Remarks by Denis McDonough on International Religious Freedom

U.S. Policy and International Religious Freedom

Good evening.  Your Eminence, Cardinal McCarrick, thank you for your very kind introduction.  Even more, thank you for your leadership as one of our nation’s most eloquent voices for religious freedom and tolerance—here at home and around the world.  As the tragic events of the past 24 hours remind us, we need such voices now more than ever.

Indeed, before I begin I want to reiterate what President Obama and Secretary Clinton said earlier today.  The attack on our consulate in Libya—and the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans—was an outrage; an act of senseless violence without any justification.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Americans we lost, with our diplomats and development experts who represent our nation every day, and we reaffirm our determination to carry on their work. 

That includes building a world that is safer, more secure and the work that brings us together here: a world where the dignity of all people—and all faiths—is respected.  This work takes on added urgency given the truly abhorrent video that has offended so many people--Muslims, and non-Muslims alike—in our country and around the world.  So I want to commend Cardinal Dolan and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for your powerful statement today that “we need to be respectful of other religious traditions at the same time that we unequivocally proclaim that violence in the name of religion is wrong,”  This message is being echoed by faith leaders across our country, and we call on religious and community leaders, and all people of good conscience, to continue speaking out publicly so we make it absolutely clear that hateful and divisive messages do not reflect the United States of America or our values.

So to Archbishop Kurtz, Cardinal McCarrick, Bishop Pates, Monsignor Jenkins and everyone at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops—thank you for convening this discussion and for your tireless efforts to advance religious freedom around the world—not only for Catholics and Christians, but for people of all faiths.  I’m grateful to be among friends, including your director of justice and peace, Dr. Steve Colecchi.  On behalf of President Obama, I especially want to thank you for your partnership as we’ve worked together on a whole range of challenges, including Sudan and South Sudan, Cuba and Iraq.

To Bishop Kicanas, Carolyn Woo and everyone at Catholic Relief Services—thank you for co-sponsoring this conference and for the life-saving work you do around the world every day.  In particular, I want to commend you for your mission—which we share in the United States government—to deliver urgent medical care and emergency relief to Syrian refugees, a cause that will receive renewed attention as Pope Benedict visits Lebanon. 

I want to express our appreciation to President Garvey, Provost Brennan and the Catholic University of America for hosting us and for your dedication to “advancing the dialogue between faith and reason.”  I actually see this tradition every day.  One of your graduates, Tom Donilon, the President’s National Security Advisor, is my boss.  And I can attest—Tom has a lot of faith and reason!

Finally, I want to acknowledge a leader who is guiding our efforts in this area—a minister and faith leader in her own right—our dedicated Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson Cook.  Suzan, thank you for being here.

Being with you tonight, my mind goes back to growing up in Stillwater, Minnesota—a young boy, sitting in the pews at our home parish of St. Mike’s.  Back then, in my wildest dreams, I could have never imagined the journey that has brought me here today.  I couldn’t have imagined traveling with then-Senator Obama to Jerusalem, home to holy sites of three of the world’s great religions.  I couldn’t have imagined traveling with President Obama, the First Lady and their daughters to the Holy See, to the Apostolic Palace, to meet His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.  And I could have never imagined standing before such an august audience as this. 

I come to you today as President Obama’s deputy national security advisor.  But I also stand before you as a proud Catholic, deeply grateful for all that the Church has given me in my life.  I’m one of eleven kids for whom Sunday, after Mass, meant afternoons at church festivals.  I’m indebted to the teachers who shaped me—from the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Croix Catholic elementary to the monks of St. John’s in Minnesota to my professors at Georgetown.  As a husband, father and public servant, I’m thankful for the counsel and wisdom of my older brothers—Bill, who was a priest, and Kevin, who is a priest.

I’m also honored to serve a President—a brother in Christ—whose faith has been a guiding force in his own life.  President Obama has described how his earliest inspirations were faith leaders of the civil rights movement, including Dr. King, and Catholic leaders like Father Ted Hesburgh.

In fact, the President first entered public service through the Catholic Church.  His work as a young community organizer on the South Side of Chicago was funded in part by the Catholic churches of Chicago and their Developing Communities Project.  He was inspired by the sermons and example of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.  He was touched by the generosity of congregations, of different faiths—in part, he admits, because he was broke and they fed him.  As President Obama has said—after growing up in a household that wasn’t particularly religious—it was that experience, working with pastors and laypeople in service to others, that brought him to Christ.

Those of you who have attended the National Prayer breakfasts or Easter prayer at the White House or our interfaith events have heard the President speak of how he draws strength and comfort from prayer.  As a close advisor, I’ve also seen how the President’s faith informs both his thinking and how he confronts the challenges facing our nation.  

As he’s said, “we can’t leave our values at the door.”  You see this in the core beliefs that are at the root of his world view.  That we are all God’s children.  That we are summoned to a sense of empathy—to see ourselves in each other.  That—as he said at Notre Dame— we are “bound together in service to others,” especially the least of these.  That in all our work, we must be guided by that Golden Rule—that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Foreign policy is no exception.  The President has discussed how many of our initiatives—promoting the development that lifts people from poverty, strengthening the food security that reduces hunger, combating disease, working to prevent atrocities in places like Libya and in central Africa—these efforts advance American security and American interests.  At the same time, they are rooted in the Biblical call to care for our fellow human beings. 

I share all this because the President’s faith—and his faith journey—is the foundation for how he approaches the challenge of defending the freedom of religion around the world.  And while I know this conference is focused on freedom of religion internationally, I want to take a moment to discuss what this means here in the United States.  Because President Obama has made it clear that American leadership in the world starts at home, with fidelity to our values. 

President Obama understands that, as a nation founded by those who fled religious persecution, freedom of religion is central to who we are as Americans.  Our rights are not given to us by government, they are endowed by our Creator.  We recognize, as does the Church, that we cannot live our lives to their fullest—as authentic people—without the freedom to be true to ourselves, including the right to worship as we choose.

Freedom of religion is enshrined in our Constitution, our very First Amendment.  “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and non-believers,” the President said in his Inaugural Address, and this “patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.”  We were reminded of this yesterday, as we marked the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and again today, when the President said that “we reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.”

Indeed, it’s no coincidence that the United States is one of the freest countries in the world and one of the most religious countries in the world.  From our Revolution to the abolition of slavery to the movements for women’s rights and children’s rights and civil rights—our most significant reform movements have often been led by men and women of faith.  

Today, faith leaders and laypeople are at the forefront of the fights for immigration reform in our own country and against poverty, mass atrocities, human trafficking and modern day slavery around the world.  So President Obama understands that freedom of religion—and the freedoms that go along with it: freedom of expression, freedom of assembly—is what allows us to advance as a nation.

This is one of the reasons the President expanded and strengthened the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships—to make sure we’re working closely with groups like Catholic Charities to better serve and lift up our fellow Americans.  The strength that religion gives our nation is also why—when Americans, or their houses of worship, have been targeted because of their faith—President Obama has condemned such bigotry.  He’s reaffirmed that every American has the right to practice their faith both openly and freely, and that an attack on Americans of any faith is an attack on the freedom of all Americans.

Even as we uphold the freedom of religion at home, we recognize that it is not simply an American value.  It is a universal human right.  It is codified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—which 167 nations have committed to adhere to—and it is reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Freedom of religion is central to the freedom and dignity of human beings —our transcendental dignity.  At the same time, freedom of religion is not only an end in itself, it is a key ingredient for stable, successful societies and a just world.  We know that countries that truly protect religious freedom are more likely to develop and prosper.  They’re more likely to have stable democracies.  They’re more likely to protect the rights of women and girls.  This shouldn’t surprise us.  After all, when citizens can practice their faith freely, when they can find dignity and fulfillment in worshiping as they choose, it’s easier for neighbors and communities to come together to achieve progress together.  As the title of this conference says, religious freedom is “an imperative for peace and the common good.” 

Likewise, we know that the lack of religious freedom—or discriminating against people because of their faith--can be a recipe for instability.  When people of faith are denied the opportunity to worship freely, or assemble in fellowship, grievances fester.  It creates fissures and mistrust between faiths and sects.  It fuels sectarianism as people pull back to the perceived safety of their fellow believers.  It emboldens extremists.  It can increase instability and the likelihood of violence and war.  We’ve seen this throughout history.  We’ve seen it during conflicts in our own time, from Northern Ireland to Lebanon to the Balkans.  And we see the tensions it causes today.

In China, government policies in Tibetan areas threaten the distinct religious, cultural and linguistic identity of the Tibetan people, creating tensions and contributing to a situation where dozens of desperate Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation.  In Burma, preferential treatment for Buddhists and prejudice against ethnic South Asians, particularly ethnic Rohingya Muslims, fuels tensions between the Buddhist majority and Christian and Muslim minorities.  In Pakistan, blasphemy laws and failures or delays in addressing religious hostility has fueled acts of violence and intimidation and emboldened violent extremists.

Put simply, religious pluralism, tolerance and freedom can help promote stability, security, development and democratic progress.  And the lack of religious freedom is itself destabilizing.  As Pope Benedict observed in his Message for last year’s World Day of Peace, the absence of religious freedom “is a threat to security and peace, and an obstacle to the achievement of authentic and integral human development.”

For all these reasons, advancing religious freedom around the world is not only consistent with our values as Americans, it advances our national security interests.  This is formalized in the President Obama’s National Security Strategy.  The Strategy states—and I quote—“the United States believes certain values are universal and will work to promote them worldwide. These include an individual’s freedom to speak their mind, assemble without fear, [and] worship as they please.”  As Secretary Clinton has said, for the United States “religious freedom is a cherished constitutional value, a strategic national interest, and a foreign policy priority.”

This starts at the highest levels, at the very top, with the President himself.  Through his words and his deeds, President Obama has been a fierce advocate for the cause of religious freedom around the world—in public and in private.  I know, because I’ve been there, and I’ve seen it.  

On his first trip overseas as President, during his visit to Istanbul, he met with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, Armenian Orthodox Archbishop Aran Stesyan, Chief Rabbi of Istanbul Isak Haleva, Grand Mufti of Istanbul Mustafa Cagrici and Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Yusuf Cetin.  And in his speech to the Turkish parliament, he publicly called on Turkey to reopen the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary in Istanbul—a message that President Obama and other senior administration officials have raised with their Turkish counterparts on numerous occasions. 

When he went to Cairo and addressed Muslim communities around the world, President Obama memorably called for a new beginning between Muslim communities and the United States.  But often overlooked was his forceful call for religious freedom in the Arab world.  “The richness of religious diversity must be upheld,” he said, “whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt.”  I would add that, more recently, as the Arab Spring has unfolded, including in Egypt, President Obama has been clear that “for this season of change to succeed, Coptic Christians must have the right to worship freely.” 

Also often forgotten is that he also used his speech in Cairo to condemn anti-Semitism and denial of the Holocaust, which he called ignorant and hateful, and he called upon nations to recognize Israel’s legitimacy and its right to exist in peace.  In addition, he spoke out against the practice in some Western countries of dictating what clothes Muslim women can and cannot wear. “We can't disguise hostility towards any religion,” he warned, “behind the pretense of liberalism.”
When he went to China, and spoke in Shanghai, the President was unapologetic about our advocacy for universal rights such as the freedom of religion.  “They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities,” he said, “whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation.”  And I assure you, when he has met with Chinese President Hu and Vice President Xi Jinping, President Obama has spoken directly and candidly about the importance of China upholding human rights, including the freedom of religion.

In fact, at virtually every stop on his travels—from Brazil to Ghana, from India to Indonesia, to the well of the United Nations General Assembly— President Obama has called upon people of all faiths to remember our common humanity; and to overcome differences of tribe and faith and sect, mindful, as he said in his Nobel address, that the “spark of the divine lives within each of us.” 

In short, time and again—personally, forcefully, in public and in private—President Obama has stood up for the freedom of religion around the world, as he did again today.  In addition to meeting with faith leaders who champion religious freedom and interfaith dialogue, he’s visited houses of worship, such as the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior in San Salvador, where he paid his respects to Archbishop Oscar Romero.  And I know that when they were in Rio, the President and his family were moved by their visit to the iconic statue Christ the Redeemer, which has inspired so many people around the world. 

Beyond the President, Secretary Clinton has elevated religious freedom as a diplomatic priority.  Secretary Clinton raises this issue in every region of the world, at the highest levels.  In addition to Ambassador Cook, this truly is a team effort.  In Michael Posner—our Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor—we have a lifelong advocate for human rights, including religious freedom. 

Rashad Hussain—our Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—and Farah Pandith—our Special Representative to Muslim Communities—advocate for religious freedom as part of their engagement with Muslim communities around the world.  Led by Hannah Rosenthal—who has served as our Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism—we are standing up against the rising tide of anti-Semitism.  That includes a remarkable event in which we brought religious leaders—including several imams—to visit Auschwitz and Dachau.  As a result of that visit, these interfaith leaders joined in a powerful statement condemning all forms of anti-Semitism, including Holocaust denial.

Our efforts have taken on a new sense of urgency because—as we all know—around the world, freedom of religion is under threat.  In many countries, the pressure—the restrictions, the suppression, the persecution of and violence against religious minorities—is increasing.  Today, more than one billion people live under governments that systematically suppress religious freedom—more than one billion people.  It’s been estimated that the vast majority of the world’s people—some 70 percent—live in countries with serious restrictions on religious freedom.

Our most recent report on international religious freedom, released by Secretary Clinton in July, documents this disturbing and growing trend.  Specifically, it documents eight states of particular concern because of their severe violations of religious freedom—Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. 

With the remainder of my time tonight I’d like to address several countries that I know are of special interest to this conference.  And I want to discuss the actions that the Obama Administration is taking in response—sometimes in public, sometimes in private, but always guided by our commitment to pursuing the most effective way to achieve results for those who are persecuted because of their faith.  

In Asia, China continues to outlaw and imprison the worshippers of religious and spiritual groups, including unregistered Christian churches and Tibetan Buddhists.  In addition to the President’s personal advocacy and engagement that I’ve already mentioned, the need for China to uphold the freedom of religion is a key element at other levels of our engagement with China.  At our annual Human Rights Dialogue with China, for example, religious freedom has been one of the main agenda items. And we brought Chinese officials to meet with Cardinal McCarrick and Catholic Charities to see how religious organizations provide critical social services.  Going forward, we will continue to urge China to uphold universal rights, including freedom of religion, as a vital ingredient of a stable and prosperous society.  

In Burma, while some restrictions on religious activity have been eased, others remain, including the continued imprisonment of Buddhist monks. As part of our broader engagement to encourage reform, our new ambassador to Burma continues to work on behalf of justice and dignity for victims of religious persecution.  In Vietnam, despite some progress, threats and harassment of the faithful continue—in particular, against Christians—and worshipers are imprisoned, including Father Nguyen Van Ly. We therefore continue to maintain close contact with religious leaders and dissidents, and have made religious freedom a focus of the U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue. 

In Africa, sustained American diplomacy—including direct personal engagement by President Obama himself—helped to avert a catastrophe in Sudan and usher in the birth of the world’s newest nation, a free and independent South Sudan.  And our efforts continue as we urge both Sudan and South Sudan to protect religious minorities and resolve their differences peacefully.

Meanwhile, in Nigeria both Christians and Muslims continue to live in fear of attacks by the extremist sect Boko Haram, and the incitement of communal violence at times goes unpunished.  We therefore continue to engage with Nigerian religious leaders, scholars and government officials to promote interfaith dialogue, advance religious reconciliation and bring perpetrators of violence to justice. 

Across the Middle East and Southwest Asia—as today’s events in the region remind us—we need to continue working on behalf of a future where people of different faiths live side by side in peace—as they have done in many cities and communities for many centuries.  In Iran, we welcome the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who faced execution solely because he refuses to recant his Christian faith.  And we continue to call upon Iran to release those in prison simply because of their religious beliefs and to end the suppression of religious minorities, including Sufi Muslims, the Baha’i and Christians.  In Iraq, where recent years have seen outrageous attacks on the faithful—including Shia pilgrims and Christians—we continue to work closely with our Iraqi partners on behalf of an Iraq where all faiths and all sects are protected. 

In Afghanistan, we welcomed the release last year of two converts from Islam who had been charged with apostasy and sentenced to death.  And our work to build an enduring partnership with the Afghan people includes a commitment to the security and dignity of all Afghans, regardless of sect or faith.  In Pakistan, we welcome the release of the young Christian girl charged with blasphemy, and we welcome the steps Islamabad has taken to recognize religious minorities and promote national harmony.  Still, we continue to call on Pakistan to end the mistreatment of minorities and reform blasphemy laws.

And, of course, this Arab Spring and the transitions now underway in several countries present both opportunities and urgent challenges when it comes to freedom of religion.  This includes Egypt.  We were all inspired last year by the images in Tahrir Square—Egyptians coming together, Muslims and Christians, to demand change; Christians protecting Muslims in prayer, and Muslims protecting Christians during Mass.  Since then, we’ve seen some signs of greater inclusiveness, including a new anti-discrimination law and the re-opening of some churches.  President Morsi has pledged to be a president for all Egyptians, and we will continue to look to him to follow through on that commitment.

Unfortunately, even before yesterday’s protest at our embassy, we’ve also seen a troubling rise in sectarianism and violence.  Innocent Egyptians, including Coptic Christians, have lost their lives.  And while some alleged instigators of rioting and violence have been prosecuted, others have not.  As we’ve seen around the world, when justice is not administered equally and fairly it deepens resentments, risks further instability and makes it harder for citizens to come work together for democratic and economic progress.

Protecting religious freedom and religious minorities in Egypt is therefore a key element of our engagement with Cairo.  President Obama has raised it in his conversations with Egyptian leaders, including the right of Christians to build churches.  Secretary Clinton discussed it with President Morsi and representatives of Christian communities during her visit in July.  It is a constant focus of Ambassador Patterson and our embassy staff, as it has been again over the past 24 hours. 

Last month, Rashad Hussain led an interfaith delegation to Egypt that included Father Moises Bogdady, Senior Priest and Hegomen at the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, and Imam Mohamed Magid, President of the Islamic Society of North America.  And earlier this week I called Samir Morkos, President Morsi’s adviser on the democratic transition – and himself a Copt – to express our commitment to working with him and the Egyptian government on our shared interests. 

As President Obama has said many times, the future of Egypt belongs to the people of that proud nation.  So too in Syria.  As we continue to support the aspirations of the Syrian people to determine their own future without President Assad, we’ll continue to call for an inclusive Syria that protects the rights of all Syrians, regardless of their religious identity.  In Egypt, Libya, Syria, and all of the Arab Spring countries in transition, the United States will continue to stand for a set of principles that history shows leads to progress and opportunity.  That includes the protection of universal rights, including the freedom of religion.  For these transitions to succeed, and for these countries to achieve their full potential, all faiths must be respected and protected.

Closer to home, in Cuba, there has been some easing of restrictions on faith groups, but significant repression continues.  For example, during Pope Benedict’s visit to Cuba in March, authorities conducted a deliberate campaign of incarceration and harassment to silence the opposition and prevent activists, journalists and dissidents from attending religious events.  Worshippers, including Damas de Blanco, have been assaulted by government sponsored mobs or detained to prevent them from attending church.   It happened again just last week as Cubans sought to mark the anniversary of Cuba’s patron saint, Our Lady of Charity. 

Under President Obama’s leadership, we’ve therefore worked to help give the Cuban people more independence from Cuban authorities.  We’ve made it easier for Americans by removing restrictions and allowing nearly unlimited religious remittances to Cuba.  We’ve made it easier for faith groups to travel to Cuba in support of the Cuban people and civil society.  Going forward, we’ll continue to look for ways to help the Cuban people realize the freedom and liberty they deserve.

Beyond our efforts in specific countries, we’ve advanced the cause of religious freedom through a variety of multilateral fora.  We have continued to oppose efforts, including at the United Nations, to ban the so-called “defamation of religion” because we believe that such measures, including blasphemy laws, can be wielded to silence free expression and suppress religious minorities. 

Instead, after many years of stalemate, we worked successfully with governments, international organizations and civil society at the U.N. Human Rights Council to pass the landmark Resolution 16/18 to protect people around the world who are targeted because of their faith.  It calls on nations to take concrete actions against religious bigotry, and it eliminates previous language that sought to penalize “defamation,” which undermined free speech and expression.  Instead, it recognizes that the open debate of ideas and interfaith dialogue “can be among the best protections against religious intolerance.”

Building on this progress, Secretary Clinton and the OIC Secretary General last year brought together some 20 nations, international organizations and the Vatican in Istanbul to focus on combating religious intolerance.  The United States hosted a follow-on meeting to pursue specific steps we can take—as individual nations and as an international community.  And through this “Istanbul Process” we’ll continue to work with our international partners to reduce religious bigotry, discrimination and violence.

For our part—and in partnership with you—the United States will continue to encourage the interfaith dialogue that promotes understanding around the world.  This includes interfaith delegations, like those I’ve already mentioned.   It includes campaigns like 2012 Hours Against Hate in which we encourage young people to pledge their time to help a person of another faith, culture or tradition.  It includes “interfaith diplomacy” and outreach events organized by our dedicated embassy staffs around the world.  And it includes conferences like the one we are supporting in Morocco later this year, which will bring together faith leaders to address minority rights in Muslim-majority countries. 

Finally, we’ll continue to encourage the interfaith cooperation that brings different religions together to meet shared challenges.  As with our faith-based initiatives here in the United States, we recognize that religious leaders and organizations are uniquely positioned to serve communities in need, whether it’s health, education, development or conflict prevention. 

So, for example, we’ve worked with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the effort to eradicate polio and respond to the famine in Somalia and the drought across the Horn of Africa.   Through USAID, more than 90 faith-based organizations have pledged to support the most impactful health interventions that save the lives of children around the world.  And building on the President’s Interfaith Campus Challenge here in the U.S., we’re encouraging students abroad to come together, across faiths, in service to their communities.

The focus of such efforts is on the tangible benefits they deliver in our daily lives. Still, the lesson is unmistakable—our security, prosperity and dignity as human beings are advanced when members of different religions partner on common challenges.  As such, faith-based organizations will continue to be indispensable partners of the President’s development agenda.          

In closing, let me say that for President Obama and those of us serving in his administration, protecting and advancing the freedom of religion will remain a foreign policy priority.  As he has said, this is not just an American right; it is a universal human right.  And we will defend the freedom of religion, here at home and around the world.  We do this, not only because it is in our national security interests, we do it because it is right.  As President Obama has noted, Scripture gives us the responsibility to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”

I, for one, am reminded of the words of St. Augustine.  “Pray as though everything depended on God,” he said, “work as though everything depended on you.”  In the good and necessary work that brings us here tonight—and as we mourn the violence and loss of life over the past 24 hours—I pray that the God-given rights and liberties we cherish here in America will be enjoyed by more and more people of the world.  Yet I’m mindful—as is the President—that this will not happen on its own.  It depends on people—of all faiths— who are willing to stand up for these freedoms when they are threatened. It depends on us.  On behalf of President Obama and those of us in his Administration, we are proud to be your partners in this important work. 

Thank you very much.

Remarks by the Vice President at the Flight 93 National Memorial Commemorative Service

Flight 93 National Memorial
Shanksville, Pennsylvania

10:30 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Superintendent -- Jeff, you’ve done a remarkable job here. And the thing I notice when I speak to you about is you’re invested in this place. It sort of has a -- sort of stolen a piece of your heart. And that’s why I’m confident that all that you plan will happen.

Patrick, you’re keeping the flame alive, and keeping the families together is -- from my experience, I imagine you all find solace in seeing one another. There’s nothing like being able to talk with someone who you know understands.

And it’s an honor -- it’s a genuine honor to be back here today. But like all of the families, we wish we weren’t here. We wish we didn’t have to be here. We wish we didn’t have to commemorate any of this. And it’s a bittersweet moment for the entire nation, for all of the country, but particularly for those family members gathered here today.

Last year, the nation and all of your family members that are here commemorated the 10th anniversary of the heroic acts that gave definition to what has made America such a truly exceptional place -- the individual acts of heroism of ordinary people in moments that could not have been contemplated, but yet were initiated.

I also know from my own experience that today is just as momentous a day for all of you, just as momentous a day in your life, for each of your families, as every September 11th has been, regardless of the anniversary. For no matter how many anniversaries you experience, for at least an instant, the terror of that moment returns; the lingering echo of that phone call; that sense of total disbelief that envelops you, where you feel like you’re being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest.

My hope for you all is that as every year passes, the depth of your pain recedes and you find comfort, as I have, genuine comfort in recalling his smile, her laugh, their touch. And I hope you’re as certain as I am that she can see what a wonderful man her son has turned out to be, grown up to be; that he knows everything that your daughter has achieved, and that he can hear, and she can hear how her mom still talks about her, the day he scored the winning touchdown, how bright and beautiful she was on that graduation day, and know that he knows what a beautiful child the daughter he never got to see has turned out to be, and how much she reminds you of him. For I know you see your wife every time you see her smile on your child’s face. You remember your daughter every time you hear laughter coming from her brother’s lips. And you remember your husband every time your son just touches your hand.

I also hope -- I also hope it continues to give you some solace knowing that this nation, all these people gathered here today, who are not family members, all your neighbors, that they’ve not forgotten. They’ve not forgotten the heroism of your husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers. And that what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans, forever. That’s why it’s so important that this memorial be preserved and go on for our children and our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren, and our great-great-grandchildren -- because it is what makes it so exceptional. And I think they all appreciate, as I do, more than they can tell you, the incredible bravery your family members showed on that day.

I said last year my mom used to have an expression. She’d say, Joey, bravery resides in every heart, and someday it will be summoned. It’s remarkable -- remarkable -- how it was not only summoned, but acted on.

Today we stand on this hallowed ground, a place made sacred by the heroism and sacrifice of the passengers and the crew of Flight 93. And it’s as if the flowers, as I walked here, as if the flowers were giving testament to how sacred this ground is.

My guess -- and obviously it’s only a guess; no two losses are the same. But my guess is you’re living this moment that Yeats only wrote about, when he wrote, pray I will and sing I must, but yet I weep. Pray I will, sing I must, but yet I weep.

My personal prayer for all of you is that in every succeeding year, you’re able to sing more than you weep. And may God truly bless you and bless the souls of those 40 incredible people who rest in this ground. (Applause.)

END
10:37 A.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach Convention Center
West Palm Beach, Florida

5:15 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, West Palm Beach!  (Applause.)  Oh, it is good to be back!  (Applause.)  You know what, you guys sound pretty fired up!  (Applause.)  You sound like you might be ready to go.  (Applause.)  I'm telling you. 

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

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.  It is good to be back.  It is good to see some great friends in the house.  We've got your outstanding Senator, Bill Nelson, in the house.  (Applause.)  We've got your Mayor, Jeri Muoio, in the house.  (Applause.)  We've got Congressman Ted Deutch in the house.  (Applause.)  And the chairwoman of the Democratic Party, our great friend, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is in the house.  (Applause.)  And all of you are in the house.  (Applause.)  

Now, we just had our convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Applause.)  The people could not have been nicer.  Michelle, she was pretty good.  (Applause.)  So I want to give advice to young men out there -- when you marry, you marry up, you improve the gene pool.  (Laughter.)  

President Clinton was amazing.  (Applause.)  Somebody sent out a tweet right after he spoke that said, he needs to be made secretary of explaining stuff.  (Laughter.) 

And then on Thursday night, I layed out the stakes in this election.  Now, I know I may be preaching a little bit to the choir, but -- (laughter) -- but I want you to know I'm going to need you to then go out and preach to the unconverted.  (Applause.) 

Both sides have now made their arguments.  And there's a choice that we've got to make, and it's the clearest choice we've seen in a generation -- not just between two candidates or two parties, but a choice between two fundamentally different visions of our future.  (Applause.)

We want to restore the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. A bargain that says hard work pays off, that responsibility is  rewarded, that everybody does their fair share, and everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody is playing by the same rules -- (applause) -- from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, D.C. (Applause.) 

That's the basic bargain that led me to run for President.  It's what allowed me and Michelle to have extraordinary opportunities in our lives.  And we want to make sure the next generation has those same opportunities.  (Applause.) 

And we have just gone through a decade in which jobs were being shipped overseas, and families were having trouble making ends meet, and they were having to rack up more debt just to pay tuition or fill up a gas tank.  And it all culminated in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

We spent the last three and a half years trying to recover from all the damage that was done.  And we've made progress, but not enough.  We've got more to do.  And so now the question is which direction do we go.

AUDIENCE:  Forward!
  
THE PRESIDENT:  Now, the Republicans, they disagree with you. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, don't boo -- vote.  (Applause.)  Vote. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you, Obama!

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

They had their convention here in Florida and they talked a lot about me.  (Laughter.)  But they didn’t talk a lot about you. They talked about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn’t really talk about how to make it right.  (Applause.)  They want your vote, but they didn’t really talk about their plan.  And that's because their plan boils down to tax cuts, tax cuts, gut a few regulations, and then some more tax cuts.  (Laughter.)  Tax cuts when times are good.  Tax cuts when times are bad.  Tax cuts when we've got a surplus.  Tax cuts when we have a deficit.  Tax cuts to help you lose a few pounds -- (laughter) -- tax cuts to improve your love life.  (Laughter.)  Whatever is wrong with you, they think tax cuts, especially for folks at the top, will cure all ills. 

Now, I've cut taxes for folks who need it.  (Applause.)  For middle-class families, for small businesses.  (Applause.)  But I don't believe another round of tax cuts for millionaires are going to bring jobs back from overseas.  I don't think another round of tax cuts for billionaires that involve slashing aid for students to pay for it, or asking middle-class families to pay more, that somehow that's going to reduce the deficit or help grow our economy.

I certainly don't think that it makes a lot of sense for us to be looking at creating a voucher for Medicare to pay for some tax cuts for folks who don't need them and weren't even asking for them.  That's not who we are.  That's not how we made progress in this country.

I don't think rolling back regulations on Wall Street so that we don't have another taxpayer-funded bailout is a smart idea.  (Applause.) 

I don't think rolling back health care that is helping Americans all across Florida and all across the country is a good idea.  I don't want to go backwards.  We have been there.  (Applause.)  We have done that.  It didn't work.  We're moving forward.  (Applause.)  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States. 

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

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, I won't pretend that the path I'm offering is easy.  I never have.  These problems built up over decades are going to take more than a few years to solve.  But we can move forward in the right direction.  And I am confident we've got what it takes.  (Applause.)

Our opponents, they've been talking about how America is in decline.  They're wrong.  We've got the best workers in the world, the best businesspeople in the world.  (Applause.)  We've got the best universities in the world, the best researchers in the world.  (Applause.)  We're a young nation.  We're a diverse nation.  We attract talent from every corner of the globe. 

So no matter how much the other side, for political reasons, tries to paint things as bleak, don't believe them.  There's not another nation on Earth that wouldn't trade places with us.  (Applause.)  Our problems can be solved.  Our challenges can be met.  The path I offer is harder, but it leads to a better place. I am asking you to choose that future.  I am asking you to go forward with me.  (Applause.)  I am asking you to go forward with me.  (Applause.)

And let me tell you exactly -- let me repeat, for those of you who didn't catch it on Thursday, what I'm talking about when I say "moving forward."  We are going to put together a real, achievable plan to build this economy on a stronger foundation.  It starts with no longer shipping jobs overseas.  (Applause.)  Let's export goods made here in America.  (Applause.) 

After a decade of decline, we've now created half a million jobs over the last two years just in manufacturing.  We reinvented a dying auto industry that's back on top.  (Applause.) So we can take Mr. Romney's advice and continue to give even more tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas, or we can reward companies that are investing in new jobs and new workers and new factories here in the United States of America.  That's what we're fighting for.  (Applause.) 

I want to help American factories and small businesses export more.  We can create a million new manufacturing jobs the next four years.  You can make that happen. 

The second part of our plan -- let's control our own energy. (Applause.)  After 30 years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, your cars and trucks will go twice as far on the same gallon of gas.  (Applause.)  That's good for your pocketbook.  It's good for the environment. (Applause.)

We've doubled our use of renewable energy like wind and solar.  Today, thousands of Americans have jobs building wind turbines and long-lasting batteries.  And today, the United States is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in nearly two decades.  (Applause.)

So you have a choice.  We can build on that progress, or we can reverse it like my opponent recommends. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I think he's wrong.  Don't boo, vote.  (Applause.) 

Unlike my opponent, I don't intend to let oil companies write our country's energy plan or endanger our coastlines.  And I don't want them to keep collecting $4 billion of corporate welfare from our taxpayers.  (Applause.) 

We've got a better path.  We keep investing in wind and solar, clean coal technology, farmers and scientists harnessing new biofuels to power our cars and trucks, construction workers building homes and factories that are more energy efficient -- developing a hundred years' supply of natural gas.  (Applause.)  We can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.  That's moving forward.  We're not going backwards.  (Applause.)

Third, we're going to build on the reforms we have initiated and make sure that Americans are getting the chance to get the skills they need to compete in this 21st century economy.  Education was the key to opportunity for me, the key to opportunity for Michelle, the key to opportunity for many of you. It's the gateway to a middle-class life.  (Applause.)

And that's why, for the first time in a generation, we pushed every state almost, to answer our call to raise standards for teaching and learning.  Some of the worst schools in the nation have made real gains in reading and math.  (Applause.)  Millions of students are saving money, paying less for college, because of the work we did to keep the student loan program on track and improve the Pell Grant program.  (Applause.)

So you can take their advice and gut education.  Or we can decide in the United States, no child should have her dream deferred because of an overcrowded classroom, or because a family can't afford to send her to college.  No company should have to look for a worker someplace else because they couldn't find the right skills for workers here in the United States.  (Applause.)

So I need you to help me recruit 100,000 new math and science teachers, improve early childhood education.  (Applause.) Let's provide 2 million more workers the chance to learn skills at community colleges for jobs that are out there right now.  And let's work with colleges and universities to lower tuition, because it is not a luxury for young people.  It is a necessity. That's what I mean when I say we need to move forward, not backwards.  (Applause.)  

We can meet these goals together.  My plan would reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class.  (Applause.)  Independent analysis shows my plan would reduce our deficit by $4 trillion.  We've got the math all done.  We've laid it out there. People have evaluated it.  People have analyzed it.  I've already worked with the Republicans in Congress to cut a trillion dollars' worth of spending.  And I'm willing to do more with Republicans. 

I want to reform our tax code, so that's it's simple and it's fair.  But I also think it makes sense for folks like me to pay higher taxes on our incomes over $250,000 -- the same rate Bill Clinton had when he was President, the same rate that created 23 million new jobs, the biggest budget surplus in history, a lot of millionaires to boot.  (Applause.) 

Now, I guess my opponent has a plan.  But there's one thing missing from it --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Arithmetic. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Arithmetic.  (Applause.)  Give that young lady an A.  (Applause.)  She's been doing her homework. 

When Governor Romney and his allies in Congress say that the most important thing is to lower our deficit, and then he starts by calling for trillions of dollars more in new tax breaks for wealthy folks -- and they were asked about it today.  They couldn't answer.  (Laughter.)  They couldn't answer the question of how -- you already have deficits, you add $5 trillion of new tax cuts, $2 trillion in new defense spending, and somehow you're going to close the deficit without raising taxes on middle-class families?  They did not take their arithmetic course.  (Applause.)  They need to talk to this young lady and get some tutoring.  (Applause.)  They need to stay after school.  (Applause.)  They need to get some extra study hall in there.  No recess for you.  (Laughter.) 

Look, I refuse to go along with a plan that asks middle-class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut. I refuse to ask students to pay more for college, or kick children out of Head Start programs, or eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor and elderly or disabled just so those with the most can pay less.  (Applause.)

And I want you to hear me now -- I will never turn Medicare into a voucher.  We won’t do that.  (Applause.)  Here’s what you need to know.  I have strengthened Medicare.  We’ve added years to the life of Medicare.  We did it by getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to insurance companies that weren’t making people healthier.  The other side knows that.  In fact, it was in their budget -- all the savings we achieved.  Now they're pretending like somehow it affected beneficiaries when they know it doesn't.

We took that money that was going to the insurance companies, used part of it to help lower prescription drug costs for seniors, to offer preventive care for seniors.  We thought that was a good idea.  They may think it’s a bad idea, but I don't.  They want to give the money back to the insurance companies, put them in charge of Medicare. 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  There was one report that just said that by the end of the next decade under their plan, you would see as much as $16 billion to $26 billion in new profits for insurance companies, paid for by taxpayers.  Why would we do that?  The cost to folks who are currently on Medicare could rise by thousands of dollars so that insurance companies are making those billions of dollars in profits.  That's not a good plan.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  So here’s the bottom line:  Their plan bankrupts Medicare over the long term, and actually over the short term means the trust fund runs out of money by 2016.  Our plan strengthens Medicare.  I believe no American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies.  I believe every American who works hard should be able to retire with the dignity that they have earned.  (Applause.)

And I want to be honest with you -- I want to be honest with you.  We’re going to have to strengthen Medicare for the long haul, and that requires some reforms.  But we’ll do it by reforming the way that health care delivery system works so that we’re reducing the costs of health care -- not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more.

And we’re going to keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it, not by turning it over to Wall Street.  (Applause.) 

Now, our prosperity at home is linked to our policies abroad, and I’ve got a track record that you can look at.  I said I’d end the war in Iraq -- I did.  (Applause.)  I said we’d begin bringing troops home from Afghanistan -- and we are.  (Applause.) And while a new tower rises above the New York skyline, and as we pause to remember those that were lost this coming Tuesday on September 11th, we know that al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama bin Laden is dead.  (Applause.)

So we’ve got a track record that you can look at.  And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known.  Our troops when they take off those uniforms, we will serve them as well as they’ve served us because they shouldn’t have to fight for a job when they come home.  (Applause.)

But my opponent has a different idea.  He said the way we ended the war in Iraq was "tragic" -- doesn't have a plan to end the war in Afghanistan.  But you know what, if you don't even mention Afghanistan that's a problem when you accept the nomination.  So I’m assuming he doesn't have a plan.  (Applause.)  
And while my opponent would spend more money on military programs that our Joint Chiefs don't even want, at a time when we’re supposed to be reducing our deficit, I’d use the money that we’re no longer spending on war to pay down our debt, and put more people back to work rebuilding bridges and roads and schools and runways.  We need to do some nation-building here at home.  That's what we need to do.  (Applause.)

So that's the choice we now face.  That's what this election comes down to.  The other side says bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations are the only way.  They basically argue, you know what, since government can't do everything, it should do almost nothing.  If you don't have health care, hope you don't get sick. If you can't afford college, borrow money from your parents. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  That's what he said.  I quoted him.  I didn’t make that up.  (Laughter.)

We've got a different idea.  That's not what America is about.  We believe in individual initiative.  We believe you're not entitled to success, you've got to earn it.  We believe in hard work.  We believe in rewarding the dreamers and the risk-takers and the strivers, the small businesspeople who make this country run.  (Applause.)  We believe in the free enterprise system.  But we also believe we've got obligations to one another.  (Applause.)  We also believe this country only works when we're thinking about future generations, not just this one. (Applause.) 

We understand America is not just about what can be done for us, but what can be done by us, together, as one people, as one nation.  (Applause.)  That's what we believe.  That's what we mean when we say we're going forward.  (Applause.) 

Four years ago, because you believed, because of your efforts, we were able to bring about change we hadn’t seen in decades.  (Applause.)  You're the reason that seniors here in Florida are paying about $600 less for prescription drugs because of Obamacare.  You did that.  (Applause.)  You're the reason that there are folks all across this state who can now afford to go to college.  You're the reason that happened.  (Applause.) 

You're the reason that all across this state people who were in danger of losing their homes were able to stay in their homes. That's because of you.  You made that possible.  (Applause.)  You're the reason that a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledges allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the country that they love.  (Applause.)

You're the reason we ended "don't ask, don't tell."  (Applause.)  You're the reason that families are able to say to their loved ones who served so bravely:  "Welcome Home."  You're the reason.  (Applause.) 

But we've got a long way to go.  Now, you know, sometimes on a journey you get tired, and there will be voices that whisper in your head to be cynical, to think you can't make it.  You've got to turn that away.  You can't buy into that cynicism, the notion that change isn’t possible -- because if you don't believe it, it won't happen.  If you give up, then the other voices will fill the vacuum -- the lobbyists and the special interests, the folks who are writing the $10 million checks to run all those negative ads.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  The folks who are trying to make it harder for you to vote; Washington politicians who want to decide who can get married, and control choices that women should be making about their own health care.  (Applause.)  That's what's going to fill the vacuum.

We can't let that happen, Florida.  We've come too far to turn back now.  (Applause.)  If you're not registered to vote, I need you to register.  Go to GottaRegister.com.  (Applause.)  If you don't know how to vote -- maybe you're 17, turning 18, first time -- go to GottaVote.com.  (Applause.)  If you're already registered and you're already going to be voting, then you've got to grab your friends, you've got to grab your neighbors, you've got to grab your cousins, your aunts and your uncles -- (applause) -- you've got to corner your -- and your grandparents. (Laughter.)  You've got to talk to your co-workers.  Don't just talk to each other -- go find some of your Republican friends.  (Applause.)  They're good people.  They're good people.  They just need more information from you.  (Laughter.)

Go talk to some independents.  Make some phone calls.  Knock on some doors.  (Applause.)  Volunteer.  (Applause.)  We need you to work hard.  We've got less than two months left, but let me tell you something -- if you give it your all for these next two months, I'm confident we're going to get there.  (Applause.)  We can't let up now -- because we've got more good jobs to create, we've got more homegrown energy to generate.  (Applause.)  We've got more good schools to build and more great teachers to hire.  (Applause.)  We've got more young people to send to college.  (Applause.)  We've got more troops to bring home.  (Applause.)  We've got more vets to take care of.  (Applause.)  We've got more doors of opportunity we've got to open up to everybody who's willing to fight for it and work for it.

And if you do, we'll win Palm Beach County.  (Applause.)  And if we win Palm Beach County, we will win Florida. (Applause.) And if we win Florida, we win this election.  (Applause.)  We'll finish what we started, and remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth. (Applause.)

God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END
5:45 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee Civic Center
Kissimmee, Florida

4:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Florida!  (Applause.)  Oh, it is good to be in Kissimmee!  (Applause.)  This crowd looks fired up.  (Applause.)  And they definitely look ready to go.  (Applause.)

Well, first of all, can everybody give a big round of applause to Vivian for the great introduction?  (Applause.)  Yay, Vivian!  It's good to know that we've got one of the finest senators in the country here -- your Senator Bill Nelson is in the house.  (Applause.)  And an outstanding member of Congress, Corrine Brown is here.  (Applause.)  And all of you are here.  (Applause.)  All the VIPs, right here.  (Applause.)

Listen, I'm having such a great time.  Anybody who wants to sit down, go ahead and sit down.  I'm going to talk for a while. (Laughter.)  You guys don't sit down because you don't have chairs.  (Laughter.)  But you guys all have to bend your knees a little bit so you don't faint.  You've been standing a while, it's a little hot.  All right?

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Love you!  (Applause.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  Let me just say this.  I've got to say, Kissimmee, that sometimes when the reception is this good I just want to say thank you, and leave the stage.  (Laughter.)  I mean, how am I going to top this -- you guys are being so kind.  (Applause.)

You're fired up!  (Applause.)  All right, all right, all right.  Everybody settle down for a second here.  (Laughter.)  Settle down.   

Now, we just had our convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Applause.)  And folks could not have been more welcoming.  We were so grateful to North Carolina and Charlotte for throwing a great party.  Michelle -- what can I say?  She was amazing.  (Applause.)  For the young men out there who are not yet married, just give you a tip.  You're trying to improve your gene pool, so you marry somebody who is superior to you.  That's what I did and it works good.  (Applause.)  That way you end up with some good-looking kids, smart, talented.  (Applause.)

President Clinton, he made the case as well as anybody could.  (Applause.)  Somebody tweeted after he spoke -- they said, somebody needs to appoint him secretary of explaining stuff.  (Laughter.)  He broke it down.  Secretary of explaining stuff -- I love that. 

And then on the final night, I laid out my case about what’s at stake in this election.  Now, both sides have now made their argument.  The other guys, they came down to Florida and -- and so now you know what the choice is, and you’ve got a big choice to make.  And I honestly believe this is the clearest choice of any time in a generation.  (Applause.)  It is not just a choice between two candidates, it’s not just a choice between two parties; it’s a choice between two different paths for America, two different visions for our future. 

Here’s our vision.  We’re fighting to restore that basic bargain that built the largest middle class the world has ever known, that built the greatest economy the world has ever known. And the whole bargain is real simple -- the promise that if you work hard, it will pay off; the promise that if you act responsibly, you’ll be rewarded; that everybody in this country gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share and everybody plays by the same rules, from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, D.C.  (Applause.) 

Now, some of you know, I started my career in public service working in the shadow of steel mills that had closed, and working with folks trying to rebuild their neighborhoods.  And that process of jobs disappearing overseas, families struggling with the costs that keep on going up even though their paychecks aren’t going up, people taking more and more debt just to pay for tuition or gas or food on the table -- that process had been going on for a decade.  And then it culminated in the worst financial crisis and depression we’ve had -- or recession that we’ve had since the Great Depression.  And millions of people lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost their savings.  And it’s that tragedy that we’ve been fighting to recover from ever since. 
Now, we’ve made progress.  (Applause.)  But we know we haven’t made enough.  We’ve got more work to do.  Nobody is satisfied with the status quo.  There are too many folks out there who still need a job, too many folks whose homes are still underwater.  We’ve got a lot of work to do.  And the question is not whether we need to make more progress.  The question is how do we do it? 

Our friends at the Republican Convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn’t have much to say about how to make it right.  (Applause.)  They want your vote, but they don’t want you to know their plan.  That’s because they’re offering the same worn-out plan that they’ve had for 30 years -- tax cuts, tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and then let’s have some more tax cuts. Tax cuts when times are good.  Tax cuts when times are bad.  Tax cuts to lose an extra few pounds -- (laughter) -- tax cuts to improve your love life.  (Laughter.)  Whatever the issue -- tax cuts. 

By the way, when I said that at the last stop we had, in St. Petersburg, a guy yelled out in the crowd -- he said, "It didn’t work!"  (Laughter.) 

Now, listen, I’ve cut taxes for folks who need it.  (Applause.)  In 2008, I promised that we would lower the tax burden on middle-class families, and the typical family is paying $3,600 less in federal taxes compared to when I came into office. We’ve cut taxes for small businesses 18 times.  (Applause.)  But I don’t believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires is going to bring back jobs from overseas or bring down our deficit.  I don’t think that firing teachers is going to strengthen our economy.  I don’t believe kicking students off of financial aid will help us compete with engineers coming out of China.  (Applause.) 

I sure don’t believe, after everything we’ve gone through with the crash on Wall Street, that rolling back regulations on Wall Street somehow is going to help local businesses here in Florida or strengthen our housing market.  We have been there.  We have tried that.  It didn’t work.  It didn’t work then; it won’t work now.  We’re not going back.  We are moving forward.  That’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  We’re going forward.  We’re going forward.  (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, I will not pretend that the path I’m offering is easy or quick.  I didn’t promise in 2008 that it was going to be easy or quick, because these problems have been going on for decades.  Bill Clinton made that point on Wednesday night. He said you can’t expect that we’re going to solve these massive challenges that we’ve been dealing with for years overnight.  But let me tell you something -- we will solve these problems.  (Applause.) 

You’ve got my opponent and his vice president saying the nation is in decline.  Now, I don’t know whether they’re saying that just because they want to win some votes, or because they actually believe it.  But either way, they’re wrong.  (Applause.) America has got the best workers in the world.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the best entrepreneurs in the world.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the best scientists, the best researchers, the best universities and the best colleges.  (Applause.)  We are a young nation.  We’ve got a diversity of talent just like you see in this auditorium.
 
People are coming here from every corner of the globe.  Why do you think they want to come here?  (Applause.)  Because they know that no matter what the other side says, no matter how dark they try to paint the picture, most folks, they would do anything to have a chance to be right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
So our problems can be solved.  Our challenges can be met.  The path we offer is harder, but it leads to a better place.  And I’m asking you to choose that future.  I’m asking you to rally not around me, but rally around a set of goals for our country in manufacturing, and education, and energy, national security, reducing the deficit.  (Applause.)  I’ve got a plan that will lead to new jobs and more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. 

And we can keep making the kinds of progress that’s needed over the next four years -- which is the reason I’m running for a second term, because I’m confident we can get to where we need to go.  (Applause.)  I’m confident about it.

But in case you missed it, in case you missed what I said -- what day was that, Thursday?  (Applause.)  What day is it today? Is it Saturday?  (Applause.)  I’m just on the road all the time. I forget what day it is.  All right, so it was Thursday, now it’s Saturday.  In case you missed it on Thursday, let me say again what our plan is. 

First of all, I’ve got a plan to export more products and outsource fewer jobs.  (Applause.)  So after a decade of decline, this country created over half a million new manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years.  (Applause.)  We reinvented a dying auto industry that’s back on top of the world.  (Applause.)

So now, you’ve got a choice.  (Applause.)  You can go along with the plan you heard in Tampa and give more tax breaks to corporations that are shipping jobs overseas.  Or we can start giving tax breaks to companies that are opening new plants and training new workers and creating new jobs here in Florida, in Kissimmee, here in the United States of America.  That’s my plan.  (Applause.)

We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports.  And by the way, here in Florida you’re the gateway for an entire market in Latin America, which is why when you hear these folks talking about the Recovery Act and he didn’t do this and he didn’t do that -- listen, we’re expanding ports and infrastructure here in Florida precisely because we can export more.  We can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years, because we’re selling goods around the world stamped with three proud words:  Made in the USA.  (Applause.)  Made in the USA.  Made in the USA.  (Applause.)  That’s part one of our plan, making it here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  U-S-A!  U-S-A!

THE PRESIDENT:  U-S-A!

AUDIENCE:  U-S-A!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!

THE PRESIDENT:  So you’ve got a choice on that issue.  Let me give you another choice.  We need to control more of our own energy.  After 30 years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, your cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas.  (Applause.)  That will save you money. 

We’ve doubled our use of renewable energy, which is not only producing power for businesses and homes here in Florida, but it’s also creating thousands of jobs building wind turbines and solar panels and long-lasting batteries.  (Applause.)  Today, the United States is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades.  Think about that.  (Applause.)
 
So we’ve made progress.  And now, the big idea coming out of Tampa was to reverse the progress we’ve made. 

That’s option one. Option two is to build on that progress. So unlike my opponent, I’m not going to let oil companies write this country’s energy plan.  I’m not going to let them continue to collect $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers.  (Applause.)  We’ve got a better path.
 
We want to keep investing in wind and solar and cleaner coal.  And we want farmers and scientists to harness new biofuels to power our cars and our trucks.  We want to put construction workers back to work -- (applause) -- rebuilding factories and homes so they’re more energy-efficient, so they waste less energy.  We can develop a hundred years’ supply of natural gas that’s beneath our feet here in the United States. 

And if you choose the path I’m offering, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020, and we can support 600,000 new jobs just in natural gas alone.  Think about that.  (Applause.)  That path is open only if you take it through your vote.  So that’s two.
 
Number three, I’ve got a plan to give more Americans the chance to gain the skills they need to compete.  Education was the key to opportunity for me.  It was the key for Michelle.  It was the key for many of you.  It’s the gateway to a middle-class life.  (Applause.)

So what have we already done?  For the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning.  Some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. Millions of students are paying less for college because we stopped using banks and lenders as middlemen for student loans, saved billions of dollars and sent that directly to students to help millions get a better education and not have as much debt.  (Applause.)

    Now, you’ve got a choice.  We can reverse some of those things that we’ve done.
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Or we can decide that in the United States of America, no child should have their dream deferred because of an over-crowded classroom.  (Applause.)  No family should be excited about a college acceptance letter and then realize, you know what, honey, we can’t afford to send you there.  No company should have to look for workers in China because they couldn’t find workers here in Florida, or here in the United States that have the skills they need.  (Applause.)

So my path is let’s recruit and train another 100,000 math and science teachers.  (Applause.)  Let’s improve early childhood education.  Let’s give 2 million more workers the chance to get better skills at community colleges, skills that will lead directly to a job.  (Applause.)  And let’s work with colleges and universities to cut in half the growth in tuition, so that everybody can afford it.  (Applause.)  We can meet that goal together.  These are achievable goals.  That’s the path I want you to choose.  (Applause.)

Number four, we need to reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class.  (Applause.)  It’s important for us to reduce our deficit.  It’s important for us to reduce our deficit. It's important for us to do it in a responsible way.  We don't have to do it all at once, but we've got to get started on it.  An independent analysis shows that my plan would cut our deficit by $4 trillion. (Applause.)  And I’ve worked with Republicans in Congress to cut a trillion dollars in spending already, and I’m ready to do more. 

I want to reform the tax code so that it is simple and so that it is fair.  (Applause.)  I want to get rid of programs that don't work.  I want to consolidate some agencies so they're more efficient and more customer-friendly.  But I also want to ask the wealthiest households to pay a little bit higher taxes on incomes over $250,000 -- over $250,000.  (Applause.) 

Keep in mind, let's say you make a million dollars --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Right.  (Laughter.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  Sounds good to you, right?  You'd still keep your tax cut for the first $250,000.  So it's not like you're not getting any relief at all.  The first $250,000 you still get your tax break.  But for every dollar you make after $250,000, we go back to the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was President -- (applause) -- when our economy created 23 million new jobs, when we had all kinds of small businesses succeeding and starting up, when we had the biggest surplus in history and a whole lot of millionaires to boot.  (Applause.)

Now, the reason why this works is because -- this whole top-down thing doesn’t work.  If you give a teacher or a construction worker or a receptionist, just working folks -- if you give them a little more money, what do they do? 

AUDIENCE:  Spend it!

THE PRESIDENT:  And if they spend it then businesses have more customers.  And then business makes more profits.  And then the businesses say, let's build another plant and let's hire more workers.  (Applause.)  And now everything gets rolling in a positive direction. 

So that's how we build an economy, from the middle out, from the bottom up.  It helps everybody when you do it that way.  And if you're concerned about the deficit, the first thing you should be concerned about is growing the economy.  But let's say even if all you were thinking about is how do we close the deficit gap -- as President Clinton pointed out, the thing that's missing from my opponent's plan is arithmetic.  (Applause.)  It doesn’t add up.  He says that we can give a $5 trillion tax cut, mostly to wealthy individuals, and that somehow the deficit is going to get smaller.  Now, how do you think that's going to work?  That's not going to work.

And the only way it does work is if you are gutting education, you're not investing in basic science and research, where we're not rebuilding our infrastructure, and we are fraying our safety net, and we're voucherizing Medicare --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- and maybe, to top it off, we're increasing taxes on middle-class families. 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  That doesn’t sound like a good plan.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  It doesn’t add up.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  And by the way, it does not add up to jobs either.  Some people looked at Romney’s plan -- they said, you know what, this actually would make the recovery slower.  Slower. I refuse to let that happen.  I refuse to let that happen.  (Applause.)

I refuse to ask middle-class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for a tax cut for me.  I’m not going to ask students to pay more for college, or kick kids off Head Start programs, or eliminate health insurance for the poor and the elderly and the disabled so those with the most can pay less.  (Applause.)

And I want you to know, AARP -- I want you to know I will never turn Medicare into a voucher.  (Applause.)  These guys are out there running these ads about how somehow we’re weakening Medicare.  We strengthened Medicare -- extended its life for eight years.  Don't take my word for it -- AARP says the same thing.  (Applause.)  

Because I believe no American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies.  After a lifetime of labor, you should retire with dignity and respect.  You’ve earned it.  So we do have to reform and we will strengthen Medicare over the long haul, but we’re going to do it by reducing the costs of health care -- not by dumping those costs on to seniors.  And we’re going to keep the promise of Social Security. We’ll take responsible steps to strengthen it -- not by turning it over to Wall Street.  (Applause.)

Now, there’s one last point I want to make and that's about foreign policy because these things are connected.  Our prosperity at home is linked to our policies abroad.  Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq -- we did.  (Applause.)   I said we’d wind down the war in Afghanistan -- and we are.  (Applause.)  While a new tower rises above the New York skyline, -- (applause) -- as we come up on September 11th, we know that al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama bin Laden is dead.  (Applause.)

So I want you to know as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known.  (Applause.)  When our troops take off the uniform, we will serve them as well as they’ve served America.  (Applause.)  Nobody who fights for this country should ever have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  (Applause.)

Now, my opponent has got a different view.  He said it was "tragic" for me to end the war in Iraq as I did.  Well, I did it anyway.  (Laughter and applause.)  He won’t tell us how he’ll end the war in Afghanistan, in fact, didn't even mention it in his speech at his convention. 

My opponent would spend more money on military programs that our Joint Chiefs don't even want, won’t make us safer.  I’m going to use that money we’re no longer spending on war to pay down our debt, and put more people back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and runways.  (Applause.)  Let’s do some nation-building here at home.  That will make us safer.  (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT:  So that's what this election comes down to. There’s a choice on every issue.  Over and over we’ve been told by the other side that bigger tax cuts, fewer regulations, they're the only way to go; that since government can't do everything, it should do almost nothing.  Their basic theory is if you can't afford health insurance, don't get sick. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  A company releases pollution in the air that our children breathe, well, that's the price of progress.  If you can't afford college, take their advice and ask your parents if you can borrow the money.  (Laughter.)

I’ve got a different idea --  because I don't think that's what our country is about.  We insist on hard work and personal responsibility and individual initiative, and we know we’re not entitled to success -- we’ve got to earn it.  We honor the strivers and the dreamers and the entrepreneurs, the risk-takers who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system.  And we believe that the free enterprise system is the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known.  That's what attracts people to our shores.

But we also believe that the market doesn't work, this country doesn't work, unless we accept certain obligations to one another; unless we’re thinking about future generations; unless we believe in something called citizenship -- that we understand America is not just about what can be done for us, it’s about what can be done by us, together, as one nation and one people.  (Applause.)

So the election four years ago, it wasn’t about me; it was about you.  You’re the change.  The American people rose up, and as a result of what you did, seniors across Florida are saving an average of $600 every year on prescription drugs.  (Applause.)  That's because of Obamacare.  You did that.  (Applause.)

You’re the reason a woman in Doral, who is already working full-time during the day, now can afford to go to school at night because she’s got the financial aid that she needs.  You did that.  (Applause.)

You’re the reason there’s a working family over in Hollywood who was able to save their home from foreclosure and keep their piece of the American Dream.  You made that possible.

You’re the reason that a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she’s ever called home.  (Applause.)

You’re the reason why we ended "don't ask, don't tell."  (Applause.)  You’re the reason why our troops are coming home.  (Applause.)

You made that happen.  You made that happen.  Don't let anybody tell you, you can't make a difference.  Don't let anybody tell you that somehow you have no influence, that you can't change the system. 

We may not be able to change everything all at once just the way we want it, because this is a big, complex democracy, and not everybody has got a same opinion.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.  And, yes, sometimes things get tangled up in Washington, and sometimes it’s frustrating, and change isn’t happening the way it should.  But whenever the American people stand up, whenever you get involved, whenever you participate, then amazing things happen -- because the American people have great instincts.  You are a good and decent people.  (Applause.) 

And so if you turn away now, if you turn away now, and you buy into the cynicism that you won’t make a difference, well, of course, change won’t happen.  You know who will fill the void, who will step in where you should have been?  Lobbyists, special interests, the folks writing the $10 million checks trying to buy this election, the folks who are trying to make it harder for people to vote.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Washington politicians who want to control who you can marry, want to control health care choices that women are perfectly capable of making themselves.  (Applause.)

You can't let that happen.  You can't let that happen.  I’m talking to you.  (Applause.)  Only you have the power to move us forward.  But that depends on you using that power.  I’m asking you for your help.  I’m asking for your vote.  (Applause.)  I’m asking you to make phone calls.  I’m asking you to knock on some doors.  (Applause.)  I’m asking you to talk to your neighbors and talk to your friends and talk to your coworkers.  (Applause.)  I’m asking you to stand up.  I’m asking you to be heard.  (Applause.) 

And if you do, we will win Florida.  And we will win this election.  We’ll finish what we started, and you and I together will march into that better future.  Let’s make it happen.  (Applause.)

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

END
5:16 P.M. EDT