Dont know why the Times would say it was desperate. Romney has more money than Obama. He could just pay for a fleet of buses to transport people to polls in Ohio or Iowa, plus pay for dinner and a babysitter.
They would suggest it may signal that Romney is giving up on Ohio (and maybe other states) and is pinning his hopes on a real long shot, PA. That would be sort of desperate if that's what's going on. Or it could be that he feels his chances in PA are at least as strong as his chances in OH and he wants a shot to take one or both of the two. That's strategy, not desperation. Which is it? Probably we'll find out on election day.