Obama sets sights on rural America to talk jobs

By Ken Thomas

Associated Press

Published: Saturday, Aug. 13 2011 12:04 p.m. MDT

Summary

Trading Washington's hot house for states critical to his re-election prospects, President Barack Obama is headed to the Midwest after a summer of discontent over a protracted debt showdown with Republicans and the downgrade in the nation's credit rating.

If 2008 was about hope and change, 2012 may be about hard-knuckle politics. Behind the scenes, Obama advisers are planning to draw sharp contrasts with some of the leading Republicans.

Yet Obama also finds himself under pressure from the left to generate jobs and raise taxes on the wealthy.

Most Democrats, said MoveOn.org's Justin Ruben, "have not been offering a clear prescription for actually getting the economy moving."

Obama told workers in Michigan that he plans to roll out more economic plans "that will help businesses hire and put people back to work." That's an approach Democrats hope will set the tone for next year's election in the Midwest and beyond.

Ken Thomas can be reached at http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

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Mountanman

Hayden, ID

@Screwdriver. We have been listening to Obama for nearly 3 years and where has that gotten us?
#1: Highest unemployment since the great depression.
#2: Lowest consumer confidence since the great depression.
#3: Double digit inflation More..

7:43 p.m. Aug. 13, 2011
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Rifleman

Salt Lake City, Utah

Re: Screwdriver | 4:41 p.m. Aug. 13, 2011

Obama's problem isn't the folks on the right that are looking at the results of his lack of leadership. His problem are the liberals within his own party that are disgusted with his lack of More..

6:32 p.m. Aug. 13, 2011
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Screwdriver

Casa Grande, AZ

Nobody on the right will listen to it, then they will say he lacks a plan and leadership.

I can tell the future!

4:41 p.m. Aug. 13, 2011
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