liue7686
2012-04-19 01:17:56 UTC
Obama, Romney debate from states apart
President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney engaged in
long-distance debate over the key issue in the election — th
economy and how to improve it — as both campaigned through ke
swing states more than six months ahead of November's election.
Heading to an Ohio town battered by plant closures, Obama reached out t
working-class voters, making the case for robust federal programs t
help them get a leg up — in this case job training — an
emphasizing that he "wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth."
The trip Wednesday to this former manufacturing hub near Cleveland wa
Obama's 20th visit to the state as president.
Obama did not mention Romney by name — the speech at Lorain Count
Community College here was an ostensibly official visit, not a campaig
stop. But he drew frequent comparisons between his policies an
Republican proposals to cut federal spending and taxes. At the sam
time, he sprinkled his speech with personal references aimed a
distinguishing himself and the first lady from Romney, th
multimillionaire son of a former governor.
Likening his background and his wife's to that of the community colleg
students he spoke to, Obama said that "somebody gave us a chance, jus
like these folks up here are looking for a chance."
Romney, speaking to several hundred supporters in Charlotte, N.C.
accused the president of failing to deliver on the promises he made t
voters four years ago. He alternated between quoting hopeful passage
from Obama's 2008 speech accepting the Democratic nomination and tickin
off sobering statistics about the nation's economy: an 8% unemploymen
rate, lost jobs and 24 million Americans out of work or underemployed.
In 2008, Obama had said progress could be measured by the number o
people who could find a job that paid their mortgage. "You won't hea
that since he gave that speech, and became president, that there hav
been 50,000 more job losses here in North Carolina," Romney said. "Yo
will not hear that 400,000 North Carolinians are out of work.
"We've learned who Barack Obama is and what he's capable of doin
— that he's over his head and he's swimming in the wron
direction," he added.
In Ohio, the state of the economy provides talking points for bot
parties. Unemployment in the state, 7.6% in February, the lates
seasonally adjusted figure, is a full point lower than when Obama too
office. Even as Republicans criticized Obama for his performance i
creating jobs, the state's Republican governor, John Kasich, wa
boasting in a Twitter message that "OH leads in new jobs."
The president's strategy was clear as he led a round-table discussio
with unemployed workers who were learning skills needed for high-tec
manufacturing and healthcare jobs. He touted his support for federa
funding for training programs and told a larger group of students an
teachers that the trainees embodied "what America's about."
"And so the question now is, how do we make sure that all of America i
expressing that spirit through making sure that everybody's getting
fair shot?" Obama said.
His "fair shot" argument focused on the House Republican budget, whic
Romney has said he supports. In the name of cutting the deficit, th
Republican budget would overhaul Medicare and cut spending on program
throughout government, while lowering tax rates.
"By the time you retire, Medicare would be turned into a voucher syste
that likely would not cover the doctors or the care that you need,
Obama said. "Job training programs like this one would be forced to cu
back. Thousands of Americans would lose out on critical employment an
training services."
From Ohio, Obama flew to Dearborn, Mich., for a series of fundraisers
--
liue7686
President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney engaged in
long-distance debate over the key issue in the election — th
economy and how to improve it — as both campaigned through ke
swing states more than six months ahead of November's election.
Heading to an Ohio town battered by plant closures, Obama reached out t
working-class voters, making the case for robust federal programs t
help them get a leg up — in this case job training — an
emphasizing that he "wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth."
The trip Wednesday to this former manufacturing hub near Cleveland wa
Obama's 20th visit to the state as president.
Obama did not mention Romney by name — the speech at Lorain Count
Community College here was an ostensibly official visit, not a campaig
stop. But he drew frequent comparisons between his policies an
Republican proposals to cut federal spending and taxes. At the sam
time, he sprinkled his speech with personal references aimed a
distinguishing himself and the first lady from Romney, th
multimillionaire son of a former governor.
Likening his background and his wife's to that of the community colleg
students he spoke to, Obama said that "somebody gave us a chance, jus
like these folks up here are looking for a chance."
Romney, speaking to several hundred supporters in Charlotte, N.C.
accused the president of failing to deliver on the promises he made t
voters four years ago. He alternated between quoting hopeful passage
from Obama's 2008 speech accepting the Democratic nomination and tickin
off sobering statistics about the nation's economy: an 8% unemploymen
rate, lost jobs and 24 million Americans out of work or underemployed.
In 2008, Obama had said progress could be measured by the number o
people who could find a job that paid their mortgage. "You won't hea
that since he gave that speech, and became president, that there hav
been 50,000 more job losses here in North Carolina," Romney said. "Yo
will not hear that 400,000 North Carolinians are out of work.
"We've learned who Barack Obama is and what he's capable of doin
— that he's over his head and he's swimming in the wron
direction," he added.
In Ohio, the state of the economy provides talking points for bot
parties. Unemployment in the state, 7.6% in February, the lates
seasonally adjusted figure, is a full point lower than when Obama too
office. Even as Republicans criticized Obama for his performance i
creating jobs, the state's Republican governor, John Kasich, wa
boasting in a Twitter message that "OH leads in new jobs."
The president's strategy was clear as he led a round-table discussio
with unemployed workers who were learning skills needed for high-tec
manufacturing and healthcare jobs. He touted his support for federa
funding for training programs and told a larger group of students an
teachers that the trainees embodied "what America's about."
"And so the question now is, how do we make sure that all of America i
expressing that spirit through making sure that everybody's getting
fair shot?" Obama said.
His "fair shot" argument focused on the House Republican budget, whic
Romney has said he supports. In the name of cutting the deficit, th
Republican budget would overhaul Medicare and cut spending on program
throughout government, while lowering tax rates.
"By the time you retire, Medicare would be turned into a voucher syste
that likely would not cover the doctors or the care that you need,
Obama said. "Job training programs like this one would be forced to cu
back. Thousands of Americans would lose out on critical employment an
training services."
From Ohio, Obama flew to Dearborn, Mich., for a series of fundraisers
--
liue7686