Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Sheraton Birmingham Hotel
Birmingham, Alabama

5:10 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, whoa!  (Applause.)  This is a good crowd.  You all are fired up.  (Applause.)  Let me thank you all.  Thank you so much.  I am beyond thrilled to be here in Birmingham with all of you, and to be in the state of Alabama.  I told Terri that I was coming back, and it has just been a glorious few hours here.  I just want to thank you for your graciousness, your hospitality, your warmth.  It’s just been tremendous.
 
I want to thank Peggy for that very, very kind introduction -- absolutely -- (applause) -- and for all of her support down here in this state.  And I also want to recognize Justice Mark Kennedy, Peggy’s husband, for all of the work as Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.  (Applause.)  And I want to thank them for their service to this country -- their entire family -- for their unwavering sacrifice and dedication to this country.  We are just grateful.  I know we all are, as Americans. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you, First Lady!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Love you, too.  Love you, too.  (Applause.) 
 
And I have to thank my dear friend, Representative Terri Sewell.  (Applause.)  I know that Terri mentioned to you that we have known each other for a long time, and I’m just going to say this about Terri:  She is the exact same person today that she was when I met her.  And I mean that.  Now, she’s matured; she’s obviously a congresswoman.  But let me tell you, the first time I met Terri, she was bubbly, she was energetic, she was whip-smart.  She was the kind of person you’d pick to be on your team, because you’d know she’d get the job done.  And it has just been a thrill to watch her grow and to become a dedicated public servant.  I will tell you, you all are blessed to have her, and I am -- I look forward to have her as my friend.  Terri, thank you so much -- proud of you, very proud of you.
 
I want to also recognize State Representative Merika Coleman and her mom.  I got to meet them earlier.  (Applause.)  Thank you for your words, for firing up the crowd.  Mom, you look great.  (Laughter.)  And I also want to thank Leanne as well for all of her hard work and for getting you all fired up.  (Applause.)  Yes, indeed.  There she is.  And her beautiful children -- and her mom, because she is doing what she’s doing because of her mom, and I can relate to that, because we can’t do what we do with children without a good grandma by our side, right?  (Applause.)  Thank you, Leanne, you’re doing a phenomenal job.
 
And I also want to give a big shout-out to all of the grassroots volunteers who are here today, because I know we’ve got a lot of our worker bees.  (Applause.)  You all are the folks that are doing the hard work -- you’re making those phone calls, knocking on doors.  So I want to give you all -- give all our team leaders, our volunteers a round of applause.  (Applause.)  You all are doing the hard work.  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Whitney Young!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Whitney Young -- High School, for those of you who -- (laughter) -- the Dolphins.  Go Dolphins.  (Laughter.)
 
And finally, I want to thank all of you, this beautiful crowd.  Just glorious.  Thank you for taking the time to be here today.  And I know that -- I don’t take it for granted that you are taking time out of your busy lives to be here.  Yes, I’m the First Lady, but you all are busy.  (Laughter.)  You all --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you.
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  Thank you.  But you all have jobs to do, right?  You’ve got business to handle.  Many of you are in school, you’ve got classes to attend, you’re taking care of business.  You’ve got those beautiful families to raise -- our children. 
 
But I also know that there’s a reason why all of you are here today, and it’s not just because we all support an extraordinary President -- my husband.  Yes, I’m a little biased.  (Applause.)  I believe that our President is doing a phenomenal job.  (Applause.)  And we’re not just here because we want to win an election -- which we do, and we will.  Four more years -- yes, indeed.  (Applause.)
 
But what I like to remind people when I travel around the country is that we’re here, we’re doing this because of the values we believe in.  That’s why we’re here.  We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share.  We’re doing this because we want all of our children to have good schools, right?  The kind of schools that push them, and inspire them -- we know those schools.  The kind of schools that prepare them for the good jobs and the opportunities of the future -- that’s why we’re here. 
 
We want our parents and our grandparents to be able to retire with some dignity, because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, they should be able to enjoy their golden years, right?  (Applause.)
 
We’re here because we want to restore that basic middle-class security for all of our families, because we believe that in America folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because they get sick.  Not in America.  They shouldn’t lose their home because someone loses a job.  Not in America.  We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, and that hard work should pay off.  We believe that everyone should do their fair share, but play by the same rules.  (Applause.)
 
And the thing we know is that these are basic American values, right?  The basics --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thanks for bringing my (inaudible) home!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  And thank you for your service, sweetie.  Thank you. 
 
These are the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  You all know my story by now.  My father was a blue-collar worker at the city water plant, and my family lived in a little-bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  My mother still lives in that apartment -- when she’s not at the White House, but -- (laughter.)  My parents never had the kinds of educational opportunities that we had.  Never.  And growing up, I’m sure like so many people here, I saw how they saved and how they sacrificed -- how they poured everything they had into me and my brother.  They held us to that same high standard of excellence because they wanted us both to have the same kind of education they could only dream of.
 
My parents did everything in their power to support my college education -- right? -- so I know you can relate to this.  And pretty much all of my tuition came from student loans and grants.  (Applause.)  But my dad still had to pay a small portion of that tuition himself.  And let me tell you, every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, because my dad was so proud to be able to send his kids to college, and he did all he could to lessen our financial burden by ensuring that neither me nor my brother ever missed that registration deadline because his check was late.  And like so many people in this country, my father was proud to be able to earn the kind of living that allowed him to handle his business to his family; to be able to pay all of his bills, and to pay them on time.  That’s all he wanted.  That’s all most people want.
 
And more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake.  That’s why we’re here.  That’s what we’re working for.  It’s that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, in America, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.  And it is that promise that binds us together as Americans.  That’s what we cannot forget.  That is what makes us who we are.  That’s what makes this country special.
 
And from now until November, Barack is going to need all of you to get out there and to tell everyone you know about our values.  You tell them about this vision, about everything that’s at stake in this election.  That’s what we need from you.
 
And you can start with the economy.  When it comes to the economy, you can start by telling them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and for small businesses, because he understands that an economy built to last starts with the middle class and the folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work.
 
And remind people how, back when Barack first took office, this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs every single month.  Remind them.  But also let them know for the past 28 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs -– a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years.  (Applause.)  It’s important that people understand this in context, correct?
 
So while we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, today, millions of people are collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again.  (Applause.)
 
And I want you to remind people about how those folks in Washington, so many of them were telling Barack to let the auto industry go under.  Remember that?  With more than a million jobs on the line, they said, let it go.  But Barack had the backs of American workers.  He put his faith in the American people.  And as a result, today, the auto industry is back on its feet again and, more importantly, people are back to work again, providing for their families.  Let them know.  (Applause.)
 
As someone mentioned, let’s talk a little bit about health care.  (Applause.)  You can tell people how insurance companies will have to cover preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care, at no extra cost thanks to health reform.  Thanks to health reform, millions of our seniors have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescription drugs.  And our young people can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  That is how 6.6 million of our young people in this country are getting the care that they need.  Let them know.
 
When it comes to education, you can tell them that Barack knows what it’s like to be drowning in student debt.  Back when we first started out, right -- we’re all in love, trying to build a life together -- (laughter) -- we’re still in love -- (laughter) -- as you can see from the Kiss-Cam, right?  (Applause.)  But when we first got married, our combined student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Amen.
 
MRS. OBAMA:  I can get an Amen.  There are a lot of people in here -- that’s why Barack fought so hard to prevent student loan interest rates from increasing.  And that’s why he’s doubled Pell Grants, helping 4 million more students afford the education they need for the jobs of the future.  (Applause.) 
 
And when it comes to increasing opportunities for all of our young people, I want you to tell people how hard Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act.  And understand this -- he’s fighting for responsible young people who came to this country as children through no fault of their own, and were raised as Americans.  He’s fighting for them because he believes they deserve the chance to go to college, to serve our country, and to contribute to this economy.  That’s what that’s about.  (Applause.)
 
And when it comes to our country’s safety, please remind people that Barack kept his promise and brought our troops home from Iraq.  (Applause.)
 
You can remind them about how our brave men and women in uniform finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks.  (Applause.)
 
And our troops will no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love, because Barack finally ended “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  That makes a difference to our men and women in service.  (Applause.)
 
And when it comes to supporting women and families in this country, you can tell people how Barack fought to make it easier for women to get equal pay for equal work because of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  (Applause.)  That was the first bill he signed into law, because he knows that closing that pay gap, that can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas and groceries and put clothes on the backs of their kids.  And he did it because when so many women in this country are breadwinners for our families, women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  That’s why he did it.  Let people know.  (Applause.) 
 
And finally, when it comes to the Supreme Court, don’t forget to tell people about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices he appointed -- (applause) -- and how for the first time in history our daughters and sons watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  Let them know.  (Applause.)
 
But all of this is at stake this November.  It’s all on the line.  And in the end, it all boils down to one simple question:  Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or are we going to let everything we’ve worked so hard for to just slip away?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, we know what we need to do.  We can’t turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward, right?  (Applause.)  Forward!  This country always moves forward.  (Applause.)
 
And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for.  That’s why we’re here -- the chance to finish what we started; the chance to keep fighting for the values we all believe in, the vision that we all share.  Everybody shares this vision.  And that is what your President, my husband, has been doing every single day -- every single day in office.
 
And let me just share something with you.  Over the past three and a half years I have had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like.  (Laughter.)  And I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, they are always the hard ones –- they’re the problems with no easy solutions, the judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there is no margin for error.  And as President, you are going to get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people.  But let me tell you, at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, all you have to guide you are your life experiences.  All you have to draw on are your values and your vision for this country.  And in the end, it all comes down to who you are and what you stand for.
 
And we all know who my husband is, don’t we?  (Applause.)  And we all know what he stands for.  (Applause.)  He is the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  Barack is the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus at her job at the bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family, and she was good at her job, she watched men no more qualified than she was -- men she had actually trained -- climb up that ladder.  Like so many women, she hit that glass ceiling.
 
So, believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have the chance to fulfill their potential.  And, believe me, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man, and yes, the President he is today.  And that’s what we’re working for.  (Applause.)
 
So when there’s a choice about our children’s future -- about investing in their schools and helping them to attend college without a mountain of debt, you know where Barack Obama stands.  (Applause.)
 
When it comes time to stand up for our workers and our families, so folks can make a decent wage, save for retirement, see a doctor when they’re sick, you know what Barack Obama is going to do.  (Applause.)  And when we need a President to protect our most basic rights -- no matter who we love, or where we’re from, or what race or what gender we are -- you know you can count on my husband, because that’s what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  Every single day.  (Applause.)
 
But I have said this before, and I will say it again:  He cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  Because, as Barack has said, this election will be even closer than the last one.  That is a guarantee.  So he needs your help.  And let me just say -- and I know that I’m talking to our people here, but let me just say, sitting on the sidelines is simply not an option if we want to keep this country moving forward.  It’s not an option.  (Applause.)  Barack needs you to be actively and passionately engaged.  He needs you to make those phone calls.  He needs you to organize those events.  He needs you to join one of our neighborhood teams.  These teams are groups of people all over the state and all over the country.  We’ve got team leaders right here.  And they’re giving just a little bit of their time and energy to make a difference for this campaign.  Everything we do on the ground runs through our teams.  That’s what’s going to make the difference.
 
So, today, we’ve got volunteers here.  Hands up our volunteers here, who can answer questions and get you signed up -- (applause) -- get you to fill in one of those “I’m In” cards.  You can sign up to volunteer next week, or next weekend, down in Florida.  We need you to go everywhere as well.  And once you’ve signed up, we need you to multiply yourselves.  I want you all to think like that.  I’m telling everybody around the country:  Multiply yourselves.  If you’re in, you need to be 10 more people in.  We need you to reach out to everybody you know -- your friends, your family, your neighbors -- and I want you to tell them to go to dashboard.barackobama.com, and that information will be there.  You can stop at any -- that’s dashboard.barackobama.com.  Our websites are tremendous.  So we want you to go there, and we want you to direct people to that site to get them involved.
 
And let me just say, if anyone here has any doubt about the difference you can make, I just want you to remember that in the end, this election could all come down to those last few thousand people that we register to vote, right?  (Applause.)  It could all come down to those last few thousand people that we help get to the polls on November the 6th.  So with every conversation you have, I just want you to remember -- think in your mind -- think this could be the one that makes the difference.  With every conversation -- this could be the one.  That is the kind of impact that each of us can have. 
 
So if you’ve noticed that I’m a little passionate -- because I’m thinking there is someone out there right now, today, who could be the one.  That’s how I think about this.  And if we’re all thinking like that -- there is no conversation that is wasted; there is no moment that goes unfulfilled when it comes to working on behalf of this campaign.
 
And I’m not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long.  It is going to be hard, and there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way.  I remind everyone about that.  But we have to remember that that is how change always happens in this country.  Real change is slow.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, then eventually we get there.  We always have.  We always do.  Maybe not in my lifetime, but maybe in our children’s lifetime, right?  Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
 
Because, in the end, that’s what this is all about.  That’s what I remind myself.  That’s what keeps me fired up.  That’s what I think about when I tuck my girls in at night.  Malia is getting a little big for tucking, but I still make her get tucked.  (Laughter.)  But I think hard about the world I want to leave for them, and for all of our sons and daughters.  I love your kids.  I think about how I want to do for them what my mom and dad did for me.  I want to give them a foundation for their dreams.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise, because all our kids are worthy.  I want to give our children that sense of limitless possibility, right?  That belief that here in America, there is always something better if you’re willing to work for it.
 
So we just can’t turn back now.  We have come much too far.  We can’t go back.  (Applause.) But we have so much more work to do.  We have to keep moving forward.
 
So I have one last question that I ask everybody:  Are you all in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, no, are you really in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)
 
MRS. OBAMA:  I mean, as I say, are you the kind of in where you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and make those calls and multiply yourselves and reach out to people in your lives who are not paying attention?  Find those nephews and nieces who aren’t registered to vote and shake them.  Are you the kind of in where you’re ready to find somebody on Election Day and take them to the polls?  Are you thinking -- are you the kind of in where you’re thinking, every conversation, I can let you know what’s happening.  I’m going to take it on.  Are you that kind of in?  (Applause.)  Because that’s the kind of in we’re going to need.  And if you haven’t noticed, I’m so far in.  (Applause.)  I am so fired up.  And I hope you all are, too.  We have to get this done.  We have to do it for our children.  They deserve the best.  They deserve a country that is working for them.  And we need each of you to help us get there.
 
So I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done and all that you will do.  God bless you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
END               
5:35 P.M. EDT
 

Remarks by the First Lady at a Let's Move! Cities, Towns and Counties Announcement

Lenfest Police Athletic League Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

12:28 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you all so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you. You all, please, rest yourselves.  (Applause.)  I guess standing is good for fitness, as well, so -- thank you.  (Applause.)

Let me say I am more than delighted to be here with so many outstanding leaders from cities, towns and counties all across America.  And I am thrilled to announce these groundbreaking commitments to support the work that you all are doing to build healthy communities for all of our children.  

And I want to start by thanking your mayor, Mayor Nutter, not just for that very kind introduction, but for the terrific work that is happening here in Philadelphia.  He has just been an amazing, inspiring, energetic leader on behalf of these issues.  And I want to thank him for hosting us here today.  (Applause.)

And I have to recognize our fantastic Secretary of Health and Human Services -- to Secretary Sebelius, I want to thank her for her friendship and leadership.  She's been phenomenal.  (Applause.)

And I want to echo the thank-yous for our outstanding partners in this new coalition.  The National League of Cities -- I want to thank them for taking the lead and working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and NACO to coordinate these commitments.  I want to thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for their critical contributions.

I also want to thank Blue Cross Blue Shield and Partnership for a Healthier America for supporting new Play Streets where families can walk and play and bike together.  And of course, KaBOOM for supporting new playgrounds -- like the one that we're going to unveil here today -- where kids can get around and get the exercise they need to stay healthy. 

And I want to ask all these leaders, all the representatives from these organizations to stand, because I think -- I would love to show you all our love and appreciation.  Would all the representatives from the partnering organizations please stand so that we can recognize you?  (Applause.)  Thank you. 

More than anything else, these commitments are what Let’s Move Cities, Towns and Counties is all about.  It’s about supporting leaders like you who are on the front lines -- our mayors -- working to solve our childhood obesity epidemic so that all of our children in this country can grow up healthy.

In fact, as some of you may remember, one of the very first groups I spoke to about this issue was the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  It was back in 2010.  And we hadn’t even launched Let's Move yet.  But I knew that local leaders were going to be critical partners in this effort, because more than just about anyone else, these leaders know the impact these issues have on their communities. 

You all see it in your budgets -- in the tens of millions of dollars in obesity-related health care costs.  You see it in your workforce -- because when kids aren’t healthy, they miss more days of school.  And that can mean higher absenteeism as parents have to stay home and care for those kids. 

And all of that doesn’t just affect the businesses in your communities today.  It also affects whether new businesses will come and set up shop in the years ahead, or whether they’ll see high health care costs and lower productivity, and decide to go elsewhere with their business.

But I didn’t just start with leaders like all of our local city officials because I knew that they would understand the problem.  I started with them because I knew that our cities, towns and counties would be a key part of the solution to this issue.  You see -- and I’ve said this again and again -- there is no one-size-fits all policy or program that can solve this problem.  And Washington certainly does not have all the answers on this issue.  Instead, many of the best, most innovative, most effective solutions start in our city halls and our towns and our county councils.  They start with leaders like all of these men and women on this stage who see people’s struggles up close and who govern where people see it and feel it the most. 

And whether it’s the roads people drive on or the schools their children attend, the issues these leaders deal with, as Mayor Nutter said, they are not Democratic or Republican issues. They’re issues that affect every last one of us, no matter what party -- if any -- we belong to. 

And the same is true for childhood obesity.  This isn't a political issue.  It is not a partisan issue.  It’s about the future we all want for our children.  And that’s why, on that January day two and a half years ago, I asked all of these leaders to be the frontline leaders in our work to reclaim our children’s health. 

And since that time, all of these individuals have stepped up and answered that call in ways that we never could have imagined.  Mayor Chip Johnson of Hernando, Mississippi, credited his city’s very first Parks Department and -- he created that park -- and he planted a community garden and brought in a farmer’s market as well. 

In Avondale, Arizona, under the leadership of Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers, they opened an 80,000 square foot soccer, basketball and volleyball facility, and they partnered with school districts and the Boys & Girls Club to start an after-school program where kids can get active. 

And Commissioner Larry Johnson of Dekalb County, Georgia, hosted a "DeKalb Day of Play," they hosted a DeKalb Diabetes Awareness bike ride, and an annual four-mile walk called -- and I love this name -- "DeKalb Walks for the Health of it!"  Yeah.  (Laughter.) 

Here in Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter has installed bike lanes, and raised food and fitness standards in after-school programs here.  He's helped 630 corner stores sell healthier products like fruits and vegetables. 

And thanks to Mayor Cornett, folks in Oklahoma City, as he told you, they have lost more than a million pounds.  I mean, that's just amazing.  And I think he put it best when he said:  "Lives are being changed here."  That's what's going on -- lives are being changed all over the country because that is exactly what all of these leaders are doing every day -- you all are changing our children’s lives every day.  You’re helping them learn and grow and fulfill every last bit of their potential. 

And thanks to the commitments that we’re announcing today, our cities, towns and counties will be better able to do even more.  You all will be able to provide more healthy food for our kids.  You’ll be able to build more playgrounds and play-spaces for our families.   And no matter what challenge you’re confronting, no matter what project you decide to tackle, you’re going to have more of the tools and the assistance you need to truly make a difference in the lives of our kids. 

And I want to be very clear to all of the other leaders out there -- you don’t have to spend a fortune to have an impact on this issue.  And I know that today, many city and county budgets are stretched thinner than ever before.  And I know that all of the leaders have to make some very hard choices to keep their cities, towns and counties afloat.  But fortunately, when it comes to helping our kids lead healthier lives, it doesn’t take big money to get big results. 

What it does take are manageable, common-sense changes in our families and our communities.  What it does take is a commitment from all of us, not just as executives and officials, but as parents and grandparents who love our children and want to give them every opportunity to succeed. 

And finally, it takes leaders like all of the folks here on this stage, pushing and innovating, and bringing people together on behalf of our children.  And again, Mayor Johnson put it best when he said -- this is his quote -- he said, "My job is not to tell people to be healthy, but it's to create an atmosphere and opportunities for good health in Hernando."  And that’s what all of these leaders are doing every single day.  That’s what we’ve been doing over these past two and a half years through Let's Move. 

And I just think about all that we’ve changed together, and all that we've achieved.  Think about how, this afternoon, there are kids across this country, they're going to be out riding their bikes, and running around on playgrounds, and picking up vegetables at community gardens.  And then this evening, parents are going to walk to stores in their communities and be able to pick up something healthy for dinner.  This weekend, families are going to play together in their neighborhood parks, and hike together on local trails in their communities.

And make no mistake about it, these small daily acts -- is what I tell people -- these very small changes in how we live our lives -- all of that adds up over time.  That's what makes the difference.  And we’re already beginning to see the difference in communities across this country.  We’re already feeling the momentum that we’ve created as leaders from every sector of our society are uniting on behalf of our kids.  From our schools to our businesses, from our health providers to our faith leaders, everywhere we look we see people coming together to support families who want to make healthier choices. 

And so much of that good work started in cities like Philadelphia and with leaders like all of the men and women here today.  And today, I want to urge city, town and county leaders across this country to join us and become a part of this movement.  I want you all to go to letsmove.gov -- that may be easier than healthycommunitieshealthyfutures.organization, but you can go to either one, and you can go there to sign up for Let’s Move Cities, Towns and Counties.  It's a wonderful website and it's very user-friendly.

We want you to share your good ideas and best practices.  We want you to take advantage of these new commitments and all the tools and expertise our partners have to offer. 

And if anyone out there who's considering this ever has any doubt about the difference that you as leaders can make, I just want to share a story about a young 12 year-old boy named Mason Carter -- Mason Carter Harvey.  He is from Oklahoma, and I had the privilege of meeting him earlier this year at the White House, at the Easter Egg Roll.  He had traveled all the way to D.C.

And for years, Mason struggled with obesity -- and he showed me his picture -- until finally, last year, he decided that it was time for him to change his habits and to get healthy.  So what did this young man do?  He cut down chips and candy; he started playing sports -- he said he loves to ride his bike -- he started riding his bike.  And within a year, this young man, 12 years old, lost 85 pounds.  And today he is healthier than ever before.  Look good, you know?  (Laughter.) 

And a few months ago, inspired by Mayor Cornett’s efforts in Oklahoma City, he sent the Mayor an email.  And in his email he wrote he said, "It’s kind of funny that I'm writing this letter to you on Martin Luther King Day.  He had a dream and so do I.  My dream is to help other kids that are obese and help them get better.  I would like to be a spokeskid."  That's what he told the Mayor -- he wants to be a spokeskid. 

And Mason followed his dream.  He didn’t just write a letter, he followed his dream.  And since that day, he has been traveling around the country -- that's why he was at the White House -- he's been giving speeches, he's been sharing stories with kids in his community.  He’s sponsored walks and other events to help kids get active.  He even created his own website called, strivefor85.com.

I mean, just imagine, 12 years old, showed up at the White House, too.  (Laughter.)  Amazing.  Now, just imagine how much we could accomplish if we inspired more kids like Mason.  Right?  Imagine how many lives we could change.  And that is the kind of impact that each of us can have -- each of the leaders of cities, towns and counties can have.

We still have a long way to go to solve this problem.  We do, we have lots of work to do.  But if leaders like all of these men and women keep coming to the table, and if we all keep working together, then I am beyond confident that we can give all of our children the happy, healthy futures they so richly deserve.  I know that.

So I want to congratulate you all on the work that you're doing.  I want to welcome more to join in.  This actually is working.  So we need more people signing onboard.  So I want to thank you all.

And with that, I’m going to head over to this little station over here at KaBOOM -- we're going to do a little playground cutting, so that these kids who are here can actually start playing.  That's the whole point. 

So I want to thank you all so much.  God bless.  (Applause.)

END              
12:43 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Austin Music Hall
Austin, Texas

5:20 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Texas!  (Applause.)  It is good to be back in Austin, Texas!  (Applause.)  It's good to be back.  Love Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)  How is everybody doing today?  (Applause.)

A couple of people I want to acknowledge.  First of all, your fine mayor of this fine city, Lee Leffingwell is here.  (Applause.)  We've got an out-of-town guest who is doing outstanding work in another part of Texas -- the mayor of Houston, Annise Parker is here.  (Applause.)  Somebody who is fighting on behalf of working people every single day -- Congressman Lloyd Doggett is here.  (Applause.)  And give it up for the outstanding entertainment provided by Jerry Jeff Walker. (Applause.)

And thanks to all of you for being here.  (Applause.)  I am excited to be back. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!

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

Now, Texas, let me tell you, this is my last campaign.

AUDIENCE:  Awww --

THE PRESIDENT:  No, it's true.  Unless I move down here to Austin -- maybe I -- (applause) -- run for dogcatcher down here or something.  (Laughter.)  This is most likely my last campaign, win or lose.  And it makes --

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  And it makes you nostalgic about your first campaign, and the first few campaigns I ran back in my home state of Illinois -- (audience member screams) -- Illinois in the house!  (Applause.)

Now, back then, understand, I did not have Air Force One.  (Laughter.)  I didn’t have Marine One.  I didn’t have the Beast driving me around.  I drove myself around.  And Illinois is a big state, so I'd go up and down -- I'd usually have one staff person with me; a lot of times I'd be the one driving.  And we didn’t even have MapQuest back then, so you had to unfold the map -- (laughter) -- and try to figure out how to fold it back, and we'd get lost. 

But when I think back to those times, those early campaigns, we'd travel to inner-city communities and rural communities and suburban communities, and you'd meet folks from every walk of life -- black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, wealthy, low income. 

And what was fascinating was that everywhere you went, there was a common theme, a common thread.  I'd see an elderly couple and I'd think about my grandparents -- my grandfather who fought in World War II, and my grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line while he was gone.  And when he came back, he was able to get a college education on the GI Bill -- (applause) -- and they were able to buy a home with the help of an FHA loan.  And I'd think about the journey they traveled and how remarkable that was and how that represented all that the Greatest Generation had done. 

And then I’d meet a single mom somewhere and I’d think about my mom, who basically raised me and my sister on her own because my father left -- (applause) -- and how she had to struggle to work while she was putting herself through school and still keep us on track.  And yet she was -- because of the help of scholarships and grants -- able to get her education and then give me and my sister the best education in the world.  And I thought about how that couldn’t happen probably in most places around the world.

And then I’d meet a working couple somewhere and I’d think about Michelle’s parents.  Michelle’s dad had MS, so by the time I met him, he could barely walk.  He had to use two canes.  And he had to wake up an hour early every morning, earlier than everybody else, to get -- just to get dressed.  And he worked at a water filtration plant, a blue-collar job, and Michelle’s mom stayed at home until they were a little older and then she went to work as a secretary.  And they never had a lot, and yet because of the love and the values that were in that household, Michelle and her brother were able to get an unbelievable education and go as far as their dreams would take them.

And I’d hear these same kinds of stories everywhere I went. And it reminded me that what makes America so exceptional, what makes us so special, is this basic bargain, this basic idea that in this country, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, no matter what setbacks you may experience, in this country if you work hard, if you are willing to take responsibility, then you can make it.  You can get ahead.  (Applause.)

That, for the overwhelming majority of Americans, that effort means that you can find a job that supports a family and it means that you could maybe get a home that you call your own, and you can send your kids to a good school and not go bankrupt when you get sick -- (applause) -- take a vacation once in a while -- nothing fancy.  I was telling some folks up in Ohio about my favorite vacation when I was a kid was when I was 11, driving around the country and traveling around the country with my mom and my sister and my grandma.  And most of the time we took Greyhound buses and stayed at Howard Johnsons.  And if there was any kind of little swimming pool anywhere, I was happy.  (Laughter.)  And a big event was going to the vending machine and buying a soda and then filling the ice bucket and carrying it back.  (Laughter.)  That was a big deal.  But the point was you didn't do it -- it wasn’t a luxury, it was just the chance to have a little adventure with your family.

And then part of that bargain was that you could retire with dignity and respect and the end of a life, and that you knew that your kids could achieve more than you did, that their lives would offer opportunities you couldn’t even imagine.  And that bargain, that idea of who we are as a people, that's what built this country.  That's what made us into an economic superpower, this idea that anybody could make it.  And being middle class didn't have anything to do necessarily with just the money in your bank account, but it had to do with a set of values and a set of beliefs about what was important.  (Applause.)

And it’s those values that propelled me to get into politics in the first place, because I saw the blessings in my life, and I wanted to make sure everybody in this country had those same blessings.  (Applause.)

And when we came together in 2008 -- Democrats, but also some Republicans and independents -- it was because we shared that belief, that bargain, and we had a sense that it was slipping away from us.  We had gone through a decade where hard work didn't always translate into higher wages or higher incomes, and folks acting responsibly didn't always get ahead.  And that was before the worst financial crisis and the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, which left millions more unemployed, and it looked like they were going to lose their homes, and struggling that much more to keep up with the rising cost of health care or a college education.

But for the last three and a half years, I have not forgotten why I got into politics, and I have not forgotten those values.  (Applause.)  And I haven't forgotten why we came together -- because we wanted to put this country back on a track where everybody had a fair shot and everybody did their fair share and everybody played by the same set of rules.  (Applause.) 
And what has kept me going, for all the progress we've made -- 4.5 million new jobs, and half a million new manufacturing jobs, and us stabilizing the financial system and averting a Great Depression, and investing in advanced manufacturing -- for all the progress that we've made, what has kept me going every single day is remembering that thing that ties us together, that binds us as a people, and understanding that no matter what we went through, no matter how many times we get knocked down, that basic character of America does not change.  Who we are does not change.  (Applause.)  What we believe, the values we hold dear, the importance we place on hard work and that work being rewarded whether you are starting a small business or punching a clock -- that idea that you can make it if you try here in America, that’s what we've been fighting for. 

Yes, we've been trying to put people back to work, but our goal has not been to just get us back to where we were in 2007.  Our goal has been to rebuild an economy that lasts for everybody, for all people.  (Applause.)  And I am absolutely convinced that we are on that path.  And we are not going backwards.  And that's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Now, I have to tell you, there are some who say, well, this is part of America's fate as it enters into the 21st century -- that other countries are rising and we're declining.  And I just don't buy that.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  What's holding us back is not -- it's not the lack of new ideas or big ideas, or policy prescriptions that could make a difference in education or housing or health care, or you name it.  What's been holding us back is a stalemate in Washington.  And this is not just about two candidates or two political parties.  This is about two fundamentally different visions for where we take our country.  (Applause.) 

My opponent, and his allies in Congress, they've got a particular view about how you grow the economy -- top-down economics.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Their basic view is that if you take the Bush tax cuts and on top of that you then layer on $5 trillion more of tax cuts, mostly for the wealthy, and you eliminate regulations on polluters or the regulations we put in place to prevent another meltdown on Wall Street, or regulations to make sure that folks aren't being taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders -- that if you just eliminate government intrusion into the market and let folks at the very top maximize their profits, that we'll all do better, we'll all be better off.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, that's their theory -- and it is a theory.  (Laughter.)  And you know, it would be okay for them to make that argument if we hadn't just spent close to a decade trying their theory -- (applause) -- which resulted in the most sluggish job growth in decades, income and wages for ordinary folks going down, rising inequality, surpluses turned into deficits, culminating in the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes.

Now, I don't know about how you guys operate in your lives, but my general rule is if I do something and it just really doesn't work out -- (laughter) -- then I try to do something different the next time.  (Applause.)  

So I’ve got a different idea.

AUDIENCE:  We love you!

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

But let me tell you how I think about it.  See, I don’t believe in top-down economics.  I believe in middle-out economics. I believe in bottom-up economics.  I believe that when you give everybody a shot and everybody is able to work hard and look after their families, everybody does better -- (applause) -- including, by the way, folks at the top.  Small businesses and large businesses -- suddenly they’ve got customers because those customers got some money in their pockets.  (Applause.)  The history of how we built this country was everybody having a chance to pursue their dreams and, together, us building opportunity that made us the envy of the world.

And so, I don’t believe that we should try once again something that didn’t work.  I think what we need to do is keep pursuing a strategy that says, let’s make the investments in the American people that will help us grow but will also create ladders of opportunity for everybody.  (Applause.)

So let me be specific.  When my opponent wanted to "let Detroit go bankrupt" --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- I said, first of all, it’s going to cost us a million jobs.  Second of all, I believe in the American worker and I believe in American ingenuity.  (Applause.)  And so we got management and workers together, and guess what -- three and a half years later G.M. is the number-one automaker again.  (Applause.)  The auto industry is roaring back and they’re building better cars and more fuel-efficient cars than ever.  That’s an example of what America can do when we work together.  (Applause.)

But it’s not just the auto industry.  Whether we’re talking about advanced manufacturing of batteries that will help us run electric cars, or wind turbines, or solar panels -- I believe in making things here in America.  And I believe in inventing things here in America.  (Applause.) 

And Governor Romney, his main calling card for running for office is his business experience, and so, understandably, the American people have been asking, well, let’s find out what you’ve been doing.  (Laughter.)  And if your main experience is investing in companies that are called "pioneers" of outsourcing, then that indicates that we’ve got a different vision, because I don't want to be a pioneer of outsourcing. I want to be a pioneer of insourcing.  (Applause.)  I want to stop giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  I want to give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in Austin -- (applause) -- investing right here in the United States of America, betting on American workers, making American products that we sell, stamped with three proud words:  Made in America.  That's why I’m running for President of the United States again. (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT:  In 2008, I said I’d end the war in Iraq.  (Applause.)  Thanks to the brave men and women in uniform that serve us with such valor, I was able to keep that promise.  (Applause.)  I said we’d go after bin Laden.  (Applause.)  Thanks to our men and women in uniform, I kept that promise.  (Applause.)  We are now winding down the war in Afghanistan and starting to bring our troops home.  (Applause.) 

And so, after a decade of war, what I've said is let's take some of the savings, use half of it to help pay down our deficit; let's use the other half to do some nation-building here at home. (Applause.)  Let's rebuild our roads and our bridges.  Let's build broadband lines into rural communities.  Let's build high-speed rail that helps move people and services all across this country.  Let's invest in basic research and innovation that has made places like Austin a hotbed of entrepreneurship and invention.  (Applause.)  

We've got tens of thousands of folks who lost their jobs in the construction industry after the housing bubble went burst.  Let's put them to work rebuilding America.  That’s what we do best.  (Applause.)  And by making those investments, we're not just putting people back to work right now, we're laying the foundation for economic growth for decades to come.  That’s my vision for America.  (Applause.) 

Now, Mr. Romney disagrees.  He said ending the war in Iraq as I did was "tragic." 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  He said he wouldn’t set a timeline in Afghanistan. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I've got a different approach.  And ultimately, you're the ones who are going to be able to settle this dispute -- with your vote.  That’s what our democracy is all about.  (Applause.) 

I'm running again because we've done some great work reforming our education system, but we've got more work to do.  (Applause.)  I want to hire outstanding new teachers, especially in math and science.  We succeeded in preventing student loan rates from doubling.  (Applause.)  But we've got more work to do to bring down college tuition costs to make it affordable for every young person.  (Applause.) 

I want to expand access to community colleges for 2 million more Americans so they get trained for the jobs that people are hiring for right now.  A higher education is no longer a luxury. It is an economic imperative in the 21st century.  It is part of what we need to succeed in this global economy.  And I'm going to fight for every young person who is willing to work hard to get an education.  (Applause.)  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States. 

So on issue after issue, there is a fundamental difference. On housing, Mr. Romney says let's just let foreclosures happen and the market will bottom out.  I want to make sure that every American who right now owns a home can refinance their homes at historically low rates -- put $3,000 in the pocket of every American.  Not only will you spend that and create more customers for businesses, but it can also help stabilize the housing market. 

And when it comes to immigration, Mr. Romney thinks that the Arizona law should be "a model for the nation." 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I believe we're a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.  (Applause.)  We've worked hard on border security.  But I've also said that when you've got young people in this country who have been raised as Americans, who believe in America, then I want to give them a chance to succeed here in America.  (Applause.)  It's the right thing to do.  (Applause.)

I don't want to go back to the days when fighting for the country you love depended on who you love.  We ended "don't ask, don't tell".  We're not going to go back there.  (Applause.)

We're not going to roll back Wall Street reform.  We know the costs when you've got lax regulation -- everybody is affected, everybody pays a price. 

And we are not rolling back health care reform.  (Applause.) The Supreme Court has spoken.  We are moving forward.  (Applause.)  If you've got health care, the only thing that now happens to you -- you're not paying a tax -- the only thing that's happening to you is that you have more security, because insurance companies can't jerk you around.  Young people can stay on their parent's plan until they're 26 years old.  (Applause.)
Seniors are going to see lower prescription drug prices.  Everybody is going to get free preventive care, including women. (Applause.) 

And by the way, insurance companies can't charge women more than men now.  (Applause.)  Which reminds me, we’re not ending funding for Planned Parenthood.  I think women should have control of their own health care choices just like men.  (Applause.)  We’re not going backwards.

If you don't have health care, then we’re going to help you get it.  And the only people who may have a problem with this law are folks who can afford health care but aren’t buying it, wait until they get sick and then going to the emergency room and expecting everybody else to pick up the tab.  That's not responsibility.  That's not consistent with who we are.

So we’re going to move forward on health care -- (applause) -- which brings me to one last issue, this whole issue of deficits and debt.  Now, the other side says this is the most important issue, we’re concerned for future generations.  Now, if you are truly concerned about deficits and debt, it’s puzzling that you would then propose a $5 trillion tax cut that would give the average millionaire a $250,000 tax break, and to pay for it you would then have to gut education, gut investments in science and research, gut our transportation spending, voucherize Medicare, oh, and in the process, eventually, you’re probably going to have to raise taxes on middle-class families.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, we’ve already cut a trillion dollars.  And I don’t believe every government program works.  I don’t believe that government can help folks who don’t want to help themselves.  So we’ve got to continue to make government more efficient and more effective and more customer-friendly, but we’re not going to turn back the clock to the days when seniors had to fend for themselves, where poor children are on their own, where we’re not making investments in education and falling further and further behind other countries. 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  So what I said is let’s ask folks like me, who have been incredibly blessed by this country, to do a little bit more.

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  What I've said is -- I told Congress last week, let’s go ahead and say everybody who’s making $250,000 a year or less, your income taxes will not go up one dime, period. (Applause.)  That includes 98 percent of Americans, 97 percent of small businesses.  (Applause.)  But for folks like me, we can afford to do a little bit more to make sure we are investing in America’s future. 

And by the way, we tried that too, Austin.  A guy named Bill Clinton tried it, and we took deficits and turned them into surpluses, created 23 million new jobs.  (Applause.)  And by the way, wealthy people did really well also -- because, again, if folks in the middle class are doing well, everybody does well.

It's that basic principle.  Abraham Lincoln said that there are some things we do better together.  We are entrepreneurs, we are risk-takers, we’re rugged individualists, but there are some things we do better together.  That’s how we financed the GI Bill that created the largest middle class in history.  (Applause.)  That’s how we built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge.  That’s how we sent a man to the moon.  (Applause.)  That’s how the Internet came to happen -- because we recognized there are some things we do well together and we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.  (Applause.)  

And so here’s the good news, is that in this election, you will have an opportunity to choose between these two visions, and that’s the way democracy should work.  Now, I will say that there’s going to be about -- well, who knows how much money is going to be spent.  We've got folks writing $10 million checks --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- running negative ads with scary voices.  (Laughter.)  And it's basically the same message every time.  You know, they've got variations on a theme, but basically these folks know they can't sell those tired economic theories that didn’t work last time.  So what they're going to do is just to say, the economy is not where it needs to be, and it's Obama's fault.  That’s what they'll say over and over again, and they'll just keep repeating it and they hope it works.

Now, this is a plan to win an election, but it's not a plan to create jobs.  It's not a plan to grow the middle class.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  And I've got to say, I'd be pretty concerned about it except for what you taught me.  What you taught me in '08, what I learned in those early campaigns traveling around the state and going to VFW halls and diners, and sitting in people's living rooms, listening to their stories -- what you taught me was that when the American people focus and recognize the stakes, and when they think back to the values that propelled their parents and their grandparents and their great-grandparents forward in the face of very difficult times -- those folks, those generations who came here -- some as immigrants, some not of their own accord, working in farms or ranches or factories or mills or mines -- when the American people tap into what is true and good, that grit and determination and just neighborliness that built this country -- you guys can't be stopped.  It doesn’t matter how much money the other side spends -- you can't be stopped.  (Applause.) 

And so the question is going to be how bad do we want it?  How bad are we willing to work for it?  How committed are we to making sure that our kids get a great education?  How committed are we to making sure that Social Security and Medicare are there for folks in the future?  How committed are we to making sure that our veterans, who have served us valiantly, that we're serving them as well as they've served us?  How committed are we to bringing down our deficit in a balanced way?  (Applause.)  How committed are we to continuing to invest in science and research? How committed are we to that basic American bargain that says if you work hard, you can get ahead?

In 2008, I tried to just make promises that I could keep.  And one of those promises, I said to you I'm not a perfect man -- I promised -- talk to Michelle now -- (laughter) -- not a perfect man.  I said I wouldn't be a perfect President.  But what I said was that I would always tell you where I stood, I'd always tell you what I thought, and I would spend every single waking hour, as long as I had the privilege of being your President, fighting for you, thinking about you.  (Applause.)  Because in you, I saw me. In you, I saw my family.  In your grandparents, I saw my grandparents.  And in your kids, I see my kids. 

Because of you, because of my faith in you -- through all the ups and downs -- I can say I have kept that promise.  (Applause.)  And if you still believe in me, if you are willing to stand up with me -- (applause) -- if you're willing to knock on doors for me and make phone calls for me and talk to your friends and neighbors for me, and mobilize and organize -- then we will finish what we started in 2008.  (Applause.)  And we will build this middle class and grow this economy so it works for everybody.  And we will remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

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

END
5:57 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President at Campaign Event in San Antonio, TX

Henry Gonzalez Convention Center
San Antonio, Texas

12:45 P.M. CDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, San Antone!  (Applause.)  Hello, Texas!  (Applause.)  Well, thank you so much.  Everybody have a seat.  Have a seat.  It is good to be with all of you, good to be back in San Antonio.  (Applause.)
 
A couple of people I want to acknowledge who helped to make this day possible.  First of all, your outstanding Mayor, Julian Castro.  (Applause.)  Somebody whose name I know you're familiar with because we are in the Henry Gonzalez Convention Center -- a great friend, outstanding leader, great Congressman -- Charlie Gonzalez is in the house. (Applause.)  Another fighter for working people -- Lloyd Doggett is here.  (Applause.)  One of my national co-chairs and just a great friend and a great advocate  -- and a really good actress, too -- Eva Longoria.  (Applause.)  And finally, our FuturoFund co-chair and a wonderful friend and supporter -- Henry Muñoz.  (Applause.)
 
Now, this is my last campaign.  It's true, I'm term-limited up.  (Laughter.)  And that got me thinking about some of my first campaigns.  I know that Charlie and Julian and others, they think back to your first campaigns.  And back then, I didn’t have Air Force One.  (Laughter.)  Didn’t have a motorcade, no helicopter. I did the driving myself, and we didn’t even have MapQuest -- (laughter) -- I'd have to unfold the maps.  And Illinois, like Texas, is a big state, so I'd have to travel all across the state, and you'd go from urban neighborhoods to rural communities, suburbs.  You'd meet folks from every walk of life  -- black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American.
 
And wherever I traveled, what I discovered was that there was a common theme to everyone's story.  If I met an elderly couple, I'd think back to my grandparents, and how my grandfather fought in Patton's Army in World War II, and my grandmother worked on a bomber assembly line.  And when my grandfather came back home, he was able to attend college on the GI Bill, and they were able to buy their first home with an FHA loan.  And I'd think about the distance they'd traveled from the small towns in Kansas, where they had been born. 
 
And if I met a single mom I'd think about my mother, who had to raise me and my sister basically by herself, with some help from my grandparents, because my father had left, so that I didn't even know him, and how she had to work and go to school and look after her kids.  But with the help of grants and scholarships, she was able to get an outstanding education and, more importantly from her perspective, give me and my sister a great education.  And I thought about how much that would be possible in some other place.
 
And if I met a working family, I’d think about Michelle’s family.  Her dad had multiple sclerosis, so by the time I met him, he could barely walk, had to use two canes, and had to wake up an hour earlier than everybody else to get dressed before going to work.  He worked at a water filtration plant, blue-collar worker.  And Michelle’s mom stayed at home when the kids were young, and then worked as a secretary.  But Michelle’s dad, despite his disability, never missed a day of work, and went to every dance recital and every basketball game, and had just a great joy about him.
 
And so all across the state of Illinois, I would be traveling and I’d meet people, and I’d say, you know what, their story is my story.  And then when I began to run for President I traveled all across the country, including here in Texas -- I’d realize, well, the stories I’ve been hearing in Illinois, those are America’s story.  And at the heart of that story was a basic idea, which is, in this country, unlike any other, the basic bargain that binds us together is the idea that if we work hard, if we’re responsible, then you can get ahead; that you’re endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights like liberty, but also the pursuit of happiness -- not a guarantee, but the chance to get ahead if you work hard.
 
And so generation after generation, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents toiling against all odds, understanding that at some point this hard work would pay off and they could climb their way into a middle class.  And that middle class didn’t just have to do with how much money you had in your bank account.  It had to do with the idea that you could always find a job that supported a family, and you wouldn’t go bankrupt when you got sick, and you could buy a home to call your own, and you could make sure your kids had a good education.  Maybe you take a vacation once in a while -- nothing fancy, but time to spend with those you love.  And you could retire with dignity and respect.  And most of all, you could expect that your children could aspire to things that you never even imagined. 
 
That was the heart -- that is the heart of the American idea. This basic idea that no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, here in America, you can make it if you try. 
 
And in 2008, when I ran for President and so many of you supported me, we ran because we believed in that idea and we believed that that basic bargain had been fraying.  We had seen a decade in which hard work wasn’t paying off for too many people. So people were working harder than ever, but the cost of living, gas, college, health care, all were going up; incomes, wages flat-lining.  We’d gone from surplus to record deficits, job growth stagnant. 
 
And so what compelled us together to make this effort was specific issues, but it was also, how do we get that idea back for the vast majority of Americans?  And what we didn’t know at the time was, is that we were looking at the worst financial crisis in a generation -- the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  And so millions of people were losing their jobs even as I was wrapping up the campaign.  And people lost their homes, and more and more folks struggled, and it felt as if that dream was slipping even further away.
 
But we have not been deterred.  As much work as we still have to do, over the last three and a half years that focus on how do we build a middle class that is strong and secure and growing, that has remained my central focus.  (Applause.)  And even as we've created 4.5 million new jobs and 500,000 jobs in manufacturing, and stabilized the financial system -- all the steps we've taken without much cooperation from the other side -- that's still been our North Star. 
 
And what's always helped me every single day move forward is the recognition and the belief and the understanding that although the times have been tough, the American people have been tougher -- (applause) -- and that for everything that happened during that financial crisis and the recession that followed, America's fundamental character did not change.  (Applause.)  People's willingness to work hard did not change.  People's ability to bounce back from adversity had not changed.  (Applause.)
 
And now, as we look out at the future, the question is, how do we best fulfill that goal, that aim that we set for ourselves in 2008?  For all the progress we've made, we did not embark on this journey just to get back to where we were in 2007.  We worked hard because we want a country where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.  (Applause.)  That's why I ran for President in 2008.  That's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Now, as we think about this election, understand that the challenges we face are solvable.  Sometimes it's fashionable among the pundits to say, well, America is in decline, or our best days are behind us.  You hear that periodically.  This isn't the first time we've heard that about America.  And I could not disagree more, because there's not a problem out there that we can't solve.  The problem is not that we don’t have technical solutions or big ideas to tackle these challenges.  The problem is we've got a stalemate in Washington right now.  And it's more than just a difference between two candidates, more than just a difference between two political parties.  It is two fundamentally different visions about how to move America forward. 
 
My opponent and his allies in Congress, they believe that prosperity comes from the top down.  They believe that if we keep in place the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and then we add on top of that another $5 trillion of tax cuts -- most of which would go to people who don’t need tax cuts and, frankly, aren't even asking for them -- if we do all that, even if it means gutting education investments, even if it means slashing transportation, even if it means that we're not able to take care of our veterans as effectively, even if it means that we're not investing in basic science and research, even if it means that Medicare we've got to voucherize -- even if we do all those things, they still believe that those tax cuts that benefit folks at the top will result in everybody being better off.  That’s their basic economic theory.  It's not complicated.
 
They've got one other element to it, in fairness.  They also say they want to eliminate regulations on insurance companies and Wall Street banks -- regulations we put in place to protect consumers from unscrupulous mortgage practices, and that take regulations off of polluters.  If we do those things along with the tax cuts, the market will be freed up, government is out of the way, and happy days are here again.  That’s their theory.
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And don’t take my word for it -- go to their websites.  Look at the budget that was passed by the House Republicans.  That’s their theory.  That’s what it boils down to. 
 
Now, it is a theory -- (laughter) -- and some of you might be persuaded by this theory if it hadn't been for the fact that we just tried it.  (Laughter and applause.)  We spent almost a decade doing what they prescribed.  And how did it turn out?  We didn't see greater job growth.  We didn't see middle-class security.  We saw the opposite.  And it all culminated in the worst financial crisis in our lifetimes -- precisely because there were no regulations that were adequate to the kinds of recklessness that was being carried out.
 
So I don't know about you, I don't know how you guys operate in your life, but my general rule is if I do something and it doesn't work -- (laughter) -- I don't go back to doing it.  (Applause.)  We don't go backwards, we go forwards. 
 
So I’ve got a different idea.  I don't believe in top-down economics; I believe in middle-out economics.  I believe in bottom-up economics.  (Applause.)  I believe in fighting on behalf of working families and giving them opportunity and putting some money in their pockets -- because when we do that, everybody does better, folks at the bottom, folks in the middle and folks at the top.
 
That's not a Democratic idea.  That's an American idea.  (Applause.)  That's what built this country.  That's what made us into an economic superpower.  (Applause.)
 
So let’s just be more specific about some contrasts here.  My opponent thought it was a good idea to "let Detroit go bankrupt."  With a million jobs at stake, I disagreed.  I wanted to make a bet on America’s workers and American industry and American manufacturing.  And three and a half years later, the auto industry is back.  GM is number one; Ford and Chrysler are selling cars.  (Applause.)  That's my vision for America.
 
And this is not unique to the auto industry.  I want advanced manufacturing locating here in San Antonio.  (Applause.) I want us to be making things here in the United States of America, so I want to end tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  Let’s give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in Texas, right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)  Let’s put American workers back to work selling goods stamped with three proud words:  Made in America.  That's my vision for America.  (Applause.)
 
My opponent has a different idea.  His main calling card for wanting to be President is his private sector experience.  So we asked the voters to examine that experience.  He invested -- made money investing in companies that had been called "pioneers" of outsourcing.  I don’t want pioneers of outsourcing in the White House; I want somebody who believes in insourcing.  Let’s bring those jobs back home.  That’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.)
 
In 2008, I made a promise we’d end the war in Iraq -- we ended it.  (Applause.)  I promised to go after bin Laden -- we got him.  (Applause.)  We’re transitioning out of Afghanistan and starting to bring our troops home.  And what I’ve said is, as we wind down these wars, let’s take half the money that we spent on war to pay down the deficit; let’s use the other half to do some nation-building here at home.  (Applause.) 
 
Now, Mr. Romney disagrees with me on this -- said it was "tragic" the way I ended the war in Iraq -- the way I ended the war in Iraq, doesn’t want to set a timetable for ending the war in Afghanistan.  But, you know, I’m looking around this country and I know from our history, from world history, that no nation has always been stronger than its economy.  That’s an issue of our national defense.
 
And so because of our outstanding men and women in uniform, we know that we’ve got the greatest military on Earth, but we also have to have the best economy on Earth to support those troops.  (Applause.)  And that means, let’s start investing, rebuilding roads and rebuilding bridges and laying broadband lines into rural communities.  Let’s rebuild schools that are overcrowded and give them state-of-the-art science labs.  (Applause.)  And let’s rebuild our ports and our runways.  (Applause.)
 
That’s what America is about, is rebuilding.  And we’ve got thousands of construction workers out there that are ready to get to work.  Let’s put them to work.  (Applause.)  That will be good for our economy, and over the long term will be good for our strength.  That’s a difference between myself and my opponent.
 
As long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we’re going to make sure that our veterans are properly cared for.  (Applause.)  And we have expanded our funding and improved how we are working with our veterans.  But we’ve got more work to do and that requires resources.  We’re sure not going to spend that money better on tax cuts for me.  (Laughter.)  I want to make sure that a young man or woman who has served our country, who has fought for us, they shouldn’t have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  (Applause.) 
 
I'm running to make sure that America has the best education system on Earth -- (applause) -- from pre-K all the way to post-graduate.  And that means hiring new teachers, especially in math and science.  And it means building on the work we've already done to make sure that student loan rates don’t double, to make sure that middle-class families are getting tuition tax credits. Now we've got to reduce the cost of college, make it more affordable to everybody.  (Applause.)  I want to expand opportunities for 2 million young people to go to community colleges so they can get trained on the jobs that businesses are hiring for right now.  (Applause.)  Because today education is not a luxury, today a higher education is an economic imperative for the 21st century.  And I want to make sure that the United States of America once again has the highest percentage of college graduates, because that is going to help determine who wins the race in this global economy in the 21st century.  (Applause.)  And I want America to be number one.  That’s why I'm running for President of the United States. (Applause.)
 
On almost every issue, there's a stark contrast between my vision and my opponent's.  When it comes to housing, he wants to just let foreclosure bottom out.  I don’t think that’s a solution; that’s part of the problem.  So I want to actually help families all across Texas and all across the country refinance -- at these historically low rates, the average family could save $3,000 a year, in your pockets.  That will not just be good for you, that will not just be good for the housing market; that will be good for the economy.  But we need to get it done.  (Applause.)
 
I don't want to go back to the days when whether you could serve your country or not depended on who you loved.  We ended "don't ask, don't tell," and I want to make sure that it stays ended because it was a bad idea.  (Applause.)
 
I don't want to go back to the day when women didn't have control of their health care choices.  (Applause.)  I’ve got two daughters, and I want them to have the same control over their health care as anybody’s sons out there.  I believe that's the right thing to do.  (Applause.)
 
And we don't need another four years of arguments about health care.
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  The Affordable Health Care Act -- otherwise known as Obamacare -- was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  And you know what, they're right, I do care.  I care about folks who get sick and go bankrupt.  I care about parents who don't know whether or not they're going to be able to get treatment for their kids.  It was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)
 
And for all the misinformation out there, it’s very simple to describe what’s going to happen.  If you already have health care, the only thing that you have to do is enjoy the fact that now insurance companies can't jerk you around because of the small print.  (Applause.)  You have rights.  Your kids can stay on their parent's plan until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  Senior citizens are seeing reductions in prescription drug costs.
 
If you don't have health insurance, we’re going to help you get it.  (Applause.)  And, yes, it’s true we expect everybody to act responsibly, so for the 1 percent or 2 percent of people who still don't get health insurance even though they can afford it, we’re going to say to them, you can't pass off those costs on to somebody else in the form of higher premiums.  (Applause.)  You’ve got to take responsibility, as well. 
 
It was the right thing to do.  We are not going backwards, we’re going forwards.  And 30 million people are going to get health insurance because of it.  (Applause.)
 
We’re not going backwards when it comes to immigration.  My opponent says the Arizona law should be "a model for the nation." 
AUDIENCE:  Booo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I believe we are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.  (Applause.)  I believe we can secure our borders and give opportunities to people who are striving and working hard -- especially young people who have been raised in this country and see themselves as Americans.  That was the right thing to do.  We're not going backwards, we're going forwards.  (Applause.)
 
And we're going to get control of our deficit and debt, but not with the plan that these folks are promoting.  They say this is the most important issue, the thing they care about most, and then, they propose a $5 trillion tax cut that would mostly benefit folks who don't need it, and would blow a hole a mile wide through our budget. 
 
Now, I don't believe government can solve every problem.  Not every government program works.  We've already cut a trillion dollars out of our federal budget, and we can do more.  But we've got to do it smartly and responsibly.  I don't believe that government can help somebody that doesn't want to help themselves, but for all those folks who are working hard every day, I want to make sure that we continue to invest so that young people can go to college; that we continue to take steps so that we've got a great transportation system to move people and goods and services across the country.  I want to make sure that we're investing in basic research and science that has given us this technological lead that allowed us to grow and become the economic superpower that we are. 
 
So what I've said is, yes, we'll make some more cuts, but let's ask folks who have been incredibly blessed to do a little bit more, to go back to the rates we had under Bill Clinton.  (Applause.)  And you know what, that theory has been tested as well -- because when Bill Clinton did it, we had surpluses instead of deficits.  (Applause.)  We created 23 million new jobs -- and people at the top did really well also.
 
Like I said, that’s been our history -- when middle-class folks are doing well and those striving to get into the middle class are doing well, everybody does well. 
 
And that maybe is what is at the heart of the difference in this debate.  See, I believe in individual initiative and entrepreneurship and risk-taking.  And I believe that the free market is the greatest system on Earth to create wealth and prosperity.  But just like Abraham Lincoln said, there are some things we do better together than we do on our own.  (Applause.)
 
When my grandfather came back home and that generation got the GI Bill that was great for everyone because it upgraded the skills of all of our workers, that wasn’t just good for some, that was good for all.  When we invested in the Hoover Dam or the Golden Gate Bridge or the Trans-Continental Rail System, or when we sent a man to the moon or invented the Internet, that was good for everybody. 
 
There are some things we do better together.  And we rise or fall as one nation.  (Applause.)  That’s what I believe.  That’s what our history tells us.  That’s what our future demands.  That’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.  (Applause.)
 
So let me just say this.  In the next four months -- you guys won’t see them because you’re not considered one of the battleground states, although that’s going to be changing soon -- (applause) -- but there’s going to be more money spent than we’ve ever seen before.  Folks writing $10 million checks to try to beat me, running ads with scary voices -- (laughter) -- and basically one message.  I mean, it’s a very simple message.  Their message is:  The economy is not where it needs to be and it’s Obama’s fault.  So there will be various -- there will be variations on the theme, but it will be the same message over and over and over again. 
 
That's what they're banking on -- because they can't sell their actual economic plan, so their goal is to see if they can knock us down.  More money than we’ve ever seen before.  And it’s understandable that some folks get cynical about the political process as a result. 
 
But what you taught me in 2008 is the same thing that I learned in my first campaigns, as I traveling around in my car, going from town to town, talking to people in their living rooms or VFW halls or diners, and trying to get their votes -- and hearing stories about people’s parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, some who came as immigrants, some who were brought here not of their own accord, some who worked in mills or mines, some worked on farms, ranches.  The thing I learned was that there is a core decency and grit and faith in the American people.  And when the American people decide what’s true and what’s right, and they join together to bring about change, to make this country more responsive to the hopes and dreams of ordinary people -- when that happens, it doesn't matter how much money the other side spends, it can't be stopped.  I cannot be stopped.  (Applause.)
 
You showed that in 2008, and I believe you’re going to show it again in 2012.  (Applause.)  I tried to make promises in 2008 that I knew I could keep, and one of those promises was that I wasn’t a perfect man and I wouldn't be a perfect President, but I’d always tell you what I thought and I’d always tell you where I stood, and I’d spend every waking minute fighting as hard as I knew how for you -- (applause) -- making sure that every single day I was thinking about how to make your lives a little bit better.
 
And I knew I could keep that promise because I saw myself in you.  And when I saw your grandparents, I saw my grandparents.  And when I saw your kids, I saw my kids.  And I’ve kept that promise.  And I still believe in you.  (Applause.)  
 
And if you still believe in me, and you're willing to stand up, and knock on doors and make phone calls, and get out there and fight on behalf of a vision in which every Americans has opportunity to pursue their dreams -- (applause) -- I promise you, we will finish what we started in 2008.  We will not be going backwards, we will be going forwards.  We will win this election.  (Applause.)  And we will remind the world just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)
 
God bless you.  God bless the great state of Texas and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
END
1:20 P.M. CDT