The president is applying the strategy of attempting to press the R's through the public court of opinion by doing these campaign style events. If I were him, that would be the strategy I would implement as well, considering he has no ability to negotiate with the opposing party. So if the R's were smart, or for that matter the conservative Super Pacs and groups, they should do tv and radio ad's hammering the president for the sequester. As Bob Woodward states, it was Obama's idea, and the fact that he is trying to lay blame for the sequester on the R's is incredibly hypocritical. This should be easy to pin the president on. The president doesn't have that much leverage on this issue, never mind the fact that it indeed was HIS idea, but the economy is certain to dip and he is the president which means he will shoulder most of the blame.