 "Photo: Audrey Hamoy")
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va, encouraged the importance of voting and explained why he supports Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama for president in an address to the Marshall University Students for Barack Obama on Monday night in the student center.
Rahall said that he was not familiar with Obama until two years ago when his son showed him a bumper sticker that he had not seen before.
"The bumper sticker said: 'End Hatred toward America. Vote for Change.' And at that time, change was not the buzzword and certainly no one had heard of Barack Obama," Rahall said. "But I got to asking him, 'What's this mean?' and he said, 'It means that a lot of people want to see change in America.'"
Rahall said it was when he saw how excited his son was for supporting Obama that he felt he should support a candidate who could get others just as excited about politics and voting. He formally endorsed Obama on March 6.
"There is certainly a down attitude and a low sense of confidence in the presidency, in Congress and in everybody in public office," Rahall said. "Barack Obama offers that wind of change that can instill in everyone faith in themselves and in their country."
Rahall said he supports Obama on a number of issues, including veteran's affairs, education, social security and clean coal technology. He also said that Obama's views on
the war in Iraq convinced him that Obama was the best choice for president.
"He was against the war in the beginning and I was against the war in the beginning," Rahall said. "We are spending well over $10 billion a month in a country with an $80 billion surplus of their own thanks to American blood, and it's time now, as Obama has said, to start getting out as carefully as possible."
Rahall said that a decision has yet to be made as to whether or not Obama will schedule campaign visits but said it's important to that the citizens of the state to not be forgotten.
"Now it's tough here in West Virginia, but he needs to come into West Virginia and a lot of us are trying to do that," Rahall said. "West Virginians are fair people and they want to see a candidate in which they are being asked to vote for."
Daniel Hager, chapter coordinator for Marshall University Students for Barack Obama, said it was important for Rahall to speak to students so they could be more informed about Obama and his decision to endorse him for president.
"The students here learned more about the political process and know there is something they can do as individuals to make a difference in this election," Hager said. "We want to get as many students as involved as possible."
Rahall said that it was important for everyone to register to vote before the Oct. 14 deadline.
"We have some serious problems that we need to address in this nation, and the next president of the United States is going to face them," he said. "And it's us that have the very important reasonability of voting. There's no excuse in not casting a vote."
Jessica Wintz can be contacted at wintz@marshall.edu.
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