Thousands gathered on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence to hear President Obama speak today (THUR).
He referenced his family’s connection to Kansas while pitching his plan for more affordable child care. Obama wants to increase funding for child care programs and increase the tax credit for parents with kids in daycare.
He used the example of his grandmother to make his case. She used government subsidized child care while working in a Wichita bomber assembly plant during WWII.
“So the point is, if we knew how to do this back in 1943 and 44, and here we are in 2015, what’s the holdup?” says Obama.
Obama said his Kansas connections helped him in the state in the 2008 presidential caucus, but he contrasted himself with KU basketball coach Bill Self when talking about his general election performance.
“Coach Self won 10 straight, I lost two straight here. But that’s OK,” says Obama.
Obama poinst out that he did better in Lawrence than in the state, overall.
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(VERSION TWO)
President Barack Obama continued his tour following the State of the Union address with a stop in Kansas. Obama spoke to a crowd of thousands at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. As Kansas Public Radio’s Stephen Koranda reports, Obama spoke about what he calls “middle-class economics.”
(SCRIPT)
Obama is proposing more funding for child care programs as well as increased tax credits for parents who send children to daycare. He touted the long-term benefits quality programs offer kids and the economy.
He said subsidized child care was available for his grandmother when she worked in a bomber plant in Wichita during WWII.
“It is time that we stop treating child care as a side issue or a ‘women’s issue.” This is a family issue, this is a national economic priority for all of us,” says Obama.
Obama tailored his message for the many young people in the crowd saying his plans could help young parents paying for daycare and student loans.