President Obama In North Texas To Talk Jobs
WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - President Barack Obama is turning to the home state of Republican rival Rick Perry in order to rally support for his $447 billion jobs bill and to raise money for his re-election.
Obama is scheduled to touch down at Dallas Love Field on Tuesday morning and will appear at Eastfield Community College in Mesquite to tout aspects of the jobs bill that he says will help keep teachers in classrooms and modernize schools.
Obama is set to address a crowd of about 1,500 people at the private event on Tuesday afternoon. Among that crowd will be current teachers and educators who have been laid off due to budget cuts.
Obama is pushing Congress to pass the entire jobs bill this month, but Republican lawmakers say they want to vote on just those proposals on which they agree. "If there are aspects of the bill that they don't like, they should tell us what it is that they're not willing to go for," Obama said. "They should tell us what it is they're prepared to see move forward."
With lawmakers at odds, many analysts believe that the economy will not take off until after next year's presidential election.
Republican presidential hopefuls are trying to tap into voter frustrations. "We can't re-elect someone who thinks the answer for every problem is a new government program," said candidate Mitt Romney at a support rally in New Hampshire on Monday.
While in Dallas, Obama will also attend two fundraising events for his re-election campaign. Later on Tuesday, he will travel to St. Louis for two more fundraisers. The Texas travel dates come as Perry, the state's governor, campaigns for the Republican nomination to face Obama in the presidential election.
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