Chicago: President Barack Obama marched on the campaign trail for the first time this year, accusing Republicans of peddling fear and recycled ideas as he rallied for two Democratic gubernatorial candidates.
Although Obama has raised money for Democrats this year at a feverish pace, he’s stayed away from appearing in public with candidates — due in large part to his sagging approval ratings in key states. Obama will rally in the coming weeks for another half-dozen Democratic candidates for governor, but is not venturing into the conservative-leaning states where Democrats are fighting their toughest Senate races.
Control of the Senate is the biggest political prize in the November 4 elections, with Republicans needing only to win six seats to take a majority. Since the Republicans are certain to keep control of the House, winning the Senate will give them huge power to block Obama’s legislative agenda for the last two years of his term.
Returning to the accepting embrace of his home state of Illinois, Obama told voters that Republicans mean well, but “just have bad ideas”. He accused the Republicans of recycling those ideas over and over, urging voters to take their future into their own hands by showing up on November 4 — and electing Democrats.
“The power to move our society, our government, it really is in your hands,” Obama said during a rally for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn that doubled as a homecoming for the president, a former Illinois senator.
Earlier, a rally in Maryland’s Upper Marlboro, just east of Washington, marked Obama’s first major foray into the midterm elections. Obama was supposed to rally last week in Connecticut for Governor Dannel Malloy, but postponed that visit to focus on Ebola.
In front of a rowdy crowd of about 8,000 people — plus an overflow crowd in a gym next-door — Obama championed gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown during a rally that echoed many of the same themes as Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.
“The Republican Party can keep telling you what they’re against,” Obama said, riffing off a long list: affordable health care, immigration reform, action on climate change, to name a few. “But the good news is Democrats keep telling you what things we’re for. And the things we’re for are things that will help working families.”
