Pueblo jumps on Obama bandwagon

Pueblo - Locals sit shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar in the one-room Alibi Lounge on the town's south side.

Nearby thousands of Barack Obama supporters line up in the blazing sun at the nearby State Fair grounds hoping to get a seat in the grandstand or arena floor, typically the territory of bulls and broncos.

But in the cool of the neighborhood bar, David and Juanita Andrews relaxed in their vinyl seats and toasted the candidate with tequila shots and lime-laden Coronas. Their prediction?

Obama may not have won Pueblo in the Democratic primary, but his humble roots and appeals to the working class on economic issues will go over big in the steel town now struggling with poverty and joblessness - a town that mirrors many rural stops in Western states.

"There's a poverty problem," said David Andrews. "The middle is disappearing. A lot of people are out of work. We don't like that."

The old-school Democratic town still pines for the days of Bill Clinton and consistently delivers big and essential Democratic majorities during statewide elections.

As Obama crisscrosses the country today and tomorrow targeting key voting groups - Independents and Republicans in Grand Junction and swing voters in Jefferson County - he must pay his respects to the blue-collar and largely Hispanic population of Pueblo, says analyst Floyd Ciruli.

It's a stop most top Democratic presidential candidates make, though as Colorado takes it place as a battleground state, energizing the base here becomes essential, Ciruli said.

"It's the most important Democratic city outside the metro area," Ciruli said. "It's the Pittsburg of Colorado."

Consider Cindy Benecke of Colorado Springs energized. In her visor and sunglasses she hoisted high a neon-green poster reading "This hockey mama is for Obama" as she waited in the entrance line with her two friends.

Before the trio made it into the party atmosphere of the arena - draped in red-white-and-blue bunting, mariachi music and a massive, 150-foot flag - they said they hope Obama ignores Republican superstar vice presidential pick Sarah Palin and focuses on real issues.

They fire in rapid succession:

"The economy."

"Education and schools."

"The issues with Lehman Brothers."

Or, as Obama supporter Stefan Creighton puts it, "Don't forget about the little guy."

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