Obama implores Detroiters to vote: ‘It’s about values’

Crowds were lined up early to get into Huntington Place to see former President Barack Obama urge Detroiters to get out and vote for Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The former president got a rock star welcome from several thousand people after being introduced on stage by rap icon Eminem.
“It’s great to be back in Motor City,” Obama said. “I heard there was another rally here on Friday night but it was a little smaller than this.”
It was the first of several digs at Harris’ rival, Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. Obama said Trump thinks only of himself and blames most of the nation’s problems on immigrants.
“Any election is about more than policies, it’s about values and it’s about character,” Obama said.
Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team.
Obama said progress is made by making small changes over time and repeatedly urged the crowd to get out and vote. He described the different ways Michiganders can now vote and told them they needed to not only vote themselves, but make sure their family and friends had plans to vote.
He kept a steady drumbeat of criticisms of Trump. When the crowd booed Trump’s name, Obama stopped them, saying it’s better to vote than to boo.
“Whether this election is making you feel excited or scared or hopeful or frustrated, or anything in between, do not sit back and hope for the best,” he said. “Don’t just hope, get off your couch and vote. Vote for Kamala Harris.”
Obama spoke for about 45 minutes in a barebones convention center. A few sets of bleachers surrounded the stage but most people stood on the concrete floor. The only decorations were some blue curtains, a few American flags and campaign signs.
Lions Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson opened the evening, greeting the crowd with “Whatupdoe, Detroit?”
Johnson said he was part of a group called Athletes for Harris and called out Trump for dissing the city in an Oct. 13 speech at the Detroit Economic Club.
“During my playing days, if anyone said anything negative about Detroit, I made sure they felt me on Sunday,” Johnson said. “So Detroit, let’s make sure Trump feels us at the ballot box come Election Day.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s U.S. senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, who worked for Obama and is running to replace the retiring Stabenow, also addressed the crowd.
At previous stops, Obama has specifically called on Black men to be more engaged in the voting process.
Black men who attended the rally said they were planning to vote for Harris, though some voiced tepid support.
“In general, I’m enthusiastic, but I wouldn’t say I’m getting a tattoo of her name on my arm,” said Matt Bell, 53, of Detroit.
Bell is a flight attendant who attended the rally with his fiancé. He said his schedule allowed for the rally and he was anxious to hear Obama. He once tried to see the former president in Chicago but arrived too late and never got in.
More:Report: Eminem to appear with Barack Obama at Detroit rally for Harris campaign
More:Watch replay: Former President Barack Obama to rally for Kamala Harris in Detroit
He said he’ll definitely be voting for Harris and he’s hoping to hear more about tax credits for first-time home buyers. He believes Harris will win. He said he doesn’t see a lack of enthusiasm in his circles, but he understands it’s out there.
“I think that’s more so just the state of how things are,” he said.
Durand Eubanks, 50, of Southfield, is an iron worker in IBEW Local 25. He said he’s looking forward to voting for Harris and plans to do so in person on Election Day because he likes to put his ballot into the tabulator himself and ensure it’s counted.
“I am enthusiastic to vote, but I believe that with all the misinformation that’s been spread, it’s confusing a lot of people,” he said. “They just feel like putting their hands up at the situation. The system did nothing for them so they’re wasting their time. That’s not the way to look at it, but that’s how some people view it.”
Levell Baldridge, 64, of Detroit has been selling Fords for almost 40 years and is a pastor at New Birth Church of God in Christ on the eastside.
He attended the rally to hear Obama speak and to support Harris. He flatly rejects the idea that people can sit the process out and called on men to do their part and vote.
“People say I’m not voting because I don’t like who’s up there, that means you like what’s going on,” he said. “And it’s sad that a lot of things that are happening in America shouldn’t be happening because we’re the land of opportunity.”
Baldridge said he owes it to his children and his country to vote.
“The concern is, we have to leave a legacy for the next generation,” he said. “If the family is going to be whole, the man has to take part in situations like this, right? It starts with the man.”(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contact John Wisely: [email protected]. On X @jwisely.