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Obama labels McCain as uncaring

Cites lack of references to 'middle class'

By Christina Bellantoni (Contact) | Sunday, September 28, 2008

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. | Sen. Barack Obama couldn't hold an umbrella over the 26,000 who waited hours in the mud to see him speak Saturday, so he joined them in getting soaked.

The Democratic presidential nominee and running mate Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. held a full rally here despite the downpour Saturday night, telling voters in swing-state Virginia that Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain doesn't get their struggles.

Mr. Obama — sticking to his new stump speech that noted Mr. McCain did not use the phrase "middle class" once during the previous evening's first presidential debate — at first offered to take care of the dry-cleaning bills for the drenched voters.

Then he joked he needed the money for the campaign and asked them to consider it a contribution, prompting laughter. He worked campy rain metaphors into his speech several times, promising change may not be easy and it may seem "the sky is dark and rains will never pass," but "as long as we're in it together, there's nothing we can't do."

Mr. Biden put on a baseball cap while Mr. Obama took his jacket off, leaving his white shirt soaked through by the end of the rally.

Earlier in Greensboro, N.C., Mr. Obama charged that on "issue after issue from taxes to health care to the war in Iraq — you heard John McCain make the case for more of the same policies that got us into this mess."

"Just as important as what we heard from John McCain was what we didn't hear from John McCain," he said.

"The truth is, through 90 minutes of debate, John McCain had a lot to say about me, but he had nothing to say about you. He didn't even say the word 'middle class.' He didn't say the word 'working people.' "

The line of attack echoed a new campaign ad released after the debate titled "Zero," as in the number of times Mr. McCain referred to the middle class Friday night.

The McCain campaign released its own ad highlighting all the times Mr. Obama said the Republican was "right" during the debate and charging that Mr. Obama is not ready to lead on his own.