Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email
Reporter Mike Salinero has covered Hillsborough County government for The Tampa Tribune since 2007. Email
Reporter Lindsay Peterson has been a general assignment reporter at the Tampa Tribune since 2005, focusing on higher education since 2009. Email
Posted Sep 23, 2008 by William March
Updated Sep 23, 2008 at 06:09 PM
Arriving in Florida to do his debate prep, Barack Obama stopped at O’Keefe’s, a pub across from Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, to chat up some lunchgoers, then headed to the Belleview Biltmore for a news conference about the bailout bill.
Obama outlined four principles he said must be met in the bailout bill: that CEOs of failing companies should not be rewarded with big bonuses and severance packages and companies receiving aid must cut executive salaries; that a commission, not a single individual, should control the bailout effort; that taxpayers must share in profit when the financial industry recovers; and that the plan must provide help to individuals, not just corporations.
The Associated Press
At the pub, Obama ordered a cheeseburger, then went from table to table talking to patrons. Because the place is popular with Plant workers, he ended up in several conversations about health care.
“He’s the only one who talks about preventive medicine and the importance of nutrition,” said Nadine Pazder, a dietitian and president of the Florida Dietetic Association. A couple of her tablemates, fellow dietitians Emily Friedman and Anne Szabo, got their photo taken with Obama.
Walter Varrionuevo and J.R. Richardson, clinical engineers, talked to Obama about health care costs.
Jeanne Hopper and Shirley Craig happened to be driving around downtown Clearwater when they saw Obama’s motorcade and followed it. They ended up chatting briefly with him in the restaurant. “We’re very big supporters, ” Craig said. Both are planning to go to Obama’s rally in Dunedin on Wednesday.
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Reader Comments
Por (Jame D) on September 23, 2008 (Suggest removal)
If Obama wanted to impress me he would have ordered a Rueben sandwich from O’Keefes. A cheeseburger in an Irish pub. Next thing you are going to tell me he had a water instead of a Guiness.
Suggest removalPor (Wally Roode) on September 23, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Why aren’t they asking about increased healthcare costs due to Illegal Immigrants getting free care while paying citizens, Citizens of the USA get shafted? And these citizens have to foot the bill for the Illegal Immigrants? I’m not saying that one candidate or the other has the answer, but it is a question that needs to be asked. And it hasn’t been answered. I am a citizen of the USA, and I have Health Insurance. Why should I have to pay for Illegals to get free Health care??? I pay for mine, you pay for yours.
Suggest removalPor (Glenn Miller) on September 23, 2008 (Suggest removal)
This guy is NOT our future. He is a socialist and has a real scary hatred for America. Hopefully our country will wake up! McCain is not the best choice…but in these times c’mon! We just had a world leader speak at the UN about how AMERICA is ready to fall??? WAKE UP PEOPLE! We can’t afford an American hating president. McCain is a true leader and more than anything…A TRUE AMERICAN HERO. Why can’t the media report on that? This man has lived an awesome American Dream! Why dwell on…“change”...whatever. Get Over It. George W Bush has kept us safe since the worst attack ever on American soil…remember…No most media crazed Americans Have Forgotten. God Bless The USA
Suggest removalPor (Phil Hasaclue) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
C’mon Glenn ( btw ,I think “in the mood” is your best song), if you take McCain, you get 4 more years of the same problems that we have been getting for the past 8! Record deficits ( and growing), decreasing dollar value, jobs shipping overseas, reduced healthcare access, and ....Sarah Palin! ‘Nuff said!!
Suggest removalObama/Biden in ‘08!
Por (Wide Awake) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Wake up, Glenn Miller: America IS ready to fall.
You can thank wanton deregulation from McCain and his cronies like Phil Gramm for the mess we’re in. McCain thinks Gramm would make a great Treasury Secretary for this “nation of whiners” who are obviously imagining all this economic trouble.
You want more corporate welfare, even bigger oil, endless foreign war and the threat of a President Palin? Great! You are voting for the right man.
People: PLEASE DON’T REWARD FAILURE. Vote Obama.
Suggest removalPor (Juno TRM) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
The right wing below got it all wrong! Obama is the TRUE AMERICAN trying to watch out for the low income and Middle class! The Repugs continues the fearmongering, that did nothing but alienated us from allies. Floridians wake up! We need to CHANGE the Bush policies that have done nothing but put us at an all time high trillions in deficit. We need Obama/Biden in the WH, who has the right judgment to sort out the mess we are in. McSHAME is all the SAME of Bush. He will continue to BORROW us to death from CHINA and other foreign countries the right wing is trying to scare us of. NO WAY, NO HOW , NO McSAME!!!! I URGE ONE AND ALL TO DO THE RIGHT THING, AND TURN FLORIDA BLUE FOR A CHANGE!!!
Suggest removalPor (Frank Nitti) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
keep one thing in mind. Every negative comment that is directed towards Obama is coming from Republican. Same thing with MCcaine. This guy talks about Obama disliking America. Why would he running for office ? Also, I’m ex navy, and I really appreciate Mccaine. But I’ve seen him flustered, and trying to hold his cool during interviews. He needs to let it out, or risk some kind of brain damage. Picture Palen taking over as Comm. in Chief, meeting with world leaders. The’d all be hitting on her.
Suggest removalPor (James Rubin) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Glen Miller, Obviously you’ve been drinking the Republican Kool-Aid of winning at all cost via deceit and manipulation and it’s clouding your perception of reality. You need to get your politics from reliable sources instead of fantastical documents and phony e-mails. John McCains Vice Presidential pick alone is a measurement of his lack of judgement. This race is not the movie “Legally Blonde”. This is about real life and real problems America faces. There are plenty of reliable legitimate sources online. You just have to spend time searching for them.
Suggest removalPor (Randy Archiquette) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
if you all want to see how the wheels are going to come off of Grampy’s capain in next few weeks read this Wall St. Journal Article.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122221440058969313.html
BTW - he says “my friends” way too much; none of the people he talks to are his friends. He sounds like a bit of dementia is starting to set in. The Palin honeymoon is over, cute or not…
Suggest removalPor (Bob Walker) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Glenn Miller,
Suggest removalYOU CANT POSSIBLY BE THAT BRAINWASHED. A president who hates America??? You must be an old guy routing for the other old guy. Calling your views stupid would be an insult to stupid people.
Por (Bruce martin) on September 24, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Why arent we tlaking about the cost illegal immigrants have on american citizens,. If we cut the costs of what goes to them America could recover. Get rid of illegals and do not provide them with health care, then maybe they will stop coming voer here when there is no benefit to them. They send their money back home to their country and use America as a dumping ground for drugs, crime and poverty. When are we going to get a candidate who gives a damn about taking amercia back. Put the national anthem and in god we trust back into our country and stop catering to all these immigrants who find it defensive. If they find it defensive then go back where you came form and if you cannot speak english get the heck out of our country
Suggest removalPor (Mo Gardiner) on September 28, 2008 (Suggest removal)
“Floridians wake up! We need to CHANGE the Bush policies that have done nothing but put us at an all time high trillions in deficit. We need Obama/Biden in the WH, who has the right judgment to sort out the mess we are in. McSHAME is all the SAME as Bush” Juno TRM I heartily agree:
Glen Miller-What does this mean,“socialist and has a real scary hatred for America” do you know what socialist means. Sounds like you have a lot of anger to get rid of, yourself.
Suggest removal