Obama expected to bypass Chicago airports and fly into Gary
When President Barack Obama visits the Chicago area Wednesday, Air Force One is expected to land at Garys airport rather than either of the Chicago airports, which are recovering from disruptions caused by Fridays arson at an air traffic control center.
The president will be flying into Gary, Indiana, rather than OHare or Midway to allow air traffic control to maximize efficiency in the airspace, said a White House official who asked for anonymity in order to discuss details of the presidents travel.
Obama is visiting the Chicago area to deliver an economic speech Thursday at Northwestern University and to campaign for Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who is running for re-election Nov. 4.
The president is scheduled to arrive in Chicago late in the day Wednesday and depart Thursday in time to return to Washington for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gala that night.
Obama will attend a fundraiser for Quinn on Thursday, then address Northwesterns Kellogg School of Management. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for the speech at Northwesterns Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, a source told the Tribune.
In his Northwestern talk, Obama will step back from the rush of current events to explain what we've done to recover from the Great Recession and what we need to do to ensure that more middle-class Americans feel that progress in their own lives, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said in an email.
The president will detail the strategy we need to follow to ensure that this century is the American century and that the benefits of our growth are shared broadly with the middle class, Pfeiffer said.
Pfeiffers email also said: From the toughest reforms of Wall Street since the Great Depression, to the Affordable Care Act, to cutting our deficits in half, to 10 million new private sector jobs over the past four and a half years, weve made significant, measurable progress. Today, our economy is on a stronger footing for the future.
The presidents visit will be followed by one from first lady Michelle Obama, who will make a campaign appearance on behalf of Quinn on Oct. 7. On Tuesday, the Quinn campaign began airing a radio ad featuring Michelle Obama. In the one-minute spot, the first lady declares "we've got a choice to make between two very different candidates for governor and two very different visions for our state."
She cites Quinn's work to create jobs for veterans and raise the minimum wage, saying "there's just too much at stake in this election to stay home. So for this election, Barack and I are casting our votes for our friend, Pat Quinn."
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Obama expected to bypass Chicago airports and fly into Gary