The view from Pennsylvania

If Obamania was stirring the spruce trees of Germany from Hamburg to the Black Forest yesterday, it had not reached as far as the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania where the citizenry – folk who will vote in November – have not been keeping close track of the Democrat nominee's travel itinerary.

Up and down Main Street in Stroudsburg, a prosperous town with a small university and winter skiing, there was an awareness that Barack Obama was abroad. Somewhere.

Reactions were mixed both to the notion of his travelling at all and to the news that Europe may be in something of a swoon for him. Even Sarah Miller, 27, on her day off managing Mollie's, a cafe, who considers herself an ardent Obama supporter, had no idea that yesterday was B-day for the presidential candidate, his JFK moment in the German capital. Now she had been reminded, she would be sure to catch a bit of his speech on the evening news, but no, she wouldn't be watching it live or anything.

Nor would her breakfast partner, Paul Giovannoli, 23, who manages a local men's clothing shop. While Ms Miller is buoyed by Mr Obama's travelling and the love he is receiving – "I think it's great" – Mr Giovannoli feels quite differently.

"They can love him all they want but they are not voting for him," he suggests curtly. "And, personally, I would have preferred he spent all his time here, because he should be focusing on us."

He adds that, in Pennsylvania at least, a key swing state, there those who love Mr Obama, those that hate him and others in between who remain to be won over. "He should be here not over there and making sure that those people get a better taste in the mouth for him."

In truth, there is one Stroudsburg resident who knows perfectly well that Mr Obama is in Berlin. He is Michael Rosso, owner of Stockade, perhaps one of just a dozen "mom-and-pop" stores across the US, he says, specialising in finely painted toy soldiers and miniature warriors. When he sees Mr Obama on the news later in the day he will resist throwing the cat at the television set. "I like my cat too much."

He will watch long enough to get a glimpse of Berlin itself, because that interests him, a lot. It just happens that he has a little Berlin scene set up in one of his display cases, circa 1938. Yes, he nods, that tiny figure is Hitler on the balcony with the red, swastika-adorned streamers. Beside him is Himmler. Mr Rosso has a few full-scale collectibles in the back too, including some Second World War German helmets.

The mere mention of Mr Obama makes Mr Rosso wince. "There is all that rhetoric of his but I want to know how he thinks he is going to do all those things and how much he is going to raise my taxes to pay for them."

Mr Obama's presence in Berlin agitates Mr Rosso too. "Buddy, do you even know what really went on in Germany?"

Around the corner in the Main Street Jukebox, the owner Tom Lefevre, has a more even-keeled view. "I did hear he was going to Europe, yes" he admits. And if Europe has gone soft on Obama, he really sees no problem. "Actually I think that would be a great thing," he concludes. "Because Bush has kind of given us a bad image over there, hasn't he?"

And where was John McCain?

John McCain chose to visit a slice of Europe that was slightly closer to home: a leafy neighbourhood of Columbus, Ohio called the German Village. Mr McCain spoke to local business owners at the low-key event, and his choice of venue, Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant, was definitely no coincidence – this was a public appearance designed to be the antithesis of Barack Obama's mass rally in the German capital.

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