The crowd of several hundred people is set for President Obama’s town hall meeting at Lorain County Community College. By 11am, a small crowd of prostesters gathered across the street from the campus, holding signs that read “Stop spending my grandkid’s money” and “Obama lies”. The crowd attending the town hall, including local steelworker union members are upbeat about the Presiden’ts visit. But they hope Mr. Obama will promise to create jobs here.

I ran into Nick Kowalczyk, a Lorain native and assistant writing professor at Ithaca College. He’s writing a book about his hometown. Kowalczyk says today’s visit is a bold move for the President, following this week’s Massachusetts Senate vote. On top of that Kowalczyk feels that at least in Lorain County, Obama’s message of hope is now lost.

President Obama spent the morning in Lorain County before getting set to host this afternoon’s town hall meeting.

The motorcade pulled up at an unscheduled campaign-style stop at a bar and restaurant in Elyria called “Smitty’s” which bore the slogan — “Where Friends Meet.”

President Obama arrived at EMC Precision Machining in Elyria at 11.30. Groups of people gathered along the route snapping pictures with their mobile phones. The motorcade swept past several shuttered stores in shopping malls.

The President, wearing protective glasses, walked past heavy industrial machinery on the factory floor talking to workers and taking great interest in the machinery and manufactured components, picking them up and turning them over.
His tour guides were Brad Ohlemacher, EMC President and Jeff Ohlemacher the CEO.