Obama Visits South Side Ford Plant, Asks 'Have You Driven a Ford Lately?'
By Kevin Robinson in News on Aug 6, 2010 3:00PM
In Chicago to enjoy a little down time for his 49th birthday, President Obama paid a visit to the Ford plant on Chicago's South side Thursday, touting job creation at a time when many Americans are nervous about the economy. After acknowledging the local elected officials in the plant with him, including Mayor Daley, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Governor Pat Quinn, the President talked about the historic significance of Chicago's Ford Assembly Plant. "This plant is part of American history," he said, noting that it had been built by Henry Ford in 1924. "When World War II was raging, this plant was churning out armored vehicles that helped make victory possible. In the 1990s, workers at this plant built the best-selling car in America five years in a row." Governor Quinn, who is running for re-election, highlighted his own work in bringing over a thousand jobs to Chicago, releasing a video of the visit to the plant, including remarks from both him and the president.
Obama used the visit to highlight some of the successes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, touting the second shift that would be added to the plant to help build the new Ford Explorer. "I put my faith in the American worker," Obama Obama told a crowd of nearly 2,000 autoworkers near the plant's assembly line. "All three automakers are now operating at a profit. That's the first time it's happened in six years."
During his visit back to Chicago, President Obama also spent time campaigning for Alexi Giannoulias. During a trio of fundraising events downtown, Obama told the crowd of supporters that “I need you to fight for him so he can fight for you in Washington,” and used the opportunity to criticize Republican economic policies while touting the importance of education and rebuilding the "Made in America" brand. “The United States of America does not play for second place,” the president said noting that it will take “years to repair the damage caused by this recession.”