In Wisconsin, Romney's talk turns to defeating Obama

Republican presidential hopefuls may not have clinched the nomination yet, but Mitt Romney's speech this weekend left little evidence of an ensuing GOP primary contest.

"This Tuesday I want the people of Wisconsin to join me, join me in the next step of the journey to that destination - November 6," Romney told nearly 400 supporters Friday in Appleton, Wisc.

The security measures were more extensive than seen at Romney events to date, with all attendees subject to going through a mag checkpoint.

U.S. flags, Wisconsin state flags and a banner reading "Restore the Promise of America" decorated the walls behind a suit-clad Romney as he spoke off two tele-prompters.

Following his endorsement on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" on Friday morning, Wisconsin GOP Rep. Paul Ryan introduced the candidate by urging the party to "coalesce" behind him, a line of rhetoric many of Romney's surrogates have echoed in recent days.

It has been weeks since Romney has mentioned his GOP rivals while campaigning, instead setting his sights on President Obama. Friday, he took the fight a step further adding new lines of attack on Obama.

"This is a President who was not elected on the strength of a compelling record of accomplishment but by a compelling personality and story," he said.

Romney slammed Obama for the U.S. unemployment rate, saying long-term unemployment is "worse than we've seen the Great Depression," and criticizing his stimulus plan as being as "ineffective as it was expensive."

He said the communities Obama sought to help as a community organizers are the same ones riddled with joblessness, calling it an "ironic tragedy." He also took on the president over his energy policies, his tax policies and Obamacare. In a culmination of his criticisms, he said "we can't undo" Obama's legacy.

"Many Americans have given up on this president but they haven't ever thought about giving up. Not on ourselves not on themselves. Not on each other. not on America," Romney said in closing.

Romney will be campaigning in Wisconsin through the weekend with Ryan, where voters will go to the ballots Tuesday, along with those in Maryland and the District of Columbia.