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| Barack Obama and Mitt Romney talk economics in Ohio – US politics live | Barack Obama and Mitt Romney talk economics in Ohio – US politics live |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 1.10pm: Interesting: Mitt Romney has moved his speech forward to 1.30pm, to avoid starting five minutes after Obama at 1.45pm today. | |
| #Bracketing 3.0: Romney moves his speech to 1:30, getting ahead of Obama's 1:45 speech | |
| Why? Because the optics – a much smaller crowd for Romney – won't look so bad? Possibly.He'd have been better off waiting half an hour and then doing some proper rebuttal, no? | |
| 1pm: From the Department of Alanis Morrisette-style irony, part one: | |
| Florida Governor Rick Scott knows what it's like to be told that he's not a registered voter. | |
| In a radio interview Thursday, Scott said he was forced to cast a provisional ballot because election officials thought he was dead. | |
| Scott is pushing to have Florida identify and remove non-US citizens from the rolls. He has been defending the push on television and radio. The US Department of Justice has sued to halt the purge. | |
| Reporters kicked out of Romney's talk at the Newseum, a building with a 74-foot-high engraving of the First Amendment. huff.to/Kwrd9g | |
| Dept of Alanis Morrisette-style irony, part two. | |
| In other news: media reporter has sense of humour failure. | |
| 12.35pm: The Republican National Committee's research department sends around a par-for-the-course attack memo ahead of Obama's speech today: | 12.35pm: The Republican National Committee's research department sends around a par-for-the-course attack memo ahead of Obama's speech today: |
| Today, Obama will deliver another "major speech" on the economy with zero new proposals | Today, Obama will deliver another "major speech" on the economy with zero new proposals |
| 49,928: Number Of Words In Obama's Past "Major Speeches" On The Economy. (The White House, Accessed 6/13/12) | 49,928: Number Of Words In Obama's Past "Major Speeches" On The Economy. (The White House, Accessed 6/13/12) |
| 10: Number Of "Major Speeches" Obama Has Made On The Economy. (The White House, Accessed 6/13/12) | 10: Number Of "Major Speeches" Obama Has Made On The Economy. (The White House, Accessed 6/13/12) |
| 0: Number Of New Economic Proposals In Today's "Major" Economic Speech. (Carol Lee and Laura Meckler, "Obama To Revisit Economic Debate," The Wall Street Journal , 6/11/12) | 0: Number Of New Economic Proposals In Today's "Major" Economic Speech. (Carol Lee and Laura Meckler, "Obama To Revisit Economic Debate," The Wall Street Journal , 6/11/12) |
| 12.23pm: Something for both Romney and Obama to talk about in Ohio could be employment – or the lack of it. | 12.23pm: Something for both Romney and Obama to talk about in Ohio could be employment – or the lack of it. |
| Today it was announced that weekly unemployment benefit applications rose 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, with the four-week average rising to 382,000 – the worst for six weeks. | Today it was announced that weekly unemployment benefit applications rose 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, with the four-week average rising to 382,000 – the worst for six weeks. |
| AP reports: | AP reports: |
| Joseph LaVorgna, an economist at Deutsche Bank, said the increase in applications was "slightly disconcerting" but added that more data would be needed to establish a trend. Still, he forecasts that the economy will gain only 75,000 jobs this month. | Joseph LaVorgna, an economist at Deutsche Bank, said the increase in applications was "slightly disconcerting" but added that more data would be needed to establish a trend. Still, he forecasts that the economy will gain only 75,000 jobs this month. |
| 12.10pm: Meanwhile the atmosphere in Ohio is getting tense: | 12.10pm: Meanwhile the atmosphere in Ohio is getting tense: |
| Romney Campaign bus - emblazoned with Romney Campaign logo - is driving around Pres Obama's speech site honking its horn. | Romney Campaign bus - emblazoned with Romney Campaign logo - is driving around Pres Obama's speech site honking its horn. |
| Along these lines of sophisticated campaigning, Mitt Romney's speech may include the devastating "I know you are but what am I?" rebuke to Obama. | Along these lines of sophisticated campaigning, Mitt Romney's speech may include the devastating "I know you are but what am I?" rebuke to Obama. |
| 11.44am: The New York Times's Jeff Zeleny hears Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin offer a few soundbites-worth of advice to Mitt Romney: | 11.44am: The New York Times's Jeff Zeleny hears Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin offer a few soundbites-worth of advice to Mitt Romney: |
| I don't know that voters are there yet with Governor Romney," Mr Walker said on Thursday. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't talk about it, it doesn't mean that he hasn't thought about it, but I think he's got to have a simple message of not only why we need to replace the current occupant in the White House, but also why he would be better. | I don't know that voters are there yet with Governor Romney," Mr Walker said on Thursday. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't talk about it, it doesn't mean that he hasn't thought about it, but I think he's got to have a simple message of not only why we need to replace the current occupant in the White House, but also why he would be better. |
| 11.20am: Americans may not be so angry at former president George Bush that they want to impale his head on a pike – as HBO's Game of Thrones did – but they still blame GWB for the state of the economy, according to a new poll by Gallup: | 11.20am: Americans may not be so angry at former president George Bush that they want to impale his head on a pike – as HBO's Game of Thrones did – but they still blame GWB for the state of the economy, according to a new poll by Gallup: |
| Americans continue to place more blame for the nation's economic problems on George W Bush than on Barack Obama, even though Bush left office more than three years ago. The relative economic blame given to Bush versus Obama today is virtually the same as it was last September. | Americans continue to place more blame for the nation's economic problems on George W Bush than on Barack Obama, even though Bush left office more than three years ago. The relative economic blame given to Bush versus Obama today is virtually the same as it was last September. |
| 11.03am: Business Week has a long, laudatory and nonetheless interesting profile of Jim Messina, the Obama 2012 campaign manager, including Messina's tutorials from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Steve Jobs: | 11.03am: Business Week has a long, laudatory and nonetheless interesting profile of Jim Messina, the Obama 2012 campaign manager, including Messina's tutorials from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Steve Jobs: |
| In two long, private conversations, Steve Jobs tore into Messina for all the White House was doing wrong and what it ought to be doing differently, before going on to explain how the campaign could exploit technology in ways that hadn't been possible before. "Last time you were programming to only a couple of channels," Jobs told him, meaning the Web and email. "This time, you have to program content to a much wider variety of channels — Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Google — because people are segmented in a very different way than they were four years ago." When Obama declared for president, the iPhone hadn't been released. Now, Jobs told him, mobile technology had to be central to the campaign's effort. | In two long, private conversations, Steve Jobs tore into Messina for all the White House was doing wrong and what it ought to be doing differently, before going on to explain how the campaign could exploit technology in ways that hadn't been possible before. "Last time you were programming to only a couple of channels," Jobs told him, meaning the Web and email. "This time, you have to program content to a much wider variety of channels — Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Google — because people are segmented in a very different way than they were four years ago." When Obama declared for president, the iPhone hadn't been released. Now, Jobs told him, mobile technology had to be central to the campaign's effort. |
| 10.30am: The Huffington Post's Jon Ward notes that the latest Romney attack ad "Doing Fine?" is a carbon copy of the ad the Obama campaign used in 2008 attacking John McCain that year: | 10.30am: The Huffington Post's Jon Ward notes that the latest Romney attack ad "Doing Fine?" is a carbon copy of the ad the Obama campaign used in 2008 attacking John McCain that year: |
| In 2008, the Obama ad quoted McCain saying that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong," and ended with: "How can John McCain fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" | In 2008, the Obama ad quoted McCain saying that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong," and ended with: "How can John McCain fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" |
| The Romney ad quotes Obama saying "the private sector is doing fine," and ends with: "How can President Obama fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" | The Romney ad quotes Obama saying "the private sector is doing fine," and ends with: "How can President Obama fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" |
| The Romney campaign even used the same music. | The Romney campaign even used the same music. |
| But as a YouTube commenter on the Romney ad put it: "Screw this blame game bullshit. I'm not voting for either of you." | But as a YouTube commenter on the Romney ad put it: "Screw this blame game bullshit. I'm not voting for either of you." |
| 10.15am: On today's Ohio speechathon between Obama and Romney: | 10.15am: On today's Ohio speechathon between Obama and Romney: |
| Barack Obama: 1.45pm ET – speaks at a campaign event on "two contrasting visions for our economy" at Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus Recreation Centre, intersection of East 30th Street and Community College Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio | Barack Obama: 1.45pm ET – speaks at a campaign event on "two contrasting visions for our economy" at Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus Recreation Centre, intersection of East 30th Street and Community College Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Mitt Romney: 1.50pm ET – "delivers remarks" at Seilkop Industries, 425 West North Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio | Mitt Romney: 1.50pm ET – "delivers remarks" at Seilkop Industries, 425 West North Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| According to Google Maps, the two venues are about 240 miles apart. "It is believed to be the first time in this cycle that both candidates will be in the same state at precisely the same time," says the LA Times. | According to Google Maps, the two venues are about 240 miles apart. "It is believed to be the first time in this cycle that both candidates will be in the same state at precisely the same time," says the LA Times. |
| 9.45am: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama go head to head – in place and time if not in person – this afternoon, with dueling speeches on the US economy in Ohio, a crucial swing state in the 2012 presidential elections. | 9.45am: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama go head to head – in place and time if not in person – this afternoon, with dueling speeches on the US economy in Ohio, a crucial swing state in the 2012 presidential elections. |
| The two men will be speaking almost simultaneously, with Obama starting at 1.45pm and Romney at 1.50pm – although it would have been more sensible for Romney to wait and offer instant rebuttal once Obama had finished. | The two men will be speaking almost simultaneously, with Obama starting at 1.45pm and Romney at 1.50pm – although it would have been more sensible for Romney to wait and offer instant rebuttal once Obama had finished. |
| Here's Ryan Devereaux with a summary of the latest developments: | Here's Ryan Devereaux with a summary of the latest developments: |
| • Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will offer their competing visions of how to fix the economy to voters in Ohio today. The two men will deliver speeches at nearly identical times in the battleground state, with the president appearing at a Cleveland community college and Romney at a manufacturing company in Cincinnati. Their appearances will prefigure the central debate of the 2012 election as Obama attempts to sell people on the notion of a crucial choice between his economic ideas and his challenger's. Romney, meanwhile, will attempt to seize on the nation's slow job growth as a sign of the president's failure and lay out his top priorities for his first 100 days in office. | • Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will offer their competing visions of how to fix the economy to voters in Ohio today. The two men will deliver speeches at nearly identical times in the battleground state, with the president appearing at a Cleveland community college and Romney at a manufacturing company in Cincinnati. Their appearances will prefigure the central debate of the 2012 election as Obama attempts to sell people on the notion of a crucial choice between his economic ideas and his challenger's. Romney, meanwhile, will attempt to seize on the nation's slow job growth as a sign of the president's failure and lay out his top priorities for his first 100 days in office. |
| • Romney launched a new attack ad this morning targeting a gaffe Obama made last week when he said the private sector is "doing fine". The Romney team posits the following questions in the video: ""The private sector is doing fine? How can President Obama fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" | • Romney launched a new attack ad this morning targeting a gaffe Obama made last week when he said the private sector is "doing fine". The Romney team posits the following questions in the video: ""The private sector is doing fine? How can President Obama fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" |
| • Meanwhile, the pro-Obama Super PAC, Priorities USA Action, has launched another ad targeting Romney's tenure at the private equity firm, Bain Capital. With clips of local news coverage and tag line that reads "If Mitt Romney wins, the middle class loses.", the ad makes the case that while "Bain doubled its $10 million investment … workers in New Hampshire lost their jobs as the company consolidated its operations overseas." | • Meanwhile, the pro-Obama Super PAC, Priorities USA Action, has launched another ad targeting Romney's tenure at the private equity firm, Bain Capital. With clips of local news coverage and tag line that reads "If Mitt Romney wins, the middle class loses.", the ad makes the case that while "Bain doubled its $10 million investment … workers in New Hampshire lost their jobs as the company consolidated its operations overseas." |
| • Forbes magazine has revealed billionaire Republican backer, Sheldon Adelson and his wife have already donated $10m to the GOP's leading Super PAC and are willing and able to spend much, much more. According to the article, a well-placed source in the Adelson camp with direct knowledge of the casino billionaire's thinking says that further donations will be "limitless." | • Forbes magazine has revealed billionaire Republican backer, Sheldon Adelson and his wife have already donated $10m to the GOP's leading Super PAC and are willing and able to spend much, much more. According to the article, a well-placed source in the Adelson camp with direct knowledge of the casino billionaire's thinking says that further donations will be "limitless." |
| • A group of fashion industry leaders will gather at the Greenwich Village home of Sarah Jessica Parker tonight to raise money for the president re-election efforts. The occasion will be co-hosted by Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour and will cost $40,000 per plate to attend. The guest list includes some highly notable New York City celebrities, such as era Wang, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Andrew Rosen of Theory and Millard Drexler of J Crew. | • A group of fashion industry leaders will gather at the Greenwich Village home of Sarah Jessica Parker tonight to raise money for the president re-election efforts. The occasion will be co-hosted by Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour and will cost $40,000 per plate to attend. The guest list includes some highly notable New York City celebrities, such as era Wang, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Andrew Rosen of Theory and Millard Drexler of J Crew. |
| • And finally, get ready to set your VCRs or Tivos or whatever because this weekend Mitt Romney is expected to make his first non-Fox News Sunday talk show appearance, by sitting down for CBS News's Face the Nation. | • And finally, get ready to set your VCRs or Tivos or whatever because this weekend Mitt Romney is expected to make his first non-Fox News Sunday talk show appearance, by sitting down for CBS News's Face the Nation. |