Obama set to reach out to undecided voters
DAYTON, Ohio With just two weeks left before Election Day, President Obama launched his endgame strategy: get supporters to vote early and persuade undecideds they'll be better off supporting him.
"I want you to go vote," the president told a campaign rally crowd estimated at 9,500.
"Here in Ohio you can vote early," he said. "Here in Ohio, you can vote right after this event."
Making his 17th visit to Ohio, the state that more than any other might make the difference between a second term and defeat, Mr. Obama again slammed Mitt Romney's policies as "wrong and reckless." He repeated lines prepared for last night's third and final debate, saying Romney "is all over the map" in stating his policies.
Mr. Obama again spoke of his Republican opponent as suffering from "Romnesia," the made-up affliction the president uses to ridicule Romney and accuse him of deliberately moderating his policy positions from the far right toward the center.
"If you don't remember positions that are on your website," Mr. Obama said of Romney, you've got "Romnesia."
"He's doing all he can to hide his true positions and tell us what he thinks you want to hear," Mr. Obama added.
The Romney campaign responded by accusing Mr. Obama of engaging in "increasingly desperate attacks."
"Mitt Romney has a real plan for a real recovery that will create 12 million new jobs with rising take-home pay, move us toward a balanced budget and create prosperity for all Americans." said Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams.
Mr. Obama on Wednesday morning launches a two-day, round-the-clock, eight-state campaign blitz that includes a stop Thursday in his hometown of Chicago, where he'll become the first sitting president to cast an early vote for himself.
He will criss-cross the nation campaigning in six swing states: Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Virginia and Ohio. He also has a stop scheduled in Califonia to tape another appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," his third appearance as president.
Mr. Obama will spend Wednesday night aboard Air Force One heading from Nevada to Florida for his first domestic red eye flight. The presidential 747 provides nearly all the comforts of home, including a bedroom in the nose of the aircraft.
Mr. Obama will use his trip to appeal to supporters not to wait until Election Day to cast their ballots. And once they've voted, he wants them to spend their remaining time persuading uncommitted voters to re-elect him.
To that end, the Obama campaign unveiled a TV adTuesday citing the priorities Mr. Obama says will be part of his agenda in a second term.
In addition, his campaign is printing 3.5-million copies of a 20-page magazine-style booklet, further describing Mr. Obama's policy proposals if he wins another 4 years in office.
The Romney campaign was quick to dismiss the ad and the booklet as "no substitute for a real agenda for America."
Romney campaign policy director Lanhee Chen accuses the president of re-proposing policies "that have already proven ineffective" and of repeating "discredited allegations against Governor Romney."
"You can't fool the American people into thinking you have a real plan for the future when all you are offering is more of the same," Chen said in a written statement provided to reporters.
As part of his upcoming campaign trip, Mr. Obama will personally reach out to undecided voters with phone calls from Air Force One. Campaign press secretary Jen Psaki also said Mr. Obama will make stops to meet with undecided voters as well.
Under Federal Election Commission rules, the Obama campaign must reimburse the government for the political use of Air Force One, but neither the campaign nor the White House will divulge the precise amounts owed for each trip.
