President Barack Obama told a crowd of thousands in Davenport Wednesday that he'd kept the promises he made four years ago and asked for their support to send him back to the White House for a second term.
He delivered a passionate sales pitch as he attempted to lock up Iowa's crucial electoral votes with Election Day in less than two weeks. A crowd estimated at 3,500 by the Davenport fire marshal turned up at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds to hear the president.
He touched down at the Quad City International Airport about 9:15 a.m. then spoke for about 20 minutes at the fairgrounds before taking his motorcade to Antonella's Pizzeria in downtown Davenport.
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The street was shut down by police while he chatted inside the restaurant with three supporters: Vicki Felger, a nurse; Marcia Teshak, a retiree; and Deb Willaredt, a small-business owner, according to a pool report.
Antonella's owner Giovanni Sgro said he learned the president was coming 10 minutes before he arrived. The president ate an all meat pizza topped with pepperoni, ham and sausage.
After the pizza break, the president's motorcade made its way back to the airport, and Air Force One took off for Colorado, the next stop on the president's tour of battleground states.
During his speech at the fairgrounds, President Obama tested the new catchword his campaign used to describe what they see as Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's flexible policy positions.
"We've come up with a name for this condition -- it's called Romnesia," President Obama said. "I want to go over the symptoms with you, Davenport, because I don't want you to catch it."
Mr. Romney had promised to cut taxes for the wealthiest, President Obama said, but now says the share of taxes they pay won't go down. Mr. Romney also said he loves American cars, the president added, but had wanted to let Detroit go bankrupt.
The president defended his own record in office and said he'd kept the commitments he'd made to end the war in Iraq, repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, cut taxes for the middle class and small businesses and pass health-care reform.
He also spoke of his plan for the next four years if he wins re-election.The president unveiled a 20-page manifesto Tuesday that includes commitments to double exports, cut oil imports and use savings from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to invest in infrastructure at home.
"I've got a plan that will actually create jobs, that will actually reduce the deficit," President Obama said. "And unlike Mitt Romney, I'm proud to talk about my plan because my math actually adds up."
A spokesman for the Romney campaign, responding to the president's comments in Davenport, said another term for President Obama would plunge the middle class deeper into economic trouble.
"Another four years of President Obama's policies will mean lower incomes, higher taxes and more debt," Romney spokesman Shawn McCoy said. "A glossy brochure full of the same policies that haven't worked over the last four years is no substitute for a real agenda that will help grow the middle class."
Mr. Romney has promised his economic policies -- which include across-the-board reductions in tax rates, making the U.S. energy independent and expanding trade -- will lead to the creation of 12 million jobs over the next four years.
At one point during the president's speech, the crowd booed when he mentioned Mr. Romney by name. The president quickly responded, "Don't boo; vote."
He wrapped up his speech by saying Republican policies would "turn the clock back 50 years" for women, gay people and immigrants. In contrast, the president said, he stood for an America that embraces everyone.
The crowd at the fairgrounds was enthusiastic, with many turning up at 7 a.m. or earlier to wait for hours to hear the president. Long before he arrived, they crowd broke out into spontaneous chants of "four more years."
The race is extremely tight, and President Obama exhorted his supports to push hard for a win in the closing days of the campaign.
An average of national polls on Wednesday by Real Clear Politics had Mr. Romney slightly ahead. But the president still has a slender lead in key battlegrounds states such as Iowa and Ohio that could decide the election.
After speaking in Davenport, President Obama flew to Denver for a campaign event and also was scheduled to fly to Nevada later Wednesday. Mr. Romney, meanwhile, spoke in Nevada Wednesday morning and Cedar Rapids later in the day.
Following is a live blog filed from the fairgrounds event:
10:24 a.m. According to the Davenport Fire Department Fire Marshal Mike Hayman, 3,500 attended the president's event at the Mississippi Valley Fairground today. The president will now making his way back to the airport to fly to Colorado.
10:21 a.m. After a brief, punchy speech, President Obama is shaking hands and talking to supporters. He leaves the stage to the classic soul song Signed, Sealed and Delivered. But with the polls tight, the election is far away from being sealed for either campaign.
10:18 a.m. "I believe in you and I'm asking you to keep believing in me," President Obama says before finishing his speech with a rallying call to his supporters to push his campaign to victory.
10:17 a.m. "You can choose a foreign policy that's reckless or wrong or one that's steady and clear," the president says. "You can choose to turn the clock back 50 years on immigrants, women and gay people or you can choose an America that embraces everybody."
10:16 a.m. The president says he'll use the savings from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to "do some nation building here...rebuild roads, school bridges, all across America."
10:15: He wants to cut the growth in tuition costs and end tax breaks for companies that outsource and also ask "the wealthiest Americans to pay a little bit more."
10:14 a.m. The president is fired up today and so are his supporters. Raising his voice, he says, "I've got a plan that will actually create jobs, that will actually reduce the deficit...And unlike Mitt Romney and proud to talk about my plan because my math actually adds up."
10:12 a.m. President Obama: "With your help I've kept the commitments that I've made. I told you we'd end the war in Iraq. We did.... Al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama Bin Laden is dead....I promised to repeal don't ask don't tell and today you can't be kicked out of the military because of who you are."
10:08 a.m. "We've come up with a name for this condition it's called Romnesia," the president says. "I want to go over the symptoms with you Davenport because I don't want you to catch it."
10:07 a.m. Mr. Romney's jobs plan won't work, President Obama says, and Mr. Romney seems to have forgotten many of his own policies.
10 a.m. The president has taken the stage. At his first mention of Mr. Romney, the crowd boos and the president responds, "Don't boo, vote."
9:56 a.m. There's a ripple of applause now and photographers are rushing into position as the president is said to have entered the fairgrounds.
9:54 a.m. U2's Even Better Than The Real Thing is playing here as the crowd wait for the president. The Irish rockers' tunes always feature at the president's campaign events.
9:50 a.m. A dozen or so reporters from the national media who are traveling with the president have arrived.
9:44 a.m. On the campaign trail yesterday, President Obama released a new 20 page manifesto outlining his vision for the country if he's reelected. His campaign has printed 3.5 million copies of the booklet.
9:40 a.m. Democrat Cheri Bustos, who is running against U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, in the Illinois 17th Congressional District, has taken time out from her campaign to attend.
9:36 a.m. A Wilson's Orchard stand is keeping the audience lubricated with cups of apple cider
9:34 a.m. The president will speak in Colorado and Nevada today after leaving Davenport as part of his America Forward Tour across battleground states. The Romney campaign says the tour should be called "Obama's Can't Afford Four More Tour."
9:28 a.m. President Obama has left the airport in Moline and is making his way to Davenport.
9:26 a.m. The audience is being serenaded by Al Green's Lets Stay Together. The president will hope his supporters heed the song's message.
9:22 a.m. Rodney Maiden, a Phd student at the University of Iowa, traveled from Iowa City to listen to President Obama. "After watching all the debates I just wanted to hear his final words before the election," he said. "Sometimes on the trail he's not so guarded as when he's under the scope at the debates and so hopefully he shares his true views."
9:20 a.m. President Obama is shaking hands with a small group gathered at the Quad City International Airport. He's scheduled to speak at the fairgrounds shortly after 10 a.m.
9:18 a.m. Many of the Iowans here today may already have voted. In 2008, 46 per cent of the ballots cast in Scott County were cast early by mail and in-person. Early voting in Illinois started Monday.
9:17 a.m. U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Mount Vernon, has now taken the podium.
9:12 a.m. Obama supporter of Cathy Lafrenz of Miss Effie's Country Flowers and Garden Stuff is speaking to the audience now and urging them to vote early, if they haven't already.
9:10 a.m. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also has made multiple visits to Iowa this year and will speak in Cedar Rapids this evening.
9:08 a.m. President Obama has traveled to Iowa 16 times (including this trip) since the start of his Presidency. In 2012, President Obama has traveled to Iowa 10 times (including this trip) and held 17 political events (including this event) and 5 official events.
9:06 a.m. Iowa is one of a dozen states that are still competitive at this late stage of the campaign and that's why the state is getting so much attention. According to an average of polls published by Real Clear Politics, President Obama has a slender lead in the state of just 1.7 points.
9 a.m. Air Force One is about to touch ground at the Quad City International Airport. Meanwhile, the area in front of the president's teleprompters at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds is already full and the crowd is breaking out into chants of "four more years."
Today is Saturday, May 18, the 138th day of 2013. There are 227 days left in the year. 1863 -- 150 years ago: A large variety of children's wagons and gigs have arrived in thecity and are being sold at war prices. 1888 -- 125 years ago: All Rock Island retail houses, with the exception of a clothingstore and a jewelry store, have agreed to early closing hours during the summer months.The store will be closed at 8 p.m. 1913 -- 100 years ago: Baseball enthusiasts in Rock Island are attempting to raise$20,000 to keep the Island City Park open, despite the fact that the city has no franchise inorganized baseball this year. 1938 -- 75 years ago: The organization of a third rural young people's unit will beundertaken tomorrow night at the Milan Presbyterian Church, with Mrs. Mildred K.Wellman, home advisor, and Robert Smith, county farm adviser in charge. 1963 -- 50 years ago: Deere & Co. will begin a "big switch" on its telephone systemMonday morning. The extension numbers of all 1,600 telephones on the firm's EastMoline and Moline exchanges will be changed Monday morning. 1988 -- 25 years ago: East Moline's June Jamboree VI -- Nostalgia Days, will seemlike a '60s revival with the appearance of stars like Bobby Vee, Freddie Cannon, PeterNoone, Turtles, The Grass Roots and Lou Christie. This year's festival has beenexpanded to five days, June 22-26, at the Northeast Park complex.