Obama Flays Romney in Campaign Kickoff

President mocks Mitt's prescription for student loans
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted May 5, 2012 2:39 PM CDT
Obama Flays Romney in Campaign Kickoff
President Barack Obama holds a Buckeye, a chestnut, presented to him before a campaign rally at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio Saturday, May 5, 2012.   (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

President Obama officially kicked off his re-election campaign today at Ohio State University with a few memorable potshots aimed at Mitt Romney, Politico reports. “Corporations aren’t people—people are people!” Obama shouted in a speech that left him hoarse by the end. "Harder work has not led to higher incomes. Governor Romney doesn’t seem to get that.” He also mocked Romney's notion that college students should tap their parents to pay for school.

Obama promised to work for all Americans, including those “lucky enough to have your parents afford to pay for college.” (A Romney spokesperson tweeted that most Americans struggle to pay basic bills under Obama's "so-called leadership.") On the more serious side, Obama defended his approach to jobs, the Iraq withdrawal, and Obamacare, which he described as a reform of Medicare. Politico notes that Obama plans to focus on battleground states like Ohio and Virginia, where he sorely needs young voters and volunteers to get fired up again. (More Obama 2012 stories.)

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