Obama, Biden starting bus tour in Beaver on Friday
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Western Pennsylvania will be the first stop for Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, on his "On the Road to Change" bus tour of battleground states immediately following the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Mr. Obama, running mate Sen. Joe Biden and both candidates' wives -- Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden -- will attend a Friday evening event in Beaver, the Obama campaign announced today.
The "On the Road to Change" event will be held in Irvine Park, Beaver, with gates opening at 6 p.m. The program begins at 7:30 p.m.
The event is open to the public but tickets are required, available from Obama campaign field offices in Butler, New Castle, Beaver and Downtown Pittsburgh, all listed on the Obama Web site.
The Obama event will come just a day before a previously announced campaign appearance by Republican rival Sen. John McCain, who will visit Washington County on Saturday afternoon.
Mr. McCain is expected to introduce his running mate Friday in Dayton, Ohio. The next day, the new team will appear at a 3 p.m. rally at Consol Energy Park, Washington.
Mr. McCain's rally, including his wife, Cindy, and special guest John Rich of "Big and Rich" is also open to the public. Tickets must be obtained from one of 11 GOP headquarters in counties throughout the region, all listed on the McCain Web site.
The coinciding itineraries are reminiscent of the days immediately following the 2004 Democratic convention, when Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards were on a bus tour traveling west through southwestern Pennsylvania at the same time that President Bush was on his own bus heading to a Pittsburgh rally from Ohio.
The four-day Obama bus tour will travel on to Ohio and Michigan, but additional stops have not been announced.
On the tour, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden will "meet with voters to discuss America's economic challenges and the Obama/Biden blueprint for change," the campaign said.
For security reasons, the public is asked not to bring bags. Signs and banners are not permitted.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08240/907304-100.stm