Blog: Obama visits Lebanon

WSLS News Staff & Associated Press
Published: September 9, 2008

BARACK OBAMA VISIT

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Senator Barack Obama will visit Lebanon, Va., for what the campaign is calling a “Change We Need” town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon.WSLS crews will be providing updates throughout the day here.

Updated 5:12 p.m.
After chanting “Yes we can,“ the campaign went straight into fiddle music. From there, they set the tone for the rally with music from George Straight and Heartland. They are continuiong to play country music to the crowd.

Updated 5:04 p.m.
Right now everyone in the gym is just waiting for Obama to arrive and begin his speech.

Updated 4:30 p.m.
The rally is getting underway now. A local pastor has given the convocation and everyone has said the pledge of allegiance.
A campaign representative started off by explaining how southwest Virginia is so important to the campaign.
The seats are rapidly filling up.

Updated 4:28 p.m.
We just ran into Congressman Rick Boucher and his wife. Congress just went back into session this week but said he would make an exception to see the next president in his district. Boucher said, this is historic in that Obama’s visit is the first time we’ve had a nominee in southwest Virginia since Jack Kennedy in 1960.

Updated 4:20 p.m.

This feels like a high school pep rally before a game against the biggest rivals. Seats near the front went fast. Those sitting in the front seem to be the Obam shirt-wearing crowd. The rest of the group looks like they left work early and just came as they were.

Updated 4:10 p.m.
By Jay Warren

Just got here and this is a trek! Three hours from Roanoke, in the far, far reaches of southwest Virginia, yet you would think we were in a media stronghold. There’s six satellite trucks and dozens of reporters, which would have to be a first for Lebanon, Va.

Updated 3:55 p.m.

From WSLS crew on scene

Security is the issue now. There are hundreds and hundreds of people backed up waiting to get tghrough security. WSLS is all set up to be live in 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m. shows. We have a camera inside and a camera outside with Jay Warren and Dr. Bob Denton waiting for the event to start.

Updated 2:48 p.m.

From WSLS crew on scene

Media and people being allowed into gym early.

Approximately 300+ people in line.

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Updated 2:34 p.m.

From WSLS crew on scene:

Long line starting to form.

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Updated 1:01 p.m.

By WSLS crew on the scene:

Six satellite trucks are set up in the parking area of Lebanon High School.  12 news cameras are inside the school’s gym.

The Secret Service has begun their security sweep.

People have set up tents outside to sell Obama gear, including hats and t-shirts.

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Updated 12:40 p.m.

By Jay Warren

We are getting ready to head down to Russell County for Barack Obama’s fourth visit to SWVA. I have covered several Obama events, but for some reason I’m getting a sense that this one could be different.
In the past couple of days, Obama’s tone seems to have shifted. During the coverage of his events, we are hearing more attacks on the Republican tickets and more contrasts between the two sides. This is a marked difference from the previous Obama events I’ve attended, where the candidate generally stuck to his usual campaign themes: his vision, his agenda, his personal story.
Will today be any different?
I’ll also be looking at the crowd. How many of them will be from Russell County? The voters in the February Democratic Primary went for Hillary Clinton by more than 80 percent. That is a huge win for her. Have those Democrats come around to Obama or will the Obama team fill the school gymnasium with area supporters (meaning people who have to drive a decent distance… either from Roanoke or Bristol… to make the place look crowded).
I don’t know the answer to either question now… but hope to in about five hours.
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Updated 7:09 a.m.

By WSLS News Staff

Deep Southwest Virginia turned out to be Senator Hillary Clinton country, when Senator Barack Obama and Clinton dueled for in the state’s Democratic Primary back in February.

The counties surrounding Lebanon, where Obama will campaign this evening, voted overwhelmingly for Clinton.

• Buchanon Co. - Clinton 89.91%, Obama 9.09%
• Dickenson Co. - Clinton 85.10%, Obama 11.99%
• Lee Co. - Clinton 85.52%, Obama 13%
• Russell Co. - Clinton 84.06%, Obama 14.02%
• Scott Co. - Clinton 80.37%, Obama 17.43%
• Tazewell Co. - Clinton 78.32%, Obama 19.22%
• Wise Co. - Clinton 81.74%, Obama 16.24%

Senator Clinton has been campaigning for Senator Obama across the country since the Democratic National Convention ended.  Political strategists say Clinton’s support is crucial for Obama, due to Republican Senator John McCain’s decision to choose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate. Some polls show white women overwhlemingly voting for the McCain/Palin ticket instead of the Obama/Biden ticket.

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6:48 a.m.

By SUE LINDSEY
Associated Press Writer

The southwest Virginia town of Lebanon got an economic boost when two high-tech companies moved in — making it an attractive site for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama to bring his messages of hope and change.

Many in economically distressed rural southwest Virginia earn a living mining coal or farming. But Lebanon’s success at attracting high-tech industry has landed it in the Democrats’ campaign spotlight.

Former Gov. Mark Warner cited the success of the town of about 3,500 in his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. And Obama planned to campaign there Tuesday afternoon.

The region is not Obama territory.

Voters overwhelmingly chose Hillary Clinton in Virginia’s primary, and southwest Virginia has tended to go Republican in presidential elections.

But Warner, who is running for Senate, carried the rural area for the Democrats when he ran for governor in 2001. And Warner persuaded CGI and Northrop Grumman Inc. in 2005 to locate in the coal-mining region.

The two companies moved to the region as a less expensive way to do business without sending jobs overseas. Amid the rolling farmland, Northrop Grumman operates a call center and backup data center for Virginia’s state government across from Canada’s CGI Group center, which employs software developers, analysts and consultants.

“Now, some folks look at towns like Lebanon and say: ‘Tough luck. In the global economy, you’ve lost,“ Warner told Democrats at their Denver convention. “But we believed that we shouldn’t, and couldn’t, give up on our small towns and expect the rest of the state to prosper.“

Now Obama is trying to take a page from Warner’s winning strategy in Virginia.

At a town hall-style meeting at the local high school, Obama will talk about his plans for turning the economy around and ending the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

Keith Brown, a southwest Virginia native who moved back to the region from Cincinnati to take a job as a software engineer with CGI Group Inc., said he would like Obama to stop by his workplace.

“I want the political people to see what the hope is,“ Brown said. “We’re making it work, and we’re seeing the future.“

Former state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, co-chairman of Republican John McCain’s campaign in Virginia, said Obama is “out of touch” with the region. McCain is more committed to having coal as part of the nation’s energy future than Obama, he said.

McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will campaign in northern Virginia on Wednesday, but so far haven’t scheduled a visit to the southwest. This will be Obama’s fourth stop in western Virginia.

“Obama does four fly-bys,“ said state Del. Chris Saxman, another McCain campaign co-chairman. “Will that have staying power? My guess is not.“

The high-tech industries in Lebanon are attracting politicians for now, but the town is hoping those industries attract more investment by businesses in the future.

Tony Dodi, Lebanon’s mayor, said the new centers have prompted inquiries from similar companies, but no firm commitments. Educational opportunities for residents have improved, though, with new information-technology training programs offered at nearby colleges.

“It has energized our young people,“ Dodi said.

Obama hopes to capture some of that energy.

The Democrat’s campaign has been targeting traditionally red states such as Virginia, which last voted for a Democrat for president in 1964. The rural areas could be a factor if the two candidates split the state’s population centers.

Dodi said residents would be there to hear Obama’s message. The 2,000 seats in the gymnasium were spoken for by early Sunday.