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BY AMY DOMINELLO
Media General News Service
FAIRFAX, Va. – If Julie Strasberg had her way, it would have been Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama, speaking to a large crowd of women voters here Thursday.
She backed Clinton until she ended her unsuccessful bid to become the first female president.
While some of Clinton’s legions of female supporters have been reluctant to switch their allegiance to Obama, Strasberg is not among them.
“He’s speaking out for issues that are near and dear to women’s hearts,” said Strasberg, 43, a lifelong Democrat and freelance editor from Fairfax.
As he looks to the general election, Obama is reaching out to women voters, many of whom supported the woman he bested in the bitter Democratic primary fight.
“We take for granted that women are the backbone of our family,” Obama told a crowd – both men and women – of about 2,800 supporters at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax on Thursday.
In the speech, he detailed several proposals aimed at making life easier for working women and families, including the expansion of child care tax credits and increased investment in early childhood education. He also said that he would expand family and medical leave programs and require employers to offer seven days of paid sick leave.
The outreach to women voters – a key voting block that makes up more than half the electorate – will be critical to the campaign’s efforts in Virginia.
Although the state has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, both candidates are investing time and money in Virginia. Polls show a tight race between Obama and Republican John McCain for the state’s 13 electoral votes.
In June, Obama kicked off his general election campaign in Bristol and in Prince William County, a sign that he was placing great importance on the state.
“It’s wonderful to be back in Virginia,” he said Thursday. “We did well in the primaries in Virginia and we’re going to do well in the general election in Virginia.”
McCain acknowledged in June that he still has "a lot of work to do" to win Virginia.
"I do not take it lightly," he said at the time. "I watched the results of recent elections in this state, so I do have a lot of work to do."
Obama has been courting women voters since he captured the Democratic nomination. Several in the crowd said they had been Clinton supporters, but were now backing Obama.
“I think it’s great Obama is talking about women and great that Obama’s reaching out to Hillary supporters,” said Sadie Brinton, 20, of Fairfax, who had initially supported Clinton.
On Thursday, Obama criticized his Republican rival John McCain for not doing enough to develop policies that support women and families.
“It’s become very clear that he will not bring change and I will,” Obama said.
McCain’s campaign also targeted women and Northern Virginia voters on Thursday, holding a press conference in Fairfax to defend the Republican candidate’s record on women’s issues.
Susan Allen, a McCain supporter and the former First Lady of Virginia, called the candidate an experienced leader who understands the economic challenges all Americans are facing.
“Women in Virginia are going to elect a president who understands that the federal government needs to tighten their belts just like we are doing in our households and businesses,” she said. “The promises Barack Obama is making today in Virginia are promises he can only keep by raising our taxes.”
McCain also planned a teleconference town hall Thursday night with northern Virginian voters. And the Republican National Committee aired an ad in the Washington, D.C.-area to coincide with Obama’s visit, criticizing Obama for voting to tax low-income families.
Obama also used Thursday’s event to criticize remarks made by former Sen. Phil Gramm, a top McCain aide, who said the country was not in an actual recession, but a “mental recession.”
“It’s not just a figment of your imagination,” Obama said. “It’s not all in your heads.”
He also poked fun at McCain’s comments that his proposal for a gas tax holiday would mainly have “psychological benefits.”
“America already has one Dr. Phil,” Obama said. “We don’t need another.”
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com
Media General News Service
FAIRFAX, Va. – If Julie Strasberg had her way, it would have been Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama, speaking to a large crowd of women voters here Thursday.
She backed Clinton until she ended her unsuccessful bid to become the first female president.
While some of Clinton’s legions of female supporters have been reluctant to switch their allegiance to Obama, Strasberg is not among them.
“He’s speaking out for issues that are near and dear to women’s hearts,” said Strasberg, 43, a lifelong Democrat and freelance editor from Fairfax.
As he looks to the general election, Obama is reaching out to women voters, many of whom supported the woman he bested in the bitter Democratic primary fight.
“We take for granted that women are the backbone of our family,” Obama told a crowd – both men and women – of about 2,800 supporters at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax on Thursday.
In the speech, he detailed several proposals aimed at making life easier for working women and families, including the expansion of child care tax credits and increased investment in early childhood education. He also said that he would expand family and medical leave programs and require employers to offer seven days of paid sick leave.
The outreach to women voters – a key voting block that makes up more than half the electorate – will be critical to the campaign’s efforts in Virginia.
Although the state has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, both candidates are investing time and money in Virginia. Polls show a tight race between Obama and Republican John McCain for the state’s 13 electoral votes.
In June, Obama kicked off his general election campaign in Bristol and in Prince William County, a sign that he was placing great importance on the state.
“It’s wonderful to be back in Virginia,” he said Thursday. “We did well in the primaries in Virginia and we’re going to do well in the general election in Virginia.”
McCain acknowledged in June that he still has "a lot of work to do" to win Virginia.
"I do not take it lightly," he said at the time. "I watched the results of recent elections in this state, so I do have a lot of work to do."
Obama has been courting women voters since he captured the Democratic nomination. Several in the crowd said they had been Clinton supporters, but were now backing Obama.
“I think it’s great Obama is talking about women and great that Obama’s reaching out to Hillary supporters,” said Sadie Brinton, 20, of Fairfax, who had initially supported Clinton.
On Thursday, Obama criticized his Republican rival John McCain for not doing enough to develop policies that support women and families.
“It’s become very clear that he will not bring change and I will,” Obama said.
McCain’s campaign also targeted women and Northern Virginia voters on Thursday, holding a press conference in Fairfax to defend the Republican candidate’s record on women’s issues.
Susan Allen, a McCain supporter and the former First Lady of Virginia, called the candidate an experienced leader who understands the economic challenges all Americans are facing.
“Women in Virginia are going to elect a president who understands that the federal government needs to tighten their belts just like we are doing in our households and businesses,” she said. “The promises Barack Obama is making today in Virginia are promises he can only keep by raising our taxes.”
McCain also planned a teleconference town hall Thursday night with northern Virginian voters. And the Republican National Committee aired an ad in the Washington, D.C.-area to coincide with Obama’s visit, criticizing Obama for voting to tax low-income families.
Obama also used Thursday’s event to criticize remarks made by former Sen. Phil Gramm, a top McCain aide, who said the country was not in an actual recession, but a “mental recession.”
“It’s not just a figment of your imagination,” Obama said. “It’s not all in your heads.”
He also poked fun at McCain’s comments that his proposal for a gas tax holiday would mainly have “psychological benefits.”
“America already has one Dr. Phil,” Obama said. “We don’t need another.”
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com