OSAWATOMIE, Kan. – President Obama brought a message of economic populism to the town of Osawatomie, Kansas Tuesday, delivering a speech that was well-received by an audience who endured bone-cold conditions to get in.
Obama, invoking Teddy Roosevelt, called for fair economic policies. The president reiterated that the wealthiest Americans should pay their “fair share” and that this involved raising tax rates on the richest.
He also had tough words for Republicans about efforts to obstruct the mission of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which was created last year when Congress passed a financial reform bill.
“I want you to hear me Kansas; I will veto any effort to delay, defund or dismantle the new rules we put in place,” Obama said.
At times, Obama’s language was similar to the vocabulary of the Occupy Movement. With a row of American and Kansas flags behind him and a crowded high school gymnasium in front of him, the president framed fairness in the context of the wealthiest one percent of Americans, citing statistics that show a typical CEO now earns 110 times the wages of a typical worker.
“Inequality also distorts our democracy,” Obama said. “It runs the risk of selling out our democracy to the highest bidder.”
At its very worst, inequality creates a future where children born into poverty are less capable of climbing into the middle class, Obama said, but that a different vision of the future was possible.
“The world is shifting to an innovation economy and no one does innovation better than America,” Obama said.
The president emphasized the importance of education, noting that the unemployment rate for college graduates is about half the national average.
“We should be a country where everyone has a chance to go and doesn’t rack up $100,000 of debt,” Obama said, in a line that drew a standing ovation.
Along with education, research and investment in infrastructure is important to creating a better America, Obama said.
The speech, which lasted a little under an hour, was well-attended, with hundreds packing into the Osawatomie High School gym. Dozens of television cameras peppered the back of the gym, and journalists stood along the right side, notebooks and cameras in hand.
The audience, appearing comprised primarily of supporters, gave the president several standing ovations and numerous applause lines. Obama was not heckled during the speech.
Several U. Kansas students were also in attendance. Chris Weber, a senior from Princeton, Kan., came to Osawatomie on Sunday for tickets before coming back Tuesday for the speech. He was not disappointed.
“He had a lot of good stuff to say, there were a few jabs at the Republicans though; it was good,” Weber said.
Matt Visser, a junior from Leavenworth, came with Weber. Visser, who held notes that he took during the speech, said that he expected to hear about broad policies that Obama could put into place, but that he really enjoyed the president’s message of fair play.
Visser is a supporter of Obama, but had not volunteered for the campaign.
“I probably will this coming year, though,” he said.