President Obama's motorcade pulled out of the Four Seasons Residences around 8:15pm, ending a Tuesday fundraising swing through San Antonio and Austin. At the Austin Music Hall, President Obama said the Republican economic theory doesn't work
"Income and wages for ordinary folks going down, rising inequality, surpluses turned into deficits, culminating in the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes," he told Texans.
As Obama supporters applauded in agreement, a few blocks away at the state capitol, Gov. Rick Perry had a different message.. Asking the president to apologize for his attorney general, who recently called the controversial Texas Voter ID law, a poll tax.
"That's the type of inflammatory rhetoric and racial divisiveness that exhibits everything that is wrong with public discourse today," Perry said.
Obama supporters, including Houston Mayor Annise Parker, says the president doesn't need to apologize.
"I cannot believe anyone would defend putting impediments into the voting process for Americans. We need to put more people in the voting process, not fewer," Parker said.
Even though Texas is considered a Republican state, Obama is expected to generate millions from his one-day fundraising swing. And his supporters say, they don't mind.
"It's unfortunate that it costs so much to run for election. It really shouldn't be that way, but it's reality, and we're happy to support him. He feels at home here," Obama supporter Marvin Hecker said.
Earlier Tuesday
President Barack Obama is working hard in the Lone Star state today. He's here to raise some campaign cash, but Gov. Rick Perry has something else he'd like the president to do.
Obama's made his second stop in Austin Tuesday. He is scheduled to speak at the Austin Music Hall around 6pm.
President Obama's swing through the Lone Star state began in San Antonio. In front of a crowd of a thousand supporters, the president continued to hammer home his health care reform message.
"We don't need another four years of arguments about health care. The Affordable Health Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, was the right thing to do," Obama said.
The president's message got an unexpected echo inside the state capitol, as dozens of members of the Texas Organizing Project, a community group, chanted in front of Perry's office, imploring him to agree to expand Medicaid.
But the governor took a different approach, by asking the president to apologize for Attorney General Eric Holder's recent criticism of the state's voter ID law.
"Perhaps while the President is visiting Texas, he can take a break from big-dollar fundraisers to disavow his attorney general's offensive and incendiary comments regarding our common sense voter identification law," Perry said.
"It's all politics, all politics, he wouldn't say anything positive about Obama," Obama supporter John Bell said.
Outside the Austin Music Hall, where Obama supporters waited to get into Tuesday afternoon's rally, the decidedly partisan crowd said the president doesn't need to apologize for anything.
"He should be against voter ID, it's a terrible law, it's totally discriminatory," Obama supporter Mary Lou Bell said.
It seems both sides are standing firm on their opinions.
Obama has two Austin fundraisers scheduled. The one at the Austin Music Hall is the cheaper one, with tickets selling for $25-$250.
Later Tuesday, Obama is scheduled to attend a much more high-dollar event at the Four Seasons.
