President Obama told supporters in Wisconsin today that he needs more that one term to make the kinds of changes that Washington needs.
“From the day I ran for this office last year — er, four years ago, it seems like just last year — I’ve always said change take more than one term, one president, one party,” Obama said at a fundraiser in Milwaukee.
Again casting the race against Mitt Romney as a stark choice between two visions of government, Obama said the election can break up the gridlock in Washington that has frustrated some of his plans.
“We’ve got what it takes to succeed,” Obama said. “but what’s preventing us from realizing that potential is the politics in Washington. Part of what this election is about is giving people the voice to break that deadlock. It may be harder but it leads to the better place.”
Obama said Romney practices “top down” economics, including tax cuts for the wealthy and budget cuts for the middle class. The president said his ideas include reducing the federal debt by raising taxes on the wealthy, while maintaining government spending on education and the energy.
The president echoed his message later during a campaign rally at an outdoor park in Milwaukee.
At the fundraiser, the president was introduced by a local hero: Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron, who began his career with the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s.
Aaron, once baseball’s home run king, asked votes to hit a “grand slam” for Obama.
Romney supporters said this late visit to Wisconsin by the president — little more than six month before the election — shows White House worry about a state that Obama carried by 14 points four years ago.
Danny O’Driscoll, Romney’s campaign manager in Wisconsin, wrote in a memo that high unemployment and rising debt are big factors.
“President Obama’s failure to turn around the economy and get America working again is the reason Wisconsin voters are looking for a different path.”
Republicans are on a bit of a renaissance in Wisconsin. Two years ago, the state elected a Republican governor, Scott Walker, and a Republican senator, Ron Johnson. One of the state’s congressmen, Paul Ryan, is Romney’s running mate.
Recent polls still show Obama up in Wisconsin. The president led Romney 51%-45% in a Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News survey.
(USA Today)
