Barack Obama gets fired up @ The Corn Palace, South Dakota

Barack Obama: "One voice can change a room. And if one voice can change a room it can change a city. And if it can change a city it can change a state. And if it can change a state it can change a nation. And if it can change a nation it can change the world. One voice can change the world"

Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday used a pair of events not to announce new initiatives, but to again outline that an Obama presidency would mean positive economic change and an energy policy that could engage South Dakota's resources. At an afternoon rally in Mitchell, Obama reiterated his objection to the Iraq war and tried to further difference himself from Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Before an estimated crowd of 2,200, Obama hinted that he has locked up the Democratic nomination ahead of Tuesday primaries and that his opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., would play a critical role in the general election. "She is going to be a great asset going into November to make sure we defeat the Republicans," he said. Obama also took Sunday to speak to veterans and their families during a private pancake breakfast at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds, where he promised a package of extensive changes to veterans health care.
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080601/UPDATES/806010...
Brandi Tiede came to see Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday and possibly to shake the hand of the Democratic presidential candidate. She didn't leave disappointed on either count. Tiede, 22, of Mitchell, shook the Illinois senator's hand after his appearance in front of the Corn Palace, where an estimated 2,200 people showed up to hear Obama speak. Tiede said she still hasn't decided who she'll vote for in Tuesday's primary election, but admitted the handshake may have helped Obama's chances. "We'll see," she said, smiling.

Obama's appearance in Mitchell didn't disappoint his supporters. With the Corn Palace rising in the background, he gave a speech that drew cheers throughout. The afternoon was warm, and without a hint of wind. Vendors sold Obama campaign buttons and Obama staff members handed out placards and encouraged attendees to wave them above their head. Instead, many used them to provide shade or to fan themselves. TV cameras and reporters from the major media outlets crowded to cover the event, and uniformed law enforcement officers manned strategic points atop buildings.

Gloria Dashiell came from Brookings to see Obama. With two children in college and another headed off to school this summer, she was glad to hear Obama address the price of education. Dashiell was born in the Republic of Ghana in West Africa. After becoming a citizen of the United States in 2005, she is supporting Obama primarily because of his message that America can once again be united. "He's talking about how we're all Americans," she said. "We shouldn't be judged by color. We should just come together."

Attendees varied in age from the young to the elderly, some sporting T-shirts emblazoned with Obama's face and catchy messages, such as "We are family: Obama, you and me." Lois Hatton and her daughter, Angela, also made the trip from Brookings. Calling his speech "fantastic," Lois Hatton said she found it appropriate that he chose the Corn Palace as a campaign location. Obama did a good job of showing South Dakotans that he shares their values and work ethic, she said. "He grew up in a Midwestern environment of the belief that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything," she said. "I think he shows those values and I think he tied into that."

It wasn't an audience solely comprised of Democrats. Greg Lien of Chamberlain said he tends to lean politically towards Republican candidates. Following Obama's speech, Lien called himself a "disillusioned Republican" and said he'd vote for Obama. "I voted for George Bush twice and wouldn't do it again," he said. "I'm strongly for Obama. I really do believe he means most of what he says, which I think is unusual. I don't know if one man can make a change, but I think if any one man can in today's world, he probably could." Dwayne Carstens of Mitchell also is a Republican, but said he liked what Obama had to say. "Obama's the best," he said. "If it's between him and McCain, I'll vote for Obama."
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/articles/index.cfm?id=27102&section=news&...

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[thatentrenchingtool]

...And here, we see yet another gigantic crowd of White Middle Americans cheering loudly for President Obama and putting the lie to the Jim Crow Octogenarians' insistence that America STILL just "isn't ready" for a Black president.

We are ready for a good president, that much is true! It just so happens we have the Abraham Lincoln of the 21st century on our hands. Don't miss this opportunity, America! Don't fool yourself into thinking a candidate like this will ever come again.

Obama 2008!

[sweetscorp]

What right do you have to tell someone that they can't combine their faith with pride in their heritage?? You DON'T have the right. If we can have IRISH Catholic churches, then we can have Christian churches that celebrate AFRICAN heritage, it's no different.

[whyteinjun]

@AltitudeBrewer i have a severe korn alergy, when will baramo speak at my bale of hay castle?

[AltitudeBrewer]

Did you know he was speaking from an entire palace of corn? We SoDakians call it a world of corn but Barak can call it whatever he wants. it is awesome. corn is awesome.

[whyteinjun]

@sporedude975 pretty sure you are wrong... i have been there. its in pierre now. under the flaming fountain.

[whyteinjun]

when the state champion mitchell wrestling team realizes this was a lie stained with anti korean proganda they will rise up and attack!

[RedDeadAustin]

I love the Corn Palace but too bad the most divisive president -- ever -- had to speak there. A Chicago based affirmative action Harvard lawyer looks out of place there in the northern plains. I thought he hates these "guns and religion" white folks? Poor guy surrounded by all those evil racists. He doesn't share the values of the majority of South Dakotans.

[ISayWhatWant]

Trinity is the best church!! Please get out of here with that mess.

[sporedude975]

i live in mitchell! Mitchell is the town that the corn palace is located in.