[h=3]By PATRICK O'CONNOR and CAROL E. LEE[/h]
Getty ImagesPresident Obama greeted supporters during a campaign rally Saturday in Milwaukee, where he also attended two fundraising events.
Mitt Romney will pick up the pace of his campaigning this week and stress policy proposals that he believes would put more Americans back to work, such as cracking down on Chinese trade practices, pursuing more free-trade agreements and increasing domestic oil and gas production.
The approach, which focuses on the practical implications of Mr. Romney's policies, comes as other Republicans are urging the GOP presidential nominee to take the fight more assertively to President Barack Obama and be more specific about his plans to boost the economy.
In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin said he wanted "to see more passion" and "enthusiasm" from Mr. Romney. "I want to see fire in the belly," said Mr. Walker, whose state has become an unexpected battleground in the presidential race amid a rise in Republican support.
"I've said it all along to Mitt Romney: If he wants to win Wisconsin, he's got to show people that the 'R' next to his name doesn't just stand for 'Republican,' it stands for 'reformer,' " Mr. Walker told Fox News.
Mr. Obama, in remarks aimed at audiences both at home and abroad, will use a speech Monday to the United Nations General Assembly to stress his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, a White House official said. He also is likely to condemn the video that spawned recent uprisings in Africa and the Middle East, as well as the violence that resulted from those protests. And he likely will argue that democratic changes in those regions must go beyond the voting, to include respect for women's rights and freedom of speech, the official said. The president has drawn criticism from Republicans for his schedule during his two-day visit to New York. Mr. Obama isn't meeting with other world leaders but will appear on the daytime talk show "The View" and will deliver remarks at the Clinton Global InitiativeThe president will round out the week with campaign stops in Ohio and Virginia before flying to Nevada for a few days of debate preparations.
Trailing in most polls of battleground states, Mr. Romney embarks on his busiest week of campaigning since August's Republican convention. He is in the middle of two days of events in Colorado before heading east for a speech in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative, then appearances in Ohio as part of a bus tour of the state.
In its latest bid to re-energize the campaign, the Romney camp has begun rolling out messages tailored to key groups in individual states, offering a housing plan in Nevada, where foreclosures have been high, and saying in Florida that Mr. Obama is undermining the space program, which is important to the state's economy. Mr. Romney has run ads aimed at raising doubts about Mr. Obama's energy policy in coal-rich parts of Ohio and Virginia. Aides said that effort will continue in coming weeks.
Over the weekend, the Romney campaign also released an ad questioning Mr. Obama's leadership in Washington. The spot refers to an incident, reported by Bob Woodward, in which House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi hit the mute button during a call between the president and congressional Democrats. In the commercial, the narrator asks, "If he cannot lead his own party, how can he lead America?"
Ms. Pelosi has said the incident never happened.
This week, the Obama campaign will seek to highlight Mr. Romney's past opposition to a trade complaint the administration filed against China on tires, citing Mr. Romney's position in his book "No Apology," and seeking to counter expected attacks on Mr. Obama about China and trade. The campaign also plans a memo highlighting Mr. Romney's personal investments in China, accusing him of hypocrisy.
The Romney camp last night said, "Just like he has on so many other issues, President Obama is leading from behind on taking on China."
The Obama campaign also plans to track Mr. Romney's Ohio tour with a new TV ad that highlights his secretly recorded comments about the 47% of citizens who Mr. Romney said pay no federal income taxes. The ad will run in the markets that Mr. Romney plans to visit.
"Mitt Romney attacked 47% of Americans who paid no income taxes, including veterans, elderly, the disabled," the announcer says. It then shows Mr. Romney saying, "My job is not to worry about those people."
Mr. Romney was talking about his job as a candidate in winning votes. The ad suggests he was making a broader point. "Doesn't the president have to worry about everyone?" it asks.
"The president's campaign has focused its advertising in many cases on very inaccurate portrayals of my positions," Mr. Romney said on his campaign plane Sunday. "They've been very aggressive in their attacks both on a personal basis and on a policy basis."
Despite his slide in public polls and the uproar over his remarks about 47% of the country, Mr. Romney remains upbeat in public. In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" to air Sunday, Mr. Romney said his campaign "doesn't need a turnaround." We've got a campaign which is tied with an incumbent president of the United States."
But a Romney donor acknowledged angst as he introduced the nominee at an event in Los Angeles over the weekend. "I know you are probably feeling a bit worried," Tom Tellefsen, chairman of Mr. Romney's fundraising efforts in California, told more than a thousand donors at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. "So, I wanted to share some thoughts with you tonight.…Polls are not elections. The voters have not yet spoken."
The Republican nominee claimed responsibility for the latest flap that has dogged his campaign, telling the CBS show, "I've got a very effective campaign. It's doing a very good job. But not everything I say is elegant."
Mr. Romney will curtail his heavy slate of fundraising toward the end of the month, but he will continue to focus on preparation for the first of three presidential debates as he campaigns more vigorously. At a fundraiser earlier in the day in San Diego, near where Mr. Romney owns a beachside home, the Republican nominee joked about the breakneck pace of his campaign, telling hundreds of donors that a number of his grandchildren and daughters-in-law were in attendance because this would be one of their only chances to see "Papa," as he crisscrosses the country.
"I'm not even going to be able to go home today," he told hundreds of donors at the Grand Del Mar hotel, referring to his residence in nearby La Jolla. "We're just coming to town to see you and keep the campaign going. It's nonstop."
—Sara Murray and Laura Meckler contributed to this article.Write to Carol E. Lee at [email protected]
Mitt Romney will pick up the pace of his campaigning this week and stress policy proposals that he believes would put more Americans back to work, such as cracking down on Chinese trade practices, pursuing more free-trade agreements and increasing domestic oil and gas production.
The approach, which focuses on the practical implications of Mr. Romney's policies, comes as other Republicans are urging the GOP presidential nominee to take the fight more assertively to President Barack Obama and be more specific about his plans to boost the economy.
In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin said he wanted "to see more passion" and "enthusiasm" from Mr. Romney. "I want to see fire in the belly," said Mr. Walker, whose state has become an unexpected battleground in the presidential race amid a rise in Republican support.
"I've said it all along to Mitt Romney: If he wants to win Wisconsin, he's got to show people that the 'R' next to his name doesn't just stand for 'Republican,' it stands for 'reformer,' " Mr. Walker told Fox News.
Mr. Obama, in remarks aimed at audiences both at home and abroad, will use a speech Monday to the United Nations General Assembly to stress his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, a White House official said. He also is likely to condemn the video that spawned recent uprisings in Africa and the Middle East, as well as the violence that resulted from those protests. And he likely will argue that democratic changes in those regions must go beyond the voting, to include respect for women's rights and freedom of speech, the official said. The president has drawn criticism from Republicans for his schedule during his two-day visit to New York. Mr. Obama isn't meeting with other world leaders but will appear on the daytime talk show "The View" and will deliver remarks at the Clinton Global InitiativeThe president will round out the week with campaign stops in Ohio and Virginia before flying to Nevada for a few days of debate preparations.
Trailing in most polls of battleground states, Mr. Romney embarks on his busiest week of campaigning since August's Republican convention. He is in the middle of two days of events in Colorado before heading east for a speech in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative, then appearances in Ohio as part of a bus tour of the state.
In its latest bid to re-energize the campaign, the Romney camp has begun rolling out messages tailored to key groups in individual states, offering a housing plan in Nevada, where foreclosures have been high, and saying in Florida that Mr. Obama is undermining the space program, which is important to the state's economy. Mr. Romney has run ads aimed at raising doubts about Mr. Obama's energy policy in coal-rich parts of Ohio and Virginia. Aides said that effort will continue in coming weeks.
Over the weekend, the Romney campaign also released an ad questioning Mr. Obama's leadership in Washington. The spot refers to an incident, reported by Bob Woodward, in which House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi hit the mute button during a call between the president and congressional Democrats. In the commercial, the narrator asks, "If he cannot lead his own party, how can he lead America?"
Ms. Pelosi has said the incident never happened.
This week, the Obama campaign will seek to highlight Mr. Romney's past opposition to a trade complaint the administration filed against China on tires, citing Mr. Romney's position in his book "No Apology," and seeking to counter expected attacks on Mr. Obama about China and trade. The campaign also plans a memo highlighting Mr. Romney's personal investments in China, accusing him of hypocrisy.
The Romney camp last night said, "Just like he has on so many other issues, President Obama is leading from behind on taking on China."
The Obama campaign also plans to track Mr. Romney's Ohio tour with a new TV ad that highlights his secretly recorded comments about the 47% of citizens who Mr. Romney said pay no federal income taxes. The ad will run in the markets that Mr. Romney plans to visit.
"Mitt Romney attacked 47% of Americans who paid no income taxes, including veterans, elderly, the disabled," the announcer says. It then shows Mr. Romney saying, "My job is not to worry about those people."
Mr. Romney was talking about his job as a candidate in winning votes. The ad suggests he was making a broader point. "Doesn't the president have to worry about everyone?" it asks.
"The president's campaign has focused its advertising in many cases on very inaccurate portrayals of my positions," Mr. Romney said on his campaign plane Sunday. "They've been very aggressive in their attacks both on a personal basis and on a policy basis."
Despite his slide in public polls and the uproar over his remarks about 47% of the country, Mr. Romney remains upbeat in public. In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" to air Sunday, Mr. Romney said his campaign "doesn't need a turnaround." We've got a campaign which is tied with an incumbent president of the United States."
But a Romney donor acknowledged angst as he introduced the nominee at an event in Los Angeles over the weekend. "I know you are probably feeling a bit worried," Tom Tellefsen, chairman of Mr. Romney's fundraising efforts in California, told more than a thousand donors at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. "So, I wanted to share some thoughts with you tonight.…Polls are not elections. The voters have not yet spoken."
The Republican nominee claimed responsibility for the latest flap that has dogged his campaign, telling the CBS show, "I've got a very effective campaign. It's doing a very good job. But not everything I say is elegant."
Mr. Romney will curtail his heavy slate of fundraising toward the end of the month, but he will continue to focus on preparation for the first of three presidential debates as he campaigns more vigorously. At a fundraiser earlier in the day in San Diego, near where Mr. Romney owns a beachside home, the Republican nominee joked about the breakneck pace of his campaign, telling hundreds of donors that a number of his grandchildren and daughters-in-law were in attendance because this would be one of their only chances to see "Papa," as he crisscrosses the country.
"I'm not even going to be able to go home today," he told hundreds of donors at the Grand Del Mar hotel, referring to his residence in nearby La Jolla. "We're just coming to town to see you and keep the campaign going. It's nonstop."
—Sara Murray and Laura Meckler contributed to this article.Write to Carol E. Lee at [email protected]