Remarks by the President at Univision Town Hall with Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas

University of Miami
Miami, Florida

2:15 P.M. EDT
 
Q Please welcome the President of the United States. (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
 
Q Welcome. Thank you for being here with us.
 
THE PRESIDENT: Muchas gracias.
 
Q Before we start, before talking about education and its future, we would like to talk about something that is happening right now in recent news. As we know, at the present time, 1,000 people are trying to get into the embassy in Pakistan, and we have seen protests, anti-American protests in thousands of countries.
 
We know in Libya, four Americans were killed. We know now that Ambassador Chris Stevens warned about security days before he was killed. Many people want to know whether -- if you expected so much anti-American sentiment in the Islamic world. And why wasn't your administration better prepared with more security at our embassies on September 11?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, obviously we mourn the loss of the Americans who were killed in Benghazi. But I think it's important to understand that that’s not representative of the attitudes of the Libyan people towards America, because they understand because of the incredible work that our diplomats did as well as our men and women in uniform, we liberated that country from a dictator who had terrorized them for 40 years. And Chris Stevens, the ambassador there, was one of the leaders of that process. So when he was killed, there were vigils in Libya but also in front of the White House expressing the deep sorrow that the Libyan people felt towards them.
 
What we've seen over the last week, week and a half, is something that actually we've seen in the past, where there is an offensive video or cartoon directed at the prophet Muhammad. And this is obviously something that then is used as an excuse by some to carry out inexcusable violent acts directed at Westerners or Americans.
 
And my number-one priority is always to keep our diplomats safe and to keep our embassies safe. And so when the initial events happened in Cairo and all across the region, we worked with Secretary Clinton to redouble our security and to send a message to the leaders of these countries, essentially saying, although we had nothing to do with the video, we find it offensive, it's not representative of America's views, how we treat each other with respect when it comes to their religious beliefs, but we will not tolerate violence.
 
And our goal now is not only to make sure that our embassies and our diplomats are safe, but also to make sure that we bring those who carried out these events to justice.
 
There is a larger issue, and that is what's going to be happening in the Arab Spring as these countries transition from dictatorship to democracy. And we cannot replace the tyranny of a dictator with the tyranny of a mob. And so my message to the Presidents of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and these other countries is, we want to be a partner with you, we will work with you, and we stand on the side of democracy, but democracy is not just an election; it's also, are you looking out for minority rights, are you respecting freedom of speech, are you treating women fairly.
 
All these issues are ones that the region is going to wrestle with. The one thing we can't do is withdraw from the region, because the United States continues to be the one indispensable nation. And even countries where the United States is criticized, they still want our leadership and they still look to us to make sure that we're providing opportunity and peace. And so we're going to continue to work in these regions.
 
Q We have reports that the White House said today that the attacks in Libya were a terrorist attack. Do you have information indicating that it was Iran, or al Qaeda was behind organizing the protests?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're still doing an investigation, and there are going to be different circumstances in different countries. And so I don’t want to speak to something until we have all the information. What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests --
 
Q Al Qaeda?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we don’t know yet. And so we're going to continue to investigate this. We've insisted on and have received so far full cooperation from countries like Egypt and Libya and Tunisia in not only protecting our diplomatic posts, but also to make sure that we discover who, in fact, is trying to take advantage of this.
 
But this is part of the reason why we have to remain vigilant. Look, when I came into office I said I would end the war in Iraq -- and I did. I said that we would begin transitioning in Afghanistan so that over time Afghans can take responsibility for their own security. But what I also said was we’re going to have to focus narrowly and forcefully on groups like al Qaeda, the ones that carried out the 9/11 attacks and the ones that still threaten U.S. interests.
 
And those forces have not gone away. We’ve decimated al Qaeda’s top leadership in the border regions around Pakistan, but in Yemen, in Libya, in other of these places -- increasingly in places like Syria -- what you see is these elements that don’t have the same capacity that a bin Laden or core al Qaeda had, but can still cause a lot of damage, and we’ve got to make sure that we remain vigilant and are focused on preventing them from doing us any harm.
 
Q Mr. President, I want to ask you something that is known as the “Obama promise,” and you knew that I was going to ask you about that. On May 28th, 2008, we had a conversation in Denver, Colorado, and you told me the following -- and I’m going to quote you: "But I can guarantee that we will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly support."
 
I want to emphasize "the first year." At the beginning of your governing, you had control of both chambers of Congress, and yet you did not introduce immigration reform. And before I continue, I want for you to acknowledge that you did not keep your promise.
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me first of all, Jorge, make a point that when we talked about immigration reform in the first year, that’s before the economy was on the verge of collapse -- Lehman Brothers had collapsed, the stock market was collapsing. And so my first priority was making sure that we prevented us from going into a Great Depression.
 
And I think everybody here remembers where we were four years ago. We lost 800,000 jobs the month that I took office. Small businesses and big businesses couldn’t get financing. People had seen their 401(k)s evaporate. People were losing homes left and right.
 
And so we had to take a whole series of emergency actions to make sure that we put people back to work, cutting taxes for middle-class families and small businesses so that they could stay open or pay the bills, making sure that states got assistance so they didn’t have to lay off teachers and firefighters and police officers, saving an auto industry that was on the brink of collapse.
 
And so that took up a huge amount of time in the first year. But even in that first year, one of my first acts was to invite every single member of Congress who had previously been supportive of comprehensive immigration reform, and to say to them, we need to get this done. This is something I believe in deeply because we are a nation of laws and we’re a nation of immigrants. And I am willing to work with anybody to strengthen our border security and to crack down on employers who are taking advantage of undocumented workers, but what we also have to do is provide a pathway for all those millions of hardworking people who are simply here looking after their families, and oftentimes they’ve put deep roots in this country.
 
And what I confess I did not expect -- and so I’m happy to take responsibility for being naive here -- is that Republicans who had previously supported comprehensive immigration reform -- my opponent in 2008, who had been a champion of it and who attended these meetings -- suddenly would walk away. That’s what I did not anticipate.
 
And as you know, Jorge, even though we controlled the House of Representatives, even though we had a majority in the Senate, the way the Senate operates was if you couldn’t get 60 votes you couldn’t get something moving. So we initiated the meetings, had a series of meetings. And what we could not get was a single Republican, including the 20 who had previously voted for comprehensive immigration reform, to step up and say, we will work with you to make this happen.
 
Q It was a promise, Mr. President. And I don't want to -- because this is very important, I don’t want to get you off the explanation. You promised that. And a promise is a promise. And with all due respect, you didn’t keep that promise.
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, here is what I would say, Jorge, is that -- and we’ve had this conversation before. There’s the thinking that the President is somebody who is all powerful and can get everything done. In our branch of -- in our system of government, I am the head of the executive branch. I’m not the head of the legislature; I’m not the head of the judiciary. We have to have cooperation from all these sources in order to get something done. And so I am happy to take responsibility for the fact that we didn’t get it done, but I did not make a promise that I would get everything done, 100 percent, when I was elected as President.
 
What I promised was that I would work every single day as hard as I can to make sure that everybody in this country, regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they come from, that they would have a fair shot at the American Dream. And I have -- that promise I’ve kept.
 
And what I’ve also -- I think is relevant for today’s session is the fact that I have never wavered in my support of comprehensive immigration reform. We did put forward a DREAM Act that was passed in the House, got the overwhelming majority of support from Democrats in the Senate, and was blocked by the Republican Party.
 
We now are confronted with a choice between two candidates in which the candidate sitting here with you today is committed to comprehensive immigration reform, is committed to the DREAM Act, has taken administrative actions to prevent young people from being deported. And that stands in contrast with the other candidate who has said he would veto the DREAM Act, that he is uncertain about what his plan for immigration reform would be, and who considers the Arizona law a model for the nation and has suggested that the main solution for immigration is self-deportation.
 
So the issue here for voters -- whose vision best represents the aspirations not just of the Latino community but of all Americans who believe that we are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants? And that candidate, I believe, is talking to you right now. (Applause.)
 
Q I'm going to ask you some questions -- you promised that on Facebook -- and we have received this question: If you are reelected, do you think you’ll be able to have immigration reform even though there’s a majority of Republican representatives? How can you promise the same thing if you’re not going to be able to do that?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I’m not going to concede that Republicans necessarily are controlling the Congress. That’s why we have elections. (Applause.)
 
But let’s assume that the Republicans do retain the House, let’s say. What I can -- what I’m absolutely certain of is if the Latino community and the American community that cares about this issue turns out to vote, they can send a message that this is not something to use as a political football, that people’s lives are at stake, that this is a problem that we can solve and historically has had bipartisan support.
 
And I actually think the mindset within the Republican Party can change -- because when you think about it, not only was it fairly recently that we had some Republican support, but even now you have voices like the former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, who has said that the Republican Party has taken an extreme view, a wrong approach when it comes to immigration reform.
 
So my hope is, is that after the election -- when the number-one goal is no longer beating me, but hopefully the number-one goal is solving the country’s problems -- if they have seen that people who care about this issue have turned out in strong numbers, that they will rethink it, if not because it’s the right thing to do, at least because it’s in their political interest to do so.
 
Q Mr. President, you have been the President who has made the largest number of deportations in history -- more than 1.5 million so far. You’ve separated many families. There are more than 5,000 children who are American citizens in foster care and in the adoption process. Would you just -- since you’ve granted deferred action, would you like to do something -- consider doing something similar to other groups of non-criminal illegal immigrants such as the parents of U.S.-born children?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me describe sort of how we’ve tried to approach this given that we haven’t gotten comprehensive immigration reform done yet. My instructions to the Department of Homeland Security has been that we have to focus our attention, our enforcement, on people who genuinely pose a threat to our communities, not to hardworking families who are minding their own business and oftentimes have members of their family who are U.S. citizens -- because that’s a -- that's a priority in terms of limited enforcement resources. We don’t have the capacity to enforce across the board when you’re talking about millions of people. And we’ve done that.
 
So more than half of our enforcement now is directed at people with criminal records. Of the remaining half, about two-thirds are actually people who are typically apprehended close to the border, so these are not people who have longstanding roots in our community. And what we’ve tried to do then is focus our attention on real threats, and make sure that families of the sort that you describe are not the targets of DHS resources.
 
Now, what I’ve always said is, as the head of the executive branch, there’s a limit to what I can do. Part of the reason that deportations went up was Congress put a whole lot of money into it, and when you have a lot of resources and a lot more agents involved, then there are going to be higher numbers. What we’ve said is, let’s make sure that you’re not misdirecting those resources. But we’re still going to, ultimately, have to change the laws in order to avoid some of the heartbreaking stories that you see coming up occasionally. And that’s why this continues to be a top priority of mine.
 
The steps we’ve taken with the DREAM Act kids, one of the great things about it is to see that the country as a whole has actually agreed with us on this. There are voices in the Republican Party have been very critical, but the good news is, is that the majority of Americans have said, you know what, if somebody lives here, has gone to school here, pledges allegiance to our flag, this is the only country they’ve known, they shouldn’t be sent away. We should embrace them and say we want you to help build this country.
 
So we’ve got public opinion on our side on that issue. And we will continue to make sure that how we enforce is done as fairly and justly as possible. But until we have a law in place that provides a pathway for legalization and/or citizenship for the folks in question, we’re going to be -- continue to be bound by the law. And that’s a challenge.
 
Q Mr. President, the fact that you mentioned deferred action was granted months before the election has led some of your critics to say that it was just only to win the Hispanic vote. Why didn’t you do that earlier during your presidency?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think if you take a look at the polls, I was winning the Latino vote before we took that action -- partly because the other side had completely abandoned their commitment to things like comprehensive immigration reform.
 
But I did this because I met young people all across the country -- wonderful kids who sometimes were valedictorians, would participate in the community, has aspirations to go to college, some who were serving in our military -- and if you heard their stories, there’s no way that you would think it was fair or just for us to have them suffering under a cloud of deportation.
 
And so part of the challenge as President is constantly saying, what authorities do I have. What we wanted to do was first make sure that we were directing our enforcement resources towards criminals and we’ve done that. And after we put that system in place we said, you know what, we’re still hearing stories of young people being scared about being deported; it’s time to see if we can take even further action. And that’s what we’ve done.
 
Q Thank you. Mr. President, now we are going to talk about education.
 
Q One out of 10 Hispanics -- only one out of 10 graduates from college. And you know that one out of three, not even 25 percent, finishes high school.
 
And this is the question: First of all, I want to say, Mr. President, it’s an honor for me to be here. I’m a candidate for a doctorate in special education studies at the university level. So I would like to know, what do you attribute the dropout rate among Hispanics in the United States -- 15 percent -- and what plans do you have to change that?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, one of my most important plans is to make sure that people like you can continue your studies and help solve the problem. And that’s why we’ve put such a big emphasis on making sure that college is affordable.
 
And some of the work that we’ve done over the last four years to make sure that the student loan interest rate stays low, expanding Pell grants for millions of students, including millions of Latino students, so that we are seeing the highest college enrollment rate among Latino students in history -- all that is going to help to contribute to us being able to deal with the problem of secondary and high school educations because you're going to be inspiring a whole lot of students to say, I can do that, too; I can achieve that dream.
 
Now, one of the things we know is going to make a big difference is early childhood education. So we've put enormous effort not only in providing additional funding for early childhood education, but also to improve the quality of early childhood education -- because not all programs work perfectly.
 
We've also been very proud to be able to initiate reform in 46 states around the country -- almost every state has initiated reforms -- because what we've said is we'll give you more money if you initiate reforms that focus on dropout rates, that focus on some of the hardest-to-reach students, that focus on getting great teachers in the classroom and holding yourself to high standards and accountability.
 
So we've seen already gains in math and science in many of these schools. We've given additional dollars to some schools, predominantly Latino and African American, where the dropout rate is sky-high. And we've said, in some cases, you may just have to rework the school entirely. Get a great principal in there, hire wonderful teachers, and we will provide you additional help.
 
Now, for those of you who care deeply about education -- because education was a gateway of opportunity for me, for Michelle, and for many of the people sitting here -- this should be a vital decision that guides you in this upcoming election. Because even as we've done all this work to make sure that college is more affordable, that we're reforming our schools, what you've seen on the other side and what's been proposed by my opponent is a budget that would cut 20 percent of education funding, that would roll back tax credits that we're providing middle-class families to help them send their kids to college, that would put billions of dollars back into the hands of banks as middlemen for the student loan program, which would then eliminate or reduce funding for Pell grants for millions of students around the country.
 
So, across the board, what you'll hear from my opponent and from some of his allies in Congress is, we care deeply about education, but they don't put their money where their mouth is. Their budget doesn’t reflect those values.
 
And I'm a firm believer that money alone can't solve the problem. Parents, we have to make sure that we're turning off the TV and providing a quiet space for our kids to do their homework. Teachers have to inspire. Principals have to lead. But ultimately, along with reform efforts, we also have to make sure that we don't have overcrowded classrooms and textbooks that are outdated.
 
I was in Las Vegas talking to some wonderful teachers in a predominantly Latino district, and the teachers were telling me, at the start of school we've got 42 kids in the classroom. Some kids are sitting on the floor until they eventually get reassigned. They lose two weeks of instruction time just because the classrooms are so overcrowded. There are schools, particular in Latino communities, all across this country where kids are still studying in trailers. They don't have regular classrooms, textbooks that are decades old.
 
Now, if we truly believe that education is the key not only for opportunity but also for making sure we can compete in this 21st century economy that is not a tolerable situation. And I put forward specific plans, with the budget behind it, to deal with these issues. And my opponent would actually roll back the process that we’ve already made.
 
Q Mr. President, we have time, but we have many more questions. We’re going to take a break and then we’ll be right back with many of those most important questions that Hispanics want to ask of the President, Barack Obama. (Applause.)
 
 * * *
 
Q We’ll continue with this special program right here because the debate commission didn’t want to have any Hispanic or African American journalists. So we decided to have our own meeting.
 
THE PRESIDENT: We're thrilled to be here. (Applause.)
 
Q We have an education question. I think that it’s something that reminded problems our country has was the recent strike of 29,000 teachers who left 350,000 students out of school, and we have a question about that. This is a Facebook question: What is your plan to solve the present education crisis? What happened in Chicago could also happen in California and other states very soon. Are you concerned about that?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, obviously what happened in Chicago was of concern, and we’re glad that it finally got resolved. But you’re going to see school districts all across the country dealing with this issue because part of what has happened over the last four years is a lot of teacher layoffs.
 
Now, when I first came into office, one of the most important things that we had to do was to help states and local communities not lay off teachers. And that was part of what the Recovery Act was all about -- was providing states with help. Because we can’t afford to be laying off teachers when other countries are hiring teachers.
 
Unfortunately, though, we’ve still seen a lot of school districts lay off teachers. That has an impact on the students themselves because when you have larger classes, it’s harder to provide the individualized attention on those kids, especially at the younger grades.
 
This is, again, why the difference between the two candidates in this election is so important. If Governor Romney's and Congressman Ryan’s budgets were introduced, you would see even less -- by a magnitude of 20 percent -- even less resources from the federal government to the states, and you could see potentially even more teachers being laid off, working conditions for teachers becoming worse, potentially more strikes.
 
And what we say to school districts all across the country is, we will provide you more help as long as you’re being held accountable. And as far as teachers go, I think they work as hard as anybody, but we also want to make sure that they are having high standards of performance, especially in math and science. So one of the plans that I presented at the convention was I want to hire 100,000 new math and science teachers, because that’s how teachers do better, students do better, the likelihood of strikes become lower.
 
Q Mr. President, I had the opportunity to watch our conversation with Mitt Romney yesterday, but previously in a video he has said that he was not concerned about the 47 percent of the population in the United States. But yesterday he said that he wanted to be the President of 100 percent of Americans. For you, which is the two is the true Mitt Romney? (Laughter.)
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, here’s what I would say. First of all, I’ve been President now for almost four years. But the day I was elected, that night in Grant Park where I spoke to the country, I said, 47 percent of the people didn’t vote for me, but I’ve heard your voices and I’m going to work just as hard for you as I did for those who did vote for me. That’s how you have to operate as a President. I truly believe that. (Applause.)
 
I think your question, Jorge, about what’s the real Mitt Romney is better directed to Mr. Romney. But I will say this. When you express an attitude that half the country considers itself victims, that somehow they want to be dependent on government, my thinking is maybe you haven’t gotten around a lot, because I travel around the country all the time and the American people are the hardest working there are. (Applause.)
 
And their problem is not that they're not working hard enough, or they don't want to work, or they're being taxed too little, or they just want to loaf around and gather government checks. We’ve gone through a challenging time. People want a hand up, not a handout.
 
Are there people who abuse the system? Yes, both at the bottom and at the top -- because there are a whole bunch of millionaires who aren’t paying taxes at all either. (Applause.) But when you look -- last point I’d make -- when you look statistically, it turns out that even if people aren’t paying income taxes, they're paying payroll taxes. They're paying gas taxes. They're paying sales taxes. They're paying state and local taxes.
 
So the fact of the matter is that the few people who are not paying -- the people who are not paying income taxes are either paying a lot of taxes because they're working every day but they just don't make enough money overall to pay income tax; or alternatively, they're senior citizens; or they’re students who -- I know these guys aren’t making a lot of money, even with some work-study program. (Laughter.) Or they're disabled; or, in some cases, they're veterans or soldiers who are fighting for us right now overseas -- they don't pay an income tax.
 
And so I just think it’s very important for us to understand Americans work hard, and if they're not working right now, I promise you they want to get to work. And that's what my economic plan is designed to do, to get more people back to work, and to lift up the middle class and people who want to work to get into the middle class. (Applause.)
 
Q Mr. President, I am a student at the journalism school at UM. This is my question to you. What would you recommend to Latina women such as me in order to be successful in my search for employment in the United States?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, you’ve got great role models here in journalism, particularly Maria Elena Salinas. (Laughter.)
 
Q Thank you. Because I ask you the tough questions.
 
THE PRESIDENT: But, look, the economy has been very tough for the last four years, and so there are a lot of young people out there who’ve graduated, have a great education, but have still had trouble getting work. The good news is over the last 30 months we’ve seen job growth every single month -- 4.5 million new jobs.
 
The most important thing you can do, the best investment you can make to make sure you have a good job is to get a college education. So what you’re doing now cuts in half the likelihood that you end up unemployed.
 
The most important message, I guess I would tell you, though, is what I tell my daughters, which is that America remains a country where if you work hard and you don't give up and you are persistent, you can succeed. And the good news is that because of some of the battles that were fought before you were born and, in some cases, before I was born, opportunity is opening up for more and more people -- for women, for Latinas, Latinos, for African Americans. So you can go as far as your dreams will take you.
 
The big concern that I have is making sure that as you’re paying for your education, you don't get burdened with tons of debt. And that’s why we focus so much on taking billions of dollars that were going to banks and making sure that we cut out the middlemen, provide some of these loans directly to students, or grants directly to students. And now we're working with colleges and universities to keep tuition lower in order to make sure that when you get that first job, it may not pay everything you want -- my first job, by the way, I made $10,000 a year.
 
So there's nothing wrong with taking a job that doesn’t pay a lot if it's what you're interested in, as long as you don’t have these huge debt burdens that so many young people have now. And that’s a big contrast in this election. (Applause.)
 
Q Mr. President, we have a question that is very important for us and also our neighbors in Mexico. You have supported the President Calderón policy against drug trafficking. Now, there's a new President who will be taking office at the same time if you were to win. So do you think that after 65,000 deaths it's time to change the strategy? Can you consider the 65,000 a failure and the policy should change?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, obviously, there has been an extraordinary battle within Mexico to try to gain control over territories that, in some cases, have been just terrorized by these drug cartels. And I commend President Calderón for his courage in standing up to these cartels, and we have worked very closely and cooperatively with them in dealing with this issue.
 
Now, what I will be saying to the new President of Mexico when he takes office is that we want to continue that cooperation, and we recognize this is a threat on both sides of the border. We make a mistake if we just say this is Mexico's problem because we obviously generate a lot of demand for drugs in this country, and guns and cash flow south at the same time as drugs flow north. That’s why --
 
Q How many more people have to die before this issue --
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, what we need to do is to weaken the grip of these drug cartels, and there are a couple of things we can do. Number one, the United States can focus on drug treatment and prevention, and helping people deal with addiction, making sure that young people are not getting hooked on drugs. If we can reduce demand, that means less cash flowing into these drug cartels. And we have actually beefed up our investment and support of prevention, because we have to treat this as a public health problem here in the United States, not just a law enforcement problem.
 
The other thing that we try to do is to work much more aggressively in preventing the flow of guns and cash down into Mexico. And so interdiction has to work both ways.
 
But ultimately, Mexico is also going to have to come to terms with the fact that in some communities and in some cities, law enforcement has been outgunned or compromised by the strength of these drug cartels. And we want to help them, but they’re going to also have to take action to continue to keep pressure on these drugs cartels. And that includes not just police, by the way, it also means the judiciary, their prosecutors -- that if they capture drug kingpins that they actually stay in jail.
 
There’s a whole series of issues involved in law enforcement, and we’re proving them advice, but ultimately they’re a sovereign country and they’re going to have to take some of those steps as well. But we want to be partners with them throughout this process.
 
Q Mr. President, you told me during an interview that you -- Eric Holder or you did not authorize the Fast and Furious operation that allowed 2,000 weapons from the United States to Mexico, and they were in drug-trafficking hands. I think that up to 100 Mexicans might have died, and also American agent, Brian Terry. There’s a report that 14 agents were responsible for the operation. But shouldn’t Attorney General Eric Holder -- he should have known about that. And if he didn’t, should you fire him?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I think it’s important for us to understand that the Fast and Furious program was a field-initiated program begun under the previous administration. When Eric Holder found out about it, he discontinued it. We assigned an inspector general to do a thorough report that was just issued, confirming that, in fact, Eric Holder did not know about this, that he took prompt action and the people who did initiate this were held accountable.
 
But what I think is most important is recognizing that we’ve got a challenge in terms of weapons flowing south. And the strategy that was pursued, obviously, out of Arizona, was completely wrongheaded. Those folks who were responsible have been held accountable. The question now is how do we move forward with a strategy that will actually work.
 
And we are going to have to work with Mexican law enforcement to accomplish this. But I will tell you that Eric Holder has my complete confidence because he has shown himself to be willing to hold accountable those who took these actions and is passionate about making sure that we’re preventing guns from getting into the wrong hands.
 
Q But if you have nothing to hide then why are you not releasing papers to this?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, actually, the truth is we’ve released thousands of papers --
 
Q But not all of them.
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ve released almost all of them. The ones that we don’t release typically relate to internal communications that were not related to the actual Fast and Furious operation.
 
And so the challenge that we have is that at any given moment in the federal government, there may be people who do dumb things. And I’ve seen it, I promise. (Laughter.) And ultimately, I’m responsible, and my key managers, including the Attorney General, are responsible, for holding those people accountable, for making sure that they are fired if they do dumb things, and then fixing the system to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. And I’m very confident that you will not see any kind of actions like this in the future.
 
But what I don’t like to see is these kinds of issues becoming political circuses or ways to score political points in Congress -- partly because it becomes a distraction from us doing the business that we need to do for the American people.
 
Q Very briefly, talking about the same question -- you know we have just one minute left. Why don’t just have an independent investigation? Because at the end of the day, it was just the Justice Department investigating its boss and saying that he’s not at fault. Why don’t we have -- very briefly -- independent investigation that is not from the Justice Department?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Maria Elena, understand that not only have we had multiple hearings in Congress, but the inspector general is put in place specifically to be independent from the Attorney General. And this Attorney General’s report was not a whitewash in any way. I mean, it was tough on the Justice Department. And it indicated that potentially more supervision was needed; people should have known in some cases, even if they didn’t actually know. So it was, I think, independent, honest. It was a clear assessment of what had gone wrong in that situation.
 
And we are happy to continue to provide the information that is relevant to this. But one of the things that happens in Washington is, very quickly these issues become political distractions as opposed to us actually solving the problems that we need to solve. And this issue of guns flowing south is a hard issue to solve. Because this country respects the Second Amendment; we want to protect the rights of gun owners and those who are seeking to purchase firearms. But oftentimes that’s exploited as well. And so we’ve got to make sure that we’re properly balancing the rights of U.S. citizens, but making sure that we’re also interdicting those arms that would get into the hands of criminals.
 
Q Mr. President, thank you so much. We’re going to have a last break and then we’re going to continue with a President Barack Obama. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
 
 * * *
 
Q Something different, something personal. I don't know what you're reading before going to sleep right now. I don’t know if you have already read the book "No Easy Day," in which a Navy SEAL tells the story of how Osama bin Laden was killed. According to many, his death was your biggest achievement. What is your biggest failure?
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Jorge, as you remind me, my biggest failure so far is we haven’t gotten comprehensive immigration reform done. (Laughter.) So we’re going to be continuing to work on that. (Applause.) But it’s not for lack of trying or desire, and I’m confident we’re going to accomplish that.
 
Obviously the fact that we haven’t been able to change the tone in Washington is disappointing. We know now that as soon as I came into office you already had meetings among some of our Republican colleagues saying, how do we figure out how to beat the President. And I think that I’ve learned some lessons over the last four years, and the most important lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside. That’s how I got elected, and that’s how the big accomplishments like health care got done, was because we mobilized the American people to speak out. That’s how we were able to cut taxes for middle-class families.
 
So something that I’d really like to concentrate on in my second term is being in a much more constant conversation with the American people so that they can put pressure on Congress to help move some of these issues forward. (Applause.)
 
Q Yes, as you said, that’s your biggest failure and Jorge asked you do you consider that you broke your promise. So I think the answer is, yes, with many excuses, but you actually broke your promise.
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, what I will say this -- what I’ll say is that -- that I haven’t gotten everything done that I wanted to get done. And that’s why I’m running for a second term -- because we’ve still got more work to do. (Applause.)
 
The good news is I think that we can build on the progress that we’ve made. The actions we took in terms of deferred action give us the basis now to get something done for the DREAMers, to get comprehensive immigration reform done.
 
The progress that we’ve made in helping young people finance their college educations serves as a basis for us to continue to try to bring tuition down and college graduation rates up. The 4.5 million jobs that we’ve already created gives us the basis for us now doubling down on manufacturing, and making sure that community colleges are training people for the jobs that are out there right now. The opportunities that we have in implementing health care -- which is going to be providing millions of Americans, including millions of Latinos, for the first time, who've worked so hard, the peace of mind of knowing that they have affordable health care.
 
All those issues are ones that we’re very proud of, but we know we’re not done yet. And that’s exactly why this election is going to be so important.
 
Q Mr. President, thank you so much for spending this hour with us. And as we said yesterday, we did the same with Mitt Romney, and we want to give you the opportunity for you to talk to our audience on camera. So you can talk to Hispanics to try to convince them, for them to vote for you.
 
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it is my pleasure. Thank you so much for the time that you’ve given me and for this audience. And the U of Miami, thank you. We appreciate you. (Applause.)
 
I truly believe this is the most important election of our lifetimes. We’ve gone through some very tough times together over these last four years. But now we’ve got a choice about how we move forward.
 
My opponents, they think that if we provide tax cuts to folks at the very top, that somehow that’s going to result in jobs and opportunity for everybody. I’ve got a different philosophy. What I believe is, is that our economy grows best when it grows from the middle out and the bottom up; when everybody has got a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same rules.
 
And so the plan that I put forward in terms of making sure that we are creating a million manufacturing jobs, that we’re providing tax breaks to companies that are investing and hiring here in the United States as opposed to shipping jobs overseas, the plan to make sure that we continue to expand opportunities for young people, making college affordable, hiring 100,000 new math and science teachers, an energy strategy that says, yes, we’re going to increase production of oil and gas and continue to cut our oil imports but also we’re developing wind power and solar power that will create new jobs and help to clean our environment, and the plan to reduce our deficit in a way that’s balanced so that we’re not providing tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires that result in massive cuts in education or that would somehow turn Medicare into a voucher -- those plans that I’ve put forward I’m confident can work, but they can only work with you.
 
So one thing that I saw in 2008 is that when the American people come together and decide that they are going to fight for the values and ideals that made this country great, we can’t be stopped. And I would urge everybody who is watching to look at my plan, look at Mr. Romney’s plan -- compare who has got a better answer for middle-class families and everybody who is striving to get into the middle class.
 
And for the Latino community, I would say that the work that we’ve done on education, on immigration, on housing, on putting people back to work, on making sure that small businesses have access to financing -- those are all issues that are representative of what you care about, your values. But you’ve got to get out there and you’ve got to make sure that you express that with your ballot.
 
So I would urge you to vote and I would ask you to vote for me and Democrats up and down the ticket. I think it will deliver for you in the future.
 
Thank you so much. (Applause.)
 
END
2:11 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina

2:35 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Yes!  All right.  (Applause.)  Wow!  Yes!  Thank you so much.  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, my goodness.  You all, thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Oh, my goodness.  All right, well, I’m done.  I’m done.  (Laughter.)  I am so thrilled to be here with all of you today.  Wow.  Wow.  Thank you guys so much.  (Applause.)
 
Let me start -- I want to say a few thank-yous.  I want to start by thanking Korey for that very kind introduction and for all of his outstanding work on our campaign.  (Applause.) 
 
I also want to recognize Congressman David Price; Mayor Bell, who is here.  (Applause.)  Our Mayor is here, Mayor Bell.  Former Congresswoman Eva Clayton has joined us today.  (Applause.)  And Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton, who is going to make a great governor for all of you here in North Carolina.  (Applause.)
 
But most of all, I want to thank all of you.  My goodness, thank you.  Thank you for being here today.  Thank you to all of the students here at North Carolina Central University.  (Applause.)  My goodness!  You all are pretty fired up and very ready to go.  (Applause.)  And that’s good, because after our convention a couple of weeks ago, I’m feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.  Yeah.  (Applause.)
 
As you all know, in Charlotte, at the convention, we heard from -- Charlotte.  Yes, indeed.  (Applause.)  We had a wonderful convention.  We head from a lot of great speakers -- folks like President Clinton, Vice President Biden.  (Applause.)  And they reminded us how much we’ve accomplished together, how much is at stake, and why we need to reelect my husband for four more years.  (Applause.)  And my job in Charlotte was pretty simple.  I had the pleasure and the honor of talking about the man I have loved and admired for 23 years and why I decided to marry him.  (Applause.)  That was an easy job.
 
Now, ladies, listen to this.  When I first met Barack, he had everything going for him.  He was handsome.  (Applause.)  Still is as far as I’m concerned.  He was charming, talented and oh-so smart.  But that is not why I married him.  Now, fellas, listen to this.  (Laughter.)  See, bring out your pad and paper.  (Laughter.)
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you, Michelle.
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Love you, too, sweetie.  Love you, too.  (Applause.) 
 
But what truly made me fall in love with Barack Obama was his character.  Did you hear me?  His character.  It was his decency.  (Applause.)  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 Barack was so devoted to his family, especially the women in his life.  (Applause.)  See, you’ve got to watch out for this.
 
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 and catching that bus to her job at the community bank, making sure she was doing whatever she could 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 just kept on doing that same job, kept on getting up year after year 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 make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.  I saw how he carried himself with that same dignity, that same pride for being able to provide for his family, that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he never dreamed of.  How many of us here have people like that in our lives?  (Applause.)
 
See, like so many families in this country, our families weren’t asking for much.  They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success.  They didn’t even mind if others had much more than they did -- in fact, they admired it.  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.  (Applause.)
 
And they also believed that when you’ve worked hard and you’ve done well and you’ve walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.  No, you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  (Applause.)  That’s how Barack and I and so many of you were raised.  See, those are the values 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 or game the system; you don’t play by your own set of rules.  (Applause.) 
 
We learned that no one gets where they are on their own, that each of us has a community of people who are lifting us up all the time, from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our school clean.  (Applause.)  And we learned to value everyone’s contribution and to treat everyone with respect.
 
We learned about citizenship and service -- that we are all 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.  (Applause.)
 
You see, these are the values that make Barack such an extraordinary husband to me, and such 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 just how critical those values are for leading this country.  (Applause.)
 
Now, over the past three and a half years, I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones -- the decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line, but about laying a foundation for the next generation.  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, when everyone is urging you to do what’s easy, what polls best or what makes 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 truly need 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.
 
See, let me tell you something, since the day he took office, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that is exactly what my husband has been doing.  That’s what you’ve seen in him.  We have seen his values at work.  We have seen his vision unfold.  We’ve seen the depths of his character, courage and conviction. 
 
Listen, think back to when Barack first took office.  Our economy was on the brink of collapse.  Newspapers were using words like “meltdown” and “calamity;” they were 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.  Banks weren’t lending, companies weren’t hiring.  The auto industry was in crisis.  This economy was losing 800,000 jobs every single month, and a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression.  See, now, this is what Barack Obama faced on day one as President.  This is what welcomed him to the Oval Office.  (Applause.)
 
But instead of pointing fingers or placing blame, Barack got to work.  (Applause.)  He got to work because he was thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother.  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 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, and today new cars are rolling off the line at proud American companies like GM.  (Applause.) 
 
And 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 4.6 million new jobs under this administration.  (Applause.)  Good jobs right here in the United States of America.
 
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.  (Applause.)
 
And today, because of health reform our parents and our grandparents on Medicare are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs.  Young people, like so many of you, can stay on your parent’s insurance until you’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  Because of that reform, today 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 discriminate you because you have a preexisting condition like diabetes or even asthma.  (Applause.)  
 
See, and here’s another thing.  If you get really sick, a serious illness -- something like 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.  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, like Korey said, he never could have attended college without financial aid.  Never.  Never.  (Applause.)
 
In fact, as I mentioned at the convention, when Barack and I were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.  So when it comes to student debt, believe me, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  That is why Barack doubled funding for Pell Grants and fought hard to keep interest rates down.  (Applause.)  Because your President wants all of you to have the skills you need for the jobs of the future -- the kind of jobs you can raise a family on, jobs that will drive our economy for decades to come. 
 
And finally, when it comes to understanding the lives of women -- ladies, right? -- (applause) -- when it comes to standing up for our rights and our opportunities, we know that my husband will always have our backs.  (Applause.)
 
Because Barack knows from personal experience what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in a workplace.  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, oh, he knows so well 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.  (Applause.)  And that is also why he will always, always fight to ensure that women 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, when you’re talking to folks who are deciding who to select to keep America moving forward for four more years, here are some of the things you can tell them.  Tell them about the millions of jobs Barack has created.  Tell them about the health reform he passed.  Tell them about all those kids who can finally attend college. 
 
Tell them how Barack ended the war in Iraq.  Tell them how we -- absolutely.  (Applause.)  Tell them how we, as a nation, took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Tell them how Barack fought to get veterans and military families the benefits they earned.  (Applause.) 
 
Tell them about all those young immigrants brought to America through no fault of their own, who will no longer have to worry about being 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.) 
 
But more than anything else, remind folks 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 -- 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 absolutely proud of what we’ve all achieved together, my husband is nowhere near satisfied -- nowhere near.  Barack knows that too many people are still hurting.  (Applause.)  He knows all too well that there’s plenty of work left to be done.  And as President Clinton said in his speech in Charlotte, it is going to take a lot longer than four years to rebuild an economy from the brink of collapse.  (Applause.) 
 
But here’s what I know for sure:  Barack Obama has been working every day since the day he took office.  He has been fighting for us.  He has been struggling with us.  And together, slowly but surely, we have been pulling ourselves out of that hole 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.
 
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 the 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:  Or are we going to keep moving this country forward?  What are we going to do?  What are we going to do?  (Applause.)
 
Because in the end, the answer to these questions is on us.  It is up to us.  Because all our hard work, all our progress, all that -- it’s all on the line this November.  It’s all at stake.
 
And as my husband has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  And it could all come down to what happens in just a few key battleground states like North Carolina.  (Applause.)
 
And just to put it in perspective, I want you to think back to what happened in this state in 2008.  Back then, we won North Carolina by 14,000 votes.  All right, now, to some of you that might sound like a lot.  But when you break it down, that’s just five votes for precinct.  Do you hear me?  Five, all right?  Five.
 
That could mean just one vote in your neighborhood -- just one more person getting up, going to vote in your neighborhood.  One single vote in your apartment building, in your dorm room -- one.  So if there is anyone here or anyone 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 folks can’t possibly make a difference -- if you know anyone like that, I want you to just think about those five votes.  Keep that in your head.
 
I want you to think about how with just a few evenings on a phone bank, a few weekends knocking on doors, the folks in this stadium could swing an entire precinct for Barack Obama, all by yourselves.  Five votes.  (Applause.)
 
And if we win enough precincts, we will win this state.  And if Barack wins North Carolina, we will be well on our way to putting Barack back in the White House for four more years.  Think about that -- five votes.  (Applause.)
 
So from now until November, we do need every single one of you to work like you’ve never worked before.  You hear me?  Does that make some sense?  (Applause.) 
 
Young people like so many of you have always driven Barack’s campaigns with your energy and your passion.  You all have been the ones.  So we need you.  We need you to talk to everyone you know -- your friends, your neighbors, that cousin you haven’t seen in a while -- (laughter) -- that student sitting next to you in class.  You know he’s not registered.  (Laughter.)
 
Talk to your parents and your grandparents -- especially them, because they need to hear from you just what this election means for your futures.  Take them to events like this.  Tell them what’s at stake.  Remind them about all the things this President has accomplished.
 
More importantly, make sure they're registered, okay?  See, this is the work of right now.  They have to be registered to vote.  Especially if they’ve just moved, they may need to reregister.  Or if they’ve never voted before, they definitely have to register first.  Maybe they just changed addresses because they’ve just come back to school -- they’ve got to register.
 
So if any of you haven’t registered yet, we have volunteers here today, as Korey said, who can help you do that right now.  We’ve got folks with clipboards.  I don't know if they're out here now, but they will be out here.  Find them and register to vote.  (Applause.) 
 
This is serious -- you all know those five people.  Everybody in here knows five people who don't quite have it together for this election, right?  (Laughter.)  And once you and once they have gotten registered, make sure you then get to the polls.  Get to the polls and cast your ballot on Election Day.
 
And here in North Carolina, you don't have to even wait.  You don't even have to wait until November the 6th.  You can start voting October 18th.  You can vote early at your county of board of elections and at other locations right in your community.  (Applause.)
 
And we want as many of you, especially young people -- all right, you all know you need to vote early.  (Laughter.)  You need a whole lot of time, right?  Because Election Day, you wake up, alarm didn't go off.  (Laughter.)  You forgot.  Is it Election Day?  Was that yesterday?  You know how you all are.  (Laughter.)  So vote early.
 
Because if you vote early, you get that out of the way, then you can spend Election Day working to get other people to the polls, right?  (Applause.)  And to find out where you can vote early, how to get registered, you can go to our websites gottaregister.com, gottavote.com.  Everything you need is on that website to make a difference.
 
Uh-oh, we okay over here?  All right.  (Applause.)  That’s standing up.  You all, bend your knees.  Bend your knees while you’re standing up.  Bend your knees.  (Applause.)
 
All right, now that she’s all right, let’s refocus.  (Laughter.)  Because the truth is -- let me be honest with you -- understand this, this journey is going to be hard, all right?  And these last few days, they are going to be long. 
 
But here’s what I want you to do.  When you start to get tired -- and you will; when you start thinking about taking a day off -- and you will, I want you to remember that what we do for the next 48 days -- it’s not that much time, it will absolutely make the difference between waking up on the November the 7th, the day after Election Day, and asking ourselves, “Could we have done more?”, or feeling the promise of four more years.  That's the difference right there.  Right there -- that is the difference.  (Applause.)
 
So from now until the November the 6th, we are going to need you to keep working, to keep struggling, to keep pushing forward.
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Because here is something to think about:  That kind of work, that is how change always happens in this country.  That's how it always happens.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight and doing what we know is right, then eventually we get there.  We always do.  We always have.  But maybe not in our lifetimes.  This is the real trick -- maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because in the end, when it is all said and done, that's what this is about.  That's why we’re here.  That's what elections are always about.  Don't let anybody tell you differently.  Elections are always about hope.  (Applause.)
 
The hope that I saw in my father’s beaming face as I crossed the stage to get my diploma from college.  The hope Barack’s grandmother felt as she cast her ballot for the grandson she’d loved and raised.  (Applause.)  The hope of all those men and women in our lives who worked that extra shift, 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 grandkids.
 
That's why we’re here today -- because we want to give all of our children a real good foundation for their dreams.  We want to give all our children opportunities worthy of their promise because all of our kids are worthy.  We want to give them that sense of limitless possibility -- that 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 this is what I tell myself:  We cannot turn back now.  No.
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  We have come so far, but there is still 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 go?  (Applause.)  All right, then, let’s get to work.
 
Thank you.  God bless.  (Applause.)

END
3:03 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at Campaign Event -- Waldorf Astoria

Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York, New York

6:33 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! Hello! (Applause.) Hello, New York! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much. If you have a chair, go ahead and use it. If you don'the -- don't. (Laughter.)

It is wonderful -- hey, guys, good to see you. It is wonderful to be with all of you. I just had a chance to take some pictures with you and I have to tell you they all turned out wonderfully. (Laughter.) I mean this is a good-looking group, very photogenic. Yes, you especially. (Laughter.)

It’s wonderful to be here. We’ve got some people who’ve supported me since I actually ran for Senate in this ballroom. (Applause.) And then we’ve got some folks who supported us in ’08, and then we’ve got some new friends. And to all of you, I just want to say how grateful I am and how wonderful it is to be back in New York.

Now, we just came off two conventions, one in Tampa and one in Charlotte. And Michelle Obama was pretty good, you know? (Applause.) And then you had Bill Clinton who somebody said should be secretary of explaining stuff. (Laughter and applause.) And what was striking I think coming out of those two conventions was the clarity about how important this choice is.

Seven weeks from today, we’re going to be making a decision about the future of our country. And a lot of you brought your kids here today. (Baby cries.) Yes, right on cue. (Laughter.) And that is entirely appropriate because the decisions that we’re going to make in this election are going to have an impact not just on us, it’s going to have an impact on them and their kids for decades to come. (Baby cries again.) It’s true. (Laughter.)

The fact is that on almost every issue, we have a deep difference not just between two candidates or two political parties, but a deep difference in terms of how we think about growing our economy and how we think about what ensures prosperity and security over the long term.

The other side, they have their convention, and they talked a lot about what they think is wrong with the country, but they didn't really tell you much about how they’d make it right. They asked for your vote, but they didn't really have a plan. And the reason they didn't want to talk about their plan much was because the plan they're offering is the same one they’ve offered for the last 30 years, which is if we give a lot of tax cuts, particularly skewed towards people who really don't need tax cuts, and if we roll back regulations on clean air and we roll back regulations on consumer protection, and we roll back regulations that ensure that insurance companies treat you properly, that somehow America’s energy will be unleashed and the economy will be going gangbusters.

And what they're counting on is an element of amnesia because that's exactly what we tried from 2001 to 2008, during which we experienced the slowest job growth in 50 years. We went from surpluses to deficits. Ordinary families actually saw their average incomes go down, and it culminated in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression -- so not a real good track record in terms of the plan that they are presenting.

We’ve got a different vision, and our vision says that our economy grows best and our children’s futures are best secured when we recognize that we’re all in this together; that we believe in a free-market system and individual initiative and hard work, but we also believe in this basic bargain that says if you work hard, you can make it in this country. Everybody, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what last name you have, no matter who you love, here in America, you can make it you try, and that there are important ways in which we can ensure that everybody has access to opportunity.

So what I tried to do at the convention was lay out very specifically how I think we’re going to get there. Over the last three and a half years, we’ve created 4.5 million new jobs, half a million of them in manufacturing. So what I said was, let’s double down and make sure that we’re exporting more and outsourcing fewer jobs. Let’s develop exports markets all around the world, and let’s make sure that we’re investing in things like clean energy so that we’re building wind turbines and long-lasting batteries and all the cutting-edge technologies that ensure we keep at the cutting edge of this global economy.

And then I talked about education and how all the work we’ve done to reform schools is starting to bear fruit, but we’ve also got to make sure that every young person in this country can afford a college education. (Applause.) And make sure that they’re not loaded up with debt when they get out, so that they can potentially become teachers or go into the foreign service or do something that may not pay a lot of money, but is vitally important to our country.

I talked about how important it was for us to have an energy policy that ensures that we have high production of traditional fuels like oil and natural gas, but that we’re also investing in clean energy. We’ve doubled fuel efficiency on cars. We have doubled our production of clean energy. That’s creating thousands of jobs. It’s taking carbon out of our atmosphere.

And it is freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. We’ve actually reduced our dependence -- our oil imports every year that I’ve been in office and we now have it below 50 percent. And we think we can cut that in half by 2020, but only if we pursue the kinds of energy sources that are good for our economy and potentially can help save the planet.

And I also talked about how, if we’re going to be serious about reducing our deficits, that we’ve got to cut out spending that we don’t need, that’s not helping us grow. But we can’t just gut our investment in education, or our investments in science and research, or our investments in making sure that young people can go to college, just to pay for tax cuts for folks like me -- that we’re going to have to take a balanced approach. That means that those of us who have been incredibly blessed by this country, we can afford to do a little bit more. (Applause.)

Now, that’s a very different agenda than a $5 trillion tax cut that’s paid for by gutting education, gutting Medicaid and turning Medicare into a voucher system. It’s a different philosophy about how we grow our economy. And I believe that we grow our economy from the middle out and by providing ladders of opportunity for everybody. And when we do, everybody does better.

When Bill Clinton was President, we created 23 million new jobs, had a surplus instead of a deficit, and we produced a whole lot more millionaires than we’ve produced under this other theory, because suddenly businesses had customers and had more profits and we got a virtuous cycle that continued in the longest post-World War II boom in American history. And we can replicate that, even in this competitive environment, but we’ve got to be smart about it.

Now, a lot of you here obviously recognize that those aren’t the only choices involved. We’ve got choices about war and peace. I ended the war in Iraq, as I promised. We are transitioning out of Afghanistan. (Applause.) We have gone after the terrorists who actually attacked us 9/11 and decimated al Qaeda.

Mr. Romney thinks that we should have stayed in Iraq, indicated that it was a “tragic” mistake for us to have gotten out of Iraq; still hasn’t made clear what his plan would be for Afghanistan; wants to add $2 trillion to our defense budget for programs that our Joint Chiefs don’t want. It’s a fundamentally different view of how we project power and ensure our security around the world.

On social issues, we did the right thing ending “don’t ask, don’t tell.” (Applause.) I am absolutely certain, based on conversations with Michelle -- (laughter) -- that women are capable of making their own health care decisions. (Applause.) And the notion that we would have a constitutional amendment that would tell people who they could marry -- across the board, there’s just a different vision of who we are as a people.
 
And I believe we are at our best, we are at our strongest, when we’re including everybody, when everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same rules. (Applause.)

So I guess if you’re here I’m kind of preaching to the choir. (Laughter.) I don’t need to tell you that I think we’re offering the better vision for our country. So let me just wrap up by saying a key issue is going to be, do we get this thing done?

We’ve got seven weeks. Seven weeks goes by fast, especially when you’re out there campaigning. And the good news is that our ideas are better and they’re more resonant with the American people. The bad news is that these folks have super PACs that are writing $10 million checks and have the capacity to just bury us under the kind of advertising that we’ve never seen before.

And we’ve never seen something like this, so we don’t know what impact it’s going to have. And that means that we’re going to have to work a little bit harder than the other side. It means that we have to have more volunteers. We have to have a better grassroots organization. It means the people who can write $25 checks or $50 checks or $100 checks or $1,000 checks -- that’s how we’re going to be able to compete.

We don’t need to match these folks dollar for dollar. We can’t. I mean, if somebody here has a $10 million check -- (laughter) -- I can’t solicit it from you, but feel free to use it wisely. (Laughter.) But that’s not our game. Our game is grassroots. Our game is mobilizing numbers and passion and energy and focus and hope. That’s who we are.
 
And so I guess what I’d ask is -- look, I had a friend named Abner Mikva in Chicago. He was a congressman -- former congressman, former White House counsel and wonderful man. And Abner used to say that being friends with a politician is like perpetually having a kid in college -- (laughter) -- because every few months, you’ve got to write this big check. (Laughter.) Well, the good news is I’m graduating. (Laughter.) So this is my last race.

But the stakes couldn’t be higher, so we’ve got to leave it all on the field. I am asking everybody here to spend these next seven weeks really focused on this election. You’re already converted. Go out there and get your friends, get your neighbors involved. To the extent that you can ask them for contributions, ask them for their time, ask them for their votes, you are going to be the best ambassadors that we can have for this election.

And if you are as determined and as energized as I am, if you believe that we’ve still got more good jobs to create, and clean energy to generate, and more troops to bring home and more vets to take care of, and more doors of opportunity to open for everybody who’s willing to work hard in this country -- if you believe that we’re all in this together, then I need you to get to work. Seven weeks.
 
And I promise you, if you’re putting everything you’ve got into this thing, we’ll win this election and we will finish what we started. And we’ll remind the world why the United States of America is the envy of the world.

So thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. Thank you. (Applause.)

END
6:47 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
Tallahassee, Florida

7:00 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you so much.  Oh, Tallahassee!  Oh, my gosh, thank you.  (Applause.)  This is amazing.  (Applause.)
 
All right, before I get started -- I want to start -- first of all we have to thank Kevin, because Kevin -- that great introduction, for all of his hard work.  (Applause.)  I mean, it’s that kind of leadership, that kind of passion that’s going to get us four more years.  Let’s give him a round of applause.  (Applause.) 
 
And most of all, I want to thank all of you -- gosh -- for joining us here today.  This is so amazing.  (Applause.)  Especially, we have students here from Florida State and Florida A&M.  Yes!  (Applause.)  Okay, we’ve got a Tomahawk here.  (Applause.)  All right, FAMU, what kind of FAMU sign -- (applause.)  Well, whatever school you’re from, just know that me and the President, we are so proud of you all.  So proud.  So proud!  (Applause.)
 
So it looks like you all are pretty fired up and ready to go.  (Applause.)  And that’s a good thing, because after the convention a couple of weeks ago, I’m feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.  (Applause.) 
 
See, in Charlotte a few weeks ago, we heard from folks like President Clinton and Vice President Biden, and they reminded us how much we’ve accomplished together, how much is at stake, and why we need to reelect my husband for four more years.  (Applause.)  And my job in Charlotte was pretty easy, because I had the pleasure and the honor of talking about the man I have loved and admired for 23 years and why I decided to marry him.
 
All right, so, ladies, listen up.  See, back when I first met Barack, he definitely had everything going for him.  He was handsome -- still is, think.  I think he still is.  (Applause.)  He was charming, talented and very wicked smart.  But that is not why I married him.  So, fellas, I want you all to listen to this.  (Laughter.)  What truly made me fall in love with Barack Obama was his character.  Did you hear me?  It was his character.  (Applause.)  Truly, it was his decency, his honesty, his compassion and conviction.  Do you hear me, fellas?
 
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 respected that.  (Applause.)  And I loved that Barack was so devoted to his family, especially the women in his life.  (Applause.) 
 
See, I saw firsthand the respect he had for his mother.  I saw how proud he was that she’d put herself through school while 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 community bank to help support his family.  And he watched as she was passed over for promotions simply because she was a woman.  But she kept on getting up.  He saw how she kept on doing that same job year after year, without complaint, without regret.  (Applause.)
 
See, 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 -- South Side.  Yes, indeed.  (Applause.)  But I watched my father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant.  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.  How many people here have folks like that in their lives?  (Applause.) 
 
See, like so many families in this country, our families weren’t asking for 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.  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.  (Applause.)
 
And they also believed that when you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.  No, you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.  (Applause.)  Yeah!  See, that’s how Barack and I and so many of you, that’s how we were raised.  Those are the values we were taught.
 
We learned that how hard you work matters more than how much you make.  (Applause.)  We learned that the truth matters, so you don’t take shortcuts or 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 -- no one; that each of us has a community of people lifting us up, every single one of us -- (applause) -- from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our schools clean.  (Applause.)  And we learned to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect.  Everyone.
 
We learned about citizenship and service -- that we’re all 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.  (Applause.)
 
These are the values that make Barack such an extraordinary husband to me, and such a phenomenal father to our girls.  But I talked about Barack’s values not just as a wife and a mother, but 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 this country.
 
See, over the past three and a half years, I’ve seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones -- the decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line, but about laying a foundation for the next generation.  (Applause.)  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’s urging you to do what’s easy, or what polls best, or what gets good headlines, see, as President, you have to be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all of the people you serve.  (Applause.)  As President, you need a strong inner compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizens.  (Applause.)  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 is exactly what we have seen in my husband.  (Applause.)  We have seen his values at work.  We’ve seen his vision unfold.  We’ve seen the depths of his character, courage and conviction.
 
Here’s proof:  Think back to when Barack first took office.  Our economy was on the brink of collapse.  Newspapers were using words like “meltdown,” “calamity;” they were declaring “Wall Street Implodes,” “Economy in Shock.” 
 
See, 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.  The economy was losing an average of 800,000 jobs every single month, and a lot of folks wondered whether we were headed for another Great Depression.  See, and that is what Barack Obama faced on day one as President of the United States.  That’s what welcomed him after inauguration.  (Applause.)
 
But let me tell you something, instead of pointing fingers and placing blame, Barack got to work because he was thinking about folks like my dad, 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 here in America, teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires.  Not in America.  No.  (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.
 
And while we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, we have had 30 straight months of private sector job growth thanks to this administration -- a total of 4.6 million jobs, good jobs right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
Here’s something else:  When it comes to the health of our families, see, Barack didn’t care whether health reform was the easy thing to do politically.  See, that’s not who he is.  He cared that it was the right thing to do.  (Applause.) 
 
And today, because of health reform our parents and grandparents are paying hundreds less for their prescription drugs.  (Applause.)  Our young people -- young people, you can stay on your parent’s insurance until you’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  Insurance companies now have to cover basic preventative care, 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.
 
See, and here’s the thing that gets me -- if you get a serious illness -- let’s say breast cancer -- 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.  No more.  Not under health care.  That is now illegal.  (Applause.)
 
When it comes to giving our young people the education they deserve -- (applause) -- see, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never, never could have attended college without financial aid.  Never.  (Applause.)
 
In fact, as I shared during my convention speech, when we were first married, Barack and I, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.  So when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we’ve been there.  That’s why Barack doubled funding for Pell Grants and fought so hard to keep interest rates down.  (Applause.)  See, because your President believes that it is important for all of you -- all of you -- to have the skills that you need for the jobs of the future, good jobs that you can raise a family on, jobs that will drive our 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 our opportunities -- we know that my husband will have our backs.  (Applause.)  Yes, indeed.
 
And here’s why:  See, Barack knows from personal experience what it means for a family when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He knows that -- what it means when women struggle to meet the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families.  He’s seen that up close and personal.  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 into law as President was to make sure that women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)  And that is why he will always, always fight to ensure that women, 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 this country, okay, when you’re talking to folks who are deciding who will keep America moving forward for four more years, see, here’s what I want you to tell them.  Listen closely.  Tell them about the millions of jobs Barack created.  Tell them about health reform that he passed.  Tell them about all those kids who can finally afford a college education.  (Applause.) 
 
Tell them about how Barack ended the war in Iraq.  (Applause.)  Tell them how, together, we took out Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Tell them how Barack has fought to get veterans and military families the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.) 
 
Tell them about all the young immigrants brought to America through no fault of their own, and now will not 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 I also want you to tell them -- tell them that Barack Obama knows the American Dream because he’s 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.  (Applause.)  Let them know.
 
But let’s be clear, while my husband is proud of what we have achieved together in this country, he also knows that we are nowhere near satisfied.  Barack knows that too many people are still hurting.  He knows that there is plenty of work left to be done.  And as President Clinton said in his speech in Charlotte, it’s going to take a lot longer than four years to rebuild an economy from the brink of collapse.  (Applause.)
 
But, Tallahassee, here’s what I know 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 the change that we can all believe in.  (Applause.) 
 
So we have to ask ourselves this:  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 so hard for 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?  What are we going to do?  What are we going to do?  What are we going to do?  (Applause.) 
 
But here’s the thing:  In the end, the answer to these questions is up to us.  It’s on us.  Because here’s the thing:  All of our hard work, all of the progress we’ve made, it is all on the line.  Everything is at stake this November.
 
And as my husband has said, this election is going to be even closer than the last one, and it could all come down to what happens in a few key battleground states -- yes, like Florida.  (Applause.)  And folks here in Florida, you all know a little something about close elections, don’t you?  (Laughter.) 
 
But I also want to put this in perspective.  Think back to what happened in this state in 2008.  Back then Barack won Florida by 236,000 votes.  (Applause.)  Now, that might sound like a lot, but here’s what it looks like when you break it down -- that’s just 36 votes per precinct.  All right?  That’s just 36.  So get that number in your head, because that could mean just one vote in your neighborhood, in your dorm.  Just one vote in your apartment building could make the difference.
 
So if there’s anyone here sitting here thinking to themselves that maybe their vote doesn’t matter, if there’s anybody here thinking that maybe my involvement doesn’t count, that maybe in this complex political process ordinary folks can’t possibly make a difference -- if anybody here is thinking about that, I want you to think about those 36 votes.
 
Look around this room.  In this stadium, everyone in here could win this election -- 36 people.  (Applause.)  With just a few evenings on a phone bank, with just a few weekends knocking on doors, with -- just a few of you here could swing an entire precinct for Barack Obama.  And if we win enough precincts, we will win this state.  And if we win Florida, we’ll be well on our way to putting Barack Obama back in the White House for four more years.  (Applause.)  We’re right here.  We’re close.
 
So here’s what I need you to do -- because there’s some work.  This is all good.  It feels good; we’ve got signs, we’re happy, we’re feeling powerful.  (Laughter.)  But from now until November the 6th, we are going to need every single one of you to work like you’ve never worked before. 
 
Oh, especially our young people, like so many of you here, you all have always driven Barack’s campaigns with your energy and your passion -- always.  So we need you to talk to everybody you know.  Everybody -- your friends, your neighbors, that cousin you haven’t seen in a while, the student sitting next to you in that class who you know is not registered.  (Laughter.)  You know that student, right?  You know that person.
 
And I don’t want you to underestimate the power of talking to your own parents and grandparents -- especially them.  Let them know what this election means for your future.  Tell them what’s at stake.  Remind them about all the things this President has accomplished.  Bring them to events like this one.
 
But more importantly, make sure people are registered to vote, especially -- think about -- especially if they just moved, they may need to register again.  Maybe if they’ve never voted before, they have to register.  Or maybe you’ve just changed addresses because you just got back to school, you’re in a new apartment -- you’re going to need to register.
 
So if any of you have not registered yet, we have got volunteers here today who can help.  They’re the folks with the clipboards, so look for them around here.  They’re out and about.  (Applause.) 
 
And then once you get registered, make sure you get to the polls and cast your ballot on Election Day.  Make sure you do that.  (Applause.)  See, that’s simple, right?  Simple orders.  And here’s the thing:  Here in Florida, you don’t have to wait until November the 6th to vote.  You can request a ballot right now and vote by mail in October.  Starting October 27th, you can vote early at any convenient location across the state -- your library, your city hall. 
 
The young people, they just -- you all know you need to register early.  (Laughter.)  Because some of you are going to wake up on Election Day, or maybe not.  (Laughter.)  Maybe you’re going to forget that it was Election Day.  Was it Election Day?  I thought that was -- it’s Tuesday?  I thought it was Monday.  (Laughter.)  See, some of you all don’t keep track of the days of the week, right?  So we want to -- don’t want to leave anything to chance.
 
And also we want as many of you to vote as early as possible so that you can spend Election Day working to get other people to the polls, right?  (Applause.) 
 
So to find out where to early vote or request a mail-in ballot, all you have to do is go to one of our websites -- GottaRegister.com, GottaVote.com.  Young people, technology -- you don’t even have to leave your rooms.  I see iPads, stuff right now.  You could do it right now.  Right now.  (Laughter.)  That’s all you need to do to make sure your voices are heard this November.
 
And let me tell you something, this journey is going to be hard.  Many of you have worked hard already, and these next days are going to feel long.  But we have to remember that when you start to get tired -- and you will -- 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 50 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.  That’s the difference.  (Applause.)  
 
So from now until November the 6th, we need you to keep on working, and struggling, and pushing forward because, remember, that is how change always happens in this country.  It’s hard work.  It requires tenacity and patience.  But we have to remember that if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting that good fight, then eventually we get there.  We always do.  In America, we always go forward.  (Applause.)  Bet here’s the thing:  Maybe not in our lifetimes; maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe even in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because we have to remember that in the end, that’s what this is all about.  That’s what elections are always about.  Don’t let anybody tell you differently.  Elections are always about hope.  (Applause.)
 
The hope that I saw in my father’s beaming face when he watched me walk that stage and get my college diploma.  (Applause.)  The hope that Barack’s grandmother 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 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.  That is why we’re here -- because we want to give all of our children in this country a foundation for their dreams.  All of our kids in this country are worthy.  We want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise.  We want to give our children that sense of limitless possibility -- that belief that here in America, the greatest country on Earth, there is always something better out there if we’re willing to work for it.  (Applause.) 
 
So this is what I tell myself:  We cannot turn back now.  Not now.  We have come so far -- 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?  Are you ready to go?  (Applause.)  Are you fired up?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to go?  (Applause.)  All right, let’s get to work.
 
Thank you.  God bless.  Love you guys.  (Applause.) 
 
END
7:30 P.M. EDT