After Sandy, Obama surrounds himself in the trappings of the office. The bomber jacket, the plane, and the presidential seal.
President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail Thursday morning with a rally in Green Bay, WI, fresh off touring the damage of Hurricane Sandy, and did all he could to bring that aura of popular presidential leadership back to the campaign trail.
Surrounding himself in the trappings of the presidency after one of the most clearly "presidential" moments of his time in the White House, Obama made a call for national unity — before pivoting to attacks on his Republican opponent.
"Our hearts go out to those who have lost their loved ones," Obama said at the airport rally after bounding down the steps of Air Force One wearing his official bomber jacket.. "We pledge to help those whose lives have been turned upside down."
Saying that in times of trouble "we see America at its best," Obama took a bipartisan tone.
"All the petty differences that consume us in normal times, all seem to melt away," he said. "There are no Democrats or Republicans during a storm — just fellow Americans."
The campaign chose for Obama to deliver his remarks behind the presidential seal — further heightening the contrast with his Republican opponent who packed boxes for storm relief, but was otherwise relegated to obscurity in the wall-to-wall storm coverage.
But midway through his remarks, Obama moved to attacking Mitt Romney.
“Governor Romney has been using all his talents as a salesman to dress up these very same policies that failed our country so badly," Obama said, saying the Republican is trying to cast a return to George W. Bush's policies as change.
