Obama Lays Out Economic Plan In Toledo ANN ARBOR, MI (Associated Press) - Barack Obama is back in Michigan today. The Democratic presidential candidate will speak at a rally after the traditional Labor Day Parade in Detroit.

Obama and his running mate Joe Biden held a rally in Battle Creek last night. And yesterday in Toledo, Ohio, the two held a town hall meeting with supporters. That event centered on Obama's plan for the economy.

It was an invitation-only event, and those who were invited showed up early. They waited in folding chairs on a hot rooftop in the middle of the afternoon. When Obama and Biden arrived, no one seemed to mind the wait.

And just a few days after his speech in front of 80,000 thousand supporters at the Democratic Convention in Denver, Obama had a much more laid back approach with the few hundred supporters in Toledo.

He started with a brief stump speech. He mentioned his plan to spend $150 billion over 10 year to develop alternative sources of energy in the U.S. He also promised tax cuts to 95 percent of Americans.

Then Obama opened it up for questions. He heard from one man who said he was a victim of a plant closing, and he wanted Obama to explain what could be done to compete with China for jobs.

"We may not be able to bring your plant back," Obama told him. "But what's going to create the new plants is going to be basic research, science, technology, skilled workforce. That's what's going to lead to plants opening here in Toledo."

Obama has backed $25 billion in federal loans for the auto industry that were approved last year.

Though those loans got support in Congress, they haven't yet made it into the budget. Obama says the money could be spent on building more fuel efficient cars in the U.S. His opponent John McCain recently came out in favor of the loans, after showing skepticism early on.

Obama also took a question about rebuilding battered cities like Toledo and many others in Michigan.

Obama said the old divisions between cities and suburbs have to end.

"It used to be that the whole, all of our politics was built around the idea that well, there's cities and then there's suburbs and the suburban people don't like the city people and the city people don't like the suburban people, he said.

And Obama pointed out that the suburbs usually went for Republicans, and cities went for Democrats.

"Except now all the research is showing that if you want a thriving suburban area, then you better have a thriving city," Obama told the crowd. "If you want a state as a whole to do well, then the metropolitan areas in those states have to do well. There's no separation. It's all linked together."

Obama pointed to his home state of Illinois and Chicago as an example of a city lifting up a state.

For most of the people at Obama's rooftop event, this was just a pep rally. They already support the Democratic candidate and his policies.

But there was at least one person who was on the fence when she arrived.

Stephanie Dames says she voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. But she's been leaning toward Obama this time around - even if he can't deliver on all of his promises for the economy.

"I understand that what he would like to do is going to be a lot more than what he necessarily can do," Dames says. "I just think that we've got to move in that direction now."

For Dames, that direction means more help and more support for low and middle income people.

John McCain and the Republicans will get a chance for rebuttal in their shortened party convention this week in Minnesota.

And both candidates will continue to try to rally support in Michigan and Ohio. Obama has two Michigan stops today. And McCain will in Michigan on Friday. © Copyright 2012, Associated Press