Google+ Hangout: Romney in Pennsylvania and upcoming debate

Political observers thought Mitt Romney had given up on winning the state of Pennsylvania months ago, but the Republican presidential nominee traveled to Valley Forge on Friday and declared he would not only take the state but win the presidency.

Los Angeles Times political writer Maeve Reston will join me, Politics Now host Jim Rainey, at 1 p.m. PDT Friday for a video discussion about Romney’s trip to the Keystone State and the campaign trail.

“The Obama campaign thinks Pennsylvania is in their pocket,” Romney told the crowd at Valley Forge, which prompted a round of boos from the partisan crowd. “You’re right and they’re wrong. We’re going to win Pennsylvania and take the White House.”

Romney’s visit was to the Valley Forge Military Academy—at the location where the Continental Army weathered a brutal winter in 1777—and he used the setting to charge that President Obama would weaken the U.S. military.

The Republican has been talking a lot in recent days about how automatic budget cuts approved by Congress and Obama would slice deeply into the U.S. defense budget. Romney blames the looming reductions, under the process known as “sequestration,” despite the fact they were approved by politicians in both parties, including his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

We’ll discuss how the shift to defense and foreign policy has played for the Republicans on the campaign trail and what Romney will be focusing on this weekend, as he takes time off from public appearances to practice for Wednesday’s debate with Obama.

James.rainey@latimes.com
Twitter: latimesrainey