Obama speech takes aim at GOP mainstream, Romney included
WASHINGTON — President Obama shifted sharply toward his reelection campaign Tuesday, criticizing Republicans for trying to "impose a radical vision on our country" that would reward the very rich while slashing programs that benefit the middle class.
For months, Obama and his top advisors have been laying the groundwork for a campaign that would seek to tie the eventual GOP nominee to congressional Republicans, who have become deeply unpopular with a majority of voters, according to repeated polls. Speaking to a group of news editors and reporters in Washington, Obama aggressively pursued that line of attack, describing current Republicans as extremists out of step even with GOP presidents.
At the same time, he offered a methodical defense of a strong government hand in national affairs and his own philosophy of governing, one that favored putting money into programs that he said would provide greater opportunities for the middle class. The election would offer an "unambiguously clear" choice, he said.
Obama mentioned GOP front-runner Mitt Romney by name, a rarity, and derided the former Massachusetts governor's support for the budget plan recently approved by House Republicans. He called the budget a "Trojan horse" that, in the guise of cutting the federal deficit, would provide large new tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and deep cuts in popular programs.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama-20120404,0,1798060.story
