At a rally in Jacksonville on Saturday, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama took aim at investment bankers, insurance companies and high-salaried citizens, declaring they could spare some change.
"The events of this week have shown that the stakes of this election could not be higher; they could not be clearer," Obama said. "We are in the midst of the most serious financial crisis in generations."
The Illinois senator addressed a crowd of about 20,000 on Saturday afternoon at downtown Jacksonville's Metropolitan Park.
About 12,000 people filled the park to capacity, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
About 8,000 more were turned away from the park more than half an hour before the speech was scheduled to begin.
Those denied entry gathered around loudspeakers placed on the outskirts of the park.
Two small planes circled overhead, dragging banners reading "Florida Is McCain & Palin Country" and "Raising Taxes Is Not Patriotic."
Obama seemed impressed by the turnout.
"I'm amazed we got such a big crowd," he said at the beginning of his address. "Are there any Gator fans in the house? … I don't know if ya'll are aware there's football today."
During the 30-minute speech, which was delayed more than an hour because of traffic, Obama criticized Republican candidate John McCain's support for fewer financial regulations and tax breaks for those making more than $250,000 a year.
He said such deregulation is the cause of recent investment bank collapses and could not be expected to hold up any better for health insurance companies.
"I will cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families," Obama said. "If you make less than a quarter-million dollars a year - is that you? - you will not see your taxes increase one dime."
Filup Molina, an English senior at UF who attended the rally, said he hoped that he could one day tell his children he not only voted for Barack Obama, but saw him in person.
After waiting in the heat past Obama's scheduled appearance time, Molina said he was glad to see that the candidate jogged from his bus to the stage.
"I thought to myself, 'Here's a chance for him to show that he's not like the other people,'" Molina said. "That's just a very subtle sign to show people that he was hopeful and spirited even though people were passing out."
Florida remains a battleground state for McCain and Obama. Jacksonville was Obama's last stop in a whirlwind tour of Florida, in which he also spoke in Coral Gables and Daytona Beach.
"Florida is close, but Florida is always close," Florida Sen. Bill Nelson said before Obama took the stage in Jacksonville. "The person who wins Florida is going to win the presidency."
