Obama Takes His Economic Message to Elkhart, Indiana
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. President Obama turns his attention back to the economy today. He travels this morning to Elkhart, Indiana, otherwise known as the RV capital of the world. The town has been hit hard by the recession. Unemployment there is down but still nearly -- get this -- 17 percent. That is, however, a big improvement. It's the president's second visit to Elkhart since taking office. He was there back in February. CNN's Ed Henry live there this morning in the Barcalounger with a preview. Obviously, you are living the dream here of the RV capital of the world, Ed.</s>ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. That's right, John, and good morning. I think this is the base of the original man cave. I'm here at a La-Z-Boy. We've got a flat screen TV here, reading the paper, full dining room, a kitchen with a sink. They've got a couple of ovens. But obviously people are hard hit here. An RV like this with all the amenities goes from $50,000 to $70,000. Obviously people are not buying that right now. They don't even have the money to go on vacation, but there are tiny rays of hope. You open up the "South Bend Tribune" this morning, they've got a story about the president. But right beneath it, story that an RV supplier that makes these very refrigerators, is saying they're going to hire more than 350 people in the coming months. And I can tell you folks here in this small city say they think the stimulus is starting to work.</s>HENRY (voice-over): The recession has absolutely rocked the RV capital of the world. Elkhart, Indiana's unemployment rate peaked at 19 percent, twice the national average, as dealers of recreational vehicles struggled to stay afloat.</s>ROB REID, GREAT LAKES RV CENTER: It's been the most difficult thing I've done in my 42 years of life. It's -- it was a struggle. It -- nobody saw it coming.</s>HENRY: Rob Reid says he's using less electricity each day to pinch pennies at this location after closing his other dealership, forcing him to lay off a dozen employees.</s>REID: Being a smaller or medium-sized company, they become your friends, you know, because we're with them even more so than we are our families a lot of times.</s>HENRY: At city hall, Democratic Mayor Dick Moore says traffic at local food banks has never been so intense. And donated backpacks are pouring in for kids going back to school. Still, the mayor believes Elkhart is getting back on its feet, thanks to a $14 million in stimulus money, though he cautions the president can't get too optimistic.</s>MAYOR DICK MOOORE, ELKHART, INDIANA: That's what I would say to him. You know, thank you, Mr. President. This program is working here in Elkhart, Indiana. Now, the problem with that is the guy that's standing here in your place that's unemployed, he doesn't buy that at all.</s>HENRY: The mayor insists stimulus money spent around the country is trickling down to his city as people are starting to buy RVs again.</s>MOORE: It isn't an Elkhart, Indiana stimulus program. It isn't a state of Indiana stimulus program. It's a stimulus program for the United States of America. So when you talk about how the money flows, somebody gets money in California and one of our factories shares supplies and parts for that company in California, we benefit from it.</s>HENRY: Back at the RV lot, Rob Reid agrees sales have picked up, and so has his outlook.</s>REID: I also feel optimistic because if you start to feel it then, your customers are going to feel it. So, you know, we're optimistic no matter what happens because we don't want the economy or the doldrums of Elkhart right now to set the tone for our business.</s>HENRY: And they're optimistic here at the Great Lakes RV Center because they say, look, unemployment is about 16, 17 percent here. It used to be 19 or 20 percent. It's gotten better. But obviously, that's still bad. Sixteen, 17 percent, much worse than the national average of 9.5 percent. And you've got a lot of Republicans back in Washington like Congressman John Boehner saying, look, the stimulus is not working quickly enough. It's not the jolt that the president promised. And the fact of the matter is they don't think it's done quite enough. But folks here on the ground, John, they say they're patient. They say they think the federal government is doing as much as they can, and they think it is starting to turn around. They're seeing some rays of hope here, John.</s>ROBERTS: All right. Well, we'll see how it goes. Ed, I've got to tell you, I'm jealous of you today. The RV you're in is bigger than my apartment in New York.</s>HENRY: It's not bad.</s>ROBERTS: Now, is that a self-propelled RV or is that a trailer?</s>HENRY: It's self-propelled.</s>ROBERTS: Really?</s>HENRY: They've got, actually, a bedroom with a shower and a bathroom up front. And then they've got the whole engine and then the driver's seat and it's self-propelled.</s>ROBERTS: That's 50 to 70 grand for that? That's a good price.</s>HENRY: Yes. MSRP is $82,000. They've got a deal for you, John. In fact, I can probably talk to the owner.</s>ROBERTS: I may just come out there, Ed.</s>HENRY: Take this on the road for</s>AMERICAN MORNING. ROBERTS: I'll give you a power of attorney.</s>HENRY: Take it on the road for</s>AMERICAN MORNING. ROBERTS: It'll be a great idea. Ed, thanks so much. We'll talk to you a little bit later on.</s>HENRY: See you --</s>ROBERTS: All right. We'll be talking with Elkhart's mayor, by the way, Dick Moore, in our next hour, 7:30 Eastern here on the "Most News in the Morning." Wow, that's -- I thought that those were like $200,000.</s>CHETRY: And they can put you in one of those today, John. You can have it before you interview the mayor.</s>ROBERTS: You know, I'm used to -- you know, I've seen some of those NASCAR RVs.</s>CHETRY: Yes.</s>ROBERTS: $1 million for those ones. But that's a pretty good deal.</s>CHETRY: You can park it in your space here at the Time-Warner Center.</s>ROBERTS: Yes.</s>CHETRY: And you would have no commute.</s>ROBERTS: Go see America.</s>CHETRY: You could just live there. All right.</s>ROBERTS: I live here anyway.</s>CHETRY: Yes, I know. That's what I'm saying. Instead of your couch, you've got the RV in the basement. Well, we're going to be talking about these hecklers. I don't know if you heard...</s>ROBERTS: Amazing what's going on.</s>CHETRY: ... at some of these town hall meetings across the country. People weighing in on health care. And Carol Costello is joining us to just be saying -- she says that, I don't say it as well as she does. Where's the civil debate? What's going on at these things? Twenty-six minutes after the hour.