Barack Obama and Joe Biden particpate in an economic "town hall meeting" in Toledo. (Photo by J. Oliphant)
by James Oliphant
TOLEDO, Ohio--Standing atop a downtown building in a city that represents the decline of America's industrial economy, Barack Obama continued Sunday to pound away on economic issues, sketching in broad strokes a plan he said would create jobs and enhance American competitiveness.
Speaking at a small-scale event at the city's public library, Obama engaged in a give-and-take with a select crowd of invitees. One theme that quickly emerged was the United States' ability to compete with rising global powerhouses China and India.
The Democratic presidential candidate linked global competition to improving American education.
"We're going to make sure every child in America has a world-class education," Obama said. "We can't compete against China and India when they're producing more engineers than we are."
He also spoke of the need to increase investment in basic research. Obama was joined in Toledo by his vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden, who added that the refusal to invest in infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports, had damaged the ability of American companies to deliver goods and services.
It may seem a stretch to connect competing with China to better parenting, but Obama made the leap. He repeated his assertion that improving education alone won't be effective unless parents take a more active role in the lives of their children.
"You walk into the classrooms in China, all those kids are paying attention," Obama said. "If parents don't parent and turn off the TV set and instill in their child a thirst for knowledge, we will not succeed."
He also called for increased enforcement of international trade agreements, saying that China needed to be prevented from stealing the U.S.' intellectual property.
Obama also took what probably was his first public swipe at GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, saying that she didn't believe in equal pay for women, and suggesting a new line of attack in an effort to prevent the McCain camp from drawing Hillary Clinton supporters.
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