Lorain/Elyria, OH
Obama supporters canvass the county
Print this story
Read comments and discuss this story
LORAIN — With clipboard in hand, Ben Schaefer worked his way Saturday afternoon down Oberlin Avenue, making sure residents there were registered to vote.
“This campaign, more than any other, is exciting because so many people are involved,” the 21-year-old said.
A Lorain native, Schaefer is now a senior political science major at Baldwin-Wallace College. He’s hitting the streets as part of the Barack Obama campaign.
“I like the fresh air he brings to Washington,” he said. “You can tell that when people talk, he listens.”
He wasn’t alone Saturday. About 10 volunteers met at noon at a Broadway office owned by state Sen. Sue Morano, D-Lorain, and dispatched to different areas of the city.
Canvassing Friday had registered 40 new voters in Elyria and 75 more at the evening’s Lorain fireworks show.
Sally Olsonoski, 68, of Sheffield Lake, also was out registering voters Saturday.
“I’m out here mainly because of the last eight years. We can’t have more of the same,” she said.
She said she wants the next president to end the Iraq war, find alternate energy sources and address climate change — and she thinks Obama will be the one to accomplish those goals.
“McCain wants to drill for oil. He wants you to get a private health care account. The war? He said we should be there 100 years and not come out until we win,” Olsonoski said.
Ben Schaefer’s brother, 17-year-old Max Schaefer, said fixing the economy and weaning American oil dependence are the issues that will affect his generation the most.
A senior at Southview High School, Max Schaefer said most of his classmates aren’t too keyed into the presidential race, but many have spent the bulk of their lives under the Bush administration and don’t like it.
“I can’t vote in this election because I won’t turn 18 until December,” he said. “But I figure I can go out and change as many opinions as possible and help make Barack Obama president.”
The deadline to register to vote in Ohio’s November election is Oct. 6.
Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.
Print this story
Report an innappropriate comment
In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement
and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered,
click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.
Stay away from my house, my dog is mean!
(Report comment)
Ditto to what johnbear said !!!!!!
(Report comment)
Woohoo! Obama!
Just keep the intellectually challenged, evil , war criminal, bigoted, anti-environment, selfish Republicans away from our house. We have TWO dogs and they are trained to sniff out ignorant Republicans.
(Report comment)
I went minor postal on a couple who made the mistake of knocking on my door for the Obamanation. They left in a hurry and life was good. We have a no solicitors sign. Maybe they couldn’t read.
REDHED - I take it your nick is for the color of your hair, but it fits you for other reasons too. Liberals can never come up with any different names to call people who don’t tow the party line as they do. You used two, ignorant and bigoted. People who don’t want somebody for president that has a bit over two years in the senate representing a small district in Illinois are intellectually challenged? The irony there. War criminals? Are you including most of the Democrats in congress who voted YES to funding the war? Not once, but a few times. I got it! The evil ones forced them to vote that way.
Anti-environment, huh? You must be extremely pleased with yourself because YOU and your immediate family ride bicycles everywhere and never use a gas vehicle, have only solar power, recycle everything you use, absolutely no chemical products in your home such as cleaning supplies, and never use an outdoor grill, air pollution, don’t ya know. You never pass gas, but burp instead. Got to watch out for that methane!
Since you like to throw out the word bigoted it must mean you live in an all Black neighborhood, huh? No? Then it must be an all Hispanic neighborhood? Not that either? Chinese? Hmm, seems like you live around your own kind. Liberals…always pointing fingers and calling names while being smart enough not to practice what they preach. The ones who do (intellectually challenged?) move into certain neighborhoods always seem to get beaten, robbed or killed. Often all three. I simply call it, The Communist Stomp. Could be the next dance craze.
If the two people mentioned in the story are indicative of the Obamanation’s supporters, then I can understand why they want this idiot for president. Sally Olsonoski, on one hand, has an issue with McCain wanting to drill for oil. On the other, Max Schaefer wants America weaned off of foreign oil dependence. News for you Sally Max, doesn’t matter who becomes president, the show will go on as written.
(Report comment)
hmmm. I think that I would rather have someone in the white house who will salute our flag and swear on bibles. One who has an AMERICAN name and one who isn’t just plain weird.
(Report comment)
JACK- My friend (sound a little like Johnny Mac?), you comment on how liberals name call and point fingers but then you go and I quote “why they want this IDIOT for president. Tsk, tsk, tsk, now don’t go be a hypocrite, my friend.
(Report comment)
Wow CONFUSED. Apparently you are. So let me guess, you received the one e-mail your grandma figured out how to forward. Who saltues the flag and swears on bibles? One who has an AMERICAN name? Hmm, so let me guess, he’s a terrorist, right? Well, my friend (man gotta love Johnny Mac), isn’t what you’re saying go against this great country of ours? First, an AMERICAN name? Excuse my language but what the h*ll is that? John? Robert? Thomas? I mean seriously, we’re a melting pot. I’d rather have someone with a different name that actually will help this country then continue with the failed policies of the last 7 years just because someone has, as you say, an AMERICAN name. Now, who swears on the bible? Let me guess, you think he swears on the Qur’an? Wow, how ignorant can you be? Finally, who salutes the flag? So during the national anthem, ONE TIME, he stood at attention instead of putting his hand over his heart. Well, thats how his grandfather (who served in the military and [since I’m sure this would make you happy] was white) taught him. Do you think that athletes who don’t put their hand over their hearts (while many of them talk or chew gum) and just stand at attention are terrorists or un-american? Give me a break. Quit being ignorant. Now what you should do is to go to this link and watch it, because, my friend (ohh Johnny Mac, see you’re best of buds) you have what they call BARACKNOPHOBIA.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=173522&title=headlines-baracknophobia
(Report comment)
I see why you are confused. What exactly is an American name? I guess you want to spread your confusion to anyone who would listen to you.
(Report comment)
Wow? Their coming to our homes…. Lock the doors! Obama, doesn’t have enough experience to be President…. Hasn’t completed his first term as a Senator for his own state, only got the job in 2005.
How can he represent his own state if he is on the road trying to get elected President?
Look as his qualifications as a Commander-In-Chief: No Military Experience.
Elected Positions: Illinois Senate – Wow? US Senate - just over three years of experience, and most of that was he spent running for President…
as far as the American name… what about these?
Voinovich, Schmidt, Kucinich, guess they sound foreign to me… not like Sitting Bull or Cochise and even Christopher Columbus wasn’t from the states either…
(Report comment)
Maybe they are confusing the people that hang out at Gastown USA with Obama supporters.
(Report comment)
Crystal Forest…. why would people confuse the people who hang out at Gastown USA with Obama supporters?
Crystal Forest is a website designed to help those on their pagan spiritual quest and covers topics from Witchcraft to pagan parenting with essays.
http://www.crystal-forest.com/
Spread the LOVE not HATE
(Report comment)