14,000 turn out for Obama in Athens, Ohio

ATHENS, Ohio -- President Barack Obama wasted little time heading for two battleground states today in hopes of taking advantage of any momentum he hopes he generated in Tuesday's debate.

Before an estimated crowd of 14,000 on the grounds of Ohio University, Mr. Obama set out to take advantage of what he perceived as weaknesses in Republican Mitt Romney's debate performance on women's rights, tax cuts, and foreign policy.

Talking about opportunities for a college education, he mocked Mr. Romney's statement during the debate that he ordered “binders” of potential female candidates to fill posts in his administration when he was governor of Massachusetts.

“We want our sons, but we also want our daughters,'' Mr. Obama said. “I don't know if you were listening last night, but, see, we don't have to order up some binders to find qualified, talented women—young women...And when the young women graduate, we should make a very simple concept the rule—equal pay for equal work...I've got two daughters. I don't want them paid less than a man for doing the same job. And by the way, men out there, you don't want your wife paid less than a man for the same job. So this isn't just a women's issue This is a family issue.'

Athens County is extremely friendly territory for Mr. Obama in the heart of rural southeast Ohio where the President needs to blunt expected rural support for Mr. Romney. Mr. Obama captured 68 percent of the Athens County vote in 2008, but Republican John McCain carried nearly every all of the adjacent counties, in some cases by large margins.

http://m2.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/10/17/President-Obama-marks-16th-visit-to-Ohio-this-year-with-first-trip-to-Athens.html

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