WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush should be prepared to explain Ohio job losses when he visits the crucial political state on Labor Day, Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown said.
"If I had George Bush's economic record, I'd stay in Camp David on Labor Day," Brown said Tuesday after the White House announced the president's visit. "He's coming to one of the biggest job losses centers in the country."
Bush will deliver a morning speech in Richfield, about 17 miles south of Cleveland, and leave for Washington, D.C., in the afternoon, said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.
The exact location of the speech, and the topic, have not been released, but Stanzel said the theme likely will be similar to past Labor Day speeches.
"The president, on past Labor Days, has spoken about the contributions that working Americans have made to this country," Stanzel said.
The announcement of Bush's trip prompted Democrats to challenge his economic and free trade policies that they say have led to massive job losses, especially in northeast Ohio.
Brown, a Democrat who represents Richfield in northern Summit County, said the 200,000 people who have lost jobs in Ohio since Bush took office deserve an explanation.
Ohio's manufacturing sector has been hit hard during the recession, and Ohio Democratic Reps. Brown, Marcy Kaptur, Ted Strickland and Stephanie Tubbs Jones say the Bush administration's push for more free trade agreements will worsen the job situation.
"Given that the trade deficit is 10 times what it was 10 years ago, why does he want to expand NAFTA to all of Latin America?" Brown asked.
The Sept. 1 visit will be the president's 11th trip to Ohio since taking office. It's not expected to be connected to a political fund-raiser, campaign spokesman Dan Ronayne said.
Still, Ohio is important to the president's chances of re-election. It delivered more electoral votes to Bush than any state other than Texas and Florida in 2000.
"The president carried Ohio, but it was closer than many people expected," said Herb Asher, an Ohio State University political science professor who has studied state politics for more than 30 years.
"So Ohio is a key part of his winning coalition," Asher said. "It's very, very critical to his re-election."
Bush was last in Ohio on July 4 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight. He was in North Canton on April 24 to speak at the Timken Co. research center about his tax cut proposal. Also on that trip, Bush praised soldiers overseas and defense workers at home during a stop at the Lima Army Tank Plant.
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