Remarks by the President at Overflow Rally

Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School

Upper Marlboro, Maryland

4:55 P.M. EDT

     THE PRESIDENT:   Hello, Maryland!  (Applause.)  How is everybody doing?  (Applause.)

     So I’m going to make a long speech in there.  (Applause.)  But I had to come to the folks who didn’t get a seat.  (Applause.)  Because this is a group right here that is truly enthusiastic.  (Applause.)  And you’ve got a good reason to be enthusiastic, because you have an outstanding candidate for governor in Anthony Brown.  (Applause.)

     And the Brown-Ulman ticket is one that is going to continue the legacy of Democrats here in Maryland, people who are going to fight on behalf of those who are middle class, folks who are working hard to get into the middle class, people who work hard every single day, didn’t always get started in the best of situations but because they carried out their responsibilities, because they did the right thing, well, they’ve been able to get their little piece of the American Dream.  (Applause.)

     And the measure of every elected official should be how much are they working hard on your behalf every single day.  And this man right next to me, every single day he is going to be thinking about how he can help young people afford college, and how we’re going to make sure that everybody has health care in this country, and how we can create good jobs in Maryland and make sure they pay a good wage, and how seniors are going to have the protection of Medicare and Social Security, and how you can save for a retirement with dignity and respect.  That’s what he cares about.  That’s what he’s going to work on.

     But I’ve got a very simple message, which is this will be a done deal if you vote.  (Applause.)  But it’s not enough just for you to vote.  You’ve got to get your family to vote.  You’ve got to get your friends to vote.  You’ve got to get your coworkers to vote.  You’ve got to get that cousin Pookie sitting at home on the couch -- (laughter) -- he’s watching football right now instead of being here at the rally -- you’ve got to talk to him and let him know it is not that hard to exercise the franchise that previous generations fought so hard to obtain.  If we do that, then you’re not only going to be able to continue a great legacy here in Maryland, but you’re also going to have one of the finest young public servants leading the charge here in Maryland.

     So I need everybody to make sure you are working hard finishing up in these last few weeks.  I love you.  God bless you.  I’ll come around and shake a few hands, then I’m going to go into the big rally.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)

                             END                4:59 P.M. EDT