee’s association with a 1960s radical is an issue that is “fair to talk about.”
Obama has denounced the radical views and actions of Bill Ayers, a founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam era.
Nelson called the comments “a thinly veiled strategy to try to change the subject.”
Across the street from the Omaha rally, 22-year-old Trisha Clark held a sign that said: “I wear lipstick too but will never vote for you.”
She said Obama running mate Joe Biden “has done more for women’s rights than Sarah Palin ever will.”
“She’s no Hillary Clinton,” the Omaha Democrat said, referring to the former Democratic presidential contender.
But Connie Marmo, 53, an Omaha Republican, brought her own sign: “Sarah Palin for the Good Life.”
“I like her down-home talking,” Marmo said. “She’s a go-getter.”
The Obama campaign is opening its second office in Omaha, while McCain has so far relied on a volunteer effort in the state.
McCain held a fundraiser in Ashland in July, while Obama hasn’t been back to Nebraska since a rally the week before February’s Democratic caucuses.
Palin’s visit to Omaha is a boost for Republican Congressman Lee Terry, who’s seeking re-election in the district. The key to Obama’s Omaha effort is a huge voter registration drive, and thousands of new Democrats added to the rolls could boost Terry opponent Jim Esch, an Omaha Democrat.
Terry said the visit shows McCain is taking the 2nd District seriously, which he’s been suggesting since the Obama effort here started.
Obama campaign: http://www.barackobama.com
McCain campaign: http://www.johnmccain.com
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