Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign event

Sioux City Convention Center
Sioux City, Iowa

4:28 P.M. CDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you so much!  (Applause.)  Yes!  Let me tell you, I am beyond thrilled to be back in Sioux City and to be with all of you.  (Applause.)  As we enter this last week, being back in Iowa really -- I was in Iowa City and I have to tell you all, it really moves me, because we really got started here, right here in this state.  (Applause.)  And I can’t tell you how much your support and your love and your thoughts and your hard work has meant to all of us -- me, Barack, Malia, Sasha, and Bo.  (Laughter.)  So it’s really good to be back, and we love you all so much.

But before we get started, I did want to take a moment -- I said this in Iowa City and I want to say it again -- to take a moment to say that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy -- because that’s happening right now.  (Applause.)  And Barack has assured both state and local authorities that he will cut through red tape and be there to assist with whatever resources and support they need.  And he's made, really, this storm his priority, even in the midst of the final days of this campaign.  He’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure that the American people are safe and secure.  (Applause.) 

And what times likes this always remind us is that in times of crisis, in this country we always pull together as one American family.  And I know that we will all do everything we can to help our fellow citizens as they weather this storm and also the recovery.  So we will be thinking about folks.  I know that we’re getting some strong winds right now and rain in D.C., but we’ve got a team of people working.

And I also want to take the time to thank Joan for that very kind introduction and for everything she’s doing on behalf of the campaign here on campus.  (Applause.)  But most of all, again, I want to thank you all.  Thank you for the time for being here today.  (Applause.)  And it is so good to see so many people fired up and ready to go.  And I have to tell you --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, we are!

MRS. OBAMA:  (Applause.)  Yes!  Fired up and ready to go! 

And I’m feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself, because what this campaign has given me an excuse to do -- which I don’t get to do often, and many wives will understand -- I get to talk about the man that I have loved and admired since the day I first met him 23 years ago.

Now, a lot of things that I’m saying to you, I don’t tell him every day -- so don’t tell him.  (Laughter.)  And although Barack, yes, is handsome and charming and incredibly smart, that is not why I married him.  Not in the least.  (Laughter.)  Let me tell you, what made me fall in love with Barack Obama is something that we see every day, what we’ve seen for the last four years -- it’s his character, his decency, his honesty, his compassion, his conviction.  (Applause.)

And he is the same man that I met all those years ago.  When we first met, I loved that Barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs, and instead, he started his career doing what he does best -- fighting to get folks back to work in struggling communities.  That impressed me.  (Applause.)

And here’s something -- I really loved that Barack was so devoted to his family, especially the women in his life.  (Applause.)  This is something that was important to me.  I saw the respect that he had for his mother.  I saw how proud he was that she put herself through school while still being able to support him and his sister as a single mom. 

I saw the tenderness he’s felt for his grandmother, and how grateful he was that long after she should’ve retired, she was still getting up every morning, catching that bus to her job at the community bank, doing everything she could to support their family. 

But he also watched as she was passed over for promotions, again and again, simply because she was a woman.  But he also saw something in her; he saw this woman just continue to get up every day, doing that same job, and doing it without complaint or regret.  

See, with Barack, I found a real connection, because in his life story, I saw so much of my own.  See, growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I watched my father --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yeah!

MRS. OBAMA:  Yeah, we always have a few South Siders, Chicagoans.  (Laughter and applause.)  So I know you can relate to this.

I watched my father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.  And I saw how my father carried himself with that kind of pride, that same dignity in being able to wake up and provide for his family; that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of. 

And like so many families in this country, our families just weren’t asking for much.  They didn’t want much.  They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success.  They didn’t mind if other people had much more than they did -- in fact, they admired it.  And that’s why they pushed us to be the very best that we could be. 

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, if you 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 they also believed and taught us that when you’ve worked hard and you’ve done well, and you finally walked through that doorway of success and 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 is how Barack and I and I know so many of you were raised.  Those are the values we were taught.  And more than anything else, that is what this election is all about.  It’s a choice.  It’s a choice about our values, our hopes, and our aspirations.  It’s a choice about the America that we want to leave for our kids and our grandkids.  

And what does that America look like?  Well, we believe in an America where every child –- every child in this country, no matter where they’re born, or how much money their parents make,  every child deserves good schools -- the kind that push them, and inspires them, and prepares them for good jobs and college.  (Applause.)   

We believe in an America where no one goes broke because someone gets sick.  (Applause.)  Where no one loses their home because somebody loses a job.

We believe in an America where we all understand that none of us gets where we are on our own; that there is always a community of people lifting us up, where we treat everyone with dignity and respect -- from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean.  (Applause.)

And in this America that we are trying to build together, when one of us stumbles -- because we all have the ability to stumble -- when one of us falls on hard times, we don’t turn our backs and say, “Tough luck, you’re on your own.”  No -- instead, we extend a helping hand until they can get back on their feet again. 

We believe that the truth matters in this America.  (Applause.)  And you don’t take shortcuts, you don’t game the system, you don’t play by your own set of rules. 

And finally, we believe in keeping our priorities straight.  What does that mean?  Every one of us in this room, in this country knows good and well that cutting “Sesame Street” is no way to balance our budget.  (Applause.)

Shortchanging our children is not how we tackle the deficit.  If we want -- truly want to build opportunities for all Americans then yes, we have to cut wasteful spending, but we also have to make smart investments in things like education and infrastructure if we want an economy that’s built to last.  (Applause.)  And that is what my husband stands for.  That is the country that Barack has been working to create, to build for the last four years.  And those are the values that have guided him.

And let me tell you, over the past four years as First Lady, I have seen up close and personal just how critical those values are for leading this country.  I’ve seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, they are 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 have 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.  (Applause.)  But I’ve also seen that when it comes time to make those decisions, those tough calls, and everyone around you is urging you to do what’s easy or what polls best or what gets good headlines, as President you have to be driven by the struggles, hopes, and dreams of all of the people you serve.  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, believe me, I have been there -- that is what we’ve seen in my husband.  I mean, let’s think back to when Barack first took office and where this economy was.  This economy was on the brink of collapse.  You don’t take my word for it.  The 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 so their mortgages were underwater.  If you recall, the auto industry was in crisis.  The economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month -- a month!  And a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression.  This is what your President faced on day one.  He inherited an economy in deep and rapid decline.  But instead of pointing fingers, instead of placing blame, fortunately he rolled up his sleeves and he got to work.  (Applause.) 

See, because the only folks Barack was thinking about -- he was thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother.  That’s why he cut taxes for small businesses and working families, because he believes that teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires -- not in America.  Not here.  (Applause.)

And that’s exactly why, if you recall, while some folks were willing to let the auto industry go under -- do you remember?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

MRS. OBAMA:  With more than a million jobs that would have been lost, your President had the backs of American workers.  He fought hard to protect jobs for American families.  (Applause.)  And that is why today -- today the auto industry is back on its feet again.  (Applause.)

And yes, while we still have much more work to do to completely rebuild this economy, there are more and more signs every day that we are headed in the right direction.  The stock market has doubled.  Exports have grown by 45 percent.  Manufacturers have added 500,000 jobs.  We have had 31 straight months of private sector job growth.  That’s the majority of this presidency.  A total of 5.2 million new jobs created right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Now, in addition to focusing on creating jobs -- because as President, you’ve got to be able to do more than one thing at a time -- (laughter) -- Barack has also focused on improving access to health care for millions of Americans.  (Applause.)  See, this is another thing I love about my husband.  He 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 let me tell you what moved him.  See, he was thinking about all the stories that he heard from folks across this country -- the woman diagnosed with breast cancer whose insurance company wouldn’t cover her care; the seniors pinching pennies to save for the medicines they need; the parents who couldn’t afford life-saving treatment for a child because one of them lost a job. 

And today, because of health reform, because of that fight, things have changed for so many people.  Our parents and grandparents on Medicare are spending hundreds less for their prescription drugs because of health care today.  (Applause.)  Today, because of that fight for reform, our kids can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old. 

Because your President fought for you, today insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings -- with no out-of-pocket cost.  (Applause.)  They will no longer be able to discriminate against us because we have a preexisting condition like diabetes or asthma.  (Applause.) 

And here’s one that really gets me, so many people have dealt with this.  If you get a life-threatening illness and you need really 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 our young people and making sure they have the education they deserve, let me tell you, Barack knows that like me, and I know like so many of you, we never, never could have attended college without financial aid -- never.  (Applause.) 

So understand that we would not be here, I would not be standing here, if it weren’t for financial aid.  (Applause.)  In fact, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage -- and I know a lot of people can relate to that.  So when it comes to student debt, believe me, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  This is not a hypothetical for us. 

And that’s why Barack fought so hard to double funding for Pell grants and fought to keep interest rates low.  (Applause.)  Because he knows that’s the only way that we ensure that all of our young people, all of them, are able to afford college.  That’s the only way.

And finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women, when it comes to standing up for our rights and opportunities, let me tell you something.  We know that Barack Obama will always have our backs.  (Applause.)  Because Barack is a man surrounded by women.  (Laughter.)   

And he knows from personal experience what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in the work place.  And believe me, today as a father of two beautiful daughters, he knows what it means to want all of our daughters to have the same freedoms and opportunities as our sons.  (Applause.)  And that’s why the very first bill he signed into law, the very first thing he did as President of the United States was to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)  And let me tell you something, that is why your President will always, always fight to ensure that we as women can make our own decisions about our bodies and our health care.  (Applause.) 

That is what my husband stands for.  So here’s the thing.  We’re eight days out and, hopefully, you will all be out there talking and working.  You’re going to come across people who will ask you, so what has this President done for our country?

When you’re coming across folks who are trying to decide between these two men and who’s going to do the best job of continuing to move this country forward for four more years, here’s what I want you to tell them.  In addition to everything that my husband has done for our economy, for health care and education, I want you to remind them that Barack ended the war in Iraq, took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)

I want you to tell them just how hard he is fighting every day to make sure that veterans and military families get the benefits they have earned.  (Applause.)  Tell them about all the young immigrants in this country who will no longer have to live in fear of being deported from the only country they ever called home.  (Applause.)  Tell them about our brave servicemembers who will no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)

Remind them about all of the concrete -- do you hear me, concrete -- plans that Barack has laid out for the next four years.  And, yes, we too have a web site -- (laughter) -- BarackObama.com/plans, it’s very creative -- (laughter) -- where you can send people.  They can learn how Barack is going to work to create millions of new jobs in this country, train the best workforce in the world, boost American-made energy, reduce our deficit, end the war in Afghanistan so that we can do some nation-building right here at home.  (Applause.)

But in addition to all of that, here’s the thing I really want people to know about my husband.  You tell them that Barack Obama knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  He has lived it.  (Applause.)  And 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. 

But let’s be clear, while he is very proud of what we have all done together -- because believe me, a President doesn’t do anything alone; he does it with a community of people -- my husband is nowhere near satisfied.  Barack, of all people on this planet, knows that too many people are still hurting.  He knows all too well that there is plenty of work left to be done.  But as President Clinton reminded us, it is going to take a lot longer than four years to finish rebuilding an economy from the brink of collapse.  (Applause.) 

But here’s what I know and I have known about my husband -- thankfully, in Barack we have a leader with a deep and unyielding faith in the American people, in us -- (applause) -- a leader who understands that this country was built by men and women who wake up every day and work hard for their families, and they do it without complaint and without regret.

And as President, that’s what my husband has been fighting for.  He has been fighting for us.  And that’s why when the stakes are so high we can always trust Barack to have our backs -- because he always has.  And over these past years, these four years, understand that together we have been working and slowly but surely we have been pulling ourselves out of that hole that we started in.  We are steadily moving this country forward and making real and meaningful change.
 
So here’s the question that folks have to ask themselves, a very serious question.  Are we going to turn around after all of this and go back to the same policies that got us into the hole in the first place?

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

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

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Or are we going to keep moving this country forward?  (Applause.)  What are we going to do?  (Applause.)  Forward!  Forward!  Absolutely.  But in the end --

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

MRS. OBAMA:  I’m not going to stop you on that one. 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

MRS. OBAMA:  Eight more days to four more years.  (Applause.) 

But here’s the thing, the answer to all those questions is on us.  It’s on us now, because truly all the hard work, all the progress we’ve made -- understand that it is all on the line.  I mean, the choices in this election could not be clearer.  Everything is at stake this November.

And as Barack has said, this election is going to be even closer than the last.  That’s the only guarantee.  And it’s all going to come down to what happens in just a few key battleground states like right here in Iowa.  (Applause.)  And this is something that I’ve been doing everywhere, because it helped me when I found out -- just putting it in perspective to understand how these races work. 

Let’s look back to what happened in 2008.  Barack won this state by 147,000 votes -- another close race.  But while that number may sound like a lot, when you break that down across precincts over an entire state, that’s really just 87 votes per precinct.  And I could break that down for every battleground state.  It’s close.  That’s why they’re battleground states.  (Laughter.)

But when you look at that number, understand that that could mean just one vote in a neighborhood could make the difference -- just a single vote in an apartment building or in a dorm.  So here’s the thing about our democracy:  If there is anyone here, anyone that you know in your lives who might be thinking that their vote doesn’t matter, that their involvement doesn’t count, that in this complex political process that ordinary, hardworking folks can’t possibly make a difference -- I can understand how people could feel that way.  It just seems so big, right?

But if anyone is thinking like that, I just want you to think about those 87 votes -- 87 votes that’s right here in this room.  I want you to think about how with just a few more evenings on a phone bank, a couple of more hours knocking on doors, just a few of you in this room today could swing an entire precinct for Barack Obama.  And if we win enough precincts, we will win this state.  And if we win this state, we will be well on our way to putting Barack Obama back in the White House for four more years.  (Applause.)

So understand the power that you have not just in this election, but in every election.  So for the next eight days, we need you to work like you have never worked before.  It’s eight days.  It’s like you can hold your breath for eight days.  (Laughter.)  But we want you to sign up with one of our volunteers here today to make phone calls if you’re not already involved, and knock on doors.

But more importantly, here’s the thing that you can do -- you can talk to everyone you know.  Everyone in your sphere of influence, talk to them -- your friends, your neighbors, that cousin you haven’t seen in a while.  (Laughter.)  For the students, kids sitting next to you in chemistry, you know he’s not going to vote.  (Laughter.)  You all know the kid.  (Laughter.)  Shake him.  Talk to him.  Tell them what’s at stake.  Help them understand the issues, especially for young people. 

And this is something that I really point out, because you all are just starting to vote, and I know -- I can’t tell you how many people, young people walked up to me over the past four years and told me that in 2008, they said, my parents and grandparents weren’t going to vote for Barack Obama, but because I talked to them about what this election means for me, they changed their minds.

So know that you all really can make a difference.  You have that power of influence and persuasion.  And, again, it’s not just about this election.  That’s about life.  We want you to embrace this life, this planet, this country that is yours.

And people don’t have to wait until November the 6th to cast their ballots.  As Joan mentioned, you can vote early.  And as she said, I voted early.  (Applause.)  I voted for Barack Obama -- (applause) -- just in case you were wondering.  I looked over the information.  I watched the debates.  I read the materials.  I’ve been to everyone’s website.  (Laughter.)  And my astute opinion, I felt that Barack Obama was the absolute best choice for this country.  (Applause.)

But one of the reasons why I voted early -- and we’re encouraging everyone to vote early -- is that when you vote early, number one, you don’t take the chance that on Election Day -- because life happens.  And we all know how life happens:  You wake up, car is broken down, kid’s sick, the babysitter is missing.  (Laughter.)  Anything could happen.  But now, for the next eight days, you can vote when it works for you and you can make sure that there’s nothing that stands in the way from you making your voices heard. 

And also if you vote early, you can use Election Day like I’m going to use it and spend it trying to get other people to the polls.  Because we all know that person who needs that ride, that new voter that might be just a little nervous about doing it on their own, and you could be that point of support for them -- taking them there, walking them through the process. 

And here in Iowa, voting has already begun.  In fact, right after this event, we’re loading up some buses, because we don’t want you to walk -- (laughter) -- it would be uncomfortable.  So we’ve got buses that will take you to early vote at the Long Lines Rec Center.  So after I’m done speaking, I want you all, if you haven’t voted, to follow the volunteers, get on a bus, and do your part to move this country forward. 

And then, after you vote, I want you to tell everyone you know that from now until Election Day, they can vote early in person, too.  And here’s the thing in this state:  If they’re not registered, tell them they don’t have to worry -- you can register on the spot when you vote here in Iowa, which is a very good thing.  (Applause.)  That’s a very good thing. 

And last but not least, send them to vote.barackobama.com, and there they can find out their nearest voting location.  So we tried to make it easy.  And if they don’t vote early, then make sure they get to the polls on Election Day and make their voices heard.

So that’s the plan.  We got it?  (Applause.)  We can do this.  We can do this.  We can make this happen.  (Applause.) 

Now, here’s the thing:  eight days.  And I know -- I’ll be honest with you, the rest of this journey, although short, is going to be hard and there are going to be lots of ups and downs along the way.  I mean, just look at the last couple of weeks, the last month; it’s up and down and up and down. 

But when you start to get tired -– and you will -- and when you start to think about taking a day off -– and you will -- I just want you to remember that what we do for the next eight days will absolutely make the difference between us waking up the day after Election Day and thinking, “Could I have done” -- “Oh, my God, could I have done more?” -- (laughter) -- or feeling the promise of four more years.

So from now until November the 6th, we need you to keep working and struggling and pushing forward.  Because here’s the thing:  That is how change always happens in this country.  And again, I want to talk to the young people here, because this isn’t just about this election.  This is about life, right?  Life is hard, and change in life -- you are going to hit some bumps in the road, some barriers, some people who will be there telling you what you can’t do, who you can’t be. 

But it requires patience and tenacity and focus and determination.  Because if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight and doing what we know in our hearts is the right thing -- because a lot of times your heart will get you to the right place, and that’s what happens in this country.  We eventually get where we’re supposed to go.  We always do. 

So for the young people out there, I don’t want you to ever let anyone else talk down your dreams, talk down your aspirations.  (Applause.)  And more importantly, don’t let anyone talk down our country or our country’s future.  (Applause.)  You all have -- we have every reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead.

And our young people, for their sake, they always have to be optimistic about the future.  We know that as parents.  They have to be optimistic.  And you have every reason to be, because here in America, we always move forward.  We always make progress.

And in the end, that’s what this is about.  That’s what elections are always about.  Don’t let anyone tell you differently -– elections are always about hope.  (Applause.)  

What kind of hope?  The hope I saw on my father’s beaming face as I walked across the stage to get my college diploma -- the diploma he took out loans to help me get.  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 just a little more.  The hope that so many of us feel when we look into the eyes of our kids and our grandkids.

That’s why we’re here today -- because we all want to give our children in this country a foundation for their dreams.  If I have passion, if you feel it, it’s because we all want to give all of our children opportunities worthy of their promise.  Because I don’t care where you’re from or what party you belong to, we all know that all of our kids are worthy.  We want to give them that sense of limitless possibility.  (Applause.)  That belief that here in America, the greatest country on the planet, there is always something out there better if you’re willing to work for it.  (Applause.)

So this is what I tell myself every day:  We will not turn back now.  We cannot turn back now.  Not for our kids.  We have come so far, but we have so much more to do.  We have more work to do.  (Applause.)   

So here’s my last question:  Sioux City, are you ready for this?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?  Eight days!  Four more years!  We need you to work, work, work like you’ve never -- are you ready for this?  (Applause.)  We’re ready.

I love you all so much.  God bless.

END
5:04 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President on Hurricane Sandy

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:46 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  I just received a full briefing from our emergency response teams, including FEMA, and agencies that are going to be helpful in the response and recovery efforts -- the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Obviously, everybody is aware at this point that this is going to be a big and powerful storm.  And all across the Eastern seaboard, I think everybody is taking the appropriate preparations.
 
I’ve spoken to all the governors in all these states.  They have issues emergency declarations.  Those have been turned around quickly here in the White House.  We have prepositioned assets so that FEMA personnel are working closely with state and local governments.  We’re making sure that food and water and emergency generation is available for those communities that are going to be hardest hit.
 
We anticipate that the center of the storm is going to land fall sometime this evening.  But because of the nature of this storm, we are certain that this is going to be a slow-moving process through a wide swath of the country, and millions of people are going to be affected.

So the most important message that I have for the public right now is, please listen to what your state and local officials are saying.  When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate.  Do not delay.  Don’t pause; don’t question the instructions that are being given, because this is a serious storm and it could potentially have fatal consequence if people haven’t acted quickly.

The good news is, is that the governors and local officials I think have had a few days of preparation.  There's been extraordinarily close coordination between state, federal, and local governments.  And so we’re confident that the assets are prepositioned for an effective response in the aftermath of the storm. 

But keep in mind that for folks who are not following instructions, if you are not evacuating when you’ve been asked to evacuate, you’re putting first responders at danger.  We’re going to have to have search-and-rescue teams in and around multiple states all at the same time.  And although we’ve got Coast Guard and the Department of Defense all positioned, if the public is not following instructions, that makes it more dangerous for people and it means that we could have fatalities that could have been avoided.
  
Transportation is going to be tied up for a long time.  And probably the most significant impact for a lot of people, in addition to flooding, is going to be getting power back on.  We anticipate that there are going to be a lot of trees down, a lot of water.  And despite the fact that the power companies are working very closely with their various state officials and local officials to make sure that they are bringing in as many assets as possible and getting those ready in preparation for the storm, the fact is that a lot of these emergency crews are not going to be able to get into position to start restoring power until some of these winds have died down.  And because of the nature of this storm, that may take several days.
 
So the public should anticipate that there’s going to be a lot of power outages, and it may take time for that power to get back on.  The same is true with transportation; there are going to be a lot of backlogs, and even after the storm has cleared, it’s going to take a considerable amount of time for airlines, subways, trains, and so forth, potentially to get back on schedule, depending on the amount of damage that has occurred.

Let me summarize just by saying that I’m extraordinarily grateful for the cooperation of our state and local officials.  The conversations that I’ve had with all the governors indicate that at this point there are no unmet needs.  I think everybody is taking this very seriously.  We’ve gotten prepositioned all the resources that we need.

But right now, the key is to make sure that the public is following instructions.  For those of you who still need additional information about how to respond, you can go to Ready.gov -- that’s Ready.gov.  And that website should provide you with all the information that your family needs in terms of how you can prepare for this storm.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people who are potentially affected.  We are extraordinarily grateful for our first responders, because they’re going to be working 24/7 around the clock, non-stop.  And I want to make sure that our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who may end up be dealing with a very difficult situation over the next several days.

Last point I’ll make, though -- this is going to be a big storm.  It’s going to be a difficult storm.  The great thing about America is when we go through tough times like this we all pull together.  We look out for our friends.  We look out for our neighbors.  And we set aside whatever issues we may have otherwise to make sure that we respond appropriately and with swiftness.  And that’s exactly what I anticipate is going to happen here.

So I want to thank all the federal teams, state and local teams that are in place.  I’m confident that we’re ready.  But I think the public needs to prepare for the fact that this is going to take a long time for us to clean up.  The good news is we will clean up and we will get through this.

Q    What about the impact on the election, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  I am not worried at this point about the impact on the election.  I’m worried about the impact on families, and I’m worried about the impact on our first responders.  I’m worried about the impact on our economy and on transportation. 

The election will take care of itself next week.  Right now, our number-one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives, that our search-and-rescue teams are going to be in place, that people are going to get the food, the water, the shelter that they need in case of emergency, and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track.

Thank you, everybody.

END
12:52 P.M. EDT

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                            October 27, 2012

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Nashua, NH

Elm Street Middle School

Nashua, New Hampshire

1:59 P.M. EDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  How’s it going, Nashua?  (Applause.)  Are you fired up? 

     AUDIENCE:  Yes!

     THE PRESIDENT:  Are you ready to go?

     AUDIENCE:  Yes!

     THE PRESIDENT:  This is an unbelievable crowd!  (Applause.) And this is what the weather is always like in late October in New Hampshire -- 70 degrees and sunny.  (Applause.)  

     Can everybody please give it up for your outstanding United States Senator, Jeanne Shaheen?  (Applause.)  Your next governor, Maggie Hassan.  (Applause.)  Your next congresswoman, Annie Kuster.  (Applause.) 

     And I’ve just got to say something special about one of the most talented singers and songwriters that America has ever had. He has just been a great friend.  This guy has been working his tail off on behalf of this campaign.  I couldn’t be prouder that he’s working with us -- James Taylor.  Give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

     THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Applause.) 

Ten days, New Hampshire.  (Applause.)  Ten days.  Ten days and you’ll be stepping into a voting booth and making a defining choice about the future of our country.  Not just a choice between two candidates or two political parties, it is a choice between two fundamentally different visions for America.

     We believe in the values that built the largest middle class, the strongest economy the world has ever known; the promise that hard work will pay off; the promise that responsibility will be rewarded; the idea at the core of this nation that no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, this is a country where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same rules.  (Applause.)  That's what we believe here in America.  (Applause.)

     We believe that we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.  We insist on personal responsibility.  We don't believe anybody is entitled to success -- we know we all have to earn it.  We honor the strivers, the dreamers, the risk-takers, everybody who has been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known. 

     But we also believe that the true measure of prosperity is more than just a running tally of corporate balance sheets, quarterly profit reports.  We measure prosperity not just by how many millionaires and billionaires we produce; we measure prosperity by how well a typical family is doing -- (applause) -- by whether our kids are getting a great education and can go as far as their dreams and hard work will take us.  (Applause.)

     We understand that in this country people succeed when they’ve got a chance at a decent education, when they can learn new skills.  And by the way, so do the businesses that hire them or the companies that they start.  We believe our economy grows when we support research into medical breakthroughs -- (applause) -- or new technologies like clean energy and fuel-efficient cars. (Applause.) 

We know that our country is stronger when we can count on affordable health insurance and Medicare and Social Security -- (applause) -- when we protect our kids from toxic dumping and mercury pollution; when there are rules in place to make sure that we aren’t taken advantage of by credit card companies or mortgage lenders or unscrupulous financial institutions.  (Applause.)  

We know we’re better off when politicians in Washington aren’t allowed to make decisions about health care that women are perfectly capable of making for themselves.  (Applause.)

That's what we believe.  That's the vision that we embrace. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We believe in you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I appreciate that.  (Laughter.) 

Governor Romney, now, he’s got an entirely different view about what this country is about.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Don't boo --

AUDIENCE:  Vote!

THE PRESIDENT:  -- vote.  Vote.  (Applause.)  

He’s been running around saying he’s got a five-point plan for the economy -- turns out it’s a one-point plan.  (Laughter.) Folks at the very top get to play by a different set of rules than you do.  They get to pay lower tax rates, outsource jobs.  They want to let Wall Street run wild and make reckless bets with other folks’ money.  That was his philosophy when he was a CEO.  That was his philosophy as governor.  And as President Clinton said, he does have a lot of brass because he’s not talking about big change, but all he’s offering is a big rerun of the same policies that created so much hardship for so many Americans. 

And Governor Romney has been out here making a lot of last-minute promises lately -- said he’s all about fighting for the middle class; says he’d cut taxes for everybody, and ask something from nobody.  But the problem is we’ve heard those promises before. 

Now keep in mind, Governor Romney lives just a few miles south of here in the state of Massachusetts.  (Applause.)  Love Massachusetts.  (Applause.)  But during Governor Romney’s campaign for governor down there, he promised the same thing he’s promising now -- said he’d fight for jobs and middle-class families.  But once he took office, he pushed through a tax cut that overwhelmingly benefitted 278 of the wealthiest families in the state, and then he raised taxes and fees on middle-class families to the tune of $750 million.  Does that sound familiar to you? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, when he’s asked about this, he says, no these weren’t taxes, these were fees.  (Laughter.)  But keep in mind there were higher fees to be a barber, higher fees to become a nurse.  There were higher fees for gas.  There were higher fees for milk.  There were higher fees for blind people who needed to get a certificate that they were blind.  He raised fees to get a birth certificate -- which would have been expensive for me.  (Laughter and applause.)

He raised fees for marriage certificates and fees for funeral homes -- so there were literally cradle-to-grave tax hikes and fees.  (Laughter.)  And when he left office, there were only three states in the country that had created fewer jobs than Massachusetts.  And by the way, one of them was Louisiana that had been hit by Hurricane Katrina.  (Laughter.) 

     He talked a lot about small businesses -- still talks about it.  Says, I’m a business guy, I know about small businesses.  Massachusetts, when he was governor, ranked 48th in small business creation.  And one of the two states that ranked lower was Louisiana that had gotten hit by Hurricane Katrina.  So this is a guy who has a track record of saying one thing and doing something else.   

On the other hand, when I ran four years ago, I made promises, too.  I promised to cut taxes for middle-class families -- and I did, by $3,600.  (Applause.)  I promised to cut taxes for small business owners -- and I did, 18 times.  (Applause.)  I promised to end taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailouts -- and we have.  And by the way, we got every dime worth of money that we used for the bank rescue, and we got interest with it, too.  (Applause.)  I promised to take on those financial institutions that were charging too much for student loans -- and we, as a consequence, were able to make college more affordable for millions of Americans.  (Applause.) 

     I promised I’d never walk away from the millions of jobs that were in jeopardy when the auto industry was on the brink of collapse.  We decided to ignore Governor Romney’s business advice when he said Detroit should go bankrupt -- and now, America, we are building the best cars on Earth.  (Applause.) 

     Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq -- and we did.  (Applause.)  I promised that we would begin the transition in Afghanistan -- and we are.  (Applause.)  I said we’d go after the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 -- and thanks to the brave men and women in uniform, the courage of our Navy SEALs, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.  (Applause.) 

     After losing 9 million jobs under the theories that Governor Romney is now promoting, our businesses under the ideas we’ve been working with have added more than 5 million new jobs over the last two-and-a-half years.  (Applause.)  Manufacturing -- highest job growth in manufacturing since the 1990s.  The unemployment rate is falling.  Manufacturing is coming back to our shores.  Our assembly lines are humming again.  Housing prices are starting to pick up.  Housing starts are all on the move. 

We’ve got a lot of work to do.  But, New Hampshire, the country has come too far for us to turn back now.  (Applause.)  We can’t afford to go back to the policies that got us into this mess.  We’ve got to continue with the policies that are getting out of the mess.  We’ve got to move forward.  And that's why I am running for second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.) 

     AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  You can do it, Mr. President!

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m going to do it with you.  We can do it together.  (Applause.)  

     Unlike Governor Romney’s plan -- he doesn’t like to talk about it too much -- I have a plan that will actually create jobs; that will actually lower our deficit; and will actually provide the middle class with a greater sense of security.  And the good news is my plan -- the math actually adds up.  (Applause.) 

     If you want to check it out, you can go to BarackObama.com/plans.  And I want you to share it with your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers.  There are still people out there who are trying to make up their minds.  Some of you who are here may be trying to make up your mind.  Maybe your girlfriend dragged you out here.  (Laughter.)  No, no, maybe Grandma said, you’ve got to go to the Obama rally -- (laughter)  -- and you’re still trying to figure it out.  So I’m asking you to compare my plan with Governor Romney’s.  I want you to know what we’re proposing, each of us, and see which plan is better for you and what is better for the future of America. 

     So, number one, I want to end tax breaks for companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  (Applause.)  I want to reward small businesses and manufacturers who are putting down roots here, hiring American workers, creating American products stamped with three proud words:  Made in America.  We can bring those jobs back to our shores.  (Applause.)

     Number two, I want to cut our oil imports in half by 2020 so we control more of our own energy.  Because of the work we’ve already done -- increasing oil production, increasing natural gas production, but also emphasizing renewables like solar and wind and biofuels -- today we are less dependent on foreign oil than in any time in the last two decades.  (Applause.)  That’s good for your pocketbook.  That’s good for our national security.  It’s good for the environment. 

     And one reason we’ve been able -- we have confidence we can keep on making progress is we’ve doubled the fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks.  So in the middle of the next decade, you’ll go twice as far on a gallon of gas. (Applause.)   I want us now to build on that progress.  We’ve got to keep making those investments.  I don’t want fuel-efficient cars and long-lasting batteries and wind turbines and solar panels produced in China.  I want them produced right here in New Hampshire.  (Applause.)  I want them made right here in America. And we can do that.

     Number three, we have to make it a nation mission to educate our kids and train our workers better than anybody else in the world.  (Applause.)  I want to recruit 100,000 new math and science teachers because we know that’s an area where we can’t afford to fall behind.  I want to train 2 million workers at our community colleges for the skills that businesses are hiring for right now.  And I want to work with colleges and universities to make sure that tuition does not keep on going up -- because our young people can’t afford the debt that they are taking on, and that’s something we can do.  (Applause.)

     Number four, my plan will reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years in a balanced way.  We’re going to cut out spending we don’t need -- we’ve already cut out a trillion dollars’ worth of spending.  We can do more, but I’m also going to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay a little bit more so we can invest in the research and technology and education that will keep new jobs and businesses coming to America. 

And under the guise of reducing the deficit, I will never turn Medicare into a voucher system -- (applause) -- because no American should have to spend their golden years at the mercy of an insurance company.

     And by the way -- I think we saw just this past week -- we don’t need a whole bunch of politicians in Washington, most of whom are male, making health care decisions for women.  (Applause.)  I don’t think your boss or your insurance company should be making those decisions either.  I believe women should be making their own health care decisions for themselves.  (Applause.) 

That’s why the health care law we passed put those choices in your hands, where they belong, and that’s where they’ll stay as long as I’m President of the United States.  (Applause.)

     Now, finally, number five, we’re going to use the savings from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to put our people back to work.  Let’s do some nation-building here at home.  Let’s rebuild our roads, our bridges, our schools.  Let’s lay broadband lines into rural communities all across the country.  And as we’re doing that, we’re going to be putting our veterans back to work.  We’ve got to serve them as well as they’ve served us -- because nobody who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their heads, or the care that they’ve earned when they come home.  (Applause.)

     So that's the plan we need, New Hampshire.  That's how you build a strong, sustainable economy.  That's how you make sure that middle-class jobs that pay a good wage are out there.  That's how you encourage new businesses to start here and stay here in America.  That's how you increase take-home pay -- not just by talking about it.  That's how you build an economy where everybody who works hard can get ahead.  And that's what we can do together.

     But here’s the thing, New Hampshire, it’s now up to you.  It’s your choice.  It’s up to the young people who are here to choose -- (applause) -- a future that is worthy of all your dreams.  It’s up to the not-so-young people here, including me -- I’m included in that category -- (laughter) -- to make sure we’re leaving the kind of America we want for future generations. 

     You can choose the top-down policy that got us into this mess, but I think we need to build on the policies that are helping us to make real progress all across this country.  You can choose a foreign policy that's reckless and wrong, or you can choose the kinds of leadership that I’ve provided that's steady and strong.  (Applause.)

     You can choose to turn back the clock 50 years for women and immigrants and gays -- or in this election, you can stand up for that basic principle enshrined in our founding documents that all of us are created equal -- black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight, abled, disabled. No matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, you’ve got a place in America.  You can make it here if you try.  That's what we believe.  (Applause.)

     New Hampshire, we’ve been through tough times, but we’ve been through tough times before and we are tougher.  We always come out on top.  We always bounce back because we pull together. Because we look after one another.  Because we don’t leave anybody behind.  Because when we succeed, we prop that door open and bring those who are following behind us -- we pull them through.  That’s who we are.  (Applause.)  

Our destiny is not written for us; it’s written by us.  We don’t go backward.  We look forward to that distant horizon, to that new frontier.  We imagine a better America and then we work hard to make it happen.  That’s who we are. 

That’s why I’m asking for your vote.  And if you give me your vote, I promise you, you will always have a President who hears your voices, who will fight for your families, who will spend every waking moment thinking about how to make your lives a little bit better.  (Applause.)  

     New Hampshire, I still believe in you.  I need you to keep believing in me.  (Applause.)  And if you’re willing to work with me, and roll up your sleeves with me, knock on some doors with me, make some phone calls for me, we’ll win Hillsborough County again.  (Applause.)  We’ll win New Hampshire again.  (Applause.) We’ll finish what we started.  And we’ll remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  

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

The White House

Office of the First Lady

________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                          

October 26, 2012

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event -- La Jolla, CA

Private Residence

La Jolla, California

11:24 A.M. PDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you all so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Rest yourselves.  You all have been working very hard to put this event together, so I don’t want you worn out.  Eleven more days.  I want everyone fresh.  (Laughter.)  But thank you so much. 

I am so happy to be back in San Diego.  It is just such a beautiful city.  It’s one of those we’re kind of looking at when this is all over, don’t you think?  (Laughter and applause.) 

But of course I want to thank Joan and Irwin, not only for that very kind introduction, but for allowing us to be in this beautiful home, and sharing your home, sharing your family, the entire Jacobs family.  I’ve met many of them.  (Laughter.)  Most of them are what I call normal height, which is my height.  (Laughter.)  And to Sarah, also, and all of your team for helping to put this together.

The one thing that I know when people talk about the future and whether the next generation is ready to take it on, when I meet young people like Sarah, who have the kind of tenacity and focus and organization and maturity to work for us, to handle the stress, to do an event like this, I know I my heart that we are in good hands.  So thank you, Sarah, and thank you to the Jacobs family for everything you’re doing.  (Applause.)

And of course I want to thank the entire host committee for pulling together an outstanding event.  You all have done a magnificent job.  We have so many supporters who have been with us from the very beginning, and it means the world to me and Barack, not just at this time when it’s 11 days out, but over the past four years of having you all right by our sides.  So thank you all.

And thank you all for taking the time to join us today.  It’s morning.  I think somebody asked me that -- do I know what date it is.  (Laughter.)  I only know that it’s 11 days before Election Day.  It is Friday.  It is somewhere in the morning time.  And Halloween is Wednesday.  (Laughter and applause.)  I do know the important things.  (Laughter.)  I know where my children are right this second.

But I know you all are very fired up and ready to go, and I am so glad to see that, because I’m very fired up and ready to go, too.  We are going to get this done.

One of the things I have enjoyed doing over the past several months in this campaign is that I get to talk about the man that I have loved and admired, and I am so proud of my husband -- (applause) -- these 23 years -- I get to tell you all about him.  (Applause.)  

Although this man, this love of my life, he is handsome and charming and incredibly smart, and patient and kind -- that’s not why I married him.  (Laughter.)  No, no.  Those are good things, but what truly made me fall in love with Barack is something that we’ve seen for four years -- and more:  his character.  We have seen it at work every day.  We have seen his decency, his honesty, his compassion and conviction.

When I first met Barack, I loved the fact that this was a man that 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 how devoted Barack was to his family, especially to the women in his life.  That had meant something to me.  I didn’t know I was going to have two girls.  But I loved watching him with his mother and his grandmother.  I saw the respect he had for his mother -- how proud he was that she was able to put herself through school and still pay the bills and take care of him and his sister a single mom. 

And that the tenderness that he saw -- felt for his grandmother.  How grateful he was that long after she should have retired, she was still getting up every morning and catching that bus to her job at the community bank, doing everything she could to support their family. 

And he also watched as she was passed over for promotion, again and again, simply because she was a woman.  See, but what he took away from that is that he saw how this woman kept on getting up every day, doing that same job without complaint or regret. 

And see, the truth is that, with Barack, I found a real connection because in his life story, I saw so much of my own.  I watched my father, growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I watched him make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.  And I saw how he carried himself with that same dignity, that same pride in being able to provide for his family, that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of. 

And see, here’s the thing, like so many families in this country, our families just weren’t asking for much.  They didn’t want much, and they didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success.  In fact, they admired it.  They didn’t mind if others had much more than they did.  That’s why they pushed us to be the very best that we could be. 

But 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.

But they also believed that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and you finally walked through that doorway of opportunity, you don’t slam it shut behind you.  No -- you reach back.  (Applause.)  Yes!  And you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  And that is how Barack and I, and I know how so many of you, were raised.  Those are the values we were taught.

And, truly, more than anything else, that I believe is what this election is really about.  It is a choice about our values, our hopes, and our aspirations.  It’s truly a choice about the America that we want to leave for our kids and our grandkids.  And let’s talk about that America.  What does America look like? 

We believe in an America where every child -- no matter where they’re born, or how much money their parents make –- every child should have good schools, the kind of schools that push them and inspire them, and prepare them for college and jobs of the future -- every child.

We believe in an America where no one goes broke because someone gets sick; where no one loses their home because someone loses a job.

We believe in an America where we all understand that none of us gets where we are on our own; that all of has a community of people lifting us up, where we treat everyone with dignity and respect -- from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean.

And in this America that we’re building, when one of us stumbles -- because we all can stumble, right? -- when one of us falls on hard times, we don’t turn our backs and tell them, “Tough luck, you’re on your own.”  No -- instead, we extend that helping hand and we help them until they get back on their feet again.  That’s the America we’re working on.   

We believe that the truth matters, and you don’t take shortcuts, you don’t game the system.  You don’t play by your own set of rules. 

And finally, we believe in keeping our priorities straight -- because each and every one of us know very well that cutting “Sesame Street” is no way to balance our budget.  That is not the answer.  (Applause.)  We know better than that.  Shortchanging our children is not how we tackle our deficit. 

If we truly want to build opportunities for all Americans, then, yes, we need to cut wasteful spending, but we also need to make smart investments in things like education and infrastructure for an economy that’s built to last. 

And that’s what my husband stands for.  That’s the country he has been working to build for these last few years.  Those are the values that guide him.

And over the past four years as First Lady, I have seen up close and personal what being President looks like and just how critical those values are for leading this country.  I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, let me tell you, 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 have 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.

And I have seen that when it comes time to make those tough decisions, and everyone around you is urging you to do what’s easy, or what polls best, or what gets good headlines, as President, you have to be driven by the struggles, hopes, and dreams of all of the people you serve -- all of them.  And that’s how you make the right decision for this country.  That’s what it takes to be a leader. 

And since the day he took office, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that is exactly what we have seen in my husband.  Think back to when Barack first took office, and our economy was on the brink of collapse.  Don’t take my word for it -- 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, so their mortgages were underwater.  The auto industry was in crisis.  This economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month.  And a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression. 

 And this is what Barack faced on day one as President of the United States.  He inherited an economy in rapid decline.  But instead of pointing fingers, instead of placing blame, our President got to work.  See, because he was thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother. 

And that’s why he cut taxes for small businesses and working families, because he believes that in America teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires.  Not in America.  That’s just not right.  (Applause.)   

And that’s also why, while some folks -- a few were willing to let the auto industry go under, with more than 1 million jobs that would have been lost, if we’re talking about job creation, Barack had the backs of American workers.  He fought hard to protect those jobs for thousands of American families.  And that’s why, today, the American auto industry is back on its feet again.

And while we still have a long way to go to completely rebuild this economy, there are more and more signs every day that we are headed in the right direction.  The stock market has doubled.  Exports have grown by 45 percent.  Manufacturers have added 500,000 jobs.  We have had 31 straight months -- the majority of this President’s term -- with private sector job growth -- a total of 5.2 million jobs created under this administration, good jobs right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

And in addition to focusing on creating jobs -- because, see here, the thing as President, you got to be able to do more than one thing at the same time -- (laughter) -- fortunately, Barack has also focused on improving access to health care for millions of Americans.  (Applause.) 

And this is another reason why I love my husband.  See, because Barack didn’t care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically -- because that is not who he is.  He cared that it was the right thing to do.

See, he was thinking about all the folks he had met across this country -- the woman diagnosed with breast cancer whose  insurance company wouldn’t cover her care; the seniors pinching pennies to save for the medicines they need; the parents who couldn’t get life-saving treatments for their children because someone lost their job.  That’s who he was thinking about.

And thankfully, today, because of that health reform; today, because of that fight and that focus, our parents and grandparents on Medicare are saving [paying] hundreds less for their prescription drugs.  Our kids can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.) 

Today, because of health care, insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care, things like contraception and cancer screenings with no out-of-pocket cost.  (Applause.)

Today, because of that reform your President fought for, they can’t discriminate against us -- insurance companies -- because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or asthma.  And if you get a life-threatening illness, and you need expensive treatment, no longer can insurance companies 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 when it comes to giving our young people the education they deserve, see, Barack knows that like me and like so many young people in this country, we never could have attended college without financial aid.  (Applause.)  You are looking at two people who would not be where we are today if it weren’t for financial aid.  In fact, when Barack and I were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.  Yeah.  (Laughter.) 

So when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we have been there.  This is not a hypothetical for us.  And that is why Barack fought so hard to double funding for Pell grants and to keep interest rates down so that more of our young people can afford college and reach for opportunities. 

And finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women, when it comes to standing up for our rights and opportunities, here’s one thing you know:  My husband will always have our backs.  Always.  (Applause.)  Barack knows from personal experience what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace. 

And let me tell you, today, as a father of two beautiful daughters, he knows what it means to want those young women in this country to have the same rights and freedoms as our sons.  And that is why the very first bill he signed into law, the very first thing he did as President of the United States, was to sign the Lilly Ledbetter fair Pay Act 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.  (Applause.)  That is what your President stands for.

So now that we’re at 11 days out -- and I know you’re going to be out there, right?  (Applause.)  You’re going to be taking to people.  When people ask you what this President has done for our country, when you run into people who are still deciding which of these guys is going to be the best one to help keep America moving forward, a few things you can tell them.  In addition to everything he has done for our economy, for health care, for education, for women, I want you to tell them how Barack ended the war in Iraq.  Tell them how he took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Remind them how he is fighting every day to get veterans and military families the benefits that they have earned.  (Applause.)   

Tell them about all the young immigrants in this country who will no longer have to live in fear of being deported from the only country they have ever called home.  Remind them, tell them about the brave servicemembers who will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)   

And remind them of the concrete plans -- do you hear me?  I emphasize “concrete” -- (laughter) -- real plans that Barack has laid out for the next four years.

Send them to our website.  We’ve got one.  (Laughter.)  BarackObama.com/plans.  And there, they can learn how he’s going to create millions of new jobs, train the best workforce in the world, boost American-made energy, reduce our deficit, end the war in Afghaniskan so -- did I say Afghanistan?  I do know how to say the word -- (laughter) -- so that we can do some nation building here at home.

And tell them, please -- this is the most important thing that I want you to tell them about their President.  I want you to tell them that Barack Obama knows the American Dream because he’s lived it.  He has lived it.  And he is fighting 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. 

But let’s be very clear.  While he is proud of all that we have achieved together -- and we have done this together -- my husband is nowhere near satisfied.  Of all the people on this planet, Barack knows that too many people are still hurting.  He knows very well 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 finish rebuilding an economy from the brink of collapse.  

But here’s the thing that I know for sure:  Thankfully, in this President, Barack Obama, we have a leader with a deep and unyielding faith in the American people; a leader who understands that this country was built by men and women who wake up every day and work hard for their families without complaint or regret.  

And as President, that’s what my husband has been fighting for.  As President, he has been fighting for us.  And that is why, when the stakes are so high, we can always trust that this man, this wonderful man that I have the pleasure to be married to, that he will always have our backs.

And over the last four years, know this -- together, we have slowly, but surely been pulling ourselves out of that hole that we started in.  We are steadily moving this country forward and making real, meaningful change. 

So this is what we have to ask ourselves:  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’ve worked for and struggled for and fought for to just slip away?

AUDIENCE:  No!

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

But in the end, the answer to these questions is now up to us.  It is now on us -- because, yes, all of our hard work, all the progress that we’ve made, it is so clearly all on the line.  Looking at these two candidates, understand that it is all at stake this November.  Let us not even hazard to wonder what that’s going to be like.  

But here’s the thing I want you to know in all sincerity, that your support, everything that you all have been doing --  the checks that you have written, the prayers you have sent, the work that you have done -– that has made all the difference every step of the way.  And you all always thank us, but we stand here, stand up straight, breathing in and out every day because of your support. 

Because of you, we have got hundreds of field offices throughout the -- thousands of staff and amazing volunteers.  Sarah, you’ve seen it.  It’s pretty awesome.  They’re everywhere in those key battleground states. 

We are on the airwaves because of your support.  We have got phone banks across this country because of your support.  We are reaching millions of voters every single day because of what you all have done.  You all have made that possible, and I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are.

But as my husband has said, you know very well, if you’re watching TV too much -- and I urge you to take a break from the TV.  (Laughter.)  There are a few people, I know.  Stop watching the TV.  (Laughter.)  This is the time to let it go.  But as Barack has said from the very beginning, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is the only guarantee, and that’s all you need to know, it’s going to be close.

And in 2008, that last one was close.  It felt the same way.  For those of you who were with us, the 11 days out felt just the same.  Trust me, I remember.  (Laughter.) 

But here are some statistics.  When you look back to 2008 -- and I quote these statistics everywhere I go because they are pretty profound for me -- we won the state of North Carolina by just 14,000 votes.  All right?  And if you break that down across precincts throughout this entire state, that’s just five votes per precinct.  That was the margin of difference.  In Nevada, we won by about 121,000 votes.  Break that across precincts, that’s just 69 votes per precinct.

So those numbers are pretty sobering.  But that’s how close these elections are.  So make no mistake about it, what we all do for the next 11 days will absolutely make the difference between waking up the day after Election Day and asking ourselves that horrible question, “Could we have done more?”  Or feeling the promise of four more years.  That is the difference.

So we are going to need your support more than ever before.  Treat these 11 days like the last five minutes of a horrible workout.  (Laughter and applause.)  You can get through anything.  Just bear down.  Don’t look at the clock too much.  (Laughter.)  It will be over before you know.  (Laughter.)  But we need you to keep doing what you’re doing.  Keep writing those checks.  If you have not maxed, max out.  (Laughter.)  I know you’re hearing that, so max out.  Do it.  Make it -- find the friends, make them max out.  Get all of them together and shake them.  (Laughter.) 

That is one of the most important things that you all can do to keep our grassroots operation running strong across this country.  Because let me just say this -- in a tight race, it is the ground game that makes the difference.  It’s who can get their supporters out that makes the difference.  Who’s running those phone banks; who has a plan.  All right?  So these efforts make a difference. 

And for those of you who want to get out there and roll up your sleeves, there’s room for that.  You can sign up at California.BarackObama.com, and you can go there to find out how you can get to Nevada and go do some door-knocking.

These last few days before the election are so critical, especially next weekend and Election Day.  So if you can give just one or two days, we need you to head to Nevada and help us to get out the vote there.  And that’s another way to ease yourself of the anxiety.  (Laughter.)  Get out.  Get out.

And it is true, when I go home, I do not turn on the TV, because the difference between what you hear on the TV and what you feel on the ground is night and day.  So either turn off the TV or get out and knock on some doors.  (Laughter.)  This is just friendly advice.  (Laughter and applause.)

But if you’re not able to leave home, you can also sign up to make calls from one of our phone banks here in California, or even, you can do it from the comfort of your own home.  You can go to dashboard.barackobama.com.

And, young people, you help your parents and your grandparents do this.  (Laughter.)  Because we’ve got a lot of young people who gather up friends, they get their cell phones, they sign up, and they’re making phone calls -- because they understand technology.  (Laughter.)  I don’t know how that happens.  I’m one of those people without the iPhone.  I can’t get any of that right.  But this is where, young people, help your parents and grandparents. 

 And we’ve got one of our staffers here today, Peggy Moore -- Peggy?  Peggy where are you?  Is Peggy -- there is Peggy in the back.  (Applause.)  And she is here to answer questions and help you get started.  So if you want to figure out how to do any of this, Peggy is here.  Find her.  Drive her crazy.  (Laughter.)  She will be here as long as it takes.  All right?  That’s our plan.  That is our secret plan.  All right?  It seems pretty doable, right?  But we’re going to need you all to be focused and fired up. 

And again, I will be honest with you, this journey, it is going to be hard.  These next 11 days -- oh, they’re going to feel like they go so slow and there are going to be ups and downs.  I mean, you’ve seen the last few weeks -- ups and downs.  And this is the political life you want to live?  You sure about this?  (Laughter.)   

But remember this -- no matter what, from now until November, we all need to keep on working and struggling and pushing forward, because that’s how change always happens in this country.

We know from history that change is hard.  Real change is always hard, and it requires patience and tenacity.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, if we keep doing what we know in our hearts is right, then eventually we get there, we always do.

So we cannot let anyone talk down our dreams and aspirations.  We cannot let anyone talk down our country or this country’s future.

We have every reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead, because here in America, we always move forward.  (Applause.)  That is what makes us great.  We have never gone back. 

And in the end, that’s what this is about.  That’s what elections are always about.  Don’t let anybody tell you differently -- elections are always about hope.  

What kind of hope?  The hope that I saw on my father’s beaming face as I crossed that stage to get my college diploma, the diploma he took out loans to help me get.  The hope that Barack’s grandmother felt as she cast her ballot for the grandson she loved and raised.  That’s the hope I’m talking about.  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 more.  The hope that so many of us feel when we look into the eyes of our own kids and our grandkids.  That’s the hope we’re fighting for.

That’s why all of us are here today.  We can never forget that -- because we are here for our children.  We are here because we want to give all of our children a solid foundation for their dreams -- all of them.  We want to give all of our children in this country, opportunities worthy of their promise.  Because all of children are worthy -- we know that.  I don’t care what party we are.  We know that our children are worthy.     

We want to give our kids that sense of limitless possibility -- that belief that here in America, the greatest country on Earth, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it. 

So as I feel tired or sluggish or anything, I remind myself that’s why I’m here.  If you detect any passion in my voice -- (laughter) -- it is because I know in my heart that we will not turn back now.  Not now.  We cannot do that to our children.  We have come so far, but we also know we have so much more work to do.

So here’s my last question:  Are we ready for this?  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?  (Applause.)  Do what it takes, max out, get on the phone, learn how to use the computer.  (Applause.)  Go to Nevada.  (Applause.)  Do whatever it takes.  Are we ready for this?  We are going to need you every step of the way -- 11 more days -- we can make this happen.

Thank you all so much.  God bless you.  (Applause.)