Lifelong NC Republican: Enough of Bush

Thu, August 28, 2008 - 8:37 PM

Shortly before Barack Obama took the stage to accept the Democratic nomination, his campaign sent out six blue-collar workers – a nurse, a teacher, a laid off factory worker – to explain why they were voting for the Democratic nominee.

Pamela Cash-Roper, an unemployed nurse and lifelong Republican from Pittsburg, N.C., drew huge cheers from the crowd with this line:

“I'm a lifelong Republican. I voted for Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush. But I literally cannot afford four more years of this,” she said.

Cash-Roper told the crowd that she and her husband were living the “American dream” until health problems forced her husband out of work. They lost their health insurance.

“Of course, living without health insurance works, as long as you stay healthy. That changed,” she said.

Her husband, Keith, had heart surgery. A few years later, she did too.

“Barack Obama gets it: quality, affordable, portable coverage for all. It is the least we citizens of the greatest country in the world should have. And that's why after 36 years of casting my presidential votes as a registered Republican, this year I am supporting Barack Obama to be my president,” she said.

Her speech fired up the crowd so effectively that North Carolina state house Speaker Joe Hackney was overheard in the North Carolina delegation section saying that "I just hope she doesn't run against me."

The other workers told of lost jobs, economic struggles and painted Bush and McCain as out of touch on the signature pocketbook issues of this campaign.

Barney Smith, who was laid off after 30 years at a manufacturing plant in Indiana when the company moved jobs to China, gave perhaps the best line during the block of "Regular Joe" speeches.

In talking about the economy, he said he "needs a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney," referring to the Wall Street investment bank.

-Sean Mussenden and Neil Simon