(Des Moines, IA)--President Obama and Mitt Romney plan to get off the campaign trail for the Memorial Day weekend.
But before taking a break, both campaigns played hardball.
Mitt Romney went to school in Philadelphia, continuing his week long focus on education.
"I'd like every parent to have a choice and every parent to have a chance," Romney told supporters.
But he faced a tough crowd. Teachers from the Urban Charter School criticized Governor Romney's education proposals. And his assertion that class size doesn't matter.
"I don't know any teacher who would want more students in the class. Mr. Bennett can you think of any?" asked music teacher Steven Morris.
In a shift in strategy, the Obama campaign is expected to go after Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts.
During that time, Romney cut an estimated $275 million in education funding, and the state's debt rose 16%.
It was the national debt Romney used to attack the president. In Des Moines last week, he said the president added an historic amount to the deficit. "A prairie fire of debt is sweeping Iowa and the nation."
The president campaigned in Des Moines last night. "His speech was more like a cowpie of distortion," Obama said.
He says Romney's plan would add to the deficit. "He hasn't told you how he would pay for five trillion dollars in tax cuts."
"That's like trying to put out a prairie fire with gasoline."
This is the president's second trip to Iowa in a month and his campaign has poured more than $2.6 million into ads in this key swing state.
Romney has begun airing ads of his own there. "Day one, President Romney announces deficit reductions. Ending the Obama era of big government," the ad intones.
He and the Republican National Committee plan to open a dozen or more offices in Iowa.
(Susan McGinnis, CBS News)
But before taking a break, both campaigns played hardball.
Mitt Romney went to school in Philadelphia, continuing his week long focus on education.
"I'd like every parent to have a choice and every parent to have a chance," Romney told supporters.
But he faced a tough crowd. Teachers from the Urban Charter School criticized Governor Romney's education proposals. And his assertion that class size doesn't matter.
"I don't know any teacher who would want more students in the class. Mr. Bennett can you think of any?" asked music teacher Steven Morris.
In a shift in strategy, the Obama campaign is expected to go after Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts.
During that time, Romney cut an estimated $275 million in education funding, and the state's debt rose 16%.
It was the national debt Romney used to attack the president. In Des Moines last week, he said the president added an historic amount to the deficit. "A prairie fire of debt is sweeping Iowa and the nation."
The president campaigned in Des Moines last night. "His speech was more like a cowpie of distortion," Obama said.
He says Romney's plan would add to the deficit. "He hasn't told you how he would pay for five trillion dollars in tax cuts."
"That's like trying to put out a prairie fire with gasoline."
This is the president's second trip to Iowa in a month and his campaign has poured more than $2.6 million into ads in this key swing state.
Romney has begun airing ads of his own there. "Day one, President Romney announces deficit reductions. Ending the Obama era of big government," the ad intones.
He and the Republican National Committee plan to open a dozen or more offices in Iowa.
(Susan McGinnis, CBS News)
