In his travels, Obama will "speak directly to the American people about his vision for reducing our debt and bringing down our deficit, based on the values of shared responsibility and shared prosperity," the White House said. [...]
On Wednesday, he [will be] off to Palo Alto, and a day later to Reno, Nevada, another battleground.
Obama had cited Facebook in his January State of the Union speech as an example of innovative US companies that can help the world's richest country overcome its dreary present economic circumstances and "win the future."
The US president has taken pains to contrast his vision with Republican calls to slash government spending and roll back regulations while lowering tax rates on the richest Americans and corporations.
In public speeches and exhortations to supporters behind closed doors, Obama has made Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's blueprint for cutting some $4.4 trillion from the deficit over 10 years into a political punching bag some 18 months before the November 2012 elections.
Obama -- who says his approach will slice some $4 trillion in 12 years or less -- has notably accused Ryan of looking to gut the Medicare and Medicaid programs for the elderly and the poor.
And a local business in Reno will have the great fortune of hosting Mr. President.
It’s not every day that a business gets invited to play host to a presidential visit.
For ElectraTherm Inc., a small renewable energy company in Reno, that day comes Thursday when President Barack Obama stops by for an invitation-only town hall-style visit.
“It’s really fantastic for a small company,” Chief Executive Officer John Fox said Monday. “I think we’re hopefully getting recognized for starting to make some headway in green energy in Northern Nevada with the struggling economy, and hiring people and getting a Department of Energy award last year.”
“It’s an honor to have our facility portrayed in this light,” Fox said of the company near Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
The Reno visit is part of a Western trip that the New York Times calls “the first campaign-style tour” for Obama since last week’s deficit debate over raising taxes, cutting spending and changing entitlements programs.
Hopefully, we'll hear more details from Obama on how he intends to counter the insani-TEA from House Republicans and work on a budget that values Nevada workers. We have so many opportunities here with renewable energy and green technology, but we'll never reap the rewards if we don't make the investment.
Even with the unemployment rate finally declining, 13.2% of our workforce is still out of work. If there's a true "deficit crisis" here, it's a deficit of jobs. The President really needs to reiterate that Thursday.
This Thursday's stop in Reno will probably be the first of many more Nevada visits by President Obama as the 2012 Election heats up. Hopefully, our economy will continue to warm up as well.
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