Obama campaign slogan mercilessly mocked

April 30, 2012: President Barack Obama speaks in Washington. (AP)

President Obama's campaign slogan is enduring a round of mockery, as Republican groups try to undercut the president's reelection bid rollout ahead of his first scheduled campaign rallies this weekend.

The Obama campaign released a lengthy web video on Monday under the title, "Forward." Perhaps not as catchy as the "hope and change" mantra of 2008, the slogan was mocked on Wednesday by presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

"Forward is his new slogan, and it's like, forward, what -- over the cliff?" Romney reportedly told donors.

Making the obvious retort, conservative political action committee American Crossroads released a new video Thursday titled, "Backwards."

"The only thing moving forward under Barack Obama -- our national debt, up $5 trillion," the narrator in the ad said.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., even took a crack at it in her endorsement Thursday of Romney, calling the November election the "last chance we have to keep America from going 'forward' over the cliff, as Gov. Romney said."

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee has opted to simply poke fun at Obama's 2008 slogan. The national party is now selling bumper stickers for $10 apiece that say: "Obama: Hype and Blame."

Obama plans to hold his first campaign rallies this Saturday, in Ohio and Virginia.

The "Forward" video released this week set the stage for his general election message. The video began with clips of economic crisis coverage in late 2008, effectively making the case that Obama inherited a mess in January 2009.

The video went on to tout the president's accomplishments, ranging from financial regulatory reform to the health care overhaul to the auto bailout to the stimulus -- all the while, portraying Republicans as the party of "no."

"America's greatness comes from a strong, secure middle class -- that's the America President Obama believes in, and that's the America that he's fighting for every day," the narrator said.