Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Arapahoe High School
Centennial, Colorado

10:29 A.M. MDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Wow!  (Applause.)  You know, this feels like four more years, right?  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  I can’t tell you how proud and thrilled I am to be here today.
 
Before I get started, on behalf of myself and my husband, I just want to say that our hearts and our prayers are with all of the families affected by the fires here in this state and in other states out west.  (Applause.)
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  And I also want to say a special thank-you to the brave firefighters and first responders -- (applause) -- those men and women who are putting themselves in harm’s way every day to put flames out to protect our communities.  We are so grateful for their heroic service.  Let’s give them a round of applause.  (Applause.)
    
And it’s also wonderful to see how communities here are coming together to support each other as you continue to respond and begin the work of recovery.  It’s a wonderful example, and I want you all to know that America stands behind you every step of the way.  So I just wanted to say that.  (Applause.) 
 
I also have to thank Stacy -- and Max -- for that wonderful introduction and for sharing that story.  We are so glad that kids like Max can get the care that they need, because that’s what we want for all of our kids.  And there are a lot of beautiful little faces out here.  We’re doing this for you, yes.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
And I also got a chance to see Susan Daggett, Maggie Fox -- hey, you guys!  Thank you so much for being here, for having our backs, for joining us here today.
 
And I have to recognize -- although I haven’t seen her yet -- your former First Lady and my dear friend, Jennie Ritter, who is here, somewhere out there.  (Applause.)  And your Deputy Mayor, Cary Kennedy, who is here as well.  (Applause.)  And I understand that Dana did some firing up out here.  I want to thank here and Reverend Riley-Duval for her good words and her prayers.  (Applause.)  And to Suzy, who also got us fired up and ready to go, right?  Did she do good?  (Applause.)
 
But finally, I want to thank all of you, our extraordinary volunteers and organizers.  You guys are doing it all, you’re out here standing in the heat -- I love that.  (Laughter.)  Thank you for everything that you do, day in and day out.  I cannot say this enough:  The work that you do makes this campaign possible.  All the work that you’re doing -- knocking on those doors, making those phone calls, registering those voters -- I just want you to know that doing what you’re doing, giving folks the information they need, as Stacy says, about the issues we care about is critical.  And this kind of grassroots work that you all are doing to get people focused and fired up -– that work is the core of this campaign.  It means absolutely everything.  And that’s how we won not just this state but this presidency four years ago, and that’s how we’re going to do it again today.  So, thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
But one thing that I do know is that the work that you’re doing is not easy.  And I know that you’re putting in a lot of long hours.  I’ve seen you in action before.  I know that you all have your own busy lives to lead -- you’ve got your families to raise; you’ve got school coursework -- I hope many of you are focused; you’ve got jobs and careers you’re trying to build.  But I also know that there’s a reason why all of us are in this school right now, today.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Michelle, we love you!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  I love you, too!  (Applause.)
 
And we would not be standing here without you.  We are here not just because we all support an extraordinary President -– because our President is awesome.  (Applause.)  And we’re not just here because we want to win an election, which we do, and we will.  (Applause.)  We’re all here because of the values we believe in.  Truly, we’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share.
 
We’re doing this because we want all of our children -- all of them -- to have good schools -- the kind of schools that push them; the kind of schools that inspire them and prepare them for good jobs and wonderful opportunities.  (Applause.)
 
We want our parents and our grandparents to be able to retire with dignity -– (applause) -- because we believe that in America, after a lifetime of hard work, they should be able to enjoy their golden years.  (Applause.)
 
We want to restore that basic middle-class security for our families, because we believe that in America folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because someone gets sick.  (Applause.)  We believe that folks shouldn’t lose their home because someone loses a job.  (Applause.)  We also believe that responsibility should be rewarded, and hard work should pay off.  We believe that everyone should do their fair share, but play by the same rules.  (Applause.)
 
And the thing that I tell people everywhere I go -- we have to remember, these are basic American values.  (Applause.)  This isn’t new.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself, which is why I share my story.  You all know -- my father was a blue-collar city worker; he worked for the city water plant, and my family lived in a little-bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  South Side!  (Applause.)  And like so many people, my parents never had the kinds of educational opportunities that my brother and I had.  But one thing they had -- and I know this is going on in homes all across this country -- they did everything for us growing up.  I saw how they saved, how they sacrificed, how they poured everything they had into me and my brother because they wanted us to have the kind of education and opportunities they could only dream of.
 
And while pretty much most of my college tuition came from student loans and grants -- yes, I know, a few people can feel that, right? -- (applause) -- my dad still paid a small portion of that tuition himself.  And every semester, my dad was determined to pay that bill and to pay it on time.  He was proud to be able to send his kids to college, and he couldn’t bear the thought of me or my brother missing a registration deadline because his check was late.  Like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn a living that allowed him to handle his responsibilities; to take care of his family and to pay all of his bills and to pay them on time.
 
And more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake in this election.  That’s what we’re working for.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  It’s that fundamental 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 gives us all hope -- it is that promise that binds us together as Americans.  That is what makes us who we are.  That’s what makes this country great.
 
But from now until November, Barack is going to need all of you to get out there.  As Stacy said, get out there and tell everybody you know about what this is about.  Tell them about our values.  Tell them about this vision that we all share, and about everything that’s at stake in this election.  That’s what we need you to do.
 
And you can start by telling them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses.  (Applause.)  And he did this because he knows that an economy built to last starts with middle-class folks, and companies who are creating jobs that are putting people back to work. 
 
But remind them how, back when Barack first took office, people -- a lot of people forget this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month.  A month!  That’s what he inherited.  That’s what he walked in -- that’s what welcomed him into the Oval Office.  (Laughter.)  But also let them know that for the past 27 straight months, we have actually been gaining private sector jobs -– a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years.  (Applause.)
 
So while we absolutely have a long way to go to rebuild this economy, it’s important for people to understand that today, millions of people are collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to handle their business and pay their bills again.  (Applause.)
 
And Stacy talked about health reform, but also because we passed health reform -- health insurance -- people need to understand that insurance companies will have to cover preventative care, things like contraception and cancer screenings -- (applause) -- things like prenatal care, and they have to do it at no extra cost.  (Applause.)
 
Because of this reform, people have to understand that millions of our senior citizens have saved more -- on average more than $600 a year on their prescription drugs thanks to this reform.  (Applause.)
 
And for all of you who have kids graduating from college, because I know you’re out there -- parents -- for all those parents, those kids can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  And that is how 3.1 million of our young people are getting the health care they need today.  (Applause.)
 
But we can also talk about education, too.  Let people know that Barack is working hard to raise standards in our public schools and make college more affordable for millions of young people.  (Applause.)  This President’s vision is that by the end of this decade, more Americans will hold a college degree than any other country in the world.  That’s your President’s vision for our children.
 
You can also tell people about how Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act.  And understand this -- (applause) -- because he believes that it is time to stop denying responsible young people opportunities in this country just because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants.  (Applause.)  And just last week, this administration announced new measures to lift the shadow of deportation from many of these young people, who came here as children and were raised as Americans.  (Applause.)
 
But while this is an important step, it is not a permanent solution.  So Barack is going to keep fighting to get Congress to give these young people a real pathway to citizen [sic].  That’s what we’re working for.  (Applause.)
 
But you can also remind folks that your President kept his promise -- he brought our troops home from Iraq.  (Applause.)  And remind them how our brave men and women in uniform finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks.  (Applause.) 
 
And it’s also important to know that because of this President, our troops will no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love -– (applause) -- because Barack ended “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  (Applause.)
 
And for all of our women out there -- (applause) -- it is so important to remind women in this country that it is now easier for us to get equal pay for equal work because of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  (Applause.)  That was the very first bill Barack signed into law, the very first thing he did for us as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  But I want people to know why Barack signed this bill, why it was so important.  Because he knows that closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women in this country losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas and groceries, and put clothes on the backs of their children.  (Applause.)  Barack did this because he understands that when so many women are now breadwinners for our families, women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)
 
And please, we cannot forget about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices that Barack appointed -- (applause) -- 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.)
 
I could go on and on and on. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Please do!  (Applause.) 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  See, but I don’t anybody passing out.  (Laughter.)  But what we all have to understand and we cannot take for granted -- all of this, all of this and so much more is at stake in November.  It’s all on the line.  And in the end, it all boils down to one simple question:  Will we continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or are we going to let everything we’ve worked so hard for just slip away?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No.  We know we cannot do that.  We can’t turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward.  (Applause.)  We need to keep moving forward.  And more than anything else, that’s why we’re here.  That’s what we’re working for -- truly, the chance to finish what we started.  The chance to keep fighting for those values we believe in, that vision that we all share.  I don’t care who we are; the things I just talked about, every American in this country wants the same things.
 
But let me tell you, that is what my President and my husband has been doing every single day.  (Applause.)  Every single day he’s been fighting for us.  (Applause.)  I have watched him fight for us.  And let me tell you, over the past three and a half years, as First Lady I have had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like.  And let me just share something with you:  I’ve seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, they’re always the hard ones.  Always.  They’re the problems with no easy solution, because when there is one somebody else comes up with it.  (Laughter.)  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 and opinions from all sorts of people.  But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, all you have to guide you are your life experiences, are your values, is your vision for the country.  That’s all you have.  It matters.  (Applause.)
 
In the end, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for.  And let me tell you, we all know who my husband is.  We all know what he stands for, don’t we?  (Applause.) 
 
See, your President, Barack Obama, he's the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  (Applause.)  Barack Obama is the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at the bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother was -- worked hard to support his family and she was good at her work, like so many women, she hit that glass ceiling and men no more qualified than she was were promoted up the ladder ahead of her. 
 
So what you have to understand about your President is that he knows what it means when a family struggles.  (Applause.)  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  And today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man, and, yes, the outstanding President he is today.  (Applause.)  
 
And that is why I'm working so hard for him.  Because when it comes time to stand up for American workers and American families, you know what Barack Obama is going to do.  When there’s a choice about protecting our rights and our freedoms, you know where Barack is going to stand -- he's going to stand with us.  (Applause.)  And when we need a leader to make the hard decisions to keep this country moving forward, you know you can count on my husband, because that is what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  
 
But I have said this before, and I will say it again, and again, and again:  He cannot do this alone.  That is not how a democracy works.  Barack needs your help. 
 
He needs you to keep doing what you're doing.  Keep making those calls -- it matters.  Keep knocking on those doors -- it matters.  Keep registering those voters -- it absolutely matters.  And when you look around this room, I want you to think about multiplying yourselves.  Multiply yourselves. 
 
Reach out to your friends and your family and your neighbors.  Tell them how to get involved.  Tell them how to go to barackobama.com to find out how they can get started.  Because it's easy, right?  We want them to just give a little part of themselves each week to this campaign, and we need you to make that happen.
 
Because as Barack has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  And if you have any doubt about the difference that you will make, understand this:  This is all going to come down to those last few thousand people we register to vote.  It will.  It's going to come down to those last few thousand people we get to the polls in November.  (Applause.) 
 
And just think for a minute, as you think about multiplying yourselves and you think about this work -- when you look at those kinds of numbers and they're spread across an entire state, it might mean registering just one more person.  Just think -- just one more.  It might mean just helping one more person in your community vote on Election Day. 
 
So every call, I want you to think one more person.  With every door you knock on, think this could be the one.  With every conversation you have, this could be the one that makes the difference.  That’s how important you all are.  Understand that.  (Applause.)  That is the kind of impact that each of you will have on this election. 
 
And I’m not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long.  It is going to be hard -- you ready for hard? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way.  But we have to remember that that’s how change always happens in this country.  That’s how real change happens. 
 
But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight and doing what we know is right -- because we know -- then eventually we’ll get there.  We always do.  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes.  Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because what I tell myself is that in the end, that is what this is all about.  It is not about us, it is about them.  (Applause.)  And that is what I think about every night when I tuck my girls in.  I think about the world I want to leave for them, and for all of our sons and daughters.  I think about how I want to do for them what my Dad did for me.  (Applause.) 
 
I want to give them a real foundation for their dreams.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise.  Because all of our kids are worthy -- all of them.  (Applause.) I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility, right?  That belief that here in America, there’s always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.  (Applause.)  
 
So if you want to know why I'm passionate, it's because of them.  So we cannot turn back now.  No.  We have come too far, but there is so much more work to do.  There just is. 
 
So let me ask you one question, one last question:  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Come on, are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you ready?  Are you ready to work for our future?  To work for that vision for our children?  Because I am so fired up.  Can you tell?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  I am so ready to go.  Can you tell?  We're going to need you every step of the way.
 
Thank you all.  God bless.
 
END               
10:58 A.M. MDT
 

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Henderson Convention Center
Henderson, Nevada

4:36 P.M. PDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes!  (Applause.)  Whoa!  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  All right, I like it.  You all are fired up, right?  (Applause.)  And ready to go.  Four more years!  (Applause.)
 
Thank you all so much -- you’re so sweet.  (Laughter.)  Let me tell you, I am thrilled -- thrilled to be here today, truly.  Let me start by just saying a few thank-yous.  Let’s begin with Theresa.  Let’s give her a round of applause for that wonderful introduction.  (Applause.)  And to all of our nurses here who are just making sure that we all keep it together.  So let’s give them all a round of applause.  (Applause.)
 
And I know there were a few people who came on before me.  I want to thank Wendy for getting everyone fired up.  And I also want to thank Ashton, Erin, Helen*, Pastor Trujillo for their remarks earlier and for everything they’re doing for our campaign.  (Applause.)
 
And your Mayor -- good Mayor and your First Lady are here today.  Mayor Hafen is here.  I got a chance to meet them both.  (Applause.)  How are you?  He’s nice and tall, so we can see him.  But where is your wife?  She’s smaller.  (Laughter.)  And she is here.  (Laughter.)  The State Party Chair, Roberta Lange, is here.  (Applause.)  And one of our good friends, Senator Steven Horsford and his family are here.  (Applause.)  He is going to make an outstanding member of Congress.  They are a terrific family.  We are so proud of them.  (Applause.)
 
And finally, I want to thank all of you, because you all are extraordinary volunteers and organizers.  Thank you for everything that you do, day in and day out, to make this campaign possible -- truly.  I know it’s warm in here, so you guys hang in there.  But I know that you are doing all of the hard work -- you’re knocking on those doors, you’re making those calls.  More importantly, you’re registering voters all throughout the state. 
 
And I want to thank you for giving folks the information they need about the issues they care about.  And I want you to know, truly, that the grassroots work that you all are doing to get people focused and fired up -– that work is at the core of this campaign.  It is truly what is going to make the difference.  That’s how we did it four years ago, and let me tell you, that’s how we’re going to do it again this time around as well.  (Applause.)
 
And I say this to all our volunteers:  I know that the work that you’re doing, it is not easy.  I know that you all are putting in those long hours.  And I know that you’re doing it in spite of your busy lives.  I know that you all -- Amen -- have your own families to raise and your jobs to do.  Many of you are finishing school, getting your education together.
 
But I also know that there’s a reason why all of us are here today, and why we’re doing this work.  And it’s not just because we support an extraordinary President, which we do -– my husband, I’m a little biased.  (Applause.)  And it’s not just because we want to win an election -- although we do, and we will.  (Applause.) 
 
What we all have to remember, though, is that we are doing this because of the values we believe in.  I say that everywhere I go.  I remind people, it’s about our values.  We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share.  Regardless of who we are, we share the same vision.  We’re doing this because we want all our children in this country to be able to go to those good schools.  (Applause.)  The kind of schools that push them.  The kind of schools that inspire them and prepare them for the good jobs and the opportunities for the future.  We want that for all of our kids.
 
We want our parents and our grandparents to be able to retire with dignity -– (applause) -- because we believe that here in America, after a lifetime of hard work, they should be able to enjoy their golden years -- really enjoy that time.  (Applause.)
    
We’re here because we want to restore that basic middle-class security for all of our families, because we believe that folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because somebody gets sick.  In America, people shouldn’t lose their homes because somebody loses a job.  No, not in America.  We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, and that hard work should pay off.  We believe that everyone should do their fair share, but play by the same rules.  (Applause.) 
 
And the thing that we know, everyone here and around the country -- these are basic American values.  This isn’t new.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  And I share my story everywhere I go because it makes me who I am.  My father was a blue-collar worker at the city water plant, and my family lived in a little-bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  And my parents never had the kinds of educational opportunities my brother and I had.  But growing up, let me tell you what my parents did do for us:  They saved and they sacrificed everything.  They poured everything they had into me and my brother, because they wanted us to have the kind of education they could only dream of.  And look what they’ve done.  (Applause.)
 
And like a lot of kids in this country who go to college, pretty much all my college tuition came from student loans and grants, right?  How many people can relate to that?  (Applause.)  But my dad still paid a small portion of that tuition himself.  And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time.  Because, see, my dad, Fraser, he was so proud to be able to send his kids to college, and he couldn’t bear the thought of me or my brother missing a registration deadline because his check was late.
 
My dad is like so many people in this country.  My father took great pride in being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to handle his responsibilities to his family.  That’s what gave him joy -- to pay all of his bills, and to pay them all on time.  That’s all he wanted.  And truly, more than anything else, that is what’s at stake in this election.  (Applause.)  We can’t -- that’s what we’re working for.
 
It’s that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, in America, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself -- yes -- and an even better life for your kids.  That’s what this is about.  (Applause.)  And what we have to know, it is that promise that binds us together as Americans.  It’s what makes us who we are in this country.  It’s what makes us special.
 
But now, from now until November, let me tell you something, Barack is going to need all of you out there, and telling everyone you know what’s at stake.  (Applause.)  Tell them about these values that we share.  Remind them about our vision, and about everything that’s on the line in this election.  That’s what we need you to do.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We’re fired up!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Be fired up.  (Applause.)  And I want you to start by -- just remind people how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses.  (Applause.)  Those are the tax cuts he’s been working to, because an economy that is built to last starts with the middle class and with the kind of folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work.
 
Remind them how, back when Barack took office, this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month.  That’s what he inherited.  That’s what he walked into.  But also let them know that for the past 27 straight months, this economy has actually been gaining private sector jobs, a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years.  (Applause.)
 
So while we still have a long way to go, we still have more work to do to rebuild our economy, let them know that today millions of people are collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again thanks to your President.  (Applause.)
 
I also want you to tell people about everything that Barack has done to help folks avoid losing their homes to foreclosure.  I mean, you can tell them that because of the programs he announced here in Nevada last year, families across this state have been able to refinance their mortgages, and keep their homes, and keep more money in their pockets each month.  You’ve got to remind them. 
 
You can also tell people about health care, and how, because of health reform, insurance companies will have to cover preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings and prenatal care, and cover it without any additional cost.  (Applause.)  Remind people about that.  People tend to forget.
 
Because of reform, let them know millions of our senior citizens have saved an average of more than $600 a year on their prescription drugs -- thanks to health reform.  (Applause.) 
 
And for the parents out there with college-age students, kids can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  And understand the effect:  That is how 3.1 million more young people are getting the health care they need.  So remind people about that. 
 
You can tell people how Barack is working to raise standards in our public schools and to make college more affordable for millions of young people, so -- and his vision is that by the end of this decade, more Americans in this country will hold a degree than any other country in the world.  That’s the kind of vision we can all stand by.  (Applause.) 
 
But you also have to tell people how Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act.  (Applause.)  And understand this -- he’s doing this because he believes that it is time to stop denying citizenship to responsible young people just because they’re children of undocumented immigrants.  (Applause.)  And just last week, this administration announced new measures to lift the shadow of deportation from many of these young people, who came here as children and were raised as Americans.  (Applause.)
 
But while this is an important step, it is not a permanent solution.  It is not.  So Barack is going to keep fighting to get Congress to give these young people a real pathway to citizenship.  That’s the vision that this President has.  (Applause.) 
 
You can remind folks that Barack kept his promise to bring our troops home from Iraq.  (Applause.)  And you can remind them about how our brave men and women in uniform finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks.  (Applause.)  And our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love, because Barack ended “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
 
But I also want you to tell people that it’s now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work -– (applause) -- and that’s because of the first bill Barack signed into law as President of the United States, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  The first thing he did as President of the United States.  (Applause.)
 
But let people know why he signed this bill, why this was so important.  Because he knows that closing that pay gap, that  can mean the difference between women in this country losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy groceries, and school clothes for their kids, and gas -- put gas in their car.  Barack did it because when so many women are now breadwinners for our families in this country, women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)
 
And finally, don’t forget to tell people about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices Barack appointed, and how, for the first time in history, our daughters and sons watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)
 
Now I could go on and on and on.  But it is warm in here.  (Laughter.)  And I love you too much to keep you standing up that long.  (Applause.)  But it’s also important for people to remind folks that all of this and so much more is at stake this November.  It’s all on the line.  And in the end it all boils down to one simple question:  Will we continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything we’ve worked for to just slip away?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No!  We know what we need to do.  We cannot turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward.  We need to keep moving forward.  And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for.  That’s what it’s all about -– it’s the chance to finish what we started; the chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision we all share.
 
And that’s what my husband has been doing every single day as President of the United States.  And let me just tell you -- let me 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.  I know a little something about it now.  And 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 is no margin for error. 
 
And as President, you’re going to get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people.  That’s for sure.  But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, understand, all you have to guide you are your life experiences.  All you have to draw on are your values, your vision for this country.  In the end, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for.  (Applause.)
 
And the reason why I am up here so passionate is because we all know who my husband is, right?  (Applause.)  We all know what Barack Obama stands for.  (Applause.)  He’s the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  That’s who he is.  He’s the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch her bus to a job at a bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family, and she was good at her job, he watched -- like so many women, she hit that glass ceiling.  And men no more qualified than she was were promoted up the ladder ahead of her. 
 
So what I want everybody to understand about their President is that he understands what it means when a family struggles.  That’s not new to him.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  And let me tell you, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man and the President he is today.  (Applause.)   
 
So when you think about who you're going to work for, understand when it comes time to stand up for American workers and American families, you know what Barack Obama is going to do, right?  (Applause.)  When there’s a choice about protecting our rights and our freedoms -- all of us -- you know where Barack stands.  And when we need a leader to make the hard decisions to keep this country moving forward, you know you can count on Barack Obama because that is what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States.  (Applause.)
 
That’s why I'm here, and that’s why I'm going to be out there.  (Applause.)  But I have said this before -- I have said it before, and I will say it everywhere I go -- Barack cannot do this alone.  Barack needs you so fired up.  He needs your help.  He needs you to keep doing what you're doing.  Keep making those calls, right?  Keep knocking on those doors.  Keep registering those voters. 
 
And even more important, he needs you to multiply yourselves.  No, I mean this -- multiply yourselves.  Reach out to everyone you know -- friends, family, neighbors.  Tell them to go to barackobama.com.  Find out how they -- help them find out how they can get started just giving a little part of themselves each week to this campaign. 
 
Multiply yourselves.  Because as Barack said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is a guarantee. 
And if you have any doubt about the difference that you will make, I just want you to remember that in the end, this election is going to come down to those last few thousand people that you register to vote.  Think like that.
 
It's going to come down to those last few thousand folks that you help get to the polls.  That will make the difference.  And I just want you to think for a minute about what these numbers can mean when they're spread out over an entire state.  It might mean registering just one more person in your town -- truly.  Understand this.  It might mean just helping one more person in your community get to the polls on Election Day.
Day. 
 
So please, with every door you knock on, with every event you host, with every conversation you have -- in the store, at church, in the pick-up line -- I want you to remember that this could be the one that makes the difference.  And it can make the difference -- people having the right information about who their President is and what he has done.
 
That is the kind of impact each of you will have.  Understand that.  That’s why we work so hard.  That’s why we're in this. 
 
But I’m not going to kid you, this journey will definitely be long, and it is going to be hard.  And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way -- that is a guarantee.  But we have to remember that is how change always happens in this country.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, fighting for the things we know are right, then eventually we get there.  We always do, we always have. 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but here's the thing -- maybe in our children’s lifetimes.  Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because in the end, that’s what this is all about.  It's about them.  And that’s what I think about when I tuck my girls in at night.  Every night when I leave them and I'm here, I think about them, and I think about the world that I want to leave for them and for all of our sons and daughters. 
 
I think about how I want them to do -- I want to do for them what my Dad did for me.  (Applause.)  I want to give all our kids that solid foundation for their dreams -- all of them.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise -- because all kids have promise.  I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility; that belief that here in America, there’s always something better if you’re willing to work for it. 
 
So we cannot turn back now. 
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, we can't turn back now.  We have come so far, but we have so much more to do.
 
So let me ask you one last question:  Are you all in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, no, are you really in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes! 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you ready for this work? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?  Are you ready to multiply yourselves? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  You know what we're working for.  You understand that vision, and it's a vision that everyone in this country shares -- you know it and I know it.
 
So let's get to work.  I am so fired up.
 
Thank you all.  God bless.  (Applause.)

END                
5:02 P.M. PDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

VFW Post 1503
Dale City, Virginia

2:08 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years! 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you all.  My goodness!  They told me you all were fired up.  (Applause.)  They were right.  We’re going to get this done.
 
I want to thank you all so much.  Let me tell you how thrilled it is [sic] to be here with all of you.  I am just thrilled to see you all.  (Applause.)
 
I want to start by thanking Lisa, first of all, for that very kind introduction and for her outstanding work as our Women for Obama co-chair.  We’ve got to give her a round of applause.  Lisa, thank you so much.  (Applause.) 
 
I want to thank a couple of other people.  I want to recognize State Delegate Luke Torian -- (applause) -- Lieutenant Colonel John Jenkins -- (applause) -- Christine Tian.  And I want to thank them.  Thank you all for being here today.  I also want to give a special thanks to Woodridge Supervisor Frank Principi -- (applause) -- and the members and families of VFW Post 1503.  (Applause.)  We are proud and grateful for our veterans and their families, and we all should be working very hard to make sure they know they live in a grateful country, right?  (Applause.)
 
And finally, I want to thank all of you.  I want to thank you for your outstanding work as our volunteers and organizers.  Thank you so much for everything you do, day-in and day-out, to make this campaign possible.  Truly.  I want to thank you for doing all of the hard work that goes into a campaign -- knocking on those doors, making all those phone calls; most importantly, registering voters.  I want to thank you for giving people the information they need about the issues they care about.  And I want you to know, truly, that the grassroots work that you all are doing to help people get focused and fired up, that work is at the core of everything we do.  It’s at the core of this campaign.  That’s how we did it four years ago, and let me tell you, that’s how we’re going to do it again today.  (Applause.) 
 
And one thing that I do know is the work you’re doing is not easy.  I know so many of you are putting in long hours, and I know how busy you all are just taking care of your own lives.  I know you have families to raise and jobs to do, and you guys have summer to enjoy, right? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  A lot of playing to do, and you’re here, right?  But I also know that there’s a reason why all of us are here today.  And it’s not just because we all support one extraordinary man, our President -- (applause) -- and I am his biggest fan.  I’m a little biased, but I think our President is phenomenal.  (Applause.)  And it’s not just because we want to win an election -- which we do, and we will.  (Applause.)  But we’re doing this because of the values we believe in.  We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share.
 
We’re doing this because we want our kids, all of our kids, to have good schools.  You know what those schools look like -- the kind of schools that push them, and inspire them, and prepare them for life in the future, those good jobs and those good opportunities.  We want our parents and our grandparents to retire with dignity and respect -- because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, they should be able to enjoy their golden years.  (Applause.)  We want to restore that basic middle-class security for our families, because we believe that here in America folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because they get sick; folks shouldn’t lose their home because someone loses a job.  Not in America.  (Applause.)
 
We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, that hard work should pay off.  We believe that everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules.  And the thing that we know:  These are basic American values.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.
 
I share my story everywhere you go.  My father was a blue-collar city worker, worked for the city water plant.  And my family lived in a little-bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  My mother still goes home there every time she’s not with us.  My room is the same -- same bed sheets, same pictures.  (Laughter.)  Everything is the same.  I don’t know how long she’s going to keep it like that, but -- (laughter) -- I’m okay with it, it’s her house.  But my parents never had the kinds of educational opportunities that my brother and I had.  And growing up, though, I saw how my parents saved and sacrificed.  It gets quiet here, because we all have people in our lives like this -- how they poured everything they had into me and my brother -- (applause) -- because they wanted us to have the kind of education they could only dream of.  That’s where I came from.
 
And while pretty much all my college tuition came from student loans and grants -- can I get an Amen? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Amen!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  My dad still paid a very small portion of that tuition himself.  And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill, and pay it on time.  He was proud to be sending his kids to college, and he couldn’t bear the thought of me or my brother missing the registration deadline because his check was late.
 
And like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn a living that allowed him to handle his business, handle his responsibility to his family, to pay all of his bills, and to pay them on time.  That’s who my father was.  That’s what America is.  And really, more than anything else, that is what’s at stake in this election.  It truly is.  It’s that fundamental 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 we have to understand here in America -- it is that promise that binds us together here in this country.  It is what makes us who we are.  It’s what makes this country so special. 
 
And from now until November, Barack needs all of you to get out there and to tell everyone you know about the values that we share.  Tell them about our vision.  Tell them about everything that’s at stake in this election.  Remind them.  And you can start by telling them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses -- (applause) -- because he understands that an economy that’s built to last starts with the middle class and with folks who are creating the jobs and putting people back to work.  And remind them how, back when Barack first took office -- remember? -- our economy was losing on average 750,000 jobs a month.  That’s what he inherited.  Remind them about that.  But also let them know that for the past 27 straight months, we have actually been gaining private sector jobs -- a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years.  Let them know.  (Applause.)  So while we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy -- we have more work to do -- today, millions of people are collecting paychecks again; millions of people like my dad are able to handle their business and pay their bills again.
 
And please remind people about how so many folks in Washington were telling Barack to let the auto industry go under, with more than a million jobs on the line.  They said, let it go.  But what did your President do?  He had the backs of the American workers.  He put his faith in the American people.  (Applause.)  And as a result, today, the auto industry is back on its feet again, and more importantly, people are back at work, providing for their families again.  Remind them.
 
Tell them.  Tell them how, because we passed health reform, with all of your support -- (applause) -- remind them what that means.  Because of that reform, insurance companies will have to cover preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screening, prenatal care at no extra cost.  That’s what that reform means.  And you can tell people that for Barack, protecting women’s health is a mission that has nothing to do with politics.  (Applause.)  It’s about ensuring that women have the screenings we need to stay healthy, and the care we need when we’re sick.  And it’s about ensuring that women can make basic health decisions for ourselves -- plain and simple.  (Applause.)  You can also tell people that because of health reform, millions of our seniors have saved on average more than $600 a year on their prescription drugs.  Let them know.  (Applause.)  And also because of that reform, our children, young men and women, can stay on their parent's insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  We know how that feels, right?  And that is how 2.5 million young people in this country are getting the care they need.
 
You can tell people how Barack has been working on education to raise standards in our public schools and make college more affordable for millions of our young people, so that by the end of this decade, his vision is that we will have more Americans holding a college degree than any other country in the world.  (Applause.)  That is his vision.
 
You can also tell people how Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act, because he believes that it is time to stop denying citizenship to responsible young people just because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants.  It’s time to stop that.  It’s time to take care of those young people.  (Applause.)
 
You can remind people that Barack kept his promise -- he brought our troops home from Iraq.  (Applause.)  And you can remind them about how our brave men and women in uniform finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks.  (Applause.)  And you can tell them everything about our President and what he is doing to make sure that our veterans and our military families get the benefits they’ve earned and the respect and support they deserve.  (Applause.)  And please remind them that our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love -- because Barack passed [sic] "don't ask, don't tell."  (Applause.)
 
You can also tell them that -- this is some good stuff -- (laughter) -- that it’s now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)  And that’s because of the first bill my husband signed into law -- that was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  That was the first thing he did as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  And Barack signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap, that can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas and groceries and put clothes on the backs of their kids.  (Applause.)  But it’s also important for people to know why he did it.  He did it because when so many women are now breadwinners in our families, women's success in this economy is the key to families' success.  We know that.  (Applause.)  We know that.
 
And finally, don’t forget to tell people about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices that your President 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.)
 
I could go on and on and on.  But we’ve got four little people who need to get outside and play I see right here.  (Laughter.)  They need some ice cream or something.  But what I want you to understand, and make sure you share as well, that all of this -- all these wonderful accomplishments and so much more -- they’re all at stake this November.  All on the line.  And in the end, it all boils down to one simple question:  Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and all the progress that we’ve made, or are we going to allow everything we’ve fought for not just over the last three and a half years, but for the last several decades -- are we going to let it all just slip away?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No!  We know what we need to do, right?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  We simply cannot afford to turn back now.  We have to keep moving forward.  (Applause.)  Keep moving forward.  And more than anything else, that is what we’re working for, all of us.  That’s what this work is about.  We’re working for the chance to finish what we started, the chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision that we share.  We all share this vision.  This is an American vision.
 
And that’s what my husband has been doing every single day as President.  (Applause.)  But let me share something with you.  I just want to share -- over the past three and a half years, as First Lady, I’ve had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like.  So let me tell you what I’ve learned.  I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones -- always -- the problems with no easy solutions; the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error. 
 
And I have seen that, as President, you’re going to get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people.  But let me tell you, at the end of the day, you’re sitting alone in that Oval Office -- when it comes time to make that decision as President, all you have to guide you are your life experiences.  All you have to guide you are your values, and that vision that you have for this country.  In the end, when that President is making those impossible choices, it all boils down to who that person is and what he or she stands for.  (Applause.)
 
And we all know who Barack Obama is, don’t we?  We all know what Barack Obama stands for.  (Applause.)  Remind people that Barack is the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  That’s who your President is.  Barack is the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at the bank.  And even though Barack’s mother [sic] worked hard to support his family, and she was good at her job, but like so many women, she hit that glass ceiling.  And men no more qualified than she was -- men she had actually trained -- were promoted up the ladder ahead of her.  So, believe me, your President understands what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  And, believe me, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids.  (Applause.)
 
Those are the experiences that have made him the man -- and the President -- he is today.  (Applause.)  So remind people when you’re out there, when it comes time to stand up for American workers and American families, you know what your President is going to do, right?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes! 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  When there’s a choice between protecting our rights and our freedoms, you know where Barack Obama stands.  And when we need a leader to make the hard decisions to keep this country moving forward, you know you can count on Barack Obama, because that is what he has been doing every single day as President of the United States.  That’s what he’s been doing.  (Applause.)  But you have to remind people.
 
But I have said this before, and I will say it again and again and again and again:  Barack Obama cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  He needs you to keep on doing that hard work -- to make those calls.  Call people!  Register those voters.  You know those folks who aren’t registered -- find them, shake them, get them ready.  He needs all of you to multiply yourselves.  Multiply yourselves!  He needs you to sign up even more super-star volunteers, more super-star organizers.  Find them.  So reach out to your friends, and your neighbors, and your colleagues, and your congregation members, and your social club members, and the other ladies you have tea with, and the people you walk with in the morning, and the yoga people, and the people in the grocery store line.  Convince them to join you in giving just a little part of their lives each week to this campaign.  Remind them what’s at stake, and then send them for more -- to barackobama.com.  You can take them to the website.  There they’ll be able to find everything they need to get started, to sign up and make a difference. 
 
Because what’s important -- and Barack says this a lot -- this election will be closer than the last one.  That we can count on.  And if you any of you -- if anyone here doubts what a difference you can make, I just want to remind you that, in the end, this election could all come down to those last few thousand people who register to vote.  Just think about that.  It could all come down to those last few thousand folks we help get to the polls on November the 6th.  And I want you to just think a minute about what those kind of numbers mean when they’re spread out over an entire state.  It might mean registering just one more person -- that’s how important it is -- just one more person in your community.  It might mean just helping one more person get out and vote on Election Day -- one more. 
 
So as you’re doing this work and wondering, is it working, just think as you knock on those doors and as you host those events and think about every conversation you have, I want you to remember that this could be the one.  Treat it like that:  This could be the one that makes the difference.  That is the kind of impact that each of you can have.  That is why you all are so important.  That is why we’re going to win in November -- because of you.  (Applause.)
 
But I am not going to kid you.  Remember, this journey is going to be long.  And it is going to be hard.  And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way.  But just know, that is how change -- real change -- always happens in this country -- always.  But also remember that if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight and doing what we know is right, then eventually we get there.  We always have, we always will.  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes.  Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because in the end, that is what this is all about.  It’s not about us, it’s about them.  And let me tell you, that is what I think about every night when I put my girls to bed.  I think about the world I want to leave for them, and for all of our children, all our sons and daughters.  I think about how I want for them what my dad did for me.  I want to give them that foundation for their dreams.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise -- because all our children are special.  I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility -- that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work hard.
 
So if you wonder what keeps me going, if you wonder what gives me and my husband passion, it is that belief.  It is that reality.  So we can’t turn back now.  No, we have come so far, but we have so much more work to do.  So, Virginia, let me ask you one last question:  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, no, no, no.  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you in?  Because I am so in.  I am so fired up.  And I look forward to being out there delivering this message, reminding this country what’s at stake, reminding them what our President has done, what he will continue to do.  And I look forward to being out there with you all every step of the way.  I can’t wait to keep it going.  Thank you all.  You keep us going in more ways than one.
 
God bless.  (Applause.)

END                
2:32 P.M. EDT