President Obama has landed in Philadelphia and is on his way to the Society Hill Sheraton, where Thursday night he will give the keynote address to House Democrats who have gathered there for a strategy session.
Obama is expected to focus on his latest budget, in which he will call for reversing automatic spending cuts that took effect in 2013, and spending more on programs that would invest in manufacturing, rebuilding infrastructure and medical research. The White House has painted these plans as a way to end "arbitrary" cuts that harm the economy and military and invest in proposals that will aid the middle class.
Gov. Wolf and Mayor Nutter greeted Obama as he deplaned, but protesters opposing the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline were waiting at the Sheraton. A bill to approve the plan won approval in the Senate Thursday, but Obama has vowed to veto the bill as he awaits further review. Opponents here were stationed behind a barricade. One had a sign reading: "Keep Tar Sands in the Ground."
Obama's speech comes as Democrats meeting in the city have pledged to focus on middle class economics and the worries of average Americans over the next two years as they try to rebound from sweeping losses in November's elections.
Much of what the party's House leaders have said here in Philadelphia sounded familiar to themes they touted in campaigns last year. The difference, they insisted, is that they will focus more intently on the middle class, and not allow their campaigns and policy proposals to be muddled with other issues.
U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D., N.Y.), House Democrats' top messaging man, said their three themes for the year will be "the middle class, middle class and middle class."
Republicans, however, said voters already rejected Democratic proposals in November when they turned the Senate over to the GOP and gave the party its largest House majority in more than 80 years.
"President Obama and Washington Democrats, they're not hearing what we have to say," said Renee Amoore, deputy chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. "Instead, they keep supporting the same old policies that will grow our government instead of the economy."
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