[h=3]By JARED A. FAVOLE[/h]CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Democrats formally convene here Tuesday with the hope of boosting the man they sent to the White House four years ago and eager to push back against Republican criticism that people are worse off now than when President Barack Obama first took office.
Helping to deliver the message for Democrats will be first lady Michelle Obama, who is expected to talk about the president's connection to those struggling in the down-and-out economy and how his actions have strengthened the middle class, according to Democratic talking points.
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Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki, speaking aboard Air Force One en route to a stop in the battleground state of Virginia, told reporters the first lady "knows the president best. She'll speak about the values and experiences that drive him. She'll give a personal, passionate speech."
Other speakers will tout the president's decisions to bail out the auto industry and push new rules on Wall Street, part of an economic vision they say stands in contrast to Mitt Romney. In boosting Mr. Obama's economic stewardship, Democrats will also try to slam Mr. Romney's ideas as the same ones that brought the country to its knees during the worst recession since the Great Depression.
Their job may have gotten harder in the last few days as Republicans seized on comments from Democrats and Mr. Obama himself that they say show the country is worse off because of the president's policies.
"After four years of declining incomes, fewer jobs, skyrocketing prices, and chronic unemployment, it's clear that Americans aren't better off. If President Obama can't even give himself a passing grade, why would the American people give him another four years?" Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.
Ms. Henneberg was referring to comments the president made Monday in an interview with a television station in Colorado.
When asked about the grade he would give himself after 3½ years in the Oval Office, Mr. Obama said, "You know, I would say incomplete…but what I would say is the steps that we have taken in saving the auto industry, in making sure that college is more affordable and investing in clean energy and science and technology and research, those are all the things that we are going to need to grow over the long term."
Ms. Psaki said the president has given that answer before, adding: "What an incomplete means is that there's more work he wants to do. The alternative is to go back to the old playbook of failing policies and failing grades."
Republicans have also jumped on comments from Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, who in a television interview said "no" when asked whether the country was better off than it was four years ago. He said in a later TV appearance that the country was doing better because the U.S. is adding jobs, rather than losing them at a rapid rate, as it was four years ago.
Mr. O'Malley will be taking the podium at the Democrats' convention shortly before Mrs. Obama is scheduled to speak Tuesday night.
Mr. Obama's supporters in the last few days have gone out of their way to say the country is doing better than it was four years ago, albeit not good enough.
"There's so much that has changed in the last four years for the positive, but the fact of the matter is there's still far too many Americans who want to work that are having a hard time finding a job," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president.
Helping to deliver the message for Democrats will be first lady Michelle Obama, who is expected to talk about the president's connection to those struggling in the down-and-out economy and how his actions have strengthened the middle class, according to Democratic talking points.
[h=3]Streaming Updates[/h]
Get the latest news, tweets, photos, video and more on the 2012 election, from the Journal's reporters in Washington and around the nation. Perfect for mobile phones, too.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki, speaking aboard Air Force One en route to a stop in the battleground state of Virginia, told reporters the first lady "knows the president best. She'll speak about the values and experiences that drive him. She'll give a personal, passionate speech."
Other speakers will tout the president's decisions to bail out the auto industry and push new rules on Wall Street, part of an economic vision they say stands in contrast to Mitt Romney. In boosting Mr. Obama's economic stewardship, Democrats will also try to slam Mr. Romney's ideas as the same ones that brought the country to its knees during the worst recession since the Great Depression.
Their job may have gotten harder in the last few days as Republicans seized on comments from Democrats and Mr. Obama himself that they say show the country is worse off because of the president's policies.
"After four years of declining incomes, fewer jobs, skyrocketing prices, and chronic unemployment, it's clear that Americans aren't better off. If President Obama can't even give himself a passing grade, why would the American people give him another four years?" Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.
Ms. Henneberg was referring to comments the president made Monday in an interview with a television station in Colorado.
When asked about the grade he would give himself after 3½ years in the Oval Office, Mr. Obama said, "You know, I would say incomplete…but what I would say is the steps that we have taken in saving the auto industry, in making sure that college is more affordable and investing in clean energy and science and technology and research, those are all the things that we are going to need to grow over the long term."
Ms. Psaki said the president has given that answer before, adding: "What an incomplete means is that there's more work he wants to do. The alternative is to go back to the old playbook of failing policies and failing grades."
Republicans have also jumped on comments from Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, who in a television interview said "no" when asked whether the country was better off than it was four years ago. He said in a later TV appearance that the country was doing better because the U.S. is adding jobs, rather than losing them at a rapid rate, as it was four years ago.
Mr. O'Malley will be taking the podium at the Democrats' convention shortly before Mrs. Obama is scheduled to speak Tuesday night.
Mr. Obama's supporters in the last few days have gone out of their way to say the country is doing better than it was four years ago, albeit not good enough.
"There's so much that has changed in the last four years for the positive, but the fact of the matter is there's still far too many Americans who want to work that are having a hard time finding a job," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president.