Republicans are pushing the notion that President Barack Obama’s visit to Scranton today is another example of campaigning at taxpayers’ expense, even though the president is here to push his Social Security payroll tax cut.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus referred to Mr. Obama as “the campaigner-in-chief,” saying “this is his 56th stop in a battleground state on taxpayers’ money.”
“And that’s really a record for any president and obviously something the White House has been quite defensive about lately,” he said. “It’s no surprise that the Democrats are spending so much time in Pennsylvania.”
Mr. Priebus pointed to the a poll last week by the Democratic polling firm, Public Policy Polling, which said Mr. Obama’s approval rating in Pennsylvania — 42 percent approval, 53 percent disapproval — is his worst of any state he hopes to win next year.
“And I’ve said many times that I think he’s going to lose Pennsylvania,” Mr. Priebus said. “The Republican National Committee is going to be committed very heavily in Pennsylvania. We think that that state is one of the top battleground states in the country right now. Pennsylvania is ready to show Barack Obama the door.”
He accused the president of failing to live up to promises he made in Scranton in 2008. The RNC released a new web ad titled, “Failed Promises: Scranton,” to highlight the president’s record.
“In 2008, he promised Pennsylvania hope and change and what did they get? They got unemployment that has risen by 19 percent, Pennsylvania has lost 37,900 manufacturing jobs since he’s been president, 139,000 Pennsylvanians are living in poverty. We have 22.1 percent of residential properties … are under water,” he said.
He said Mr. Obama had failed to lead during negotiations of the supercommittee, the committee of Republicans and Democrats that could not agree on $1.2 trillion deficit reduction. He accused Mr. Obama of failing to work with Republicans on solutions, a charge sure to raise hackles among Mr. Obama’s Democratic critics who say he negotiates with the enemy too much.
State Republican chairman Rob Gleason said Mr. Obama’s “disastrous leadership has caused our economy to burn out and cities like Scranton are feeling the pain of his job-crushing policies.”
Today’s visit is an effort to distract voters from his policies, Mr. Gleason said.
“More taxes, more spending and more debt,” he said. “The trouble is that voters know the tough realities that come with 9 percent unemployment and $15 trillion in debt and they are ready for a new direction.”
Mr. Gleason said Mr. Obama had help in pushing his failed policies from Sen. Bob Casey, the Scranton Democrat who has voted with Democrats 98 percent of the time since the president took office.
“98 percent of the time, Bob Casey has blindly supported President Obama’s more taxes, more spending, more debt policies,” he said. “It is clear that Bob Casey is not an independent thinker or an independent voice for Pennsylvania and would rather do exactly what Obama tells him instead of the right thing for our commonwealth. It’s a shame that Bob Casey, a son of Scranton, has completely abandoned the people who sent him to Washington.”
Asked to name major proposals of the president’s that Republicans supported as a sign they are willing to work together, Mr. Priebus alluded to bills that Republicans pushed, debt-reduction commissions that Mr. Obama supported and the president’s “brainchild,” the supercommittee.
“We’ve got a president who refuses to lead, who refuses to get in a room and put people together and say, ‘This is the deal that we need to put together, let’s get something done guys, we’ve got a deficit coming out of our ears’ … He’s nowhere to be seen other than campaigning and giving speeches and going to bookstores.”
On Mr. Casey, Mr. Priebus offered $100 to any reporter who provided him with a photograph of Mr. Casey with Mr. Obama in Scranton.
“We’re not sure whether Bob Casey is going to be in town for the president’s visit in Scranton. He may have a scheduling conflict or perhaps a 24-hour flu,” he said.
Mr. Gleason said Mr. Casey’s failure to show today “would be a slap in the face to the president”
“The president’s the boss, he’s the president of the United States, he (Mr. Casey) supported him 98 percent of the time, he needs to be there,” he said. “If he doesn’t show up, what does it say? Well, it shows a lack of confidence in the president’s ability to help him get re-elected and for the president himself to get elected in president.”
The two men were reminded that President Bush had visited Pennsylvania more than 40 times between his first election and his re-election campaign in hopes of winning the state in 2004. Mr. Gleason, instead of Mr. Priebus, answered the question.
“I expect the president to come here, I love it when he comes here. I hope he comes here 60 times or 70 times. I hope he comes to Johnstown where I live like President Bush did. The people need to see the president and listen to him talk again, try to talk his way out of his failed policies. I think it’s a great thing and what it shows is that Pennsylvania is absolutely important. Did it work for George Bush? It kind of worked. I like to remind people that in 2004, John Kerry couldn’t defend Ohio and Pennsylvania if you remember. Ohio pushed George Bush over the top.”
Mr. Bush lost Pennsylvania by more than 144,000, the closest margin for any Republican in four elections, but narrowly won Ohio, a loss that Mr. Kerry as recently as this week pinned on his failure to convince about 59,000 voters to go for him. He lost Ohio by more than about 118,000 votes. Switch 59,000 and he wins Ohio, its 20 electoral votes, the electoral college by 272 to 266, and the presidency.
“I was 59,000 votes and one state from being able to put an agenda in front of the country,” he told The New York Times.
– BORYS KRAWCZENIUK
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GOP rips Obama in advance of Scranton visit
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