Remarks by the President at Campaign Event -- Council Bluffs, IA

Bayliss Park
Council Bluffs, IA

11:32 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Iowa!  (Applause.)  It's good to be back!  (Applause.)  Well, it is good to be back in Iowa!  (Applause.)  I miss you guys.

AUDIENCE:  Obama!  Obama!  Obama!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you! 

First of all, can everybody please give Patricia a big round of applause for the great introduction?  (Applause.)  A couple other people I want to acknowledge -- your outstanding former governor, now I think the best Secretary of Agriculture we've ever had -- Tom Vilsack.  (Applause.)  Congressman Leonard Boswell.  (Applause.)  And Mayor Tom Hanafan.  (Applause.)

See, the sun is coming out -- (applause.)  I love being back in Iowa.  Now, we're starting here in Council Bluffs, but we're going to be heading east and I think I'm going to end at the State Fair.  (Applause.)  Michelle has told me I cannot have a fried Twinkie.  (Laughter.)  But I will be checking out the butter cow and I understand this year there's a chocolate moose.  (Laughter.)  So I'm going to have to take a look at that if I can.

The last time I went to the State Fair, Secret Service let me do the bumper cars, but they said this year -- I wasn’t President yet, so I could do that.  (Laughter.)  But not this time. 

Now, before I get started, I just want to say a few words about the drought, because it's had such an impact on this state and all across the country.  Right now folks here in Iowa and across the heartland, we're suffering from one of the worst droughts in 50 years.  Farmers, ranchers depend on a good crop season to pay the bills and put a roof over their heads.  And I know things are tough right now.

The best way to help these states is for the folks in Congress to pass a farm bill that not only helps farmers and ranchers respond to natural disasters, but also makes some necessary reforms and gives farmers and ranchers some long-term certainty. 

Unfortunately, right now, too many members of Congress are blocking the farm bill from becoming law. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I am told that Governor Romney's new running mate, Paul Ryan, might be around Iowa the next few days -- he is one of the leaders of Congress standing in the way. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  So if you happen to see Congressman Ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to Iowa and our rural communities.  We've got to put politics aside when it comes to doing the right thing for rural America and for Iowa.  (Applause.) 

Now, it's always a problem waiting for Congress.  So in the meantime, I've made sure my administration, led by Tom Vilsack, is doing everything we can to provide relief to those who need it.  So last week, we announced $30 million to help ranchers and farmers get more water to livestock and rehabilitate land affected by drought.
And today, we’re announcing that the federal government will help livestock producers by purchasing over $150 million worth of meat and fish right now, while prices are low -- we'll freeze it for later, but -- we've got a lot of freezers.  (Laughter.)  And that way, that will help ranchers who are going through tough times right now, and also, over the long term, obviously that food is going to be spent by folks at the Pentagon and other places.
America depends on farmers and ranchers to put food on the table; depends on farmers and ranchers to feed our families.  So we've got to be there for them -- not just today, but tomorrow, and every day until this drought passes -- because we are Americans, that’s what we do.  We take care of each other.  And when tough times strike our neighbors, we give them a hand.  (Applause.)
Now, that speaks to the larger idea of why I'm here, the notion that I'm my brother’s keeper, I'm my sister’s keeper, the idea that we're in this together, that was at the heart of the journey that began here in Iowa five years ago.  (Applause.)  We spent a lot of time on bus tours like this one -- at school gyms and family farms and small businesses across this state – although, I have to say the bus we had wasn’t as nice as this one.  (Laughter.)  We used to get some buses.  (Laughter.)
And that campaign back in 2007-2008, it had plenty of ups and downs, but no matter what, you, the people of Iowa, had my back.  (Applause.)  You had my back.  When the pundits had written us off, when we were down in the polls, you believed in me, and I believed in you.  And it was on your front porches and in your backyards where the movement for change in this country began. 

But our journey is not finished.  Not yet.  I’m going to spend the next three days driving all across this state just like I did in 2007 -- from Council Bluffs to the Quad Cities -- because once more, you face a choice in November.  And that choice could not be bigger.  It is not just a choice between two candidates or two political parties.  More than any other election in recent memory, this is a choice between two fundamentally different visions of this country and the path that we have to take. 

And the direction that you choose when you walk into that voting booth in November is going to have an impact not just on your lives but on your children's lives, your grandchildren's lives for decades to come.  This one counts.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Think about this, Council Bluffs.  Four years ago, we came together -- and it wasn’t just Democrats, it was independents and some Republicans -- because we understood that we needed to restore the basic bargain that made this country great, the basic deal that created the greatest middle class and the most prosperous economy the world has ever known.
 
And it’s a simple bargain.  It says if you work hard, your work should be rewarded.  If you act responsibly, and you put in enough effort, you should be able to find a job that pays the bills, have a home you can call your own, count on health care when you get sick -- (applause) -- put away enough to retire with dignity and respect -- (applause) -- and most of all, give your kids an education that allows them to dream even bigger than you did, and do even better than you did.  That's the American promise.  (Applause.)  That's the American Dream. 

And the reason we came together was because we had seen a decade in which that dream was being betrayed.  We had gone through a decade where jobs were being shipped overseas, where you were working harder but making less while the cost of everything from health care to a college education kept on going up.  And it all culminated in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

And so we knew that restoring the basic bargain that made this country was not going to be easy.  We knew it would take more than one year, or one term, or even one President.  And that was before the crisis hit and we saw friends and neighbors lose their job, or lose their home, lose their savings, pushing the American Dream even further out of reach for too many working people.

But over the last three and a half years, we've seen America's grit.  You folks are tougher than any tough time.  (Applause.)  When we get knocked down we stand back up.  (Applause.)  Some workers lost their jobs -- they went back to community college, got retrained and now have got a new job.  Small businesses kept their doors open by hook or by crook.  And so, slowly, we've seen 4.5 million new jobs created, half a million new manufacturing jobs -- the most since the great -- most since the 1990s.

And what we realized was that no matter how bad the crisis was, one thing did not change, and that is the character of the American people and the resilience of the American people.  (Applause.)  And what hasn’t changed is our determination to do what we came together in 2008 to do -- and that is to make sure that in America hard work pays off -- so that no matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, you can make it here in America if you try.  (Applause.) 

That’s what this campaign is about, Iowa.  And that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States of America.  (Applause.)

I told you -- four years ago I said there aren’t going to be quick fixes, there won't be easy solutions.  The challenges we face had been building up for decades.  And that’s still true today.  But I want everybody to know that we have the capacity to meet every challenge.  We've got the best workers in the world.  We've got the best entrepreneurs in the world.  We've got the best colleges, the best universities, the best researchers in the world, the best scientists in the world.  We're still a young nation.  We've got the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity -- people come here from every corner of the globe.  They want to be here.  So whatever the naysayers may say, or folks who try to make things look dark, listen, there is not another country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with the United States of America.  (Applause.)  

What’s holding us back right now is Washington politics.

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  You’ve got folks on the other side who think "compromise" is a dirty word, and whose main idea is to go back to the same old top-down economics that got us into this mess in the first place. 
  
This weekend, my opponent, Mr. Romney, chose as his running mate the ideological leader of the Republicans in Congress.  And I've got to tell you, I know Congressman Ryan.  He's a good man, he's a family man.  He is an articulate spokesman for Governor Romney’s vision.  But the problem is that vision is one that I fundamentally disagree with. (Applause.)

Governor Romney and his allies in Congress, they think that if we just get rid of more regulations on big corporations and give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, if we end Medicare as we know it, make it a voucher system, then somehow this is all going to lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  The centerpiece of Mr. Romney’s entire economic plan is a new $5 trillion tax cut, a lot of it going to the very wealthiest Americans.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Last week, an independent study -- not by me, but by independent economists -- said that Governor Romney's plan would actually raise taxes on middle-class families with children by an average of $2,000 apiece.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, this wouldn't be done -- not to reduce the deficit.  It's not going to be done to create jobs or put folks back to work rebuilding our roads or bridges or schools.  This is you guys paying an extra $2,000 to give another $250,000 tax cut to folks who are making more than $3 million a year.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Does this sound familiar to you?  They have tried to sell us this trickle-down theory before.  And guess what -- every time it's been tried it has not worked.  It did not work then; it won’t work now.  It won't create jobs.  It won't lower our deficit.  It is not a plan to move our economy forward.  We do not need more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans -- we need tax relief for working families.  (Applause.)

You need tax relief -- folks who are trying to raise kids and keep them healthy and put a roof over their heads and send them to college.  And that’s the choice in this election.  That’s the reason I’m running again.

Four years ago, I promised to cut middle-class taxes -- and by the way, that’s exactly what I’ve done.  (Applause.)  The average working family here in Iowa and across the country has seen their tax rates go down about $3,600.  So when you see -- when you hear the other side talking about Democrats raising your taxes -- your taxes are lower since I've been President.  (Applause.)  That's the truth.

Now, I want to keep your taxes right where they are for the first $250,000 of everybody’s income.  So if your family makes under $250,000 -- which, by the way, is 98 percent of Americans -- you won’t see your income taxes go up by a single dime next year.  (Applause.)  Ninety-seven percent of small businesses will not see their taxes go up.  (Applause.)

But here's the thing, Council Bluffs.  This is important. If --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  And Omaha!

THE PRESIDENT:  And Omaha.  We love you.  (Applause.)  Didn’t want to leave our Nebraska folks left out here. (Applause.)

But here's the thing.  If you’re lucky enough and fortunate enough and been blessed enough to be in the other 2 percent, the top 2 percent, you still get a tax cut for your first $250,000 of income.  All we’re saying is, after that, maybe you can do a little bit more to help pay down this deficit and invest in things like education that help our economy grow.  (Applause.)  

And listen, government is going to do its part.  We've already cut a trillion dollars of savings -- of spending.  We're going to cut more.  We've got to streamline government and make it work efficiently and effectively.  But what we also can do is just ask folks like me to do a little bit more.  And all we're asking is for folks like me to go back to the rates that we paid under Bill Clinton -- and by the way, that was a time when we created nearly 23 million new jobs, and we created the biggest budget surplus in history.  (Applause.)  And here's the kicker  -- folks at the top actually did well because, guess what, when a factory worker or a construction worker or a receptionist or a teacher or a firefighter or a cop -- when they've got a little more money in their pockets, what do they do?

AUDIENCE:  Spend it!

THE PRESIDENT:  Maybe they go out and buy a new car, after having been driving that old beater around for the last 15 years.  Maybe they finally get the new dishwasher because the old one has been broke for a long time.  Maybe they go buy a computer for their kid for the new school year, or they go to a restaurant, or heaven forbid, they take a vacation.  And that means businesses suddenly have more customers.  And then businesses start hiring more workers because they're making more profit.  And everybody does better.  That's how we grow the economy -- not from the top down, but from the middle out, and from the bottom out.  (Applause.)

That's the choice in this election.  And that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  

You know, across the board, there is a sharp contrast between me and Mr. Romney.  When the auto industry was on the brink of collapse, more than a million jobs at stake, Governor Romney said, “let Detroit go bankrupt.”  I bet on American workers.  I bet on American manufacturing.  And three years later, the American auto industry has come roaring back.  (Applause.)  So now I want to make sure that high-tech manufacturing jobs are taking root here, not in China.  I want them to take root here in Council Bluffs.

Governor Romney, he likes to brag about his private sector experience.  A bunch of that private sector experience was investing in companies that have been called “pioneers” of outsourcing.  Let me tell you something -- I want insourcing, not outsourcing.  (Applause.)  I want to stop giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  Let’s give tax breaks to companies that are investing here in the United States of America -- (applause) -- hiring American workers to make American products to sell around the world, stamped with those words:  Made in America.  That’s what I believe in.  (Applause.)

Here’s another difference.  Right now, homegrown energy, things like wind energy -- creating new jobs all across the states like Iowa -- and Governor Romney wants to end tax credits for wind energy producers.  America now produces twice as much electricity from wind as we did before I took office.  (Applause.)  We’ve doubled the amount of electricity we’re producing with wind.  The wind industry supports about 7,000 jobs in Iowa.  Without these wind energy tax credits, a whole lot of these jobs would be at risk -- 37,000 jobs across this country would be at risk. 

So I think we should stop spending billions on taxpayer subsidies for an oil industry that is making all kinds of profit, and let’s keep investing in the clean energy that's never been more promising.  (Applause.)  That’s a disagreement I’ve got with Governor Romney.  That’s a choice in this election. 

Back in 2008, I said it was time to end the war in Iraq -- we ended it.  (Applause.)  I said it was time for us to go after bin Laden and al Qaeda -- and we did.  (Applause.)  We’ve set a timeline to start bringing our troops out of Afghanistan, and so after a decade of war, I think it’s time to do some nation-building here at home.  (Applause.) 

Now, we could not have accomplished any of this without the extraordinary service of our men and women in uniform.  (Applause.)  And I promise you this -- as long as I am Commander-in-Chief, this country will care for our veterans and serve our veterans as well as they’ve served us.  (Applause.)  Nobody who has fought for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  That’s why we’ve invested so heavily in making sure that the VA is working the way it’s supposed to.  That’s why we’ve put more money into treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury; ending homelessness* among veterans.  But those are investments that we’ve got to make. 

And my plan says let’s take half the money that we’re no longer spending on war and let’s also use it to put people back to work building our roads and our runways and our ports and our wireless networks -- (applause) -- and creating a Veterans Job Corps so local communities can hire our veterans to be firefighters and police officers in communities that need it. That’s the America that we want to build.  That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for a second term.  (Applause.)  

I want to make sure that America once again leads the world in educating our kids and training our workers.  I want to help our schools hire and reward the best teachers, especially in math and science.  I want to give two million more Americans the chance to go to community college and learn the skills that businesses are hiring for right now.  (Applause.)  And I want to get colleges and universities to bring down the cost of tuition once and for all -- (applause) -- because higher education is not a luxury; it’s an economic necessity in the 21st century.  Everybody should be able to afford it.  (Applause.)

I’ve got a plan to help homeowners refinance their homes at historically low rates -- save an average of $3,000.  My opponent’s solution is to let the market bottom out.  That’s what he said.  That’s not a solution -- that’s part of the problem.  That’s the difference in this election. 

My opponent says one of the first things he’d do is repeal Obamacare.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --
   
THE PRESIDENT:  I think that part of being middle class in America is making sure you don’t go bankrupt when you get sick.  (Applause.)  That’s why, because of this law, if you’ve got a preexisting condition, you’ll be able to get health insurance.  (Applause.)  That’s why 6.5 million young people can now stay on their parent’s plan.  That’s why seniors are now getting discounts on their prescription drugs.  That’s why insurance companies can’t drop your coverage or impose lifetime limits when you need it most.  (Applause.)

It’s true -- Obama does care.  That’s why we passed this bill.  (Applause.)  The Supreme Court has spoken.  We’re not going backward, we are going forward.  (Applause.)

All these things, whether it’s bringing back manufacturing, creating more construction jobs, protecting people’s health care, making sure your kids get the best education, making sure our veterans have the same kind of opportunity my grandfather had when he came back from World War II and was able to go to college on the GI Bill.  All these things are part of what makes up a middle-class life.  And they’re all bound together in that idea that made this country great -- that basic promise that if you work hard, you can get ahead. 

It’s not always going to be smooth.  There are going to be times where times are tough.  But the basic idea that if you work hard and look after your family, that work is going to be rewarded.  That’s the promise that our parents and grandparents passed down to us.  And now it’s the promise we’ve got to pass on to our kids and our grandkids.  That’s what’s at stake in this election. 

And so, over the next three months, you are going to see the other side spend more money on negative ads than we’ve ever seen in history; and these folks, they’ve got some really rich people writing $10 million checks.  And basically, they’re going to say the same thing over and over again.  They know their economic theories aren’t going to sell, because folks remember when we tried them.  So all they’re going to say is the economy is not as good as it should and it’s Obama’s fault.  And they expect you to have amnesia and not remember who it is that got us into this mess.  (Applause.)  But they figure, if we run these ads often enough, maybe folks will start kind of thinking about it.  That is true.  (Laughter.)  

So they may have a plan to win the election, but they can’t hide the fact that they don’t have a plan to create jobs or revive the middle class or grow the economy.  And I do have that plan.  (Applause.)  I’ve got a plan that puts you first.  (Applause.)  I’ve got a plan that puts middle-class families and folks striving to get into the middle class first.  (Applause.)

But I’m going to need your help.  I’m going to need your help.  I’ve got to make sure you’re registered.  I’ve got to make sure your friends are registered to vote.  In Iowa, you can get registered online.  All you have to do is go GottaRegister.com.  That’s g-o-t-t-a -- gotta.  (Laughter.)  GottaRegister.com.  

The thing is, we’ve been outspent before and we’ve been counted out before.  But what you taught me in 2007, 2008 was that when the American people cut through all the nonsense, when you focus your attention and you remember the story of your own families and all the struggles your parents and grandparents went through, and how maybe because you got a student loan somewhere, or maybe because your dad was able to get that job at the factory, you guys were able to build a good life together -- just like Michelle and I were able to get opportunities that our parents could have never imagined.  When you focus on that thing that is best in America, the way we pull together and give everybody a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules, and everybody is taking responsibility -- when you come together and reaffirm those core values that make this the greatest country on Earth, you can’t be stopped.  All the money those folks are spending doesn’t matter.  You are our democracy.  You make decisions about the direction of this country. 

And, Iowa, I’ve got to tell you, we’ve come too far to go back now.  (Applause.)  We’ve got too many good jobs we still have to create.  We’ve got too many teachers we’ve still got to hire.  We’ve got too many schools we still have to rebuild.  We’ve got too many students who still need help getting an affordable education.  We’ve got more homegrown energy we’ve got to generate.  We’ve got more troops we’ve got to bring home.  Most of all, we’ve got more doors of opportunity that we’ve got to open for everybody who’s willing to work hard enough to walk through those doors.

That is what is at stake in this election.  That is why I am running for President of the United States.  (Applause.)  That is why I’m asking for your vote -- not just for me, but for this country that we believe in.  (Applause.)  And if you’re willing to work with me and stand with me, and knock on doors with me, and make phone calls with me -- if you vote for me in November, we will win Iowa, we will win this election.  We’ll finish what we started in 2008.  And we’ll remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  

God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

END
12:04 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President to the Mars Mission Laboratory via Telephone

Via Telephone

10:00 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody. 

DR. ELACHI:  Good morning, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Who am I speaking with?

DR. ELACHI:  This is Charles Elachi, the director of JPL.  And we have a room full of the mission operation personnel.  This is "Curiosity" Mission Operation on Mars.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it is great to talk to all of you.  And I just want you to know that we could not be more excited about what you've been doing. 

Somebody asked me the other day whether you've already found Martians.  (Laughter.)  I told them we have to give you a little bit of time.  But we know you're all hard at work and you're getting some well-deserved rest after a successful landing.  And I just wanted to call and say congratulations to the entire Mars Science Laboratory team, and really all of JPL, on last Monday's incredible success. 

Through your dedicated efforts, "Curiosity" stuck her landing and captured the attention and imagination of millions of people not just across our country, but people all around the world, including Times Square.  And what you did on Mars was incredibly impressive.  Those 76 pyrotechnics going off in perfect succession and the 500,000 lines of code working exactly the way you guys had ordered them -- so it's really mind-boggling what you've been able to accomplish.  And being able to get that whole landing sequence to work the way you did is a testimony to your team.

I especially want to congratulate Charles Elachi, the head of JPL; the entry descent and landing lead, Adam Steltzner, who helped devise the final step of this amazing descent -- the Sky Crane System.  What you've accomplished embodies the American spirit, and your passion and your commitment is making a difference.  And your hard work is now paying dividends, because our expectation is that "Curiosity" is going to be telling us things that we did not know before and laying the groundwork for an even more audacious undertaking in the future, and that's a human mission to the Red Planet.

I understand there's a special Mohawk Guy that's working on the mission.  (Laughter.)  He's been one of the many stars of the show last Sunday night.  And I, in the past, thought about getting a Mohawk myself -- (laughter) -- but my team keeps on discouraging me.  And now that he's received marriage proposals and thousands of new Twitter followers, I think that I'm going to go back to my team and see if it makes sense.  (Laughter.) 

DR. ELACHI:  That's going to be the new fashion at JPL.  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  It does sound like NASA has come a long way from the white shirt, black dark-rimmed glasses and the pocket protectors.  (Laughter.)  You guys are a little cooler than you used to be.  (Laughter.) 

As all of you know, my administration has put a big focus on improving science and technology, engineering and math education. And this is the kind of thing that inspires kids across the country.  They’re telling their moms and dads they want to be part of a Mars mission -- maybe even the first person to walk on Mars.  And that kind of inspiration is the byproduct of work of the sort that you guys have done. 

So not only do I want to congratulate the team, I want to call out a few of the leaders of the group, including Adam, but also Peter Theisinger, Richard Cook, John Grotzinger, John Grunsfeld.  And I’d like to congratulate and thank all of our international partners -- Spain, Russia, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Japan, Australia -- all of them contributed, I know, to the instrumentation “Curiosity” landed on Martian surface -- and all the scientists who are part of the JPL team. 

So you guys have done an outstanding job.  You made us all proud.  You’ve made NASA proud.  You guys are examples of American know-how and ingenuity, and it’s really an amazing accomplishment.  So we can’t wait to start hearing back from “Curiosity” and finding out what’s going on.  We’re fortunate to be part of a society that can reach beyond our planet and explore frontiers that were only imagined by our ancestors.  So it’s inspiring to all of us. 

I’m going to give you guys a personal commitment to protect these critical investments in science and technology.  I thank you for devoting your lives to this cause.  And if, in fact, you do make contact with Martians, please let me know right away.  (Laughter.)  I’ve got a lot of other things on my plate, but I suspect that that will go to the top of the list.  (Laughter.)  Even if they’re just microbes, it will be pretty exciting.  (Laughter.) 

DR. ELACHI:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  And on behalf of all us at NASA, we thank you for taking the time to give us a call.  And, hopefully, we inspired some of the millions of young people who were watching this landing.  Thank you again.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you’ve already inspired us, but I know that the photographs that are going to start coming back are going to be remarkable and amazing.  And, again, you guys should be remarkably proud.  Really what makes us best as a species is this curiosity that we have and this yearning to discover and know more, and push the boundaries of knowledge.  And you are perfect examples of that, and we couldn’t be more grateful to you.

So, congratulations.  Keep up the great work.

DR. ELACHI:  Thank you very much.  And have a good day.

THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  Bye-bye, guys.  (Applause.)  

END
10:08 A.M. CDT

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, Illinois

3:25 P.M. CDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Chicago!  Thank you!  How’s everybody doing?  (Applause.)  It is good to be back home.  Chicago looks good.  And all of you look good.  (Applause.) 

     AUDIENCE:  (Sings Happy Birthday.)

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  It is true, I am now 51.  (Applause.)  Michelle --

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  So am I!

     THE PRESIDENT:  You are, too?  You look better than I do.  (Laughter.)  Michelle says I do not look a day over 50.  (Laughter.) 

     There are a couple of people I want to acknowledge.  First of all, DJ Vince Adams, thank you so much.  (Applause.)  DJ Cassidy, thank you so much.  My great friend, Kal Penn, thank you for all that you do.  And everybody on the Gen 44 host committee, thank you for the great job you guys did.  (Applause.)

     Now, we just had the Olympics Closing Ceremony.  We could not be prouder of our U.S. athletes -- (applause) -- bringing home the gold, conducting themselves as we would hope that somebody would conduct themselves representing the United States. They just did an outstanding job. 

And I know that all of you look like pretty smart folks, so you were spending most of your time watching the Olympics, if you were watching TV.  But unless your cable is broken, you probably also know we’ve got a pretty intense campaign going on right now. (Applause.)  And the reason that this is such an intense campaign is because we could not have a bigger choice in front of us than the one that we face in November. 

It’s not just a choice between two candidates or two political parties.  More than any other election, this is a choice about two different visions for the country, for two different directions of where America should go.  And the direction that we choose, the direction that you choose when you walk into that voting booth in November, is going to make a difference not just in your life, but in the lives of your children and in the lives of your grandchildren.  It will make a difference for decades to come.

     Now, four years ago, we came together, not just Democrats -- we had Republicans, we had independents -- we came together because we felt as if the basic bargain that built this country was in danger.  It was a bargain that said here in America, if you work hard, you can get ahead.  The basic idea that if you act responsibly, if you are putting in all your effort, then you can find a job that pays the bills.  You can find a home you can call your own.  You can send your kids to college.  You won’t go bankrupt when you get sick.  You can retire with dignity and respect.  And most importantly, the next generation can dream even bigger and do even better than we ever imagined.  That’s the core of the American Dream.  That’s the basic American promise that made us the envy of the world; that made us the most powerful economy in the world; that built the largest middle class in the world -- that idea that here in America, you can make it if you try. 

     Now, we had gone through a decade in which that basic compact seemed as if it wasn’t true for too many people.  Folks at the top were doing very well, but for ordinary families all across America, it felt as if people were working harder, making less while the costs of everything from health care to college were going up.  Jobs were being shipped overseas.  We ran two wars on a credit card.  We turned surpluses into deficit.  And it all culminated in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. 

Now, we’ve spent the last three and half years trying to get us back on track.  We saved an auto industry on the brink of collapse.  (Applause.)  We worked with the financial sector to start doing things the old-fashioned way -- lending to businesses and families, instead of engaging in reckless speculation.  Four and a half million new jobs have been created; half a million manufacturing jobs -- the most since the 1990s.  (Applause.) 

But, Chicago, we’ve got a long way to go.  All of us know friends, neighbors, family members who are still out of work or whose homes are still underwater.  Too many folks are still burdened by enormous college debt.  Too many folks still don’t have a sense that tomorrow will be better than today. 

And so the question in this election is, which way do we go? Do we go forward towards a new vision of an America in which prosperity is shared, or do we go backward to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place?

     AUDIENCE:  Forward!

     THE PRESIDENT:  I believe we have to go forward.  I believe we've got to keep working to create an America where no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, no matter who you love, you can make it here if you try.  (Applause.)  That's what's at stake in November.  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

     Now, the good news is even though there are no quick fixes to our challenges, we've got everything we need to make things work here in America.  We still have the best workers in the world.  (Applause.)  We've still got the best entrepreneurs in the world.  We've got the best colleges, the best universities, the best scientists, the best researchers.  We're a young nation, and we've got the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity from every corner of the globe.  Witness this room.  Chicago is an example of what makes this country great.  (Applause.)  Right? 

     So what's holding us back is not the lack of big ideas or good plans.  What's holding us back is a brand of Washington politics that says we are not going to compromise, no matter what.  It's gridlock and stalemates and dysfunction.  And it's an idea propagated by the other side that somehow we're going to grow this economy from the top down, and that if people at the top are doing really, really well, then everybody else is automatically going to benefit.

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Now, this kind of top-down economics is central to Governor Romney, and it is central to his running mate.  Just yesterday morning, my opponent chose his running mate, the ideological leader of the Republicans in Congress -- Mr. Paul Ryan.  And I want to congratulate --

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, no, no.  Look, I want to congratulate Congressman Ryan.  I know him.  I welcome him to the race.  Congressman Ryan is a decent man.  He is a family man.  He's an articulate spokesman for Governor Romney's vision.  But it's a vision that I fundamentally disagree with.  (Applause.)  My opponent and Congressman Ryan and their allies in Congress, they all believe that if we just get rid of more regulations on big corporations and we give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, it will lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody else.  That's what they're proposing.  That's where they'll take us if they win. 

     And this is not speculation.  It's on their websites.  It's embodied in the budget that the House Republicans voted for repeatedly.  The centerpiece of Governor Romney's entire economic plan is a new $5 trillion tax cut, a lot of it going to the wealthiest Americans.  This is on top of the Bush tax cuts.  Last week we found out that to pay for this $5 trillion tax cut, not only would we see them gut education investments --

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  -- gut investments in science and research, gut investments in things like rebuilding our roads and our bridges, but it turns out that Governor Romney's tax plan would also raise taxes on middle-class families by an average of $2,000 each. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Not to reduce the deficit, mind you.  Not to create more jobs.  Independent economists have looked at it -- they said there's nothing in Governor Romney's plan that would create jobs right now.  This would all be in order to give another $250,000 tax cut to people who are making $3 million a year or more. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Let me tell you something.  They have tried this before.  They have tried to sell us this trickle-down fairy dust before.  (Laughter.)  And guess what -- it did not work.  (Applause.)  It did not work.  It's not a plan to cut the deficit.  It's not a plan to create jobs.  It's not a plan to revive the middle class.  It's not a plan to move our economy forward.  We don't need more tax cuts for folks like me.  We need to give tax relief to working Americans.  (Applause.)  To middle-class families.  For folks who are trying to raise their kids and keep them healthy, and send them to college, and keep a roof over their heads.

     That's the choice in this election.  And that's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States of America.  (Applause.)

     Four years ago, I promised the American people I was going to cut taxes on middle-class families -- and that's what I did.  (Applause.)  The typical middle-class family is actually paying $3,600 less in their taxes than when I came into office.  And I want to keep income taxes exactly where they are for everybody who's making $250,000 a year or more [sic] -- which is about 98 percent of the American people, and 97 percent of small businesses.  So if your income is $250,000 or less, your income taxes will not go up a dime.  (Applause.) 

On the other hand, if you're lucky enough, like I am, to be in the top 2 percent, what we've said is you can afford to do a little bit more so that we can pay down our deficit and still help young people go to college -- (applause) -- and still make sure that we're investing in basic research to cure things like Alzheimer's and cancer.  We're asking you to contribute a little bit more.

     And, look, government is still going to have to do its part. We've already cut a trillion dollars of spending; an additional $1.2 trillion is slated to be made.  We can cut out programs that don't work to make sure we can invest in the things that do.  We can make government more streamlined, more efficient.  But if we're really going to be serious about reducing the deficit and growing the economy, then for folks like me to go back and pay at the rates that existed when Bill Clinton was President, when we created 23 million new jobs, went from deficit to surplus, and created a whole bunch of millionaires to boot -- that is the right plan for America. 

     And by the way, the reason that it's the right plan is because when a construction worker or a teacher or a receptionist -- when they've got a little money in their pocket, what do they do? 

     AUDIENCE:  Spend it!

     THE PRESIDENT:  They maybe go out and buy that new car, or buy that new appliance, or go to a restaurant, or, heaven forbid, they take a vacation once in a while.  (Laughter.)  And so that means business has more customers, and they hire more workers.  Historically, that is how our economy has grown.  Not from the top down, but from the middle out, from the bottom up.  When we create opportunity for everybody who works hard to get ahead, this economy grows. 

     That's the choice in this election.  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.) 
     Now, that choice -- you can see it in every issue between myself and Mr. Romney.  When the auto industry was on the brink of collapse, Governor Romney said, let's "let Detroit go bankrupt."  I said, with a million workers and an iconic American industry on the line, I’m going to bet on the American worker.  (Applause.)  And you know what, three years later, GM is number one again and the American auto has come roaring back.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election.

     So now I want to make sure that high-tech manufacturing takes root not in China, not in Germany, but here in the United States.  I want to stop giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  Let’s give those tax breaks to companies that are investing here in Chicago, investing in Cleveland, investing in Pittsburgh.  (Applause.)  Let’s create jobs here in the United States -- hiring American workers, making American products, selling them around the world, stamped with three proud words:  Made in America.  That’s the choice in this election.  (Applause.) 

     I’m running to make sure that after a decade of war, we start doing some nation-building here at home.  (Applause.)  In 2008, I promised we’d end the war in Iraq -- we’ve ended it.  (Applause.)  I said we’d go after al Qaeda and bin Laden -- we did.  (Applause.)  Now we’re beginning a transition in Afghanistan, making Afghans more responsible for their own security, and bringing our troops home.  All of this is possible only because of the extraordinary men and women in uniform who protect our freedom every single day at great sacrifice to themselves.  (Applause.) 

     But the question now is what country are they coming back to?  We want to give them a country full of opportunity.  Now, part of that means making sure that we’re doing right by them.  And as long as I am Commander-in-Chief, they are going to get the benefits that they have earned -- (applause) -- because if you fought for America, you shouldn’t have to fight for a job or a roof over your head when you come home.  (Applause.) 

     But it also means making sure the economy is absorbing all these folks who are coming home -- which means I want to take about half of the money that we were spending on war and let’s start investing it here in rebuilding our schools and roads and bridges.  (Applause.)  Let’s make sure that we’re putting teachers back to work.  (Applause.)   

     There is so much that we can do with the savings that we had and it will make America stronger, it will make America safer not just for the next five years or the next 10 years, but for decades to come.  That’s the America we want to build.  That’s the choice in this election.

     I’m running because I want to make sure we’ve got the best education system in the world.  (Applause.)  So I want to help local school districts hire and retain the best teachers, especially in math and science.  I want to give 2 million more people the opportunity to go to community colleges and get trained for the jobs that businesses are hiring for right now.  And I want to make sure, building on the work that we’ve already done, that we make college affordable -- not only by making sure that we continue to expand our efforts in Pell grants and student loans, but also that we’re making sure that colleges and universities are keeping their cost down.  Because higher education is no longer a luxury; it is an economic necessity in the 21st century, and we’ve got to fight for it.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election.

     On every issue, there is a stark contrast.  When it comes to homeownership, my opponent says, just let the foreclosures bottom out.  That’s not a solution.  I want to make sure that homeowners across American can refinance at historically low rates, save $3,000.  How many people here can use an extra $3,000?  (Applause.)  That would strengthen the housing market and put money in people’s pockets that will make the economy stronger. 

     My opponent says that we should go back to the days when folks went broke because they got sick.  He wants to kill the Affordable Care Act -- also known affectionately as Obamacare.  (Applause.)  I believe that it was the right thing to do for young people to be able to stay on their parent’s plan -- 6.5 million young people have insurance that didn’t have it before.  (Applause.)  I think it was the right thing to do to make sure that folks without [sic] preexisting conditions are able to get health insurance.  (Applause.)  I think it is the right thing to do for seniors to get discounts on their prescription drugs.  I think it’s the right thing to do for everybody to be able to get preventive care, including women who can have some control over their own health care decisions.  (Applause.) 

We’re not going backwards, we’re going forwards.  That’s a choice in this election.  (Applause.)

     We did the right thing to end "don't ask, don't tell."  We’re not going back, we’re going forward.  (Applause.)  We did the right thing helping out DREAM Act kids.  We’re not going to go backwards, we’re going forward.  (Applause.)

     Across the board, on these issues -- all of these things -- whether we’re talking about manufacturing, a fair tax code, a strong housing market, affordable college, a K-12 system that works -- all these things stitch together.  It has to do with how do we create security for middle-class folks and how do we create ladders of opportunity for everybody.  That’s how we’ve always grown this economy.  That is at the heart of what we believe -- that everybody who works hard has a shot; that everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same set of rules -- a belief that we are in this together, that we are not all on our own.  (Applause.) 

That’s the vision that we put forward in 2008.  That is the vision that we are fighting for in 2012.  That’s the choice in this election.  And that’s why I’m running for President.  (Applause.)

     AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!  

     THE PRESIDENT:  Now, let me just close by saying this.  We’ve got less than three months -- less than three months.  That goes by quick.  And as you get older, as you get to be like 51 -- (laughter) -- you will find out it goes by even quicker.  And during this time we will see the other side spend more money through these super PACs than we’ve ever seen -- ever.  I mean, they are writing $10 million checks, just -- they are just cranking it out.  If you live in a battleground state, you cannot get away from their advertising. 

     Now, the reason they have to advertise like this is because they know their economic theories don’t sell.  They know -- we didn’t get amnesia.  We remember trying what they’re selling, and it didn’t work.  (Laughter.)  So they’re basically just going to repeat over and over again:  The economy is not good and it’s Obama’s fault.  They’ll have variations on the theme, but it’s the same thing over and over again.  (Laughter.) 

     Now, that may be a plan to try to win an election, but it’s not a plan to create jobs.  It’s not a plan to strengthen the economy.  It’s not a plan to revive the middle class.  It’s not a plan to make America stronger.  It feeds into fear and the cynicism that so many Americans feel about Washington, but it’s not a plan for hope.  It’s not -- it doesn’t capture America at its best -- a big, bold, generous, optimistic America.  (Applause.) 
    
     And so the good news is we’ve been outspent before, I’ve been counted out before, but what has always given me faith, what’s given me hope, what’s given me confidence is you.  It’s all of you.  It’s the fact that when the American people come together, they cannot be stopped.  (Applause.)  When people power is harnessed, when you guys are out there knocking on doors, making things happen, you can’t be stopped.

     So I’m going to need your help.  We’ve come too far to go back now.  We got too many good jobs to create.  We got too many teachers we need to hire.  We’ve got too many schools we’ve got to rebuild.  We’ve got too many students who need help affording college.  We’ve got too much homegrown energy that we’ve got to generate.  We’ve got more troops we’ve got to bring home.  We’ve got more doors of opportunity that we have to open.  And that’s what’s at stake. 

And so I am not just asking for your vote, I am asking for your work.  I need your help over the next three months.  (Applause.)  I don’t need you just knocking on doors; I need you to make phone calls, I need you to talk to your friends, I need you to talk to your neighbors.  I need you guys to load up and go over into Iowa, a battleground state, and knock on some doors and make some phone calls over there.  (Applause.)  We’ve got to get help.  You’ve got to get involved in the election.  You’ve got to get on our website.  You’ve got to make sure that you are signing up.

If you are as passionate and as energized and as determined as you were before, then we won’t lose.  (Applause.)  And it is true that I am older and a little grayer, but I made a promise to you in 2008.  I said I’d always tell you what I thought, I’d always tell you where I stood.  And most importantly, I told you I would always, every single day, every minute of every day, think about you, and fight as hard as I knew how for you.  I have kept that promise.  (Applause.) 

I still believe in you.  And if you still believe in me, and are willing to get out there and work over the next 86 days, we will not just win this election, but we will finish what we started and remind the world just why it is the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

God bless you, Chicago.  (Applause.)  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.

                             END                3:51 P.M. CDT