Campaign advisers to President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney say the general election will offer competing visions of how to help the middle class.

Romney adviser Ed Gillespie says the most important thing to do is to foster job creation, and the best way to do that is through policies that promote free enterprise. Romney is calling for continuing tax cuts enacted under President George. W. Bush and for lowering individual and corporate tax rates.

Obama adviser David Axelrod says Romney essentially is calling for more tax cuts for the wealthy while making reductions to safety net programs such as Medicaid. He says Obama's efforts to raise taxes on the wealthy would lower the nation's debt while promoting a fairer tax system.