Wisconsin Prepping For Biggest Obama Rally Since ’08

The New York Times reports today that President Barack Obama’s campaign event tomorrow in Madison, Wisconsin will rival the ones he headlined during the 2008 campaign.

According to  Democratic source, “The event would be the biggest political rally since the end of the campaign and is meant to recapture “some of the old excitement and energy from the 2008 campaign that was so essential to Obama’s and Democrats’ success.”

Obama Calls GOP ‘Pledge’ A Joke

Toward the end of a live interview this morning with ‘Today Show’ host Matt Lauer, President Barack Obama responded to a new plan put out last week by House Republicans.

“What I’m seeing out of the Republican leadership over the last several years has been a set of policies that are just irresponsible,” Obama said. “And we saw in their ‘Pledge to America’ a similar set of irresponsible policies.”

The ‘Pledge,’ an outline of policies Republicans would attempt to implement should their party win back Congress this fall, was met with a fair amount of skepticism last week, even by some Republicans, who called the document heavy on rhetoric but light on details.

Republicans, said Obama, “say they want to balance the budget…they propose $4 trillion worth of tax cuts and $16 billion in spending cuts, and then they say we’re going to somehow magically balance the budget. That’s not a serious approach.”

Specter Would Rather Not Comment On Sestak

When asked today what he thought of Rep. Joe Sestak’s (D-Pa.) campaign to replace him in the Senate, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) didn’t have much to say.

“I’m late for the squash court so I’m gonna defer that to when I can answer in one spot.” When pressed on the matter, Specter paused before replying, “Ah, I’m late for the squash court.”

Specter was in Philadelphia this afternoon to greet President Barack Obama, who will appear at two fundraising events for Sestak this evening. Sestak, who faces conservative Republican Pat Toomey in November, is one of only a handful of Democratic candidates who are embracing Obama this campaign season.

A new poll out today shows Sestak trailing Toomey by a nearly double digit margin.

The White House endorsed Specter over Sestak in the primary, but insiders say the relationship between Obama and the Senate hopeful is now strong. Earlier this summer, Sestak famously alleged that the administration offered him a job to keep him from running against the 80-year-old Specter…

Obama: Poverty Rate Would've Been Even Higher Without My Policies

The White House released a statement from President Barack Obama today in response to a new Census Bureau report showing that U.S. poverty levels increased remarkably in 2009.

In the statement, Obama said his administration should be credited for taking steps last year to ensure that the historically high poverty figures did not grow even larger.

“Because of the Recovery Act and many other programs providing tax relief and income support to a majority of working families – and especially those most in need – millions of Americans were kept out of poverty last year,” the president said. “The substantial expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) helped inoculate our children from the economic distress experienced by their parents, as there was little change in the percentage of children without health insurance.”

“The Affordable Care Act will build on that success by expanding health insurance coverage to more families,” Obama added.

Obama To Give Back-To-School Speech

This afternoon, President Obama is traveling to Philadelphia, PA,  to deliver his second annual Back-to-School Speech at Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School.  According to the White House, this gives the president an opportunity to speak directly to students across the country.  Last year, President Obama encouraged students to study hard, stay in school, and take responsibility for their education. 

Today’s audience will be approximately 600 students and faculty from the Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School. The White House also expects the following elected officials to participate in today’s event: Governor Ed Rendell, Mayor Mike Nutter, Philadelphia, U.S. Representatives Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah, and Allyson Schwartz.