Obama says he'll work with Clinton in November

[Americanhero1]

TROY, Mich. - Barack Obama said Monday he and rival Hillary Rodham Clinton will be "working together in November" despite fears by some that the Democratic Party will be divided after the long and bitter primary campaign.

ADVERTISEMENT
 
On the eve of the final two primaries, Obama told a rally and town-hall-style meeting in this Detroit suburb of Troy that he understands that people wonder "whether the Clinton folks are going to support the Obama folks" and vice versa.

It's going to happen, promised the Democratic front-runner.

Saying Clinton had "run an outstanding race," Obama said to applause that "she and I will be working together in November." He did not elaborate.

Obama campaigned in Michigan two days after being awarded delegates for a state in which neither he nor any other major Democratic candidate campaigned. In fact, Obama's name wasn't even on the ballot. Both parties see Michigan as a key swing state in the general election.

Obama focused on the ailing economy, especially in this hard-hit industrial state.

He said Republican presidential contender John McCain would "double down" on a Bush economic plan that he said contributed heavily to the nation's current economic distress.

"While we've been talking about a recession in this country for a few months now, Michigan has been living it for a very long time. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation and workers and communities across this state have been struggling for years with the downturn that all of America is feeling today," Obama said.

"In fairness, some of these challenges are the product of larger forces beyond the control of government. But there is no doubt that the Bush economic policies have done little to help the working families of Michigan or build a better future for America," he said.

A young man who said he was a new driver asked Obama, "When will gas prices go down?"

"We are not going to be able to lower gas prices immediately," Obama said. He said he recognized this caused problems in the short term when "just getting to work is hard these days."

He talked about moving toward cleaner energy, and investigating whether energy companies were engaging in price-gouging and market manipulation. "If that's what they're doing ... I intend to go after them as president of the United States," he said.