Obama bus tour to focus on economy, Romney

US President Barack Obama holds a baby as he greets supporters during a campaign event at a school in Durham, New Hampshire, on June 25, 2012.

/ JEWEL SAMAD

(CBS News) In what might be the last opportunity for relaxation during this busy campaign year, both President Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney took a few days off the campaign trail leading up to the Fourth of July holiday. And while Romney resumes his vacation after marching in a parade in Wolfeboro, N.H., Wednesday, Mr. Obama jumps back on the campaign trail in Ohio Thursday with his first bus tour of his re-election campaign.

Just days after the Supreme Court upheld his signature law, the Affordable Care Act, the Obama campaign indicates that the president will focus on Romney and on the economy with no indication that he'll talk much about health care.

Why?

Well, even though support has increased since the Supreme Court ruling, the majority of Americans disapprove of the law, according to polls, and the president has said he would like to put the issue behind him and focus on the economy - an issue that consistently ranks as the number one issue for voters.

"He'll discuss his vision for an economy built to last, one that creates the jobs of the future and makes things that the rest of the world buys," Obama campaign national press secretary Ben LaBolt said Tuesday on a telephone briefing for reporters.

LaBolt said the president's message in the Rust Belt states will be similar to the one he outlined during a speech in Cleveland last month, where he talked about the importance of manufacturing and investing in energy and education.

But in that speech in Cleveland, the president seemed to focus more on Romney than on his own economic vision. Many of the same themes attacking Romney are expected.

"Mitt Romney's economic policy has always put maximizing his profits above anything else, even if it means refusing to bet on America and its workers," LaBolt told reporters.

President Barack Obama's bus is seen on the tarmac as he arrives at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Air Force One, Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, in St. Paul, Minn., to start his three-day economic bus tour.

/ AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Mr. Obama's two-state, two-day bus tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania will include stops in Toledo, Parma, Akron, and Sandusky, all in Ohio and events in Pittsburgh. He is using the same bus he used on his tours during a 2011 bust tour, reports CBS News' Mark Knoller, which is sanctioned by the Secret Service and has no logo. It is the same bus the Secret Service recommended for Romney as well.

The tour coincides with a new Obama campaign ad running in the battleground states that paints two different pictures of the presidential candidates. The ad suggests a Romney presidency would lead to the outsourcing of American jobs and says the president "believes in insourcing" American jobs. "Outsourcing versus insourcing, it matters," the ad says. (Watch ad below.)

Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul told CBS News that "President Obama knows he can't make a legitimate argument for another term in office, so instead he is trying to tear down his opponent. This is just the latest example of President Obama and his political machine saying or doing anything to distract from his abysmal record over the last four years."

Meantime, while Romney is taking some time away from the campaign trail, his campaign won't be invisible.

CBS News has learned that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, both touted as possible vice presidential choices, will also travel to Ohio and Pennsylvania on Thursday and Friday to respond to counter President Obama and campaign on behalf of Romney.

[Nobama2012now]

U6 is the real employment rate.............likely at least 12%

[Nocults]

President Obama in 2012

Because he isn't a Mormon cult leader!!!!!!!!

[RollotheNorman]

Which was it that told you this, The Weekly Standard or Faux News?

[Nobama2012now]

Wayne Allen Root:
First, most pollsters are missing one ingredient- common sense. Here is my gut instinct: not one American who voted for McCain four years ago will switch to Obama. Not one in all the land. But many millions of people who voted for an unknown Obama four years ago are angry, disillusioned, turned off, or scared about the future. Voters know Obama now- and that is a bad harbinger.
Now to an analysis of the voting blocks that matter in U.S. politics:
*Black voters. Obama has nowhere to go but down among this group. His endorsement of gay marriage has alienated many black church-going Christians. He may get 88% of their vote instead of the 96% he got in 2008. This is not good news for Obama.
*Hispanic voters. Obama has nowhere to go but down among this group. If Romney picks Rubio as his VP running-mate the GOP may pick up an extra 10% to 15% of Hispanic voters (plus lock down Florida). This is not good news for Obama.
*Jewish voters. Obama has been weak in his support of Israel. Many Jewish voters and big donors are angry and disappointed. I predict Obama's Jewish support drops from 78% in 2008 to the low 60's. This is not good news for Obama.
*Youth voters. Obama's biggest and most enthusiastic believers from 4 years ago have graduated into a job market from hell. Young people are disillusioned, frightened, and broke- a bad combination. The enthusiasm is long gone. Turnout will be much lower among young voters, as will actual voting percentages. This not good news for Obama.
*Catholic voters. Obama won a majority of Catholics in 2008. That won't happen again. Out of desperation to please women, Obama went to war with the Catholic Church over contraception. Now he is being sued by the Catholic Church. Majority lost. This is not good news for Obama.
*Small Business owners. Because I ran for Vice President last time around, and I'm a small businessman myself, I know literally thousands of small business owners. At least 40 percent of them in my circle of friends, fans and supporters voted for Obama 4 years ago to "give someone different a chance." I warned them that he would pursue a war on capitalism and demonize anyone who owned a business...that he'd support unions over the private sector in a big way...that he'd overwhelm the economy with spending and debt. My friends didn't listen. Four years later, I can't find one person in my circle of small business owner friends voting for Obama. Not one. This is not good news for Obama.
*Blue collar working class whites. Do I need to say a thing? White working class voters are about as happy with Obama as Boston Red Sox fans feel about the New York Yankees. This is not good news for Obama.
*Suburban moms. The issue isn't contraception...it's having a job to pay for contraception. Obama's economy frightens these moms. They are worried about putting food on the table. They fear for their children's future. This is not good news for Obama.
*Military Veterans. McCain won this group by 10 points. Romney is winning by 24 points. The more our military vets got to see of Obama, the more they disliked him. This is not good news for Obama.
Add it up. Is there one major group where Obama has gained since 2008? Will anyone in America wake up on election day saying "I didn't vote for Obama four years ago. But he's done such a fantastic job, I can't wait to vote for him today." Does anyone feel that a vote for Obama makes their job more secure?
Forget the polls. My gut instincts as a Vegas oddsmaker and common sense small businessman tell me this will be a historic landslide and a world-class repudiation of Obama's radical and risky socialist agenda. It's Reagan-Carter all over again.
But I'll give Obama credit for one thing- he is living proof that familiarity breeds contempt.
Wayne Allyn Root is a Capitalist Evangelist and serial entrepreneur

[RollotheNorman]

Interesting and insightful analysis, NOT!

[abi_jah]

Best analysis of Obama. Talking to all my friends who voted for Obama in 2008 and now realize what an absolute bungling, incompetent president he is, they can't wait to vote him out of office Nov2012.

[stormerF69]

Focus on the Economy,anyone tell me of one job Obama/Biden have created or saved without tax money? Just one? We have 2 Black buses that cost the tax payer over 2 million dollars so Obama can campaign in? Where is his green cars or Battery powered Buses?

[Dan1718]

Obama is a buffoon. Al Gore has two 14000 sq ft. homes. Yet Al Gore complains about man made global warming. Liberals are all hypocrits. The only thing a lib wants to do is steal your money and give it to DJ and others so they can get votes.

[Nocults]

Sorry girls, but you're wrong, AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On December 11, 2008, the House of Representatives buckled under to the demands of GM and Chrysler, voting (largely along party lines) in favor of a $14 billion bailout. The next day, however, the Republican Senate voted down the legislation.
A week later, lame-duck President George W. Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson intervened. Announcing that the administration would offer the automakers loans with terms similar to the ones Congress had voted down, Bush gave GM and Chrysler three months to develop restructuring plans and prove they could become viable companies.
To help the automakers through that phase (and a possible Chapter 11 bankruptcy), the administration extended them $17.4 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which had originally been set up to buy assets and equities from the financial sector in the wake of the mortgage crisis

The Congressional Budget Office is projecting a $1.17 trillion budget deficit for the budget year that ends in September. For the last budget year under President George W. Bush, the government recorded a $1.41 trillion budget deficit. So while the deficit looks to be smaller, it is not near half what it had been.
Based on this metric, President Obama looks a lot better than President Bush. Mr. Bush started his presidency, with Karl Rove as a senior adviser, with a $127 billion budget SURPLUS.

[wfw3536]

I guess Obama will give them straight and honest talk like he did with the American people when he said the health care law was not a tax, yet at the Supreme Court they presented 11 pages of information on why the health care law was a tax. Yes this is someone you can believe in.

[stormerF69]

Anyone could have looked at the definition of tax in a dictionary and seen the mandate really fits well.

[112844]

Obama has never said it was a tax. That was said by Conservatve Judge Roberts.

[Dan1718]

At shallow, this country will not be right until we cull and purge people like you and DJ. We need to quit blamming the GOP and start blaming sloth and individual failure.

[Nocults]

I blame Drunk Dan, and the Baggers, Birthers, and Buffoons, who spawned DJ the indigent.

[stormerF69]

Nocults,... Obama created the birther movement all on his own,In his book he claimed he was born in Kenya,and his Grandmother backed him on it.It would be refreshing to know the truth or are you still on Koolaid?

[knewsreply]

A good economy, without well Americans supported with a healthcare plan and jobs will not last. Personally, I don't know what Romney means when he talks about his improved "economy", but from what I've read it won't benefit the former "Middle Class."

[Nocults]

All bishop Romney knows how to do is "outsource" jobs.
It's been "good" economically for him, but for America, not so much


Here's the description of a classic success in Romney's business record:
In 1996, Bain invested $27 million as part of a deal with other firms to acquire Dade International, a medical diagnostics equipment firm, from its parent company, Baxter International.
Dade wound up laying off more than 1600 people and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002, amid crushing debt and rising interest rates.
The company, with Bain in charge, had borrowed heavily to do acquisitions, accumulating $1.6 billion in debt by 2000. The company cut benefits for some workers at the acquired firms and laid off others. When it merged with Behring Diagnostics, a German company, Dade shut down three US plants. At the same time, Dade paid out $421 million to Bain Capital's investors and investing partners.
And since Romney was an "investment partner" he paid a tax rate of only 15% on the money sucked out of Dade, instead of paying taxes at an income tax rate.
Small wonder he's a big supporter of cutting taxes for rich "job creators" that don't create any jobs and instead dismantle American companies and sell the assets to foreign companies.

[1stlttightwad]

You might want to take a look at Factcheck.org before you post.
If everything is so rosey why doesn't Obama mention HIS accomplishments.
Took you till the last sentence to bring up religion..don't count your chickens before they are hatched...Rev. Wright still has little cardboard shoe box..since Obama snubbed him wait for the October surprise...from the Rev..Remember the photos of Obama last August..no watch,,Jay Carney told the press corps "It's in for repair." Just one watch Mr. Pres? And just what repairs did his solid gold wedding band need? Romney's religion has faded as an issue just as Obama's race has..People want a leader..not someone that, ahem, "Leads from behind." That's an oxymoron, isn't it. People want someone that believes in the rule of law..Obama,"If congress won't do it. I will."..and we won't persue enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act, because I don't think it constitutional..That my friend is NOT his choice..IT IS A LAW and MUST uphold it till it is changed..and of yeah..Holders own attorneys said the Holder would not persue voter fraud allegations brought by whites against blacks..that is in the congressional record, look it up.

[realist2010]

Even better, Republicans can own up to their accomplishments. The fictional birther movement, obstruction, the downgrading of our credit rating, and the big one, tanking our economy and blaming it on Obama.

[Nocults]

Unemployment down to 8% from 10.5%
Housing markets are recovering
Dow is up to almost 13,000 from 7,500 at the depths of the 2008 crash
bin Laden is dead
Combat Ops in Iraq are over
Auto industry was saved
Gas prices down 50 cents a gal. in the past month
Wall Street paid back the $850 BILLION Bush TARP to avoid being regulated
All done with Boner, and Can'tor chewing at our Constitutionally elected President's ankles

Yep, we're better off than we were 4 years ago, unless you are a complete moron who refuses to accept reality.

[Nocults]

Unemployment down to 8% from 10.5%
Housing markets are recovering
Dow is up to almost 13,000 from 7,500 at the depths of the 2008 crash
bin Laden is dead
Combat Ops in Iraq are over
Auto industry was saved
Gas prices down 50 cents a gal. in the past month
Wall Street paid back the $850 BILLION Bush TARP to avoid being regulated
All done with Boner, and Can'tor chewing at our Constitutionally elected President's ankles

Yep, we're better off than we were 4 years ago, unless you are a complete moron who refuses to accept reality.

OBAMA 2012
Because He's Not A Mormon Cult Leader!!!!!!

[edpipkin]

ABO ..... fools such as yourself should not be allowed out of kenya

[Adamschaber]

Nocults, how much of that lower unemployment rate is due to people leaving the workforce? the labor force participation rate is an all time low so the U3 unemployment rate is worthless. Almost every month it dropped it was because more people joined the discouraged workers list. Obama has done some good for this country, but let's not get carried away.