Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Damon Political Report

President Obama visits Reno to sell deficit-reduction plan, get early start on 2012 campaign

President Obama

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Barack Obama pauses during a town hall meeting to discuss reducing the national debt, Thursday, April 21, 2011, at ElectraTherm, Inc. in Reno.

Obama in Reno

President Barack Obama gesture during a town hall meeting to discuss reducing the national debt, Thursday, April 21, 2011, at ElectraTherm, Inc. in Reno. Launch slideshow »

Sun Coverage

In his first visit to Northern Nevada since becoming president, Barack Obama delivered his argument on taking a balanced approach to solving the nation’s deficit while protecting funding for education, infrastructure and Medicare.

The visit, one of three in his campaign-like swing through the West to sell his plan to trim $4 trillion in debt over a decade, signaled Obama’s intention to preserve Nevada as a battleground in his re-election efforts.

In his hour-long appearance, Obama focused on infrastructure investment, renewable energy and education. But he spoke mostly in generalities about his 10-year plan on the deficit, largely skipping over the details on how he would cut both domestic and national defense spending.

“The bottom line is this: if we don’t close our deficit, if we don’t start reducing our debt, if we don’t get our finances in the medium and long-term under control, it’s going to cause serious damage to our economy,” Obama said.

Obama spoke before an invitation-crowd of about 500 people at ElectraTherm, a Reno-based renewable energy company.

Click to enlarge photo

President Barack Obama arrives in Reno, Thursday, April 21, 2011. The president plans to speak at an invitation-only town hall meeting at the offices of ElectraTherm, a small renewable energy company based in Reno.

In response to a question from a Nevada college student about pending higher education cuts, Obama said he recognized Nevada has fared worse than many other states in the recession.

He touted his economic stimulus, which helped Nevada two years ago avoid some of the more painful cuts to education and other services. But he offered little other than advice to Nevada lawmakers—many of whom attended the speech—contending with the hole left by that disappearing money.

“I recognize a state like Nevada has to make tough choices,” he said. “But I think it is very important, when making those choices, not to be shortsighted.

“Ultimately, we have to make sure we’re not cutting education unnecessarily,” he added. “In some cases revenue is going to be necessary.”

After the acknowledgment on “revenue,” Obama quickly launched into a riff on this year’s tax cut passed by Congress.

In response to a question on energy, Obama skipped an opportunity to speak out against the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, which he campaigned heavily against three years ago.

“Nuclear doesn’t produce green house gasses, but there are problems in terms of storing waste,” he said. “Obviously, we’re heartbroken about what’s happening in Japan and that’s raising questions about existing storage mechanisms. I know, obviously, there’s a big debate in Nevada about Yucca Mountain.

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