Obama Continues to Focus on Economy
ALLENTOWN, PA. -- Barack Obama continues to focus on the economy today, an issue that has been the center of his campaign message during his Pennsylvania bus tour.
Obama will tour a local clothing manufacturing company this morning, as he continues to court blue collar workers in the state. In earlier contests, the working class demographic has typically sided with Hillary Clinton, despite Obama's effort to persuade voters that he understands their hardships.
At a rally in Lancaster yesterday, Obama chastised the CEOs of Countrywide Financial for receiving $19 million dollar bonuses despite the housing crisis.
"They get a $19 million bonus while people are at risk of losing their home. What is wrong with this picture?" Obama asked.
"Everything is wrong with it. But the problem is we have almost come to expect it because no one in Washington seems to be outraged by it."
During the six-day bus tour, Obama has made frequent local stops as he is doing today. Obama and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., have gone bowling, met with voters at sports bars, and visited several factories. Obama appears to be enjoying this style of campaigning.
"I've had a great time," he said yesterday. "We've played some basketball with Bob Casey and neither of us got injured. We had stopped by some sports bars, I must admit, and had a few beers. I fed a calf with a big bottle and that went all right. And then we went bowling which didn't go so well. There was an 8-year-old who was giving me tips, of course I hadn't bowled since I was 8 so I had an excuse. But everybody has just been wonderful and it's been terrific to get a chance to get a chance to interact with folks."
Obama will wrap his tour in Philadelphia tomorrow evening.