Category Archives: Politics

Obama works the crowd – mentions Joe Garcia among others.

“We’ve got some work do Miami: we’ve got an election to win”

“I need your help to finish what we started. Think about where we’ve been and how far we’ve come.”

Here’s a paraphrase/ summary of the main points he talks fast) only parts in quotes are verbatim:
– ended the war in Iraq and we did
– I said we’d end the war in Afghanistan and we are.
– “Al Qaeda is on the run and Bin Laden is dead”
– talks about all his tax cuts for the middle class
– claims we got all the money we used to bailout banks and got repaid “with interest”
– we passed health care “aka Obamacare” (big! cheers)
– we repealed don’t ask don’t tell
– didn’t take Gov Romeny’s advice to let car industry go under
– businesses have added new jobs; unemployemnt is down from it’s peak to under 8%
– home values are on the rise
– “we’re not where we need to be, not yet….too many friends and neighbors looking for work…homes underwater…young people burdened with debt when they graduate from college.”
– “we’ve gone too far to turn back now … why would we go back? the last thing we can afford Florida is 4 years of the very same policies” that got us into the mess “that’s why I’m running for a second term”
– I’ve seen too much pain caused by bad economics to allow a return to it.
– Centerpiece of Romney plan is 20% tax cuts for rich americas (boos) “don’t boo, vote!” (cheers)
– tax cuts for top 1%…you wouldn’t know this from the new mitt Romney ….”extreme makeover”….after being a “severe conservative” he now wants you to think “he was extremely kidding”
– old things weren’t selling; now he’s for things he was against, eg. teachers, even some parts of Obamacare!

Nelson makes a big pitch for early voting – warns people there is not voting the Sunday immediately before the election. Nelson acts as if he has a pulse; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him animated before.

3:05 Nelson’s done. We have in interregnum. Meanwhile the seats are all filled. The crowd cheers and stands…but it’s too early…way too early….and we’re back to loud recorded music. Then …

To introduce the President of the United States please welcome Elizabeth [Bush?]. She introduces herself as a Freshman at UM (“I’ve been volunteering with Canes for Obama since my first week of school.”) She notes Obama’s efforts for Pell grants, to cut costs of student loans (and this is in my opinion a genuine Obama achievement, one Romney has criticized).

Early voting starts on October 27, or you can vote absentee.

“Miami, this election is a clear choice between a politician who doesn’t understand us and a President who does.”

and we’re off…

[Note:first two paragraphs got left out accidentally, were added later]

Field organizer asks people to take out their phones. Asks people to Text “GIVE” to 62262 and send $10. Or do a shift as a volunteer – text “FLORIDA” to 62262 to volunteer. Or download the Obama 2012 app.

The crowd likes it and shouts “Four More Years”.

Next is Debbie Wasserman Shultz. She makes a “U” — The crowd loves her. She’s beaming. (I’m still sore about not her not supporting Joe Garcia more energetically in 2008, but I’m an old grouch.) But she sure knows how to work the crowd. Her big line: this election, “it’s personal!” It’s about health care, about medicare for seniors, and for students. (Are there any hurricanes in the house? Gets “YAY” followed by chants of “FIU FIU FIU” then cross-booing … sounds almost ugly for a moment. But pro that she is, DWS gets them back on track – “we are all here on Team Obama”.

Meanwhile the folks behind me are clamoring for attention. I have a great photo but the local wireless is too congested for my phone to upload it.

Update – here it is:

Then it’s Senator Bill Nelson. He makes a “U” and the crowd loves it. I was born in Miami, and my dad was a member of the first law class at UM. We found an old photo … A quarter of that class were women in 1926!

On substance, Nelson is pretty good. He goes after Romney/Ryan for the “cuts to Medicare” lie. And for Romney’s abortion remarks “what has he said consistently throughout the campaign? Exactly the opposite.”

Team Obama came through with a press pass as part of their high-test blogger outreach, so (after a very very circuitous walk around the perimeter of the security cordon, I’m in the Bank United Center. The public is still filing in through the main entrance, but it looks to fill up.

Starting about 2:30 we had a brief Welcome, the Pledge of Allegiance, a highly nationalistic benediction. Now we’re having a folksy, crowd-pleasing talk from Florida field organizer which is becoming a call for volunteers.