: Bhatara Katong Gage: In Lawrence visit, Obama focu...

...continuedHe also urged Congress to increase the minimum wage and work to improve the nation's technical infrastructure, including digital networks."Lawrence gets it," he said. "That's why you're encouraging private companies to compete against one another to offer high-speed broadband at better prices."The KU stop was the first visit to the school by a sitting president since 1911.As he did in an earlier visit to the state, Obama made much of his family's connections to Kansas. His mother and maternal grandparents were Kansans, although he never lived in the state."I'm a Kansas guy," Obama said. He called former Sen. Bob Dole a "greatAmerican."But he also noted his poor electoral support in Kansas. The state voted for his opponent in both presidentialelections and hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since 1964."But that's OK," he said as the audience laughed. "I might have won sections of Lawrence. That's possible. That's a possibility."Dallas Moore, a student from Burlington, Kan., said Obama remains popular on campus."Free community college is really going to help out people who are really in need," he said after the speech.Courtney Eiterich of Lenexa endorsed Obama's middle-class initiatives. "People are struggling," she said. "They really need to find a place to get a leg up."...continued