Obama voting early, but he won't say for whom
DENVER - On the second stop of his two-day, around-the-clock campaign marathon, President Obama urged a Denver crowd of 16,000 to get out and vote early. He wouldn't yet say who he'll be voting for tomorrow in Chicago, where he plans to cast his own early ballot.
"I can't tell you who I'm voting for, it's a secret ballot, but Michelle says she voted for me," he joked.
Under gray skies, the president told to the crowd that he'll cast his ballot before this "48 hour day" is over, but the extended trip to eight states is going to require "quite a bit of coffee." Mr. Obama will be the first sitting president to vote early in-person.
Continuing with his new theme that Mitt Romney suffers from a case of "Romnesia," Mr. Obama turned the malady on the crowd and told supporters in Denver to be wary that Mr. Romney is counting on them contracting it too. "He's hoping you'll come down with a severe case of Romnesia before you cast your ballots," he said.
While holding up his newly-printed 20-page campaign plan, he made a plea to any and all voters who may not have made up their minds, suggesting that "somebody may have dragged you here, maybe your grandma said you've got to come." He urged these potential undecided voters to compare his plan directly to Mr. Romney's.
Obama's remarks lasted only 15 minutes, a clear sign of his packed schedule on this trip. At his first rally this morning, he spoke for just 16 minutes.
The 48-hour "extravaganza," billed as the "America Forward" tour, will also include phone calls to supporters and meetings with campaign volunteers. Before Mr. Obama boarded Air Force One to Denver, he took some time for the tour's first volunteer meeting, which took place over lunch at Antonella's Authentic Italian Pasta & Pizzeria in Davenport, Iowa. He met with three volunteers, all of them women who have been canvassing for the President since his first presidential campaign in 2007.
The president travels to his third state - California - this evening where he will tape the Jay Leno Show. He will wrap up the day with stop number four - a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada where pop singer Katy Perry will perform. He will then fly overnight to Tampa, Florida.