Sen. Barack Obama held a rally in Chapel Hill’s Dean E. Smith Center Monday night to speak about his policies and encourage early voting.
It was the Democratic presidential candidate’s third visit of the day in North Carolina, and Obama spoke of a need to look forward and focus on issues that matter to the American people.
“I have been running for president for fifteen months now and when people ask me why so soon? I explain that I’m not running because of ambition, I’m running because of what Martin Luther King Jr. called ‘the fierce urgency of now,'” Obama said.
Obama said there are concerns that the American dream is slipping away due to income inequality coupled with rising rates of healthcare, gas, mortgages and college education.
“My faith in the American people has been vindicated because everywhere I go people say it’s time for things to change,” he said. “It’s time to turn the page. It’s time to write a new chapter in American history, and that is why we are going to win.”
His speech focused on ending the war in Iraq, transforming the education system, changing the healthcare system, and creating a new energy policy.
Obama also spoke about investing in alternative energy, raising fuel efficiency standards on cars, losing dependency on foreign oil, and putting millions of people to work on green jobs, saying “that is the future.”
Obama commented on his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and said that the American people are funding his campaign instead of PAC’s and special interest.
“I want to change how business is run in Washington,” he said. “Don’t hire someone who can play the game better, hire someone to end the game-playing.”
Obama also commented on Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. He said although he admires him for serving our country with honor, McCain has embraced Bush’s foreign and economic policy and American’s cannot afford another four years of the same policies.
“I love this country,” Obama said. “I need you to vote. We will win, and you and I together will transform this country, transform this world.”
Marvin Johnson, 34, said that this is the first primary he’s ever paid attention to and that Obama is the first politician to evoke his excitement for the presidential election.
“He understands where we are as a country and is truly a representative for the people,” he said.
Johnson said Obama is an inspirational and concise speaker.
“You can tell he’s sincere by his eye contact, energy, and naturalness,” he said. Jamie Faussett, a senior at East Carolina University, said Obama is the candidate to solve the major problems in the United States.
“I like that Obama was talking specifically to students part of the time — about things that are relevant to me right now such as college tuition, healthcare and rising gas prices,” Faussett said.
She said was impressed by Obama’s speech.
“[His performance] showed that he was not just talking to us but listening to us, and reacting to us,” she said. Obama’s message about early voting had already reached some supporters, according to UNC senior Annie Hansel, who said she had already voted for Obama but is planning on spreading the message to her friends and roommates.
