Obama makes his case for another term

(Updated 4:35 p.m. ET)

(CBS News) President Barack Obama officially launched his reelection bid Saturday, drawing a sharp contrast between his vision and his challenger's, presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

"We're not going back.... We're going forward," the president said to a fiery crowd at Ohio State University in Columbus.

Repeatedly using his new campaign slogan "Forward," the president suggested that a Romney presidency would reverse Mr. Obama's policies benefiting the middle class and, instead, "rubber stamp" the congressional Republicans' agenda, reviving ideas of deregulation and trickle-down-economics that would benefit the wealthy.

"This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and we've been through too much to turn back."

Romney, the president said, believes "the same bad ideas will lead to a different result . . . or they're just hoping you won't remember the last time we tried it their way."

"Ohio, I'm here to say, 'We were there, we remember, and we are not going back. We are moving this country forward,'" the president said in his first of two campaign rallies Saturday marking the official kickoff off his campaign. (Watch President Obama's speech in video player.)

Subtly acknowledging that economic challenges remain, President Obama said, "It's not just about how we're doing today, but about how we're doing tomorrow."

During First Lady Michelle Obama's introduction of her husband, she spoke of her prided himself on paying for a small portion of her college education. She talked about Mr. Obama's mother and grandmother, who "like so many women, hit that glass ceiling."

Mrs. Obama reminded college students to register to vote because the president "needs your help."

"Get that done," she said.

During his 40-minute speech, Mr. Obama referenced political fights that raged during the Republican primary over women's health, again insisting a Romney presidency would be "turning back the clock."

"We don't need another political fight about women's right to choose or ending Planned Parenthood," the president said. "I want women to control their own health choices."

In addition to reaching out to women, the president referenced key voting blocs. He pushed for the DREAM Act, which would give a pathway to citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. He hailed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," allowing gay service members to serve openly.

"We have come too far to abandon the change we fought for these past four years." Mr. Obama said. "And that's why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States." 

At times, the crowd broke out into chants of "Four more years."

The president did not spend much time on foreign policy, but he noted the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and that "for the first time in nine years, there are no Americans are fighting in Iraq." 

He chided Romney for saying he would not announce a timeline for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. "I have. And I intend to keep it," Mr. Obama said.

The Romney campaign said the president's rhetoric doesn't meet reality.

"No matter how many lofty campaign speeches President Obama gives, the fact remains that American families are struggling on his watch: to pay their bills, find a job and keep their homes," spokesperson Andrea Saul wrote in a statement. "This November, they will hold him accountable for his broken promises and ineffective leadership."

Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who has been mentioned as a possible Romney vice presidential choice, pushed back against the president who spoke in his home state. In an op-ed on Fox News' website, Portman said Americans are "hurting" and "worried" about their economic security.

Portman added: "Four years ago, the country had high hopes for President-elect Barack Obama. But now the president has to run on his record. And he will have to explain to the American people why his vision for bigger government, more spending, and higher taxes will work over the next four years when it hasn't worked in the past three and a half years."

Six months ahead of Election Day, the race is close. Mr. Obama is tied with Romney in recent polls in key battleground states of Ohio and Florida. In Virginia, however, Mr. Obama is leading Romney 51-44 percent, in a Washington Post Poll released Friday.

"Ohio, this election will be even closer than the last," the president predicted, but asked the audience to work "even harder" than in 2008.

Mr. Obama added: "If you're willing to stick with me, if you're willing to fight with me, and press on with me, if you're willing to work even harder in this election than you did in the last election, I guarantee you we will move this country forward. We will finish what we started."

[upstate-realtor]

If Obama finishes his job we wil be financially bankrupt..if you actaully think for yourself $1trillion dollar deficit per year EVERY year in office, no budget passed since 2009 (unconstitutional) wasteful spending on green energy(solyndra $500 MILLION) the list goes on..and on..and on..Oh wait I know your defense its GW's fault. Or perhaps its the fault of someone who was put in charge of the worlds largest business and had never financially ran anything bigger than a hotdog stand..or pehaps organized some events in their community

[upstate-realtor]

True dat!

[realist2010]

Your defense is it's all Obama's fault. See any holes in your argument? The interest on all the Republican debt is very expensive, you know.

[ace92040]

It looks like folks are not buying his line a second time.

[lg144]

When is the media going to start reporting and asking republicans about why they conspired to block everything President Obama proposed to help struggling Americans and bring our great nation out of the economic mess they created? And on the very day President Obama was inaugurated no less.

A new book by Robert Draper titled "Do Not Ask What Good We Do" documents how republicans conspired to block everything President Obama proposes to bring the country out of the economic mess that republicans created. Why aren't reporters asking republicans why voters should reward them with votes for their unpatriotic, despicable, treasonous acts?

Republican teabagging extremist bigoted insurgents like B itch McConnell can't accept a Black Democratic president and are being uncooperative doing everything in their power to make sure he fails.

President Obama's biggest mistake was expecting republicans to bargain in good faith when in reality they are sabotaging anything President Obama does that might help average Americans at every turn in order to defeat him. Republicans have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and his pledge of never raise taxes under any circumstance than the constitution and country. Whatever happened to country first. F"ing treasonous republican hypocrites.

[lg144]

Sure, blame the president because republican teabagging extremist bigoted insurgents like B itch McConnell can't accept a Black Democratic president and are being uncooperative doing everything in their power to make sure he fails.

President Obama's biggest mistake was expecting republicans to bargain in good faith when in reality they are sabotaging anything President Obama does that might help average Americans at every turn in order to defeat him. Republicans have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and his pledge never raise taxes under any circumstance than the constitution and country. Whatever happened to country first. F"ing treasonous republican hypocrites.

A new book by Robert Draper titled "Do Not Ask What Good We Do" documents how republicans conspired to block everything President Obama proposes to bring the country out of the economic mess that republicans created. Why aren't reporters asking republicans why voters should reward them with votes for their unpatriotic, despicable, treasonous acts?

[Leavane2012]

The rate of unemployment has dropped about 8.2% on April and 8.1% on May, 2012. Private companies added 201,000 jobs in March and 228,000 jobs in February, 2012, and 119,000 jobs in April. Personal income rose 0.4%.
Starting in 2010, we has had annual net Growth in "Made In America" manufacturing jobs versus the annual net losses we had every single year many years before. More than 210,000 "Made In America" manufacturing job growth in 2010 and more than 233, 000 in 2011, and more than 120, 000 in manufacturing job growth in the first 3 months of 2012.

Nevertheless our economy still face with many uncertainties years ahead. U.S. factory orders dropped 1.5% in March, 2012, the biggest drop since March 2009, but less than the 1.6% expected. U.S. personal spending rose 0.3% in March, below estimates of a 0.4% gain. Private companies' rate of adding more jobs slowed down since February, 2012. The government has run the budget of deficit at the annual average of about $1.3 trillion.
President Barack Obama's recent statement about bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US are a good start for reducing trade deficit problem; "Made in America" is one concrete example. Nevertheless an overall plan needs to be followed up with effective actions to force real change from trading partners like China. The fact is the US has imported more from Europe -$382 billion- than China- $365 billion- but the difference is that Europe also buys a substantial amount from the US -$286 billion- and whereas China does not -$92 billion. Moreover we have imported from China are 4 times exports. The main focus is to deal with our debt with China by reducing our demand from China products by increasing ""Made in America" . As a matter of fact, China still has a leverage of selling our US Treasuries. Is it time our patriot investors buy more US Treasuries in coming day to eliminate the China economic threat and together reducing our demand from China products.

Dealing effectively with our trade balance with China is the first step to reduce our deficit due to our severe economic recession at the end of 2008. The bottom line is we need a bipartisan cooperation between our Congress and the President to come up with a feasible annual budget; a reasonable compromise is a must between two parties. I think that we have many decent and patriot Congressman and Senators in two great parties.

[jschmidt27]

Only 9% of the stimulus was for infratructure, the rest going to fund state and local union, plus long range green energy projects, certainly not shovel ready jobs. The Presidents anti-business attitude has resulted in a labor participation rate of 63.6% the lowest since 1981 and the unemployment at 8+% for 39 months is the longest since BLS records have been kept (1948). The Democrats have pushed regulations that take money out of the private sector and put in the governments hands, which kills private sector jobs. Plus regulation like Obamacare and FinReg create uncertainty for the private sector so they are hesitant to grow since they do not know what their costs are. Add to Obama penchant for taxes on the rich and taxes on Corporations and you have the anti business climate that has slowed the recovery. I don't think the Democrats have done a great job of creating job since their entire platform is soak business and the rich no matter what.

[jschmidt27]

Shallow- prove it. COnsidering how the return on bonds has been killed by low interest rates, the boomer have to continue working if they can. SO yes the labor participation rate is the lowest since 1981. Were there a lot of boomer in 81. I don;t think so. Your running out of excuses for your man Obama. THe worst President in at least 60 years.

[wfw3536]

RTM------------You complain about all of the jobs going overseas. I haven't heard you or any liberal say anything about Obama signing the trade agreement a few months ago that will send more jobs overseas to 3 countries that could care less about union folks. Obama has as the head of his jobs commission the head of GE who brags about how many jobs the company has overseas. And then Obama brags about Apple Co. numerious times even in his state of the union address, and they are one of the worst offenders of shipping jobs overseas. Time for liberals to wake up and see Obama could care less about how many jobs go overseas.

[retm-w]

So you go with mitt who has sent thousands of jobs offshore, and could care less about American jobs. Mitt just like every republican hates union folks, any thing to stop the working class from making a decent living.

[jschmidt27]

THe Democrats have destroyed middle class jobs. Only by encouraging business to grow with tax overhaul will businesses grow. We are competing in a global economy. COmpanies will go to the place where they can make things the cheapest. If we can't compete, jobs will suffer. People like RETM have no understanding of how our economy works. Business is not a charity and since the Dems are anti business, the middle class suffers with their policies. Romney has been creating jobs like ones at SPort Authority, Staples when at Bain. Venture capitalists take the risk with their money to buy companies, or create companies and when they make a profit that is their reward for the high risk they take. The government has a dismal record of picking winners like Solyandra. So they shouldn't be risking taxpayer money since they don't do venture capitalist functions well. You want jobs, vote out the Democrats and Obama. They have poor record of job creation.

[wfw3536]

I love the headline about Obama making his case. Is his case we have more forclosures during his term than the great depression, or now 46% of folks are on food stamps, or is he really proud of the jobs number when almost 13 million folks are unemployed and Gallup says about 18% plus of our population is un or underemployed, or that more businesses are going bankrupt now than we have seen in years, or that the average family now is making about 3 to 4 thousand dollars less in take home pay since Obama came into office. Is this the case he is making? Folks need to ask themselves are you better off today than four years ago.

[realist2010]

You're forgetting how we got here...Republicans. Were you in a coma prior to 2008?

[retm-w]

And why is the average family making 3 to 4 thousand dollars less, because all the good paying jobs have been sent offshore for slave labor wages. You and the rest of the right support those offshoring of jobs by giving taxbreaks to corporations that are doing it.

[Rodeo_Joe]

Newsbreak - Libertarians pick Gary Johnson for Prez.
He will be on all ballots in all 50 states.

Corporate owned media is burying the story. I wonder why.

[realist2010]

Because it's not a story. No one cares who Gary Johnson is. Was that helpful?

[kevjustice]

willard's favorite movie is "willard". he likes to associate with wall street rats-lol!

[Fox_Rush_Zombie]

This presidential election is in the bag for the Democratic party, we need to concentrate on driving the right wing trolls out of congress and out of local and state governments.

[jschmidt27]

What so we can have trillions more in debt, do nothing about SS and Medicare, and see the labor participation rate go down even further? Obama won't be happy until everyone gets a handout from the government.

[retm-w]

jschmidt

Why such a low labor participation rate, because the rich have invested they're money offshore instead of investing it in the U.S. Republicans wanted a service economy(Reagan) well you got it, offshoring manufacturing and even service jobs during the last republican administration. SS and Medicare the republican only plan is to eliminate it altogether.