Obama on the Trail: Delivers Stump Speeches in Maryland, Illinois

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — President Obama made his first public campaign appearances of 2014 Sunday night, appearing at rallies with Maryland gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, where he made impassioned pitches for his economic policies, reprised his 2008 campaign theme of “hope,” and grew animated at times.

“You know who they’re for, and it ain’t you,” Obama said of Republicans, at his Maryland appearance.

“It’s two different visions of America, and it comes down to a simple question: who’s going to fight for your future?” Obama said in Illinois, suggesting GOP politicians “belong in a Mad Men episode.”

Counting various references in both speeches, the president touted more Americans with health care, smaller increases in health-care costs, reduced dependence on foreign oil, a rebounded auto industry, improved reading and math scores, higher graduation rates, less crime and a smaller prison population.

In both speeches, he cited same-sex marriage as a sign of progress and blasted GOP opposition to gender-fair-pay legislation.

The White House has not mentioned any more scheduled campaign stops for the president between now and Election Day. These were two relatively easy states for him to visit: The last time Gallup rated Obama’s state-by-state approval, Maryland ranked third at 57 percent approval, behind only D.C. and Hawaii. His home state of Illinois ranked 12th at 53.7 percent.

The president was briefly heckled in the Maryland appearance by an immigration protestor, who was shouted down by “Obama” chants.

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