Celebrities Rock, Kennedy pitch Obama to local audiences

In the final days in the battle for the White House, Democratic nominee Barack Obama brought some of his heavyweight endorsement pals. Never mind political superstars such as Colin Powell and former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan, who have given the senator their thumbs up: On Saturday in Virginia, Caroline Kennedy and Chris Rock stumped for their man.

Nearly 200 people packed into the Jewish Museum & Cultural Center in Portsmouth to see Kennedy articulate her reasons for supporting Obama. She said he had inspired her and her children.

“Barack Obama has shown he is the kind of leader who can bring all

Americans together,” she said. She also praised his plans for withdrawing American troops from Iraq and giving college students tax credits in exchange for community service.

She noted his ability to connect with people, as her father did nearly 50 years ago.

“We haven’t had a leader who could ignite that spark,” she said, “but we do now.”

Kennedy spoke for about 10 minutes and spent about another 15 minutes shaking hands, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans. She was scheduled to appear at Obama campaign events later Saturday in Hampton, Richmond and Clifton.

Allyson Jackson, 46, of Norfolk, was among those in Portsmouth to score an autograph and handshake. “I came to support Obama,” she said. “The icing on the cake was that it was Caroline Kennedy.”

Jackson, who said she counts among her earliest memories hearing of President Kennedy’s assassination, described Caroline Kennedy’s appearance as speaking “to a whole generation of people like me.”

Later that evening in Norfolk, comedian and actor Chris Rock made an appearance at a rally. People packed into the Harrison Opera House to hear his thoughts on Obama – thoughts that of course were toned down a bit from his usual routines.

“I can’t do my act,” he said after coming to the stage. He held notes in his hand, making his short remarks – he was on stage for about 20 minutes – seem impromptu. And funny, naturally.

Obama “called me. He did. I thought I would get his press secretary or something, but it was him. I heard his wife and his kids. I heard grease popping in the background; I was like, 'I know that sound.’ I think he called me in part so I wouldn’t tell jokes about him.”

Rock talked about Republican nominee John McCain. “He’s not a cool old man like Clint Eastwood or Jack Nicholson, but like 'Get that ball out of my yard’ old. I appreciate that he’s a war hero. But I gave someone the Heimlich in the eighth grade, so what?”

He also talked about the redistribution of wealth and Joe the Plumber. “You can’t just divorce the American economy and marry a rich new one. Look, money does not trickle down. It don’t work that way. People pay you as little as they possibly can. You can help Joe, one guy, or you can help the eight people that work for him. Joe is talking about making $200,000. I made $20,000 from 'New Jack City.’ And I wasn’t fixing pipes, I was smoking them.”

Even Obama wasn’t safe from Rock’s ribbing. “He’s got a good chance of winning. Why? ’Cause he’s Kenyan. You can’t beat a Kenyan in a race. If you got on a plane to New York right now, and I got on a Kenyan, I would beat you there.”

Wrapping up, Rock explained that his father died on Election Day 20 years ago. That year, George H.W. Bush was elected . “My uncle said, 'Damn, Bush won, too?’ It was like, 'A sibling dying I can deal with, but this is a catastrophe. I can’t go to work tomorrow.’”

He urged the audience to vote, to volunteer, to bring people to the polls. “I hope this Tuesday will be the first Election Day that I’ll really be happy.”

Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com

Malcolm Venable, (757) 446-2662, malcolm.venable@pilotonline.com