As President Obama swings through Quincy, Illinois Wednesday to make a case for Wall Street reform on his "White House to Main Street Tour," state Republicans will be participating in a conference call to slam the president's policies.
The Republican National Committee will host a Wednesday conference call, where Rep. Aaron Schock, who represents a neighboring district, will slam Obama for health care reform and the country's jobless rate. The Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports:
"Instead of traveling half way across the country on a 'Main Street' tour, maybe the President should have stayed home and thought about some new initiatives to get Americans back to work instead of the same old tax and spend policies that Americans reject." RNC spokesman Ryan Tronovitch said in a memo.
President Obama will speak at the Oakley Lindsay Civic Center on "the urgent need to pass financial reform and will discuss how strong Wall Street reform will protect American families on Main Street," Politico reports. The president will likely call out Republicans for voting to block Wall Street reform.
The Quincy Herald-Whig reports that security has increased since the town's last visit from a sitting president. In 2000, then President Bill Clinton visited Quincy.
"What we're seeing is the difference between a pre-9-11 presidential visit and a post-9-11 visit," Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley told the paper.
Meanwhile, some tea partiers in the area are planning their own Wednesday afternoon event.
"We're going to peacefully let people know by our presence that we don't support all of his (Obama's) policies," Steve McQueen, a leader of the Quincy Tea Party, told the Herald-Whig. "That's the ultimate goal."
The group plans to gather outside the Oakley Lindsay Civic Center around 3:30 p.m. The president is expected to speak at 4:05 p.m.
Others are much more excited about the president's visit. The 2,000 tickets that were given away for the Quincy event were snatched up quickly by a long line of people.
"Who knew when I would get a chance to see a sitting president?" Julie Kramer of California, who was in Quincy visiting relatives, asked the Herald-Whig. "Or that I'd have to come all the way to Quincy to do it?"