FIRST PERSON | ATKINSON, Ill. -- On Wednesday, President Barack Obama made an 11:30 a.m. stop here in this 1,100-resident town, just up Interstate 80 from Geneseo. Attired casually in a white shirt and tan pants, the president of the United States was on a three-day bus tour of the Midwest. He had already made an impromptu stop at the Whiteside County Fair and at a football practice.
Knowing that a political candidate is seldom on time for a rally, I was set to exit Interstate 80 and pull into Atkinson, 8 miles outside of Geneseo, Illinois, at 11:15 a.m., 15 minutes before the announced time of the rally at Wyffels Hybrid Seed Facility. This turned out to be a bad plan as the local law enforcement helping with security refused me entrance to the town. I had to fall back to Geneseo and regroup.
Since I knew there was a back entrance to the village (Highway 6), I set off to gain admission using Highway 6, instead. I succeeded in driving through the streets of the picturesque village, mingling with the locals, and eventually watching the president's speech live on KWQC, Channel 5, from inside the Corner Tap, a local establishment that has been in existence since the 1800's.
Seated at the bar watching Obama's speech next to Mr. and Mrs. VanOpdorp, from Rock Island, Illinois (who used to live in Atkinson), Mr. VanOpdorp related how his grandfather from Holland got off the train right outside this very corner tap back in the late 1800s, had his first beer in America, and decided to stay.
Before I traveled to the appearance, I had received at least 2 Republican-sponsored phone calls that attempted to suggest the president was campaigning for re-election when he should be hard at work. The implication was that every sitting president in history hasn't made trips just like this one, but the ploy wasn't working. If complaints about vacation time are fielded, the Record Holder is Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, who took more time off than any other president in modern history.
I was particularly on the lookout for protesters (none) and/or supporters (many observers, but no signs). All of us were thrilled when, after several hours spent in the town, the president, on his way out of town to journey to another small town (Alpha) stood in the front of the bus and waved to those of us gathered on the sidewalks, amongst hundreds of flags planted by 23 volunteers. Obama gave us all a glimpse of probably the only president in history who ever has or ever will visit Atkinson, Illinois.
During the Q&A inside the Wyffels Hybrid plant, I was impressed by the quality, courtesy and seriousness of the questions asked our president. An 11-year-old, Alex McAvoy asked a question about the future of ethanol. Learning that the young attendee's birthday had been the day before, Obama asked everyone to give Alex a hand and complimented Alex on the excellent question. Very few folks were actually inside the Wyffels building. Those that had secured one of the 300 tickets had lined up as early as 2 a.m. for the "first come, first served" seats.
Obama commented, "You can't say, 'I'd rather see my opponent lose than America win" to much applause. Joseph Hulls asked a question about whether Obama would pledge not to raise taxes. The president commented that, in order to get us out of debt simply using cuts, the cuts would hit the elderly where they live, saying, "You have to drastically cut Medicare and Medicaid. There's no 2 ways about it." He added, "It's just not a smart thing to do."
When asked about Social Security, Obama said that the 1983 plan hammered out by Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan left the system solvent for at least 75 years, despite dire reports to the contrary, Social Security is not in the dire peril reported by the opposition. "It will still be there in 20 years or 30 or 40" he said, but he added that the spiraling cost of health care has made Medicare and Medicaid likely targets of reform.
Another theme the president hit upon was the complicated technology we all must master in today's work world, saying, "Businesses have gotten so efficient." He noted that ATMs have replaced bank tellers and the use of the Internet to book travel has made travel agents less sought after.
When Alex McAvoy asked about ethanol, Obama expressed support for ethanol and said that switch grass and wood chips will be the sources of ethanol in the future. He noted, "If all we're doin' is cutting,' we're going to fall behind countries like Brazil," a country where one-third of their fleet of cars operates on bio-fuels. "I want to be Number One," said Obama.
One man rose and said, "Thank you, Mr. President, for being the president." That questioner proceeded to ask a question about COLA (cost of living allowances) for Social Security next year. Obama gave a complicated answer that referenced how inflation had risen this year, but there was no COLA in years when inflation did not go up but deflation prevailed. He noted that his administration had tried to pass a $250 one-time payment to Social Security recipients, but Congress blocked it.
Pam Dennis, a woman in the audience who works for the Henry County Action Agency, wanted to know, "Why are budget cuts to programs always to those people who, for instance, need help with their winter heating costs." Obama said, "We should not cut things from folks who need it the most," agreeing with Ms. Dennis' point. He said, "In a wealthy and decent society like ours, we should be able to make sure people are not freezing in the winter."
Obama talked about ways in which we might redesign unemployment payments, referring specifically to a Georgia model where a subsidy is given to any company that hires an unemployed individual and, if they are hired full-time, the unemployment subsidy is used to offset their training and pay.
Ending his brief remarks with the statement, "It is good to be back," Obama expressed his gratitude to Henry County voters. He concluded by saying, "Don't bet against America. Don't bet against our workers. Don't bet against our businesses. We have gone through tough times before. If we pull together, with American know-how and American ingenuity, we can pull through again. I need your help. I need your voices out there. Show some cooperation."
The voters in the Corner Tap-all 20 to 25 of them---were watching and listening carefully throughout the president's speech. When I questioned them (without asking for party affiliation) whom the VanOpdorps favored amongst the Republican candidates, the response from Mr. VanOpdorp was, "It doesn't matter. I don't think they have a dog in the fight that can win." I asked about Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, but Mr. VanOpdorp just shook his head no. Even after I reminded him of the difficulty any sitting president has when the economy goes sour, Mr. VanOpdorp was unconvinced.
Out on the street afterward, I learned about Mrs. Wyffels' twins, who were born in the Hammond/Henry hospital the same day the woman standing next to me had her twins. I chatted with a retired Home Economics instructor from Cambridge. I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with another reporter, Richard Blacker, whose card read "Hog Country" and "Regional Radio Group, Your Connection to Our Community." We shared a sense of camaraderie as the black bus bearing the president of the United States drove by and the president took the time to stand on the steps of the bus and wave to all the "little people," (some of whom had been waiting since 8 a.m.)
The 2012 presidential election season is in full swing -- and it's only August of 2011.
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