Sherrod Brown goes down the familiar "Road to Change"
Sherrod Brown's sloppy appearance is more likely to remind you of infamous shoe salesman Al Bundy then a United States Senator. A three day, non-stop tour must wear on a politician. It was obvious by looking at his misplaced, slightly sweaty hair and listening to his tired, throaty voice.
Cincinnati was the final stop on his three day sprint known as the "Road to Change" tour. About a dozen interested citizens came to the African American Chamber of Commerce shake hands with the Congressman from Avon, ask questions about impeachment and health care, and to be forced in front of TV cameras. Most importantly, they wanted to hear the message of the man Democrats are hoping can unseat incumbent Senator Mike DeWine.
His message, though obviously over rehearsed, is important:
Trade. How our big business friendly free trade agreements have put the American worker in a vice.
College education. The fact that we've gone from an average of 70% grants and 30% loans to the exact opposite. Such facts contribute to "brain drain," the loss of young people, and most importantly, the loss of young people who contribute their talents to the communities of Ohio. Representative Brown points out the creating jobs is only part of the process of completing the ultimate goal, creating the strong communities he thinks are dwindling.
Health care. His ultimate goal being that every American has it. He wouldn't go as far to say the dreaded words, "single payer," but he spoke highly of programs like Medicare.
Environmentally, he stressed the importance of alternative energy and mass transit. When a reporter asked if he and Voinovich were on the right track and part of the same team, he was quick to hand out criticism in Senator Voinovich's direction, saying that Voinovich has been in the Senate for years(and Governor before that) and should have been on the alternative energy bandwagon a long time ago. (Way to go Channel 5 reporter on comparing him to Voinovich -- you must be studying hard).
Courteous Hamilton County Democrats
State Representative Catherine Barrett (who was recently in a bit of a tussle with the Hamilton County Democratic Party) was the only local elected official to be on time for the event. She also introduced Congressman Brown to the audience.
State Senator Eric Kearney (the former opponent of Ms. Barrett) showed up after the event was completed. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to get his picture taken with someone who was actually elected to an office.
Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, also managed to find the time in his day to arrive well after the speech was done and the TV cameras were gone.
No other Democratic office holders came to show support for the Senate hopeful.
He did seem rather frazzled, understandably so, he was out on the campaign trail in the wee hours of the morning till the late hours of the night...for three days strait. I like that dedication as well as his stance on health care and college grants.
Posted by Jacqueline Henretta | 7:15 PM