In ticket line, Obama boosters rave about their man [The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.]

Nov. 29--George Childs and President Barack Obama might have a lot to talk about Wednesday if they meet.

The president will speak in the Scranton High School gymnasium about what he's trying to do to produce jobs in the worst economic slump since the Great Depression.

Mr. Childs needs a job.

Unemployed since the Jacobson Hat Co. closed its Scranton plant earlier this year, Mr. Childs, a city resident who stocked shelves, spent his 61st birthday Monday waiting first in line outside the school for almost four hours for a ticket to see the president.

"I'm hoping that he's going to tell me that he's going to bring us some more jobs," Mr. Childs said. "It's not fun being unemployed."

Mr. Childs said he would tell Mr. Obama to work harder to bring the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate to work together to get the economy moving again.

"There's too much infighting with the representatives, Congress, and the Senate," he said.

The young, the old, the employed and unemployed, the retired, the students and the curious all stood in a line that stretched a football field long for tickets to see the leader of the free world come Wednesday.

There was nary a Republican among them and little of the disappointment in the president reflected in polls of voters statewide. Perhaps symbolizing his failure to deliver the change he promised, only 42 percent in a Franklin & Marshall College poll earlier this month said Mr. Obama deserves re-election compared to 52 percent who said it's time for a change. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

Few, if any of the naysayers, were outside Scranton High.

"I know what Obama wants to do; it's just everybody's fighting him to get anything passed," said Alan Ford, 53, of Mountaintop, unemployed after losing his state job taking unemployment application calls because of an injury from a fall at work.

"I think Obama's a great president, and it's a shame that every time he tries to do anything, the Republicans mostly just fight," Mr. Ford said. "I think the Republicans are killing themselves. I think it's going to show in the next election. Because they think the people are stupid. --We know the reason is that --they didn't give him a chance for his plans to go through."

Waiting for a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" to see a president, Cathy Kneeland, 67, of Scranton, a retired licensed practical nurse, said many Americans were soured by the president's costly economic stimulus package, but that was necessary because of the poor economy Mr. Obama inherited.

"It kept us afloat," she said. "You don't know what might have happened if we didn't get the stimulus. We might be in a deep depression now. --I think he's an incredible man, I really do."

Ben Miranda, 54, Lake Ariel, a retired New York City teacher, said Mr. Obama is suffering in polls because the story of his accomplishment has yet to reach voters.

"I think the media in particular is pointing out all the bad things about Obama but not basically pointing out all the good things that have happened since he's taken office," he said.

He specifically pointed to Mr. Obama's health care reform bill, which polls show gets a mixed reaction at best among Americans. Mr. Miranda and his friend, Michael Nigro, 69, also of Lake Ariel, a retired New York City school principal, said Mr. Obama will look better once he is up on a stage facing the actual Republican nominee.

"I just think he's the right man for the job at this time. I don't see anything on the other side that can tell me (otherwise)," he said.

Only voter disinterest so far away from an election is keeping Mr. Obama down, he said.

"I think once the commercials start, once the message gets out, I think that's going to change," Mr. Nigro said.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk @timesshamrock.com

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