In Martinsville, Obama touts populist themes

Associated Press

Published: August 20, 2008

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to create millions of union jobs in alternative energy and to end tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas, using tough new populist language to persuade voters that he, not rival John McCain, is best positioned to lift the limping U.S. economy.

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Obama was on a two-day bus tour through Virginia, a likely general election battleground state, amid frenzied speculation about when he would announce his running mate. He brushed off questions about his choice during a morning visit to a farmer’s market in Greensboro, N.C., before boarding the bus.

Obama was to spend the night in Richmond and campaign Thursday with Gov. Tim Kaine, widely believed to be on the short list of possible running mates.

At a community college in Martinsville, Va., Obama told about 350 supporters that McCain had a compelling biography as a former prisoner of war in Vietnam. But, he said, the GOP hopeful would follow the economic policies of the Bush administration if elected president.

``I honor his service,‘’ Obama said. ``I don’t honor his policies. I don’t honor his politics.‘’

Obama also renewed his warning that Republicans would try to scare voters about his background. ``They’ll say, ‘He’s young, he’s got a funny name, he’s not patriotic,‘’‘ Obama said, adding that it was part of a pattern in GOP presidential politics.

``We’ve seen this movie before,‘’ he said.

Obama stuck mostly to economic themes during his appearance, adopting a pitch that sounded much like Hillary Rodham Clinton in the waning days of her primary campaign. The former first lady defeated Obama in eight of the last 13 primaries using populist language that strongly resonated with rural and working-class voters.

With Mark Warner, the former Virginia governor now running for Senate, at his side, Obama said it was wrong that the Iraqi government has been sitting on billions of dollars in oil revenue while the U.S. spends billions to rebuild the war-torn country.

``We should be using some of that money to rebuild Virginia, laying roads, building broadband lines and putting people back to work,‘’ Obama said.

As for tax breaks to companies taking jobs overseas, Obama said: ``We sure as heck don’t have to give them incentives to move. ... We should give companies tax breaks that are right here.‘’

Obama made an appeal for votes that sounded much like the closing pitch Clinton would offer in similar settings.

``If you give me that opportunity, if you give me that chance, I will fight for you every single day,‘’ he pledged. ``I’ll wake up every day in that White House thinking about those people in Martinsville.‘’

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, listens as Virginia Democratic Senatorial candidate, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, left, gestures during a town hall meeting at the Patrick Henry Community College Motorsports facility in Martinsville on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)