Obama Visit Lights Up Conservative Orange County

President Obama will speak today at a town hall meeting in deep-red Orange Country, Calif.—though maybe the “conservative stronghold” tag is weakening, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hundreds swarmed the event site for tickets, even camping out overnight to get them in an area that gave Obama 48% of the vote. “We want to see our president because we believe in him,” said one.

Others hoped to engage Obama with tough questions about the economy. “What about us? What about the small guys?” one asked, echoing a pervasive disappointment with the Wall Street bailout. But the overall feeling was positive. One Republican who voted for Obama described seeing him speak. “I looked down at my son and told him ‘I’m voting for that man,’” he said. (More President Obama stories.)