Obama: 2012 Election Will Be A 'Fun Debate'

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Thursday that the 2012 election will be a "fun debate" over two competing visions for the nation, referring to Mitt Romney as the Republican "front-runner" who has backed policies that would undermine middle-class families.

At a fundraiser held at a Washington hotel, Obama told supporters that his administration had spent the past three years "cleaning up after some of that mess, and I don't want to have to do it again." He warned that a budget plan pushed by House Republicans would hurt early childhood education, veterans and road and bridge projects crucial to the nation's economic recovery.

The president told about 250 donors that the House Republican budget was one that "Governor Romney, who is the front-runner on the Republican side, has embraced. He said the budget was marvelous," Obama said. "And when you go through this budget, the vision that it portrays is of an America where everybody is fending for themselves."

Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said in response that Obama was "still pointing fingers instead of talking about his accomplishments. The president who was all about hope and change has now resorted to distortion and fear."

Obama revisited many of the same arguments he made earlier in the week during a speech to newspaper executives, in which he framed the election as a choice between his work to use government to help people prosper and Republicans who would let average Americans struggle while pushing policies that help the wealthy few.

"It's going to be a big debate, and it's going to be a fun debate. Because it's always good to have the truth on your side," Obama said.

Romney, campaigning in Pennsylvania, painted Obama as someone who hasn't spent enough time in the real world to be accountable to the needs of ordinary Americans.

"He's so out of touch with the American people that he doesn't see how many people are struggling amidst his policies," Romney said Wednesday night in Broomall, Pa.

Obama spoke at two fundraisers Thursday that were expected to raise at least $1.4 million. The first, a private reception for 20 supporters who paid $40,000 per person, was held at a hotel near the White House.

Tickets at the larger event at another Washington hotel started at $2,500 per person. Proceeds from both events were going to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee of the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Through the end of February, Obama has raised about $300 million for his re-election campaign and the DNC during the current election cycle.

___

Associated Press writer Kasie Hunt in Pennsylvania contributed to this report.

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Comments

[charcard]

03:40 PM on 05/03/2012

mitt won't be smiling at the debates. but then again it depends on which mitt shows up.

[KCY]

10:04 AM on 04/14/2012

Why is there an ad for "BO" the dog on every page I go to. Is BO running for President? Hey, I might vote for him lol. Seriously, I think I would be just a little upset if I donated money to a presidential campaign and saw the money being spent on a "Happy Anniversary" announcement for a dog. What's the anniversary anyway?

[annrcpa]

01:50 PM on 04/11/2012

The only real failure I see is the house and senate not passing hardly any legislation that Obama has tried to push to help the other 99%. I do not blame Obama for the economic problems of us middle class taxpayers, I blame the do-nothing congress. Please help get rid of many of those people. they do not care about anything but helping out thier wealthy friends and their own pocket books. I do not know hy they are even there. Maybe they should take pay cuts like the rest of us have had to and search for their own healh insurance. Then, they might understand. And Romney hasn't lived out in the real harsh world of the middle and lower classes himself, so who is he to talk? remember that these republicans are not the same as the Eisenhauer republicans (at least they had more sense)

[pragmaticalpaula]

04:51 PM on 04/07/2012

Obama will make mincemeat out of Willard.

[KCY]

10:06 AM on 04/14/2012

When it come to the economy, Mitt will eat Obama alive....I can't wait to see it.

[Whosejobisit]

12:55 PM on 04/07/2012

It won't be a fun Debate for Mitt - I'm sure of it. He may have stomped on his fellow candidates, but he won't succeed against the President.

[Yasmine]

11:53 AM on 04/07/2012

YES Mr President BE AS AUDACIOUS as you were before the election and those horrible TEAbaggers.

OBAMA 2012 GO with all the DEMS YES WE CAN GET BACK THE MAJORITY TOO

[Yasmine]

11:51 AM on 04/07/2012

SOME are against the ACA MANDATE because it was UNCONSTITUTIONAL...............
..the MANDATE was >> S T U P I D

and this Stupidity was FORCED on OBAMA by the OPPOSITION to health care reform.
OBAMA and the DEMS must KEEP REPEATING this over and OVER again and again, until EVERYONE understands this , including the Supreme Judges.

[KCY]

10:18 AM on 04/14/2012

I remember something very different. I remember meetings behind locked doors with no Republicans, I remember secret meetings that the Republicans weren't included in, I remember sneaky little back room deals with Dem State Governors to bribe their State Senators to vote for the bill. I remember Pelosi saying the bill had to be passed before anyone know what was in it. I remember Pelosi was going to pass the bill through Congress without a vote because they didn't have enough votes to pass it. They screwed around until they lost that one majority vote (when Kennedy died) and then went into mass panic when Scott Brown won the Senate seat in Massachusetts. Oh, it was so funny, they never believed in a million years that a Republican could take the Massachusetts Senate seat lol. Pelosi up there saying they had nothing to worry about, Scott Brown would never win the election....

[marymeade2]

10:42 AM on 04/07/2012

Yesterday President Obama identified the problems this country faces today, to high unemployment, a slow growing economy, no financial security and debt that's out of control. Ok, good, Mr. President, now what are your plans to make these better?

His answer was to continue to blame the Bush administration and criticize Ryan's budget plan. He doesn't have a plan. All he has is his agenda and class warfare. Keep agitating and riling people up. Criticizing those who are stepping up to the plate with real solutions while going on the campaign trail with no solutions, I guess, it's easier than acknowleging that you have no responsibility to do anything about it. Yet, his followers continue to front and defend this. Closing your eyes and pretending it doesn't exist is derelict.

[Intelligentia]

08:21 PM on 04/07/2012

It's 2012!

[ConJohn]

10:38 AM on 04/07/2012

I look forward to the debates between Obama and Romney. Obama will be steady on his values for all Americans.
I read another article on Huff Post about World Happiness Rating for 2012. The happiest are the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Finland, and Norway ranking their country 7.6 on a 0 to10 scale. One of the things they all have in common, Universal healthcare. When people feel good physically, they are happier. You don't have to be a doctor to figure that one out.

[pragmaticalpaula]

05:02 PM on 04/07/2012

The rich in those countries are not greedy like the rich here in America, who are beyond greedy. They do not have homeless people begging on the streets. We have a lot to learn from them, but the rich here wouldn't stand for it. The United Nations also named Norway as the best place to live. I have written this on different threads and all I get is grief because they are Democratic Socialists, people are afraid of the "S" word. It makes people think of the Soviet Union, which is so opposite of their free society. In Norway, the regular police and citizens do not have guns, they have a peaceful society.

[ConJohn]

08:42 AM on 04/08/2012

I had to read about Norway and it's history. I was especially interested in their mixed economy. How different our country would be if we had some state control over oil. The country is fascinating because they take care of their people and still one of the richest countries in the world.

[Spiker37]

09:57 PM on 04/06/2012

I think it will be real fun for the taxpayers: Every week Prez. Obama uses Air Force One it costs taxpayers 2-3 million bucks. That plane cost $181,000 per hour to operate; this doesn't count additional security, buses, limos, etc. It uses enough fuel to provide for the vehicles of a town pop of 9,000. He should stay in D.C. and try to govern. But when he does, he often steps in it. Most recent example: his insulting the Supreme Court justices by calling them "unelected," a smart thing to say to those who are ruling on the constitutionality of Obamacare. His comments are giving constituional scholars the idea that the Prez doesn't know the constituion that well. Then he talks about the raising the debt ceiling with no idea that the U.S. is at its fiscal "breaking point." It may soon be where what we take in can barely handle our interest payments. He doesn't realize that the best thing he can get for any American is to not give him an extra year of unemployment compensation but to get him a good job--which he hasn't done. He says that the Republicans are waging a war on women when the real war on women is back in neighborhoolds like his in Chicago where most women are afraid to walk across the street to get some groceries.

[peter777]

11:21 PM on 04/06/2012

Are you living on planet Earth and in the USA or have you found an abode on Jupiter or Mars, because you certainly do not know what is going on? Republicans talk about controlling the budget but have produced the largest deficits and contributions to the budget in the last 30 years. I could go on, but won't I just remembered that you righties don't like data and facts.

[Intelligentia]

08:23 PM on 04/07/2012

It's 2012, on planet earth. Try visiting sometime.

[MaxHeadroom]

09:22 PM on 04/06/2012

President Obama in a debate would eat Willard for breakfast, and then fart him out for lunch.

[Whosejobisit]

12:59 PM on 04/07/2012

Mitt is going to come away looking like "cheesy grits"; by their words and their deeds - the republicans have "insulted" powers beyond their comprehension & the American people.

[KiaOrana]

07:26 PM on 04/06/2012

Obama should ask Romney about "Crategate" in the debates. I'd never trust a person who treats animals inhumanely.

http://www.dogsagainstromney.com/

[Sunny11]

06:03 PM on 04/06/2012

What he is surely happy about it that he doesn't have to go up against Newt's brain. If that were going to be the debate the pres. would be sweating.

[JayInDallas]

08:08 PM on 04/06/2012

Newt has infinitely more baggage when it comes to backdoor politics. A little rope-a-dope would be all that's necessary. That's what got Obama into the WH instead of McCain.

[Whosejobisit]

01:00 PM on 04/07/2012

You're kidding right?

[Sunny11]

01:26 PM on 04/07/2012

Not kidding at all. Everyone knows Newt is one of the most intelligent men in Washington. That has been reported over the years. He has baggage but his brain power has never been disputed.

[purefabulousity]

03:22 PM on 04/06/2012

They'll have to classify an Obama-Romney debate under "comedy"

[Exadyne]

01:52 PM on 04/06/2012

Mitt Romney seems to have a horrible case of projection onto Obama.
He says Obama has spent too much time at Harvard, while it is Romney who was a Harvard student longer than Obama.
He says Obama is out of touch with America, while it is Romney who was born wealthy, and is buying his cars an elevator, so his cars can be just as out of touch with the common car as Mitt is with the common man.
He accuses Obama of killing medicare while Romney champions the Ryan budget that turns it into a less efficient voucher system that passes the costs onto seniors in return for profits for the insurance companies.

[Whosejobisit]

01:01 PM on 04/07/2012

You don't treat people that way - unless you are a republican, and they seem to be alright with that. Scary bunch - I tell ya!