FROM BARACK OBAMA'S WEBSITE AND NEWSLETTER:

Barack spoke to residents of East Lansing, Michigan this afternoon where he talked about the economic crisis and the current rescue plan. He also made note that a new jobs report will come out tomorrow and will very likely show our ninth straight month of job loss. Now more than ever we need change in Washington.

Everywhere you look, the economic news is troubling. But for so many of you, it isn’t really news at all.

...31,000 jobs lost and nearly 100,000 foreclosures here since the beginning of the year. The unemployment rate, double many states. Home values are falling. Wages are flat-lining. And the cost of everything from gas to groceries is going up and up. That’s what Michigan’s facing. I know that. And it’s time for a President who will fight for you.

....These are the quiet storms that our families have been facing for months if not years, and these are the storms that will only grow worse if we do not act – and act now – to pass the rescue plan that’s before Congress. Democrats and Republicans in the House need to do what the Senate did last night and do what’s right for this country.
...That is why, if I’m President, passing this rescue plan won’t be the end of what we do to strengthen our economy, it’ll be the beginning. It’ll be the beginning of a long-term rescue plan for our middle class – a plan that will create millions of new jobs; help families keep up with rising costs; relieve the burden of crushing health care costs; and educate the next generation of Americans with the skills and knowledge to compete with any workers, anywhere in the world.

Now, people have asked whether the size of the plan that Congress is voting on, together with the weakening economy, means that the next President will have to scale back his agenda and some of his proposals. And there’s no doubt that some programs or policies that I’ve proposed on the campaign trail may require more time to achieve. But I reject the idea that you can’t build a strong middle class at a time when our economy is weak. I believe that building a strong middle class is the key to making our economy strong.

Read Barack's full remarks, as prepared for delivery...

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Barack Obama For President 2008 !!!

I want to see this guy act like someone from the middle class. Skip the limos and drive a midsize Chevy or Ford. In California, we had Jerry Brown as governor. Some didn't like him, but he rebelled. He refused to stay in the glorified, ridiculously lavish governor's mansion that Republicans had backed and instead of a fancy car, he rode around in a Toyota or something. It was all the news way back when. I applaud that. I haven't seen a leader since who is willing to give up the luxury to be middle class. Somehow, I doubt Obama has the guts or will to do it either.

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