Barack Obama's Heartland Change Tour rolled through St. Joseph Friday morning, an outreach by the Democrat's campaign to address rural issues.

State Auditor Susan Montee, a St. Joseph resident and Obama delegate at next week's Democratic National Convention, spoke during the tour stop, hitting themes of the economy, health care, energy and agriculture policies.

She said urban and rural residents have interrelated concerns. "Virtually every issue that we're talking about that affects rural areas and agricultural areas is affecting cities as well," Ms. Montee told the gathering of about two dozen people outside the Lifeline Foods plant on S. 11th Street.

Ms. Montee pointed out the Missouri unemployment rate is higher than the national rate, and the problems this creates go beyond a family's ability to make ends meet. "If you are sitting out there without your job," she said, "you no longer have a plan that you can even buy into."

Mr. Obama's plan, the auditor pointed out, focuses on affordability, access and choice in health care.

The senator's energy proposals puts an emphasis on alternative fuels, Ms. Montee said. She noted that in outstate areas, people have to drive greater distances, meaning they feel the impact of higher pump prices more profoundly.

"It isn't enough to just go offshore and drill," she said. "It's a comprehensive energy policy that Sen. Obama is offering."

While the early-morning event put most of its emphasis on Mr. Obama's agenda, the speaker insisted John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, looked out of touch with the American economy.

"He has no idea what it's like to raise a family and operate in the economy that we're operating in right now," Ms. Montee said.

The Heartland Change recreational vehicle, which began its tour Monday, headed out of St. Joseph for a planned stop at the Charlie Peniston Farm in Chillicothe, then on to afternoon stops in Milan and Kirksville.