Barack Obama Addresses Newton, Iowa, Crowd on December 30

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama (D, IL) traveled to Newton, Iowa, 30 miles east of Des Moines (former home of Maytag) and addressed a crowd of approximately 300 would-be caucus-goers assembled in the Newton Senior High School at 3:49 p.m. (CDT).

Introduced by Senator Kent Conrad from North Dakota, Obama joked that Conrad considers visiting snowy Newton, Iowa "coming South for the winter." Obama mentioned that Conrad still talks about a basketball game he played in Newton and added, wryly, "It was probably the only game where he made more than one basket."

Citing his own background as a campaign organizer for $12,000 a year (plus car expenses), Obama introduced Jasper County organizers Tim Anderson and John Ahull to applause, thanking them for their efforts on his behalf.

Then he got down to business, skillfully spinning the same stump speech he has spread across the Hawkeye state for months. Using soaring rhetoric like, "There is no problem we can't solve; no destiny we cannot fulfill. Iowa, you have vindicated my hope(s)."

Obama used the same "check under the hood" mantra he has employed in many other campaign appearances across the state and told some of the same stories.

So what was new this time?

To this reporter the "new" part(s) of Obama's campaign appearance involved obliquely countering attacks on him by the two other front-runners. Obama mentioned that Bill Clinton had said of him that electing someone so young and inexperienced would be "a roll of the dice...a gamble." Countering this, Obama proclaimed, "The real gamble is having the same old folks doing the same old things and expecting it to turn out any differently." Obama mentioned that Bill Clinton, when running in '91-'92, was criticized for having no international experience. He countered that statement with, "Bill Clinton was right then and I am right now." Obama used, as proof, his vote to oppose the war in Iraq from the start, saying, "My judgment is informed by the decision to oppose the war in Iraq from the start."

Countering the criticism that he is "too nice," Obama said, "I have to say that I don't need instruction on how to bring about change, because I've spent my entire life doing it." He said, "We can disagree without being disagreeable. There is no shortage of anger and bitter partisanship in Washington. We don't need more heat; we need more light." He said that he attracts Independents and disgruntled Republican voters in this campaign.

One funny anecdote involved a Republican voter coming up to Obama and whispering in his ear, "I'm a Republican, but I support you." Obama's response? (in a whisper), "Thank you. Why are we whispering?"

Obama said, "I don't want to lead the red states or the blue states of America. I want to lead the United States of America." He commented that the latest polls show him as the only candidate beating all of the leading Republican candidates (although it should be noted that some polls show Edwards holding this position.).

Before taking questions from the audience, Obama said, "Let me wrap up by saying this: there seems to be an argument about the meaning of hope. I could not have achieved what I have achieved without hope. They say, 'Oh, he's talking about hope again. He's a hope-monger. He's so naïve.' They seem to think that I don't understand how hard it will be. Hope isn't blind optimism. It isn't ignoring the hard tasks and hurdles ahead of us. Hope is a clear idea of how hard it will be and being willing to try, anyway."

Decrying a country "led into war by fear and falsehood," Obama continued, "Every bit of progress in this country was fed by hope." He added, "The others in the race are saying, "He's gonna' have to do a Tonya Harding on her and give her a whack." (Chuckles here). Obama denied that dirty politicking was the way to go.

He went on to say, "There are millions of dollars pouring in from undisclosed groups (a reference to groups, some of which may be running ads for Edwards and/or others). There are distortions. We've seen this movie before and it won't work this time. When the American people believe it's time for a change, the American people cannot be stopped...That's what hope is...Be willing to work hard on behalf of things that seem improbable, but are possible."

Obama said, "There is a moment in every generation's life. This is our moment. This is our time." Obama concluded his normal remarks by saying he would take three questions, and he wanted the questions to be from undecided voters.

The first question came from a young woman who began the question sounding like a Valley Girl, but ended up asking a highly intelligent, insightful and worthwhile question. Her question? "I really, really like your, um, campaign, but I'm concerned about your position on nuclear power."

Obama answered the young woman's question by saying that he would like to establish an Apollo Project to study and research exactly which fuel source would most emphasize clean energy. Obama's opinion is that "nuclear energy is not optimal," while noting that his home state of Illinois has more nuclear plants than any other state in the Union. He mentioned his desire to put taxes on greenhouse gases, which would provide the funding for such an Apollo project and he lauded solar, wind and bio-diesel as alternative energy sources. Obama said that he wanted to use any source of power, including coal, if that source provided clean energy. (This nuclear power position is in stark contrast to Edwards' opposition to nuclear power plants, articulated at his December 28^th Davenport rally). Obama specifically mentioned as a risk the dumping of nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, Nevada, (which, he said, sits on an earthquake fault).

The second question from an audience member addressed the penal system and the United States' position as Number One in incarcerated prisoners. Obama said that he would like to see low-level drug offenders handled more on the local level, but wanted to "keep our streets safe." He decried a penal system that incarcerates a prisoner and gives him no training but releases him into society with an advanced degree in crime. Obama said that the local approach would be "a smarter way of approaching crime" and that the money saved in building prisons could be used to educate prisoners and/or teach them a trade, in the hope of cutting down the high rate of prisoner recidivism.

The third question was "How are you going to better the Special Education program?" The question brought forth a pledge to fund Government mandates and a reference to (Illinois Senator) Paul Simon, who set up a plan that would have had the federal government fund 40% of special education. Obama noted that the federal government currently pays for only 18% of that mandate, putting schools in desperate financial situations.

A fourth and final question was: "All candidates are talking about the middle class. How am I really going to be helped?" Obama, after laying out the details of his health plan, said, "I was talking to my wife the other day, and she said, 'We're not doing this again.' She told me, 'You know. We're not that far away from being normal. (laughter here) Five or six years ago we were still struggling with all of our bills for law school. We still remember what it's like. Maybe 8 or 10 years from now, we won't remember. I think we'd still be good people, but you lose track of how hard it is to make ends meet (for the average citizen). [*NOTE: check out my story "What are the Top-Tier Caucus Candidates Worth?"]

Ending his remarks with, "I will always tell you what I think. I will always tell you where we stand. I will always listen. I will wake up each day trying to figure out how to make your life better," Obama exited the hall to the strains of "I'll Take You There."