Mariana Silva

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Daily Kent Stater

President Barack Obama told voters (TIME FRAME GOES HERE…SUNDAY) the key to move MOVING forward is in their hands and the decision they make on Tuesday is going to change history and the rest of their lives, Sunday at Cleveland State University.

“In two days you got the chance to say once again ‘yes, we can,’ and Cleveland, there is no doubt that this is a difficult election,” Obama said TO A CROWD THAT BARELY FILLED THE ….AT CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY.

Obama said jobs were cut, pay checks got smaller and college tuition rose before he was elected President in 2008, and it is important that voters don’t forget who caused “the mess” and who is taking the country out of it.

“Their basic political strategy has been counting on you to have amnesia,” Obama said referring to the Republican party. “And, Cleveland, it is up to you to let them know that we have not forgotten.”

Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich, Ted Strickland, Sherrod Brown, Yvette Brown, Lee Fisher and some local Democrat DEMOCRATIC officials spoke at the event, which attracted about 8,000 people to Wolstein Center in Cleveland. SO HERE IS WHERE YOU PUT THE CAPACITY OF THE CENTER.

The Democratic event also brought celebrities to Cleveland. On the stage, rapper Common sang to the crowd and grabbed the attention of both young and YOUNG AND OLD. . . older folks.

In the audience, standing with the crowd was Byron Scoot, Cleveland Cavaliers’ coach.

Lee Fisher, U.S. Senate candidate for the Democrats said this is going to be a close election and that one cannot win the presidency without winning in Ohio.

“You cannot win Ohio without winning Northeast Ohio. You cannot win Northeast Ohio without winning Cuyahoga County. You cannot win Cuyahoga County without winning Cleveland,” Fisher said.

Ted Strickland, gubernatorial candidate for the Democratic party, said Ohio will remain a blue state.

“If you were to shrink America, you would end up with Ohio,” Strickland said.

Strickland said Obama and Biden have traveled across the country to rebuilt America and make sure people have access to health care and higher education. He also told the audience he is grateful for what Ohio has received to better its educational system and job market.

Vice president Joe Biden said if Republican John Kasich is elected governor (IF YOU SEE AN “IF,” THAT MEANS YOU WILL LIKELY NEED A COMMA) he will give tax breaks to companies that will take jobs out of the country, while Democrats would give tax credits to small businesses and allow for families to send their children to college.

“People in Cleveland are the kind of people who are the backbone of this country,” Biden said. “The kind of people who are straight forward, work hard, play by the rules and expect the other guys to play by the rules.”

He said because of Strickland, Ohio is in the march again for creating more jobs, making college affordable for middle class, and investing in research and technology.

Christopher Shaheen, junior finance major at John Carroll University, said multiple reasons brought him to the rally this Sunday.

“I’m here because my dad has a small business and I’m a big believer of small businesses. That’s where the jobs are,” Shaheen said.

Shaheen, who came to the event with friends from John Carroll, said although he doesn’t have student loans he is glad to know the educational system is being reconstructed. He said now students who do have to rely on loans can invest in higher education and know that they are going to be able to pay it back.

“That’s something students should know,” Shaheen said.

Obama said he has set the goal to make the U.S. number one in the proportion of college graduates. He added if Republicans get elected they will cut education by 20 percent to pay for other expenses.

The President talked about how other nations, such as China and Germany do not make cuts in education, and said he will continue to work on tax credits students can receive when attending college.

“They are not playing for second place, they are playing for first place,” Obama said. “And you know what? In the United States of America, we don’t play for second place, we don’t play for ninth place or 21st place or 25th place. We play for number one.”