Does He Make the Grade

Does he make the grade?

Published: Friday, March 21, 2008, 3:24 PM Updated: Friday, March 21, 2008, 5:26 PM

Ted Mitchner, The Oregonian

Amy Hsuan, The Oregonian(From left) Jordan Shortman, 18, Alexis Ricker, 18, Elvia Mandujano, 23, Jim Merrill, 58, Marlowe Merrill, 15.

Mandujano, a student teacher at Chemawa Indian School, stood in line for two hours to get tickets for her students to attend. "This is an educational experience," Mandujano said. "He's a great public speaker, and that's what they need to learn."

SALEM -- After a lot of handshaking, Sen Barack Obama left the stage.

But his departure only leaves some, like 34-year-old Carla Scott, with an even more difficult decision to make.

Scott, a local travel agent, is teetering on the fence between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Obama. Her sentiment mirrors those who have yet to cast their vote.

On one hand, Clinton represents a better era to Scott. And Scott thinks that with Clinton in the White House, America will see much of the prosperity it experienced under her husband, President Bill Clinton.

"I feel confident about her because things under the Clintons were better," Scott said. "And that's what we'd have again if she was president." On the other hand, Obama has suprised Scott with his vision and integrity.

"He's not mushy and I think he will do what he believes in."

The decision will come down to a single vital concern for Scott: health care reform.

Too bad the candidates have similar proposals to address the issue, making Scott's decision that much harder.

"I'll have to make a last-minute decision," Scott said.

That's not the case for Jim Merrill, 58, who decided a couple of weeks ago that he would vote for Obama. But the decision didn't come easy.

"You know, she has experience and experience counts for something," Merrill said. "Plus I think part of it is she's got Bill."

But Barack, says the teacher, "inspires a culture of change and hope."

That message is exactly why he brought several of his students from the nearby Chemawa Indian School to meet the presidential candidate.

Alexis Ricker and Jordan Shortman, both Chemawa students, are voting in their first election. As Native Americans, they have long felt marginalized in U.S. politics. But there are issues which Obama speaks of that they feel will vastly improve the quality of life for the Native American community:

Addressing global warming will improve their crops. Improving the economy will help the unemployment rate among Native Americans, among the highest in the country. His talk of making college more affordable speaks directly to them, as 18-year-olds who feel that college tuition is hopelessly out of reach.

"He's the candidate that speaks to us. He talks about the things that are facing the Native American community," Ricker said. "It makes sense."

-- Amy Hsuan; [email protected]