Obama to headline rural economic forum in Iowa

DES MOINES – The White House announced Friday that President Obama will be in northeast Iowa on Aug. 16 to participate in a rural economic forum.

The event at the Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta will be part of a three-day Midwest bus tour that will focus on economic issues, according to a White House news release.

The president and members of his cabinet will host the White House Rural Economic Forum -- an event the announcement said was “designed to bring together small business owners, private sector leaders, rural organizations and government officials to discuss ideas and initiatives to promote economic growth, accelerate hiring, and spur innovation in rural communities and small towns across the nation.”

As part of the forum, the president will hear directly from a variety of rural leaders from across the nation to discuss the importance of growing small businesses and strengthening the middle class in rural America, the White House statement said. Additional details about the three-day Midwest bus trip will be released later.

The Iowa event will take place a few days after many of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates will participate in a televised debate sponsored by the Iowa GOP/Fox News network on Aug. 11 and a GOP straw poll in Ames on Aug. 13, in which candidates seeking to replace Obama likely will take aim at his economic policies.