♪♪ Carrie Devine:
Lots of crazy stuff going on while we prepare for the arrival. They are running
on time, which makes life easier. The plane is taxiing in. Mr.
Governor, I'm Carrie Devine. Game day is the day the President arrives
and when everything actually happens. On game day, I'll just try to make sure the
President knows where he's headed next and who he's about to meet. There are actually
a number of people around him who will also provide that info to him. And when he comes
for something like a town hall, we'll start to brief him and he'll give us a look, like,
you think I've never done this before? (cheers and applause) President Obama:
Hello, Ohio! Thank you very much, everybody. Carrie Devine:
Everything is choreographed because we are working on a timeline. We have a limited amount
of time in a place that we need to make sure we use it as wisely as we can. Dennis Little:
I never thought growing up I would have this opportunity to see the President of the United
States. I'm very thankful for all that he's done for me personally with the stimulus package.
And you know, if there's anything that I can say to him or maybe shake his
hand would be cool as can be. President Obama:
Hello. How are you? What is your name? Dennis Little:
Dennis Little. President Obama:
Good to see you. Dennis Little:
Nice to meet you, President. Wow! I think he enjoyed his time
here. It was well spent. Carrie Devine:
So we are just about to depart this site. Everybody good over there? Okay. So we just came into a place called Smitty's,
an OTR, which is an off-the-record stop. And so we kept it secret. Nobody knew. The
Mayor is with him. The mayor didn't know. William Grace:
Yeah, Smitty's is about an 80 year old company in our city. It's the best burger in town
and it's a place where friends come to meet. It's a great place for all of
the community to come together. Carrie Devine:
When the food is ready you just holler that it's ready so they know
they can come and sit down. Speaker:
We'll make them sit down. Carrie Devine:
Great, thank you. Speaker:
They are at Smitty's, they are not -- Carrie Devine:
You're in charge. Speaker:
This is not the White House. Marvin Nicholson:
I just had the world famous Smitty burger. As you can see I didn't like it at all. I
eat a lot of burgers. It's one of the best burgers I've ever had. Speaker:
Table 11. Carrie Devine:
This is one of my favorite things to do. It's nice to add these to a trip when we can. Speaker:
I called my husband and I told him. He's, like, no way. Carrie Devine:
That's cute. Well, I'm glad you guys were here. Speaker:
Thank you. President Obama:
You'll have my card, my official card, all right. Carrie Devine:
Here he is about half an hour outside of Cleveland. It's a community that's historically a manufacturing
city, and has been particularly hard hit because of the economic downturns. Gary Shores:
This is a once in a life time thing here, man, I'm ready. I am ready. I get to really hand this helmet to the president.
This is really a proud moment for me, to really get to meet him and present this. President Obama:
How's everybody doing? (applause) Nice to see you. How are you? Gary Shores:
Mr. President -- President Obama:
That's a serious looking helmet. I could knock some heads -- Gary Shores:
Yes, you could. President Obama:
Thank you so much. That is beautiful. Gary Shores:
I'll never forget this moment, never in my life. God! Yes. Wow. Wow! Carrie Devine:
I think it was a really good trip. We did everything we wanted to do. There's always
a few little scrambles on a trip, but it was a big success. Most of the people you see, who are on my
team are actually volunteers. They are really doing this out of the kindness of their hearts
and the fun of the work. They are really a great bunch of people fun to travel with.
And they put their heart into it.
