Politics

Obama tells Ohio audience of own family struggles

By theGrio

4:30 PM on 09/08/2010

READ MORE: Barack Obama, Cleveland, Economy, Michelle Obama, Ohio

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President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the economy, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, at the Cuyahoga Community College West Campus in Parma, Ohio. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

CLEVELAND (AP) -- President Barack Obama is getting a little personal about the sluggish economy, telling a Cleveland audience about his own family's struggles and hardships.

Obama noted Wednesday that his grandfather served in World War II while his grandmother toiled in factories back home. He was raised by a single mother who put herself through school and got up before sunrise to help him with schoolwork.

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And, the president says, first lady Michelle Obama's father kept working in spite of suffering from multiple sclerosis that forced him to walk with crutches.

Obama also says that his family depended on government programs.

His grandfather went to college because of the GI bill and bought a home because of the Federal Housing Authority.