Barack Obama is speaking this morning to the Alliance for American Manufacturing in Pittsburgh, PA. (Sen. Clinton will be there later today.) It's a non-partisan, non-profit partnership forged to strengthen manufacturing in the U.S., bringing together a select group of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers.
Here's some of what he's telling them:
You know, there’s been a lot of talk in this campaign lately about who’s "in touch" with the workers of Pennsylvania. Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are singing from the same hymn book, saying that I'm "out of touch" – an "elitist" – because I said a lot of folks are bitter about their economic circumstances.
Now it may be that I chose my words badly. It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last. But when I hear my opponents, both of whom have spent decades in Washington, saying I'm out of touch, it's time to cut through their rhetoric and look at the reality.
After all, you've heard this kind of rhetoric before. Around election time, the candidates can’t do enough for you. They'll "promise you anything, give you a long list of proposals and even come around, with TV crews in tow, to throw back a shot and a beer.
But if those same candidates are taking millions of dollars in contributions from the PACs and lobbyists, ask yourself, who are they going to be toasting once the election is over?
I’m the only candidate who doesn’t take money from corporate PACs and lobbyists, and I’m here to tell you that you can count on me to stand up for you after this election, just as I’ve been standing up for workers all my life. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States.
Senator Clinton and Senator McCain question my respect for the workers of Pennsylvania. Well, let me tell you how I believe you demonstrate your respect. You do it by telling the truth and keeping your word, so folks can know that where you stand today is where you'll stand tomorrow.
I believe that's what they call a "shot across the bow."
Read the whole speech.