The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event - Montgomery County, PA

Upper Dublin High School
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

4:23 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Well, thank you so much.  (Applause.)  You all seem pretty fired up.  It’s good stuff.  (Applause.)  I am beyond thrilled to be here today.
 
And I want to start by thanking Julie and her family for their hard work, for that very kind introduction and for everything they’re doing on behalf of the campaign.  Let’s give Julie a round of applause.  (Applause.)
 
And I want to thank and recognize a couple of people as well -- the Pennsylvania Treasurer, Rob McCord; Montgomery County Commissioners Leslie Richards and Josh Shapiro -- (audio interruption) -- they need about the issues they care about.  And you have to know that the kind of grassroots work that you all are doing on the ground, that is the work that’s at the core of this campaign.  It is how we did it four years ago, and it’s how we’re going to do it again today.  (Applause.)
 
And I’ve been involved in a campaign or two, so I know that the work that you’re doing is not easy.  And you all have busy lives.  You all have a lot going on, like Julie, working full time, all the -- everybody is doing something, whether it’s handling your job, attending classes -- I see a lot of young people out here.  (Applause.)  You’re taking care of business.  Folks have families to raise.  So I know it takes a lot to invest in something like this.
 
But I also know that there is a reason why all of us are here today, and I know it’s not just because we all support who I believe is an extraordinary, phenomenal -- (audio interruption) -- (applause.)  And yes, I’m a little biased, just a little bit.  (Laughter.)  And it’s not just because we want to win an election -- which we do, and we will.  (Applause.)
 
We’re here and we’re doing this because of our values.  That’s what I remind people.  We’re here because of the values we believe in.  We’re here, we’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share.  I don’t care who we are, we all share this vision.  (Applause.)  We’re doing this because we believe that everyone in this country should do their fair share; they should have a fair shot.  That means that all our kids should have good schools.  (Applause.)  All our kids should be able to attend college without a mountain of debt.  (Applause.)  And what I said before about doing our fair share, that means teachers and firefighters shouldn’t pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires.  (Applause.)  We believe that in America, if you work hard, you shouldn’t go bankrupt just because someone gets sick.  (Applause.)  And you shouldn’t lose your home because someone loses a job.  (Applause.)  And after a lifetime of hard work, you should be able to retire with dignity and security.  (Applause.) 
 
And what we have to remember is that these are basic American values.  This isn’t new.  This is the foundation of this country.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  My father was a pump operator at the city water plant.  That’s the job he did his whole life.  And neither of my parents had a college degree.  But let me tell you what they did do:  They saved -- (audio interruption) -- my brother so that we could get the kind of education they could only dream of.  (Applause.)
 
Education, as Julie said, was everything in our family.  It was our ticket to the middle class.  It was our pathway to the American Dream.  And when my brother and I finally made it to college, pretty much all of our tuition came from student loans and grants.  Can anybody relate to that?  (Applause.)  But my dad still had to pay a small portion of that tuition himself.  And let me tell you, every semester my dad was determined to pay his little portion of that bill, and to pay it on time.  Because like so many people that we know in our lives, he was so proud to play a part in sending his kids to college.  (Applause.)  So he made sure that we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late.  That was what my dad did for us.  And like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn a simple living that allowed him to meet his responsibilities to his family.  All he wanted to do was be able to pay his bills, and pay them on time. 
 
And his life is a testament to that basic American promise that no matter who you are in this country, no matter how you started out, if you work hard you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.  And let me tell you something, my husband understands that promise because that’s his story as well.  That’s one of the things I loved about him.  I mean, he’s the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  He’s the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn to catch a bus at her job at the bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother was good at her job and she worked hard, like so many women she hit that glass ceiling and watched men no more qualified than she was -- men she had actually trained -- climb the corporate ladder ahead of her.  (Applause.)  But the one thing Barack saw in his grandmother that so many of us have seen, he saw a woman who never complained.  How many people do we know like that in our lives -- never complain?  He watched her just keep getting up, just keep giving her best every single day to help support her family.
 
So what I want to remind people is that your President knows what it means when a family struggles.  This is not a hypothetical for him.  (Applause.)  He knows what it means to work hard because you want something better for your kids or your grandkids.  And like me, and like so many of you, Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  And one thing he understands is that when you’ve worked hard, and when you’ve done well, and you’ve walked through that doorway of opportunity, the one thing you don’t do is that you don’t slam it shut behind you.  (Applause.)  You reach back and you give other folks the chance to succeed as well. 
 
And truly, more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake in this election.  That’s why we’re here.  It is that dream, that fundamental American promise.  And let me tell you, from now until November -- less than 90 days -- we’re going to need all of you out there, every last one of you out there reminding people about what’s at stake.  (Applause.)  Tell them about Barack’s values.  Tell them about our vision.  Let them know about the choice we face in this election, because this is an election about choices.
 
This election is a choice about our economy.  It’s about building a strong and growing middle class.  So I want you to remind folks that Barack has cut taxes for working families by $3,600.  Remind them about that.  (Applause.)  He cut taxes for small businesses 18 times -- 18 times.  (Applause.)  Because he knows that rebuilding our economy starts with the restaurants and stores and startups that create two-thirds of all jobs in this economy. 
 
And I want you to remind people also that, back when Barack first took office, what welcomed him after his inauguration was an economy that was losing an average of 750,000 jobs every month.  Understand this -- every month.  That’s where we started.  But also let people know that for the past 29 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs -- a total of 4.5 million new jobs under this administration.  (Applause.) 
 
So while we still have a long way to go to rebuild this economy again, today millions of people are collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again.
 
This election is a choice about the health of our families.  And the fact is -- understand this:  That over the past century -- hear me; 100 years -- there have been many Presidents who have tried and failed to meet the challenge of health care reform.  Tried and failed -- 100 years.  (Applause.)  But your President was determined.  (Applause.)  Barack was driven by the stories of the people he’d met.  You know them -- the grandparents who couldn’t afford their medications; the families going broke because a child got sick; the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company wouldn’t cover her care.  And let me tell you, that’s what kept him going day after day.  That’s why he fought so hard for historic health reform.  (Applause.)
 
And today, because of that reform -- understand where we are today -- our parents and grandparents are paying hundreds less for prescription drugs.  (Applause.)  Today, because of that reform, our kids can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  And understand what this means for our kids graduating now, out there looking for work, trying to get their lives together.  No longer do they have to go without health care.  Because of this reform, insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care -- simple things:  contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care, at no extra cost.  (Applause.)  They cannot discriminate against us because we have an illness that they call a preexisting condition.  No more.  (Applause.)  And get this -- understand this:  If you get a serious illness, like breast cancer, and you need expensive treatment, your insurance company can no longer tell you, sorry, you’ve hit your lifetime limit and we’re not paying a penny more.  No longer.  Thanks to health reform, that is now illegal.  (Applause.)
 
And make no mistake about it, this November we get to decide:  Do we want these reforms to be repealed?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Or do we want the people we love to have the care we need?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  That’s the choice in this election.
 
This election is a choice about whether our kids can attend college without a mountain of debt.  Now, believe it or not, back when Barack and I were just starting out in our life together -- (laughter) -- we were so in love; we still are, not to worry -- (applause) -- but let me share something with you that you might relate to.  Our combined student loan bill each month was actually higher than our mortgage.  How many people can relate to that?  (Applause.)  That’s how we went to school.  So let me just tell you, when it comes to student debt, my husband and I, we’ve been there.  And that is why Barack doubled funding for Pell Grants and fought so hard to stop student loan interest rates from rising -- (applause) -- because he wants all our young people to get the kind of education they need for the jobs they deserve.  He wants all of our kids to fulfill their promise.
 
And that’s the reason he’s been fighting so hard for the DREAM Act.  Now, understand this:  He is fighting for responsible young people who have come to this country as children, through no fault of their own, and were raised as Americans because Barack believes that, yes, those young people, too, deserve a chance to go to college, to contribute to our economy, to serve the country they know and love.  (Applause.)
 
This election is a choice about keeping our country safe.  So I want to remind people that after 10 long years of war -- let us not forget all the men and women in uniform who served and sacrificed and gave their lives -- (applause) -- thanks to them, Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to this country.  (Applause.)
 
And I want you to remind people that Barack kept his promise to bring our troops home from Iraq, and he has been fighting to make sure that they get the benefits and support that they’ve earned.  (Applause.)
 
And today, our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love because Barack finally ended “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  (Applause.)
 
This election is a choice about supporting women and families in this country.  So be sure to tell people that Barack believes women should be able to make our own choices about our health care.  (Applause.)  Remind them that it’s now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work because of the first bill he signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  (Applause.) 
 
And of course, do not forget to remind people about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices Barack appointed and how, for the first time in history, our sons and daughters watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)
 
So when someone asks you what this President has done for our country, here’s what I want you to tell them:  Tell them how many jobs he’s created.  Tell them how much money he’s put back in the pockets of working folks.  Tell them that more of our kids can afford college.  Them more of our seniors can afford their medicine.  Remind folks that Barack ended the war in Iraq, passed historic health reform, and stood up for our most basic fundamental rights again and again and again.  (Applause.)  That’s what I want you to tell them.
 
But I also want you to remind folks that all of that -- all of that and so much more -- all of that is at stake this November.  It’s all on the line.  And that’s the choice we face. 
 
Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  (Applause.)  Or are we going to allow everything that we worked so hard for to just slip away?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, no -- we know what we need to do.  We can’t turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward.
 
AUDIENCE:  Forward!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  We need to keep moving this country forward.  (Applause.)  And truly, more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for.  Hopefully, that’s why we’re here -- the chance to finish what we started, right?  The chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision that we all share.  And let me tell you -- that’s what my husband has been doing every single day as President. 
 
And one of the things that I’ve come to learn over the last three and a half years as First Lady -- let me share this with you -- I have seen up close and personal what being President looks like.  So let me share some observations.  I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones.  The problems with no easy solutions.  The judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there’s no margin for error.  And as President, you’re going to get all kinds of advice, all kinds of opinions, from all kinds of folks, but at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, what I have seen is that as President, all you have to guide you are your life experiences.  All you have to guide you are your values, is your vision for this country. 
 
And in the end, when it all boils down to it, who you are and what you stand for is critical.  (Applause.)  And we all know who my husband is, don’t we?  (Applause.)  And we all know what Barack Obama stands for.  And we have seen, again and again, just how hard he’s willing to fight for us.  (Applause.) 
 
Remember when folks in Washington were telling Barack to let the auto industry go under with more than a million jobs on the line?  Remember that?  That was the advice he was getting.  But fortunately, for us, Barack had the backs of American workers.  He put his faith in the American people, and as a result, the auto industry is back on its feet again.  (Applause.)  And, more importantly, people are back to work collecting a paycheck.
 
Remember when folks were telling Barack not to take on health care?  Do you remember that?  I do.  They said, leave it for another day, another President.  Just keep kicking that can down the road.  But fortunately, Barack had the backs of American families, and as a result today, millions of people in this country can finally see a doctor when they’re sick.  (Applause.)  They can get the care that they need to stay well. 
 
So when it comes time to stand up for the middle class, I want you to ask yourselves, when it comes time to stand up for us, so that our kids can go to college and our families can make a decent living, save for retirement, you know what your President is going to do, don’t you?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  When we need a President to protect our most basic rights, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like or who we love, you know you can count on my husband, because that’s what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  Every day. 
 
But I have said this before and I will say it again and again:  He cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  He needs you.  As Barack has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is the only guarantee.  And in the end, think about this -- it could all come down to those last few thousand votes.  How many times have we been there? 
 
And while that might not sound like a lot, I just want you to think about a few thousand votes, when they’re spread out across an entire state, across hundreds of cities and thousands of precincts, just think about that -- so that one new voter that you register in your precinct, that one -- that that one neighbor that you get to the polls on November the 6th, I want you to think to yourself, that could be the one that makes the difference in this election.  (Applause.)  It's as real as that -- that that one conversation that you have, that one new volunteer you recruit, that could be the one that puts us over the top.  That could be the difference between us waking up on November the 7th and asking ourselves could I have done more, or feeling the promise of four more years.  (Applause.)  Four more years.
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years! 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  So this is how we're going to do it.  This is how we're going to do it.  That's why we launched It Takes One.  It takes one -- it's as simple as it sounds, and Julie explained it earlier.  Every time you take an action to move this campaign forward, we're asking you to inspire one more person to step up and do their part.
 
So if you're making phone calls or knocking on doors, bring along that one little knucklehead friend of yours, you know the one that's never really registered to vote and is not really sure about getting involved.  Bring that friend.  (Laughter.) 
 
If you're coming to an event, bring a neighbor who is maybe on the fence, doesn't know the issues, unclear.  Bring him with you.  When you're voting early on Election Day, bring that one voter along with you who may not make it to the polls.  Find one friend, one colleague, one person in your family.  We all know that person, right?  They don't even have to leave their house.  Send them to BarackObama.com/one and they can get involved in this campaign.  (Applause.)
 
It's like Barack has always said, it just takes one voice to change a room.  And if a voice can change a room, it can change a city.  And if it can change a city, it can change a state.  And if it can change a state, it can change a nation.  (Applause.)  That is the power of one -- the power of one.  (Applause.)
 
So never underestimate your individual ability to move this country forward.  And I'm not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long.  It's getting shorter, actually.  (Laughter.)  But it is going to be hard.  And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way. 
  
But what we have to remember is that's how change always happens in this country.  Real change takes time and patience.  But when we keep showing up, when we keep fighting that good fight, then eventually we get there -- we always do.  We always move forward in America, maybe not in our lifetimes.  This is the thing we have to hold onto, but maybe in our children's lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren's lifetimes.  Because in the end, that's what this is all about.  And in the end, that's what elections are always about. 
 
Don't let anyone fool you, elections are always about hope.  They're about our hopes for our children -- you know what I'm saying?  They're about the world we want to leave for them, our next generation.  And that's what I think about every night when I put my girls to bed.  That's what keeps me passionate.  I think about how I want to do for them what my dad did for me, what Barack's grandmother did for him.  (Applause.)
 
I want to give my daughters -- and all of our sons and daughters -- a foundation for their dreams.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise, because all of our kids are worthy, every last one of them.  (Applause.)  All of our kids deserve that feeling, that sense of limitless possibility, that belief that here in the United States of America, the greatest country on Earth, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.  (Applause.)
 
So what I say to myself is we can't turn back now.  We have come so far.  But we have so much more work to do.  So I have one last question:  Are you ready?  (Applause.)  Are you in?  (Applause.)  You think you can be in?  (Applause.)  You ready to roll up your sleeves now, find that one person -- shake them up?  We need you to be fired up, focused, working hard.  (Applause.)
 
If you haven't noticed, I'm a little fired up.  (Applause.)  I am going to be working as hard as I can.  We need every single one of you out there.  Thank you all for everything that you've done.  God bless.  (Applause.)

END
4:48 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

Remarks by the President at Campaign Event -- Colorado Springs, CO

 

Colorado College
Colorado Springs, Colorado
 
1:58 P.M. MDT
 
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Colorado! (Applause.) Oh, what a beautiful day! (Applause.) 
 
Can everybody please give Christy a big round of applause for the great introduction? (Applause.) And then, I want everybody to acknowledge one of the outstanding alums of Colorado College -- (applause) -- an outstanding senator for this great state of Colorado, an unbelievable Secretary of the Interior, looking after our natural resources -- Ken Salazar. (Applause.) 
 
Now --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
 
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. I really do. (Applause.) 
 
Now, I have to say, first of all, this looks like a very smart crowd -- (applause) -- which means that you've been spending a lot of time watching our Olympic Games -- (applause) -- and the unbelievable athletes and all the great training -- right here, we've got -- do we have one of our outstanding athletes? (Applause.) Thank you, Colorado, because Colorado Springs has been a training site for all our outstanding athletes. And we're so proud of them. Thank you so much. (Applause.) 
 
And for those of you who are curious, the women are doing pretty good right now in soccer. (Applause.) I know some of you may be -- the game is not over, and some of you may have DVR'd it, so I'm not going to say anything more. (Laughter.) But we're making progress.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Moving forward!
 
THE PRESIDENT: Moving forward. (Applause.) 
 
Now, even though we've been spending most of our time, sensibly, watching the Olympics, unless your cable is broken, you probably also noticed there’s this pretty intense campaign going on right now. And the reason it is an intense campaign is because the choice that we face in November could not be bigger. It’s not just a choice between two candidates or two political parties. It is a choice between two fundamentally different visions about how we move this country forward. And the direction that we choose -- the direction you choose when you walk into that voting booth -- is going to have a direct impact not just on us, it will have an impact on our kids and our grandkids for decades to come. 
 
Now, four years ago, we came together -- and it wasn’t just Democrats, we had independents and even some Republicans come together because we wanted to restore the basic bargain that made this country great, that built the greatest middle class and the most prosperous economy in the history of the world. And it’s a bargain that says very simply, if you work hard, your work will be rewarded. If you work hard, you can get ahead. It’s a deal that says if you put in enough effort, if you act responsibly, you can find a job that pays the bills, have a home you call your own. You can count on health care when you get sick. You can retire with dignity and respect. (Applause.) And most importantly, you can provide your kids with the education and opportunity so that they can dream bigger than you ever dreamed and they can achieve things you couldn't even imagine.
 
That's the American promise. That's the core of who we are as a people. And unfortunately, we had gone through a decade where that dream felt like it was slipping away. Jobs had gotten shifted overseas. Incomes had gone down, when you account inflation, even though the cost of everything from health care to college had gone up. And it all culminated in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
 
So we knew restoring this dream, reinstating this basic bargain was not going to be easy. And we understood it would take more than one year, or one term, or maybe even one President. And that was before the middle class got clobbered by this financial crisis. And a lot of our friends and neighbors lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost their savings -- and it made that dream seem even further out of reach.
 
But here's the good news. The American people are tougher than tough times. (Applause.) Not only is there a fundamental goodness and decency to the American people, but there’s also grit and resilience. And when we get knocked down, we get back up. (Applause.) 
 
And so, for the last three and a half years, we've worked to make sure that we didn’t slip into a Great Depression. And we created 4.5 million new jobs. (Applause.) We saved an auto industry on the brink of collapse. And although we are far away from where we need to be -- okay, we'll be okay. I hear you. What will happen is that the medical services -- we've just got somebody who fainted. Which reminds me, everybody, if you've been standing for a long time, bend your knees a little bit. Because this happens every time we have a rally. They'll be okay, just give them some space. And make sure that you drink some water if you've got some.
 
Now, we know that we've still got a long ways to go -- and the medical folks are coming right here. They're on their way. But, you know, what hasn’t changed as a result of this crisis is our character. (Applause.) What's made us great in the past is going to make us great in the future. (Applause.) 
 
We came together in 2008, understanding that we had an urgent mission to make sure that here in America everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, and everybody plays by the same set of rules. (Applause.) We're here to build an economy where hard work pays off, so that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make it if you try. That’s what this campaign is about, Colorado. That’s what the choice is in November. And that's why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States of America. (Applause.)
 
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
 
THE PRESIDENT: Now, here's the good news. Even though there are no quick fixes, there are no easy solutions -- some of these problems built up over decades and they're not going to be solved overnight -- we've got everything we need to meet the challenges we face. We've got the best workers in the world. (Applause.) We've got the best entrepreneurs in the world. We've got the best scientists and researchers in the world. We've got the best colleges and we've got the best universities in the world. (Applause.) We're a young nation. We've got this incredible diversity of talent and ingenuity. People come here from every corner of the globe, because they believe in our creed. They believe in our ideas. 
 
And so, no matter what the naysayers say, no matter how bad folks try to paint the picture just to sell newspapers or sound sophisticated -- (laughter) -- the truth of the matter is that there's not a country on Earth that wouldn't trade places with the United States of America. (Applause.) 
 
We've got what we need to succeed. What is standing in our way right now is our politics in Washington. (Applause.) It's a bunch of folks who think compromise is a dirty word; who think that the right way forward is to go backwards to the same top-down economic policies that got us into this mess in the first place. 
 
AUDIENCE: Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT: And, look, Mr. Romney, his friends in Congress, their basic economic plan is really simple to describe. It's not complicated. What they say is, on the one hand, they want to eliminate regulations on Wall Street banks, even after this crisis, or regulations on insurance companies, or regulations on unscrupulous lenders, or regulations that keep our air and water clean. So that's part number one. And then part number two -- big part of their plan -- is to cut taxes a lot more for the wealthiest Americans. 
 
AUDIENCE: Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT: And the idea is that somehow if you combine these two concepts that this is going to lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody. 
 
That's what they're proposing. I'm not making this stuff up. (Laughter.) Go to their websites. Look at what the House of Republicans voted on, their budget. That's where they're going to take us if they win. That's their idea. And, look, if you believe in that idea, then you're probably not going to be voting for me. 
 
Mr. Romney's -- the centerpiece of his entire economic plan is a new $5 trillion tax cut on top of the Bush tax cuts, a big chunk of it going to the wealthiest Americans. And last week, we found out that he expects you, middle-class families, to pay for it. 
 
AUDIENCE: Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT: Governor Romney’s tax plan -- this is not according to me, this is according to independent analysts -- assuming he kept his promise that it wasn't going to add to the deficit, would mean raising taxes on middle-class families with children by an average of $2,000. And keep in mind this would not be to pay down our deficit. It wouldn’t be to grow jobs or invest in education or make college more affordable, or invest in science and research or clean energy -- because he wants to gut all those things. He wants to cut away that stuff. Your tax increase would be to pay for another $250,000 tax cut for people making more than $3 million a year.
 
AUDIENCE: Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT: How many people think that’s a good idea?
 
AUDIENCE: No!
 
THE PRESIDENT: How many people honestly believe that that’s going to unleash incredible job growth in this country?
 
AUDIENCE: No!
 
THE PRESIDENT: Look, we have tried this before. They tried to sell us this trickle-down tax cut fairy dust before. (Laughter.) And guess what -- it didn’t work. It didn’t work then; it won’t work now. It’s not a plan to create jobs. It’s not a plan to cut the deficit. It’s not a plan to move our economy forward. 
 
We don’t need more tax cuts for folks like me. We need tax relief for working families. (Applause.) We need tax cuts for folks who are trying to make sure their kids get a good education, trying to keep their kids healthy, trying to keep a roof over their heads, trying to send them to college. 
 
That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States -- because our work is not yet done. (Applause.) 
 
I’ve got a different idea. Four years ago, I promised to cut taxes for middle-class families. I did that. (Applause.) The average typical family, their income taxes -- their tax burden is about $3,600 lower than it is now [sic]. I want to keep taxes exactly where they are for the first $250,000 of everybody’s income. I’ve already told Congress let’s get it done. We should do it before the election. Now, if your family makes under $250,000 -- which, by the way, is 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small businesses -- under my plan, your income taxes would not increase a single dime next year. (Applause.) That’s my plan. 
 
But if you’re fortunate enough to be in the other 2 percent, if this country has blessed you the way it’s blessed me, you still get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of income. It’s just that after that, we’re going to ask you to contribute a little bit more so we can pay down our deficit responsibly and invest in things like helping young people go to college -- (applause) -- invest in basic science and research, rebuild our roads -- all the things that help us grow and make the middle class strong. (Applause.) 
 
And, by the way, this doesn’t mean that we don’t still have more work to do to make government more efficient. I’m not somebody who believes government can solve every problem. Government has to do its part by cutting out spending that we don’t need. We’ve already cut a trillion dollars -- a trillion -- that’s with a “T” -- out of our budget. And we can do more to make government more efficient, more customer-friendly. But that doesn’t do enough to bring down the deficit. 
 
So all I’m asking is that folks like me go back to the rates that we paid under Bill Clinton -- which, by the way, you may remember, we created 23 million new jobs, the biggest budget surplus in history -- (applause) -- and we created a whole bunch of millionaires to boot. Because what happens is when a construction worker or a police officer, they’ve got a little more money to spend, you know what, maybe they go out and buy that new car. And suddenly the car company has more profits, which means that hire more workers -- and everybody does better. (Applause.) 
 
When a teacher or a receptionist has a little bit more money to spend, maybe they go to that local restaurant. Maybe they buy a computer for their kid for school. And now, suddenly, all businesses are doing better. 
 
That’s the history of America. When we grow from the middle class out, when we provide ladders of opportunity for those who want to get into the middle class and are willing to work hard to do it, everybody does well -- top, middle, bottom. (Applause.) 
 
We are in this thing together. That’s the choice in this election. And that’s why I’m running for President of the United States of America. (Applause.) 
 
This difference in vision, it shows up on all sorts of issues. When the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse, 1 million jobs at stake, Mr. Romney said, "let Detroit go bankrupt." I said, let’s bet on America’s workers. (Applause.) And we got management and workers to come together, making better cars than ever, and now GM is number one again and the American auto industry has come roaring back. (Applause.) 
 
So now I want to say what we did with the auto industry, we can do it in manufacturing across America. Let’s make sure advanced, high-tech manufacturing jobs take root here, not in China. Let’s have them here in Colorado. (Applause.) And that means supporting investment here. 
 
Governor Romney talks about his private sector experience. But he invested in companies that were called "pioneers" of outsourcing. I don't want to outsource. I want to insource. (Applause.) Let's reform our tax code and let's make it simpler. And let's make sure that we're providing tax breaks to companies that are investing here in Colorado Springs, here in Colorado -- not overseas. (Applause.) They're the ones who need tax breaks. 
 
Let's give tax breaks to companies that are investing here. It's the right thing to do. 
 
At a moment when homegrown energy is creating new jobs in states like Colorado and Iowa, my opponent wants to end tax credits for wind producers. 
 
AUDIENCE: Booo -- 
 
THE PRESIDENT: The wind industry supports about 5,000 jobs across this state. Without those tax credits, jobs would be at risk -- 37,000 jobs across this country would be at risk. Why would we want to stop promoting clean, renewable energy that can make our environment better, put people back to work, free our dependence from foreign oil? We should stop spending billions of taxpayer subsidies on the oil industry that is very profitable. Let's keep investing in a clean energy industry that's never been more promising. (Applause.) That's the choice in this election. 
 
Here's another choice. I promised in 2008 I'd end the war in Iraq. We ended it. (Applause.) I said we'd go after bin Laden and al Qaeda. We did. (Applause.) We're transitioning in Afghanistan and starting to bring our troops home. (Applause.) 
 
And so none of this could have been accomplished had it not been for our outstanding men and women in uniform. (Applause.) We are safer and more respected because of them. 
 
But now we've got to make sure that the country they come back to is going on all cylinders. So what I said is let's set up a Veterans Jobs Corps that helps returning veterans get jobs as firefighters and police officers in communities that need them. (Applause.) Let's make sure that they are getting the training that they need. And let's make sure that we take some of those savings that we are spending after a decade of war, let's do some nation-building here at home. (Applause.) Let's put people back to work rebuilding our roads and our bridges, laying broadband lines, rebuilding our schools, putting in new science labs. 
 
I was just down in Pueblo, and we were talking about a water project that John F. Kennedy had signed, authorizing 60 years ago -- 50 years ago. It has never been funded. You know what, under my administration it's getting funded. (Applause.) 
 
There are projects like that all across America. And we can put people back to work right now. That's good for the economy right now -- lower unemployment right now -- but it also lays the foundation for economic growth for decades to come. That's a choice in this election. 
 
I believe that we, once again, should be leading the world in educating our kids. (Applause.) So I've said let's make sure that we're helping local school districts hire the best teachers, especially in math and science. (Applause.) Let's help to provide millions of new slots at community colleges, so people can train for the jobs that businesses are hiring for right now. (Applause.) And I want to make college and university tuitions lower so young people aren't burdened with tens of thousands of dollars' worth of debt. (Applause.) We can do it -- because higher education is not a luxury; it's an economic necessity in the 21st century. (Applause.) 
 
My opponent doesn't have a plan for higher education. He doesn't have a plan for homeownership. He was asked, what should we do about the housing crisis. He says, well, we'll just let foreclosures bottom out. That's not a plan. What I've said is let's help all families take advantage of historically low rates, refinance your homes, get an extra $3,000 a year, which you will then spend and will make the economy stronger and the housing market stronger. (Applause.) That's a choice in this election -- doing nothing, or putting $3,000 in your pocket. 
 
I'm running because I believe nobody in America should go broke because they get sick. (Applause.) Mr. Romney says he wants to repeal Obamacare. 
 
AUDIENCE: Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT: Let me tell you, I'll work with anybody to keep improving our health care system. But the Supreme Court has spoken -- (applause) -- 6.5 million young people are able to stay on their parent's plans now. (Applause.) Seniors are getting discounts on their prescription drugs. Insurance companies can't prevent you from getting health insurance if you've got a preexisting condition. (Applause.) Folks are getting free preventive care. 
 
I think it was the right thing to do. We're not going backwards, we're going forwards. That's the choice in this election. (Applause.) 
 
We're not going back to "don't ask, don't tell". Everybody should be able to serve the country they love. (Applause.) That's a choice in this election. Helping out the DREAM Act kids -- that was the right thing to do. We're not going backwards, we're going forwards. That's the choice in this election. (Applause.) 
 
All these things tie together. Because my vision is one in which -- whether we're talking about housing or education or rebuilding America -- the idea is you've got to show individual initiative. Government can't solve all your problems. Government can't help folks who won't help themselves. But there are things we can do to make sure that everybody has got a chance, everybody has got opportunity. (Applause.) If everybody is willing to work hard, they've got those rungs on the ladder to have a secure middle-class life. (Applause.) 
 
That's the promise our parents passed down to us. That's why I'm standing here today -- because somebody helped me along the way. That's the promise I want to pass on to the next generation. That's why I'm running for another term as President of the United States of America. (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
 
THE PRESIDENT: Now, over the next three months, the other side will spend more money than we've ever seen on ads that tell you the same thing we've been hearing for four years now, which is the economy is not good enough and it's Obama's fault. Basically, they should just have one commercial and they can just run it over and over again, because they don't say anything new. (Laughter.) 
 
And the reason that's their argument is because they don't have a plan, and the plan they've got they can't sell. (Applause.) So they will do their best, like they've been trying to do for the last three years, to just run me down. The problem is they don't have a plan to create jobs. They don't have a plan to strengthen the economy. And they don't have a plan to revive the middle class. And I do. (Applause.) But in order to implement that plan, I'm going to have to have your help. 
 
This election is going to be close. Colorado is going to be close. So I've got to make sure your friends are registered. I've got to make sure you're registered. In Colorado, you can register online. So you got to go to gottaregister.com -- that's "gotta," G-O-T-T-A. (Laughter.) 
 
But we're going to have to work hard. Here is the good news. Here is the good news. I've been outspent before. I've been counted out before. But you know what we learned in 2008 -- when the American people decide that they want to see change, they make it happen. (Applause.) When the American people come together and focus on those values that have made us strong, they cut through all the nonsense. It doesn't matter how much the other side spends -- change happens. 
 
Colorado, we've come too far to turn back now. (Applause.) We've got too many good jobs we still have to create. We've got too many teachers we've got to hire. (Applause.) We've got too many schools we've got to rebuild, too many students we want to send to college. We've got too much homegrown energy we still have to generate, too many troops we've still got to bring home. We've got too many doors of opportunity we still have to open up for everybody who is willing to work hard and walk through those doors. (Applause.) 
 
That's what's at stake right now. That's why I'm running. That's why I need your help. In 2008, I said to you I am not a perfect man and I won't be a perfect President. But I promised you that I would spend every single day fighting as hard as I knew how for you. And I have kept that promise. Because I still believe in you. (Applause.) And, Colorado, if you still believe in me -- if you're willing to work with me and stand with me, and knock on doors with me, and make phone calls with me, we will win Colorado -- (applause) -- and we will win this election. And we will finish what we started. And we will remind the world why America is the greatest nation on Earth. 
 
God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) 
 
END
2:27 P.M. MDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event - Philadelphia, PA

University of the Sciences
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2:06 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, my!  (Applause.)  Well, thank you so much.  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  With your help.  With your help.  We’re going to need all of you all.  I am beyond thrilled to be with you all today -- beyond thrilled.  (Applause.) 
 
Let me start by thanking Zakiyyah and all the Obama mamas and papas.  (Applause.)  See, that’s what keeps me and Barack standing up straight -- it’s all those mamas and papas, and people praying and working.  You all keep us going.  I want to thank Zakiyyah and everyone for the work that you all are doing, and for that kind introduction.  So let’s give Zakiyyah a round of applause.  (Applause.)
 
I also want to thank Congressmen Brady and Fattah for their words earlier and for their leadership every single day.  (Applause.)  And I also want to thank David, who I also know is out here getting people fired up and ready to go.  So we’ve got to thank David.  (Applause.)
 
And finally, I’m really here to thank all of you -- our extraordinary volunteers. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  We love you.  We love you!  We love you!  (Applause.)  Thank you for everything -- everything that you’re doing day in and day out to make this campaign possible.  And everything you’re doing -- you’re doing the tough stuff, knocking on those doors, registering voters, giving folks the information they need about the issues they care about.  And I want you to know that the grassroots work that you all are doing on the ground to get people focused and fired up, that work is at the core of everything we do in this campaign.  That’s how we did it four years, and that’s how we’re going to do it again today.  Do not underestimate the work that you’re doing.  Don’t do it.  (Applause.) 
 
And I know this work isn’t easy.  I’ve done it myself; it is not easy.  Folks got busy lives -- everyone in here has something on their plate.  You’ve got jobs to do, classes to attend for all the young people.  (Applause.)  People have families to raise.  But I also know, as I say everywhere I go, there is a reason why we are all here today.  There’s a reason why we’re doing this work, and it’s not just because we all support what I know to be a phenomenal President that we have, my husband, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)  Awesome.  Awesome.  (Applause.)  I may be a little biased, but -- (laughter.)  And we’re not just here because we want to win an election -- which we do, and we will.  Yes, we will.  (Applause.)
 
What we have to remember, and I try to remind people everywhere I go, we’re doing this because of the values we believe in.  We’ve got to hold true to that.  We’re doing this because of our values.  We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share.  We’re doing this because we believe that here in America, everyone should have a fair shot.  And what that means is that, for example, all our kids in this country should have good schools to go to.  (Applause.)  It means that all of our kids in this country should be able to go to college without a mountain of debt.  (Applause.)  That’s what that means.  We also believe that everyone in America should do their fair share.  That means simply that teachers and firefighters shouldn’t pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires, right?  (Applause.)  We believe that hard work should pay off, and we believe that if you work hard you shouldn’t go bankrupt because you get sick.  You shouldn’t lose your home because someone lost a job.  And we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, you should be able to retire with a little dignity and security.  That’s what we believe.  That’s why we’re here.  (Applause.) 
 
And we have to remember these are basic American values, right?  This is the foundation.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  And I am telling my story everywhere I go because I’m proud of where I’m from.  (Applause.)  My father -- and I want young people to know this -- my father was a pump operator at the city water plant his entire life.  That was the only job he had.  And neither of my parents had a college degree.  But let me tell you something my folks did for me and my brother:  They saved and they sacrificed everything for us; they poured everything they had into me and my brother so that we could get the kind of education they could only dream of. 
 
And as Zakiyyah said, young people, education was everything in our family.  It was everything.  That was our ticket to the middle class.  That was it.  That was our pathway to the American Dream.  That was how we were going to get there.  (Applause.)  So when my brother and I finally made it to college, let me tell you, pretty much all of our tuition came from student loans and grants.  Can I get an Amen?
 
AUDIENCE:  Amen!  (Applause.) 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  That’s how we go to school, right?  But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself.  And let me tell you, every semester my father was determined to pay his little portion of that bill right on time.  See, my father, like so many parents, he was proud to play a role in sending his kids to college, and he made sure that we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late.  Listen to this -- like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in earning a simple living that allowed him to meet his responsibilities to his family.  That’s all my father wanted.  He wanted to be able to pay all of his bills, and pay them on time.  That’s all he wanted.  (Applause.) 
 
And what I remind people is that my father, and so many others like him in this country, their lives are a testament to that basic American promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.  (Applause.)
 
And what I want people to understand is that my husband, your President, understands that promise because that’s his story as well.  That’s why I married him.  (Applause.)  See, I want you to remember that Barack Obama was the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  He’s the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn to catch a bus to her job at the bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to support he and his family, and she was good at her job, like so many women she hit that glass ceiling and watched men no more qualified than she was -- men she had actually trained -- be promoted up the ladder ahead of her.  See, but what Barack also saw in his grandmother, he saw a woman who never complained.  How many people do we know like that in our lives -- never complain?  (Applause.)  She just kept getting up, just kept giving her best every single day to help support his family.
 
So what I want you to understand is that Barack Obama knows what it means when a family struggles.  This is not a hypothetical for him.  He knows what it means to work hard because you want something better for your kids and your grandkids.  And like me, and like so many of us, Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  (Applause.)  And he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and when you’ve done well, and you’ve walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.  Not in America.  (Applause.)  You reach back and you give other folks the chance to succeed as well.  That’s what we do in America.  (Applause.) 
 
And more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake in this election.  That’s why we’re here.  It’s that dream, that fundamental American promise.  And let me just say, from now until November -- less than 90 days -- we are going to need all of you -- all of you out there, telling everybody you know.  Tell them about Barack’s values.  Tell them about our vision for this country.  Tell them about the choice that we face in this election -- because this election is definitely about choices.
 
This election is a choice about our economy.  It’s about building that strong and growing middle class.  So I want you to remind folks, when you’re out there -- remind them that Barack cut taxes for working families in this country by $3,600.  (Applause.)  Also remind them that he cut taxes for small businesses 18 times -- 18 times.  (Applause.)  Because what he understands is that rebuilding our economy starts with the restaurants and the stores and the startups that create two-thirds of all jobs in this economy.  You’ve got to tell them.  (Applause.)
 
And I also want you to be sure to remind people how, back when Barack first took office, what awaited him was an economy that was losing an average of 750,000 jobs every month.  That’s what welcomed him to the Oval Office.  Let people know.  But also remind them that for the past 29 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs -- a total of more than 4.5 million new jobs in this economy.  You’ve got to let them know.  (Applause.) 
 
So while, yes, we have a long way to go, we have more work to do to rebuild our economy, today -- today, millions of people are back at work collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again.  Let them know.  (Applause.)
 
This election is also a choice -- it’s a choice about the health of our families, right?  I mean, the fact is -- listen to this.  Just remember this:  That over the past century -- yes, 100 years -- so many of this country’s Presidents have tried and failed to meet the challenge of health care reform.  A hundred years!  But your President was determined.  (Applause.)  Yes.  You see, Barack was driven by the stories of the people he’d met.  You know these people -- the grandparents who couldn’t afford their medications; the families going broke because a child got sick; the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company wouldn’t cover her care.  And let me tell you, that’s what kept him going day after day.  It was our stories.  That’s why he fought so hard for this historic reform.
 
And today, because of this reform that he fought for for us, our parents and grandparents are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs today.  (Applause.)  Because of this reform, today our kids can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old -- (applause) -- so that our young people don’t have to go without health care when they first graduate from college and they’re out there trying to build a life and start a career.  Because of this reform, insurance companies have to cover basic preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care, with no extra cost.  (Applause.)  Because he fought for us, these insurance companies cannot discriminate against us because we have an illness that they call a preexisting condition -- because of this reform.  (Applause.)  And if you have a real serious illness -- something like breast cancer -- and you need expensive treatment, your insurance company can no longer tell you, sorry, you’ve hit your lifetime limit and we’re not paying for anymore.  No more.  Thanks to health reform, that is now illegal.  (Applause.)
 
And make no mistake about it, this November we get to decide:  Do we want these reforms repealed?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Or do we want the people we love to have the care they need?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  This is the choice that we face.  That’s why we’re here.
 
This election is a choice about whether our kids can attend college without a mountain of debt.  (Applause.)  Now, believe it or not, back when Barack and I were first getting together -- got married, building a life together, buying a house --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Kids.
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Kids?  Not yet.  Not then.  Kids were later.  (Laughter.)  But this was early on.  Our combined student loan bill each month was actually higher than our mortgage.  Yes, how many people -- can I get an Amen on that one?
 
AUDIENCE:  Amen!  (Applause.) 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  So let me just tell you, when it comes to student debt, my husband and I, we’ve been there.  And that’s why Barack doubled funding for Pell Grants.  (Applause.)  That’s why Barack fought so hard to stop student loan interest rates from increasing, because he wants all of our young people to get the education they need for the jobs they deserve -- all of them.  (Applause.)
 
Your President wants all of our young people to fulfill their promise.  And that is why he’s been fighting so hard for the DREAM Act.  (Applause.)  Now, understand this:  He is fighting so that responsible young people in this country who came to this country as children, through no fault of their own, and were raised as Americans -- listen to this -- they were raised here -- because he believes that, yes, those young people also deserve the chance to go to college, to contribute to our economy, to serve the country that they know and love.  (Applause.)
 
This election is also a choice about keeping our country safe.  So I want you to remind people that after 10 long years of war -- all right? -- after so many of our heroic men and women in uniform sacrificed and gave their lives, Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to this country.  Remind them about that.  (Applause.)
 
And also remind folks that Barack kept his promise to bring our troops home from Iraq, and he’s fighting hard every day to make sure that they get the benefits that they’ve earned.  (Applause.)
 
And today, our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love because Barack finally ended “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  (Applause.)
 
Ladies, this election is a choice about supporting women and families in this country.  (Applause.)  So be sure to let people know that your President believes women should have -- be able to make our own choices about our health care.  (Applause.)  Remind them that it is now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work because of the first bill he signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  (Applause.) 
 
And of course, you have to remind them about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices he appointed -- Elena Kagan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- and how, for the first time in history, our sons and daughters watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)
 
So when someone asks you what this President has done for our country, here’s what I want you to tell them:  Tell them how many jobs he’s created.  Tell them how much money he’s put back in the pockets of working people.  Tell them that more of our kids can afford college; more of our seniors can afford their medicine.  Remind folks that Barack ended the war in Iraq, passed historic health care reform, and stood up for our most basic, fundamental rights again and again and again.  That’s what you tell them.  That’s what I want you to do -- again and again and again.  (Applause.)
 
But I also want you to remind them that all of that and so much more, it’s all on the line.  Everything is at stake.  That’s why we’re here.  That’s the choice we face.  Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or are we going to allow everything that we fought for to just slip away?  What are we going to do?  No, we can’t turn back now.  We have to keep moving forward.  Forward!  Forward!  Forward!  (Applause.)
 
And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for -- truly, the chance to finish what we’ve started; the chance to keep fighting for the values that we all believe in, the vision that we all share.  And let me tell you, that is what my husband has been doing every single day as President.
 
And let me just share something with you.  Because as First Lady, over the past three and a half years, I have had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like.  And I have seen some things.  So let me share something that I’ve come to know.  I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones.  Let me tell you, running for President is the easy part of the job.  Because he’s faced with problems with no easy solutions -- the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error.  And as President, you’re going to get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people.  But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President -- let me share with you what I have found -- all you have to guide you are your life experiences.  All you have to guide you are your values, is your vision for this country.  That’s all you draw on.  In the end, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for.
 
And we all know who my husband is, don’t we?  And we all know what he stands for, don’t we?  (Applause.)  And we have seen again and again just how hard he’s willing to fight for us.  Remember when folks in Washington told Barack to let the auto industry go under, with more than a million jobs on the line?  Remember that?  But fortunately, your President had the backs of American workers.  He put his faith in the American people.  And as a result, today the auto industry is back on its feet again.  More importantly, millions of people are back working, collecting a paycheck again.
 
And remember, there were folks telling Barack not to take on health care.  You remember that?  I do.  They told him -- they said, leave it for another day, another President.  Just keep kicking that can down the road.  You remember that?  But Barack had the backs of American families.  And as a result, today millions -- millions of people in this country can finally see a doctor when they’re sick; they can get the care they need to stay well.  (Applause.)
 
So I want to ask you, what do you think?  When it comes time to stand up for the middle class so that our kids can go to college and our families can make a decent living, save for retirement, you know what my husband is going to do.  When we need a President to protect our most basic rights, no matter who we are or where we’re from or what we look like or who we love, you know you can count on my husband because that’s what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States.  Every day.  You know who he is.  (Applause.)
 
But I have said this before and I will keep saying it:  He cannot do this alone.  You hear me?  That was never the promise.  He cannot do this alone.  Because, as Barack has said -- understand this:  He has said this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is the only guarantee.  And in the end, think about this:  It could all come down to those last few thousand votes, especially here in this state.  And while that may not sound like a lot, just think about it -- just think about those small number of votes spread out across an entire state, across hundreds of cities and thousands of precincts.  Think about it.  So with that one new voter that you register, that one neighbor that you help get to the polls on November the 6th, just say to yourself, that could be the one that makes the difference in this election.  Say that:  That could be the one.  (Applause.)  That one conversation you have, that one new volunteer that you recruit -- we all know one person, right?  That one knucklehead nephew -- just slap him in the back of the head.  (Laughter.)  That one colleague that quite doesn’t understand health reform and what it does for them -- that one could be the one that puts us over the top.  That could be the difference between waking up on November the 7th and asking yourself, “Could I have done more?”, or feeling the promise of four more years.  That is the difference.  (Applause.)
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  With your help.  With your help.
 
And that’s why we have launched this wonderful effort that we’re calling It Takes One.  It’s simple.  It is as simple as it sounds.  Every time you take action to move this campaign forward, we’re asking you to inspire just one more person to step up and do their part as well.  So if you’re making calls, knocking on doors, bring that friend -- that little lazy friend, bring them.  Bring them.  (Laughter.)  If you’re coming to an event, bring a neighbor who has never been involved, may be undecided.  Bring them with you.  When you’re voting early or on Election Day, find that person in your life; help them get to the polls.  Find that one friend, that one colleague, that one person in your family.  They don’t even have to leave their house.  Tell them to go to barackobama.com/one so that they can get involved in this campaign. 
 
And think about it, as Barack has always said:  It just takes one voice to change a room.  And if a voice can change a room, he says, it can change a city.  And if it can change a city, it can change a state.  And if it can change a state, it can change the nation.  That is the power of one.  (Applause.)  One!  One!  You all know that one to keep this country moving forward.
 
Now, I am not going to kid you, because I don’t kid a lot.  (Laughter.)  This journey is going to be long, and it is going to be hard, and there is going to be lots of twists and turns along the way; lots of highs and lows; lots of nail-biting moments.  But what I remind people is that is how change always happens in this country.  Real change requires patience.  It takes time.  But remember this:  When we keep showing up, when we keep fighting that good fight, then eventually we get there because we always have and we always will.  Maybe not in our lifetimes -- understand this -- but maybe in our children’s lifetimes; maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.  How many people have sacrificed for us?  (Applause.) 
 
Because in the end, that’s what this is about.  We’re not in this for ourselves.  In the end, that’s what elections are always about.  Don’t let anybody tell you differently -- elections are always about hope.  They’re about the hopes for our children.  They are about the world we want to leave for our next generation.  And let me tell you, that is what keeps me fired up.  That is what I think about every night when I put my girls to bed.  Every night, I think about the world I want to leave for them.  I think about how I want to do for them what my dad did for me, what Barack’s grandmother did for him.  I want to give my daughters, and all of our sons and daughters, a foundation for their dreams, something they can hold onto.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise.  Because all of our -- all of them are worthy.  (Applause.)  I want our kids to have that sense of limitless possibility -- that belief that here in America, the greatest country on Earth, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.
 
So I tell myself, we cannot turn back now.  Oh, no.  We have just come too far.  (Applause.)  But we have so much more work to do.  So I have one last question to ask you:  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you ready for this?  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves, find that one person?  Shake them up.  Get them involved.  I hope you’re fired up, because if you haven’t noticed, I’m fired up and very ready to go.  (Applause.)  We’re going to need you every step of the way.
 
We love you.  God bless.  Let’s get to work.

END               
2:36 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

Gaggle aboard Air Force One en route Colorado Springs, CO, 8/9/2012

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Colorado Springs, Colorado   

12:50 P.M. MDT

MR. CARNEY:  Welcome aboard Air Force One for this short flight to Colorado Springs.  I have no announcements at the top. I don't know if Jen has any.

MS. PSAKI:  I don't.

MR. CARNEY:  Neither of us have announcements for you, so let's get started.

Q    Jen, it feels like this week has sort of devolved on the campaign trail into a lot of back-and-forth, name-calling, both sides accusing each other of running ads that are dishonest. And yet in the President's remarks today, he only singled out Republican super PACs for sort of perpetrating that.  Does he feel like his campaign and his supporters bear any responsibility for the tone of the race the past few days?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, I would say two things.  One is, as the President is out there on the campaign trail, he's talking about what people in this country care about.  So yesterday it was access to affordable health care, ensuring people have the tax cut that they are relying on and worried about.  Today he talked about making sure people in Colorado have the benefit of the wind tax credit that we know hundreds, thousands of jobs in this state rely on.  That's what he's focused on. 

We know that there's a debate that's going on out there between ads on the airwaves.  But I'll say there's been -- if you bear with me while I use a fruit analogy -- but there's been a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison here, when we're comparing an ad that has not even run, by an outside group we have nothing to do with, with an ad that is the basis of Mitt Romney's campaign right now, that is a bold-face lie about the President's record on welfare.  And I think that's frustrating to us because they're being compared at the same level.

So I will say that the President is out there -- you'll hear him talk again this afternoon about what the American people care about.  We'd love to be focused on that.  But at the same time, we know when there are ads on the air that are distorting his record, we do have to clarify and put out the accurate information about what's the truth.

Q    Jay, did the President receive a new National Intelligence Estimate, and does it show that Iran has advanced its progress toward a nuclear weapon?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, you know I don't comment on intelligence matters or intelligence reports the President may or may not have received.  I can tell you that the President remains committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and that we are leading an international effort to -- yes, something exciting happened in soccer.  Sorry, excuse me, now I'm distracted.

But we're leading an international effort to impose upon Iran what even the Iranian President has identified as the most stringent sanctions ever imposed on any country.  And that effort is designed to take advantage of what we believe remains to be a window of opportunity to persuade Iran through these sanctions and through diplomatic efforts to forego its nuclear weapons ambitions and live up to its international obligations. 

Q    Is the White House at all irked that what appears to be some kind of intelligence is being discussed by the Israelis publicly?

MR. CARNEY:  I would simply say that I won't discuss intelligence assessments or intelligence matters.  But I will discuss the fact that this President has led an effort to isolate and pressure Iran that is unprecedented, that we absolutely share Israel's, as well as other countries' concerns about Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions.  And that is why we are engaged in this concerted and unprecedented effort to bring about the change in behavior that must occur by Iran. 

Q    Is there any mood to increase or step up sanctions?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I think, as you know, this is a process that is ongoing and hardly a week goes by where there isn't some development that has the effect of increasing sanctions on Iran. I think it was just last week where we announced a new round of sanctions, including of a third country bank.  And we are continuing in that effort both unilaterally as the United States, but collectively with our partners.

Q    Jay, does the White House feel like the meetings that Iran is holding with Syrian allies to talk about any of the violence there are credible and a helpful part of the process of trying to seek a resolution?

MR. CARNEY:  No.  I think there is no evidence that Iran has been playing a constructive role in Syria -- in fact, quite to the contrary.  There's vast evidence that demonstrates that Iran has been engaged in an effort to prop up Assad as he brutally murders his own people.

Q    Will we get a chance to ask you more tomorrow about the weekend in Iowa, or do we need to do it now in the next four seconds before we land?

MR. CARNEY:  We'll have -- you'll have that opportunity tomorrow. 

Q    Jen, you said yesterday the campaign wasn't aware of Joe Soptic's background and it turns out there was a conference call about it.  Is that still the case?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, it's worth repeating, just so everybody is reminded, that we had nothing to do with the ad.  We can't speak to what they were trying to convey by the ad or communicate.  No one is denying that he was in a campaign -- one of our campaign ads.  He was on a conference call telling his story, which speaks to what many, many people in this country have gone through as there have been layoffs and they've had their benefits reduced.

So I think what's clear here, again, is that we are -- hold on, we are about to land -- what's clear here, again, is that we're focusing so much on an ad that has not run yet, that is done by an outside group.  One thing I failed to mention -- I was getting so excited about affordable health care -- was that I saw an ad yesterday that is being run by the Republican outside group that questions whether the President was born in the United States and shows a picture of his birth certificate with a question mark on it.  No one is asking the Romney campaign about that ad and what they think about that ad.  So as we talk about apples and oranges, that's the apples-to-apples comparison I'll leave you with.

MR. CARNEY:  I think that's a kiwi.  That's so far afield.  And can I just add that on the issue -- as a matter of policy, that there have been numerous, now, testimonials by a variety of people, both Democrats and Republicans, to the fact that the ads put out by the Romney campaign on the President's policy is blatantly false.  Even Newt Gingrich, whom I referenced yesterday, said that there's no proof that the policies that we are engaged in would in any way weaken the work requirements in welfare reform.  In fact, as you know, the truth is the opposite. 
And to go to Jen's point -- and this is a matter of policy  -- it is rather striking that the central engine at this time of that political campaign, and all the money that is fueling the engine, is going towards an advertisement that is provably and demonstrably false.

Q    Thanks, guys.

MR. CARNEY:  Thank you.

MS. PSAKI:  Lovely landing.
 
END  
12:58 P.M. MDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Ghana to Attend the State Funeral of President John Evans Atta Mills

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Ghana to attend the State Funeral of His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana.  

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will lead the delegation on August 10, 2012.

Members of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable Donald Teitelbaum, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana

The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

General Carter F. Ham, Commander, United States Africa Command

Mr. Grant T. Harris, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Staff

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Pueblo, Colorado

Colorado State Fairgrounds
Pueblo, Colorado

10:35 A.M. MDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Pueblo!  (Applause.)  Hello, Colorado!  (Applause.)  It's good to be back!  (Applause.)  It is good to be back.  And thank you so much for being here.  This is a good-looking crowd. 
 
Can everybody please give Crystal a big round of applause for that great introduction.  (Applause.)  There are a couple other people I want to acknowledge.  First of all, one of our campaign co-chairs, former Secretary of Transportation, former Secretary of Energy, former mayor, good friend -- please give a big round of applause to Federico Peña.  (Applause.)  And we've got one of the finest senators that the state of Colorado ever had, who is now doing a great job looking after the natural resources of this beautiful country of ours -- your own, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar.  (Applause.)
 
It is great to be with all of you.  We spent the night here last night, and everybody has been so hospitable.  And then, this morning, before we came here we stopped by Romero's for some green chili.  (Applause.)  I got to admit that we're saving some to take back to the White House.  (Laughter and applause.)  So I'm going to work with the White House chefs to see if we can figure out some of the secrets here.  (Laughter.) 
 
But, listen, unless you've been able to hide from your TV set or your cable is broke, you're probably aware right now that we've got a pretty intense campaign going on.  (Applause.)  And the reason it's so intense is because the choice that we face this November could not be bigger.  It's not just a choice between two candidates.  It’s not just a choice between two parties.  More than any election in recent memory, this is a choice between two fundamentally different paths for our country -- two fundamentally different visions of where this country needs to go.
 
And the direction that we choose -- the direction that you choose when you walk into that voting booth in November, it won't make a difference just in our lives; it will make a difference in our kids' lives and our grandkids' lives for decades to come.  (Applause.)
 
Now remember that four years ago we came together as Democrats, but also independents and Republicans, to restore the basic bargain that built the greatest middle class and the most prosperous economy the world has ever known.  And it's a bargain that says -- it's very simple -- it says, if you work hard, hard work should be rewarded.  (Applause.)  It's an idea that says if you put in the effort, if you take responsibility for yourself and your community, you should be able to find a job that pays the bills.  (Applause.)  You should be able to afford a home that you can call your own.  You should be able to count on health care if you get sick.  You should be able to retire with dignity and respect.  And most importantly, you should be able to give your kids the kinds of education and opportunity that lets them dream even bigger than you dreamed and do even better than you did.  (Applause.)
 
That idea is at the heart of America.  That's the American promise.  Now, we understood that restoring that promise wouldn't be easy.  It would take more than one year or one term or even one President.  After all, we had been coming off a decade in which the middle class had been getting hammered, jobs had been getting shipped overseas, wages and incomes were going down, the cost of everything from health care to groceries was going up.  And it all culminated in the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes -- a crisis that robbed too many of our friends and neighbors of their jobs and their homes and their savings, and put the American Dream even further out of reach.
 
So we knew that we had a lot of work to do.  And over the last three and a half years, we have focused on righting the ship, making sure that we didn’t slip into a depression, saving an auto industry, creating 4.5 million new jobs, half a million new manufacturing jobs -- (applause) -- getting health care done, helping young people go to college.  We have been working to get us moving forward. 
 
And as tough as things have been -- and we know our job is not done yet -- what we've learned over these last three and a half years is that the crisis didn't change who we are.  It hasn't changed our character.  It hasn't changed what has made us great.  It hasn't changed why we came together, what we believe in, why we feel such an urgency to get to work.  Because we understand that we need to build an economy where hard work pays off, so that no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, what your last name is -- here in America, you can make it if you try.  (Applause.)  That's what this campaign is about, Colorado.  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
Now, look, there are no quick fixes.  There are no easy solutions to the challenges we face.  But I know in my bones that we have the capacity to meet those challenges.  Think about what we've got going for us.  We've still got the best workers in the world.  (Applause.)  We've got the best business people in the world.  We've got the best scientists, the best researchers, the best colleges, the best universities.  We are a young nation and we've got a diversity of talent and ingenuity that comes from every corner of the globe.  (Applause.)
 
So when you hear people saying, America is in decline, or you hear folks for political reasons trying to paint things as dark as they can, let me tell you something -- there isn't a country on Earth that wouldn't trade places with the United States of America.  (Applause.)  What is standing in our way right now isn't the lack of technical solutions or good plans.  What's standing in our way is the politics in Washington -- folks who think compromise is a dirty word, folks who think the only thing we can do to grow the economy is to go back to the same top-down economics that got us into this mess in the first place. 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And I promise you, that's their only idea -- to go back to the things that didn't work.  Mr. Romney, his friends in Congress, they believe -- they've got two ideas.  One, tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.  Two, they want to get rid of regulations that help keep our air and water clean -- regulations that protect our consumers, regulations that make sure that Wall Street doesn't do the same kinds of things that created the financial crisis. 
 
And their idea is, is that if we give these big tax cuts to folks who don't need them and are doing really well, and we let corporations run roughshod, even if they're not doing the right thing, that somehow that's going to lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody.  That's what they're proposing.  That's what they will do if they win this election.
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Now, Crystal mentioned this -- the centerpiece of Mr. Romney's entire economic plan is a new $5 trillion tax cut -- a lot of it is going to the wealthiest Americans.  But last week, we found out he expects the middle class to pick up the tab to pay for it. 
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  So you've got a $5 trillion tax plan and to pay for it you raise taxes on middle-class families with children by an average of $2,000 -- not to reduce the deficit, not to grow jobs, not to invest in education, but just to give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year.
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Now, you know what, they have tried to sell us this trickle-down tax cut fairy dust before.  It did not work. It did not work then.  It is not going to work now.  It is not a plan to create jobs.  It is not a plan to cut the deficit.  It's not a plan to move our economy forward.  We do not need -- I do not need a tax cut.  We don't need tax cuts for folks who are doing really, really, really well.  We need to keep taxes low for working Americans like you.  (Applause.)
 
We need to keep tax cuts in place for families who are trying to raise kids, and keep them healthy and send them to college, and keep a roof over their heads.  And 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.)
 
Four years ago, I promised that I would cut middle-class taxes.  I kept that promise.  (Applause.)  And the average middle-class family, their taxes are about $3,600 lower than when I came into office.  So if you talk to your friends and they say, oh, he’s some big taxing Democrat, you tell them, actually, he’s cut your taxes.  Now I want to keep taxes exactly where they are on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income.  So if you’re a family making under $250,000 -- which is 98 percent of American families -- you won’t see your income taxes go up by one single dime.  (Applause.)
 
Now, if you’re fortunate enough to be in the other 2 percent, if you make more than $250,000 a year, you still get a tax cut on your first $250,000.  But if you make $3 million, then we’re going to go take the rest of it and tax that a little bit more at the rate we taxed it under Bill Clinton.  (Applause.) 
 
And listen, the reason we do that is not because we love taxes.  I would end up having to pay more under my plan.  And it’s not like I love paying taxes, but I understand that I’ve got to do a little bit more.  I’ve been so blessed.  And it will help us bring down our deficit and invest in things like education that will help us grow as an economy.  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Now, understand also -- we’re going to make sure that government does its part.  We’ve already cut a trillion dollars of spending that we didn’t need, and we’ll keep streamlining government to make it more effective.  But we’re just asking folks like me to go back to the rates we paid under Bill Clinton, and that was a time when the economy created nearly 23 million new jobs -- the biggest budget surplus in history.  (Applause.) 
 
And it actually was good for businesses and good for folks at the top, too.  Because you know what happens?  If a steel worker or a construction worker, they’ve got a job and they’ve got a little more money in their pockets, maybe they buy that new car.  And that means that now that business has more profits, maybe they hire more workers.  If a teacher or a receptionist has a little bit more money in their pockets, maybe they go over to another restaurant.  Maybe they go to Romero’s and they eat out. And now the restaurant hires a couple more workers -- everybody does better.  That’s how the economy grows best -- from the middle out, from the bottom up, not from the top down. 
 
When all of us share in prosperity, we all do better.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for President -- because I believe we’re all in this together.  (Applause.)
 
We’ve got a bunch of examples of the differences, the choice in this election.  When the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse, more than 1 million jobs at stake, Governor Romney said, let’s “let Detroit go bankrupt.”
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I said I believe in American workers, I believe in this American industry, and now the American auto industry has come roaring back and GM is number one again.  (Applause.)  So now I want to do the same thing with manufacturing jobs not just in the auto industry, but in every industry.  I don’t want those jobs taking root in places like China.  I want them taking root in places like Pueblo.  (Applause.) 
 
Governor Romney brags about his private sector experience, but it was mostly investing in companies, some of which were called “pioneers” of outsourcing.  I don’t want to be a pioneer of outsourcing.  I want to insource.  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 the United States of America, making American products with American workers and selling them around the world.  That’s why I’m running for a second term.  (Applause.)
 
Here’s another difference.  At a moment when homegrown energy, renewable energy is creating new jobs in states like Colorado and Iowa, my opponent wants to end tax credits for wind energy producers.
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Think about what that would mean for a community like Pueblo.  The wind industry supports about 5,000 jobs across this state.  Without those tax credits, 37,000 American jobs, including potentially hundreds of jobs right here, would be at risk.  Colorado, it’s time to stop spending billions in taxpayer subsidies on an oil industry that’s already making a lot of profit -- (applause) -- and let’s keep investing in new energy sources that have never been more promising.  That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for President.  (Applause.)
 
I’m running because in 2008 I promised to end the war in Iraq, and I ended it.  (Applause.)  I promised to go after al Qaeda and go after bin Laden, and we did it.  (Applause.)  We’ve set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan, to make Afghans responsible for their own security.  And we could not have done all this if it had not been for our outstanding men and women in uniform.  (Applause.)  Here in Pueblo, the Home of Heroes, you know what it means to care for our veterans.  (Applause.)  I want to thank you for everything you’ve done and are doing to look after our men and women who have worn the uniform.  And I promise you that as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, this country will care for our veterans and serve them as well as they’ve served us.  Nobody who has fought for our country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  (Applause.) 
 
So my plan will create a Veterans Job Corps, so we can put returning heroes back to work as cops and firefighters in communities that need them.  And I want to take about half the money that we’re no longer spending on war, and let’s put people back to work -- do some nation-building right here at home.  (Applause.)  Let’s renew our roads and our runways and our wireless networks.  And let’s work on our water infrastructure. 
 
Here in the Southwest, water is the lifeblood of our communities.  It was 50 years ago, this month, that President Kennedy came to Pueblo and he signed the Fry-Ark bill.  Today, my administration is making sure, 50 years later, that you’ve got the resources to finish the job so that we are leaving your kids and your grandkids clean water, clean drinking water that is long overdue.  That’s the kind of investment in America that creates jobs now and makes life better for the future.  That’s what this election is about.  That’s the America we want to build.  (Applause.)
 
Colorado, I’m running to make sure that we’re once again the country that leads the world in education.  (Applause.)  I want to help our schools reward and hire the best teachers, especially in math and science.  I want to give 2 million more Americans the chance to study at community colleges and get the skills they need for the jobs that businesses are hiring for right now.  (Applause.)  I want to get colleges and universities to bring tuition down once and for all.  (Applause.)  Because in the 21st century, higher education is not a luxury, it’s an economic necessity.  And I want to make sure none of our young people who are willing to put in the effort are locked out of opportunity.  (Applause.) 
 
So the stakes are big in this election on every issue.  On homeownership, my opponent says, let’s just let foreclosures bottom out.  That’s his answer.  What I’ve said is, let’s let every homeowner refinance at historically low rates, save you $3,000 that you can then spend to restore equity in your home or help your kids go to college.  (Applause.)  That is good for the economy.  It’ll be good for the housing market. 
 
Mr. Romney wants to reverse the Affordable Care Act -- Obamacare.  Let me tell you something.  Right now, 6.5 million young people can stay on their parent’s plan because of the health care law I passed.  (Applause.)  Millions of seniors are seeing lower prescription drug costs.  (Applause.)  We are going to make sure that if you’ve got a preexisting condition, you can now get health insurance.  (Applause.)  We’re not going backwards.  We’re not going to take that away.  And we’re certainly not going to follow Mr. Romney’s lead and go back to the days when women didn’t have control of their own health care choices.  Women can make their own decisions.  We don’t need politicians doing it.  (Applause.) 
 
Mr. Romney thinks "don't ask, don't tell" was a good idea.  I think anybody who loves this country should be able to serve this country.  That was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)
 
Mr. Romney believes in something called self-deportation, thinks Arizona is a model for immigration laws across the country. 
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I think we did the right thing to say that a young person who comes to America -- is brought here, is raised here, is friends with our kids, is going to school with our kids, is American in every single way except for a piece of paper should have the chance to be a part of the American family.  That was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  We're going forward, not backwards.  (Applause.)
 
On every single one of these issues, there is a choice.  And it's about whether we go back to the failed policies of the past or whether we actually finally start once again working around that core idea that built this country -- the idea that if you work hard here you can make it.  The idea that in America, everybody gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share, and everybody plays by the same set of rules.  (Applause.)  The idea that in America, we rise or fall together, and government can't solve every problem and it shouldn't try, and it certainly can't help folks who are aren't willing to help themselves.  But there are some things that we can do together as a people that makes us all better off, that makes our country strong, and that our economy works best when the middle class is growing and feels secure.  (Applause.)
 
Now, I've got to tell you, we've got less than three months left in this election -- less than three months.  Time is flying.  And over the next three months, you will see more negative ads, more money spent than you've ever seen in your life.  I mean, these super PACs, these guys are writing $10 million checks and giving them to Mr. Romney's supporters. 
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:   And, basically, they all have just the same argument.  They all say the same thing.  They say the economy is bad and it's Obama's fault -- every ad is the same argument. 
 
Now, let me tell you something.  That may be a strategy to try to win an election, but they can't hide the fact that they don't have a plan to grow the economy.  (Applause.)  They don't have a plan to create more jobs.  They don't have a plan to revive the middle class.  I've got that plan.  That's why I'm running.  (Applause.)
 
So when you talk to your friends and your neighbors, some of them may think we'll be better off if we cut taxes for the wealthy and get rid of every regulation, set our sights lower and stop providing the kind of assistance we need to kids to go to college.  And you've got to tell them, look, if you think that's going to work better -- that's how democracy works -- you should vote for those other folks.  Feel free to try to send them to Washington. 
 
But I believe -- and you believe -- we've come too far to turn back now.  (Applause.)  We've got too much more work to do.  We've got too many good jobs we've got to create.  We've got too many teachers we still need to hire.  We've got too many schools we need to rebuild.  We've got too many students we need to help go to college.  We've got too much homegrown energy we need to generate right here in Colorado.  (Applause.)  We've got more troops we need to come home.  We've got more doors of opportunity that we need to open for every young person here in Pueblo, here in Colorado, all across the country.  (Applause.)
 
That's what's at stake right now.  That's why I'm running for President.  That's why I'm asking for your vote -- (applause) -- not just for me, but for the country that you believe in.  You've got to be registered to vote.  We've got folks here who are ready to help you do that.  Here in Colorado, you can register online.  You go to GottaRegister.com.  But don't wait until the last minute.  Grab some friends, get online -- let's get this done.  (Applause.) 
 
Back in 2008, I made a promise to you.  I said, I'm not a perfect man and I won't be a perfect President.  But what I did say is I'd always tell you what I thought, I'd always tell you where I stood, and most importantly, I would spend every waking minute fighting as hard as I knew how for you.  (Applause.)
 
I have kept that promise, Colorado.  I kept that promise because I believe in you.  (Applause.)  I believe in this country.  And if you still believe in me and you're willing to stand with me, and knock on some doors with me, and make some phone calls with me and take your friends to the polls for me, I promise you we will win Colorado.  We will win this election.  We will finish what we started.  And we will remind the world why the United States is the greatest nation on Earth. 
 
Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
11:06 A.M. MDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on August 12, 2012.

The Honorable Susan E. Rice, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations will lead the delegation.

The delegation will attend athletic events, meet with U.S. athletes and attend the Closing Ceremony.

Members of the Presidential Delegation

The Honorable Susan E. Rice, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations

The Honorable Louis B. Susman, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Mr. Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication and Speechwriting

Ms. Michelle Kwan, Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy and Olympic figure skater

Mr. Reginald Love, Former Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the President of the United States

Mr. Curtis Pride, Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, former Major League Baseball player and Gallaudet University Head Baseball Coach

President Obama's Tax Cuts for the Middle Class

Megan Slack
Megan Slack
August 09, 2012
11:55 AM EDT
Tax cut infographic teaser

Unless the House of Representatives takes action before January 1, 2013, taxes will go up on 114 million middle-class families. Nearly everyone in Washington agrees that’s a bad idea. That’s why President Obama is calling for -- and the Senate has already passed --  legislation that will keep the middle class from paying thousands of extra dollars next year.

Republicans in the House of Representatives, however, are refusing to extend middle-class tax cuts without also giving massive tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. In fact, House Republicans have proposed their own tax plan that would actually raise taxes on 25 million families making less than $250,000, while giving families making more than $1 million an average tax cut of $160,000 next year.

We’ve put together an infographic to help you understand some of the details behind the tax cut extension President Obama is asking Congress to pass, and how it differs with the House Republican proposal. Check it out, and if you agree with President Obama that extending middle-class tax cuts is the right thing to do, share it on your social networks and pass it on to your friends and family.   

Related Topics: Economy, Taxes

President Obama's Call with the Prime Minister of India

Matt Compton
Matt Compton
August 09, 2012
11:21 AM EDT

President Obama Talks With Prime Minister Singh Of India

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India aboard Air Force One during a flight to Colorado, Aug. 8, 2012. The President called Prime Minister Singh to express condolences for victims of the attack at the gurdwara in Wisconsin, which took the lives of Indian nationals as well as Americans, and to convey the solidarity of the American people. Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, is seated at right. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Yesterday morning, President Obama placed a call to Dr. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India. 

The two leaders discussed the shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and the President expressed his condolences for the senseless attack. 
 
According to a readout of that conversation, "Prime Minister Singh expressed his gratitude for the many messages and gestures of support from the United States, and for the prompt reaction and heroism of the local police department."
 
To learn more about the call, check out the full readout here. 
 
In the United States, the American flag remain at half-staff until sunset tomorrow to honor the victims of the shooting. 
 
Related Topics: South and Central Asia, Foreign Policy, Additional Issues, Colorado, Wisconsin

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 08, 2012

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Grand Junction High School
Grand Junction, Colorado

4:20 P.M. MDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Colorado!  It is good to be back in Grand Junction.  Love Grand Junction.  (Applause.)  It was about four years ago, around this time, that I was first in Grand Junction.  (Applause.)  We had a bunch of bales of hay.  (Laughter.)  You remember that?  Everybody was nice.  Weather was a little warm.  (Laughter.)  And it is great to be back.

I’ve got a couple of people I want to acknowledge.  First of all, please give Deanne a big round of applause for the great introduction.  (Applause.)  And I’m a little sweet on Deanne, not just because of a great introduction, but also because she’s a nurse, and I just love nurses because they -- (applause) -- they do such a great job every day.

Also, we’ve got one of your outstanding U.S. senators, Michael Bennet, in the house.  (Applause.)  There he is.  And one of your former senators, who is now doing an outstanding job looking after the natural resources of this great country of ours -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.  (Applause.) 

Now, those of you who have a seat, feel free to take a seat.  (Laughter.)  Those of you who don’t, just remember to bend your knees because -- (laughter) -- sometimes I have people drop off in the middle of -- (laughter) -- even when I’m not talking too long, just because they’ve been standing too long.  So especially when it’s warm like this.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  Who was that?  (Applause.) 
    
Now, obviously, this is a smart crowd and so I know that most of the last couple of weeks you’ve been watching the Olympics, cheering on our U.S. athletes over in London.  You’ve been spending time with family, trying to get outdoors, at least when it cools off.  But unless you’ve been able to hide the television completely or your cable is broke, then you may be aware there’s a pretty intense campaign going on right now.  (Applause.)  And the reason it’s such an intense campaign is because the choice that we face in November could not be bigger. 

This is not just a choice between two candidates or two political parties.  It’s a choice about two fundamentally different visions for the country, two fundamentally different paths.  And the direction that we choose -- the direction that you choose when you walk into that voting booth in less than three months -- is going to have a direct impact not just on our lives, but on the lives of our children and our grandchildren for decades to come.

Now, four years ago, we came together -- Democrats, but also independents and some Republicans -- to restore the basic bargain that had built this country, that had made us the most prosperous nation on Earth.  And it’s a very simple bargain.  It says, if you work hard, your work will be rewarded.  (Applause.)  It says that if you put in enough effort, you can find a job that pays a decent wage, pays the bills; that you can afford to have a home that you call your own; that you have health care you can count on when you get sick.  (Applause.)  That after a lifetime of labor, you can put away enough to retire with dignity and respect.  And, most importantly, that you can give your kids the kind of education and opportunity that allows them to dream even bigger and do even better than you could ever imagine.  That’s the promise of America.  That’s the promise of America.  (Applause.)

Now, when we came together, we knew restoring that bargain -- that deal, that compact -- was not going to be easy.  We knew it would take more than one year or one term or maybe even one President, because --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Four more years!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  -- because we had seen what had happened in the previous decade.  Jobs had moved overseas.  Folks were working harder and harder, but their wages or incomes, they were staying flat, sometimes even going down.  The cost of everything from health care to college was going up.  And then, it all culminated in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression -- a crisis that robbed too many of our friends and our neighbors of jobs, the value of their homes, their savings.  And all that pushed the American Dream even further out of reach for too many working people.

But, you know what, we’ve spent the last three and a half years digging ourselves out of that hole.  (Applause.)  We averted a depression; created 4.5 million new jobs -- 500,000 in manufacturing.  We saved an auto industry.  (Applause.)  We made sure that we worked to make college more affordable.  We worked to make sure that health care was secure for families. 

And what we discovered during the course of these difficult times is that a crisis doesn’t change our character.  It doesn’t change who we are as a people.  It doesn’t change what makes us great -- our toughness, our grit, our resilience, and our ability to come together and work together on behalf of this country.  And when we came together in 2008, we understood that there is a core decency, that there is a goodness to the American people, and we need to make sure that that’s reflected in what happens in Washington.  And our mission has never been more urgent.  (Applause.)

So after three and a half tough years, we’re still going.  We’re here to build an economy where hard work pays off -- so that no matter who you are, or what you look like, or where you come from, here in America, you can make it if you try.  (Applause.)

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

Now, understand, there are no quick fixes or easy solutions to some of these challenges.  But here’s the thing that I constantly am reminded of wherever I travel across the country:  We have the capacity to meet any challenge, because we’ve still got the best workers in the world.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the best entrepreneurs in the world.  We’ve got the best scientists and researchers in the world, and the best colleges and the best universities in the world.  (Applause.)  We’re still a young nation, and we’ve got the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity and people who want to come here from every corner of the globe. 

And so no matter what the naysayers tell us, no matter how dark the other side tries to make things look, the fact is there is not another country on Earth that would not gladly trade places with the United States of America.  (Applause.)  

So we can solve our problems.  What’s standing in our way is not that we don’t have good ideas or we don’t have solutions to problems like energy independence or improving our schools.  What is standing in our way is our politics.  You’ve got a bunch of folks in Washington who think the only way is their way, and who think that the only way to go forward is to go right back to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  They believe in the old top-down economics that we spent an entire decade trying and that did not work.

And look, I'm not exaggerating here.  My opponent, Mr. Romney, and his friends in Congress, when you look at their economic ideas, when you look at -- you know, they've spent a lot of time on commercials, saying how there aren’t enough jobs, and the economy is not growing fast enough.  And then you ask them, okay, well, what is it that you're thinking about doing?  And you know, I am not exaggerating, it boils down to two things.  First of all, they want to give more tax cuts to folks at the very top --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- $5 trillion worth of tax cuts on top of the Bush tax cuts.  And then -- so that's idea number one.  Idea number two is let's get rid of regulations that we put into place to make sure that Wall Street does not misbehave again and we don't have another meltdown, or getting rid of regulations that help protect our air and our water, or getting rid of regulations that protect consumers from unscrupulous lenders.  That's their basic idea.  You get rid of regulations and you cut taxes for wealthy Americans, and somehow jobs and prosperity will all rain down on all of us.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  This is the path they're proposing.  If you think I'm exaggerating, you go to their websites, you look at the bills that have been passed by this House of Representatives.  That is where they will take us if they win.  In fact, the centerpiece of Mr. Romney's entire economic plan is this new $5 trillion tax cut.  And now, I want you to pay attention here -- we're going to do a little math.  I know it's not everybody's favorite subject, but math is important. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love math!

THE PRESIDENT:  I like that -- somebody said they love math.  There you go.  (Applause.) 

All right, so we've known for a while that a lot of this new $5 trillion tax cut would go to the wealthiest 1 percent of all households.  But, last week, an independent nonpartisan organization crunched the numbers.  They look -- what does this mean, $5 trillion?  Keep in mind, by the way, the defense budget is about $500 billion.  So a $5 trillion tax cut is -- over 10 years is like a tax cut that's as big as our entire defense budget every single year.  So these guys were trying to analyze what does this mean.  They found that Governor Romney's plan would raise taxes on middle-class families with children by an average of $2,000. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, the reason is -- as he says -- that this $5 trillion tax cut he'll pay for by doing other things, by slashing education or making Medicare into a voucher. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  But even after he makes all the cuts to education and training and science and research and transportation and environmental protection -- you name it -- it turns out he is still short.  So the only way that you could actually pay for it is to have you pick up the bill.

So you would then pay $2,000 extra every year not to reduce the deficit, not to help our kids get an education, not to rebuild our roads and our bridges or lay broadband lines into rural communities.  He would ask the middle class to pay more in taxes so he could give another $250,000 to people making more than $3 million a year. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, he was asked about this, his campaign was asked about it, and if this sounds like an idea that would be difficult to explain to the American people, you're right.  (Laughter.)  Let's just say there was a whole different kind of gymnastics being performed by Mr. Romney than what's been happening in the Olympics.  (Laughter and applause.)

So they were twisting and they were turning and doing backflips, and trying to say, well, this is a biased report -- despite the fact that the head of this nonpartisan center used to work for President Bush.  But it's not surprising that he was trying to scramble a little bit, because they've tried to sell this old, trickle-down tax cut fairy dust before.  (Laughter.) 

And, you know what, it did not work then.  It won't work now.  It's not a plan to create jobs.  It's not a plan to lower the deficit.  It's not a plan to move our economy forward.  It's not a plan to build the middle class.  We don't need more tax cuts for folks like me.  We need tax cuts for working Americans who are trying to raise a family -- (applause) -- and keep our families healthy, and send our kids to college and keep a roof over their heads.  That's who needs some help.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election and that’s why I’m running for President -- to fight for you.  (Applause.) 

Are you guys still bending your knees?  (Laughter.)  You got some water, get hydrated. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Sing for us!

THE PRESIDENT:  Michelle made me promise that I can't sing to others anymore --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- because she wants me to just sing to her, you know?  (Laughter and applause.)

But look, Grand Junction, I've got a different plan for America.  Their ideas aren't going to work. 

Four years ago, I promised to cut middle-class taxes.  That’s exactly what I've done.  (Applause.)  The typical family has seen their taxes go down by about $3,600.  So when you talk to your friends or neighbors and they say, he's a big, spending, tax-raising Democrat -- (laughter) -- you've got to tell them, no, actually, if you're in the middle class, your taxes have gone down.  (Applause.)  

So now, I want to keep taxes exactly where they are for the first $250,000 of everybody's income.  So if your family makes under $250,000 -- which, by the way, 98 percent of Americans do -- (applause) -- 97 percent of small businesses do, you will not see your income taxes increase by a single dime next year.  That’s my plan.  (Applause.)  And, by the way, I’ve told Congress -- I told the Republicans in Congress, I said, let's do it now.  You guys say you don’t want to see anybody's taxes go up; I don’t want to see anybody who's making $250,000 or less see their taxes go up -- let's go ahead and sign a bill.  (Applause.)  But, shockingly enough -- (laughter) -- they haven't agreed so far because they're holding you guys hostage to try to get tax cuts for the top 2 percent.

Now, look, if you're fortunate enough to be in the other 2 percent of Americans, you're still going to get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of your income.  So if you make $260,000, the first $250,000, you're still keeping all that tax cut.  It's just that little bit over $250,000.  Now, if you're making $5 million, you can afford it.  Right?  (Applause.) 

All we're asking for folks who have been blessed -- like me -- I mean, I'm not being self-interested here.  It's not like I love paying taxes, but I understand I've got certain obligations because this country has been so good to me.  (Applause.)  So what I've -- all we're saying is for folks in the top 2 percent, let's go back to what we were paying under Bill Clinton.  Let's contribute a little bit more so we pay down our deficit, and we can still invest in things like education to help our kids succeed.  (Applause.) 

Now, keep in mind, just in case you’re talking to your friends or neighbors again and they say, well, that just -- a little bit of tax increase on the top 2 percent, that won’t cut the deficit -- they’re right.  We got to do more.  So we’ve already cut a trillion dollars.  Federal spending is growing at a slower rate than any time since Dwight Eisenhower.  (Applause.)  I’ll make sure government continues to do its part, and we’ll cut out spending we don’t need.  But I’m not going to pay for a massive new tax cut for millionaires and billionaires by gutting investments that have always made us strong as a country.  (Applause.) 

And, by the way, just like we tested their plan under the previous administration and it didn’t work, we’ve tested my plan because, as you’ll recall, under Bill Clinton, when those taxes were a little bit higher on folks like me, the economy grew faster than it has in years -- 23 million new jobs.  (Applause.)  We went from a deficit to a surplus.  (Applause.)  And folks at the top did well.  We created a lot of millionaires to boot.  And the reason is that -- look, when a construction worker has a got a little money in his pocket, now he starts thinking about buying a new car.  When a teacher has security in her job, now she might go to a restaurant once in a while.  (Applause.) 

And so what happens is, when the middle class is strong, suddenly businesses have more customers, businesses have more profits, businesses decide to hire more workers.  Everybody does well.  That’s how we build a strong economy -- not from the top down, from the middle out, from the bottom up.  That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for a second term for President of the United States.  (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, let me say, you can see how this plays out on a whole bunch of issues -- not just taxes and the deficit.  When the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse, more than one million jobs at stake, Governor Romney says, let’s “let Detroit go bankrupt.” 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I said let’s bet on American workers.  (Applause.)  And the American auto industry has come roaring back.  (Applause.) 

So now, I want to make sure that the jobs of tomorrow, including advanced manufacturing jobs, that they’re not taking root in China or Germany.  I want them to take root in Colorado, in Ohio, in Michigan.  (Applause.) 

Governor Romney and I have a different theory.  He spent his private sector experience investing in companies that were called "pioneers" of outsourcing.  I want to insource.  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 in Colorado, investing in Grand Junction, hiring American workers, selling American products, stamping those goods with three proud words:  Made in America.  That’s what I believe.  (Applause.) 

Mr. Romney says it was "tragic" for me to end the war in Iraq, like I promised.  I think after a decade of war it's time to do some nation-building here at home.  (Applause.)  Thanks to the incredible service of our men and women in uniform -- (applause) -- Iraq is in charge of its own destiny.  We are bringing troops home from Afghanistan.  We went after bin Laden and al Qaeda and we got them.  (Applause.) 

So now, let's take half of the savings that we were spending on war and let's use it to put people back to work rebuilding schools, rebuilding bridges, rebuilding roads, improving our airport systems, improving our ports so that we can move goods and services that will make our economy strong not just now, but in the future.  And, by the way, that also helps us pay for providing services that our men and women in uniform have earned.  Our veterans fought too hard for us for them to have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  (Applause.)  That is a sacred trust we've got to keep.  (Applause.) 

I'm running to make sure America once again leads the world in educating our kids.  (Applause.)  I want to hire new teachers, especially in math and science.  (Applause.)  Help 2 million people go to community colleges to train for the jobs that businesses are hiring for right now.  (Applause.)  And I want to make sure that every young person can afford to go to college.  We have already expanded student aid; now we need to bring tuitions down.  (Applause.)  That’s why I'm running for President -- to give our young people a chance.  (Applause.)

On every issue, there's a difference.  On housing and foreclosures, Mr. Romney says let the market just bottom out.  I say let's let every American refinance their homes at historically low rates, save $3,000 per family, per homeowner.  That could actually boost the economy and strengthen the housing market.  (Applause.)

When it comes to health care, he wants to kill Obamacare.  I'm implementing Obamacare because it was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  Already, as we speak, 6.5 million young people under the age of 26 can stay on their parent’s plan.  (Applause.)  Millions of seniors have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescription drugs, and we're closing the doughnut hole.  (Applause.)  Individuals and businesses are getting rebates from their insurance companies because insurance companies have to use most of the money they get in premiums to provide care, not for CEO bonuses and administrative costs.  (Applause.)  If your child has a preexisting condition, insurance companies can't turn them down.  (Applause.)  Soon, adults who have preexisting conditions cannot be turned down.  (Applause.) 

So if that’s what Mr. Romney wants to get rid of -- despite the fact that he did the same thing in Massachusetts and it worked pretty well -- (laughter) -- then that’s a different --that's a choice in this election.

You know, I don't think we should be refighting some of the battles he wants to refight.  I think it was the right thing to do to end "don't ask, don't tell."  (Applause.)  I think you should be able to serve your country no matter who you are.  (Applause.)  I don't think it makes sense for us to take away control that women have over their own health care decisions.  (Applause.) 

But most of all, most of all, I want to make sure that that original bargain that made this country great, that basic idea that if you work hard you can make it, that that is restored.  And everything we do -- from health care to education, to manufacturing, to our infrastructure, to our investment in science and research -- all of this is designed to make sure that we've got a strong middle class going forward; that no matter what you look like, where you come from, that everybody has got a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.  (Applause.) 

That's the same promise our parents and our grandparents and our great-grandparents believed in.  And now we've got to pass on that same promise to the next generation. 

Now, over the last -- over the next three months -- 89 days, to be precise -- (laughter) -- the other side will be spending more money than we've ever seen.  You've got these guys writing $10 million checks.  You've got these super PACs that are just going crazy.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  And now, here's the thing.  I don't know why they're running all these ads, because basically they only have one ad.  It's just a variation on the same ad, which is the economy is not where it should be and it's Obama's fault.  That's their basic argument.  Because they know they can't sell their actual plans -- they don't have plans.  (Applause.)  Their message is designed to try to win an election, but it's not a plan to create jobs.  They don't have a plan to grow the economy.  They don't have a plan to revive the middle class.  But I do.  (Applause.) 

And so when you're talking to your friends and your neighbors, and they say, well, I don't know, Mr. Romney, he ran a business and I think maybe that might work -- look, if you believe that trying what we already tried and it didn’t work is worth trying again; if you believe it's okay to cut taxes for folks who are doing really well and ask folks who are struggling to do more; if you think it's okay for us to cut back on our investments in education and science and set our sights lower -- then that's your choice.  That's how our democracy works.  Try it out.

But, you know what, if you believe that we're on the right track -- (applause) -- if you think like I do that we've come too far to turn back now, then I'm going to need you, Colorado.  (Applause.)  We’ve got too many good jobs to create.  We’ve got too many good teachers to hire.  We’ve got too many great schools to build.  We’ve got too many students we need to help go to college.  We’ve got too much homegrown clean energy to generate.  We’ve got more troops to bring home.  We’ve got more doors of opportunity to open to everybody who is willing to work hard, to walk through that door.  We’ve got to leave something behind for the next generation, so they can do even better, so they can do even bigger than we ever imagined.  (Applause.)

That’s what’s at stake.  That's why I'm running.  And if you're willing to stand with me and if you still believe in me just like I believe in you, we will win, Colorado.  We will win this election.  (Applause.)  We'll finish what we started.  And we'll remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth. 

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

END
4:54 P.M. MDT