Obama Holds Mini-Town Hall In Ohio Family’s Backyard

President Barack Obama continued his campaign-style swing through the country on Wednesday, taking questions from voters in Columbus, Ohio.

Before engaging a crowd of about 30 which had gathered in the backyard of Joe and Rhonda Weithman, the President made a few remarks about the economy. The message was clear: though millions of Americans remain out of work, the administration  has taken steps to put the country on the road to recovery.

“We had to act fast to prevent what could have been a Great Depression, and we were successful in doing so,” said Obama. “We stabilized the economy, we stabilized the financial system [and] we didn’t have a complete meltdown.”

Obama met with the Weithmans in their kitchen for about 15 minutes prior to his backyard remarks. According to the White House, the family benefitted directly from President’s Recovery Act, with Joe - a small business owner - able to retain two of his employees, and Rhonda able to keep her health insurance despite losing her job last year.

During the nearly 45 minute question and answer session that followed, participants focused mainly on pocketbook issues, such as jobs, social security, healthcare and educational costs.

The President said new infrastructure spending included in the stimulus law, and reforms to the student loan industry included in the healthcare reform law passed earlier this year will hopefully create jobs for those living in the ‘Rust Belt,’ and will ease the process by which college students apply for and pay off loans.

Obama also addressed concerns over the nation’s growing deficit, which is expected to run near $1.47 trillion next year.

“People, consumers, are not going to start spending until they feel a little more confident that the economy’s getting stronger,” he said. The President added that he wants to ensure that measures to lower the deficit do not interfere with economic recovery.

A number of Democrats running for re-election were in attendance today, including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D), who faces a stiff challenge from his opponent, former state Representative John Kasich (R), in his bid for re-election this November. Democratic Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, who is running for U.S. Senate, as well as U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D), who is fighting to keep her seat, were also present.

U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D) did not attend.

Following the stop in Columbus, the President was expected to make remarks at an afternoon fundraising event for Strickland before flying to Miami to help raise money for Florida Democrats tonight.