Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Private Residence
Hunts Point, WA

8:24 P.M. PDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Everybody, have a seat.  It is great to be back in the Pacific Northwest.  And I couldn’t ask for somebody I admire more to introduce me than Jim Sinegal.  And for him and Jan, they have just been extraordinary friends.  They are unbelievably gracious. 
 
And the story of Costco and everything that you guys have done I think is representative of what America is all about -- (applause) -- entrepreneurship, vision, value for your money -- (laughter) -- treating your workers right -- (applause) -- doing well and doing good at the same time, and being part of a broader community that takes your responsibilities for this city, this state, and this country really seriously.
 
I am so grateful for your support.  I do want to just correct one thing, though.  When I called Jim, I said congratulations.  I was confident about the hot dog.  (Laughter.)  You don’t mess with something if it ain’t broke.  (Laughter.)  But what I did say was -- Jan is probably going to be driven crazy if you’re just sitting around the house all day; you need to get involved in the campaign -- (laughter) -- because you’re a little too young to just be puttering around.  And for the two of them to take up this effort with such energy is something that I will always be grateful for.
 
There are a couple of other people I want to acknowledge.  Your outstanding Governor, Christine Gregoire is here.  (Applause.)  We love her.  And an outstanding member of Congress, who, like another guy of similar name, knows something about how to get the economy growing and cares about working people -- Adam Smith is here.  (Applause.)  He was -- there he is -- somewhere.  He’s here somewhere, I know he is.  And all of you are here. 
 
So because this is not like a huge rally, what I want to do instead of giving a long speech is spend some time answering some questions and taking some comments from all of you.  But let me try to just, at the top, frame I think the choice that the country is going to be confronting and the debate that we’re going to be having over the next three to four months.
 
As Jim mentioned, when I came into office, we were going through the worst recession, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.  Lost 800,000 jobs the month I was sworn into office.  And because of some timely -- and not always popular -- steps that we took in that first year, we were able to save an auto industry, get the economy growing within six to eight months of me taking office; started adding jobs shortly thereafter. 
 
We’ve now seen almost two and a half years of private sector job growth -- about 4.5 million jobs created; about half a million in the manufacturing sector, the fastest growth we’ve seen in the manufacturing sector since the 1990s.  Saved an auto industry, stabilized the financial system.  And we have started to see -- even in some sectors that were hardest hit, like housing -- some modest improvement.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that there are still millions of folks who are out of work but desperately want to work.  There are still folks whose homes are underwater. 
 
And most importantly, when I ran in 2008, the goal wasn’t to get back to where we were right before the crisis struck.  The goal was to restore a sense that in this country, if you work hard -- no matter what you look like or where you come from -- you can get ahead.  That you can afford to own a home.  That won’t go bankrupt when you get sick.  That your kids can get a good education and go to college, and aspire to things that you never dreamed of.  That you can retire with dignity and respect.  That core middle-class dream that some of us may have exceeded when it comes to our bank accounts, but that really is the glue that made us the envy of the world -- this idea that if you work hard, you can make it; and if you act responsibly, you will be rewarded. 
 
And the challenge was that, for a decade, that really wasn’t the case.  People were working harder and making less.  Costs were going up for things like college and health care.  A lot of jobs seemed as if they were being shipped overseas.  And the middle class was feeling less secure, and those who wanted to work hard to get into the middle class saw fewer and fewer ladders -- fewer rungs on the ladder into opportunity.
 
So it hasn’t been enough.  Even though job one was to get us back on a path of recovery, the broader mission is how do we make sure that everybody has got a fair shot in this society, everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules -- which is why health care reform was important, because that’s part of security for middle-class families.  That’s why Wall Street reform was important, because we’ve got to make sure that people have confidence in our financial system, and that it’s not being gamed, or reckless bets don’t potentially bring down the entire financial system.
 
That’s why education reform has been so important.  So the initiatives through things like Race to the Top, where we’ve gotten 46 states to initiate serious reforms -- not with a lot of money, but with enough to incentivize best practices; and then, at the higher education level, work that we’ve done to expand Pell grants to make sure that there is a tuition tax credit for middle-class families to help them send their kids to college; initiatives that we’re now moving forward to create more engineers and more scientists and more mathematicians, so that we can keep our competitive edge -- all those steps aren’t just going to pay short-term dividends, they’re also laying the foundation for long-term success. 
 
Now, the debate in this campaign is going to be whether we continue down that road to progress or whether we take a sharp turn back to the policies that I believe got us into this mess in the first place. 
 
My opponent’s basic vision can be described pretty simply.  You take the Bush tax cuts, you add on top of it an additional $5 trillion worth of tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit folks like us that don’t need them.  To the extent that there’s even an attempt to reduce the deficit, it’s done by slashing investments in education, voucherizing critical safety net programs like Medicare, reducing our investment in basic research and science.  And along with stripping away regulations that we’ve put in place through the health care bill or Wall Street reform or the enforcement that we think is important to make sure that our air is clean and our water is clean, that somehow, the market is going to be unleashed and prosperity will rain down on everybody.  Now, that’s their theory.
 
I disagree with that theory.  I think it’s wrong, partly because empirically we tried it.  We tried it for a decade and it didn’t work.  And the approach that I’m talking about in terms of balanced deficit reduction and investments in science and education and infrastructure -- we’ve tried that, too, the last time there was a Democratic President.  And we created 23 million new jobs and went from deficit to surplus.  And, by the way, business people, large and small, did really well -- because one of the lessons of our economic history is, is that when we’ve got a strong middle class, then businesses have customers and everybody does well, everybody grows. 
 
So that’s what’s at stake in this election.  There are obviously a lot of other things at stake.  On foreign policy, I think it was the right thing to do to end the war in Iraq and refocus attention on al Qaeda, and now transition out of Afghanistan.  (Applause.)  I think it was the right thing to do for us to end torture and make sure that we applied rule of law to how we deal with a terrorist threat. 
 
On issues like women’s health -- making sure that women control their own health care choices I think is important.  (Applause.)  It’s the right thing to do. 
 
Ending "don't ask, don't tell" -- (applause) -- and making sure that we are treating our brothers and sisters in the LGBT community with equality and fairness I think is the right thing to do.  So there are a bunch of other issues as stake here.  Supreme Court appointments -- you name it. 
 
But the central question is going to be how do we create an economy that works for everybody.  And I have to tell you, I generally have patience with what the other side says about me.  That’s the requirement of this job.  (Laughter.)  And if you don’t like folks talking about you, you probably shouldn’t run for President.
 
The one thing I do have no patience for is this argument that somehow what I’m criticizing is success.  That’s an argument you hear from the other side -- oh, he wants to punish success.  I want to promote success. 
 
But what I know is that Jim’s story, my story, the story of so many of you -- our success was made possible in this country because our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents -- stretching all the way back to the Founders -- they had a vision that says, you know what, we’re going to insist on hard work and individual initiative, and we’re going to reward risk and entrepreneurship, and people are going to have to sweat and sacrifice for their success.  But there are some things we’re also going to do together to make sure that everybody has a chance.  Not everybody is going to succeed, but everybody is going to have a shot at success. 
 
That’s why we set up a public school system that works.  That’s how we built extraordinary colleges and universities.  That’s how we created this amazing infrastructure that allows businesses to move goods and services, not just throughout this nation, but eventually throughout the world.  That’s how we sent a man to the moon.  That’s how we made the investments that helped to create the Internet.
 
So we want success.  We just want to make sure that everybody has a shot.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  That’s what’s at stake in this election.  And I hope you guys are willing to work as hard as I am over the next 106 days -- not that I’m counting -- (laughter) -- and then you’re willing to work with me over another four years to make sure that we are moving towards that goal that I think the vast majority of Americans, regardless of whether they’re Democrats or Republicans or independents, all share. 
 
Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.
 
END
8:37 P.M. PDT
 

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Fox Theatre
Oakland, California

7:55 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Oakland!  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, Oakland!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much, Oakland.  Thank you.  Okay, good night.  Thank you.  (Laughter.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you, President Obama!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  You know, I might want to just stop here.  (Laughter.)  What a nice reception.  Thank you so much.  It is great to be in Oakland, California.  (Applause.)  Wonderful to be at the Fox Theatre.

There are a couple of people I want to acknowledge.  First of all, one of the finest members of Congress, we’ve got your own -- Barbara Lee is in the house.  (Applause.)  Another outstanding member of the California delegation -- Pete Stark is here.  (Applause.)  Your own Mayor, Jean Quan, is here.  (Applause.)  Ledisi is in the house.  (Applause.)  And Nnamdi Asomugha.  (Applause.)  Now, I know he plays for the Eagles, but he’s from around here, so you’ve got to give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

Well, Oakland, this is my last political campaign.  It is -- no, it’s -- I promise you, I’m term-limited after this.  (Laughter.)  And because this is my last political campaign, it’s had me thinking these days -- you get a little nostalgic, and you start thinking about your first political campaigns -- when I was running as a state senator in Illinois, and had to Xerox my own flyers, go to Kinko’s.  (Laughter.)  And then Michelle would go out, and we’d be knocking on doors on a Saturday morning.  And then, when I ran for the United States Senate, I’d drive all across Illinois, which isn’t quite as big as California, but is a big state.  And you didn’t have GPS back then, and I didn’t have Marine One -- (laughter) -- so I’d be driving myself.  Sometimes I’d have a staffer who would make me make phone calls while I was driving, and which was -- you’re not supposed to do anymore, but -- (laughter) -- and since I didn’t have GPS, we’d have those maps that you actually had to fold.  Young people wouldn’t understand this, but you’d have to fold them and then fold them back again.  (Laughter.)  And I’d get lost, and then, once I got to the event, I’d have to park the car myself.  And sometimes I couldn’t find a parking spot, and so I’d end up being late, and if it was raining I’d have to fumble with my umbrella and I’d come in kind of drenched.

But I have such good memories about those campaigns because what inspired me wherever I went -- I’d be in inner-cities or rural communities; you’d see folks from every walk of life --  rich, poor, urban, suburban, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, you name it -- wherever we went, there would be a common thread to people’s stories. 

So I’d meet an elderly veteran, and he’d remind me of my grandfather who fought in World War II.  He was a man who grew up during the Depression and served his country, and when he came home was rewarded with a chance to go to college on the GI Bill. (Applause.)  And I think about my grandmother, who while my grandfather was gone, already had -- my mom was a baby -- and was Rosie the Riveter -- she worked on a bomber assembly line.  (Applause.)  And when they married, after my grandfather came back they were able to get a home with the help of an FHA loan. (Applause.)

And if I met a working couple, I think about Michelle's parents, especially her dad, who almost never missed a day of work at the water filtration plant where he worked -- a blue-collar job -- even though he had MS.  So he needed two canes to walk and he had to wake up an hour earlier than everybody else just to punch in on time.  And he wouldn't miss work.  And Michelle's mom worked as a secretary.  But even though they didn't have a lot, they were able to support a family, and Michelle and her brother ended up getting a great education and would be able to go as far as their dreams would take them.

And then I'd meet a single mom somewhere and I'd think about my own mom, who raised my sister and me, with the help of my grandparents, because my dad left when I was a baby.  And my mom didn't have a lot of money, but she worked hard.  And she went to school at the same time as she worked, all so that she could give her two kids the best education possible.

And so the people that I'd meet in these campaigns, these early campaigns of mine, and what I've experienced ever since as I've traveled around the country, is that as different as those folks seemed on the surface -- despite having all these different backgrounds, despite the fact that some were Republicans and some were Democrats and some were independents -- all of them shared this belief that's at the core of the American experience that binds us together, the idea that no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, this place, America, is a place where you can make it if you try.  (Applause.)

This is a place where hard work allows you to achieve your dreams.  We don't expect handouts as Americans, but we do expect hard work to pay off.  We expect responsibility to be rewarded.  (Applause.)  We believe that if you put in enough effort, you should be able to find a job that pays the bills and supports a family.  You should be able to buy your own home and count on health care if you get sick, and retire with dignity and respect -- (applause) -- and most of all, that you should be able to give your children an education that gives them an even better shot than you had.  (Applause.) 

And we're here today for the same reason that so many of us came together in 2008, because this basic bargain, this core American Dream is at risk.  And it's been at risk like never before.  For more than a decade before I was sworn in, it had been slipping away from too many hardworking people.  Jobs in factories were shipped overseas.  Folks at the top were doing better than ever, but middle-class families saw their paychecks get smaller, saw their bills get bigger.  And in Washington, trillions were spent on two wars and two tax cuts that took us from record surpluses to record deficits, while on Wall Street a culture of "anything goes" led to the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression. 

Ever since I first ran for this office, I've said that it will take more than one year or one term or even one President to restore the dream that this country built.  (Applause.)  And, obviously, the crisis that we went through made it that much harder.  But for those cynics who say that our best days are behind us, they haven't witnessed the everyday courage and character of the American people.  They have not met the small business owners in Minnesota who chose to sacrifice some of their own perks and pay just to avoid laying off a single worker during the recession.  They haven't met those folks in the auto plants in Michigan and Ohio that were never supposed to build another car again, but now they can't build them fast enough.  (Applause.)

They haven’t talked to the factory workers that I meet in North Carolina or Ohio, in their 50s sometimes, decided that when one industry left town, they’d go back to school.  One woman I met, she started going back to community college to study biotech.  She was in her mid-50s.  So she’s sitting there with all these kids.  And I talked to her about why she decided to go back to school.  She said, not only do I expect that this will help me get a job, but also because -- she said, I want to make sure that my kids know never to give up on their dreams.  (Applause.)

So, Oakland, there are no quick fixes, there are no easy solutions to some of the challenges we face, but there is no doubt that we have the capacity to meet them.  We’ve got the world’s best workers, the world’s best entrepreneurs.  We’ve got the best scientists.  We’ve got the best researchers.  We’ve got the best colleges and universities.  (Applause.) 

We are a young nation, and we’ve got the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity, and it comes from every corner of the globe -- you can see it here in Oakland.  No matter what the naysayers tell us -- (applause) -- there is not a country on this Earth that wouldn’t trade places with the United States of America.  (Applause.)

So I continue to feel as optimistic, as hopeful about the capacity for us to institute meaningful change as I ever have been.  What’s standing in our way right now -- despite all the progress we’ve made, despite the health care bill that we passed, despite Wall Street reform -- (applause) -- despite saving the auto industry -- despite all that, what’s holding us back right now is not the lack of big ideas.  It’s what’s going on in Washington -- this uncompromising view that the only path forward is to go back to the same top-down economics that got us into this mess in the first place.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  My opponent’s entire plan, his whole plan for economic renewal, is more tax cuts for the wealthy.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  More regulation -- eliminating regulations for banks and corporations that we put in place after the crisis.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Cutting more investments in things like education and research.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  And somehow this is supposed to create jobs and prosperity for everybody.  That’s what Mitt Romney believes. That’s what his allies in Washington believe.

But here’s the problem -- we tried that and it didn’t work. (Applause.)  It’s not what you believe, it’s not what I believe, it’s not what most Americans believe will actually make a difference.  This country was not built from the top down; it was built from the middle class out, from the bottom up.  (Applause.) That’s how we became the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.  That’s the path that you can choose for America in this election.  And that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT:  So we’ve got two contrasting visions for where we want to take the country.  And frankly, the other side knows they can’t sell their ideas so what they’re going to do is try to distort my vision.  Earlier today, Governor Romney was at it again -- knowingly twisting my words around to suggest that I don’t value small businesses.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, look, in politics we all tolerate a certain amount of spin.  I understand these are the games that get played in political campaigns, although when folks just omit entire sentences of what you said -- (laughter) -- they start kind of splicing and dicing, you may have gone a little over the edge there. 

But look, there’s actually a real choice at stake here.  I believe with all my heart that it is the drive and the ingenuity of Americans who start businesses that lead to their success.  I always have and I always will.  (Applause.)  The ability for somebody who’s willing to work hard, put in their sweat and their sacrifice to turn their idea into a profitable business, that’s the nature of America.  That’s what helped make our economy the envy of the world. 

I’ve always said don't bet against American workers, don't bet against American ingenuity.  And I believe that the free market is the greatest source of prosperity in our history.  But I also believe that if you talk to any business owner, they’ll tell you that what also helps them succeed alongside all their hard work, all their great ideas, is the ability to hire workers with the right skills and education.  (Applause.)  What helps them succeed is the ability to ship and sell their products on new roads and bridges and ports and wireless networks.  (Applause.)  What helps them succeed is having access to cutting-edge technology, which, like the Internet, often starts with publicly funded research and development.  (Applause.)  And what helps them succeed is a strong and growing middle class who can buy the products that they’re selling.  Every business needs customers.  (Applause.) 

Now, for two centuries, we’ve made these investments -- not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans who understand what it takes to give our people and our businesses the best possible chance at success.  But my opponent disagrees.  Mr. Romney’s plan is to gut these investments just so that he can give more tax breaks to millionaires and companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  He thinks that’s the best way to grow the economy.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  He thinks that’s the best way to help small businesses.  And I’ve got to tell you, Oakland, he is dead wrong. (Applause.)  We did not build this country from the top down.  We built this country together -- individual entrepreneurs taking advantage of opportunities and putting their sweat and tears into it, and all of us making investments in things like public schools and public colleges and universities -- (applause) -- the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge.  That’s how we sent a man to the moon.  (Applause.)  That’s how we saw medical breakthroughs that saved millions of lives.

If Mr. Romney does not understand that, then he doesn't understand what it takes to build an economy where everybody has a shot to succeed -- from the worker who punches a clock to the entrepreneur who wants to take a chance on a new idea. 

There’s only one way to grow our economy for the long run.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  That is what this election is about.  That’s why I’m running for a second term as President.  (Applause.) 

I’m running because I believe you can’t reduce the deficit  -- which is a serious problem, we’ve got to deal with it -- but we can’t reduce it without asking folks like me who have been incredibly blessed to give up the tax cuts that we’ve been getting for a decade.  (Applause.)  I'll cut out government spending that’s not working, that we can’t afford, but I’m also going to ask anybody making over $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rates they were paying under Bill Clinton, back when our economy created 23 million new jobs -- (applause) -- the biggest budget surplus in history and everybody did well. 

Just like we’ve tried their plan, we tried our plan -- and it worked.  That’s the difference.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for a second term. 

When the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse, more than 1 million jobs were on the line, Governor Romney said, we should just "let Detroit go bankrupt." 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I refused to turn my back on a great industry and American workers.  I bet on American workers.  I bet on American manufacturing.  Three years later, the American auto industry has come roaring back.  (Applause.)  And what happens in the auto industry can happen in other industries. 

I want to invest in advanced manufacturing, high-tech manufacturing jobs.  I want to make sure they don't take root in China and Germany, I want to make sure they take root right here in Oakland -- (applause) -- and Cleveland, and Raleigh, and Richmond. 

And Governor Romney, his main calling card in this election is, I’ve got private sector experience.  Well, you know what, his experience has been investing in companies that were called "pioneers" in the business of outsourcing.  He wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies who are shipping jobs overseas.  I'm a big proponent of insourcing.  I want to end these tax breaks and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in Oakland, right here in the United States, making products that we sell around the world, stamped with three proud words: Made in America.  (Applause.)  That's what I believe.  That's why I'm running for a second term.  (Applause.) 

I'm running because after a decade of war, it's time to do some nation-building here at home.  (Applause.)  Because of the courage and the selflessness of our men and women in uniform, America is safer and more respected than before.  Because of their sacrifices, we've been able to end the war in Iraq, as I promised to do.  (Applause.)  We've been able to refocus our efforts on those who actually carried out the 9/11 attacks, and gone after al Qaeda and bin Laden.  (Applause.)  We have set a timetable to transition out of Afghanistan and are bringing our troops home.  (Applause.) 

And now as we wind down a decade of war, I want to make sure that this is country where we care for our veterans and serve our veterans as well as they've served us -- (applause) -- because they shouldn’t have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they've been fighting for us.  (Applause.)

Building our economy is part of our national security.  So my plan would take about half of the money that we're no longer spending on war, let's use it to put people back to work rebuilding our roads, our runways, our ports, laying broadband lines into rural communities, updating our wireless networks.  (Applause.)  Let's create a Veterans Jobs Corps so we can put our returning heroes back to work as cops and firefighters in community that need them most.  (Applause.) 

That's the America we want to build.  That's the choice in this election. 

I'm running to make sure America once again leads the world in educating our kids and training our workers.  (Applause.)  I want to help our schools hire and reward the best teachers, especially in math and science.  (Applause.)  I want to give 2 million more Americans the opportunity to go to community colleges and learn the skills that local businesses are hiring for right now.  (Applause.)  I want to get colleges and universities to bring down the cost of tuition, because a higher education is no longer a luxury, it is an economic necessity in the 21st century.  (Applause.)  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.) 

Across the board in this election there's a choice.  Housing is still a problem all across the country.  Mr. Romney's plan is to let foreclosures hit bottom.  That's not a solution; that's part of the problem.  So my administration has already helped more than a million responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages.  I want to give every homeowner the chance to save $3,000 a year, take advantage of historically low rates.  That's an example of the difference in this election. 

I continue to believe that nobody in America should go broke just because they get sick.  (Applause.)  We fought to get health care passed.  It was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  The Supreme Court has spoken and we are going forward.  (Applause.)  And for all the misinformation out there, let me just make this plain.  If you've got health insurance, the only thing that you're going to get out of this is a lot more security dealing with your insurance company because they won't be able to mess around with you just because of some fine print, impose lifetime limits, suddenly you're health care is not there when you need it most.  You will have security if you already have health insurance. 

Young people will be able to stay on their parent's plans till they're 26 years old.  (Applause.)  Women won't be getting charged more than men, and you'll be getting free preventive care.  (Applause.)  Seniors will see the cost of their prescription drugs go down.  (Applause.)  If you don't have health insurance we're going to help you get it.  (Applause.)  it's the right thing to do. 

And look, that's not the only difference that we're going to have in this campaign.  Now is not the time to refight the same political battles we've had over the past four years.  It was important to get Wall Street reform in place, to make sure that consumers aren't being taken advantage of by unscrupulous mortgage brokers or payday lenders.  The other side wants to roll it back.  We’re not going backwards, we’re going forwards.  (Applause.)

Ending "don't ask, don't tell" was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  We’re not going back, we’re going forward.  Making sure that women control their own health care choices is the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  We’re not going back, we’re going forward.  Expanding Pell grants for young people, right thing go do.  We’re not going back, we’re going forward, Oakland.  (Applause.)

All these things -- whether it’s making sure every child gets a great education, making sure that we’re investing in our infrastructure, making sure that we’re attracting advanced manufacturing, making sure that health care is secure, making sure everybody is treated fairly and not discriminated against -- (applause) -- making sure that our veterans are getting the benefits that they’ve earned -- all these things tie to together. They're all part of a vision that says you can make it if you try.  They're all central to the idea that made this country great, that if you work hard, you can get ahead.  It’s the same promise our parents and our grandparents passed down to us.  It’s the promise we’ve got to pass on to our kids and our grandkids. 

Now, over the course of the next four months, the other side will spend more money than we have ever seen on ads that basically tell you the same thing you’ve been hearing from them for months.  Like I said, they don't really have an economic plan.  They know their economic theory is not going to sell.  So really what their ads all boil down to is:  The economy is not where it should be, and it’s Obama’s fault.  It’s very simple, easy to summarize.  You will continue to see a variation on this theme.  (Laughter.)

And I guess it may be a plan to try to win an election, but it’s not a plan to create jobs.  It’s not a plan to revitalize the economy.  It’s not a plan to rebuild our middle class. 

And you know, the nice thing is as I see all of you here tonight, it reminds that we’ve been outspent before.  We’ve been counted out more times than I can remember.  (Applause.)  But through every one of my campaigns, what’s always given me hope is you -- (applause) -- your ability to cut through the nonsense, your ability to focus on what’s important.

When Americans come together, and they focus on what’s true, and they focus on what’s right, and they think about what’s best in the story of their own families -- all the struggles their parents and grandparents went through, some coming here as immigrants, some coming here through no choice of their own, some working in mills or factories, some working out on farms, folks coming here and not knowing what to expect, but understanding there was something special about America, knowing that here there was embedded in the very charters of this country the idea that everybody had certain inalienable rights, endowed by their Creator -- life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- the idea that we’re free to pursue our own individual dreams, and yet even as we express this incredible self-reliance, this rugged individualism, that we can also come together as one American family, as a more perfect union.

Our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents, what they were fighting for -- they knew that the middle class, it wasn’t about a certain amount of money in your bank account.  It was about knowing that you work hard and you could succeed, and you could have some security, and your kids could leapfrog over you, do things you couldn’t imagine; and that there would be times where we stumbled and had setbacks, but in America, you got a second chance and a third chance, as long as you just didn't give up, you kept on going.

When we tap that spirit, when we tap into that idea that it’s not a matter of bloodlines, it’s not a matter of everybody being of the same race or the same faith, but it has to do with a creed that binds us together -- when we focus on that, then all this other money doesn't matter.  All those negative ads don't matter.  (Applause.)   What matters is you.  When you come together, change happens.  When you come together, you inspire me.  (Applause.) 

I told you in 2008, I wasn’t a perfect man, and I wouldn’t be a perfect President.  But I also said that I’d always tell you what I thought, I’d always tell you where I stood, and most importantly, I would wake up every single day fighting as hard as I knew how to make your lives a little bit better.  (Applause.)  Because I saw myself in you.  In your grandparents, I saw my grandparents.  In your kids, I saw Malia and I saw Sasha.  (Applause.)  In your story, I saw my own.  And, Oakland, I’ve kept that promise.

Every day that I’ve had the privilege of having this office, I have been thinking about you and fighting as hard as I knew how to make sure that your hard work pays off.  (Applause.) 

And now I’m asking you for your help.  Now I’m asking you for your vote.  Now I’m asking you to knock on doors and make phone calls and do all the things that we did in 2008.  (Applause.)  And if you’re willing to stand with me and fight with me, then I promise you, we will finish what we started.  (Applause.)  And we will grow this economy and build the middle class and remind the world just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

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

END
8:30 P.M. PDT

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Portland, OR, 7/24/12

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Portland, Oregon   

11:04 A.M. PDT

MR. CARNEY:  Good morning, everyone.  Welcome aboard Air Force One as we make our way from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon.  As we have done in the past, Jen and I will brief you together.  I don't have any announcements for you.  I don't know if Jen does.

MS. PSAKI:  One thing, one announcement I have.  I know how much you all enjoy visual aids, so I have one with me today.  This is a new ad.  There will be some information that the campaign will release on this probably by the time we hit the ground, early this afternoon.  It's an ad that will run in six states and it will probably be on the air by tomorrow.  It's shipping today.

I'm going to play it for you.  (Video is played.)

Q    Is there a name for that ad?

MS. PSAKI:  Let me get that for you.  I'll get that for you before the end of the flight.

Q    What six states?

MS. PSAKI:  It will be running in Iowa, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Nevada -- is that six?  I think I'm missing one, which I'll get back to you. 

Q    So, Jen, from what I could hear from the ad, he was amplifying his message from last night at the fundraiser.  Does the fact that you're putting up an ad on this suggest that you fear that some of the Republican attacks on him for the comment that he made about "you didn’t build this" are doing damage and that you need to push back on it?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, I'm glad you asked.  We are not going to stand by while Mitt Romney slices and dices and deliberately takes out of context the President's remarks on businesses. 

As the President has said many, many times -- I've heard him say many times over the course of years -- he believes in the creativity and the hard work and the ingenuity of the American people, entrepreneurs and small business owners.  And he also believes that there are -- if you ask any business owner, there's a lot we can do to help them, including making sure roads and rails and runways are running and they can ship their goods; including making sure workers are trained and prepared and qualified to be hired.

And as he mentioned last night and you'll hear him say again today, Mitt Romney doesn’t exactly have a sterling record on these issues.  He has supported budgets that would gut funding for small businesses, for entrepreneurs, for investments in innovation.  And again, the American people have a choice.  We're continuing to lay that out.  And we wanted to make absolutely clear where the President stands.

Q    So it sounds like you're saying that you are concerned that those attacks on him were starting to take hold. 

MS. PSAKI:  I think it's more that when you have a period of time where our opponent, Mitt Romney, and his surrogates have tweaked and taken apart to such a degree the President's remarks on an issue he's spoken about many, many times, and Mitt Romney has made similar points, it was important to us to ensure that people knew where the President was coming from, how much he supports entrepreneurs and small business owners, and how their records contrast.

Q    The fact that the President himself is speaking to the camera and not a narrator explaining, does that speak to the level of concern about these attacks?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, look, I think the President is a pretty effective communicator and an effective advocate for his policies.  You heard him convey last night his belief that entrepreneurs and small business owners, the people who run those businesses on Main Streets across the country are the drivers of our economy.  He absolutely believes that.  It's, in fact, been a part of his stump speech and his remarks for a very long period of time. 

And a lot of the policies that he has fought for and supporting -- including 18 tax credits for small businesses, including historic investments in clean energy and innovative fields -- are areas he has focused on because they help exactly the kind of entrepreneurs and small business owners that Mitt Romney has attacked him for.

Q    Jay, was any of the classified information that Dianne Feinstein and Mitt Romney have talked about over the past two days leaked from the White House?

MR. CARNEY:  You know I've addressed this many times, and the President has, too.  There are two experienced federal prosecutors investigating the leaks in question.  As a general matter, the President has made abundantly clear that he has no tolerance for leaks and he thinks leaks are damaging to our national security interests.  The kinds of decisions he has to make every day depend upon the ability to keep our secrets secret.  And he feels extremely strongly about this. 

Again, I would point you to the fact that two experienced federal prosecutors are investigating these leaks -- A; and B, the fact that the authors -- The New York Times authors have on the record made clear that the White House was not the source for these stories.

Q    Based on what Feinstein said yesterday, though, she seems to be indicating that the investigation shows that the White House had some role in it.  Is that the same --

MR. CARNEY:  I don't think she referenced an investigation. She referenced a book.  And again, I would simply say that there are two experienced federal prosecutors investigating these leaks.  I can't comment on specifics of an ongoing investigation, but I can tell you as a general matter, the President takes very seriously the issue of leaking of classified information and has spoken very firmly about this.  No one depends more on that information to make extremely difficult and significant decisions on a regular basis than the President of the United States.

Q    We have the Chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee saying some of this is coming from their ranks, meaning the administration -- not necessarily the White House.

MR. CARNEY:  Again, I would -- this is in reference to an ongoing investigation, which I cannot comment on.  I can point you to the President's very firmly stated feelings about leaks, the importance of being able to keep classified information secure.

Q    Can you at least say when you expect the investigation to yield some results?

MR. CARNEY:  I am not standing here as an employee of the Department of Justice, so, no, I cannot.

Q    You have no update on when they're going --

MR. CARNEY:  I'm not updated on the process of investigations -- the progress of investigations. 

Q    We were told that a campaign event was cancelled today in Portland because -- given the shootings in Aurora, that the tone wouldn't be right.  Last night, the President in Oakland, very enthusiastic rally, very feisty message, punching back on the ads.  I'm wondering how you reconcile those two facts.  Is the sort of truce over, I guess?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, we made a decision -- and obviously the President is the one who felt very strongly about this -- over the weekend that we wanted to take into account the tragic events Thursday.  He felt very strongly about traveling to Colorado and spending the time with families, hearing their stories, meeting the families of victims. 

And there were two reasons that we had to cancel the Portland event, which I spoke about earlier -- Sunday, I guess.  One was that we felt a large grassroots event is perhaps not the right kind of tone and approach at this period.  The second was because of resources and assets we needed to pull down one event in order for the President to be able to go to Colorado. 

So both are very important.  There isn't a playbook for this.  I will remind you that yesterday, prior to the President speaking last night, Mitt Romney held an event with small business owners where he distorted and ripped apart the President's record.  And that was -- we're not going to stand by and allow that to happen.

Q    Jen, Romney yesterday touched a little bit on gun control, returning to that topic.  Does the President have any sort of plans in the next several weeks to sort of address that issue kind of in a one big, sweeping thing?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, I'll speak from the campaign side and Jay may be able to speak to the policy here.  You heard the President say on Sunday that he hoped that the events in Colorado allows us to reflect on -- over the coming weeks, reflect on what this means and what we can all do as a country.  He has talked to -- this will stick with him for a period of -- a long period of time, through to November, and he talks every day about the families and the people he met there. 

I'll let Jay speak to the policy. 

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I'll make a couple of points.  One, as you've heard the President say and you saw in the op-ed that he wrote in the wake of the Tucson shootings, that he believes that we need to take, and we can take, common-sense measures that ensure that individuals who should not have weapons under existing law do not get them.  And we can take those measures without in any way compromising our Second Amendment rights. 

I would note that the President has long been a supporter of the assault weapons ban, renewing that, and he continues to support that position.  Obviously, congressional opposition has been an issue on that.  But he does support renewal of the assault weapons ban, a position he's long held. 

Q    Does he have any plan to push it?  I mean, he made it in --

MR. CARNEY:  I don't want to --

Q    -- so he had time to try to advance the plan. 

MR. CARNEY:  Well, there have been -- as you know, I think, Roger, measures taken and progress has been achieved on some of the issues that he raised in the wake of Tucson.  I can refer you to the Department of Justice or even Matt Lehrich in the Press Office in the White House can provide detailed information on the progress made in terms of expanding the quality and quantity of information in background checks, as well as other measures that have been taken -- A.  B, and I think it's certainly possible the President could address these issues in the future.  But I don't have any scheduling updates for you.

Q    But since he wrote that op-ed, has there been some -- I have looked into it.  I talked to the Justice Department, so I know what they've done.  And there have been some modest improvements in terms of better -- making the existing laws work a little bit better.  But in that op-ed, he spoke much more broadly about trying to find common ground on this issue.  Can you point to anything that he's done since writing that op-ed that has advanced that?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, look, I think the work that the Department of Justice has done on this issue that has resulted in the progress that you noted demonstrates what the President has done on this issue, and reflects the approach that he believes we have to take, which is to seek methods and means that ensure that those who should not have weapons under existing law obtain them, but that protect our Second Amendment rights.  And that's the balance that he seeks.

And his position on broader issues of this nature he has articulated in the past.  And I've noted that he has long been a proponent of renewing the assault weapons ban.

Q    To the markets.  They're tumbling again today.  New concerns on Greece may be missing debt reduction payments -- back to where we were a few months ago. 

MR. CARNEY:  This has been an ongoing process, an ongoing challenge, obviously, for the Europeans, but a challenge that affects the American economy.  That is why the President, and Secretary Geithner in particular, Under Secretary Brainard, have been so engaged in this issue and continue to be. 

We note that the Europeans have made progress and some of the decisions they made in late June at their summit were significant.  Now they need to operationalize those decisions, take steps to further consolidate those decisions, to implement reform as well as create greater unity in the banking system in Europe.  And we certainly urge Europeans to take those steps to operationalize.

Q    Did he make calls or --

MR. CARNEY:  The Europeans need to take steps to operationalize, if you will, the commitments they made back at the end of the June. 

Q    With Governor Romney traveling overseas, I'm wondering if he's asked to begin the security briefings that candidates typically tend to get on the campaign, or if you have a timeline for when those briefings might begin for him. 

MR. CARNEY:  I don't know the answer to your question about whether or not Governor Romney has made that request.  I can take that question.  I believe the timing of that was a little later in the 2008 cycle, although I was a reporter then so I'm not entirely sure.  I'll have to take that question.

I would note, going back to the issue that was raised early on in the briefing about the President's firm position on leaks, that those questions arose from the excerpts in Governor Romney's speech -- I think, as a matter of policy, it's important to look at what the President talked about at the VFW, what he talked about four years earlier where he laid out concrete policy positions.  He made very specific promises of things that he would do as President.  And as you heard him say yesterday, he has delivered on those promises. 

He said he would end the war in Iraq; he ended the war in Iraq.  He said he would take the fight to al Qaeda and seek to destroy al Qaeda; he has delivered on those promises.  He said he would restore our alliances that were extremely frayed at the end of the Bush administration, as anyone who was around and covering those relationships knows; he has done that.  Our relationships are much stronger. 

He has taken extraordinary steps to enhance America's national security, America's stature around the globe.  He is -- in addition to taking the fight to al Qaeda, he is winding down the war in Afghanistan, again, as promised. 

What we saw in the excerpts I think were kind of the polar opposite.  And I think that when you discuss these issues as a matter of a decision the President makes, the policies the President puts forward -- the President talks frequently about the challenges we face in Afghanistan, the challenges we face in Iraq, the challenge we face now in Syria and the broader Arab Spring, in Asia, the need to focus and rebalance our efforts towards Asia -- I find those specifics lacking so far in what I've heard from the other side.

MS. PSAKI:  If I can just add one thing to this.  Mitt Romney has a very high bar he has not yet jumped over to convince the American people that he wants to have a serious conversation about foreign policy.  And if you look at this week -- Jay touched on the excerpts -- instead of using today as an opportunity to speak to an audience about differences he may have with the President on Iran, on Syria, on what we should have done or what he felt we should have done in Iraq, on even how to take care of military families when they come home, he's used this as an opportunity to launch baseless attacks on the President -- as we saw from the excerpts.

He's now going on a foreign trip, where what we've learned from his schedule is he's going to be doing some fundraising and he has some photo ops.  So as far as we can tell at this point, these several days, which were an enormous opportunity, are not going to help him jump over that bar and convince the American people he wants to have a serious conversation about foreign policy.

Q    Given the old adage that politics stops at the water's edge, is there any thought that if he were to give any sort of substantive remarks while abroad there's a sort of code you should respect or restraint you should show in terms of talking about the President?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I would simply say that then-Senator Obama was able to talk in great detail and at a significant level of substance when he made a similar trip as a candidate for President in 2008, while adhering to that tradition.  So I think you can do both, and we'll see if that standard continues to apply.

MS. PSAKI:  I was on the trip with President Obama four years ago and I can tell you that not only did he give a major policy speech right before he went, but he had meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders; he had a meeting with Merkel.   I mean, you know the schedule.  He did press conferences, press avails, interviews with major networks, and we had a full pool with us for all these meetings and all these events.  That's an entirely different scale than what we're looking at over the next couple of days.

MR. CARNEY:  Look, I think -- again, going back to the matters of policy and the decisions a President makes, it's important to ask -- because the President has answered these questions -- what would you do in Iraq?  Would you not end the war?  Would you keep American troops there?  Would you keep them there for one year, two years, five years, 10 years longer?  And what is the policy purpose behind that, and is that in keeping with what the Iraqis want as they continue to expand their security capacity?  Would you have not refocused our efforts -- because you decided to stay and keep a robust force in Iraq, would you not have refocused our efforts on Afghanistan and on  al Qaeda in the AfPak region?

Because the consequences of that decision, that failure to focus intensely on the enemies who attacked us in 2001 would almost certainly mean that we would not have had the successes that we've had against al Qaeda in the last three and a half years.  These are tradeoffs -- these are tough decisions that you have to make every day as President on significant policy issues.

Syria is obviously a very complicated situation, as part of the broader developments in that region.  What are the choices that someone who would sit in that chair makes that are different from what the President is making?  And if a position is that you would unilaterally engage militarily in Syria, then say so and make that case.  The President makes his case every day and explains his positions every day in great detail.  And they're never easy decisions, and that's why the President has to make them.

Q    Are there any other events on the President's schedule? Interviews or anything while we're on the ground in Portland beyond the listed events?

MS. PSAKI:  You know about the -- I'm happy to go through -- would any of you like me to go through what he's doing today --

Q    Yes.

MS. PSAKI:  -- or do you have that?  Okay.  So he's going to hold a fundraising roundtable in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center -- that's our first stop.  It's 25 people.  As you know, we've done a number of these.  It's $30,000 per person. Then he's going to deliver remarks at a reception in Portland, also at the Convention Center.  The tickets for that event start at $500 per person.  He will then -- we'll move to Washington State --

Q    What about between those two events?

Q    No interviews or anything?

MS. PSAKI:  No.  I will triple-check, but there aren’t any TV or radio or anything like that interviews.

The President will then go to a fundraising roundtable in Hunt's Point, at a private residence in Washington State.  We expect about 20 people.  The tickets for that are $35,800.  And then he'll end the day with a reception in the evening, which we expect about 200 people and the tickets are $5,000 per person. 

Q    Thank you.

MR. CARNEY:  Thank you.

END
11:20 A.M. PDT

Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Actions of Certain Persons to Undermine the Sovereignty of Lebanon or its Democratic Processes or Institutions

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared with respect to the actions of certain persons to undermine the sovereignty of Lebanon or its democratic processes and institutions is to continue in effect beyond August 1, 2012.

Certain ongoing activities, such as continuing arms transfers to Hizballah that include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared on August 1, 2007, to deal with that threat and the related measures adopted on that date to respond to the emergency.

BARACK OBAMA