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Obama Has 2 Words For Sarasota Crowd: 'Five Days'

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By BILLY HOUSE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 30, 2008

SARASOTA - Barack Obama maintained his eleventh hour campaign focus on crucial Florida this morning, urging a filled ballpark of supporters in this traditional Republican stronghold not to let up.

"Sarasota, I got just two words for you: five days!" Obama said at Ed Smith Stadium.

"We are now five days away from changing America."

"We got to work hard these last five days," Obama said.

Obama also seized the opportunity to respond to what he described as negative attacks on him by his Republican opponent, John McCain.

"He's spending these last weeks talking about me, calling me every name in the book. That's how they play the game in Washington," Obama said.

Before the speech, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson told the crowd that he thought he smelled "victory in the air."

Obama campaign officials also expressed confidence that the Illinois senator will do well in traditional swing-state Florida but stopped short of declaring they'll win.

"I'm too superstitious for that," said Robert Gibbs, Obama's communications director.

But Gibbs said appearances in traditional Republican pockets such as Sarasota County are designed to help excite potential Democratic voters who normally might not come out to vote in presidential elections and to "rearrange the makeup of this electorate."

During his speech, Obama poked fun, saying the next thing McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are going to claim is that they found "evidence of my communistic tendencies because I shared my toys in kindergarten, that I split my peanut butter sandwich with my friend in sixth-grade."

"But, Florida, we're here to say, 'Not this time; not this way," Obama said.

"I can take one more week of John McCain's attacks, but this country can't take four more years of failed policies," he said.

Obama garnered some of the loudest applause when he promised to end the war in Iraq.

He also noted that former President Clinton accompanied him at a campaign event in Orlando on Wednesday night.

"I've got an economic plan that's similar to Bill Clinton's," he said. "John McCain's got an economic plan that similar to George Bush's."

It's pretty straightforward, Obama said. "We've tried it George Bush's way." The country does not need to pursue those same policies under McCain, he said.

The appearance in Sarasota came as the Obama campaign released two new TV ads, including one entitled "Rearview Mirror," underscoring the theme that McCain's policies simply will continue Bush's policies.

Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 641-5080 bhouse@tampatrib.com.

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