Obama Politics in Cape Girardeau

RUSH: Barack Obama, we have learned, is meeting in a closed session today at a clothing manufacturing plant in Cape Girardeau called Thorngate Ltd. It’s on Independence. I have driven by it many times. It’s been there since I was growing up. I don’t know what they manufacture now, but Thorngate used to manufacture the men’s clothing line Hart, Schaffner & Marx, which at the time I was growing up is what Johnny Carson wore on The Tonight Show, and they always had their outlet days, their seconds where the stuff that had flaws you could go buy and, you know, a number of poor people in Cape Girardeau would go by there on outlet day and stock up on the stuff. Yeah, they had poor people in Cape Girardeau. There aren’t so many poor people in Cape Girardeau anymore, but — (interruption) Did I know some poor people? I’m being asked if I knew poor people in Cape Girardeau. Let me think. I know I saw some. Let me think. Yeah. Yeah. I did, as a matter of fact, now that I think about it. No question about it. Here’s the makeup of Cape Girardeau, by the way, the racial makeup.

Cape Girardeau, white, non-Hispanic is 86.7%, blacks are 9.3%, mixed race is 1.4%, 1.1% Hispanic, and 0.9% American Indian make up the population. I don’t know if this is the city or if this is the county. The city of Cape Girardeau is 35,000, the county is around 76 or 72,000. Obama, ladies and gentlemen, is meeting at this Thorngate place. Now, it does, it looks exactly like America. What I’m told is that he’s going to Thorngate because it’s a union shop. I don’t know if it’s a union shop or not, but if it is, and it’s really not that big a deal because it’s not a surprise that a Democrat would go to a union shop to hold a meeting on the economy. He’s going to go there to learn the strife that these people face. It’s not open to the public. It’s at 6 p.m. Central time, I think. I’m not sure if it’s Central or Eastern. He’s going to go in there, closed to the public, meeting with union people. Now, of course, the great mischaracterization here is that Obama is a man of the people. But yet this is like anything else, it’s just politics, it’s nothing more than just politics. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, the Drive-By Media discussing this, last night WMAQ-TV Chicago, a portion of Mary Ann Ahern’s report about Obama’s trip to my town.

AHERN: As the West Virginia totals come in, Senator Obama is traveling to that all-important swing state for the November contest, Missouri. Some do believe that he is trying to change the storyline on a night he won’t be doing so well in West Virginia by traveling to Cape Girardeau, the hometown of radio show host Rush Limbaugh. Kind of picking a fight, perhaps, with Rush? I don’t know, we’ll see. But it’s getting pretty interesting.

RUSH: Yeah, it’s getting pretty interesting out there, says Mary Ann Ahern. That’s from WMAQ-TV in Chicago. Our microphones — I mean, face it, if I own a town, it’s Cape Girardeau.

(playing of Barack Obama Cape Girardeau spoof)

Wow, did you catch that? Apparently, Obama is driving the tour bus, taking people on the 12-stop Rush Limbaugh tour. And here it is. This is from the Southeast Missourian today, the local paper: ”Obama Visit Not Open to Public’ — Obama, D-Ill., will take part in an economic town-hall meeting today at Thorngate Ltd., the clothing manufacturer that has had a plant on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau for years. The event is limited to company employees, invited guests and the media.’ And then they’ve got all the quotes from various Thorngate employees that are swooning, (doing impression) ‘Ah, ah, ah, it’s so great, ah, he reminds me of JFK, ah, ah, ah.’ But it’s not open to the public. One hundred employees, invited guests, media, union types all headed to the Barack Obama noncampaign event today is what it’s being called.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Well, the Drive-Bys, the Drive-Bys keep talking about Obama going to my hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He’s going to be there at six o’clock tonight for what they’re calling… It’s not a ‘campaign stop’ because it’s not open to the public. He’s going to go to Thorngate Ltd. It’s a clothes manufacturer. It’s on Independence Street. It’s been there since… Well, when I was growing up, if not before. I don’t know if it’s a union shop. It probably is. But it’s not open to the public. It’s a closed event with a bunch of union people. In fact, our microphones are in Cape Girardeau, as you know.

(playing of Barack Obama Cape Girardeau spoof)

RUSH: Everybody keeps asking me, ‘Why? Of all places, on the day of the West Virginia primary when Mrs. Clinton’s going to be smoking hot, why go to Cape Girardeau, Missouri? Folks, I asked myself that for about two seconds, and then I came up with the answer. There’s no mystery here why Obama is going to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. (laughter) He’s getting all this publicity because he’s going into my hometown. That’s exactly why. On the day Mrs. Clinton is supposed to have a big win in West Virginia.