The couple of hours I waited for Obama to arrive gave me a chance to talk extensively with Frank Jones, who was enthusiastic about Obama but also worried.
Jones and his wife, County Commissioner Bobbie Jones, had brought their grandson, Emanuel, to see the man who might be the first black president of the United States.
But Jones is concerned that it might not happen. The extended primary battles between Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are taking a toll on party unity, he worries. He's kept up with the exit polling out of Pennsylvania, which shows many Clinton supporters say they won't vote for Obama if he prevails, and vice versa.
Jones sees a real dilemma for black voters -- one candidate with a history of fairness to African-Americans and another who is black himself. "It's unfortunate we have to choose," he said. "... Neither is my enemy."
Jones ticked off a list of primary states Obama had won that could go Republican in the general election: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Idaho, Wyoming. And he listed states Clinton seems likely to win in upcoming primaries, including Indiana. If Obama gets the nomination, he fears, negative attacks are inevitable.
It will be interesting, I said, if it's a McCain-Obama race because both men have vowed to run positive campaigns and have, for the most part, lived up to their word. But the candidates can't control the private advocacy groups.
When Obama finally arrived, he impressed me as pretty much the same candidate I'd seen on television -- appealing, articulate, impressive, authoritative, compassionate. He began with a list of platitudes: "The hour is almost upon us ... When this country is unified, it cannot be stopped ... Ordinary people can do extraordrinary things ... My faith in the American people has been vindicated."
After a joke about news reports that he and Vice President Dick Cheney are distantly related ("I was afraid he might invite me to a family hunting party"), Obama found his ground. He was relaxed, shucking his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves as he paced the stage, flashed his smile and darted his eyes from one side of the gym to the other. He referred to John McCain as "a genuine hero" who "deserves our respect," but, he said, "We can't afford to let John McCain continue George Bush's economy."
And he admitted, "Not all these problems are the fault of one man or one party" as he called for something other than "the same old things, the same old folks, the same old results."
Obama -- or his staff -- had done his homework. He named Wrangler as an example of a plant closing and cited the number of jobs lost. He pointed out local office holders and former Gov. Jim Hunt (who has not endorsed in this race). It was a very solid performance, worthy of two thumbs up from any disinterested reviewer.
tarleton@wilsontimes.com | 265-7812