Obama rallies for Georgia Democrats and repeats his Cheesecake Factory line about Trump
He backed Sen. Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is running to be the first Black woman elected governor in any state.
Former President Barack Obama campaigned near Atlanta on Wednesday for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is seeking re-election, and for Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor. The election is the following Tuesday. Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, is trying to become the first Black woman elected governor in any state.
Her Republican opponent is Rick Jackson, a billionaire. The Journal calls the race a dead heat. Jackson is pressing her on the unrest in Atlanta in 2020, while she links him to President Trump.
At the rally, Obama returned to his line from a week earlier, likening Trump's White House renovations to Saddam Hussein decorating a Cheesecake Factory. He said the White House reacted to the Cheesecake Factory part, not the Saddam Hussein part. Ossoff said that if Democrats win control of , people involved in corruption would testify under oath next year.
According to the Guardian, Trump was campaigning in Ohio at the same time. Outlets give different crowd sizes and venues for the rally.
Three sides of the story
Liberal3 outlets
The Guardian reports Obama's Georgia speech as a closing argument for Democrats in the final week. It quotes him on the White House's reaction to the Cheesecake Factory remark, on affordability and on what he called Trump's selling of favors. It also quotes Ossoff, Bottoms and Sen. Raphael Warnock, and notes that Bottoms is statistically tied with Jackson while Ossoff leads in polls.
ABC News, running an AP story, centers on the history Bottoms would make as the first Black woman elected governor anywhere. It describes Jackson's ads on the 2020 protests and quotes Trump and Jackson ally John King, but adds that federal statistics show Atlanta's crime rise was not an outlier. It quotes Stacey Abrams on the hurdles Black women face.
The New York Times reports on criticism of how Bottoms led Atlanta and on disappointment that she left after a single term, and previewed Obama's visit for her and Ossoff.
Center2 outlets
The Hill reports that Obama was stopping in Atlanta on Wednesday, less than a week before Election Day, to boost Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff. The Wall Street Journal describes a dead-heat race. In it, Republican Rick Jackson goes after Bottoms over the 2020 unrest in Atlanta, and she answers by linking him to President Trump. The Journal adds that she would be the first Black woman governor in US history and the first Democrat in 28 years to win Georgia's governorship.
Conservative2 outlets
The Washington Examiner covers the rally as an escalation by Obama, saying he "doubled down" on his Cheesecake Factory comparison. It quotes his remarks about gold in the Oval Office, "arts and crafts" during a war, and the White House not disputing his points on prices and . It reports Ossoff's pledge to pursue alleged corruption if Democrats win a congressional majority, and Bottoms' "Slick Rick" line about Jackson.
It also reports Warnock noting Jackson's nearly $200 million in personal spending, and the crowd's "Not for Sale!" chant. It includes quotes from three attendees who praised the speeches, and gives a poll average in which Jackson led by barely one point. The Washington Times carries a story with the same headline and opening as the AP piece ABC News ran, about Bottoms' bid and the history she would make.
Which side made the stronger case?
- Size and location of the Obama rally crowd
- The Guardian (US): Between 3,500 and 4,000 people filled the Discovery Center of Clayton county, south of Atlanta.
- Washington Examiner: Obama spoke to 8,000 attendees at the Arena at Southlake in southeast Atlanta.
All sources: 8 articles from 7 outlets
Liberal (4)
- ABC News: Georgia's Keisha Lance Bottoms navigates the challenges of Black women battling political barriers
- The Guardian (US): ‘They mobilized a whole government response to that joke’: Obama laughs off Trump attacks in rally for Ossoff
Center (2)
- The Hill: Live updates: Trump, Obama, Vance hit key states midterm sprint
- The Wall Street Journal (news): In a comeback attempt, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is seeking to become the first Black woman governor in U.S. history and the first Democrat elected governor in Georgia in 28 years
Conservative (2)
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