President Barack Obama pounded Mitt Romney Wednesday, accusing him of offering a “sketchy” deal to Americans, as he tried to lock in gains from his fiery second debate with his Republican foe.
Obama hit the campaign trail in Iowa, hours after snap polls handed him a badly needed victory to steady worried Democrats in the debate in Long Island, New York.
The president riffed off past political programs, including Democratic icon Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, to savage Romney’s plans by comparison.
Romney, lacking specifics on how to pay for his tax and deficit plans, is offering Americans a “sketchy deal”, Obama said before a crowd of 2,000 people crammed into a sweaty gym at a liberal arts college in midwestern Iowa.
“You don’t want to invest in that sketchy deal,” Obama said, on a visit designed to drive Democrats to vote early in a county he easily won over Republican John McCain four years ago.
Obama also accused Romney of hiding details of how he would finance his plan for a 20 percent tax cut across the board.
“Usually, when a politician tells you he is going to wait until after the election to explain a plan to you, they don’t have a pleasant surprise in store for you,” Obama said.
The president, with a dash of fake modesty, also referred to his debate performance on Tuesday night, which most analysts say was a huge improvement on his listless showing in the rivals’ first clash two weeks ago.
“I am still working out to get the hang of his thing, debating, but we are working on it, we will keep on improving. I have got one left.”
Obama back on attack in Iowa
