INDIANAPOLIS – A sold out audience of 7,000 fired-up Hoosiers listened to President Obama, Joe Donnelly and Indiana Democratic candidates at the Genesis Center in Gary yesterday make the clear case for sending Joe back for another term in the Senate and electing Hoosier Democrats up and down the ticket on Tuesday. President Obama told the sold out crowd that politicians in power “sure can hear you vote” – Hoosiers can do just that from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time tomorrow, and can find their polling place at GetToThePolls.com.
From the Associated Press: ‘You Don’t Want Just a Yes Man.’ Barack Obama Rallies for Sen. Joe Donnelly in Indiana
(GARY, Ind.) — Former President Barack Obama praised Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly on Sunday for being willing to break with his party, telling a roaring crowd at a rally in the state that “you don’t want just a yes man.”
…But Obama told voters during the rally in Gary that Donnelly “tries to do right by people” — not just his party — and noted he supported the Affordable Care Act, the health care overhaul passed under Obama.
“Joe Donnelly and I didn’t agree all the time. But Joe always let me know where he stood and I knew what he believed in and that he always was focused on: ‘What’s the best thing for the Hoosiers that he served?’” Obama said. “He was honest and he was direct. So you can count on that. That’s what you want. You don’t want just a yes man all the time.”
From the Times of Northwest Indiana: Obama campaigns for Democrats in Northwest Indiana
GARY — Former President Barack Obama campaigned Sunday, hoping to inspire Hoosiers to vote in what he called “the most important election of our lifetime.”
…“They can’t hear you boo,” Obama said. “But they sure can hear you vote, Indiana.”
He said that more than 300,000 Hoosiers secured health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, gains that could be lost if the state sends a Republican to the Senate.
The law made it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions. Obama said Donnelly’s opponent supported proposals and a lawsuit that would take away that regulation, leaving 2.7 million Hoosiers at risk of not having health insurance.
…Donnelly said he also plans to stand up for Medicare and Social Security, which he said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to cut.
“Your vote is your voice,” Donnelly said.
…Obama said that while he’s a “proud Democrat,” he and Donnelly didn’t agree on every issue. Donnelly, he said, was loyal to the people of Indiana, not to Democrats.
“We need leaders who will actually step up for what’s right regardless of party loyalty,” Obama said.
From the Post-Tribune: Obama in Gary: ‘We need leaders who will actually stand up for what is right’
GARY — Former President Barack Obama campaigned Sunday, hoping to inspire Hoosiers to vote in what he called “the most important election of our lifetime.”
…Health care for millions, a fair shake for working families and the character of the country are in the balance, Obama said.
“We have been at crossroads before. Each time, ultimately, America has made good decisions,” he said. “Sometimes it’s taken longer than it should have.”
The Republican leadership has tried to kill health care, Donnelly said, but his vote saved it. Donnelly said the leadership is now looking to cut Medicare and Medicaid, but he and the Democrats want to protect them.
If people don’t like that, they need to vote, Donnelly said.
“This is a very, very close election, and every vote counts,” he said. “Your vote is your voice.”
From the Indy Star: In Gary, Barack Obama campaigns for Joe Donnelly and offers ‘antidote’ to Donald Trump
Obama filled up the 7,000-seat Genesis Convention Center in downtown Gary and delivered a 41-minute explanation for why the correct answer to Donnelly’s question should be yes.
…Now, Democrats are promoting Donnelly’s July 2017 vote against an Obamacare repeal bill as saving the Obama health policy. That position has become an advantage for Donnelly in recent months as voters have become concerned about the possibility of losing guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions, a provision of Obamacare.
Braun has said he is committed to guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions as a matter of policy, but he also has supported two legislative proposals and a lawsuit that would strip such coverage.
“We can’t let Joe’s opponent become the deciding vote that ends your protection for pre-existing conditions,” Obama said.
Obama noted that Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo was in attendance. He said Republicans’ professed support for pre-existing conditions after trying to repeal Obamacare would be like if Obama, a Bulls fan, told Oladipo that he loved the Pacers and “loved when Reggie Miller was sinking 3s in our face. That’s not true. That’s revisionist history. That’s making stuff up.”
…At least 200 people stretched out around the convention center and parking lot just before 10 a.m., more than five hours before Obama’s speech. One group of women — Francine Harbin, 68, of Gary, Maria Carrizales, 55, of Munster and Juanita Morgan, 72, of Merrillville — arrived at around 4:45 a.m
…“You need to vote … for Joe Donnelly. Change is gonna happen. Hope is gonna happen. With each new step we take, hope will spread. Goodness will spread. And you will be the ones who will have done it. It starts with you. Let’s go vote.”
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