ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Pressing his economic case in an
election year, President Barack Obama came to Michigan on Wednesday to
praise the state’s ongoing effort to raise the minimum wage — and to
accuse Republicans who oppose that step in Michigan and in Congress of
standing in the way of prosperity for millions of Americans.
An
upbeat Obama struck a distinctly partisan tone at the University of
Michigan, a day after his administration received an unexpected burst of
good news when his health care law beat expectations for its first year
of enrollment. Addressing a crowd of about 1,400 in a stadium crowd
that included many students, Obama cracked jokes about his GOP foes as
he touted his plan to raise federal wages to $10.10 per hour.
"You’ve got a choice. You can give America the shaft, or you can give it a raise," Obama said.

At
Obama’s side for his three-hour visit to this Midwest battleground
state was Rep. Gary Peters, a Senate candidate embracing the chance to
appear with the president before voters this year. Some other Democrats
have shied away from Obama amid controversy over his health care plan,
but Peters opted to appear with Obama as the president echoed his State
of the Union affirmation that no American working full time should live
in poverty.
"It would lift millions of people out of poverty right
away," the president said of his proposal. "It would help millions more
work their way out of poverty right away."
Michigan also has an
effort to put a measure on the November ballot to increase the state
minimum wage $7.40 to $10.10 an hour, an initiative that polling shows
is popular among voters who have been hit hard by the economic downturn
in recent years.
Nationally, Obama wants to increase the hourly
minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 as part of an election-year economic
agenda focused on working families. The White House says that would
benefit more than 970,000 workers in Michigan.
The Senate could
vote on a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 as early as next
week. The Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin,
said Wednesday that if Republicans block Democrats’ efforts he would be
open to negotiating a compromise.
One potential compromise could
involve moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins. The Maine lawmaker, who is
facing re-election this year, said she’s talked to senators of both
parties about a smaller minimum wage increase plus renewing tax breaks
for small businesses that buy new equipment or hire veterans. She
declined to provide details and said her plan could change.
"What
we know for certain is $10.10 isn’t going to get through the Senate,
much less the House," she said, referring to the GOP-run chamber. House
leaders have expressed opposition to that proposal. She said the choice
was between trying to craft a bill that might pass, "or do some members
simply want one vote and a political issue?"
On their way to the
campus, Obama and Peters stopped at Zingerman’s Deli, an Ann Arbor
landmark, where they ordered Reuben sandwiches and were served by a
Michigan graduate who makes $9 an hour — a rate above the current
federal minimum wage. "That’s worth celebrating," Obama said.
Peters
could benefit from the publicity that a presidential visit brings,
since he has not been elected statewide and polls show many voters are
unfamiliar with him. Asked whether he was concerned about absorbing
backlash from Obama’s unpopular health care law, Peters stressed the
president’s economic message.
"I’m happy to be with the president.
I work with the president on issues that are important to middle class
families here in Michigan and families who aspire to be in the middle
class," Peters said as Obama prepared to take the stage.
Michigan
voted for Obama in both his presidential campaigns and his bailout of
the auto industry has been popular here. Still, appearing with Obama is
not without risk.
An EPIC/MRA poll of voters in the state taken in
February showed 61 percent of respondents have a negative view of
Obama’s job performance, verses 37 percent positive. The same poll found
Peters and his Republican component separated by just a few points in a
competitive race.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark
Schauer, who supports a higher minimum wage and is challenging incumbent
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, also planned to meet with Obama while he
was in Michigan, his campaign said.
Obama also traveled Wednesday
to his hometown of Chicago for two evening fundraisers benefiting the
Democratic National Committee. The first is a private roundtable
discussion being attended by about 25 supporters who contributed up to
$32,400. The second, at the Lincoln Park home of Obama donors Grace
Tsao-Wu and Craig Freedman, is a dinner reception with about 55
supporters contributing up to $10,000 apiece.
Before returning to
Washington, Obama delivered a hastily arranged statement about the
shooting incident at Fort Hood in Texas. He pledged to get to the bottom
of what happened and lamented that tragedy could strike twice on a base
that in 2009 was the site of the deadliest attack on a domestic
military installation in history.
"We’re heartbroken that something like this might’ve happened again," Obama said.
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Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.
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