The two major-party presidential candidates held rallies yesterday in Iowa’s key Republican and Democratic strongholds. Mitt Romney was in Sioux County, which has voted more than 80 percent Republican in past presidential elections. Barack Obama and Joe Biden were in Johnson County, which has delivered big margins to Democrats who won close statewide elections in the past.

Romney’s rally was on the Northwestern College campus in Orange City. According to a friend who attended this school during the Reagan years, you won’t find a more conservative campus the state. Students gave the Republican candidate a warm welcome as he told them, “America is about to come roaring back.” Bret Hayworth covered the event for the Sioux City Journal.

Campaign aides estimated the gym and overflow crowd at 3,500.

Romney gave a five-point plan on how he would improve the nation’s business climate in order to create 12 million jobs. His plan included more foreign trade agreements, reducing the federal debt level (he called the $16 trillion in debt “morally wrong”) and improving worker skills through a better educational system.

“The teachers union, they are going to have to go behind,” he said, drawing applause.

Romney said that his plan to use all domestic energy supplies, including oil from the Gulf of Mexico, will create millions of jobs. He also pledged to ensure that federal regulations will encourage businesses to thrive and to reduce the taxation level on small businesses, so owners can plow earnings back into the business.

“I don’t want to transform America into Europe. I don’t want a bigger and bigger government, more and more intrusive, telling us how to live our lives. I instead want a government which encourages individual initiative and freedom,” the former Massachusetts governor said.

Radio Iowa posted highlights from Romney’s stump speech, and the Sioux City Journal posted video clips. He slammed Obama for breaking promises, such as failing to raise family incomes or keep unemployment below 8 percent even though Congress approved his stimulus bill. Romney warned the mostly student audience about the national debt (my transcript):

I want to you ask this question: who is dedicated to making sure we don’t pass on trillion dollars in debt to you? I am. My party is. We’re absolutely committed to making sure you’re able to live the American dream. The other party will promise you lots of free stuff. But then ask them, “How are they paying for it?” And they say, “Oh, we’re borrowing money from China to do that.” And guess who’s gonna pay the interest on that? Guess who’s gonna pay the interest on that? Guess who’s gonna pay it back all their lives? You are!

Look, I want, I want the young–I see a sign up there “16 trillion debt.” Thanks for making that. Thanks for reminding us. By the way, Governor Branstad and I, we won’t be paying that back, you see. We’ll both be gone when that’s paid back. You guys will be paying for that. You’re gonna pay the interest on it. You’re gonna pay the interest, and it’s gonna get larger and larger till that interest swamps even more than our total defense budget.

Before Romney spoke, several well-known Republicans warmed up the crowd, including Representative Steve King, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman A. J. Spiker, and Governor Terry Branstad. The Sioux City Journal posted clips from the early speakers here. The Des Moines Register quoted King:

“Don’t doubt this man’s faith. Don’t doubt his convictions,” King, an Iowa congressman who is unflaggingly popular in this deeply religious and Republican corner of the state, said at a Romney campaign rally Friday.

“Do not doubt his patriotism or his faith and his love for Jesus Christ our savior,” he told a crowd of about 2,600 in basketball gym at Northwestern College, a site where now-first lady Michelle Obama campaigned in 2008.

King was answered with whistles, cheers and loud applause.

Hey, it’s the least King could do, given the way he left Romney hanging, with “bewildered” staff, shortly before the 2008 Iowa caucuses.

Romney returned the favor during the rally, telling the crowd, “I’m looking here at Steve King, and he needs to be your congressman again. I want him as my partner in Washington.” I didn’t see this comment as big news. Obviously the Republican presidential nominee supports all of his party’s Congressional candidates. Romney needs heavy Republican turnout in northwest Iowa to win statewide. He didn’t win most of those counties in the Iowa caucuses.

However, Romney’s “endorsement” of King caught the attention of national reporters covering the presidential race. Ben Smith of Buzzfeed was stunned: “Trying to think of Dem equivalent of September Steve King endorsement. Obama stumping with Charlie Rangel?” Chuck Todd of MSNBC commented, “Spanish language news channels will cover this. Head scratcher”

The Obama campaign tried to capitalize on Romney’s remarks in a written statement.

“And, if his speech today praising Rep. Steve King – who has questioned whether women get pregnant from rape and incest and said hateful things about immigrants – is any indication, we know he wouldn’t stand up to the most strident voices in his party. Bringing back the failed policies that crashed the economy and pandering to the most extreme voices in his party isn’t a recipe for strength and it won’t move us forward.”

Side note: Bleeding Heartland will post a roundup of news on the IA-04 race between King and Christie Vilsack early next week. Both candidates have television advertisements running in the district. They debated on WHO radio Thursday night and hold their second debate at the Clay County fair today.

Back to the presidential race. Yesterday Barack and Michelle Obama and Joe and Jill Biden came to Iowa City after headlining a rally in New Hampshire. Amazingly, the vice president kept his remarks to a few minutes. Where’s the fun in that? Highlights:

“Folks, this president’s going to level the playing field again and bring the middle class back in the game, for a change,” Biden said. “He knows how America’s built. He knows it was built by a growing, great middle class, and he knows and I know something our opponents either don’t know or seem to have forgotten: America is not on the decline. America is on the rise.”

Maybe the vice president didn’t have time to look at the latest monthly jobs report. Doesn’t look like a country “on the rise.”

Obama’s tax proposals are less skewed toward the wealthiest people than Romney’s, but I don’t see him “bringing the middle class back into the game.” This administration has very little to take on Wall Street interests. For instance, the housing policy seems to be geared toward protecting the big lenders more than helping people refinance their mortgages.

Anyway, the crowd of approximately 8,000 gave Obama a warm welcome. John Deeth posted photos from the rally here. Obama used empowering language echoing his speech to the Democratic National Convention. Radio Iowa covered the Iowa City rally:

“When you see that sign that says forward, we don’t go forward without you,” Obama said. “Only you have that power and I’m depending on you to use that power. I’m asking you to make sure you don’t give up that power.”

Obama’s remarks in Iowa City were similar to his Thursday evening acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, but Obama extended his rap on Republicans for resorting to tax cuts as the solution to every problem.

“Tax cuts when times are good. Tax cuts when times are bad. Tax cuts to help you lose a few pounds. Tax cuts to improve your love life,” Obama said. “Whatever the issue, they’ve got one answer.”

Whereas Romney had cited the new jobs report as proof of Obama’s failure, the president put a different spin on the unemployment problem yesterday.

“We could create a million additional new jobs if this Congress would pass the jobs bill I sent them a year ago – jobs for teachers and construction workers and folks who’ve been out there looking for work for a long time,” he said. “We can do that, but I need your help, Iowa. I need your voices.”

Representative Dave Loebsack, who skipped the Democratic convention in Charlotte, was on hand to greet the president and first lady at the airport. He needs strong turnout in Johnson County to be re-elected to a fourth term. The county containing the Iowa City metro area is the second-largest by population in the new IA-02. Loebsack’s Republican challenger John Archer is from the largest county in the district (Scott), which Loebsack has not represented before. Democrat Bruce Braley carried Scott County in 2008 but trailed his Republican opponent there in 2010.

Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.

UPDATE: Loebsack’s Congressional office released this statement late on Friday afternoon.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor’s announcement that the unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in August and 96,000 jobs were added.

“The ongoing political games have gotten us nowhere. Today’s report serves as another reminder that in order for anything to get accomplished that actually improves our economy, Congress must work together.

“The House Republicans have shown an utter lack of leadership. It isn’t leadership when you continually put politics before people and refuse to bring a comprehensive jobs package up for a vote.  Leadership isn’t holding hostage tax cuts for middle class families when we all agree they must be passed.  Leadership isn’t taking our economy up to the brink of collapsing last summer by refusing to deal with the debt ceiling, and pushing it up against a fiscal cliff this fall. Leadership isn’t taking a five-week vacation when Iowans are dealing with the worst drought in 60 years without passing a reformed farm bill.  Iowans expect their leaders to work until the job is complete and the leaders of this Congress have refused to even begin their work.  The games must end and the work must begin.”

Today, in a face-to-face meeting, Loebsack also personally urged President Obama to use his position to push Congressional action on multiple critical issues that affect our economy, including the farm bill, a comprehensive jobs package, wind energy tax credit, sequestration, and middle class tax cuts.  He stressed the importance of action and the dire consequences if no action is taken.  A copy of the letter he presented to the President can be found here.