President Obama and the first lady, having celebrated Cinco de Mayo on Tres de Mayo, spent Saturday on the campaign stump together at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where Michelle Obama said “life experiences” help guide the decisions of her “magnificent” husband.
“I have seen how the issues that come across a president’s desk are always the hard ones — the problems with no clear solutions, the judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there is no margin for error,” Michelle Obama told the crowd. “And as president, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people. But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, all you have to guide you are your life experiences, your values, and your vision for this country.”
“In the end, when you’re making those impossible choices, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for,” she added. “And we all know who my husband is, right? And we all know what he stands for, right?”
The appearance before a crowd of about 8,000 demonstrated how much the re-election campaign is investing in this swing state.
“I love Virginia,” President Obama gushed. “Virginia, four years ago, you and I began a journey together. I didn’t run, and you did not work your hearts out, just to win an election. We came together to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth.”
“It could all come down to those last few thousand folks who get out to the polls on November the 6th,” Michelle Obama said. “And when you average all of that out over this entire state, think about it — it might mean registering just one more person in your town. Just one more person. It might mean helping just one more person in your community get out and vote on Election Day. Think about it. One more person.”
Barack Obama charged that the Republicans in Congress are pursuing an agenda “on steroids.”
“And now, after a long and spirited primary, Republicans in Congress have found a champion. They have found a nominee for president who has promised to rubber-stamp this agenda if he gets a chance,” he said. “But Virginia, I tell you what, we can’t give him the chance.”
The Obamas named-dropped “Virginia” 20 times between their speeches.
Earlier the Obamas stopped in swing-state Ohio for a speech at the Value-City Schottenstein Center in Columbus. There, “Ohio” was said 14 times in their remarks. That crowd was pegged by the local fire department as 14,000 in an arena with 18,300 capacity.
The addresses officially kicked off the president’s re-election campaign.
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