(CNN) -- Another State of the Union address, another road trip for President Barack Obama to push now-familiar policies that he said he would pursue on his own if Congress won't cooperate. At a Costco in suburban Maryland on Wednesday, Obama amplified his call for an increase in the minimum wage. He then traveled to Pennsylvania for another event staged around the economy. "Americans overwhelmingly agree, nobody who's working full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty," the President said. "And that is why I firmly believe it is time to give America a raise." Obama heads to Wisconsin and Tennessee on Thursday, continuing a tradition of selling his policy prescription directly to the public after the ceremonial report to the nation.
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NEW: President Obama in Maryland and Pennsylvania on Wednesday
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NEW: Obama visits retailer, pushes increase in minimum wage
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Republicans complain the President pushes same, tired policies
... We all owe it to the @placeholder people to say what we're for, not just what we're against."