President Barack Obama visited Wisconsin Wednesday for the third time since his election to discuss matters regarding the economy.
The meeting was held in downtown Racine, Wis., which currently has the second-worst unemployment rate in the state. The president explained how the city was similar to those still hurting from the recession.
About 1,300 people were packed inside the Memorial Hall to listen to the president, some of whom even camped out overnight Monday to get tickets on Tuesday.
In the first part of the meeting, Obama primarily focused on the economy and the recession.
The president voiced his concern for the people worried about paying for college, finding jobs after college and even those dealing with retirement issues.
""Nothing's more important than reversing the damage,"" Obama said about the economy.
The president also spoke out against Republicans in Congress who are using their power to stop relief for the Americans struggling during the recession.
Obama said there is a choice between choosing a new, stronger future or ""the failed economic policies of the past.""
""We already know where their theories lead us. And now we have a choice. We can return to what we know did not work, or we can keep building a strong future,"" Obama said.
After this portion, Obama took off his jacket, appearing more relaxed as he began the question-and-answer segment. He answered queries from six different people for approximately 40 minutes. The questions covered issues such as military service, the economy and paying for college.
Outside of the meeting, around 100 protestors gathered to demonstrate against the president's event. Their signs conveyed their apprehension toward the president's claims that we're seeing economic relief.
Before the president's talk, around 200 Bucyrus workers gathered with signs to lobby the president. Recently, Bucyrus was planning to create new jobs to supply equipment for a power plant project in India, but the company was denied funding from the U.S. bank.
Many believed Obama might have commented on this issue during his speech since the South Milwaukee manufacturing company is located close to Racine. However, a deal was reached before the meeting and Obama did not mention the subject.
