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Michelle Obama Rallies 2,000 in Cleveland

Michelle Obama (stock photo from OPR)
Michelle Obama (stock photo from OPR)

Michelle Obama told the crowd that visiting Cleveland felt like “coming home.” And she said she mailed something to her hometown, Chicago, that morning.

OBAMA: “I cast my ballot early for Barack Obama.”

Her remarks contained echoes from her speech to the Democratic National Convention. And she stressed the crisis Barack Obama faced when he assumed office four years ago. But her talk was tailored to swing state voters who could be turned into volunteers for the campaign in the final three weeks before the election.

OBAMA: “Look at this room. This room could swing an entire precinct for Barack Obama. And if we win enough precincts, we will win this state. And if we win Ohio, we’ll be well on our way to putting Barack Obama back in the White House.”

Outside I met Faye Jones, a Euclid resident and Obama supporter who admits the past four years have been difficult. Her daughter is looking for a job. But she says the president hasn’t had it easy, either.

JONES: “These last four years have been a struggle for Barack.

She blames the Republican party for obstructing the President’s agenda, and also faults low Democratic turnout in the mid-term elections in 2010.

JONES: “The fact that we did not support him two years ago in the numbers that we did when he was elected is why he hasn’t been able to do as much as he wanted to do.”

So will Democrats and Republicans be able to compromise over the next four years? Jones says she’s hopeful, but she doesn’t think it will happen.

Nick Castele was a senior reporter covering politics and government for Ideastream Public Media. He worked as a reporter for Ideastream from 2012-2022.