GREENSBORO, N.C. — Coming off the first presidential debate, Barack Obama on Saturday delivered a cutting attack on rival John McCain, mocking some answers the Republican nominee gave during their face-to-face meeting and accusing him of pirating Democratic campaign slogans.
Obama's appearance before a cheering crowd of about 20,000 was just the start of a busy day. The Democratic nominee later addressed a rally in Virginia and attended a Congressional Black Caucus dinner in Washington.
Aides said Obama also devoted some time to the nation's financial crisis: He was briefed on the negotiations over the $700-billion bailout plan and spoke directly with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
Obama's travels underscore his campaign's wish to expand the electoral map. North Carolina and Virginia traditionally lean Republican, and the Democratic candidate is hoping to improve his odds of winning the White House by peeling off states that voted for President Bush in 2004.
In a post-debate interview Friday, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe described Virginia and Colorado as "five-alarm fires for John McCain. If he doesn't get those turned around quickly, he's going to have a very tough time showing a path to the presidency."
At the Greensboro rally, Obama said: "The truth is, through 90 minutes of debate, John McCain had a lot to say about me. But he had nothing to say about you.
"Didn't even say the words 'middle class.' Didn't say the words 'working people.' You see, I think Sen. McCain just doesn't get it. He doesn't get this crisis on Wall Street. He doesn't get the fact that it hit Main Street long ago."
Obama said that for two weeks, McCain had been "shifting solutions . . . looking for a photo op and trying to figure out what to say and what to do" about the nation's financial woes.
"Well, North Carolina, I know what we need to do," Obama said. "We need to stop giving tax cuts to corporations and CEOs on Wall Street and start standing up for families on Main Street."
Obama also chided the Arizona senator for reusing a familiar line in the debate. In condemning federal pork-barrel projects, McCain had cited a study on grizzly bear DNA.
