President Barack Obama took aim at Republicans and delivered a sweeping indictment of economic inequality in the U.S. today as he pledged to fight for fairness for the middle class.
Only a month before GOP voters begin choosing a presidential nominee, Obama traveled to small-town Osawatomie, Kansas, invoking big themes of economic fairness, similar to ones once delivered by former President Theodore Roosevelt in this same rural town southwest of Kansas City.
Obama warned of the unraveling of the American dream, and called for giving struggling middle-class workers a fair shake and restoring financial security -- themes he's certain to return to throughout the 2012 campaign.
"This isn't just another political debate. This is the defining issue of our time. This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and all those who are fighting to get into the middle class," Obama told a crowd in the Osawatomie High School gym.
Ed Schultz sounded the alarm about economic inequality months ago and is getting ready to offer his take on the president's speech. He'll have extended coverage with reaction and analysis from U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), msnbc Political Analyst Jonathan Alter and author Thomas Frank ("Pity The Billionaire").
Join Ed tonight at 8p/11pET on msnbc!