WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsUPDATE: Obama praises Milwaukee's Master Lock

MILWAUKEE (WKOW) -- President Barack Obama told a crowd in Milwaukee on Wednesday that he wants to see more overseas jobs come back to the United States.

The President spoke at a company that's already accomplished that goal 

Master Lock's Milwaukee plant was nearly dead a decade ago, but now its at full capacity.

Its the way they did it, that President Obama wants to see more of in the United States.

"When John Heppner was at White House in January, he told me how it makes more business sense to bring jobs back home to Milwaukee," President Obama said, referring to Master Lock's Chief Executive Officer.

Master Lock Sales Executive Doug Lee explained why that transition was possible.

"The cost of manufacturing in other places, when you look at labor....the cost of labor, the price of materials and just the freight to get products in, that's really where you start to look at the balance to where you can make a profit or be more competitive manufacturing here," said Lee.

The President told supporters he wants to change the nation's tax code so more companies have an incentive to bring jobs back to the U.S.

"If you want to outsource jobs you have the right do that, but you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it," said President Obama.  "That money should be used for covering moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that moves jobs back home."

The President was preaching to the choir at Master Lock, but some supporters worry he may have lost a lot of other working class voters over the last three years.
 
"I know traditionally some people in manufacturing have gone to the Republican side, but I don't really think they're giving us the answers," said Democrat Kathleen Michel.  "They can support corporations, but they're not supporting the workers we need to really man the corporations."

It was clear on Wednesday that the President is pushing hard to win the population back.

"Over the last 23 months, business have added 3.7 million new jobs," said President Obama.  "Manufacturing is coming back, companies are starting to bring jobs back, the economy is getting stronger, the recovery is speeding up."

In response to President Obama's Milwaukee appearance, the Republican Party of Wisconsin released a statement calling it "ultimately nothing more than a taxpayer-funded campaign stop in his quest for re-election."

The GOP also stated that the "President's remarks were simply more of the same empty promises we've come to expect from the campaigner-in-chief."

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MILWAUKEE (WKOW) -- President Barack Obama is calling for tax cuts for American manufacturers and higher taxes for companies that move overseas as he promotes homegrown manufacturing as a key component of an economic revival.

Speaking at Milwaukee Master Lock, a padlock plant that has brought jobs back to the U.S., Obama said the way to create new American jobs and boost manufacturing is to make it more attractive for businesses to grow in the U.S.

He says the place to start is the tax code, and he called on Congress to make needed reforms right away.

President Obama now heads to California and Washington state for a three-day fundraising trip.

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MILWAUKEE (WKOW) -- President Barack Obama landed in Milwaukee Wednesday just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. 

Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett greeted Obama on the tarmac of Mitchell International Airport.

Walker presented Obama with a Brewers jersey with "Obama" on the back.

The president is kicking off his three-day trip in Wisconsin. It's his first trip to the Badger state in more than one year. 

President Obama will visit Master Lock, a padlock manufacturer he mentioned during his State of the Union address. Master Lock has brought about 100 jobs back to the U.S. from overseas since mid-2010.

Watch live video of President Obama's speech on www.wkow.com/live. His speech is expected to start at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday.

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MILWAUKEE (WKOW) -- President Barack Obama will be in Milwaukee Wednesday, visiting a manufacturing plant that has brought back jobs to the United States.

Before going on an extended West Coast fundraising spree, the president is visiting Master Lock, a Milwaukee maker of padlocks that was cited in his State of the Union address for bringing back 100 jobs to the U.S. from China in response to higher labor and logistical costs in Asia.

Obama has repeatedly talked up the nation's manufacturing base as an engine of growth and a sign of a recovering economy. He has urged companies to promote "insourcing," promising new tax incentives for businesses that bring jobs to the U.S. instead of shipping them overseas and eliminating tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs.

Obama carried Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008 but is expected to face a more difficult challenge this year after Republicans captured nearly every statewide office two years ago and the president's standing declined in parts of the Midwest. Obama's visit coincided with the one-year anniversary of the first widespread protests against proposals from Republican Gov. Scott Walker to effectively end collective bargaining rights for most public workers.

Walker is expected to greet Obama on the airport and join him for the event at Master Lock. The governor has been targeted for a recall election that could come in the spring or summer and sought to define the recall election as a bellwether of how Obama will fare in Wisconsin next fall. Walker has said a win would deliver a "devastating blow" to Obama's re-election campaign.

After departing Milwaukee, Obama was to attend two fundraisers in Los Angeles.

President Obama is expected to speak in Milwaukee at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday. Watch his speech live on www.wkow.com/live.

27 News will have complete coverage of President Obama's trip to Milwaukee on www.wkow.com and tonight on 27 News at 5 and 6.