Obama To Play In 3-on-3 Basketball Game In Indiana On Saturday.

[malik flavors]

This should be cool to see:

Following the town hall, he will play in a 3-on-3 pick-up basketball game tomorrow evening. Marion high school junior Blake Hancock and Indiana University-Kokomo freshman Kory McKay collected voter registration forms from new voters to qualify for the “3-on-3 Challenge for Change” and will join Obama, two of Hancock’s friends and the WNBA Indiana Fever’s Alison Bales for the game. The Fever’s Tamika Catchings, an Olympic gold medalist, will referee. The event will be open press. We will pool the national cameras due to space limitations.

http://thepage.time.com/more-on-obamas-friday-basketball-game/

[BeyondGeography]

1. Hoops in Indiana...politically speaking, that's a

[Fearless]

3. Lay up? Or were you going for slam dunk? LOL. :P

[BeyondGeography]

4. I think Obama dunked once...but that was the Punahou version

(any excuse for more basketball photos)

[malik flavors]

6. Damn, he looks a little like MJ in this pic.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

7. And wearing MJ's number to boot!

;-)

[malik flavors]

17. I was actually referring to the first pic. It looks like a Nike ad.

[mod mom]

11. I wish MJ would join in-that would be a crowd pleaser! Has he endorsed anyone?

[Fearless]

42. Don't think so. Probably won't.

[peace13]

2. Thank you for posting the winner.

This is very cool. peace, Kim

[PoliticalAmazon]

56. ETA? n/t

[juno jones]

5. Should be better for him than bowling!

:D

[Orsino]

32. Well, the bowling HAD to come first.

Obama could no more let his first athletic endeavor of the campaign be a basketball game than he could let his first photo-op meal be fried chicken.

It took guts to bowl badly in public--even if the competition would have looked more ludicrous--so I'll wish him nothing but net in his next outing.

[Zachstar]

8. Obama is known not to hog the ball so it will be rare to see him forward.

I expect 3 pointers from the side when possible or otherwise he passes it.

[City Lights]

9. I wanna see Hillary go on Ellen to shoot some hoops, just like she did

after Obama went bowling. I'd love to see her "anything he can do, I can do better" shtick on the basketball court. :rofl:

[wileedog]

20. I want to see her go duck hunting

[jenmito]

24. With Cheney?!

:D

[nichomachus]

10. Maybe he could

challenge Hillary to a one-on-one to decide who gets to be the nominee.

[guyanakoolaid]

12. Nah, she'd decide halfway through that most rebounds should win the game

:eyes:

[nichomachus]

13. Or that they should count baskets she made four months ago

[MattBaggins]

26. Nah it would be who actually dribbled the most

but then she would lose to McCain who dribbles every time he eats unless Lieberman is right there with a hanky.

[quantass]

58. .

[TeamJordan23]

14. Good to see that Indiana values a real sport (bball) than a fake one (bowling)

No pun intended.

[Aloha Spirit]

15. Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel piece from a year ago--Must See:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Lqm5emQl4&feature=related

[TeamJordan23]

18. Actually this was from two weeks ago, not a year ago. Great Interview tho. nm

[Aloha Spirit]

19. Ha oops... thanks.

[Strelnikov_]

29. Yea it was. Looked like he is a good (to very good) point guard

His shot . . um . . well . .

[kentuck]

16. Hint to Obama:

Basketball is big in KY and NC also. They are the #1 and #2 teams in basketball history for wins.

[KittyWampus]

23. I did not know that. Do they recruit such good players or coaches?

[kentuck]

31. Mostly tradition and pride.

At being #1. Of course, UCLA has won the most national championships, with their dynasty of the late 60's and 70's. KY is second in national championships.

[MattNC]

44. I'd like to see

Dean Smith come out and endorse Obama. He's a life-long Democrat who frequently publicly endorses candidates. Obama will be speaking at the Dean Dome on Monday....hmm.

[Elidor]

48. Basketball is a freaking religion of its own in Kentucky

If basketball games were held on Sunday mornings, the churches would all be empty.

[KittyWampus]

21. Basketball is an elitist sport. Only wealthy people play basketball. This proves Obama is

out of touch.

[Evergreen Emerald]

22. Get the good ol boys together for some B-Ball and beer.

Interviewed on the sports network, playing B.Ball with the guys.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

25. When I read of this awhile ago

I thought it was brilliant. I'm a born and raised "Hoosier" and I know firsthand the states passion for basketball. Then I read that he offered the free Dave Matthews concert at IU and Purdue...brilliant. Then he shows up in Bloomington (IU) for the Little 5 (Little 500 bicycle race) and I thought, did he grow up in Indiana? I know he didn't but, someone in his campaign did, because all three of those things are die hard Hoosier things. Basketball, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, and Little 5. Four MAJOR pluses for Obama in Indiana, trust me. He won Bloomington just by showing up for the Little 5, my sister says. Bloomington and Monroe County LOVES Obama.

I am so hoping that my home state will go Obama, just like my adopted state of Colorado.

[Aloha Spirit]

27. Any tips for those of us calling Indiana?

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

33. Hmmm, never been asked that!

Well, first of all, it really depends on where you are calling! Indiana is really a mixed bag! If you're calling northern Indiana, they are in the flatlands, the growing fields, agriculture. They will have the nasal accent of Michigan and Illinois. They will also be the "bitter voters" This area and central Indiana was hardest hit by the failure of the steel and auto industries, so NAFTA will be a huge issue. Ft. Wayne is known as "Little Detroit" but, hasn't suffered as badly as Detroit. Kokomo, Marion and Muncie have had many factories close and even today Chrysler and Delco have been weaning their factories of precious jobs. Marion is practically a dead town these days and have a HUGE elderly population, same with Kokomo and Muncie. Muncie however has Ball State University, a liberal arts college with a reputation for partying (even has a DEA office right on campus!) West Lafeyette is Purdue country. Less liberal that it's rival IU, it's THE place to go for engineering, agriculture and veterinary sciences. Then you have Notre Dame in South Bend. South Bend is a small farming town with a big university. I grew up in Ft. Wayne, but, haven't been back in years. My extended family however still live there. Farmers, religious, but, Democrats. With the exception of the Gary/Merrilville areas where unions and NAFTA will be the biggest issues, northern Indiana will be about faith, the economy, agriculture...talk about ethanol, corn and soy rule the day. Talk about ideas for encouraging alternative crop based fuels. These are the "Little farmers".

Central Indiana, you start to hear the drawl. Kind of a Kentucky twang tempered with the northern nose. Think Cincinnati twang. Saying "YA'LL" isn't out of the question. Values are important, but, you will find most of the Bitter people here. They've seen all of their jobs go and the mills close. Their towns are dying and the youth is flocking to the bigger cities in droves. Indianapolis is here and that's where the youth have gone. Indy won't be a problem for Obama, this is where the more educated are, more affluent, more culturally mixed. It is also a huge Dem area. But the smaller towns around Indy are dying or being gobbled up by Indy.

South of Indy is Kentucky, I'm serious! With the exception of Bloomington (IU), it's definately hillbilly country. Especially the southwest portion. It's horse country and too hilly to be an agriculture center. Southwest Indiana is sparsely populated and I'm talking true to life "hilljacks" Indiana term for hillbilly. I'm talking appliances and old furniture on the porch, cars on blocks and a mean dog tied to the tree. You won't reach these people, they are the GOP's wetdream. Hunters, libertarian, little education. With the exception of Evansville, that is. Evansville sits on the Ohio River and is the Indiana side of Bowling Green, KY. We may have a chance with Evansville, not too sure though. New Albany is the bedroom town to Louisville. People live on the Indiana side of the river because of lower taxes and cost of living. They live there and work in Louisville, who have been hurt by closing factories as well. Southern Indiana is white, white and more white. It is the REDDEST part of the state. Loads of Catholics live in the New Albany area. Every time I go to visit my parents in this area, I'm amazed by how many Virgin Mary's there are in yards (complete with what looks to be a small bathtub buried in the ground to shelter her, don't ask, I have NO idea and I'm a recovering Catholic!) as well as yard signs proclaiming their "pro-life" beliefs...yes, yard signs.

So, that's it, that's my take on it. Basically, be respectful, kind, friendly. Hoosiers love to talk about their state, they love it there. Get them talking about whether Bob Knight's departure ruined Indiana basketball, get them talking about their Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis 500, how the Pacers have become a bunch of thugs, these are things they LOVE to talk about. Then move into Obama and his ideas that will improve their lives. Remember gas prices are HUGE, diesel is even bigger particularly in the farming communities. Talk about Bio Diesel. They are very warm and open people, who tend to vote against their best interests. they get caught up in the values issues, lying is a big problem to them, hit them with that, but, only if you don't make any headway with the issues they find most important. They don't like mudslinging. And one more thing, independents there despise Hillary and Bill. And despise is not an understatement. Bottom line is, Indiana people like to talk to people as friends, they will tell you their life stories, listen to them first and engage with stories of your own. It's Hoosier hospitality.

Hope this helps!

[Aloha Spirit]

34. Oh man, this is a gift. Thank you!!

:grouphug:

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

39. No problem

It's my non-political professional opinion of my home state. You can share it if you want to. If you have an area to call that I haven't addressed here, please feel free to ask me.(PM me) I have Friends and family from the top to the bottom of the state and have lived in all of those areas. Here's the list of areas I have lived in: Ft. Wayne (born and raised, still have tons of friends and family there), Muncie, Kokomo(In laws there), Indy(In laws there), Shelbyville, Franklin, Floyds Knobs(parents live there), New Albany, Bloomington (Siblings live there). If I don't know, I know someone who does.

I'm thinking it's time for me to do some phone banking as well! You've inspired me to help make Indiana another Obamanation! I've always thought that turning Indiana blue IS possible, just takes the right message and Obama not being afraid to talk about his faith will go a LONG way to blunt the impact that the republicans keep having there. They aren't stupid people, just diehard keep the government OUT of our business, kind of people. Giving up on Indiana, just automatically hands it to the republicans. Deans 50-state strategy is a perfect example of how it IS possible. If the republican machine is doing all of the talking, how can we be surprised when they believe it.

I know that hoosiers are SO excited to be able to make a choice that matters this time around. The turnout will be HUGE.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

41. A couple more things

South of Indy is Independent country. They love their shotguns, they love their country, government is a bad word. Life there is about basketball (IU), farming, faith. They spend the summers on lakes water skiing, watching racing, playing basketball, raisin their kids. Less government is the biggest issue. In the GE they need to be hit hard with the fact that the republicans left them and their small government "Old school" republican ideas long ago.

And I can't stress the high gas prices enough. Last summer when we went to visit, that's a topic of conversation that was universal all over Indiana. Conversations while driving were entirely about the high cost of fuel. They point to every gas station as we drive by, quoting the prices they see. Conversations around where the cheapest gas can be found are everywhere. If we can turn that conversation around to the benefit of the people of Indiana, talking about how much alternative crop based fuels could revolutionize Indiana's economy would be fantastic. Also talk about how our national debt effects the price of gas by devaluing the dollar would be an excellent argument with the more educated.

[Aloha Spirit]

51. I will post this stuff to my phonebanking group, if you don't mind. nt

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

55. Don't mind at all.

Thought of one more thing while cleaning house today. I think a lot while doing mindless chores! Whenever possible, when talking about Clinton, Phrase it this way NY Senator Hillary Clnton. Stress the New York thing. Subtle but, effective.

[wiggs]

40. Brilliant if he can actually look decent. Hope he's working on his jumper. nt

[NYCGirl]

47. There's some film of him playing here (from an interview on HBO with Bryant Gumbel)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Lqm5emQl4

[wiggs]

53. Dang! He can really play!. This is going to work just fine....much better

than a bowling ball or a windsurf board or bike or golf club....

[book_worm]

28. Will Hillary challenge him to a game of hoops?

[Youphemism]

30. Courting Voters

Obama should, as some have suggested, challenge Hillary to a game of one-on-one. When he does that, he should name a time and a place.

When Hillary doesn't show up, he should play the game anyway and afterward announce to the press, "We had a fair game. That she chose not to compete in it is irrelevant. The fact is, during that game all the points were scored by me, and should be counted in the final tally of our basketball competition."

[Aloha Spirit]

36. There's some gotcha politics for ya. Love it. nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

35. Obama likes basketball

Obama has played a lot

[Aloha Spirit]

37. I'd just like to add that Obama is a slam dunk...

[Rosa Luxemburg]

38. Cool!

[madinmaryland]

43. Now this is a really important issue!!1!!

:wtf:

Shouldn't this be a lounge subject. Oh wait, we don't let this kind of crap into teh lounge.

pffth!!

[Bensthename]

45. This is a good idea for Obama.. Basketball is huge there,,

I'm sure Hillary will some how try to conter this

[Exilednight]

46. Those Secret Service guys bring a whole new meaning to point guard. n/t

[Aloha Spirit]

52. ha.

[Clintonista2]

49. Desperate much?

[jefferson_dem]

57. ...

[springhill]

50. Man,

He just can't quite pandering, can he? Just another lame publicity stunt. He'll do absolutely anything to win.

[VotesForWomen]

54. Ooooooh, i'm gonna get as hot as i did when i saw W in his flight suit!! nt