Remarks by the President at a Rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

3:42 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Minnesota! (Applause.)  Hello, Gophers!  (Applause.)  Oh, it is good to be back in Minnesota!  (Applause.)  And it’s an honor to be standing here next to your next governor, Mark Dayton. (Applause.)  

Let me just make mention of the other wonderful public servants who are here:  Former Vice President Walter Mondale is in the house.  (Applause.)  Your terrific pair of senators -- Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are here.  (Applause.)  An outstanding congressional delegation -- Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, Jim Oberstar.  (Applause.)  

All the great candidates who are on the DFL ticket are here today and we're thrilled to see them.  And obviously I am very honored to be here with Mark, because I served with Mark in the United States Senate.  (Applause.)  And so I know this man. And I know that he’s been fighting for the people of this state his entire career.  You know what kind of leader he is.  You know what kind of fighter he is.  Everybody else in this race might be talking about change -- here’s the only candidate who can actually deliver change, who’s actually delivered change before. (Applause.)

The only candidate who’s helped grow this state’s economy.  The only candidate who’s put people back to work.  The only candidate who’s saved taxpayer dollars by cutting waste and abuse.  So you know Mark Dayton. He’s got a track record.  He’s the only candidate in this race who will stand up for the middle class, who’s got a plan to balance the budget without sacrificing our children’s education. (Applause.)  A candidate who has a plan to create jobs and help small business owners grow and to thrive.

The point is Mark Dayton has spent his life fighting for Minnesota.  And now I need all of you to fight for Mark Dayton so we can keep this state moving forward.  (Applause.)

It looks like you're kind of fired up.  (Applause.)  And I need you fired up -- because in just 10 days, you have the chance not just to set the direction of this state but also help to determine the direction of this country -- not just for the next two years, but the next five years, the next 10 years, the next 20 years.  

And just like you did in 2008, you have the chance to defy the conventional wisdom –- because right now the conventional wisdom is that you can’t overcome the cynicism of politics; that you can’t overcome all the special interest money that Mark was talking about; that you can’t tackle big challenges, that the political system just can't digest it.  The same way that they said in 2008 that you can't elect a skinny guy with a funny name to the presidency of the United States of America -- (applause)  -- and so in 2008, you said, “Yes, we can” -- in 2010 you’ve got to say, “Yes, we can.”  (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!  (Applause.)  

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can.  (Applause.)      

Look, there is no doubt that this is going to be a difficult election.  And it’s because we’ve been through an incredibly difficult time for our nation.  For most of the last decade, the middle class in America was getting pounded.  

I'll give you a few statistics.  Between 2001 and 2009, when Republicans were in charge, the middle class saw their incomes go down by 5 percent -- during that period.  That's not according to me; that's according to the Wall Street Journal.  Between that same period, we had the slowest, most sluggish job growth of any time since World War II.  So this was a lost decade for middle-class families.  Costs of everything from health care to getting a college education were skyrocketing.  Jobs were disappearing overseas.  Too many parents had to say to their kids, you know we might not be able to afford to send you to college.  Too many families had to pass up going to the doctor when they got sick because they couldn't afford it.  Too many Americans having two, three jobs and still not being able to make ends meet.

And then all of this culminated in the worst financial crisis and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. I want everybody to think back to when I was first sworn in. We had lost 4 million jobs in the six months before I took office.  We lost 750,000 the month I took the oath; 600,000 the month after that; 600,000 more the month after that.  We lost almost 8 million jobs, almost all of them lost before any of our economic policies could be put into place.

And when I arrived in Washington, my hope was that we could put politics aside for a moment to meet this once-in-a-generation challenge.  My hope was we could stop the division and the bickering and the partisanship that had dominated Washington and that we could come together to solve problems -- because although we are proud Democrats, we are prouder to be Americans, Minnesota.  (Applause.)  And I believe there are a lot of Republicans out there that felt the same way.

But when we got to Washington, the Republican leaders in Congress -– they had a different idea.  Their basic theory was they looked around and said, boy, we really made a big mess, we really screwed up.  It’s going to take a long time to get those 8 million jobs back.  People are going to be angry and frustrated. It’s better if we refuse to cooperate, we say no to everything, we try to gum up the works in Congress, and we may be able to deflect the blame come the next election.  We'll just pretend like we had nothing to do it, and we'll point our fingers at the Democrats.

AUDIENCE:  Boooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  In other words, the other side was betting on amnesia.  (Laughter.) They’re betting that you’ll forget who caused this mess in the first place.   

But, Minneapolis, it is up to you to show them that you have not forgotten.  (Applause.)  It’s up to you to remember that this election is a choice -– between the policies that got us into this mess and the policies that are leading us out of this mess. It’s a choice between the past and the future; a choice between hope and fear; a choice between falling backwards and moving forwards. And I don’t know about you, but I want to move forward. (Applause.)  I don't want to go backward.    

And if you don't think this is a choice, if you think somehow there’s a new and improved Republican Party out there, let me be clear:  The chair of the Republican campaign committee was asked, well, what are you going to do if you take over Congress.  He said, we'll pursue the “exact same agenda” as we did before Obama took office.

AUDIENCE:  Boooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, it’s not as if they went off into the desert, they realized, boy, we really screwed up, and they went and meditated for a while and came up with some new ideas.  All they’ve got is the same old stuff that they were peddling over the last decade:  Cut taxes mostly for millionaires and billionaires; cut rules for special interests; and then cut middle-class families to fend for themselves.  So if you're out of a job, tough luck, you're on your own.  If you don't have health care, their philosophy says, tough luck, you are on your own.  You're a young person trying to afford a college education -- too bad, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, you're on your own.  This same agenda turned a record surplus into record deficits; allowed Wall Street to run wild and nearly destroyed our economy.

And I make these points not because I want to re-argue the past.  I just don’t want to re-live the past.  (Applause.)  We can't afford it.  We can't afford it.  We tried it their way.  It’s not as if we didn’t try it.  We tried it for eight years, and it didn’t work.  And you know the true sign of madness is if you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.  We've tried what they’re doing and it didn’t work.  And we wouldn't get a different result if we went back to it.  So we've got to move forward, not back.  (Applause.)

I know that Al Franken talked to you a little bit about the analogy of a car being driven into the ditch -- although I guess Al embellished it a little bit.  He said there were alligators down there -- (laughter) -- I didn’t see the alligators. But it is true the car went into the ditch.  (Laughter.)  And it is true that me and Al and Amy and Mark and others, we had to climb down into the ditch.  And it is hot down there and dirty.  

And we've been pushing that car, pushing it, pushing it, pushing it.  The whole time the Republicans have been standing on the sidelines.  (Laughter.)  They’ve been looking down, fanning themselves, sipping on a Slurpee.  (Laughter.) Kicking dirt down into the ditch.  Kicking dirt in our faces.  But we kept on pushing.  (Applause.)  

Finally we got this car up on level ground.  And, yes, it’s a little beat up.  It needs to go to the body shop.  It’s got some dents; it needs a tune-up.  But it’s pointing in the right direction.  And now we've got the Republicans tapping us on the shoulder, saying, we want the keys back.

You can't have the keys back. You don't know how to drive.  (Applause.)  You can ride with us if you want, but you got to sit in the backseat.  (Laughter.)  We're going to put middle-class America in the front seat.  We're looking out for them.  (Applause.)  

I mean, you have noticed, when you want to go forward, what do you do with your car?  You put it in “D.”  If you want to go backwards, what do you do?  You put it in “R.”  (Laughter and applause.)  I don't want to go backwards.  I'm going forwards, with all of you. (Applause.)     

Minnesota, because of the steps we’ve taken, we no longer face the possibility of a second depression.  The economy is growing again.  We've seen nine straight months of private sector job growth.  But we’ve still got a long way to go.  There are a lot of folks hurting out there, a lot of people hanging by a thread.  There’s still families who have members who are desperate for a job.  There are still a lot of folks who are still worried about losing their home.  That’s what keeps me up at night.  That’s what keeps Mark up at night.  That's what keeps us fighting.  

Because we've got a different idea about what the future should hold for America.  (Applause.)  And it’s an idea rooted in our belief about how this country was built. We understand government can't solve every problem.  We know government has to be lean and mean.  We know that everybody who pays taxes expects efficiency.  They don't want to see their tax dollars wasted.

But in the words of the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln -- who, by the way, could not win the nomination of the Republican Party these days -- (laughter) -- we also believe that a government should do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves.  (Applause.)  We believe in an America that rewards hard work and responsibility and individual initiative, but also an America that invests in its people and its future.  An America that invests in the education of our children, in the skills of our workers.  We believe in an America in which we look after one another; where I say I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.  (Applause.)  That’s our vision.  That's the America that I believe in and that Mark believes in, and that you believe in.  That’s the choice in this election. (Applause.)  

If you give the other side the keys, the other side will keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.  Mark and I, we want to give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in Minnesota, right here in the United States -- (applause) -- in small businesses and American manufacturers. (Applause.)  We want to invest in clean energy companies -– because I don’t want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars built in Europe or built in Asia.  I want them built right here in America, with American workers.  (Applause.) That’s the choice in this election.  

If we give them the keys, here’s their big economic idea.  This is their big job plan -- is to cut taxes for the top 2 percent.  It will cost $700 billion.  It will be an average $100,000 check for millionaires and billionaires -- 98 percent of folks would not see any of this money from this tax break.  And to pay for it we’d have to borrow money from China -- oh, and by the way, we’d also have to cut education spending by 20 percent.  
AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, why on earth do we think that would be good for our future?  Do you think that China is cutting education spending by 20 percent?

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Is South Korea or India or Germany, are they cutting education by 20 percent?

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re not playing for second place.  They understand that our competitiveness will be determined by how well we educate our workers for tomorrow.  And America doesn’t play for second place either.  We play for first place.  (Applause.)    

That’s why Amy, that's why Al, that's why we worked together -- Keith, Patty -- that's why we came together to make sure that we took tens of billions of dollars that were going to banks in unwarranted subsidies and we sent that money where it should be going -- to you.  We are financing millions of young people’s college educations more effectively now -- (applause) -- higher Pell Grants, better student loans; a $10,000 tax credit for every young person going to college.  Those are the kinds of choices we're making.  And that’s the choice in this election.

That's why, when it comes to tax cuts, we gave 95 percent of working families a tax cut.  (Applause.) We gave the tax cuts to families that needed them, not folks who didn’t need them, because we know you're the ones that need relief.  That's the choice in this election.  (Applause.)  

If we give the other side the keys back and I promise you we'll have those special interests sitting shotgun.  The chair of one of the other party’s committees has already promised that one of the first orders of business is to repeal Wall Street reform. Now, think about this.  We just had the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, and one of their orders of business would be to eliminate protections for consumers, eliminate protections for taxpayers, go back to a system that resulted in us having to save the entire economy and take these drastic measures.

Why would we do that?  Why would we do that?  Why would we go back to the point where credit card companies could jack up y our interest rates without any notice, and could institute hidden fees?  Why would we go back to the health care policies that they believe in, where insurance companies could drop your insurance when you get sick?  Why would we do -- why would we put those folks back in the driver’s seat?

Let me tell you about health care reform.  Because of health care reform, everybody here who is under 26 can stay on their parents’ health care even if they don't have health insurance.  (Applause.)  Because of that reform, insurance companies can't drop somebody because they’ve got a preexisting condition. (Applause.)  Because of health care reform, millions of small businesses are getting tax credits so they can afford to provide health insurance to their employees.  

That is their agenda, to repeal that?

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Let me tell you something.  We believe in making sure people don't get ripped off when they sign up for a mortgage.  We believe in making sure that credit card companies treat you fairly.  We believe taxpayers shouldn’t ever be forced to pay for Wall Street’s mistakes.  We believe that insurance companies should cover you when you’ve been paying your premiums. (Applause.)  That's what we believe.  That's the choice in this election.  That's why you’ve got to elect Mark Dayton governor, because he believes it, too.  (Applause.)  

Whether you care about protecting Social Security, or you care about protecting our environment; whether you care about having an energy policy that can start freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, or you believe in a foreign policy that fosters cooperation among other nations, there is a choice in this election.  We know what we're fighting for.

But right now, the same special interests that we’ve battled on your behalf, they’re fighting back hard.  Mark mentioned that they are spending millions of dollars. They want to roll back the clock.  And they are pouring millions of dollars through a network of phony front groups, flooding the airwaves with misleading attack ads, smearing fine public servants like Mark.  

And thanks to a gigantic loophole, these special interests can spend unlimited amounts without even disclosing where the money is coming from.  We don't know where it’s coming from.  We don't know if it’s from the oil industry.  We don't know if it’s from banks.  We don't know if it’s insurance companies.  Could be coming overseas -- we don't know.  They won’t tell you.  They don’t want you to know.  They won't stand behind what they do.

This isn’t just a threat to Democrats.  This is a threat to our democracy.

Minnesota has always had a tradition of clean, fair elections; a tradition of good government -- (applause.)  And the only way to uphold that tradition, the only way to match their millions of dollars is with millions of voices -- millions of voices who are ready to finish what we started in 2008.

And that’s where all of you come in.  That’s why all of you have got to get out -- all of you have to vote.  If you are not registered to vote yet, you can walk right now, you can register anytime between now and Election Day.  There is no excuse.  Because if everybody who fought for change in 2008 votes in 2010, then Mark will win his election.  (Applause.)

A lot of you got involved in 2008 because you believed we were at a defining moment; that it was a time when the decisions we make now would have an impact across the decades -- would impact our children and our grandchildren for decades to come.  That’s the reason you knocked on doors and you made phone calls and you -- some of you cast your vote for the very first time -- because you believed that in America citizens who want to make their country better can make a difference. (Applause.)\

And you know what -- I told you then -- two years ago I told you that change is not easy; power does not give up without a fight.  And I understand that some of you since Election Night and Inauguration Day -- when it was a lot of fun; Beyoncé was singing, and Bono, and everybody had their Hope posters, and everything looked like it might be easy.  And I warned folks then, this won't be easy.  Power concedes nothing without a fight.  

And so for the last two years we have been grinding it out.  We passed health care reform, but it was a hard fight.  We passed Wall Street reform, but it was a hard fight. (Applause.) And now maybe some people are feeling discouraged, thinking, boy, this is harder than I expected.  And maybe all that work that I did in 2008, maybe it didn’t make as much of a difference as I had hoped.  

But I want everybody here to understand -- don’t let anybody tell you that what you did has not made a difference, that the fight isn’t worth it.  (Applause.) Because of you -- because of you, there’s somebody in Minnesota right now that, instead of going bankrupt, is able to get treatment for their cancer.  Because of you, there’s a young person who’s going to be able to go to college.  Because of you, some small business has stayed open in the depths of a recession.  Because of you, there are 100,000 brave young men and women who we've brought home from Iraq. (Applause.)  Because of you.  Because of you.  

So don’t let them tell you that change isn’t possible.  It’s just hard, that's all. And that's okay.  We've got to earn it.  We're just in the first quarter.  We've got a lot more quarters to play.  (Applause.)

You know, this country was founded on a tough, difficult idea -- 13 colonies deciding to break off from the most powerful empire on Earth, and then drafting a document -- a Declaration of Independence that embodied ideas that had never been tried before: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  (Applause.) That's not an easy idea.  And it had to be fought for, inch by inch, year by year.

Slowly -- slaves were freed. Slowly -- women got the right to vote.  (Applause.)  Slowly -- workers got the right to organize.  (Applause.)  

Imagine if our grandparents and our great-grandparents and our great-great-grandparents had said, oh, this is too hard.  Folks are saying mean things about us.  I'm not sure if we can ever get to the promised land.  We wouldn't be here today.  But they understood that we are tested when we stand up in the face of difficulty; when we stand up in the face of uncertainty; when we're unafraid to push forward.  Because we know we're doing it not just for ourselves, but for future generations.  (Applause.)  
That's how we came through war and depression.  That's why we have civil rights and women’s rights and workers’ rights.  (Applause.)  That's why we've been able to clean up our air and clean up our water.  (Applause.)  That's why we've been able to end combat operations in one war.  

The journey we began together was never about putting me in the White House -- it was about building a movement for change that endures.  (Applause.)  It’s about understanding that in America anything is possible if we're willing to work for it and fight for it, and most of all, believe in it.

So I need you to keep fighting.  I need you to keep working.  And I need you to keep believing.  (Applause.)  And if you knock on some doors again, if you make some phone calls again, if you talk to your neighbors again, if you go to vote again, then I promise you we won’t just win this election, we won't just have Mark as governor, but you and I together, we are going to restore the American Dream for future generations.

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

END
4:13 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President at Los Angeles "Moving America Forward" Rally

University of Southern California -- Alumni Park

Los Angeles, California

2:06 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, L.A.!  (Applause.)  Oh, this is a Trojan kind of welcome right here.  (Applause.)  Fight on!  (Applause.)  I am fired up!  (Applause.)  

You know, Jamie Foxx is pretty good at this.  We might have to recruit him. We’d have to make him shave his goatee, though.  (Laughter.)  

It is wonderful to see all of you. Let me just say how proud I am to be here with some of the finest elected officials that I know:  The next governor of the great state of California, Jerry Brown.  (Applause.)  Your outstanding mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.  (Applause.)  Speaker of the California Assembly, John Perez.  (Applause.)  L.A. City Council president, Eric Garcetti.  (Applause.)  A dear, dear friend of mine, so I want everybody to do right by her -- San Francisco district attorney, Kamala Harris.  (Applause.)  An outstanding congressional delegation, Diane Watson, Judy Chu, Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano, Xavier Becerra. (Applause.)  An unbelievable Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis. (Applause.)  And somebody who has been fighting on your behalf for many, many years, and needs to be -- keep on fighting for us for the next six years -- Senator Barbara Boxer.  (Applause.)  

It is great to be with all of you on this beautiful day.  You know, we are going to need --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

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

We need all of you to fight on.  We need all of you fired up -- (applause.)  We need all of you ready to go -- because in just 11 days, in just 11 days, you have the chance to set the direction of this state and of this country not just for the next two years, but for the next five years, the next 10 years, the next 20 years. (Applause.)  And just like you did in 2008, you can defy the conventional wisdom –- the conventional wisdom that says young people are apathetic; the conventional wisdom that says you can’t beat the cynicism in politics; that you can’t overcome the special interests; that all that matters is all the big money and the negative TV ads.  You have the chance to say, “Yes, we can.”  (Applause.)      

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can.  Yes, we can.  Si, se puede.  (Applause.)  

Look, now, I don't want to fool anybody.  Even though this is an incredible crowd, a magnificent crowd -- but let me be clear.  This is going to be a difficult election -- because we’ve been through an incredibly difficult time as a nation.  

For most of the last decade, the middle class has been hurting.  Families saw their incomes, between 2001 and 2009 -- by about 5 percent.  That's not my statistics.  That's the Wall Street Journal talking.  Job growth was more sluggish during that period than any time since World War II.  Jobs were being shipped overseas.  Parents couldn’t afford to send their kids to college. Families couldn’t afford to send somebody in their family to a doctor.  Americans were working two, three jobs just to try to make ends meet.  And all this culminated in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Understand we lost 4 million jobs in the six months before I took office; 750,000 the month that I was sworn in; 600,000 the month after that; 600,000 the month after that.  We haven’t seen anything like this since the 1930s.  We lost 8 million jobs before any of my economic policies had a chance to be put into place.   

Now, my hope was that in this moment of crisis, we could come together and both parties would put politics aside; that we would come together to meet this once-in-a-generation challenge  -- because although we are proud Democrats, we are prouder to be Americans.  (Applause.)  And you know, there are plenty of Republicans who feel the same way out there.  

But the Republican leaders in Washington, they made a different calculation.  They looked around at the mess that they had made, at the mess that they had left me, and they said, boy, this is a really big mess.  And they said it’s going to take a long time to fix.  Unemployment is probably going to be high for a while, and in the meantime, people are going to get angry and frustrated.  So maybe if we just sit on the sidelines, say no to everything, and then point our fingers at Obama and say he’s to blame, they figured that maybe you all would forget that they caused the mess in the first place, and they’d be able to ride anger all the way to election time.

AUDIENCE:  Noooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  But, Los Angeles, as I look out on this crowd, this tells me you haven’t forgotten.  (Applause.)  

Their whole campaign strategy is amnesia.  And so you need to remember that this election is a choice between the policies that got us into this mess and the policies that are leading out of this mess; a choice between the past and the future; a choice between hope and fear; a choice between moving forward or going backwards.  And I don't know about you, but I want to move forward, Trojans.  I want to go forward.  (Applause.)

Now, look, understand it would be one thing if the Republicans, having made this mess, they went off into the desert or into some retreat somewhere and they meditated on, boy, we really screwed up, and now let’s come up with some new ideas because we recognize the error of our ways.  But that's not what’s going on.  The Republican Campaign Committee chairman promised the “exact same agenda” if they win back the House and if they win back the Senate -- the same agenda of cutting taxes for millionaires and billionaires --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- of cutting rules for the special interests, from cutting middle-class families loose to fend for themselves.  Their basic philosophy is, you’re on your own. If you're sick, you don't have health care, too bad, you’re on your own. You don't have a job, them’s the breaks, you’re on your own.  You’re a young person wants to go to USC, wants to get his education but can’t afford it, tough luck, you’re on your own.

It’s the same agenda that turned a record surplus into a record deficit; the same agenda that allowed Wall Street to run wild; the same agenda that nearly destroyed our economy.

And I bring all this up not because I want to re-argue the past.  I bring it up because I don't want to relive the past.  We can’t afford it.  (Applause.)  I bring it up because it’s not as if we haven’t tried what they're selling.  We tried it. We didn’t like it and we’re not going back to it.  (Applause.)

I want you to think about it this way.  Imagine that these folks drove a car into the ditch.  And it was a really deep ditch.  And somehow they were able to walk away from the accident, but they did nothing to get the car out of the ditch.  And so, me and Barbara and Jerry and Antonio, we all put on our boots and we climbed down into the ditch.  

And it’s hot down there. Flies are down there -- (laughter) -- and we’re sweating.  But we’re pushing, we’re pushing to get the car out of the ditch.  And even though Barbara Boxer is small, she is pushing, too.  And we’re all pushing. (Applause.) And as we’re pushing, we look up and the Republicans are all standing there at the top of the ditch.  They’re all looking down. And we say, why don’t you come down and help?  And they say, no, that’s all right.  And then they kick some dirt down into the ditch. (Laughter.)  They’re sipping on a Slurpee.  They’re fanning themselves.  You’re not pushing hard enough, they say.  You’re not pushing the right way.  

And, yet, despite all that, we still get the car out of the ditch.  And it’s finally on level ground.  (Applause.)  And I admit, the car is a little banged up.  I mean, the fender is bent and it’s going to have to go to the body shop, and it needs a tune up.  But it’s on level ground and it’s pointing in the right direction.  We’re ready to move forward.

And, suddenly, suddenly, we get this tap on our shoulder and we look back, and who is it?  It’s the Republicans. And they say, we want the keys back.

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  And we’ve got to tell them, you can’t have the keys back.  You don’t know how to drive.  (Applause.)  You can ride with us, but you got to be in the backseat -- because we got middle-class America in the front seat.  We’re looking out for them.  (Applause.)

You ever notice when you want to go forward, what do you do? You put your car in “D.”  You want to go backwards, what do you do?  You put it in “R.”  (Applause.) That’s not a coincidence.  We want to go forward.  We don’t want to go backwards.  (Applause.)    

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!  

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can.  

Look, because of the steps that we’ve taken, we no longer face the possibility of a second depression. The economy is growing again.  The private sector has seen job growth nine months in a row.  But we’ve still got a long way to go.  We’ve still got a lot of work to do.  There are a lot of people out there still hurting. I know there are a lot of families still hanging on by a thread.  That’s what keeps me up at night.  That’s what keeps me fighting.  That’s why all of you are here, because you know we’ve got more work to do.  

But understand, we’ve got a different idea about what the future holds.  It’s an idea rooted in our belief about how this country was built.  We know that the government doesn’t have the answers to all our problems.  We believe government should be lean and efficient.  But in the words of the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln -- who, by the way, couldn’t get a nomination in today’s Republican Party -- (laughter) -- we also believe that government should do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves.  (Applause.)   

We believe in an America that rewards hard work and responsibility and individual initiative, but that also puts a hand up to help people live out their dreams.  (Applause.)  We believe in an America that invests in its people, in its future, the education of our children, the skills of our workers.  We believe in a country where we look after one another, where I am my brother’s keeper, where I am my sister’s keeper.  (Applause.) That’s the America that I know.  And that is the choice in this election.  (Applause.)

This election is a choice. And if we give them the keys -- which will happen if you don’t vote -- they’ll keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas.  We want to give tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the United States -- (applause) -- to small businesses and American manufacturers and clean energy companies.  (Applause.)  Because I don’t want wind panels and -- wind turbines and solar panels and electric cars made in Europe or Asia.  I want them built right here in the United States -- (applause) -- by American workers here in the United States of America.  That's the choice in this election.  

If we give them the keys back -- and we will if you don't vote -- the other side has said they are going to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, costing us $700 billion, and to help pay for it, they’re going to cut education spending by 20 percent.  

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, think about this.  This is at a time when the question of whether a country competes almost entirely depends on how well we educate our children.  Do you think that China wants to cut education by 20 percent?  

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Is South Korea cutting education by 20 percent?  

AUDIENCE:  Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Those countries aren't playing for second place.  America doesn’t play for second place.  We play for first place.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA! USA!  USA!  USA!

THE PRESIDENT:  We play for first.  And that's why, instead of giving unwarranted subsidies to the banks, we've taken tens of billions of dollars and we’re now putting them where they should go -- to students like you -- (applause) -- to make sure that you can afford a college education, and a $10,000 tuition tax credit for every young person in America so you can get the education you deserve.  That's the choice in this election.  (Applause.)

We want tax cuts to middle-class families.  We don't want special interests back in shotgun.  You know, the other side has already promised to roll back Wall Street reform, roll back health insurance reform.  We refuse to make that happen.  We want to make sure that insurance companies can’t deny you coverage when you get sick.  We want to make sure that the law we passed to make sure that you can stay on your parents’ health insurance till you’re 26 years old, that that remains the law of the land. (Applause.)

We want to make sure that credit card companies can’t hit you with hidden fees or jack up your rates without notice.  We want to make sure that taxpayers aren’t stuck with a Wall Street bailout because somebody else took unwarranted risks.  

We’re going to fight the effort to privatize Social Security, because as long as I’m President, nobody is going to take a generation’s worth of retirement savings and hand them over to Wall Street.  Not on my watch.  (Applause.)

We are going to make sure we continue to invest in clean energy and we enforce our clean air and clean water laws.  You’ve seen what they're trying to do here in California, trying to roll back laws that will keep California at the cutting-edge.  And now that we’ve got special interests spending millions of dollars out there to gut these clean air standards and clean energy standards, and they're doing the same thing all across the country -- millions of dollars in special interest money, using phony front groups.  You don't know their names.  They call themselves “Americans for Prosperity,” or “Mothers for Motherhood.” I made that last one up, but -- (laughter) -- but it might as well be.

And you don't know who’s behind it.  You don't know, is it an insurance company?  Is it a bank? Who is financing all these negative ads against Jerry Brown?  Who’s financing all these negative ads against Barbara Boxer?

And you know how they're able to do this without disclosing their donors is because of a Supreme Court ruling called Citizens United --

AUDIENCE:  Boooo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- which shows you how important it is who’s making appointments on the Supreme Court. I’m proud I appointed Sonia Sotomayor.  (Applause.)  I appointed Elena Kagan.  (Applause.)

All this money pouring into these elections by these phony front groups -- this isn’t just a threat to Democrats; it’s a threat to our democracy.  And the only way to fight it is all of you -- all these voices matching those millions of dollars, all of you being committed to finish what we started in 2008.  That's why it’s so important all of you get out -- all of you have got to vote, because if everybody who fought for change in 2008 turns out this time, we will win this election. (Applause.)

And so I want to remind you why you got involved.  You didn't just get involved to elect a President. You got involved because you believed we were at a defining moment.  You believed that this was a time when the decisions we make, the challenges we face, are going to shape the lives of our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren for decades to come.  

That's why you knocked on doors.  That's why you made phone calls.  That's why some of you cast your vote for the very first time.  (Applause.)

And, look, I understand the last two years haven’t been easy.  I know that a lot of you -- you're thinking back to Election Night or Inauguration Day, and how much fun that was -- and Beyoncé was singing, and Bono.  (Laughter.)  And Jamie was there.  And it felt like a big party.  But I want everybody to understand, I told you this was going to be hard.  I told you power concedes nothing without a fight.  

Inch by inch, day by day, week by week, we’ve been grinding it out, because that’s the nature of change in a big, complex democracy.  And I recognize some of you may feel now that, gosh, it seems so distance from those wonderful memories and change is harder than I expected, we haven’t gotten everything done that we hoped for yet.  And maybe you know somebody in your family who’s out of a job, or maybe somebody in your neighborhood has put up a foreclosure sign, and you think, boy, we’re not moving as quick as we want.

I understand that.  But don’t let anybody tell you that our fight hasn’t been worth it.  Don’t let them tell you that we’re not making a difference.  Because of you, there are people right here in California who don’t have to choose between getting treatment for their cancer or going bankrupt.  (Applause.)  Because of you, there are parents who are able to look their children in the eye and say, yes, you will go to college.  We can afford it, we’re getting some help.  (Applause.)  Because of you, there are small businesses who are able to keep their doors open, even in the midst of recession. Because of you, we have brought home nearly 100,000 brave men and women from Iraq.  (Applause.)
Because of you, we are going to continue to fight to end “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  Because of you, we are going to make sure that we’ve got an energy policy for the future of America. (Applause.)    

Because of you.  So don’t tell -- don’t let them tell you that change isn’t possible.  Because here’s what I know.  Change is always hard.  And if our parents, if our grandparents, if our great-grandparents, if they have listened to the cynics 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 200 years ago, we wouldn’t be here today.  

Think about it.  This country was founded on 13 colonies coming together to do what had never been done before -- declaring a revolution, throwing off the yoke of tyranny, battling the biggest, baddest empire on Earth.  And then, they decided, you know, we’re going to try to form a new type of government.  And they wrote on paper, they said in their declaration, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal” -- (applause) -- “that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  (Applause.)  

The cynics didn’t believe it. And then, when we had to perfect that union and fight a civil war, the cynics didn’t believe it.  They didn’t think we could free the slaves.  If our ancestors had given up, if they had given up to the cynics, we couldn’t have gotten through war; we couldn’t have gotten through depression; we would not have been able to battle and finally achieve civil rights and women’s rights and workers’ rights.  (Applause.)  

That is the spirit we have to summon today.  The journey we began together was not just about putting a President in the White House.  It was about building a movement for change. (Applause.)  It was about realizing the promise of the United States of America, and understanding that if we’re willing to work for it, there’s nothing we cannot achieve.  (Applause.)  

So I need you to keep on believing.  I need you to keep hoping.  And if you knock on some doors and make some phone calls, and keep marching and keep organizing, we won’t just win this election; we are going to restore the American Dream for not just some, but for every -- every -- everybody in this great land. (Applause.)    

Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)    

END
2:32 P.M. PDT

Remarks by the President at a DNC Dinner in Palo Alto, California

Mayer Residence, Palo Alto, California

THE PRESIDENT:  Please have a seat.  I’m going to come to you and I’m not going to bore you with a long speech because I’m going to be able to sit with each of you at your table and to have a terrific conversation.

My main message is to say thank you to Zachary and Marissa for opening up this wonderful home.  I was especially thrilled to see the pumpkins -- (laughter) -- and the Halloween stuff out there because in the Obama household, Halloween is big.  And in fact, for all the campaigning I’m going to be doing over the next 10 days, I will be home on Sunday night -- (laughter) -- when the girls get dressed up and do some trick-or-treating.

I see a lot of old friends here, people who have supported us for a very long time, and I see some new ones as well.  Some of you I had a chance to meet around the same time I first met Marissa.  I remember that first visit to Google very well.  In fact, it made it into my second book.  And I talked about how inspiring it was and how it spoke to the essence of America -- the American idea that if we’re innovating, if people have the tools to let their imaginations run, that there’s nothing we can’t do in this country.

And that’s I think the spirit that all of us want to see recaptured after a decade in which, frankly, that can-do spirit had been lost.  Obviously we’re going through a very difficult time right now -- the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the worst recession since the Great Depression.  But my task over the last two years hasn’t just been to stop the bleeding.  My task has also been to try to figure out how do we address some of the structural problems in the economy that have prevented more Googles from being created, prevented more Hewlett-Packards from being created, prevented more engineers from being trained in our schools -- how do we unleash this incredible energy and dynamism that we know has always driven America, decade after decade.

We’ve made a start on all these fronts.  I think our education reform agenda has been as innovative and aggressive as anything that we’ve seen, and we’re now partnering with the private sector to figure out how do we get more math and science education so that we can train more engineers and more computer scientists and more mathematicians and more researchers to help drive the next wave of technology.

We have tackled things like health care that have been weights around the necks of not just individual families and businesses but also our federal budget.  We’re taking on clean energy in ways that we have not seen before.  We’ve raised the national CAFE standards on cars and trucks for the first time in 30 years; made the largest investment in clean energy in history.  We’re seeing solar panels and wind turbines and advanced battery manufacturing all across the country because of the efforts that we’ve been making.

And so I’m optimistic about the future.  But in the short term, we’ve got a long way to go.  There are a lot of people out there who are hurting, a lot of families who are struggling to make a mortgage payment or pay the bills, a lot of kids who still aren’t sure whether they can finance their college educations.

And so we’re going to have a big choice in this election in an environment in which people are frustrated and hurting.  And it’s going to be very important that we’re able to make the choice clear about going forwards or going backwards.  And the only way we can get that message out effectively is if we’ve got the support of folks like you, because in a place like California, frankly, as many people as I meet when I travel here, I can’t meet everybody.  At some point, we’re going to have to be able to get the message out, and you help us do that.

So I’m grateful to you.  We are excited about these last 10 days.  I’ve been traveling around the country.  We had rallies in Portland and Seattle earlier over the last couple of days, I think 15,000 in each place; 35,000 in Columbus, Ohio; 30,000 in Madison, Wisconsin.

And as we travel around the country, although everybody recognizes that the last two years have been tough, what has been remarkable is the degree of resilience people feel and the sense that as hard as things have been, we’re still going to keep on fighting to make sure that we have a better future for our kids and our grandkids.

Your presence here represents that.  I am going to be quiet now because I want to make sure that I have a chance to talk to all of you and hear from all of you.  And if at any time people want to come in here and provide an update on the Giants game -- (laughter) -- I am perfectly happy to hear from them.

So, again, to our hosts, thank you very much.  To all of you, it’s great to see you again and I look forward to a good conversation.  (Applause.)

                       END           6:39 P.M. PDT

Remarks by the President at a Rally for Senator Murray in Seattle, Washington

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington

12:15 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Huskies!  (Applause.)  Thank you!  Woof, woof! (Applause.)  Give it up for Patty Murray!  (Applause.)  I am thrilled to be back in Seattle.  (Applause.)  It is great to be back in the state of Washington.  

We’ve got some great friends here that I want to make sure everybody acknowledges.  The governor, Chris Gregoire, is here.  (Applause.)  Representative Jim McDermott is in the house.  (Applause.)  Representative Norm Dicks is here. (Applause.)  Representative Joe Inslee is here.  (Applause.) King County executive Dow Constantine is here.  (Applause.)  And your great United States senator, Patty Murray, is in the house.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

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

When this state sent Patty to the Senate, she wasn’t one of those lifelong politicians who wanted the job for the fancy title or the nice office.  She was the mom in tennis shoes -- (applause) -- who was just looking to help a few people and solve a few problems.  All these years later, that’s exactly what she has done.  (Applause.)  That’s exactly what she’s done. She’s helped a lot of people.  She’s solved a lot of problems.  And now she needs our help so she can keep on fighting for you in the United States Senate.  (Applause.)     

And Washington -- Washington, you know Patty Murray.  You know what she’s made of.  You’ve seen her go to bat to keep Boeing jobs and aerospace jobs right here in Washington.  (Applause.)  You’ve seen her fight for clean energy jobs and new infrastructure jobs.  (Applause.)  You’ve seen her fight to make sure that this nation keeps faith with our veterans because it is a sacred trust.  (Applause.)  This is a senator who still flies across the country every weekend to come home.  When we were in the Senate together, I used to think, poor Patty.  (Laughter.)  I mean, I got my little hour-and-a-half flight to Chicago.  And she had a lot longer way to go.

But she knew how important it was to come home and listen to the cares and concerns of her constituents. That’s the kind of leader you need at a time like this, somebody who knows your lives.  (Applause.)

So, look, if you haven’t already voted for Patty Murray, let me be clear, you need to go right after this rally, fill out that ballot, and mail it in.  (Applause.)  Today -- not tomorrow, not the next day, but today.  (Applause.)

Let’s get this done. Let’s get Patty Murray back into the United States Senate. (Applause.)

Look, we need you fired up. We need you fired up, Seattle.  (Applause.)  Because in just a few days your decision in this election is going to set the direction of this state and of this country for years to come.  

And there are a lot of folks out there in Washington, D.C. -- not in Washington state, but in Washington, D.C. --who are saying, you know what, it can’t be done, just like they said in 2008.  You can’t -- what they’re saying is -- what they’re saying is that you can’t say no to the special interests, that you can’t overcome the cynicism in politics.

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  That you can’t overcome the millions of dollars in negative ads.

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  That you can’t elect a black guy with a funny name, Barack Obama.

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s what they always say.  (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re always telling us what we cannot do, and you just keep on coming back and saying, yes, we can.  (Applause.)

Now, look, let’s be honest.  There’s no doubt this is a difficult election.  And it’s because we have been through an incredibly difficult time as a nation.  And it didn’t just happen a year ago or two years ago.  For most of the last decade, middle-class families saw their incomes fall.  Between 2001 and 2009, which corresponds to when the Republicans were in charge, middle-class incomes of families fell.  Job growth was actually more stagnant than any time since World War II.  Jobs were disappearing overseas.  In the meantime, the costs of everything from health care to college tuition were going up.    

There were too many parents who couldn’t afford to send their kids to college, too many people who couldn’t afford to go see a doctor when they got sick, too many Americans working two, three jobs just to make ends meet.  And then all these problems culminated in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  We lost 4 million jobs in the six months before I was sworn into office; 750,000 the month I took the oath of office; 600,000 jobs lost the month after that; 600,000 jobs lost the month after that.  We lost almost 8 million jobs before any of my economic policies were put into place.

Now, when I got to Washington, my hope was that both parties would put politics aside and that we would roll up our sleeves and meet this once-in-a-generation challenge.  The hope was that we could start moving beyond the division and the bickering and the game-playing that had dominated Washington for so long, although -- because although we are proud to be Democrats, we are prouder to be Americans. (Applause.)  We are prouder to be Americans.  (Applause.)

And let me tell you -- let me tell you there are a lot of Republicans in this country who felt the same way, but Republican leaders in Washington, they made a different calculation.  They made a different decision because -- here was their tactic, here was their theory.  They realized, boy, we made a really big mess. (Laughter.)  And the economy is in such bad shape, we’re going to be climbing out of such a deep hole, that we are better off standing on the sidelines because then maybe people will forget what a big mess we caused.  And we’ll just let Obama and Murray and the Democrats try to solve all these problems.  And we’re going to sit on the sidelines and carp and complain and obstruct and say no.  

And their calculation was that because it was going to take a long time to dig ourselves out of this hole, longer than any of us would like, that all of you would get frustrated and would get angry.  And they figured that if they just sat on the sidelines and opposed us every step of the way, that eventually -- eventually they could ride that anger and that frustration to success in this election.  That was their calculation.  That was their theory.

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  In other words, they were betting on amnesia.  They were betting on the idea that you’d forget who caused this mess in the first place.  (Applause.)

Well, let me tell you, Seattle, it’s up to you to tell them you haven’t forgotten. (Applause.)

It’s up to you. It’s up to you to remind everyone that this choice is an election between two different visions of America -- a choice between falling backwards and moving forwards; a choice between an America that embraces opportunity for everybody and an America that’s a cramped vision just for the few.  

If they win this election, the chair of the Republican campaign committee has promised publicly, he said, we’re going to pursue the exact same agenda as they did before I took office.  

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, this is not a situation where the Republicans said, boy, we really figured screwed up, let’s figure something new out to do.  They want to pursue the same agenda:  tax cuts mostly for millionaires and billionaires; cutting rules -- cutting rules for special interests, whether it’s the oil companies or the banks or the health insurance companies; cutting middle-class families loose to fend for themselves; the same agenda that let Wall Street run wild; the same agenda that took record surpluses and turned them into record deficits; the same agenda that nearly destroyed our economy.

That’s what they’re promising -- more of the same.  It’s not as if we didn’t try it, Seattle.  We tried it for eight years.  It did not work and we can’t afford to go back to that same agenda.  (Applause.)

Let me just give you an example.  They want to cut education by 20 percent.  

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  They want to use that money and then borrow more money from China and other countries to help pay for a $700 billion tax break that only the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans will ever see.  That’s their main -- that’s their main economic agenda.

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  They want to roll back health reform so insurance companies can deny you coverage when you’re sick, or drop your coverage.  

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  They want to roll back Wall Street reform so taxpayers are once again on the hook for Wall Street bailouts --

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  -- and credit card companies can hit you with hidden fees and penalties.

Patty Murray’s opponent has the distinction of being the first candidate in the country to call for repeal of Wall Street reform.  Think about this --

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  We almost had a financial meltdown that plunged America and the world into catastrophe, and he thinks we should go back to the old rules that got us into that problem.

He wants to eliminate the oversight that we desperately need.  Look, this is the same theory these folks have been peddling for years.  And it’s up to you to say, we are not buying what you are selling.  (Applause.)  

We did it -- we tried it before.  It did not work.  We are not going back.  We’re not going back.  (Applause.)

Yes, times are tough.  But because of the steps we’ve taken, we’re no longer facing the possibility of a second depression.  The economy is growing again. (Applause.)

The private sector has created jobs for nine months in a row now.  (Applause.)  Yes, we’ve still got a long way to go.  Yes, we still have a lot of work to do.  There are a lot of people hurting out there right now.  There are some families that are just hanging on by a thread.  That’s what keeps me up at night.  That’s what keeps Patty up at night.  That’s what keeps us fighting.

But I also know this:  The biggest mistake we could make is to go back to the very same policies that caused all this hurt in the first place.  (Applause.)  And I say this -- I say this not because I want to re-argue the past.  It’s because I don’t want to relive the past.  (Applause.)

Let me offer an analogy I’ve been using around the country.  The Republicans took America’s car and drove it into the ditch.  (Laughter.)  And it was a really deep ditch.  And it was really reckless driving.  So Patty and I show up at the -- we show up at the scene of the accident.  The Republicans have climbed out of the car, abandoned the accident.  Patty and I, we’re putting on our boots, and we go down and into the ditch, and it’s muddy down there, and it’s hot, and it’s dusty.  But you know what, we know we’ve got to get the car out, so we just start pushing.

And Patty, even though she’s small, she’s tough, so she’s pushing hard.  (Applause.) She’s pushing.  And even though I’m skinny, I’m pretty tough, so I’m pushing.  (Applause.)

And sometimes our feet slip a little bit, and sometimes it’s not budging, but we’re just staying on it, and we’re sweating.  And every once in a while we look up, and the Republicans are up there on the road, they’re just waving. (Laughter.)  They’re going around whispering to everybody, “They’re not pushing hard enough.  They’re not pushing the right way.”

And we say to them, “Well, why don’t you come down here and help push?”  “No, no, no, no.”  (Laughter.)  “But push harder, push harder.”

So we just go ahead and push. And finally, finally, we get this car up on the road -- finally. (Applause.)  The car is a little banged up.  The car is banged up, it’s got to go the body shop.  We need to get a tune-up.  But you know what, it’s pointing in the right direction.  It’s ready to move.

And suddenly, we get this tap on our shoulders, and we look back.  Who is it?  It’s the Republicans.  And they say, “We want the keys back.” (Laughter.)  

And you can’t have the keys back.  You don’t know how to drive.  (Applause.)  I want Patty Murray driving the car.  (Applause.)  The Republicans can ride with us, but they’ve got to be in the backseat -- (laughter) -- where they can’t do too much damage.

Have you ever noticed when you want your car going forward, what do you do?  You put it in “D.”  When you go backwards, you put it in “R.”  (Applause.)  Don’t go back in the ditch.  (Applause.)  Don’t go back in the ditch.  I don’t want to have to push us out again.   

Patty and I, we’ve got a different idea about what the future should look like, and it’s an idea rooted in our belief about how this country was built.  Patty and I, we grew up understanding the sacrifices our families made to allow us to have opportunity.  (Applause.)  We grew up watching working parents struggle, and then make it and live out their American Dream.  We know that government doesn’t have all the answers to our problems. We’ve seen how hard our parents, grandparents had to work.  We understand that self-sufficiency is part of what made America great.  We believe that government has to be lean and efficient.  

But in the words of the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln -- who, by the way, would have difficulty winning the Republican nomination today -- (laughter) -- we also believe that government should do for the people what the people cannot do better individually for themselves.  (Applause.)  So we believe in a country that rewards hard work and responsibility.  We believe in individual initiative.  But we also believe in a country that’s investing in the future.  (Applause.)  We believe in a country that’s investing in our young people.  We believe in a country where we’re looking out for one another.  (Applause.)  We believe in a country that supports our veterans when they come home.  (Applause.)  We believe in a country that says I am my brother’s keeper, and I am my sister’s keeper.  That’s the America I know. That’s the America Patty knows.  That’s the choice in this election.  (Applause.)  

We see a future where the next century is driven by American innovation and American ingenuity.  We don’t want to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.  We want to invest in companies that are investing in jobs right here in the United States of America -- (applause) -- in small businesses, in American manufacturers, in American clean energy companies.  We don’t want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars made in Europe and Asia.  We want them made right here in the United States of America, with American workers.  That’s the choice in this election. (Applause.)    

We see an America where every citizen has the skills and the training to compete with workers anywhere in the world.  The other side might think it’s a good idea to cut education by 20 percent, but you know what?  China is not cutting education by 20 percent.  South Korea is not cutting education by 20 percent. Germany is not cutting education by 20 percent.  They’re not playing for second place.  And the United States of America doesn’t play for second place.  We play for first.  We play for number one. (Applause.)    

That’s why tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies that used to go to big banks are now going where they should -– to you, to students, to families. (Applause.)  That’s why we want to make our new college tax credit permanent, worth $10,000 in tuition relief for every student, because we want to invest in you.  That’s what this election is about. (Applause.)

We see an America where the middle class is growing, and where opportunity is shared by everyone.  And the only limit to your success is how hard you’re willing to try.

That’s why when we designed tax cuts, they were for middle-class families.  That’s why we’ll fight the efforts of some in the other party who think it’s still a good idea to privatize Social Security, because as long as I’m President, no one is going to take the retirement savings of a generation of Americans and turn it over to Wall Street.  Not on my watch.  Not on Patty’s watch.  That’s the choice in this election. That’s what we’re fighting for.  (Applause.)

We want to create jobs through investments in research and development.  We want to rebuild our infrastructure so it’s the best in the world.  

We want to have the number one college graduation rates of anyplace in the world.  (Applause.)  We want a financial system that works for consumers.  We want enforcement of clean energy legislation, but also clean air legislation and clean water legislation.  (Applause.)

Look, right now the same special interests who would profit from the other side’s agenda, they are fighting back hard.  They were fighting us tooth and nail on everything we did over the last two years.  And now they see their opening, they see their chance.  So to win this election, they are plowing tens of millions of dollars into front groups that are running misleading negative ads all across America.  You’ve seen them.  You’ve seen them.

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

THE PRESIDENT:  Just flooding the airwaves with negative ads.  And they don’t have the courage to stand up and disclose the identity of the donors.  They could be insurance companies.  They could be Wall Street banks.  We don’t know.  We don’t know who it is.

But understand, this kind of politics, that’s not just a threat to Democrats.  It’s a threat to our democracy.  (Applause.)  And the only way to fight it -- the only way to match their millions of dollars in negative ads is with the millions of voices who are ready to stand up and finish what we started in 2008. That means you.  That’s where you come in.  (Applause.)

That’s why you need to mail in your ballots, Seattle.  That’s why you’ve got to vote in this election.  If everybody who voted in 2008 shows up in 2010, we will win this election.  (Applause.)  We will win this election.  But you’ve got to come out and vote.

A lot of you got involved in 2008 because you believed that we were at a defining moment in our history. And you believed that this was a time when the decisions we make would have an impact not just on us but on our children, our grandchildren, our future generations.

And you wanted to make sure that your voice was heard.  The reason you knocked on doors and made phone calls and cast your vote -- some of you for the very first time -- was because you believed that your actions could make a difference and you’d play a role in bringing about historic change.  (Applause.)

Now, we are in the midst not just of advocating for change, not just for calling for change, we are grinding it out.  We are doing the hard, frustrating, inch-by-inch, day-by-day, week-by-week work of bringing about change.  (Applause.)

And, look, I understand -- I understand that when you’re watching it, you say to yourself, boy, this is hard.  This isn’t easy.  This isn’t happening as fast as I would like.  And I understand how some of you might think back to Election Night or Inauguration Night when Beyoncé was singing and Bono. (Laughter.)  And you were saying, boy, that was exciting, that was fun, that was a big party.  And now it just seems like we’re working all the time and folks are arguing and everybody is mad.  All these pundits are on TV.  And this is just kind of discouraging.

And then maybe there’s some of you who know it’s hard to keep faith when a family member still hasn’t found a job after months of trying.  Or you see another foreclosure sign hanging on the house down the street.  And of course, it doesn’t help when you’re seeing all these negative ads, and people putting each other down.

But I want everybody to understand this.  I want everybody to understand you can’t let it get to you.  Don’t ever let anybody tell you that this fight is not worth it.  Don’t let them tell you that you’re not making a difference. (Applause.)

Because of what you did, Seattle, because of what you did, there’s a woman somewhere who no longer has to choose between losing her home and treating her cancer.  (Applause.)

Because of you, there are parents who can look their children in the eye and say, you are going to college. (Applause.)

Because of you, there are small businesses that kept their doors open and folks who didn’t lose their jobs.  Because of you, there are teachers in the classroom who are still teaching.  Because of you, there are firefighters who are still fighting fires.  (Applause.)

Because of you there are 100,000 brave men and women who are back from a war in Iraq.  That’s because of you.  (Applause.)

So don’t let anybody tell you change isn’t possible.   Don’t let them get you down.  Because if our -- think about the founding of this country, what we -- think about it.  None of us would be here if it weren’t for that extraordinary leap of faith that had been taken.  Thirteen colonies deciding to start a revolution based on an idea that had never been tried before -- a government of and by and for the people.  (Applause.)  A government based on the simple proposition that all men are created equal.  (Applause.)  That we’re endowed with certain inalienable rights.  (Applause.)

Think about it.  If our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents have listened to the cynics 50 years ago or 100 years ago or 200 years ago, we wouldn’t be here today.  They would have said, don’t even try a revolution.  The British Empire is too powerful.  Don’t try to liberate the slaves.  It’s too hard.  Don’t try to get women the right to vote.  (Applause.)  Don’t try to initiate workers’ rights or civil rights.  Don’t try.  We can’t.  

The only reason we are here today is because past generations, they didn’t listen to the cynics.  They were unafraid to push forward even in the face of difficulty, even in the face of uncertainty.  That’s why we’ve come so far, through war and depression.  That’s why we have civil rights and workers’ rights and women’s rights.  (Applause.)  That’s why we will end "don’t ask, don’t tell."  (Applause.) That is the spirit we need today.  

The journey we began together was not about putting a president in the White House.  It was about building a movement for change that endures.  (Applause.)  It’s about realizing that in America, anything is possible -– if we’re willing to work for it, if we’re willing to fight for it.  

That’s what Patty Murray believes.  That’s what I believe.  And if that’s what you believe, I need you to knock on doors, and make phone calls, and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors.  And if you do that, I promise you, not only will we win this election, but we will restore the dream for the next generation.

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

END            12:46 P.M. PDT