5 day forecast
Tight presidential race reaches a pivotal point
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President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign stop at the Living History Farms Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
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FORT BLISS, Texas -- His national convention turn coming fast, President Barack Obama on Friday began sprinting toward one of his last, best shots to win over voters -- ready to promise better days even for those who do not feel better off.
Republican rival Mitt Romney, flush with confidence after his party's convention, declared: "We love this country, and we're taking it back."
Both angling for the aura of leadership, Mr. Romney swooped in on rain-drenched Louisiana, while Mr. Obama stood with troops in Texas and reminded the nation that he had ended the war in Iraq. Mr. Obama, too, will visit storm-battered Louisiana on Monday, a move the White House said was decided before Mr. Romney revealed his plans.
The White House race suddenly felt more urgent, a final heated day of August giving way to a two-month stretch in which many voters will get serious about making their choices -- or even voting for one in the states that allow early balloting.
The political buzz followed Mr. Romney, hours after a convention speech in which he introduced himself to America and asked on-the-fence voters to let go of a president who "has disappointed America." A rambling, surprising and strange appearance by movie legend Clint Eastwood at the GOP event still had people talking, too.
But attention was shifting to the moment for Mr. Obama, the incumbent who gets the last shot at making a lasting impression before the October debates.
His party's national convention, which starts Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., will dwell less on how life is now, and more on where voters want their lives to be. Mr. Obama inherited an economy in the midst of a monster recession, and the pace of the stable, sluggish recovery is perhaps his greatest burden to re-election.
The coming days, capped by Mr. Obama's speech Thursday night, will crystallize his re-election pitch: An economy built on ending tax cuts for the rich and putting more effort into education, energy, tax reform and debt reduction. He will call Mr. Romney a peddler of failed trickle-down ideas that will hurt the middle class and the needy.
Building by the day, the convention roll-in for Mr. Obama will take him through the battleground states of Iowa, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia. At the event itself, first lady Michelle Obama will command the stage one night, followed the next by former President Bill Clinton, who will ask voters to remember the good times and pledge that Mr. Obama can return them.
To put a face on the election message, Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be joined on political stops by what their campaign calls "American Heroes," such as a student or teacher or veteran whose life story reflects Mr. Obama's agenda. The Democratic National Convention will also feature them.
Mr. Romney kept up a campaign pace out of his convention, with plans for stops today in Ohio and Florida before a quieter stretch into Labor Day.
Friday was a pivot point, but hardly a breather in the window between the two conventions.
Before heading separately out of Tampa, Mr. Romney and his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, wooed voters in powerful Florida, which went for Mr. Obama in 2008.
"Hold us accountable. Listen to what we have to say," Mr. Romney said. "I plan on winning in Florida. We love this country, and we're taking it back."
Mr. Romney shook up his itinerary, as he had hinted, to get to Louisiana and inspect Hurricane Isaac's damage. It was the kind of trip better associated with a president than a presidential candidate -- Mr. Romney has no authority to direct help -- but he did draw attention to the plight of victims there. The White House offered no complaints.
In the town of Jean Lafitte, Mr. Romney's motorcade plowed through water that at some points was a foot or deeper, passing flooded homes, lawns and businesses. Residents stood in the water and watched the presidential candidate's caravan pass.
For Mr. Obama, it was a day of official events, not campaigning, although with 67 days to go until Election Day, there is little distinction. Surrounded by troops in camouflage, he appeared as commander-in-chief more than candidate, announcing steps to help war veterans cope with mental health struggles.
Yet the visit also served as an election-year reminder that he closed out the Iraq war and has pledged an end to the Afghanistan war at the end of 2014.
"We're not just ending these wars," he said. "We're doing it in a way that keeps America safe and makes America stronger, and that includes our military."
The No. 2 men on the ticket covered other electoral ground.
In Richmond, Va., after leaving Florida, Mr. Ryan warned that without Mr. Romney in charge, "our children are going to get a diminished future."
Further north, Mr. Biden was at a union hall in Lordstown, Ohio, directing his aim at Mr. Ryan and other Republican lawmakers for having voted for measures that drove up the debt they now criticize. "I mean who did it? How did we get here? Look, there is a lot they didn't tell you at their convention."
The economy has shown varying signs of trouble and hope, but is largely expected to stay as is through the election and is unlikely to change the equation for Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday pledged more action to provide a jolt, but did not get specific.
Mr. Obama chose North Carolina for his 2012 convention as a way to cement support in a state he surprisingly won in 2008, but he now trails Mr. Romney there. The candidates continue to put time and money into states they consider in play, from Nevada and Colorado out West to Florida, Virginia and Ohio in the East.
First Published September 1, 2012 12:16 am
