Obamas visit Iowa in two separate events
President Barack Obama gives the third State of the Union Address of his administration on the floor of the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. Obama will speak at the University of Iowa Wednesday, April 25, 2012. First lady Michelle Obama will speak at Windsor Heights Tuesday, April 24, 2012.
April 23, 2012
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to visit Iowa this week.
The first lady will be speaking at a town hall meeting at Windsor Heights Community and Events Center in Des Moines on Tuesday.
Doors will open at 3:30 p.m, with the event beginning at 5 p.m.
“It is a town hall style event,” said Ross Kimm, an intern responsible for the Obama for America campaign on the ISU campus and sophomore in finance and political science. “I’m looking forward to hearing what she has to say on many issues that affect Iowans.”
Kimm will be volunteering at the event with seven other ISU College Democrats club members before the event begins. Other members of the club and their adviser, Sue Ravenscroft, will attend the event as audience members later.
“The ISU Dems are planning to attend this event because we, first and foremost, are concerned citizens who want to take part in our democracy,” Kimm said. “Participating in a town hall with Mrs. Obama gives us as both citizens and as a club the chance to ask questions and take part in the decision of things that matter to us as college students, as Iowans, as American citizens.”
President Obama will be speaking at the University of Iowa on Wednesday about a topic concerning rising interest rates on student loans. The speech will be an effort to get members of Congress to prevent student interest rates on loans from doubling in July.
“President Obama’s trip to talk about college tuition and Mrs. Obama’s trip to Des Moines are all part of the reality that in 2012 every state counts and even Iowa with a small number of electoral votes could give Obama a second term or end that run,” said Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science.
Schmidt referred to the multiple visits ranging from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to Vice President Joe Biden as evidence that the “2012 race for the White House has begun.”
Tickets are required in order to get into the president’s speech on Wednesday. The University of Iowa made the tickets available to the public beginning Monday.
