President kicks off three-day tour in effort to pressure Congress into passing measures aimed at lifting up US middle classBarack Obama has embarked on an effort to rally grassroots support for his ambitious second-term programme outlined in his state of the union speech, including a bigger role for government in uplifting the poor and strengthening the middle class.In an effort to pressure Congress to act on his proposals, the president kicked off a three-day tour in North Carolina to whip up backing for the plans, which included a raise in the minimum wage.Obama pledged on Tuesday to ... Read More