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President Barack Obama will visit Portland’s Expo Center today to tout the new health care reform bill in his first trip to Maine since winning the presidential election.
The visit was announced March 25 by Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree.
University of Maine sophomore and Maine College Democrats President Benjamin Goodman said he and several other students would attend the event, and was looking forward to hearing Obama speak about the health care bill.
The Portland stop, as with most presidential events, is expected to draw some protesters. UMaine College Republicans President Ben Kelleher said he would rally outside the Expo during Obama’s remarks, joined by students from Bates and Colby colleges, as well as the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of Southern Maine.
“We want to get out there and rally for constitutionalism and a return to constitutional conservatism,” Kelleher said. He said he wanted to focus on “getting back to operating the way government should.”
“The [health care] bill doesn’t actually operate within the confines of the Constitution,” Kelleher said.
Hundreds waited for hours in the rain Wednesday to get tickets, the Portland Press Herald reported. The first person in line arrived at 12:45 a.m. and waited close to 11 hours until doors opened.
The Maine Campus will live blog Obama’s visit this afternoon at mainecampus.com. The president is set to speak at 3:35 p.m. Be sure to check the site for stories and photos.
