Obama heckled in Connecticut

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama was heckled by AIDS activists Saturday during an event to rally the Democratic base in Connecticut.

"Excuse me ... excuse me. You've been appearing at every rally we've been doing. And we're funding global AIDS (prevention). And the other side is not. So I don't know why you think this is a useful strategy to take," USA Today quoted an irritated Obama as saying.

"We're not going to be able to do anything unless we get the economy fixed, unless we can put people back to work, unless folks feel more confident about the future," the president said during his Connecticut stop, which was sandwiched between campaign appearances in Philadelphia and his hometown of Chicago, his first public political appearance in the Windy City since his election night.

Tens of thousands packed Chicago's Midway Plaisance Park Saturday evening for the "Moving America Forward" rally in the South Side Hyde Park neighborhood, WLS-TV reported.

With the midterm election three days away, Obama's ninth get-out-the-vote rally for Democrats will feature a performance by hip-hop artist Common, a Chicago native, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Obama is supporting state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias against Republican Rep. Mark Kirk for his former Senate seat and Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn against Republican state Sen. Bill Brady.

Before leaving Washington for his campaign swing, the White House said, the president spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron about the airline package bombing plot disrupted Friday and thanked the British for their cooperation.