Obama in Beckley

Went to see Obama in Beckley yesterday.

My estimate of the crowd was about 3,000. A good mix of ages, gender and ethnicities. Lots of young people. Obama was introduced by Jay and Sharon Rockefeller.

Sen. Rockefeller said to expect more Obama visits to southern WV and the state in the month leading up to the WV primary.

Obama's effectiveness as a speaker is something that has to be seen in person. Quick on his feet and informal, he holds the crowd in the palm of his hand. The comparison to a rock concert is pretty accurate.

Some highlights:
- Asked about mountaintop removal during the Q&A by environmental activist, Larry Gibson, he said that the clean water act needs to be enforced, called for a balance between economic gain and preserving the environment and stressed the importance of being stewarts of the land and leaving it for future generations.
When I talked to them afterwards, MTR opponents seemed cautiously optimistic about his answer.

AP's take:

Beckley gave Obama a taste of the complexities of West Virginia politics when Chad Foreman of Fayetteville asked the candidate a question about mountaintop removal mining.
Obama’s answer didn’t give much red meat to either environmentalists or coal supporters, both of which had loud contingents in the audience.

He stressed the need for a balanced approach between environmental concern and preserving jobs.

“I’m not just going to take a bunch of contributions from the coal industry and do their bidding, any more than I would only listen to the environmentalists,” Obama said. “I want to listen to everybody.”

He did, though, come out in favor of clean coal technology, something many environmental activists find to be a misleading name.

- Pledged to sit down with West Virginia's Congressional delegation and work out a mine safety plan.

- Said that he would pay for his programs by ending the war, making the top 1% pay their fair share in taxes. Said he would use a pay-as-you-go approach, rather than the current administration's tactic borrowing from "The bank of China."

- Said that he would use force to strike enemies if necessary for defense, but would advocate more diplomacy in foreign affairs, with both friends and foes. As to the claim by Bush, McCain and Clinton that he can't meet with hostile nations, "Just watch me.," he said.

- On gas prices, said instability in the Mideast is a cause, but the "hard truth" is that the country hasn't developed an efficient energy policy since the 70s. Would invest more in renewable energy, raise fuel efficiency standards.

WVaBlue has a slideshow here.

Video of his answer to one of the energy questions here:


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., waits behind the curtain to speak at a town hall meeting at Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center Arena in Beckley, W.V., Thursday, March 20, 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)