2008 Woodie Awards
Obama cancels, students respond
Christy Mullins
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Students rushed to reserve tickets online last week to see presidential candidate Barack Obama speak at the Freedom Center Thursday afternoon. An estimated 1,600 people in Rock Hill were expected to attend.
The night before he was scheduled to speak downtown, a short news release announced that Obama wouldn't be showing up. He would stay in Washington to vote on issues related to Iraq.
The rain check left many students going to classes that had been cancelled for the event.
Jada Palmer, a senior IMC major, reserved her ticket to write an assignment for class. She said she was disappointed when she heard the news.
Palmer was looking forward to hearing what he had to say about the Jena Six incident in Louisiana, since schools across the nation were rallying that same day.
Graduate student Kristen Rinehart had three tickets to the event. She said she was disappointed that she missed the opportunity to see him, but she's certain Obama will return to the area before election time.
"I believe he's a man of his word," Rinehart said. "If he says he'll come back, I have faith in him."
Rinehart added that Obama's senatorial duties are clearly more important to him than campaigning, which shows his integrity.
Local Democrats spent months trying to bring Obama to Rock Hill. The senator's spokesman said they'll be coming back as soon as they can.
"Things happen," junior sculpture major David Matheson said. "I'll definitely go if he plans another visit, but I think the odds of that happening any time soon are slim."
Matheson said he still supports Obama, referring to him as young and new, but not in a Jimmy Carter way.
"He's got a different background and a different plan," Matheson said. "We seem to keep getting more and more of the same things."
The night before he was scheduled to speak downtown, a short news release announced that Obama wouldn't be showing up. He would stay in Washington to vote on issues related to Iraq.
The rain check left many students going to classes that had been cancelled for the event.
Jada Palmer, a senior IMC major, reserved her ticket to write an assignment for class. She said she was disappointed when she heard the news.
Palmer was looking forward to hearing what he had to say about the Jena Six incident in Louisiana, since schools across the nation were rallying that same day.
Graduate student Kristen Rinehart had three tickets to the event. She said she was disappointed that she missed the opportunity to see him, but she's certain Obama will return to the area before election time.
"I believe he's a man of his word," Rinehart said. "If he says he'll come back, I have faith in him."
Rinehart added that Obama's senatorial duties are clearly more important to him than campaigning, which shows his integrity.
Local Democrats spent months trying to bring Obama to Rock Hill. The senator's spokesman said they'll be coming back as soon as they can.
"Things happen," junior sculpture major David Matheson said. "I'll definitely go if he plans another visit, but I think the odds of that happening any time soon are slim."
Matheson said he still supports Obama, referring to him as young and new, but not in a Jimmy Carter way.
"He's got a different background and a different plan," Matheson said. "We seem to keep getting more and more of the same things."
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