Obama addresses poverty, immigration with religious leaders
The Brownsville Herald | March 01, 2008
By LAURA B. MARTINEZ
Sen. Barack Obama's address to Hispanic clergy Friday was more like a minister speaking to parishioners than a candidate convincing potential voters of the merit of his words.
Unlike the familiar mob scenes laid out before Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain on the presidential campaign trail, there were no cheers, no chants when he stepped toward the podium at UTB-TSC's Gran Salon.
Here, he found an attentive audience for his speech on faith and politics.
Obama cited biblical teachings and encouraged the religious to be champions for the poor and the neglected.
"Our conscience cannot rest as long as people are called 'working poor' in America. If you are working, you should not be poor," he said.
Though the event didn't have the rock concert feel that his previous public events did, many in the audience were still visibly excited, pulling out their cameras and cell phones to snap a photo of the man who was introduced as " the next president of the United States."
