CBS 2 Chicago wbbm7801059 670 The Score

Local

Obama To Move On From Chicago As He Fills Campaign War Chest

View Comments
President Obama

President Barack Obama outside his Kenwood home. (Credit: CBS)

Susanna Song

Reporting Susanna Song

Don't Miss This
Don't Miss This

CHICAGO (CBS) — President Barack Obama is still behind Republican opponent Mitt Romney when it comes to filling his war chest with campaign cash.

So Obama heads to Iowa and Nebraska Monday, after spending the weekend fundraising in his hometown of Chicago.

As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, President Obama will wake up in his Kenwood neighborhood home Monday morning with fundraising on his mind. Even after a lucrative weekend in Chicago, he is not done.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Michele Fiore reports


CBS 2’s camera caught him taking a stroll in his neighborhood. He took some time to say hello to neighbors.

The president looked relaxed, with his jacked slung over his shoulder.

On Sunday, Obama he attended five fundraisers in the Chicago area, raising between $3.5 million and $4 million. Romney has out-fundraised Obama in the past three months.

The biggest event that President Obama attended Sunday was at the Bridgeport Art Center, 1200 W. 35th St. He talked for 25 minutes about jobs, protecting the middle class, and the economy.

“Unless your cable is broken, you probably also know we’ve got a pretty intense campaign going on right now,” Obama said. “Chicago, we’ve got a long way to go.

At the fundraiser, Obama asked Americans to look at his record and make the choice to move forward, and not backward, on Election Day Nov. 6. Among the policy changes he pointed out was the end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, under which gays and lesbians were not allowed to serve openly in the military.

“We did the right thing to end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” Obama said. “We’re not going back. We’re going forward.”

The same, Obama says, is true of his 2008 campaign promise on health care reform. In addressing that issue, he also spoke in defense of allowing women greater access to birth control.

“I think it was the right thing to do to make sure the folks without preexisting conditions are able to get health insurance,” Obama said. “I think it’s the right thing to do for everybody to be able to get preventive care, including women who can have some control over their own health care decisions.”

Also at the fundraiser, Obama talked about U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Romney’s newly-picked running mate. He called Ryan a decent family man and welcomed him to the race, but criticized Ryan’s vision for the country, according to an Associated Press report.

Obama says Ryan – a devotee of the economic theory of Ayn Rand – is wrong in believing that cutting regulations and tax breaks for the wealthy will create more jobs, the Associated Press reported.

“This kind of top-down economics is central to Governor Romney, and it is central to his running mate,” Obama said. They have tried to sell us this trickle-down fairy dust before, and guess what. It did not work.”

The Bridgeport Art Center fundraiser only cost $51 per person to get in, and was aimed at a younger crowd. Two other fundraisers Sunday charged $40,000 per person.

Obama leaves Chicago to continue his fundraising tour on Monday morning.

View Comments
  • http://www.newsntwk.com/politics/obama-to-move-on-from-chicago-as-he-fills-campaign-war-chest-cbs-local/ Obama To Move On From Chicago As He Fills Campaign War Chest – CBS Local | Headline News Network

    [...] CBS Local [...]

blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

RSS Most Popular News

Follow CBS Chicago

Like us on foursquare

RSS Contests & Promotions

  • Benjamin Moore Which Team Colors Matter Most? May 24, 2013
    Which Team Colors matter most to you? Either way, you could be a winner! Just sign up now for a chance to win $500 Depot Dollars to the Chicago Sports Depot to pick up some gear with your favorite team colors as they battle it out this week!
  • AVEENO® MEN’S “Building a Healthier Foundation” Sweepstakes May 21, 2013
    AVEENO® Men’s™ knows your family is your foundation. And to take good care of them, you need to take good care of yourself. Win a family day at the ballpark from AVEENO® Men’s™.
  • Join Hankook Tire To Reel In The Next Big Catch May 20, 2013
    Join Hankook tire to reel in the next great catch! Click here to go to www.TirePrize.com and enter for your chance to win the ultimate fishing excursion in Puerto Rico!
  • Meet Jim Rome On Set In Los Angeles May 20, 2013
    AutoZone and the Jim Rome Show are giving one winner and a guest a trip to meet Jim Rome in Los Angeles on the set of his Showtime television show! Enter for your chance to win!
WBBM Newsradio 780, Radio Stations & Broadcast Companies, Chicago, IL

Twitter Updates