Elkhart Truth

Eric Kallgren    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 8:32pm on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

February 9, 2009: USA Today reported on President Barack Obama's visit to Elkhart, Indiana. Elkhart County, which used to be known as the RV Capital of the World, currently has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 15.3%, mainly due to the rapid decline in the recreational vehicle business.

"On Monday, President Obama traveled to this depressed northern Indiana city to highlight what's at stake as his $800-billion-plus economic stimulus bill is debated in Congress.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama wanted to go where the nation's economic problems are "acute" as part of his "his effort to convince Congress to move swiftly."

This area did not vote for Obama in November, but The Elkhart Truth newspaper is on board with that message now. "President Obama needs to help Congress understand that the stimulus package isn't about politics. It's about survival," the newspaper said in a Sunday editorial.

Monday's visit was Obama's third trip to Elkhart — he stopped by twice during the presidential campaign — but his first trip outside Washington as president to meet face-to-face with average citizens."