CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -Democrat John Edwards used a stop in southern Ohio, which overwhelmingly voted for President Bush in 2000, to direct twin messages yesterday about the war in Iraq and the economy.
Edwards spoke for 25 minutes to about 1,000 supporters in the county seat of the largely agricultural Ross County about an hour south of Columbus. President Bush also planned a rally in Chillicothe Friday.
Bush won 53 percent-45 percent over Democrat Al Gore in Chillicothe's Ross County in 2000. He also won all the surrounding counties, also largely rural, by comfortable margins.
The back-to-back visits emphasized the importance of Ohio to both campaigns. Bush won the state by 3.6 percentage points, and no Republican has ever been elected to the White House without taking Ohio.
We want to bring jobs to places where jobs have been lost
communities just like communities across southern Ohio where we desperately need jobs Edwards said.
The unemployment rate in Ross County was 7.8 percent in July, up from 6.5 percent a year ago, according to state employment figures. The statewide rate was 6.1 percent.
Dick Babb, who at age 77 continues to farm hay on about 100 acres in Clinton County, said he believes things have gotten bad enough in southern Ohio that the tide could turn against the president. He said he's struggling with 30 percent increases in the price of fertilizer and 50 cent per gallon increases in the cost of fuel for his farm equipment.
Even though grain prices are OK overhead and operating expenses are devouring us
Babb said.
Bush won Clinton County in 2000 by a nearly 2-1 margin.
The Kerry-Edwards campaign is going to have an extremely difficult time trying to convince the people of Ross County and the rest of southern Ohio that raising taxes on small businesses and waging a more sensitive war on terror is right for America
said Bush-Cheney spokesman Kevin Madden.
Sitting in an American Legion hall a few blocks away, Korean and Vietnam war veteran James Kent pledged his support for Bush and said it's unlikely the area would change allegiances.
Kent, 65, of Chillicothe, said he liked Bush's tax cuts and supported the war in Iraq as part of the fight against terrorism.
Ross County is a Republican county; it's probably going to stay that way
Kent said.
Edwards called the war a mess and fought back against recent criticism by Vice President Dick Cheney of Edwards' two Americas campaign theme.
On Sept. 1, Cheney used the two Americas theme -one America for the rich, the other for everyone else -to criticize Democratic challenger John Kerry for changing positions on issues.
I wonder if the 230
000 people in Ohio who lost their jobs
I wonder if they think that's funny? Edwards said.
Edwards hit on an economic sore point for local residents by having a laid-off television manufacturing plant worker introduce him.
Electronics manufacturer Thomson laid off 545 employees in March at the company's Circleville glass plant, about 20 miles north of Chillicothe.
They shut the doors
they outsourced our jobs to China for 28 cents an hour
said Connie Allen.
Edwards also pledged to support plans that would bring new jobs to the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon. There are currently plans to build new facilities at the site to recycle low level nuclear waste into a more stable form and to enrich uranium using a new technology. Bush also planned to visit Portsmouth Friday.
Edwards began and concluded his 25-minute speech with sharp criticism of the war in Iraq.
Iraq
despite the courageous service of our men and women
