Obama Makes Last Colorado Visit in Pueblo

Pueblo, Colorado -- As we head into the final hours of the campaign, both candidates and their running mates are criss-crossing the country in a blitz of last-minute efforts to finish this election in first place.

Sen. Barack Obama, as a part of a final swing through battleground states, stopped in Pueblo, Colorado, on Saturday with his wife, Michelle, for a rally with a crowd of more than 15,000. We walked six blocks just to get to the lines.

Gates opened earlier and traffic was unreal. The excitement of the crowd was total joy. Traffic or not, supporters showed up without fail. The lines were long to get in and it was a beautiful day to stand in line. After everyone got in, the mass crowd filled over three blocks of space.

November in Colorado usually means snow on the ground and cold as all get out. But Saturday, it was 70 degrees and the sun was shining. It seemed to be a sign for the thousands who live in Colorado. Such a beautiful day for a rally in a time when we are usually shut inside.

When Obama took the stage after being introduced by his wife, the crowd cheered and shouted. He obviously was in good spirits. The smile on his face showed a tired but exuberant man. In his white shirt with sleeves rolled up. He followed retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

He told us that, "We are going to have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does." He told the crowd, "We are three days away from bringing fundamental change to the United States of America."

He also reiterated that Sen. John McCain, in three debates and months on the campaign trail, had not yet told Americans what he will do differently than his predecessor, George Bush. He used the Halloween holiday to drive home his point about McCain being like Bush. He said, "My daughters have trouble every year deciding what to dress up as for Halloween. John McCain doesn't have that problem because he goes trick or treating as George Bush."

He also brought up the Dick Cheney endorsement of McCain earlier in the day. He congratulated McCain for getting the endorsement and used that to emphasize just how much like the Bush Administration he would be. He also said that McCain couldn't possibly be telling everybody his ideas about the economy because he was using all of his time to talk about him.

He spoke to the heart of Pueblo when he brought up the his respect for the military and his commitment to take care of them when they came home. He also identified with the Coloradans who came when he talked about Gov. Bill Ritter's announcement of a Wind Turbine Manufacturer building a plant in Pueblo. He said it would create potentially two million jobs in the area.

Obama talked about things we have been hearing before and about new plans and ideas specifically geared to Colorado. He kept the crowd cheering and you could see the support building.

He urged people to vote and to keep talking to others about voting, right up until the polls close on November 4. He warned about being overly confident and overly complacent. He reminded people of the past elections and the results of last minute events that changed the races that resulted in Republicans winning.

His last swing through Colorado was an energizing force to the many supporters who left the rally with a sense of renewed spirit and commitment. Even though the traffic was a bear, the trip was worth it. Obama unites people everywhere he goes. His positive message and his unified spirit have changed Colorado from a Red State to a Blue State. His message crosses party lines and makes people feel hopeful that things will be better.