In a 24-minute speech delivered before 2,400 often-screaming supporters in Rollins College’s sports center, President Barack Obama declared the choice for voters as one between “two fundamentally different visions for America.”
The Obama campaign had bill the president’s speech as a comparison of two economic plans for the middle class but he spent most of his time characterizing Romney’s plans.
Using his campaign’s own report plus a new study released Wednesday by the Brookings Institute, Obama slammed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s economic plans, saying they are sure to raise taxes on the middle class.
“Mr. Romney, his friends in Congress, they basically believe that if we just give more tax cuts, on top of the Bush tax cuts, to the wealthiest Americans, and we get rid of regulations we have placed on Wall Street banks, for example, to make sure we don’t have another crisis, or on the health care industry to make sure they don’t discriminate against you if you got a pre-existing condition, that somehow, if we cut taxes for folks at the top and get rid of regulations, this will lead to more jobs and prosperity for everybody,” Obama said. “That’s their theory. That’s the path they are proposing. It is not that complicated. I guarantee that’s where they will take us if they win.”
Later he declared, “Look Orlando, they have tried to sell us this trickle-down, tax cut, fairy dust before. And guess what? It didn’t work then. It will not work now.”
Several times the crowd interrupted him chanting “Four More Years!” loud enough to drown him out.
Obama also cited the Brookings study to say taxpayers making $3 million or more would get a tax cut of $250,000 under Romney’s plan.
“The question is, who do you think is going to get the bill for these $250,000 tax cuts?” he asked. The crowd responded ‘us.’ “This is a smart crowd. You!”
He cited the Brookings findings that in order for the federal government to pay for proposed high-income and corporate tax cuts without increasing the federal deficit, average middle class families would see tax increases of more than $2,000.
“He’s not asking you to pay an extra $2,000 to reduce our deficit. He’s not asking you to pay an additional $2,000 to help care for our seniors,” Obama said. “He’s not asking you to pay an additional $2,000 to rebuild America or to fight a war. He’s asking you to pay more so that people like him can pay less. So that people like me could pay less.”
Turning late in his speech to his own plans, Obama pressed his desire to renew the Bush tax cuts for families making up to $250,000, and companies bringing jobs back from overseas operations, and for investing in education, research, advanced manufacturing technologies and infrastructure.
“We need tax cuts for working Americans,” he said.
Obama noted his 51st birthday coming up Saturday and the crowd spontaneously broke into a round of “Happy Birthday To You.”
“Winning Florida wouldn’t be a bad birthday present,” he replied.
Orlando Sentinel/Scott Powers/Pool Report
