Rep. Pomeroy visits UND before caucuses

State Representative Earl Pomeroy was at the Loading Dock Monday to encourage students to get out and vote at the following day's Democratic caucuses in North Dakota.

While he said it was important to vote in general, he took the opportunity to discuss why he had decided to endorse presidential candidate Barack Obama, who went on to win the Democratic vote in the state on Tuesday.

"He's something else," he said. "I get a kick out of everything he says."

Important decision

Pomeroy said that the presidential vote happens every four years, but 2008's decision will be especially important.

The moment that made him realize that the candidate stood out, he said, was watching his victory speech after winning the South Carolina primaries.

"I realized I'm hearing something that in my view isn't just another political speech, this is something important," he said. He said that one thing he appreciated about Obama's campaign was how he made effort to reach out to voters in every state that would be deciding candidates during Super Tuesday, instead of only focusing on the higher-populated states.

"The Barack Obama campaign wants us to know here in North Dakota that Barack Obama wants our support," he said. "By golly, I think we're poised to give it to him."

Pomeroy referenced the amount of political activity in the state on behalf of the candidate in the last few weeks, including visits from actor Dule Hill and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, and said it showed that this was a unique situation. "We've really not seen that before," he said.

The ability of Obama to rise from the underdog to a serious contender in the election, he said, was "incredible" to watch. "There's nothing magical about it," Pomeroy said. "He really has cut through all the political b.s. and gotten people's attention in many ways that no other candidate has done and frankly that no other candidate has done for me in a long time."

If Obama went on to win the nomination and the presidency in November, he said, the nation would see big changes that are critical at this time. "We're going to have an administration that's looking for common ground and bringing people together, instead of an administration searching for wedge issues so they can further divide and conquer," he said. "This country's going to be put onto a new course and nothing's ever going to be the same again."

The chance to reconnect with politics after eight years of a "failed administration," he said, made this caucus and the race in general unique. "This does not happen every election cycle, this doesn't happen every decade," he said. "This is a special campaign and tomorrow we have a chance to be a part of it."