Focus US Elections 2008

Red Blue Road Trip recalled 2

As the 2008 presidential election approaches two Americans hit the road through the 18 swing states to find out what core values US citizen are considering as they chose between Barack Obama and John McCain.

 

Each day for 18 days producers Graham Meriwether and Chris Henderson are creating portraits of the voices and faces of a different US community to reveal the issues that lie behind their votes.

Their trip leads them through swing states such as Pennsylvania, Iowa, Michigan, and Colorado, as well as the diverse communities of Las Vegas and New Orleans.

As the countdown runs, the Red Blue Road Trip hears out those people whose votes will become crucial in the outcome of the upcoming US elections.

Day five: Hazel Green, WI

Hazel Green, Grant County, Wisconsin
Population: 1,116
Median Household Income: $42,600
2004 (county): Kerry 51% Bush 48%

Hazel Green is a tiny community surrounded by soy bean and corn fields in the corner of Wisconsin with one gas station and no stoplights.

The population, which is more than 99% white, is made up of farmers, truckers and factory employees who work in several of the larger cities nearby.

John Kerry barely carried the county by less than 3% in 2004, while Wisconsin has voted marginally for the Democrats in the past two elections.

Day four: Chesterton, IN

Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana
Population: 12,566
Median Household Income: $62,200
2004 (county): Bush 54% Kerry 45%

Chesterton is a factory town turned affluent suburb of Chicago.

In recent years farm fields have turned to housing developments and big box stores have replaced Main Street as the commercial center of the town.

The area is reliably Republican in the reliably Republican state of Indiana. But Obama has made inroads, opening a campaign office in Chesterton in the hopes of swinging the state that went to Bush by more than 20 points in 2004 into his column.

 

Lisa Subartowicz, 38
Waitress
Voted Democrat in 2000 and 2004
Lisa’s husband lost his job and left her without healthcare as she faces a very serious medical condition. She is leaning towards Obama because of his plans for the healthcare system

Day three: Ashland, OH

Population: 21,250
Median Household Income: $34,400
2004 (county): Bush 65% Kerry 34%

Ashland, the self-described World Headquarters of Nice People is the county seat of one of the key counties in Ohio, perhaps the most important state in the 2008 presidential election.

It is usually reliably Republican and the local university hosted George W. Bush on October 7.

A day earlier the town's Archway Cookie plant closed eliminating local 275 jobs. It is the fourth major plant closure in Ashland in recent years.

 

Jake Phillips 
Field Operations for John Boccieri, Candidate for US Congress
Voted Democrat in 2000 and 2004
Jake has lived in Ashland all his life and recently left his banking job to work for a local Congressional candidate. He supports Obama because of the senator's economic plan.

 

 

Carol Sommers

 
Antique Dealer
Voted Democrat in 2000 and 2004
Carol and her husband Norm, a former teacher at Ashland University, switched their registration from Republican to Democrat during the primary this year in order to support Barack Obama.

 

 

 

Cathy Hawks 
Retired Dental Assistant    McCain  
Cathy has deep concerns about Obama's honesty, but is impressed by McCain's military background

 

 

Ron Simmons Retired Machinist 
In his 75 years in Ashland, Ron has seen the town move from a bustling center of activity to a tough place to find a job. He supports Obama because of the senator's position on the war and the economy.

 

 

Wendy Carter 
Former Employee, Archway Cookies  
Wendy, a mother of 3, is helping to organize the former workers of the recently shuttered Archway Cookies factory. She likes McCain because of his stands on abortion and gay marriage, but she is concerned about his tax plan.

 

 

Danny Williams 
Former Shift Supervisor, Archway Cookles
Danny, who moved to Ashland from Illinois for a job at the Archway factory, is supporting Obama because he believes he will deliver a tax cut for the middle class.

 

 

Mark Merritt
Former Employee, Archway Cookies  
Voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004
Mark, who is struggling to pay his bills since the plant closure will vote for McCain because of the Arizona senators stance on abortion. Both

 

 

 

Day two: Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Population: 916,000
Median Household Income: $28,364
2004 (county): Kerry 69% Bush 30%

Michigan perhaps more than any other state has felt the impact of the troubled economy. It's largest city, Detroit, is among the most liberal in America consistently voting overwhelmingly for Democrats.

The population, which is mostly black, continues to decline as the auto industry shrinks and the city's economic situation deteriorates.

The former mayor faces jail time after resigning earlier this year and the governor recently ordered an investigation of the public.

 

Jerome Davis, 31
Roofer
Voted Democrat in 2000 and 2004
Jerome has seen Detroit's poor economy drive people into illegal activity. He supports Obama, but wants him to prove he's not a typical politician.

 

 

Bob Carpenter, 28 
Scrap Metal Analyst  
Voted Republican in 2000 and 2004
Bob supports McCain because he fears Obama will govern as a ocialist, whose policies economic policies will devastate the Detroit metro area's economy.

 

 

Latonya Prather, 52 
Retired School Teacher
Did Not Vote in 2004; Voted Republican in  2000 
Latonya, who has been getting treatment for bone cancer for 15 years, believes that Obama will follow through on his promise to guarantee health care for all.

 

 

John Mial, 74
Retired Construction Worker
Voted Democratic in 2004
John, who moved back to Detroit from California to care for his mother, supports Obama, but believes the biggest change to Detroit will be made through the education system