Patriotism, then faith: Obama in smaller cities

Making his second small-city appearance in as many days, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told a crowd in Zanesville, Ohio, population 25,000, today that he would upgrade President Bush's office of faith-based initiatives from what he called "a photo op."

Leonard Hayhurst of the Zanesville Times Recorder reports, "Obama was critical of the Bush administration's efforts, saying Bush did not fulfill the promise made eight years ago to establish a new department of faith based and community initiatives. In fact, he said these groups were often 'shortchanged' by the Bush administration." (Read more)

Ohio is a battleground for Obama and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, especially in places like Zanesville and largely rural Muskingum County, pop. 85,000. In the Ohio primary, Hillary Clinton won the county, 67 percent to 31 percent.

Obama's campaign hopes to get more than the 21 percent of evangelicals who voted for John Kerry in 2004. NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd thinks he has a shot: "Obama, more so than McCain, appears more comfortable talking about faith, and that's another reason folks believe he'll do better with evangelicals, particularly the under 40 set. Take a look at the last seven Dem nominees: The only two who could talk about their relationship with Jesus effectively -- Carter and Clinton -- the last two Dems to win." (Read more)

Yesterday, in Independence, Mo., Obama tried to deal with questions about his patriotism, fed by Internet rumors that are often false. "Polls have shown that a small but statistically significant slice of the electorate continues to question Obama's patriotism, especially in white, working-class regions," The Washington Post noted. The speech got good reviews, but was overshadowed by controversy over retired Gen. Wesley Clark's remark that McCain's military service did not qualify him to be president.

Obama took "a stroll down one of this tiny town's quiet streets Monday after a speech on the topic of patriotism," Jennifer Loven of The Associated Press reported. "That sort of public appearance isn't something the Democratic presidential candidate does often, and he encountered people welcoming him onto the porches of their bungalows and clamoring politely but energetically in small crowds to see him." Tiny town? Independence, a suburb of Kansas City, has a population of 120,000. That howler aside, Loven relates a funny vignette.