Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event -- Reno, NV

University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada

11:27 A.M. PDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Whoa!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  I love you guys.  (Applause.)  Oh, this is so good. 

It’s a perfect day on a beautiful campus with some amazing supporters.  I am thrilled to be back here with all of you today.  (Applause.)  And I understand this is a very special period here on campus.  It’s Homecoming Week here?  (Applause.)  Yeah.  Yeah.  So do you guys dress up for homecoming?  Or is that --

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  No.  See, I’ve been way out of it.  Way out of it.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  I want to send all my love out to the Wolf Pack!  (Applause.)  Yes.  I hope you guys have a great Homecoming Week and stay out of trouble, okay?  (Laughter.)  All right.  Just a little.  You can have a little trouble, just a little.

Let me start by thanking Irene for that very kind introduction and for everything that she’s doing for our campaign here in Nevada.  Let’s give her a round of applause.  Go, Irene!  (Applause.)

And I want to recognize a couple of people who I know are here and have been working hard -- Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who is going to make a tremendous senator here in Nevada.  (Applause.)

But most of all, wow, I want to thank all of you for being here on this beautiful day.  Thank you for being here.  (Applause.)  I know you all are pretty fired up and ready to go, aren’t you?  (Applause.)

Well, that's good because let me to tell you, I’m feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.  (Applause.)  Because when I get to come out here and talk to you, I get to do one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, and that is to talk about the man that I have loved and admired since I first met him 23 years ago.  (Applause.)  And although I have not seen him --

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  (Inaudible.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  I have not seen my husband today because he’s busy getting ready for tonight.  I’m about to fly to see him.  (Applause.)  This is from me to you, honey:  Happy 20th anniversary.  (Applause.) 

So let me tell you something about when we first met.  Let me share a few things.  See, back when I first met Barack, he definitely had everything going for him.  Okay, ladies?  (Laughter.)  He was handsome, and still is.  Twenty-three years later he’s still gorgeous.  He was -- what?  I take care of him very well.  Yes, I do.  I do my best.  I do my best.  He was charming, talented and very smart.  But that is not why I married him.

Now, this is where I want the fellas to pay attention.  (Laughter.)  What truly made me fall in love with Barack Obama, it was his character.  All right, you hear this, fellas?  His character.  (Laughter.)  Yes, I see you because you’re taller than everybody else.  Character.  (Applause.)  It was his decency.  It was his honesty.  It was his compassion and conviction.

See, I loved that Barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs, and instead started his career fighting to get folks back to work in struggling communities.  I loved that about him.  (Applause.)

And I also loved that Barack was so devoted to his family, especially the women in his life.  All right, ladies?  You want to see that.  I saw the respect he had for his own mother.  I saw how proud he was that she put herself through school while supporting him and his sister as a single mom. 

I saw the tenderness that he felt for his grandmother, how grateful he was that long after she should have retired, she was still waking up every morning and catching a bus to her job at the community bank, doing her best to support his family.  And he watched as she was passed over for promotions simply because she was a woman, but he also saw how she kept getting up -- kept getting up every day, doing that same job year after year without complaint and without regret.

And with Barack, I found a real connection because, truly, in his life story, I saw so much of my own.  Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I watched my father -- (applause) -- we got a few South Siders here?  (Applause.)  That's good.  You’re a long way from home, but it’s warmer.  (Laughter.)  But let me tell you, I watched my own father make that similar uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.

And I saw how my father carried himself with that same dignity, that same pride he had in being able to provide for his family, that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of.  And let me tell you, how many of us here have people just like that in their lives?  (Applause.) 

Like so many families in this country, see, our families weren’t asking for much.  They didn't want much.  They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success.  They didn’t mind if others had much more than they did -- in fact, they admired it.  That's why they pushed us.  That's why you’re all here.  (Applause.)

But they simply believed in that fundamental American promise that even if you don’t start out with much, in America, if you work hard and if you do what you’re supposed to do, then you should be able to provide a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids.

And they also believed that when you’ve worked hard, when you’ve done well, and you’ve finally walked through that doorway of opportunity, you don't slam it shut behind you.  You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  (Applause.)

See, that’s how Barack and I and so many of us were raised.  Those are the values that we were taught.  We learned that how hard you work matters more than how much you make.  We learned that the truth matters -- so you don’t take shortcuts, you don't game the system, you don’t play by your own set of rules.

We learned that none of us gets where we are on our own -- none of us; that each of us has a community of people lifting us up, from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean.  (Applause.)  And we were taught that you value everyone’s contribution, and you treat everyone with respect. 

We also learned about citizenship and service -- that we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves; that with our freedoms come obligations, and with our blessings come a duty to give back to others who have less.

See, these are the values that make Barack such an extraordinary husband to me, and such a phenomenal father to our girls.

AUDIENCE:  (Inaudible.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Absolutely.  (Applause.)  But that's another reason that I talk about his values.  They matter to me not just as a wife and a mother.  They also matter because, as a First Lady, I have seen up close and personal what being President really looks like, and I have seen how those values are so critical for leading this country.  (Applause.)

Over the past three and a half years, I’ve seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, they're always the hard ones -- the decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line, but they're about laying a foundation for the next generation.

And I’ve seen how important it is to have a President who doesn’t just tell us what we want to hear, but who tells us the truth -- even when it’s hard; especially when it’s hard.  (Applause.)

And I’ve also seen that when it comes time to make those tough calls, and everyone around you is urging you to do what’s easy, or what polls best, or what gets good headlines, but as President, you must be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all of the people you serve.  As President, you have to have a strong inner compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizens.  And that's how you make the right decisions for this country.  That's what it takes to be a leader. 

And let me tell you, since the day he took office, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that is exactly what we have seen in my husband.  We have seen his values at work.  We’ve seen his vision unfold.  We’ve seen the depths of his character, courage and his conviction.

Think back to when Barack first took office.  Think back to where we were.  Our economy was on the brink of collapse.  You hear me?  Newspapers were using words like “meltdown,” “calamity;” declaring “Wall Street Implodes,” “Economy in Shock.” 

See, for years, folks had been lured into buying homes they couldn’t afford, so their mortgages were underwater.  Banks weren’t lending, companies weren’t hiring.  The auto industry was in crisis, and this economy was losing an average of 800,000 jobs a month.  Do you hear me?  Eight hundred thousand jobs, and a lot of folks were wondering whether we were headed for another Great Depression.  See, now, this is what Barack faced on day one as President of the United States.  This is what welcomed him into the office.

But instead of pointing fingers, instead of placing blame, your President got to work.  (Applause.)  See, because he was thinking about folks like my dad, folks like his grandmother.  And that’s why he cracked down on lending abuses, so that today, when you apply for a mortgage or credit card, you know exactly what you’re getting into.

That’s why he cut taxes for small businesses and working families, because fortunately we have a President who believes that here in America teachers and firefighters should not be paying higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires.  Not in America.  (Applause.)

He got the auto industry back on its feet, and today new cars are rolling off the line at proud American companies like GM.  (Applause.)  Yes, indeed.

And today, while we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, understand that we have had 30 straight months of private sector job growth under this President -- a total of 5.1 million new jobs, good jobs right here in the United States of America.  That’s where we are today.  (Applause.) 

Now, when it comes to the health of our families, Barack didn’t care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically, because that’s not who he is.  He cared that it was the right thing to do.  And today, thankfully, because he fought so hard for health reform, today our parents and grandparents on Medicare are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs.  (Applause.)

Young people, like so many of you, can stay on your parent’s insurance until you’re 26 years old.  (Applause.) 

Insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, with no out-of-pocket cost.  They won’t be able to discriminate against you because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or even asthma.  (Applause.)

And if you get a serious illness -- let’s say breast cancer -- and that’s the time when you need expensive treatment, they can no longer tell you, sorry, you’ve hit your lifetime limit and we’re not paying a penny more.  That is now illegal because of health reform.  (Applause.)

And of course, when it comes to giving all our young people the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never, never could have attended college without financial aid.  That would have never happened for him or for me.  (Applause.)  In fact, what I shared in Charlotte, at the convention:  When we were fist married, our combined student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.

So believe me, when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  This is not a hypothetical.  (Laughter.)  That is why Barack fought so hard to double funding for Pell Grants and keep interest rates down for our students.  (Applause.)  Because, thankfully, our President wants all of our young people to have the skills they need for the jobs of the future -- good jobs that you can raise a family on, jobs that will drive this economy for decades to come.  (Applause.)

And finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women, when it comes to standing up for our rights and opportunities -- (applause) -- we know that my husband will always have our backs.  (Applause.)  We know this because Barack knows from personal experience what it means when a family has a woman heading it who is not treated well or fairly in the workplace.  He knows that firsthand.  He knows what it means when women struggle to meet the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families. 

And believe me, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want our daughters to have the same rights and freedoms as our sons.  (Applause.)  And that is why the very first bill he signed as President was to help women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)  And that is why he will always, always fight to ensure that we, as women, can make our own decisions about our bodies and about our health care.  That’s what my husband stands for.  (Applause.)

So when people ask you what this President has done for our country, when you’re talking to folks who are deciding who is going to keep this country moving forward for four more years, here’s what I want you to tell them -- just a few things, because we don’t have all day.  (Laughter.)

I want you to tell them about the millions of jobs Barack has created.  I want you to tell them about the health reform he’s passed.  Tell them about all those kids who can now afford college.

Tell them how Barack ended the war in Iraq.  (Applause.)  Tell them how, together, we took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Tell them how Barack fought to get veterans and military families the benefits that they have earned.  (Applause.)

Tell them about young immigrants brought to America through no fault of their own, and how they will no longer be deported from the only country they’ve ever called home.  (Applause.)

Tell them how our brave men and women in uniform will never, never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)

I could go on and on and on.  But here is what I really want you to tell them.  Tell them that Barack Obama knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  (Applause.)  And he is going to fight every day -- every day so that every single one of us in this country can have that same opportunity no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love.  (Applause.)

But here’s the other part.  Let’s be really clear that while he is very proud of all that we have achieved together, my husband is nowhere near satisfied.  Barack, of all people, knows that too many people are still hurting.  He, of all people, knows that there is so much more work left to be done.  And as President Clinton said at the convention, it is going to take a lot longer than four years to rebuild an economy from the brink of collapse.  (Applause.)

But here is what I know for sure.  Your President has been fighting for us.  He has been struggling with us every day.  And slowly but surely, together, we have been pulling ourselves out of that hole that we started in.  For three and a half years, we have been moving forward and making real progress, and we’re beginning to see that change we believe in.

So here is what we have to ask ourselves.  Are we going to turn around and go back to that same policy that got us in this hole in the first place?

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Are we just going to sit back and watch everything that we worked for and fought for to just slip away?

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Or are we going to keep moving this country forward?  What are we going to do?  (Applause.)

But in the end, the answer to these questions, it’s on us.  It’s up to us.

AUDIENCE MEMER:  Can I vote today?  (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Just keep that energy.  (Laughter.)

Because, understand this:  All of the hard work, all of the progress that we have made, it is all on the line.  It’s all at stake this November.  Understand that. 

And as my husband has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is the only guarantee.  And it could all come down to what happens in just a few key battleground states, like right here in Nevada.  Right here.  Right here!  (Applause.) 

So I want to give you some perspective, especially to our young people here.  I want you to think back to what happened in 2008 here in this state.  Back then, we won Nevada by about 121,000 votes, okay?  Now, that may sound like a lot, but when you break that number down, that is just 69 votes per precinct.  All right?  Just think about that.  (Laughter.)  We all know 69 people!  (Laughter.)  You all have more than 69 people on your Facebook accounts, right?  (Laughter.)  So that could mean just a couple of votes in a neighborhood.  That could mean a single vote in an apartment, in a dorm room.

So if there’s anybody here, anybody that you know in your lives who might be thinking that their vote doesn’t matter, that their involvement doesn’t count, that somehow in this complex political process that ordinary folks can’t possibly make a difference, see, I want you all to think about that number.  Think about 69 votes.

And I want you to think about how, with just a few evenings on a phone bank, with just a few weekends knocking on doors, with just a few of you -- look at this campus; all of you here, if you activate that enthusiasm right here, you could swing an entire precinct for Barack Obama.  (Applause.)  And if we win enough precincts, we will win this state, and if we win Nevada, we will be well on our way to putting Barack Obama back in the White House for four more years.  (Applause.)  Four more years!

So here are your marching orders, directly from the First Lady.  (Applause.)  If you want to give me a nice anniversary present -- (laughter) -- here is something you can do:  From now until November, we are going to need every single one of you to work like you’ve never worked before, truly.  Thirty-four days -- that’s how much time we have left, and that is not a long time in any campaign.  It is time to get started.  So we’ve got to turn all this energy into action.  We’ve got to work till the very end.  Take nothing for granted. 

So we need you to sign up.  And one of our volunteers here today -- you can find them; you can sign up to make phone calls, knock on doors, help get the vote out here on this campus and out in the community.

But more importantly, we need every single one of you to talk to everyone you know, just like Irene said -- your friends, your neighbors, that cousin you haven’t seen in a while.  You know the one that’s not registered to vote.  You know that one.  That kid sitting next to you in your class -- you know he’s not registered.  (Laughter.)  Talk to those people in your lives.  Tell them what’s at stake.  Remind them of all the things that this President has accomplished, and make sure that you and they register to vote by October the 6th.  That’s right around -- that’s in a couple of days.  All right?  We only have a limited amount of time.  So all the students here, if you’re fired up and you think you want to vote, you have got to be registered by October the 6th.  All right?  (Applause.)

So you should just do that today, all right?  Just register to vote today.  And then once you, folks in your lives are registered, then make sure everyone gets to the polls and casts their ballot on or before Election Day, because early voting starts on Saturday, October the 20th.  (Applause.)  So you don’t have to wait until Election Day. 

People are voting right now in states all over this country.  Election day has started; people are voting.  So we need as many of you as possible to vote early, because if you vote early, number one, you won’t forget to vote on Election Day.  And then you’ll have a lot of time to figure out when you can really vote, when is easy -- you don’t have to wake up, set your alarm.  You just vote.  (Laughter.) 

And then once you vote early, you can spend Election Day like I’m going to spend Election Day -- working to get other people to the polls.  Right?  (Applause.)

So if anybody of you needs to know where to go or what to do, you just go to one of our websites.  Go to vote.barackobama.com.  Vote.barackobama.com, and there you can find out everything you need -- all the dates, where you need to go, what you need to do to make sure your voices are heard on Election Day.  We got it?  (Applause.)  All right.

So here’s the thing.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes, indeed!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Vote the party!

MRS. OBAMA:  Vote the party!  And have his back. 

But let me tell you something, I’m going to be honest with you, this election and this journey is going to be hard.  Know that.  Know that in your minds:  It’s going to be hard, and these next days are going to feel long.  And there will be plenty of ups and downs all the way until the end, all right?  Know that.

But when you get tired -- and you will -- and when you start to think about taking some time off -- and you will -- I just want you to remember that what we all do for the next 34 days will absolutely make the difference between waking up the day after Election Day and asking ourselves, “Could we have done more?”, or feeling the promise of four more years.

So from now until November the 6th, we need you to keep working, all right?  Keep struggling.  Keep pushing forward.  Because what I want you to understand is that -- again, especially for our young people -- that is how change always happens in this country.  Real change takes time.  It takes patience and tenacity.

But understand that if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, then eventually we get there.  In America, we always move forward.  Always in this country, we move forward.  (Applause.)  But maybe not in our lifetimes.  See, this is what we all have to understand -- maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.

Because in the end, that’s what this is about.  That’s what elections are always about.  Don’t let anybody tell you any differently.  Elections are always about hope.  (Applause.)  The hope that I saw in my father’s beaming face as I crossed that stage to get my college diploma.  The hope that Barack’s grandmother felt as she cast her ballot for the grandson she loved and raised.  (Applause.)  The hope that all of those men and women in our lives who worked that extra shift for us, who saved and sacrificed and prayed so that we could have something more -- the reason we’re here.  The hope that so many of us feel when we look into the eyes of our own kids and grandkids. 

That is why we’re here today, because we want all of our children in this country to have a real foundation for their dreams.  You hear me?  (Applause.)  We want all of our children to have opportunities worthy of their promise.  See, because all of our kids are worthy, and they need to know that.  We want to give our children a sense of limitless possibility -- the belief that here in America, the greatest country on the planet, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.

So, see, what I tell myself is that we cannot turn back now.  Not now.  We have come so far, but we have so much more work to do.  So let me ask you this last question.  Are you ready for this?  (Applause.)  Are you really ready for this?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves, vote, register, get other folks to vote and register?  Can we do this?  (Applause.)  All right, well, then let’s get it done. 

Thank you all.  Love you.  God bless.

END
11:58 A.M. PDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event -- Cincinnati, OH

Duke Energy Convention Center
Cincinnati, Ohio

2:12 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Wow.  (Applause.)  You all, thank you so much.  Oh, my goodness.  Wow, thank you so much.  Fired up!  (Applause.)  Oh, my goodness, thank you all so much.  Wow, this is amazing.  Thank you.  Thank you for being here today. 

First, I want to start by thanking Kristin and Joseph, not just for their kind introduction but for their willingness to share their story and to work to inform other people in this country about the importance of health reform.  So let’s give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.) 

I also want to thank a few people as well.  I want to thank Senator Brown as well as Mayor Mallory for being here -- (applause) -- and I want to thank them for their leadership every day.

But most of all, I want to thank all of you.  Wow, look at this crowd.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  You all seem pretty fired up and ready to go.  (Applause.)  That’s good.  I have to tell you, I’m pretty fired up and ready to go myself -- because being here with all of you today, allows me to do one of my favorite things, and that is to talk with you about the man that I have loved and admired for 23 years ago.  (Applause.)

Now, let me just pull you in on a little inside information about me and my husband.  (Laughter.)  Back when I first met Barack, ladies, he had everything going for him.  (Laughter.)  He did, he did.  He was handsome -- (applause) -- and still is.  Amen!  He was charming, talented, and extremely smart.  But that is not why I married him.  So, fellas, I want you all to listen up.  What truly made me fall in love with Barack Obama was his character -- you hear me?  (Applause.)  It was his character.  It was his decency, his honesty.  It was his compassion and conviction.  Understand I loved that Barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs, and instead, started his career fighting to get folks back to work in struggling communities.  I loved that about him.  (Applause.)

And I loved that Barack was so devoted to his family, especially the women in his life -- especially the women.  I saw the respect he had for his mother.  I saw how proud he was that she’d put herself through school while still supporting him and his sister as a single mom. 

I saw the tenderness that he felt for his grandmother.  I saw how grateful he was that long after she should have retired, she was still waking up every morning to catch that bus to her job at the bank, making sure she did everything she could to support their family.  And he watched as she was passed over for promotions simply because she was a woman, but he also saw how she kept on getting up every day, doing that same job year after year without complaint, without regret. 

And understand this -- with Barack, I found a real connection, because in his life story, I saw so much of my own.  Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I watched my own family, I watched my own father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.  I saw how my father carried himself with that same dignity, that same pride that comes when you can support your family and earn a living; that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of.  Now, how many people do we know like that in our lives?  (Applause.) 

Like so many families in this country, our families weren’t asking for much.  They didn’t want much.  They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success.  They didn’t mind if others had much more than they did -- in fact, they admired it.  That’s why they pushed us to succeed.  They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that even if you don’t start out with much, if you work hard and if do what you’re supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and your grandkids.  (Applause.) 

And our families believed also that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and when you finally walked through that doorway of opportunity, you don’t slam it shut behind you.  No, you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  (Applause.)

See, that’s how Barack and I and so many of you, that’s how we were raised.  Those are the values we grew up with.  We learned that how hard you work matters more than how much you make.  We learned that the truth matters, so you don’t take shortcuts, you don’t game the system.  You don’t play by your own set of rules.

We learned that no one gets where they are on their own, that each of us -- every single one of us -- we have a community of people lifting us up -- from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean.  (Applause.)  And we learned to value everyone's contribution and to treat everyone with respect.

We learned about citizenship and service -- that we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves, that with our freedoms come obligations and with our blessings come a duty to give back to others who have less.  See, these are the values let me tell you that make Barack such an extraordinary husband to me and such a phenomenal father to our girls. 

But I talk about Barack’s values not just as a wife and a mother, but I talk about them also as a First Lady who has seen up close and personal what being President really looks like and just how critical those values are for leading our country.  Now, over the past three and a half years, let me tell you I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones -- you hear me -- the decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line, but they're about laying a foundation for the next generation.  (Applause.) 

And I’ve seen how important it is to have a President who doesn’t just tell us what we want to hear, but who tells us the truth, especially when it’s hard.  (Applause.)

And I’ve seen that when it comes time to make those tough calls -- and everyone is urging you to do what’s easy, everyone is urging you to do what polls best, what gets good headlines -- as President, you have to be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all of the people you serve.  (Applause.)  As President, you have to have a strong inner compass and a core commitment to your fellow citizens.  And that is how you make the right decisions for this country.  That's what it takes to be a leader.  (Applause.)  

And let me tell you something, since the day he took office -- on issue after issue, crisis after crisis -- that is what we’ve seen in my husband.  We have seen his values at work.  We’ve seen his vision unfold.  We’ve seen the depths of his character, his courage, and his conviction.

Think back to when Barack first took office and our economy was on the brink of collapse.  Do you hear me?  Newspapers were using words like "meltdown" and "calamity," declaring "Wall Street Implodes" -- "Economy in Shock."  See, as we all know, for years, folks had been lured into buying homes they couldn’t afford and their mortgages were underwater.  Banks weren’t lending, companies weren’t hiring.  The auto industry was in crisis.  This economy was losing an average of 800,000 jobs every month, every month.  And a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression. 

See, that’s where we were.  This is what Barack faced on day one as President of the United States.  But instead of pointing fingers, instead of placing blame, Barack Obama got to work.  (Applause.)  You see, you had a President that was thinking about folks like my dad, folks like his grandmother.  And that’s why he cracked down on lending abuses, so that today, when you apply for a mortgage or a credit card, you know exactly what you’re getting into.  That’s why he cut taxes for small businesses and for working families -- because your President believes that teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires, not in America.  (Applause.)  

Barack got the auto industry back on its feet.  And today, new cars are rolling off the line at proud American companies like GM.  (Applause.)  And while, yes, we have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, we have more work to do, we have had 30 straight months of private sector job growth -- a total of 5.1 million new jobs, good jobs right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Now, as Kristin and Joseph mentioned in their introduction, when it comes to the health of our families, you see, Barack didn’t care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically, because that’s not who he is.  He cared that it was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  And today, because he fought so hard for health reform -- our grandparents, our parents -- on Medicare are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs.  (Applause.)  Our kids can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  

As Kristin said, insurance companies now have to cover basic preventive care, things like contraception, cancer screenings with no out of pocket cost.  They can't discriminate against you because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or asthma.  (Applause.)  And as you saw how important it is with Joseph, if you get a serious illness and you need expensive treatment, no longer can they tell you, sorry, you’ve hit your lifetime limit and we’re not paying a penny more.  That is now illegal, because of health reform.  (Applause.)

Now, when it comes to giving our young kids the education they deserve, Barack knows like me and like so many of you, he never, never could have gone to college without financial aid -- never.  (Applause.)  In fact, when we were first married 20 years ago tomorrow -- (applause) -- our combined monthly student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage.  Now, I know a lot of people can relate to that.  (Applause.) 

So when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  This is not a hypothetical.  And that’s why Barack doubled funding for Pell grants.  That’s why he fought so hard to keep interest rates down.  (Applause.)  Because we have a President who wants all of our young people to have the skills they need for the jobs of the future -- good jobs you can raise a family on, jobs that keep an economy driving for decades to come.

And finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women, when it comes to standing up for our rights and our opportunities, we know that my husband will always have our backs.  (Applause.)  We know this because Barack knows it from personal experience, what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He knows what it means when women struggle to meet the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families.

And today, believe me, as a father, he knows what it means to want your daughters to have the same freedoms and opportunities as your sons.  (Applause.)  And that’s why the very first bill he signed as President was to help women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)  And that is why he will always fight to ensure that we, as women, can make our own decisions about our bodies and our health care.  That’s what my husband stands for.  (Applause)

So, Cincinnati, when people ask you what this President has done for our country, when you’re talking to folks in these final days about who are they going to select to keep moving this country forward for four more years, here’s a few things I want you to tell them, all right?

Tell them about the millions of jobs Barack has created.  Tell them about the health reform that he passed.  Tell them about all those kids who can finally go to college.  (Applause.)

Tell them how Barack ended the war in Iraq.  (Applause.)  Tell them how, together, we took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Tell them how Barack fought to get veterans and military families the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.) 

Tell them how young immigrants brought to America through no fault of their own, and how they will no longer be deported from the only country they’ve ever known.  (Applause.)

Tell them how our brave men and women in uniform will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.) 

Look, I could go on and on and on.  But here is something I really want you to tell folks.  Tell them that Barack Obama knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  (Applause.)  And let me tell you something -- he is fighting every day so that every one of us in this country can have that same opportunity no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love.  (Applause.)

But let’s be clear.  Understand this:  While he is proud -- very proud of what we’ve accomplished together, understand that my husband is nowhere near satisfied.  Not at all.  Barack knows that too many people in this country are still hurting.  He, of all people, knows that there is plenty of work left to be done.  And as President Clinton said in Charlotte, it’s going to take a lot longer than four years to rebuild an economy from the brink of collapse.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years! 

MRS. OBAMA:  Four more years.  Four more years! 

But here is something I do know.  What I do know for sure is that since the day he took office, Barack Obama has been fighting for us.  (Applause.)  He has been struggling with us.  And together, slowly but surely, we’ve been pulling ourselves out of that hole that we started in.  For three and a half years, we have been moving forward and making progress, and we’re beginning to see that change we can believe in.

So here is the question that we have to ask ourselves in this election.  Are we going to turn around and go back to the same policies that got us into that hole in the first place?

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Are we going to just sit back and watch everything that we worked for and fought for to just slip away?

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Or are we going to keep this country moving forward?  Forward!  Forward!  Forward!  (Applause.)  Forward!

But in the end, the answer to these questions is on us.  It’s all on us.  Because, understand this:  All of our hard work, all the progress that we’ve made, it is all on the line this November. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

MRS. OBAMA:  Love you, but it’s all at stake this November. 

And here is where I want you to listen, because this is where the work comes.  Because, as Barack has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is the only guarantee.  Understand that.  And it could all come down to what happens in just a few key battleground states, like right here in Ohio.  Right here.  (Applause.)

So let me give you some perspective, all right, just in case you’re wondering just how critical it can be.  See, back in 2008, back then we won Ohio by about 262,000 votes.  (Applause.)  Now, that might sound like a lot, but when you break that number down and you spread it across all the precincts, that is just 24 votes per precinct.  Do you hear me?  Twenty-four votes!

Now, just take that in for a moment.  That could mean just a couple of votes in your neighborhood, on your block.  That could be just a single vote in your apartment building, one vote in your dorm room.  So understand, listen to this, because if there is anyone here or anyone that you know in your life that might be thinking that their vote doesn’t count, that their involvement doesn’t matter, that in this complex political process that ordinary folks can’t possibly make a difference, I want you all to keep that number in your head:  24 votes.  Twenty-four votes. 

And I’ve got news for you.  Here in Ohio, it is already Election Day.  (Applause.)  Already Election Day.  Early voting starts today.  Today!  (Applause.)  And I’ve heard all about how Ohio votes early.  And I know that after this event, we’ve got a big group that’s going to walk over to the Board of Elections and cast their ballot for Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

Now, if everybody in this convention center does that, just imagine, right?  Just think about that.  And it’s quick, it’s easy, and you can get registered and cast your ballot all in one stop today.  Today!  (Applause.)

So right after I’m done talking -- because you stick around till I’m finished -- (laughter) -- just don’t leave so quick -- I would love it if everybody here would walk out that main door and follow our volunteers and do your part to move this country forward.  That’s what I’m asking you to do.  (Applause.)

And here is the next phase.  After you’ve voted, we’re going to need every single one of you to work like you’ve never worked before.  See, 35 days is a long, long time in an election.  No one should be comfortable.  So we have got to turn all this energy into action.  We’ve got to work right up until the very end.  I know I’m going to be doing it.  We need you to find one of our volunteers that are here today.  They’ve got clipboards.  Find them.  We need you to sign up to make phone calls, to knock on doors, to help get the vote out. 

But more importantly, we need you to talk to everybody you know.  Think about that 24.  If everybody here talks to every single person they know -- every friend, every neighbor, every nephew that you haven’t talked to -- you know that nephew that’s not registered.  (Laughter.)  You know him.  That high school classmate you haven’t talked to -- twitter him, tweet him.  What do you do?  It’s “tweeting,” right?  You tweet him.  (Laughter.)  Remind them what’s at stake in this election, because the registration deadline ends soon as well.  So it’s really important that people get registered right away.

Remind folks of all the things this President has accomplished, and again, make sure that they’re registered to vote.  Here in Ohio, the voter registration deadline is October the 9th, okay?  So anybody, any young people here who are excited about voting, you can’t vote unless you’ve registered.  And you can’t register after October the 9th, okay?

So if anyone has just moved, or if you’re a student away from home or here at school, if you’ve never voted before, you’ve only got one week left to get registered, okay?  And then once folks are registered, make sure you get to the polls and cast your ballots on Election Day.  (Applause.)  All right?  You can vote in person, you can go to your county board of elections, or you can vote by mail up until Election Day.  It’s so easy.  And if they don’t know where to go, you just send them to one of our websites.  Send them to gottaregister.com or gottavote.com, and they can find everything they need to make their voices heard on Election Day. 

We got it?  (Applause.)  Was I clear?  (Applause.) 

Now, even with all that, I’m going to be honest with you.  This journey is going to be hard.  Let’s count on that.  And there are going to be plenty of ups and downs for the rest of the way.  Count on that.  But here’s what I want you to do.  When you start to get tired -- and you will -- when you start to think about taking a day off -- and you will -- I want you to remember that what we do for the next 35 days will absolutely make the difference between waking up on November the 7th and thinking, “Could I have done more?”, or feeling the promise of four more years.  That’s the difference.  (Applause.)

So from now until November 6th, we need to keep working, and struggling, and pushing forward -- because that’s how change always happens in this country.  Real change is hard, and it takes time and patience and tenacity.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting that good fight, then eventually we get there, because we always do.  In America, we always get there.  Maybe not in our lifetimes -- here’s the trick -- maybe in our children’s lifetimes.  Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.  (Applause.)  

Because in the end, that’s what this is about.  (Applause.)  That’s why we’re here.  That is what elections are always about.  Don’t let anybody tell you any differently.  Elections are always about hope.  The hope that I saw on my father’s face as he crossed that stage -- as I crossed that stage to get my diploma -- the look on his face.  The hope Barack’s grandmother felt as she cast her ballot for the grandson she loved and raised.  The hope of all those men and women in our lives who worked that extra shift for us, who saved and sacrificed and prayed so that we could have something better, something more.  The hope that so many of us feel when we look into the eyes of our own children and grandchildren.  It’s that kind of hope.  (Applause.)

And that’s why all of us are here today -- because we know we can do better for our children, because we want to give all our children in this country a foundation for their dreams.  We want to give all of our children opportunities worthy of their promise, because we know that all of our children are worthy.  We want to give them that sense of limitless possibility -- the belief that here in America, the greatest country on the planet, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.  (Applause.)

So here’s what I tell myself:  We cannot turn back now -- not now.  We have come so far, but we have so much more work to do.  So here’s my last question:  Are you ready for this?  (Applause.)  Are you fired up?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to work?  (Applause.)  Roll up those sleeves.  Let’s get it done!

Thank you all, and God bless.  (Applause.)

END
2:42 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

12:53 P.M. CDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, my goodness.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Well, you all know I am so thrilled to be back here in Cedar Falls.  And I want to say hello to my Panthers.  (Applause.)  I love it!

Let me start by thanking Rose for that very kind introduction -- my little fist bump -- and everything that she's doing for the campaign.  She's doing a terrific job. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

MRS. OBAMA:  I love you all, too.  Love you all so much.  (Applause.)  I also want to say a wonderful thank you and to recognize Senator Harkin, Bruce Braley, and Mayor Crews for being here and for their leadership every single day here in this state.

And, most of all, I want to thank all of you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  I know you all are busy.  You've got school to go to and you're here.  You've got lives to lead and you're here.  And to all the students of UNI, thank you.  Thank you for everything that you're doing. 

I know you all are pretty fired up.  I know you're pretty ready to go.  That's a good thing.  (Applause.)  And let me tell you, I'm feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.  (Applause.)  Because being here with you today and traveling all around the country, I get to do one of my favorite things -- I get to talk about the man that I have loved and admired since I met him 23 years ago.  (Applause.)

Next week, Barack and I, we'll be married for 20 years.  (Applause.)  So let me share something.  See, now, back when we first met -- ladies, listen up -- (laughter) -- Barack had everything going for him.  He was handsome -- still is, I think.  (Applause.)  He was charming, talented, and very, very smart.  But that is not why I married him. 

So, fellas, listen up.  (Laughter.)  What truly made me fall in love with Barack was his character.  No, truly, it was his decency, it was his honesty, it was his compassion, his conviction.  I loved that Barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs and instead he started his career fighting to get folks back to work in struggling communities.

And I loved that Barack was so devoted to his family, especially to the women in his life.  I saw the respect that he had for his mother.  That meant so much to me.  I saw how proud he was that she was able to put herself through school and still support him and his sister as a single mom. 

I saw the tenderness that he felt for his grandmother, how grateful he was that long after she should have retired, she was still waking up every morning, catching a bus to her job at a community bank to make sure she was doing everything she could to support their family.  And he watched as she was passed over for promotions simply because she was a woman, but he also saw how she kept on getting up, kept doing what she was supposed to do without complaint, without regret. 

See, with Barack, I found in him a real connection because in his life story; I saw so much of my own.  Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I watched my own father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.  I saw how my father carried himself with that same dignity, the same pride that folks feel with the opportunity they have to provide for their family, that same hope that one day his kids would have things he only dreamed of.  How many people here have folks like that in their lives?  (Applause.)  And I know there are a lot of college students that are here because they've got parents or someone in their lives who is making that same sacrifice right now for them. 

See, like so many families in this country, our families weren’t asking for much.  My dad, Barack's grandmother, they didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success.  They didn’t mind if others had much more than they did -- in fact, they admired it.  That's why they pushed us so hard.  That's why they wanted us to go to college.  They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that even if you don’t start out with much, in America, if you work hard, if you do what you’re supposed to do, then you should be able to provide a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and your grandkids.  (Applause.)

And they also believed in something very important, that when you’ve worked hard and when you've done well and you finally walk through that doorway of opportunity, you don't slam it shut behind you.  You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  (Applause.)

That’s how Barack, that’s how I, that’s how so many of us were raised.  Those are the values that we were taught.  We learned that hard work matters more than how much you make.  We learned that the truth matters -- so you don’t take shortcuts, you don’t game the system, you don’t play by your own set of rules.  We learned that no one -- none of us gets where we are on our own, that each of us has a community of people lifting us up, from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean.  (Applause.) 

And one thing my folks always made sure we knew, you learn to value everyone’s contribution.  You were taught to treat everyone with respect.  We also learned about citizenship and service -- that we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves; that with our freedoms come obligations, and with our blessings come a duty to give back to others with less.  (Applause.) 

See, and I love talking to young people because I know these are the values that we’re all raised with.  These are the values that make Barack such an extraordinary husband to me and a phenomenal father to our girls.  But Barack’s values matter to me not just as a wife and as a mother, but also as a First Lady who has seen up close and personal what being President really looks like, and how critical those values are to leading this country. 

Over the past three and a half years, I’ve seen how the issues that come across the President’s desk, they’re always the hard ones -- the decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line, but about laying a foundation for the next generation.  (Applause.)  And I’ve seen how important it is to have a President who doesn’t just tell us what we want to hear, but who tells us the truth -- even when it’s hard; especially when it’s hard.  (Applause.) 

And I’ve seen that when it comes time to make those tough calls, and everyone is urging you to do what’s easy, everyone is urging you to do what polls best, what makes good headlines -- and, as President, you have to be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all the people you serve.  As President, you have to have a strong internal compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizens.  And that’s how you make the right decisions for this country.  That’s what it takes to be a leader.  (Applause.) 

And let me tell you, since the day he took office, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that is what I have seen in my husband.  Let me tell you, we have seen his values at work.  We have seen his vision unfold.  We’ve seen the depths of his character, his courage and his conviction. 

I mean, think back to when Barack first took office.  This economy was on the brink of collapse.  Understand, the newspapers were using words like “meltdown,” “calamity;” declaring “Wall Street Implodes,” “Economy in Shock.”  See, for years -- and I don’t have to tell folks here -- for years, folks had been lured into buying homes they couldn’t afford, so their mortgages were underwater.  Banks weren’t lending, companies weren’t hiring.  The auto industry was in crisis.

This economy was losing 800,000 jobs every month.  You hear me?  Every month.  And a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression.  That’s where we were.  This is what Barack faced on day one as President of the United States.  This is what he walked into.

But let me tell you, instead of pointing fingers, instead of placing blame, Barack got to work.  (Applause.)  See, because he was thinking about folks like my dad, folks like his grandmother.

See, and that’s why he cracked down on lending abuses, so that today, when you apply for a mortgage or a credit card, you know exactly what you’re getting into.  That’s why he cut taxes for small businesses and for working families -- because you have a President that believes that here in America, teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires.  (Applause.)

He got the auto industry back on its feet, and as a result, today, new cars are rolling off the line at proud American companies like GM.  (Applause.) 

And, yes, we have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, but we have had 30 straight months of private sector job growth -- more than 5.1 million new jobs under this President, good jobs right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

And when it comes to the health of our families, Barack didn’t care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically.  That’s not who he is.  He cared that it was the right thing to do.  And today, because he fought so hard for health reform, our parents and grandparents on Medicare are paying hundreds less today for their prescription drugs.  (Applause.)  Young people, like all of you, can now stay on your parent’s insurance until you’re 26 years old because of health reform.  (Applause.)

Insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, with no out-of-pocket cost.  (Applause.)  They won’t be able to discriminate against you because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or asthma.  (Applause.)   

And here’s one that really gets me:  If you get a serious illness -- let’s say breast cancer -- and you need real expensive treatment, no longer can they tell you, sorry, you hit your lifetime limit and we’re not paying a penny more.  No longer.  That is now illegal because of health reform.  (Applause.)

And when it comes to giving all our young people the education they deserve, Barack knows that, like me and like so many of you, he never, never could have afforded to attend college without financial aid.  Never.  In fact, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage. 

So, believe me, when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  This is not a hypothetical.  And that’s why Barack fought to double funding for Pell grants and to keep interest rates down.  (Applause.)  Because, fortunately, we have a President who understands how critical that is to ensuring that all of our young people have the skills that they need for the jobs of the future -- good jobs you can raise a family on; good jobs that will build this economy for decades to come.  (Applause.)

And finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women -- when it comes to standing up for our rights and opportunities -- look, we know my husband will always have our backs.  See, because Barack knows from personal experience what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  And that’s why he made sure the first bill he signed into law was to make sure that women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)

So he knows what it means when women struggle to meet the demands of their jobs, the needs of their families.  Believe me, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want our daughters to have the same freedoms and opportunities as our sons.  So one of the things I make sure that people understand -- Barack will always make sure that we as women have the right to decide what we want to do with our own health and with our own health care.  That’s what Barack Obama stands for.  (Applause.)

So when people ask you what this President has done for our country, when you run into people who are deciding which of these candidates is going to keep our country moving forward for four more years, here’s a few things that you can tell them -- and I’m only going to go through a few of them. 

Tell them about the millions of jobs Barack has created.  Tell them about how he passed health reform.  Tell them about all the kids who will now be able to finally afford college.  Tell them how Barack ended the war in Iraq.  (Applause.)

Tell them how we worked together and finally took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Tell them how Barack has fought to give veterans and military families the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.)  Tell them about all of the young immigrants brought here to this country through no fault of their own, and how they will no longer be deported from the only country they’ve ever called home.  (Applause.)  Tell them how our brave men and women in uniform will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)

I could go on and on and on, but more importantly, I want you to tell them that Barack Obama knows the American dream because he’s lived it.  And he has been fighting every day so that everyone in this country can have that same opportunity no matter who we are or where we’re from or what we look like or who we love. 

But let me tell you, let’s be very clear:  While Barack is very proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, my husband is nowhere near satisfied, trust me.  Barack knows more than anyone that there are still too many people struggling.  He knows that there is plenty of work left to be done.  As President Clinton said, it’s going to take a lot longer than four years to build -- rebuild an economy from the brink of collapse.  (Applause.)

But here’s something I can tell you for sure.  Since the day he took office, Barack has been fighting for us.  He has been struggling with us.  And together, slowly but surely, we have been pulling ourselves out of the hole that we started in. 

For three and a half years, we’ve been moving forward and making progress, and we’re beginning to see that change we all can believe in.  So we have to ask ourselves, are we going to turn around and go back to the same policies that got us in this hole in the first place? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Are we going to just sit back and watch everything that we’ve worked for and fought for to just slip away? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Or are we going to keep moving this country forward?  What are we going to do?  (Applause.)  So let me tell you something.  In the end, the answer to these questions is really up to us.  It’s on all of us.  Because all of our hard work, all the progress we’ve made -- understand it’s all on the line.  It’s all at stake this November.  It can all be gone.  And as my husband said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That’s the only guarantee you have.  And it could all come down to what happens in just a few key battleground states like right here in Iowa.

Now, just to put it in perspective for you guys, think back to what happened in 2008.  Back then, we won this state by about 147,000 votes.  (Applause.)  Yes, well, that may sound like a lot, but when you break it down, that’s just 87 votes per precinct.  Just think about that -- 87 votes.  That could mean just a couple votes in a neighborhood, a single vote in the hallway of your dorm.

So if there is anyone here who might be thinking -- or maybe you know someone who might be thinking that their vote doesn’t matter, that their involvement doesn’t count, that in this complex political process that somehow ordinary folks couldn’t possibly make a difference, I want you all to just keep that number in your mind -- 87. 

But I’ve got news for you -- here in this state, it is already Election Day.  (Applause.)  Today is Election Day.  (Applause.)  See, the beauty of where you are is that early voting started yesterday, and for today only, right here on this campus, there is a satellite voting site open at the Schindler Education Building until 6:00 p.m.  And there, you can get registered, you can cast your ballot all in one stop. 

So right after I’m done speaking, I want you all to walk out that main door, and follow the volunteers, and do your part to move this country forward.  (Applause.)  Listen to this -- you can be one of the first people here in 2012 to cast your ballot for Barack Obama.  (Applause.)  You can do that.  See, and I really want to talk to the students right now, because you all know you need more than one day to vote, right?  (Laughter.)  You wake up late, you’ll be like, today is Election Day?  (Laughter.)  Oh, that was yesterday -- oh, my gosh, I didn’t know.  (Laughter.)  You know -- so don’t do that.  You got a whole month to make it happen, a whole month to vote.  (Applause.) 

As I tell my children, don’t procrastinate.  No procrastinations.  Make it happen.  Do it today.  And then after you’ve voted -- see, this is also the reason we need you to vote early.  We’re going to need you, every single one of you here, to work like you’ve never worked before.  Young people like all of you, so many of you here have always driven Barack’s campaigns with your energy and your passion.  This is your future.

And 39 days, that's how much time is left until the election -- 39 days.  That's a long time in a campaign.  Let me tell you.  It feels short.  That's a long time.  (Laughter.)  So we’ve got to turn all of this wonderful energy into action.  That's the next step.  We’ve got to work right up to the very end.  So if you vote early, you can use all the time to find other people, you know?  Multiply yourselves.  Find five more friends that you know aren’t registered.  Get them to vote early.  And look in this room, you all can beat that 87 right here at UNI.  You all can be the ones that do that.  (Applause.)

So when I’m finished, I want you to look for one of the volunteers here today.  They’ve got clipboards.  Find them, okay?  And when you find them, we need you to sign up with them to do more work.  Make phone calls, knock on doors to get out the vote here on campus and out in the community.  We need you to talk to everyone you know, everyone.  Your friends, your neighbors, that cousin you haven’t seen in a while, that student sitting next to you in class, you know the one.  You know he’s not registered.  (Laughter.)  You can just look at him.  You can tell.  You can pick them out.  Find them, shake them.

Also talk to your parents and your grandparents.  In 2008, I can't tell you how many grandparents came up to me and said that they voted for Barack because of their grandchildren, because of your enthusiasm, because you told them what it meant for your future.  (Applause.)  Let them know what this election means to you.  Tell them what’s at stake.  Remind them of all the things this President has done.  Bring them to events like this one.  But make sure you’re registered, all right?  Especially if you just moved.  Students, if you registered and you moved, you got to re-register, right?  Or if you’ve never voted before, you’ve got to register.

And once folks are registered, make sure they get to the polls, cast their ballot on Election Day.  If they don't know where to go, here’s more information.  Go to GottaRegister.com.  You don't even need to leave your room.  Go right there.  You can find everything you need to make your voices heard this Election Day. 

And I’m not going to kid you.  This journey is -- it’s going to be hard.  These next days are going to be long.  And trust me, there are going to be plenty of ups and downs all the rest of the way, all right?  So just count on that.  This stuff is never smooth sailing.  It’s up, it’s down.  It’s up again.  Trust me.  I’ve learned. 

But when you start to get tired, and you will -- when you start to get bored with all of this, and you will -- when you want to take a day off, and you will, I want you to remember don't do it.  (Laughter.)  I want you to remember that what we do for the next 39 days, especially you guys, will absolutely make the difference between waking up the day after Election Day and asking ourselves, could we have done more -- or feeling the promise of four more years.

So I need you all to work like you've never worked before between now and November 6th.  I want us to keep working, keep struggling, keep pushing forward.  And remember that that is how change always happens in this country.  Change is hard, and it requires patience and tenacity.  It always does.  But if we keep showing up -- this is what I want young people to know because this is your journey, right? 

From now on everything you want in your life will require you to work and keep working.  But know that if you keep fighting for what you know is right, know that eventually we get there.  Because in this country we always do.  Don't get discouraged.  In this country, we have always moved forward.  (Applause.)  Always.  But here's the trick -- maybe not in our lifetimes.  This is how I think, so many people think -- maybe in our children’s lifetimes.  See, that's who I'm working for.  Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes. 

Because in the end, that’s what this is all about.  That’s what elections are always about.  Don’t let anybody tell you any differently -- elections are always about hope.  Like the hope that I saw on my father's beaming face as he watched me cross that stage to get my college diploma.  The hope that Barack’s grandmother must have felt as she cast her ballot for the grandson she loved and raised.  (Applause.)  The hope that all of those men and women in our lives who worked for us -- they worked that extra shift, they saved for us, they sacrificed for us, they are praying for us so that we could have something more.  The hope that so many of us feel when we look into your eyes, the eyes of our kids and our grandkids.

That’s why we're here today -- because we want to give you all that foundation for your dreams.  All of our children are worthy of that promise, and we want to give all our children that sense of limitless possibility, that belief that here in America, the greatest country on the planet -- (applause) -- there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it.

So what I tell myself, we cannot turn back now.  No, not now.  We have come so far -- look at you all -- we have come so far.  (Applause.)  But we have so much more work to do.  So let me ask you one last thing -- are you ready for this?  (Applause.) Are you ready to work for this?  (Applause.)  Are you fired up?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to vote?  (Applause.)  Are you going to go vote right now?  (Applause.)

Early vote!  Find your friends.  Get them to early vote!  Do that work! 

Thank you, guys.  God bless you.  (Applause.)

END  
1:28 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Harpo Studios
Chicago, Illinois

5:47 P.M. CDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Chicago!  I’m home!  (Applause.)  Oh, you guys, thank you.  Rest yourselves!  We’re at Harpo!  (Applause.)  Oh my goodness, let me just tell you, I’m home because I was in the back having some Italian fiesta pizza.  (Applause.)  And of course they put Garrett popcorn in my car.  (Applause.)  It’s just wrong.  (Laughter.)  Just wrong.  But it reminds me that I’m home, and I am thrilled to be here with all of you.  Really, I am so thrilled.  Thanks for coming.  (Applause.)
 
I want to start by thanking a few people -- some who are still here, some had to go.  I know that our dear friend, Senator Durbin, was here along with Congresswoman Schakowsky, Jan, my girl.  (Applause.)  Thank you all.  Thanks for coming.  Thank you for bringing your friends and supporters.  Thank you for your leadership and service for the great state of Illinois and for our country.  We are so grateful.  They have just been just dear, dear friends.
 
And of course, I want to recognize all of our event hosts who helped to make this an oversold, over-packed, outrageously successful event today.  Thank you to all our friends and supporters.  Well done.  Well done!  (Applause.)
 
But most of all, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to be here today, and for being so enthusiastic.  I know you all are pretty fired up and ready to go.  I know that.  I know that!  (Applause.)  And I have to tell you that I’m feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.  (Laughter.) 
 
Because being here with all of you today is not just about being home again, but it’s also about getting the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite things.  I get to talk with you about the man I have loved and admired since I first met him 23 years ago.  (Applause.)
 
See, everybody talks about how wonderful the convention speech was, but I tell people, I had good material to work with -- (laughter) -- good material.  Now, what I’ve been sharing with people is back when I first met Barack, he had everything going for him.  He was handsome -- still is.  (Laughter.)  He was definitely charming, talented, and as many of our friends know, very, very smart, right?
 
But that’s not why I married him.  What truly made me fall in love with my husband was his character.  It was his decency and honesty, that compassion and conviction that he has always had.  I loved that Barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs and instead started his career fighting to get folks back to work in struggling communities. 
 
And I loved that Barack was so devoted to his family, especially the women in his life -- you hear that, fellas?  (Laughter.)  I saw the respect he had for his mother.  I saw how proud he was that she put herself through school while supporting him and his sister as a single mother.  I saw the tenderness he felt for his grandmother.  I saw how grateful he was that long after she should have retired, she was still waking up every morning and catching that bus to her job at the community bank, doing everything she could to help support his family.
 
And, yes, he watched as she was passed over for promotions simply because she was a woman.  But he saw how she kept getting up, kept doing that same job year after year, without complaint, without regret. 
 
See, with Barack, I found a real connection because in his life story, I saw so much of my own.  As you all know, growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I watched my father -- (applause) -- yes, South Side!  South Side!  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  South Side!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  South Side.  (Laughter.)  But I watched my father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant just right up the way.  And I saw how he carried himself with that same dignity, that same pride in providing in his family, that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of.  So many of us have people like that in our lives, don’t we?
 
Like so many families in this country, our families weren’t asking for much.  They didn’t want much.  They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success, and they didn’t mind if others had much more than they did.  In fact, they admired it.  That’s why they pushed us.  They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that even if you don’t start out with much, if you work hard and do what you’re supposed to do then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids.
 
And they believed that when you’ve worked hard and done well, and you’ve walked through that doorway of opportunity, you don’t slam it shut behind you.  You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  (Applause.) 
 
And that’s how Barack and I and so many of you were raised.  Those are the values that we were taught.  We learned that how hard you work matters more than how much you make.  We learned that the truth matters -- so you don’t take shortcuts, you don’t game the system, you don’t play by your own set of rules.  We learned that no one gets where they are on their own, that each of us has a community of people lifting us up every day -- from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean.  (Applause.)
 
And we were all taught, especially if you’re from here, that you value everyone’s contribution.  You treat everyone with respect.  Absolutely.  (Applause.)  We learned about citizenship and service -- that we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves; that with our freedoms come obligations, and with our blessings come a duty to give back to others who have less. 
 
These are the values that make Barack -- (applause) -- oh, yes -- such an extraordinary husband to me, such a phenomenal father to our girls.  But, see, Barack’s values matter to me not just as a wife and as a mother, but also as a First Lady, also as a citizen who has seen up close and personal what being President really looks like, and just how critical -- how critical those values are for leading this country. 
 
See, over the past three and a half years, I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, they’re always the hard ones -- the decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line, but they’re about laying a foundation for the next generation.  And I’ve seen how important it is to have a President who doesn’t just tell us what we want to hear, but who tells us the truth -- even when it’s hard; especially when it’s hard.  (Applause.) 
 
And I’ve seen that when it comes times to make those tough calls, when everyone’s urging you to do what’s easy, what polls best, what gets good headlines -- see, as President, you must be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all the people you serve.  (Applause.)  As President, you’ve got to have a strong inner compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizens.  That’s how you make the right decisions for this country.  That’s what it takes to be a leader.
 
And let me tell you something, since the day he took office, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that’s exactly what we’ve seen in my husband.  We have seen his values at work.  Let me tell you, we have seen his vision unfold.  We have seen the depths of his character, courage and conviction -- we’ve seen it. 
 
I mean, think back to when Barack first took office.  You all were there.  Many of you were there with us.  (Applause.)  But after that wonderful Inauguration Day, our economy was on the brink of collapse.  Newspapers were using words like “meltdown,” “calamity;” declaring “Wall street implodes,” “Economy in Shock.”  For years, folks had been lured into buying homes they couldn’t afford.  Their mortgages were underwater.  Banks weren’t lending, companies weren’t hiring.  The auto industry was in crisis.
 
And this economy -- this one -- was losing 800,000 jobs every single month.  And a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression.  All right, you hear me?  And this is what faced Barack on day one as President.  This is what awaited him.  (Applause.)
 
But instead of pointing fingers, instead of placing blame, your President got to work because he was thinking about folks like my dad.  He was thinking about folks like his grandmother.  (Applause.)
 
And that’s why he cracked down on lending abuses, so that today, when you apply for a mortgage or a credit card, you know exactly what you’re getting into.  That’s why he cut taxes for small businesses and for working families -- because he believes that in America, teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires.  Not in America.  (Applause.)
 
He got the auto industry back on its feet -- (applause) -- and today, new cars are rolling off the line at proud American companies like GM. 
 
And yes, while we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, we have had 30 straight months of private sector job growth -- a total of 5.1 million new jobs.  Did you hear me -- 5.1 million new jobs under this administration -- good jobs, right here in the United States of America.  That’s where we are under this President.
 
And when it comes to the health of our families, see, Barack didn’t care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically, because that’s not who he is.  He cared that it was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  And thankfully, today, because of that reform he fought for, our parents and grandparents on Medicare are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs.  Our kids can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old thanks to health reform.  (Applause.)
 
Insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, with no out-of-pocket cost.  (Applause.)  They won’t be able to discriminate against you because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or even asthma. 
 
And here’s one that really gets me:  that if you get a serious illness -- let’s say breast cancer -- and you need expensive treatment, they can no longer tell you, sorry, you’ve hit your lifetime limit and we’re not paying a penny more.  That is now illegal because of health reform -- today.  (Applause.)
 
And when it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never, never could have attended college without financial aid.  Never.  In fact, what I shared at the convention is that our combined student monthly loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.  I know there are people here who can relate to that.  (Applause.)
 
So when it comes to student debt, see, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  This is not a hypothetical.  That is why Barack doubled funding for Pell grants.  That’s why he fought so hard to keep interest rates down.  (Applause.)  Because, fortunately, we have a President who wants all of our young people to have the skills they need for the jobs of the future -- good jobs they can raise a family on; jobs that drive our economy -- will drive it for decades to come.
 
And finally, when it comes to standing up for the lives of women, when it comes to standing up for our rights and responsibilities -- (applause) -- we know that my husband will always have our backs -- always.  (Applause.)  Because, see, Barack knows from personal experience what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He knows what it means when women struggle to meet the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families.  And today, believe me, as a father, he knows what it means to want our daughters to have the same freedoms and opportunities as our sons.  (Applause.)
 
And that is why the very first bill he signed as President was to help get -- women get equal pay for equal work -- the very first thing he did as President.  (Applause.)  And that is why he will always, always fight to ensure that women -- that we can make our own decisions about our bodies and our health care.  That’s what my husband stands for.  (Applause.)
 
So when people ask you what this President has done for our country, when you’re running into folks who are still deciding who is the best person to keep this country moving forward for four more years, see, here is what I want you to tell them.  Just a few things.  I want you to tell them about the millions of jobs Barack has created.  I want you to tell them about health reform that he passed.  I want you to tell them about all those kids today who can finally afford college. 
 
I want you to tell them that Barack ended the war in Iraq.  Tell them how we took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Tell them how Barack fought to get veterans and military families the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.) 
 
Tell them about young immigrants brought to America through no fault of their own, who will no longer be deported from the only country they’ve ever called home.  Tell them about that.  (Applause.)
 
Tell them how brave men and women in uniform will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.) 
 
I could go on and on and on.  But here is something else:  Tell them that Barack Obama knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  (Applause.)  And he is fighting every day so that everyone in this country can have that same opportunity no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love.  (Applause.)
 
But let’s be clear:  While he is very proud of what we’ve all achieved together, trust me, my husband is nowhere near satisfied.  See, Barack knows that too many folks are still struggling.  He knows there’s plenty of work left to be done.  And it’s going to take a lot longer than four years to rebuild an economy from the brink of collapse.  That’s what President Clinton said.  (Applause.) 
 
But since he took office, let me tell you what I know for sure -- since we’re here at Harpo.  (Laughter.)  Barack has been fighting for us.  He has been struggling with us.  See, and together, slowly but surely, we have been pulling ourselves out of that hole that we started in.  For three and a half years, we have been moving forward and making progress, and we are beginning to see that change we all can believe in.
 
So we have to step back and ask ourselves, are we going to turn around and go back to the same policies that got us into this hole in the first place?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are we going to just sit back and watch everything we’ve worked for and fought for to just slip away?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  What are we going to do?  Or are we going to keep moving this country forward? 
 
But in the end, what we have to understand is that the answer to these questions is on us.  In the end, it’s up to us.  Because what we have to understand is that all of our hard work, all this wonderful progress that we’ve made, it’s all on the line.  It’s all at stake this November.  It can all be gone.
 
And as my husband has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is the only guarantee you’re going to get.  And it could all come down to what happens in just a few key battleground states like Iowa or Wisconsin.
 
And I’ve been trying to put this in perspective for folks as I travel around, because I want you to think back to what happened in 2008.  Back then, we won Iowa by about 147,000 votes, okay?  So, now, that might sound like a lot, but when you break it down, that’s just 87 votes per precinct in that state.  Do you hear?  Eighty-seven votes, all right?  And if you look at North Carolina, we won that by 14,000 votes.  That’s just five votes per precinct. 
 
So that could mean just a couple of votes in a neighborhood, right?  That’s just a couple of votes in somebody’s apartment building.  So if there is anyone here or anyone you know who is sitting back thinking that their vote doesn’t count, that their involvement doesn’t matter, that in this complex political process that ordinary folks can’t possibly make a difference, I want you to think about that 87.  I want you to think about that five.  Just think about that. 
 
I want you to think about how with just a few evenings on a phone bank, with just a few hours knocking on doors -- young folks, a few of you right here in this room could swing an entire precinct for Barack Obama.  And if we win enough precincts, we will win those battleground states.  And we will win enough of those states -- we’ll put Barack back in the White House for four more years.  It doesn’t take much.  (Applause.)
 
Look at this room -- the power of this room.  We take this energy, and from now until November, if everybody in this room and in all the rooms that I’m going to talk to between now and November the 6th, if everybody in all those rooms, every single day you work like you’ve never worked before -- yeah, we need you to do that.  We need you to find one of our volunteers who is here today.  You can start today, before you leave.  They have clipboards.  They will find you.  (Laughter.)  But look for them.
 
And if you haven’t already done it, we need you to sign up with them.  Sign up to make phone calls, because you can call into a battleground state from your own home.  We need you to pack your bags, go to Iowa, go to Wisconsin.  I know there are a lot of you -- there are folks here from Ohio today.  That’s another battleground state.  We need you to go to those states and help get the vote out.  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Go, Buckeyes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Go, Buckeyes.  (Laughter.) 
 
And more importantly, we want you to talk to everyone you know.  Don’t underestimate that.  Talk to your friends, your neighbors, that nephew you haven’t seen in a while.  You know he’s not registered.  (Laughter.)  That high school classmate you haven’t spoken to in years -- talk to him.  You never know the power of a good conversation, what that can do.  Tell them what’s at stake. 
 
Remind them of all these things that this President has accomplished in such a short period of time.  Make sure they're registered.  Don’t assume.  People have to be registered to vote, especially if they’ve just moved.  Or maybe they’re a student away at college -- any students, parents of students, are they registered?  Did they change their address?  What are they doing?  Are they awake?  Go find them.  Talk to them.  (Laughter.)  Make sure they’re ready.
 
And for young people who have never voted before, anyone who has never voted before, you’ve got to register.  You can’t just show up on Election Day and go, I’m ready!  Fired up!  They will send you home.  (Laughter.) 
 
And once folks are registered and you’ve done that work, you’ve had those conversations, then make sure they get to the polls on November the 6th.  Make sure they cast their ballot on Election Day.  And if they don’t know where to go, as you were told, or what to do, just send them to one of the many websites -- gottaregister.com, gottavote.com.  Very easy -- those sites work.  Have young people get on those -- click, they register early, they vote early; they do everything on a computer now.  That’s where they can find everything they need to make their voices heard on November the 6th. 
 
And I’m going to be honest.  I always am.  I try to be honest with you, don’t I?  (Applause.)  We don’t take anything for granted.  This journey is going to be hard, and these next days are going to be long.  Oh, gosh, 41 [40] days is just ticking by.  (Laughter.) 
 
But here’s the thing.  As you work, and when you get tired -- and you will; when you start to think about taking some time off -- and you will, I just want you to remember that what we do for the next 40 days will absolutely make the difference between waking up on November the 7th, the day after Election Day, and wondering, “Could I have done more?”, or feeling the promise of four more years.  That's the difference.  (Applause.)
 
So from now until the November the 6th, we need you to keep on working and struggling and pushing forward, because here is the thing -- that is how change always happens in this country.  I say that everywhere I go.  I remind people that’s how change always happens.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight and doing what we know is right -- see, the thing is, especially for our young people to understand, we eventually get there.  We always do.  In this country, we have always moved forward.  Always.  (Applause.)  But here’s the trick:  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because in the end, that's what this is about.  Let us not forget that is what elections are always about.  Don't let anyone tell you any differently.  Elections are always about hope.  (Applause.)
 
It’s like the hope I saw on my dad’s face as I crossed that stage to get my college diploma.  The hope of Barack’s grandmother that she felt when she cast her ballot for the grandson she loved and raised.  (Applause.)  The hope of all those men and women in our lives who worked that extra shift for us, who saved and sacrificed and prayed so that we could have something a little more.  The hope that so many of us feel when we look into the eyes of our children and our grandchildren.
 
That is why all of us are here today -- because we are doing this for our kids.  We want all of our kids to have a foundation for their dream.  (Applause.)  We want to give all our kids opportunities worthy of their promise, because every single one of our children in this country, they’re worthy.  We want to give our kids that sense of limitless possibility -- that belief that here in the greatest country on the planet, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.
 
So here’s what I tell myself when I get tired:  We cannot turn back now.  Not now.  We have come so far, but we have so much more work to do. 
 
So are you all ready for this?  (Applause.)  Are you all fired up?  (Applause.)  Are you all ready to go?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get on the phone?  Shake that nephew?  Get folks registered to vote?  I’m going to be working every single day until November the 6th.  I need you all with us every step of the way. 
 
Thank you all.  Love you so much.  God bless you.  Let’s get it done.  (Applause.)
 
END
6:16 P.M. CDT