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Obama rumbles through the rust belt

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    President hits campaign trail

  • Duration 10:06
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This transcript is automatically generated

And that.

It's the scene in -- Ohio a suburb of Toledo.

Where President Obama.

Has -- -- it is on his way to give a campaign speech.

-- trying to fire up his base in a democratic county.

And this is power -- I -- Chris dire wolf and hello Internet.

The president.

Is working very hard right now at the beginning of a two day bus trip.

To -- the gains.

That he believes he will so.

From.

Ferocious attacks on Mitt Romney is career as a corporate turnaround artist at Bain Capital and he is selling primarily.

At least on this first day of the trip his auto bailout.

The four Chrysler which operates a Jeep plant there was a twelve point five billion dollar package.

That he says has -- the American economy afloat.

It's really one of his most popular things it's one of the best things that he has going for.

One of the best things you have going for -- and is Steve it's he is of course a senior writer for the weekly standard.

He is a son of the Rust Belt like myself.

And -- is also a movie kind and generous colleague friend so.

Steve -- welcome back to the Internet could be here.

He had power for one day longer than me he was without power when it longer than me.

But of course I'm not showered though including -- that's what I was going to say we do have maybe you have certain thresholds hygiene thresholds here is on the Internet OK so the president is looking to.

Avoid would have been Democrats and -- -- ten.

Whatever the Democrats when he candidates in that would -- -- I seventy corridor and -- but basically it's Pennsylvania Ohio Michigan Iowa Wisconsin are the swing states there Democrats got their clocks cleaned in 2010.

He's trying to avoid that.

How successful will -- well this is I mean I think you could be if you don't oversimplify things it's were set aside for assess the west this is -- -- election is most likely beside it right.

And he's got it I think it's a difficult task the president does.

He spent a lot of time in the final six weeks of the 2008 campaign laying out his economic strategy is argue was in effect but things are -- I am the person to solve them I'm the guy to solve these problems and he gave in fact just up the road in Toledo Ohio -- the road from where he'll be today.

He gave a speech in October of 2008 in which he gave.

A very detailed presentation of what she was going to do to save the economy and it ended up looking at a lot like his stimulus plan passed by the democratic congress where.

This was the answer -- -- seen I think -- conclusively that it was not the answer the president has to now go and defend what he's done defend the fact that.

He proposed a plan it was implemented almost in its entirety it simply didn't work or if you're being I think charitable Democrats it didn't work well enough.

That's a difficult position for him to beat.

But now.

I hate one of the things that I like to do is talk to Republicans and Democrats about what they're hearing in their focus groups because.

We look at -- a -- that's what we get but what these campaigns really chew -- And what they really pour over.

For these focus groups because the poll the questions are tough to do they're they're they're difficult and in talking to strategists and advisors -- these campaigns.

The bailout this auto bailout which was so controversial at the time because if you remember what they did and you know this.

You wouldn't be watching the show if you weren't -- -- know but that's when they took the TARP program 700 billion dollars in the TARP program.

Change the rules on bankruptcy and win and it took these companies and basically flipped him dump that dead.

And they were reborn.

This is really something that.

Swing voters like big big credit Obama with this -- -- -- particularly in in places where as you said there's a Jeep plant in Toledo or outside -- Toledo.

It is that this is such an argument that that could -- I think there's an there's an equally as strong argument that Mitt Romney can connect -- he argued against the bailouts he wanted them to go through.

Bankruptcy and then help them recover he hasn't made his case as well as well -- he he could I think.

But he but he is -- his counter argument is a simple one.

This was a -- -- to the unions this was -- give way to the unit that -- they reaped benefits from these auto bailouts.

In a way that other investors did not and -- the general public did not and this was costly to taxpayers the president likes to pretend.

That this is something that's been all paid off that this is just a huge success -- it has the facts do not support the argument he's making.

And if I were the Romney campaign I would be out there pressing very hard.

On this being a special interest giveaway to the unions.

The right now if we were to transact if the if the treasury were to transact.

The this stuff.

That we hopeful that taxpayers or GM it would be like twenty billion dollar they would be yes it would be a very it would be -- very frowning face today and it would also probably.

And -- blowing us right through the debt ceiling get all that stuff.

OK so the president was apparently looks like he was going to go to Martha's Vineyard.

Which is.

Not that -- exactly.

-- -- pass.

Kentucky.

That is the that is it nicely nice off the coast of Cape Cod -- -- for three years of -- -- joint compound.

Out there he is not going and is instead taking this bus tour through.

Northern Ohio into Western Pennsylvania.

His history Steve is.

That.

And he's very proud of it as -- community organizer Southside of Chicago.

Helping economically distressed individuals.

Achieve their goals when they have suffered hardships.

He's -- that he's giving away from the JD he's going back there.

If anybody.

Makes his job easier is -- -- running Mitt Romney's not exactly.

Blue collar himself.

Yes I think that's true.

And I think it in a sense that's you know as you heard this are -- in the Republican primaries.

In effect and when it was the -- something directly or whether it was suggestions that Mitt Romney wasn't able to carry that message.

These are two candidates I think -- having a difficult time and will continue to have a difficult time connecting to the sort of white and middle class blue collar workers that often decide elections in that part of the country so it'll be interesting to see whether people remember the fact that Barack Obama spent all of this time.

At Martha's Vineyard that he's been fundraising with George Clooney and meeting with Sarah Jessica Parker and you know.

Which didn't appreciate it and champion but an editor of vogue.

These -- -- that I want this Atlanta Megyn Kelly talk it is I was scolded for this Anna wintour -- he was the subject of the movie.

That was call.

That devil wears -- can I say -- ticket has appointed private don't know her name and I.

Don't understand if you have -- -- world if you can and and if it if it were in fact the school and and be a school and then I'd be happy.

I took my I took my views from meg and Kelly I was sore.

The let's look here we have a graphic that shows you where the president's going what his trip it's like let's take a look at that and basically what you see here.

Is -- to -- part of the country if you if you boil down what Steve and I are talking about here you boil it all the way down.

You see this part of the country they -- in northern Ohio their Western Pennsylvania if you look at this graphic this is the core -- the -- these are the voters that will get to decide when you get right down to it.

Who the next president of the United States -- right.

I think that's more likely than not -- mean you make -- case for certainly Florida obviously very influential Colorado.

You know maybe Nevada and Nevada.

I'm don't say they didn't really I noticed.

But I think it's -- -- more likely than not because I think you'll see.

That it -- in the upper midwest states it's if not vote -- -- block the trends will be the same the voter the voter profiles are.

Not identical but similar enough that an argument that succeeds in Ohio is likely to succeed in some place like skirts.

Walking shots not that did all right so Waukesha is not that different from mommy.

The president also is headed to Youngstown.

Where there is -- GM plant him of course was major beneficiary.

-- the unions that now -- GM was a major benefit with a major beneficiary of this bailout package.

But Youngstown.

If you want to talk about a place that.

Has been suffering economically.

A Youngstown has been hurting for forty years it has been made a litany of float for these folks.

Would they listen especially in places like northeast Ohio which would be so crucial for Romney if he's going in places like star -- Four Romney.

Can he.

How does he make the case better to these people that -- is not just somebody who dumped money and got Caribbean banks -- but that he is as somebody who can actually turn that turned things around.

Well to a certain extent I mean they're gonna be some voters he's just not gonna get and I think the people who the good people in Youngstown who did the surrounding areas.

Who have been.

Suffering for forty years are likely to be much more receptive to an argument the government is here to help him that's not Mitt Romney's -- I don't think you try to make it and I don't think -- should should pretend to try to make it.

Think -- should be targeting independents and others would be opened the argument that.

These bailouts happen giveaways to special interest groups and people are so down on Washington right now anytime he can say look you know this is this something directed from Washington.

Just -- the kinds of special interest groups like the UAW to send the money back to Washington and continue this sort of cycle of give intake between special interest in those in power in Washington.

We need -- it and I'm the guy and -- that would be a powerful aren't if you have more powerful -- counter argument frankly than anything that we've heard from Mitt Romney on the senate -- to see you -- -- County is where -- be going out there and mentor in the and the other more affluent suburbs of Cleveland are right Steve Hayes if you will be kind enough to stick around.

Will bring a little competition where you don't get will get us.

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