PARMA, Ohio -- Rock stars of politics and music, respectively, former President Bill Clinton and Bruce Springsteen joined forces here Thursday afternoon for President Barack Obama.

Each stuck to his specialty.

Clinton delivered a 33-minute stem-winder that combined feel-your-pain nostalgia with wonky policy talk. From start to finish he attacked Republican nominee Mitt Romney, painting him as a wealthy investor devoid of compassion.

Springsteen, with only a guitar and harmonica, breezed through a six-song set that began with "No Surrender" and ended with a "Thunder Road" sing-along. He mixed in the depressing "Youngstown," a eulogy of industry in Appalachia Ohio. He also played a stripped-down version of "We Take Care of Our Own," which Obama has adopted as a campaign anthem.

More than 3,000 attended the get-out-the-vote rally at Cuyahoga Community College's Western Campus. The Obama campaign hopes the event will energize voters and help drive early balloting in a crucial electoral battleground. Romney has been contesting Ohio vigorously with running mate Paul Ryan.

Clinton opened Thursday by joking about his presence as Springsteen's warm-up act.

"I am qualified because I was born in the U.S.A., and unlike one of the candidates for president, I keep all my money here," said Clinton, offering a nod to another Springsteen classic while emphasizing Romney's offshore tax havens.

Romney has pushed back on such attacks, asserting that Obama, through his Illinois state pension fund, is invested in Chinese companies and through a Cayman Islands trust. Independent fact-checkers have verified the claim, but PolitiFact, with which The Plain Dealer is affiliated, found it unlikely that the investments afforded Obama tax advantages.

Clinton, who won Ohio twice en route to two terms in the White House, has blue-collar appeal and is seen as a key asset for Obama. This was his first campaign appearance in the state. After leaving Parma he traveled to the Steubenville area in eastern Ohio -- a potential swing region filled with white and traditionally Democratic working-class voters.

The former president's highest praise of Obama came while talking about the federal loans to rescue Chrysler and General Motors. The move was key to the recovery of the U.S. auto industry, which is a major Ohio employer.

"I love Ohio -- it's an old-school place," Clinton said. "We value personal loyalty. When you were down, you were out and your whole economy was threatened, the president had your back. You got to have his back now.

"This is not a complicated decision. If somebody saved my economy, I'd be for him."

But Clinton also opened the door to a core Romney contention: that the economy has not fully rebounded.

"Gov. Romney's argument is, 'We're not fixed, so fire him and put me in,' " he said of the former Massachusetts governor. "It's true we're not fixed. When President Obama looked into the eyes of that man who said in the debate, 'I had so much hope four years ago and I don't now,' I thought he was going to cry. Because he knows that it's not fixed.

"The question is: Which path will fix it?"

Chris Maloney, spokesman for Romney in Ohio, pounced on the remarks.

"Clinton acknowledged the economy has not been fixed, and he's right," Maloney said. "That is a relevant point as to why we need to change direction, not continue along the same path with policies which hinder economic recovery."

The crowd roared along with Clinton. But they roared louder when he introduced Springsteen. Springsteen, who during his set voiced support for Obama's health care law and the auto rescue, said following Clinton was like following Elvis.

Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton campaign in Parma 16 Gallery: Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton campaign in Parma

"I've lived through some galvanizing moments in American history," he said between songs. "The Civil Rights struggle, the peace movement -- times when you could feel the world shifting under your feet. I remember President Obama's election night was an evening when you could feel the locked doors of the past finally being blown open to new possibilities."

The rally was Springsteen's first foray into presidential politics this year.

He campaigned for Obama four years ago, even headlining a downtown Cleveland event for him the weekend before Election Day. But Springsteen had indicated he would stay off the campaign trail this year. Word last week that he would perform here and in Ames, Iowa, came as a minor surprise -- and a sign that Team Obama was calling in the cavalry.

Stephanie Cutter, Obama's deputy campaign manager, said in an interview before Thursday's rally that Springsteen's support for the president never waned and that he has been in "constant contact" despite being on tour this year.

"Logistically we were finally able to work it out, and we were thrilled," Cutter said of the Springsteen appearance.

Once Tri-C opened the doors at 10:30 a.m., about a dozen people sprinted toward the stage for the best view. They chanted "Bill, Bill, Bill!" and "Bruuuuuuce!" in between early speeches from Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald and U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton of Copley Township.

Chelsea Nasea, 16, of Stow, was one of the sprinters. A Springsteen fan, she brought a photograph of her and the Boss from a New Jersey concert last month. But Chelsea's mother had to explain to her who Clinton was; he was first elected before she was born.

"It was fun," Chelsea said after the show.

Gary Miluk, 45, of Cleveland Heights, came for Clinton.

"I've only seen Clinton talk one time," said Miluk, a firefighter in Parma Heights. "He's such an inspiration."

Maloney, the Romney spokesman, was less impressed.

"No amount of star power can obscure the fact the President Obama has made it more difficult for Ohio families to take care of their own," said Maloney, alluding to the Springsteen song. "The president has refused to lay out a second-term agenda because Ohioans already understand what it will bring: more spending, increased debt and higher taxes."

With The Plain Dealer's Laura Johnston.