Obama is asked about help for struggling families

[October 13, 2008]  HOLLAND, Ohio (AP) -- During an hourlong visit to a neighborhood of ranch-style and split-level homes near Toledo, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was repeatedly asked what he could do to help struggling families.

His answers ranged from tax cuts to aid for struggling auto companies to measures to reduce home foreclosures.

Denise Knisley, a 53-year-old grocery store employee, said she had been thinking about voting for the Democrat and definitely will after meeting him. The two talked for several minutes in her driveway, with Obama leaning against the open gate of a silver Jeep Liberty.

"He sounds really positive, like he's going to help us," Knisley said. "You've got to believe in somebody."

Perhaps indicating the challenges that John McCain faces, one voter acted as if the Republican candidate is already in office alongside President Bush. "If we keep McCain in here, things are just going to keep getting worse," said Patty Larnhart, a pharmacy technician.

Obama did not visit one of the few homes with a yard sign supporting McCain. The home's owner, Dan Crandall, 26, said he opposes a Democratic Party philosophy that he described as favoring higher taxes and government interference.

Obama is preparing for Wednesday's debate with McCain at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y., their last faceoff before the election. He ended his visit to the neighborhood with a long, intense discussion with a man skeptical of his tax policy.

"I've got to go prepare for this debate," Obama said as he headed for his SUV. "But that was pretty good practice."

[Associated Press; By CHRISTOPHER WILLS]

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