Published: November 29, 2008 07:14 pm            

Many local residents express confidence in Obama’s readiness to lead

BLUEFIELD — President-elect Barack Obama may not be sitting in the Oval Office yet, but most local people questioned recently said they felt he would be ready to start his administration.

Area residents and visitors shopping at the Mercer Mall had varying options about the president-elect’s readiness to lead. One Virginia woman approved his possible choice for Secretary of State: his former opponent for the Democratic nomination, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

“I definitely think he will be ready,” said Florence Crouch, 64, of Falls Mill, Va. “If he puts Hillary (Clinton) in there, he definitely will be ready. His wife was on Jay Leno and she said that since she and Hillary are both lawyers, they can get along.”

A possibly smooth change in leadership from Bush’s administration to Obama’s encouraged a Mercer County resident.

“You hear about the easy transition,” said Kevin Walker, 32, of Princeton. “I’m confident in him. I voted for him.”

Walker said he was sure Obama would address the nation’s troubled economy first, but he was also concerned about the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One visitor who came to the region for the Thanksgiving holiday said he felt Obama was ready for the White House,

“I think so, yes,” said Roger Howerton, 58, of Radson, NC. “He seems to be on the ball. He’s getting his cabinet ready and he’s getting some good advisors, too. I think he will be ready.”

A Raleigh County man said Obama should be ready; the consequences of being unprepared would be serious.

“I think he will be well prepared,” said Bill Baldwin, 62, of Beckley. “If he’s not, we’re going to be in desperation.”

Not everyone was sure that the president-elect was ready to lead the nation. One Mercer County woman who declined to give her name said she was unsure about Obama’s credentials.

“No, I just don’t think he has the experience,” Bluewell woman said. “He has already reneged on some of the promises he made like that rebate (tax) thing for people. I heard a lot of people say that’s the only reason they voted for him. I just don’t think any president is going to be ready.”

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

        

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