If any doubt remained about how central the state of Ohio is to President Obama's re-election campaign, the sight of Bruce Springsteen and former President Bill Clinton on stage at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma on Thursday made it clear.
"This is the first time in my life I ever got to be the warm-up act for Bruce Springsteen," Clinton told 3,000 cheering Obama supporters. "I am qualified, because I was born in the U.S.A., and unlike one of the candidates for president, I keep all my money here."
Springsteen, who sang solo and played acoustic guitar and harmonica, took a more poetic approach, calling Mitt Romney "our honorable opponent" even as he skewered him as a man who would favor the wealthy.
After opening a seven-song set with "No Surrender," Springsteen said his appearance for Obama grew out of his three decades of writing songs "about the distance between the American dream and American reality."
The rock star said he feared Romney would widen the disparity between the rich and "everyday citizens."
"Right now, there is a fight going on to help make this a fairer and more equitable nation. For me, President Obama is our best choice to get us and keep us moving in the right direction," he wrote. "It's like going on after Elvis," Springsteen said.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
ROMNEY SON TALKS OF TAKING 'A SWING'
The second presidential debate Tuesday was a clash of finger-pointing, interruptions and bitter disagreements. Mitt Romney's eldest son, Tagg, had an especially visceral reaction. He said his instinct was to "jump out of your seat" and "rush down to the debate stage and take a swing" at President Obama.
