DES MOINES — President Obama said the country has a “long way to go” in repairing and growing its economy, and he pegged education as one of the methods for a rebound.
Obama addressed a crowd of more than 70 community members in Des Moines on Wednesday morning in the first of two “backyard discussions” that included a stop in Virginia.
The discussion covered the role of nearly all aspects of education — K-12 and college — in improving the economy, including “Race to the Top,” a federally funded program that provides money to schools based on competitive performance.
Obama said the alteration of federal student-loan programs for colleges have resulted in a $60 billion savings, which will go back to college students in the form of grants and reduced loan burdens.
The Obama administration has discussed its goals for returning the country to international supremacy when it comes to graduation rates. America is 12th in the world in that category.
“We have the best colleges and universities on earth,” the president said. “It still has the most dynamic entrepreneurial culture on Earth. We’ve got the most productive workers of just about any advanced nation. We still have huge advantages, and people — billions of people around the world would still love the chance to be here.”
He also spoke about the necessity of community colleges in re-educating America’s older generation. While a two-year education is not necessary for people in their 50s, Obama said, a few months in school can help them “retool their skills” for work in industries that are increasingly driven by technology.
While Obama is making education the focal point of the campaign season, experts, such as University of Iowa political-science Associate Professor Cary Covington, are skeptical about the effect of education policy on voters.
“[Education] upgrades the quality of the working force,” Covington said. “On the other hand, it’s not necessarily a big political winner.”
As far as the financial programs aimed at decreasing the burden created by student loans, Covington said they won’t sway votes, but they do have the potential to activate younger voters who have supported Obama in the past.
Jeff and Sandy Hatfield Clubb, residents of Des Moines’ Beaverdale neighborhood, sacrificed the backyard of their Iowa home for the event. They chose their audience members, a combination of relatives and friends as well as administration and students from nearby Drake University, where Sandy Hatfield Clubb is the athletics director.
The small, two-story brick home on 36th Street has an expansive, grassy yard with a concrete driveway that doubles as a basketball court. Officials converted the sun-soaked backyard to an outdoor television set, placing media tables and mismatched lawn chairs among large trees.
The presidential motorcade rolled down the street to the sound of neighbors’ cheers and, after making his way through the home, Obama walked out the back door to a standing ovation.
On Wednesday, Obama fielded pointed questions from audience members about health-care reform and tax cuts for small businesses.
Others inquired about the job outlook for college graduates and war funding.
UI political-science Associate Professor Tim Hagle said one thing Obama and Democrats can gain from a visit to Iowa is its ability to “energize” the voter base, pointing to what he calls an “enthusiasm gap.”
“A lot of independents and Republicans are eager to vote because they’re unhappy with the way things have been going,” he said.