Obama Stars in 60-Second Pitch to Swing State Voters

President Obama stars in a new 60-second TV ad for his re-election campaign, laying out what he sees as the fundamentals in the 2012 race.

"Over the next four months, you have a choice to make. Not just between two political parties, or even two people. It's a choice between two very different plans for our country," Obama says, speaking directly to the camera.

"Gov. Romney's plan would cut taxes for the folks at the very top. Roll back regulations on big banks. And he says that if we do that, our economy will grow and everyone will benefit. But you know what? We tried that top-down approach. It's what caused the mess in the first place."

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Obama offers his now familiar prescription for economic growth: higher taxes on the wealthy to fund greater government investment in education and public works programs, and tax incentives for manufacturers.

He mentions but does not attack Romney in his first TV spot since the shootings in Aurora, Colo.

"Sometimes politics can seem very small," Obama says. "But the choice you face, it couldn't be bigger."

To watch the ad, CLICK HERE.

The ad begins running today in eight battleground states: Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the Obama campaign. It will also air in Colorado at a later date.

The ad blitz comes as part of a July push by Democrats to highlight the differences between Obama and Romney. It's part of an effort to paint the Republican as an unpalatable alternative for swing state voters as they weigh their choices this fall.

Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said the new Obama ad could not erase the president's record of the past three and a half years.

"Instead of meeting with his Jobs Council, he is busy holding fundraisers, playing golf and trying to tear down Mitt Romney," she said in a statement. "Mitt Romney will never be too busy to focus on jobs and the economy and it will be his top priority as president."