LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama campaigned for her husband Tuesday in northern Virginia, saying that "cutting Sesame Street is no way to balance the budget."
Mrs. Obama spoke to more than 800 supporters at the Loudoun County fairgrounds. Her remark about "Sesame Street" was an indirect swipe at Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who said at last week's debate that he'd cut funding for public broadcasting.
In her speech Mrs. Obama said that "we believe in an America where we all understand that none of us gets where we are on our own" and that "when one of us falls on hard times, we don't tell them, 'Tough luck.'"
During the speech, a few in attendance fell, literally. She interrupted her speech twice to request water for people who wilted during her remarks. Those in attendance stood for hours before her arrival, much of the time packed together under bright lights in a 4-H arena.
The first lady said her husband "inherited an economy in rapid decline" and that "instead of pointing fingers or placing blame, your president got to work." She highlighted the most recent unemployment figures, which showed the first drop under 8 percent in more than three years.
Loudoun County, a battleground in Virginia, has seen visits from Ann Romney and from the president. Obama won the fast-growing, affluent county on the outskirts of the D.C. metro region four years ago as he became the first Democrat to carry Virginia since 1964. But in 2009, the county reverted back to the Republican column, going big for Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Mrs. Obama during the speech also urged her supporters to register to vote and to get others registered. Monday is the deadline in Virginia for voters to register in time to vote in the presidential election.
Tuesday afternoon at the Loudoun County fairgrounds for a campaign rally that will focus in part on encouraging voters to register in advance of the state's Monday deadline.
