Getting the crowd to settle, the president asked that they get serious and think logically about where our country would be headed if Mitt Romney became president. He assured them that things would not be pretty.

By JUDITH LYNN LEE
Contributing Writer

With less than 100 days to the election, President Obama was back on the campaign trail with his road to the White House arriving again in Akron, Ohio.

Last Wednesday, the president held a campaign event at the John S. Knight Center where he spoke about the new study by the Tax Policy Center, showing that Mitt Romney’s new tax plan cuts taxes of high-income earners and burdens middle and lower income households.

“Hello Akron! It’s good to be in Akron, Ohio again!”

Through the echoes of the cheering crowd, the president gave recognition to those who led the way into the evening program. “Your Mayor, Don Plusquellic, I very much appreciate the fact that he had a little bit of surgery on his leg, just got out of the hospital, got wheeled in here… He’s not going to be able to stay, but I’m grateful for him taking the time to come.”

Obama began by telling those listening how intense this campaign is going to be.

“This campaign is so intense because the choice that we’re going to be facing in November could be bigger. This is not just a choice between two candidates. It’s a choice about two fundamentally different visions for where we go in the future.”

Visualizing how things were not too long ago he stated, “We had seen sluggish job growth and jobs getting shipped overseas. Your incomes were flat or going down. Costs of everything from health care to college were going up, culminating in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.”

Promising that there is hope, Obama generated chants and cheers from the crowd.

“But over the last three and a half years we’ve worked to make progress... 4.5 million new jobs created, half a million new manufacturing jobs. They’d counted the auto industry out and now it is coming back stronger than ever right here in Ohio and all across the country.”

The president didn’t stop there. He had the Akron crowd on his side and he knew it. “People, we’ve passed health care so you could have security if you get sick. We ended the war in Iraq and we’re taking care of our veterans because if you fought for this country, you should not have to fight for a job or a roof over your head when you come home.”

“Four more years! Four more years! The crowd began to create a moment of passion as the president stopped, sighed, and smiled. “We love you President Obama,” someone yelled from the crowd.

“I love you too,” he replied.

Getting the crowd to settle, the president asked that they get serious and think logically about where our country would be headed if Mitt Romney became president. He assured them that things would not be pretty.

In regard to the tax cut under Romney, Obama statistically stated, “Folks making more than $3 million a year, the top one-tenth of 1 percent would get a tax cut under Mr. Romney’s plan that is worth almost a quarter of a million dollars… $250,000 they would save under his plan.”

Through the boos from the audience, Obama continued to say, “There’s more and unfortunately it gets worse. My opponent says he’s going to pay for this $ 5 trillion plan but under this plan guess who gets the bill for these $250,000 tax cuts? You do.”

President Obama went on to speak about our country willing to sacrifice in order to bring down the deficit. Something he says must be done to better the economy. “Families with children would be hit with a tax increase of more than $2,000. The home mortgage deduction you use to pay for your home, the health care deduction that your employers use to provide you health care will cost you.”

Obama ended with a bit of humor by telling the crowd, “I want you to know, Akron, my hair may be grayer but my determination is stronger than ever. If you still believe in me like I believe in you… if you’re willing to stand, organize, and vote with me… doing so, I’m optimistic we can win the state of Ohio.”