Obama, Clinton team up in key state of New Hampshire

President Obama waves to supporters during a campaign event at Capitol Square, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in Concord, N.H.

/ AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Obama and former President Bill Clinton this morning teamed up to rally voters in the key state of New Hampshire, a small state where a last-minute campaign push could make all the difference in the presidential race.

"I know I look a little bit older, but I've got a lot of fight left in me. I am not ready to give up on the fight," Mr. Obama shouted in a hoarse voice to a crowd of about 14,000 in Concord. "If you're willing to work with me... if you're willing to turn out for me, we'll win New Hampshire, we'll win this election."

New Hampshire has just four electoral votes, but as the quintessential swing state, it could make all the difference. New Hampshire is the only state that President George W. Bush won in 2000 but lost in 2004 - in both instances by a slim, one point margin. In 2000, New Hampshire's four electoral votes made all the difference -- if then-Vice President Al Gore had those votes in his column, Florida would've been a moot point.

Play Video

Obama, Clinton rally New Hampshire

Furthermore, unlike other states where early voting is increasingly significant, CBS News estimates only 10 percent of New Hampshire voters will be casting ballots before Election Day on Tuesday. That makes last-minute rallies like the Obama campaign's event today critical. Mitt Romney visited the state on Saturday, telling a crowd in Newington, "It is time we lead America to a better place."

Polls out of New Hampshire showed Mr. Obama with an advantage over Romney in September, but the race has tightened up in the home stretch. The latest WMUR Granite State Poll shows the race tied, 47 percent to 47 percent.

• On cusp of election, polls still tight
• The 2012 battlegrounds: New Hampshire

Mr. Obama today gave his standard stump speech, using the tragic aftermath of Superstorm Sandy to illustrate his philosophy on government: "We're going to help them rebuild. That's what we do as Americans," he said. "We see neighbors helping neighbors... Leaders of different parties working to fix what's broken... We're all in this together. We rise and fall as one nation and one people."

He touted the 5.5 million new private sector jobs created, as well as the strength of the domestic auto industry and the end of the war in Iraq. While telling voters the nation has made "real progress," he said there is more work to do. "As long as there's a single American who wants a job but can't find one, our work is not yet done," he said.

Romney's economic agenda would reinstitute "the top down policies that crashed our economy," Mr. Obama said, while his own agenda would create "an economy that's built from the middle out."

The president added that "part of this election is not about policy. It's also about who do you trust."

Mr. Clinton, who spoke to the crowd just ahead of the president, also driving home the argument that Romney can't be trusted. Alluding to Romney's shifting policy positions, the former president said he wouldn't be surprised if the Republican were offered the job of "chief contortionist at Cirque du Soleil."

He praised Mr. Obama for helping to revive the economy, noting, "Compared to what could've happened, Barack Obama has done a good job. The question should be, are we moving in the right direction, not whether we could've been fully healed."

After addressing voters in New Hampshire, Mr. Obama today heads to campaign events in Florida, Ohio and Colorado. Romney, meanwhile is hitting up Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia today.

[1Todd]

I used to be a Democratic Senatorial District Delegate and this trickle up poverty isn't what I signed on for. Obama is no Clinton. What Bill Clinton had Barack Obama couldn't even borrow to get. Clinton had true bi-partisanship; Obama couldn't bribe a vote from legislators, even in the Democratic Senate! We don't need another 4 years of this. We don't need a do-over president; we need a do-er. The bottom line is, who can make America make more money. Obama couldn't make a profit in a lemonade stand; he'd give away all the product and earnings and have too much overhead. I want a real businessman to turn our suffering economy into a surplus economy. I want someone who has proven success, and can demonstrate it in his own life. I want the same opportunities for my kids that my folks had for me, I want my kid to be able to find work when he graduates in four years. That's not going to happen under Obama. Just look at his record. Are college graduates able to find work? No. Obama's gotta go.
Elect Romney!
RR'12

[Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals]

JGG000010 replies:

for the life of me I cannot understand how wanting government to adhere to a budget, live within it's means, and allow citizens to keep more of their own hard-earned money can be considered "damn America".

---------

Pledging allegiance to a GUY? NOT the country?

That's sad.

Apparently, you don't know what it was they signed.

[fiberglass3]

"We The People" elected President Obama to office four years ago. In a democracy that's what elections are all about.
The republican'ts wouldn't accept our majority vote. They decided to block the President every chance they had. "Temper Tantrum Time" was their theme because they lost.
It is a sad commentary on how one political party could stand in the way of a country's recovery just to win back power.
I will not vote for hatred...

[harv823]

I sure would like to see "Clinton for 2016 President." Hillary would be great! Also, I see that Jon Husted, the Ohio Secretary of State is trying to invalidate legal provisional ballots.Go to thenation.com and read "Eleventh-Hour GOP Voter Suppression Could Swing Ohio." These Republicans are trying to turn our Democracy into a Dictatorship!

[PhoenixBuckeye]

Why isn't New Hampshire as Liberal as its neighbors in the NE?

[inbethlehem]

My guess is that at least a couple of these "professional" pollsters are going to be revealed as biased political hacks. Which ones? Well, we won't have to guess. Proof will be in the polls.

[dj_chi]

We heard that in 2008 and the polls turned out to be right despite all the GOP hate squad railing against them.

[thefatcat2]

SANDY DISASTER STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH TO MAKE OBAMA
To Meet with his Jobs Council.
The LAST TIME OBAMA MET WITH THEM - WAS LAST JANUARY ...!
I guess an average after adjustments, of 100,000, is enough for Him.

[dj_chi]

If the GOP is gonna block all the bills that were produced before from their efforts, what do you expect them to accomplish???

[gripp13]

The ****** must go

[Melch118]

By now Americans should have seen what the people in power are about. Here is a video to help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJa2OaiwWw

[Ms Clarity]

Grover Norquist "Agreement" be damned and the Republican Senators and Congressmen who signed it to DAMN AMERICA. They fear OBAMA's second term. It's about time. TURN AROUND IS FAIR PLAY.