Remarks by The President at Rally for Governor Dan Malloy -- Bridgeport, Connecticut

Central High School
Bridgeport, Connecticut

3:48 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Bridgeport! (Applause.) Are you fired up?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: Give it up for Dan Malloy, your outstanding governor! (Applause.) It's good to be back in Connecticut. (Applause.) Give it up for your Lieutenant Governor, Nancy Wyman -- (applause) -- your outstanding Senators, Dick Blumenthal -- (applause) -- Chris Murphy; -- (applause) -- your Representatives, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, Elizabeth Esty -- even though she couldn't be here today -- and your Mayor, Bill Finch. (Applause.) And thanks for having me at Central. (Applause.) Go Hilltoppers! (Applause.)

I've got to say, the Hilltoppers made me feel very welcome. (Applause.) They had all kinds of stuff up on the wall -- Welcome, President Obama; We love you, President Obama. (Applause.) They had a big painting somebody had made, which was very good -- although I noticed, like the mole on my nose was really prominent. (Laughter.) So there was big circle right there. (Laughter.)

So, Connecticut, two days. Two days. Two days, and you get to choose the governor who will lead you for the next four years. I can't vote in Connecticut, bt I'll tell you who I'd vote for. I'd want Dan Malloy leading us for another four years. (Applause.) Four more years! Four more years!

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

THE PRESIDENT: Four more years!

Now, what that means -- since it seems like you all agree with me -- what that means is you’ve got to grab your friends, you’ve got to grab your classmates, you’ve got to grab your coworkers. You got to knock on some doors. You’ve got to make some phone calls. You need to visit IWillVote.com -- you’ve got to find your polling place. And then you’ve got to take everybody you know to cast their ballot for Dan Malloy. (Applause.)

See, I'm assuming if you took time to come to the rally that you're going to vote. (Applause.) Unless you thought the basketball season started early and you showed up thinking there was a game. (Laughter.) But here’s why it's so important for you to get other people to vote.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: I love you. I appreciate you, too. Thank you. Hold on, young lady. Hold on a second. Hold on. Hold on. You're a DREAMer, and I gave you relief administratively, and we're going to work on the next one. The Republicans are blocking immigration reform. That's one more reason why we need a Democratic Senate. (Applause.) So I support you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. And you need to go protest the Republicans. (Applause.) Because I'm not the one blocking it.

Now, let me talk about Dan Malloy. Dan Malloy won a tough election last time. He took office facing record job losses, massive deficits, the worst recession in decades. But he took on a tough challenge. He made the tough calls. And while it has not always been easy and it has not always been without sacrifice, there is progress here in Connecticut to be proud of. You’ve had the fastest job growth in decades. You’ve had the lowest unemployment rate in five years; a budget that is actually balanced; a rainy day fund that is actually funded.

And thanks to leaders like Dan -- (audience interruption.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Be quiet!

AUDIENCE: Shame on you!

THE PRESIDENT: Shame on you.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: So, listen, here’s the good thing about a democracy, is everybody can speak. As I said before, it's always ironic that the folks who are shouting don't understand that we actually support their issue. (Applause.) The folks who don't support the issue are the ones who are voting against Dan Malloy. So they need to go to the other rally and focus on them. (Applause.)

Now, where was I? Where was I? I was talking about four more years. (Applause.) Thank you. All right, let’s try it again. You’ve got leaders like Dan with the kind of commitment to working families that Connecticut needs. And thanks to him, and thanks to the grit and the resilience of the American people, the country as a whole has made real progress. You think about when I came into office, we were seeing the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes. Unemployment was about 800,000 per month we were losing jobs. And over the past four and a half years, America has created more than 10 million new jobs. We've created more jobs than Japan, Europe, and all the advanced countries combined. (Applause.) Over the past six months, our economy has grown at the fastest pace in more than 10 years. There’s almost no economic measure where we are not doing better now than when Dan took office or when I took office. (Applause.)

But, Bridgeport, we’re here today because Dan and I and all the congressional delegation here, they understand we've got more work to do. (Applause.) We’ve got more work to do to make sure that all kids grow up in an America where it doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, where you came from, what your last name is, who you love. What matters is, are you willing to work hard; are you willing to take responsibility -- because if you are, you deserve to be able to make it in America. That's what the American Dream is all about. (Applause.)

So when you cast that vote on Tuesday, you’ve got a choice to make. It’s more than a choice between candidates or political parties. (Audience interruption.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Get out!

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Get out of here!

AUDIENCE: Boooo --

THE PRESIDENT: That's okay.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: It’s a choice that we've got to make. Hold on a second. Hold on a second, everybody. Quiet down. It's a choice that we've got to make between two very different visions of America. And by the way, I just want to say -- because we've now had, like, three folks -- I am sympathetic to those who are concerned about immigration, because the truth of the matter is, is that we're a country of immigrants. (Applause.) That's why we fought for immigration reform. It's the other party that's blocked it. Unfortunately, folks get frustrated and so they want to yell at everybody. And I understand that. But this is part of why elections are so important, because we do have two different visions of America.

Now, the vision I have, the vision Dan has, is one that embraces immigrants. The other side has a very different vision, which is why they’ve blocked legislation that would solve it. And so, in all these issues, it comes down to a very simple issue: Who’s going to fight for your future? (Applause.) Who is going to fight on your behalf?

Listen, Republicans are patriots. They love their country. They love their family --

AUDIENCE MEMBER: No, they don't!

THE PRESIDENT: No, they do. There are some good folks. But here’s the thing. But here’s the thing. (Audience interruption.) Hold on a second. Here’s the thing. This is a rowdy crowd today. (Applause.) But here’s the thing. Hold on, hold on. Quiet down. Quiet down. Listen, just because folks are good folks doesn’t mean they’ve got good ideas. (Applause.) I was telling folks in Wisconsin the other day, I've got some family members who I love, but they got bad ideas. (Laughter.) So I don't want them in charge of anything. (Laughter.) Some of them will be over for Thanksgiving, and I'll hug them and I'll give them a piece of pie, but I wouldn't want to put them in charge. (Laughter.)

And that's sort of what we've got going with the Republican Party right now, because they just keep on offering a theory of the economy time and time again that has undermined the middle class. It's not like we haven't tried it. We tried it: Tax breaks for folks who don't need them, at the very top. Fewer investments in things like education. Looser rules on big banks or polluters. Cutting the safety net for folks if they fall on hard times. We tried all that stuff. It did not work. And so we don't want to go back to that vision.

And Dan has a very different vision for what the future looks like. It's a vision rooted in the conviction that in America, prosperity never trickles down from the top. It grows from a rising, thriving middle class. (Applause.) It grows because we give folks ladders into the middle class. We believe in an economy that grows for the many, not just for the few. And Dan -- this is personal for him. We were talking on the helicopter ride over. (Laughter.) It was a little windy. (Laughter.) But Dan was talking about sort of what it meant growing up with a learning disability and having a few people there who believed in him and fought for him, and some resources that were given so that he could show really what he could do. And you don't lose that sense of being the underdog. You don't lose that sense of somebody else giving you a hand up. And that's what his politics are based on.

He’s not running to cut his own taxes -- he’s running to cut taxes for that single mom who needs a little help with her child care. (Applause.) He’s not looking to give advantages to big corporations who already have lobbyists looking out for them. He’s running to fight for you. And he knows that ideas should be judged not on whether they’re Democratic or Republican, but on whether they work or not.

And we believe in this country that education isn’t just the key to economic growth, it’s the surest path into the middle class. (Applause.) And while some governors are saying “tough luck” to parents who can’t afford to send their kids to private schools, Dan’s worked to invest in our public schools -- just like this one -- (applause) -- to bring down the cost of higher education, to make college a reality for young people. That's what Dan believes because it worked in his own life.

We believe in access to affordable health care, that it's not a privilege, it's a right. (Applause.) There are governors out there who’ve kept hardworking Americans from getting health insurance. Dan has expanded Medicaid to tens of thousands of folks here in Connecticut. They didn’t have health insurance before; now they have it. (Applause.)

There are some governors out there who’ve been trying to keep the Affordable Care Act from working. Dan has helped to create one of the best marketplaces in the country -- and cut the numbers of people without health insurance in Connecticut in half. (Applause.) And this shouldn’t be a blue or a red issue. This shouldn’t be a Democratic or Republican issue. This is an American issue. (Applause.) Why would you run on a platform of giving fewer people health insurance? That doesn’t make any sense.

Dan believes that in America, nobody who works full-time should ever have to raise their family in poverty. (Applause.) Not all governors believe that. You had one Republican governor claim that the minimum wage “serves no purpose.” Tell that to all the folks who are struggling to get by. Dan understands it makes a difference. He knows the difference it can make to that hardworking mom or dad who’s trying to make ends meet. While some folks in this state tried to come up with an excuse to oppose minimum wage increases, Dan fought to give Connecticut a raise. That's what he fought for. That's what he believes. (Applause.)

Now, earlier this year, I went to New Britain with Dan and three other New England governors. We had lunch at a sandwich shop where the owners paid their employees a living wage of at least $10 an hour. A few weeks later, Dan became the first governor in the country to sign a law lifting the minimum wage in this state to $10.10 an hour. (Applause.) And 130,000 hardworking folks across Connecticut got the raise they deserve. (Applause.)

We believe in an America where we do better when women are full and equal participants in our economy. (Applause.) We've had some issues in Washington with Republicans saying no to a national fair pay law. We had one Republicans running for national office right now who said -- and I'm quoting -- “You could argue that money is more important for men.”

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE PRESIDENT: I don't know who he was talking to. He wasn’t talking to Michelle. (Laughter.) If we’re going to strengthen the middle class for the 21st century, then we need leaders with a 21st century mind-set. They need to understand that women need to get paid fairly. (Applause.) Let’s make sure that every woman is getting paid the same for doing the same job -- (applause.)

And let’s make sure every woman controls her own health care choices -- not her boss, or not some politician. (Applause.) Republicans are funny. (Laughter.) If you ask them, do they believe in climate change, they say, “I’m not a scientist.” (Laughter.) If you ask them, does a woman have a right to make her own health care choices, suddenly, they’re all doctors. (Laughter.) When women succeed, America succeeds. (Applause.) We've got to understand that. And so you can't support candidates who think that “Mad Men” is not just a good show but a model for how to behave. (Laughter.) We need a different approach.

Look, so here’s the bottom line, Connecticut. The biggest corporations, they don’t need another champion. The wealthiest Americans don’t need another champion. You do. (Applause.) You need somebody to fight for you. (Applause.) You need somebody who understands that opportunity -- opening up opportunity for all people is what Connecticut is about. Opportunity for all.

But none of that happens unless you go vote.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's right!

THE PRESIDENT: If you want something better, you’ve got to vote for it. (Applause.) If you believe working families need more tax breaks, not millionaires -- you’ve got to vote for it. If you think we should be investing in our kids’ schools and in early childhood education and making college more affordable -- you got to vote for it. (Applause.) I meet so many young people who’ve got an opportunity to do better, but they don't -- they aren't getting the kind of stuff that they need. (Audience interruption.)

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

THE PRESIDENT: So the question is, are we going to vote?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: You can't say we're going to give an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, and then not vote. You can't say, well, Dan Malloy is doing a good job, and then not vote.

AUDIENCE: Right!

THE PRESIDENT: Four years ago, Dan won the governor’s race by just four votes per precinct. Four votes. Because of those four extra votes, 130,000 Connecticut workers got a raise. (Applause.) Because of those four votes, Connecticut families gained access to health insurance to take care of their kids. (Applause.) Those four votes helped cut your uninsured rate in half, put Connecticut on a path for universal pre-K for every child, brought your unemployment rate down. (Applause.)

So your vote matters. Don't let people tell you it doesn’t. On Tuesday, your vote will determine the course for Connecticut. So we need your vote. But we need, more importantly, the vote of your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues. Go talk to one of the organizers in this room, or go to DanMalloy2014.com -- volunteer these last couple of days. Make some phone calls. Knock on some doors. Grab everybody you know, get them out to vote. (Applause.) Don't stay home. Don't let somebody else choose your future for you. (Applause.)

Look, the hardest thing in politics is changing the status quo. And it’s even harder when folks in power are ignoring what you have to say and seem to not really be listening to ordinary families. And then the media is feeding you information that says, well, it's not going to make a difference, this is how it's going to be. And so you get cynical. You don’t think you’re going to make a difference. You don’t get involved. You don't organize. You don't vote.

And I'm here to tell you, don’t buy it. (Applause.) Despite all the cynicism, America is making progress. Despite unyielding opposition, there are workers who have jobs today that didn’t have it before. (Applause.) There are families who have health insurance today that didn’t have it before. There are kids going to college today that didn’t have the opportunity to go to college before. (Applause.) There are troops who were in Afghanistan who are now home with their families because of your vote. (Applause.)

Cynicism didn’t put a man on the moon. Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or built a business, or fed a young mind. Cynicism is a choice. And hope is a better choice. (Applause.)

Hope is what gave young people the strength to march for civil rights, and voting rights, and women’s rights, and workers’ rights, and gay rights, and immigrants’ rights. (Applause.) Hope is what put a man on the moon. Hope is what defeated fascism. Hope is what America is all about. (Applause.) Hope in better days; hope in building up a middle class; hope in handing down something better to our kids. (Applause.)

That's why you have to vote. That's what Dan Malloy believes. (Applause.) That's what you have to remember on Tuesday, November 4th. (Applause.)

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

END
3:14 P.M. EST

Remarks by The President at Rally for Gary Peters and Mark Schauer -- Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

7:09 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Detroit! (Applause.) It’s good to be back in Michigan! (Applause.) It’s good to be back at Wayne State! (Applause.) Go, Warriors!

Give it up for a Wayne State alum, your next senator, Gary Peters! (Applause.) Give it up for your next governor, Mark Schauer! (Applause.) We’ve got some outstanding lawmakers who are here today -- my friend, Carl Levin -- (applause) -- Debbie Stabenow -- (applause) -- John Conyers -- (applause) -- Sandy Levin. (Applause.) We’ve got the dean of the House, John Dingell -- (applause) -- the next representative from Michigan’s 12th, Debbie Dingell. (Applause.) We've got a full house. (Applause.) We've got folks fired up! (Applause.) We've got folks ready to go! (Applause.)

Three days. Three days, Michigan. Three days. Three days until you get to choose a new governor and a new senator. And here’s what you’ve got to do until then. If you came to this rally, I know you also are going to go vote or -- I don't worry about you. I need you to grab a friend. (Applause.) I need you to get some classmates. I need you to get some coworkers. I need you to knock on some doors and make some phone calls. (Applause.) I need you to visit Iwillvote.com, find your polling place. Take everybody you know to cast their ballots for Gary Peters and Mark Schauer. (Applause.) And then tell them to vote for Lisa Brown and Mark Totten and Godfrey Dillard and Warren Evans and Brenda Lawrence. Tell them to vote. Tell them to vote. (Applause.)

Let me tell you why.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I love you, too. But I want to tell you why you need to vote. (Applause.) This country has made real progress since the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. Over the past four and a half years, we have seen American businesses create more than 10 million new jobs. Over the past six months, our economy has grown at the fastest pace in more than 10 years.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you!

THE PRESIDENT: I don't have to tell you the auto industry that was on the brink of collapse is back on its feet, making better cars than ever, right here in Michigan. (Applause.) It’s a testament to the grit and the resilience of American workers. (Applause.) We’ve got some leaders here who stick up for working folks every single day. We got Mary Kay Henry from SEIU. (Applause.) We've got Lily Eskelsen Garcia from the NEA. We've got Dennis Williams from the UAW. We've got some labor leaders here who know what it means to fight for working families. (Applause.)

And because of the strength and resilience of the American worker, the auto industry has come back. Housing is beginning to recover. We've seen progress on almost every economic measure. But we are here tonight because we know we’ve got more work to do. As fast as we've been moving, we know we’d be moving faster if a lot more of our politicians lived by the same values of hard work and responsibility that the ordinary people they represent take with them every single day when they go to the job. (Applause.) And over the next week, you’ve got a chance to make that happen. You have the chance to choose leaders that don’t put political ideology first, that don't put just winning an election first -- they put you first. (Applause.)

And you couldn't have a better example than Mark and Gary. (Applause.) You couldn't have a better example of the kind of leaders you want. I mean, look at these two guys. They’ve spent their entire lives in Michigan. Mark ran a non-profit that helped unemployed workers get back on their feet. Gary helped folks save for college and retirement as a financial planner. Then he served in the Navy Reserve. They ran for office for the same reason -- to fight for hardworking families like yours, because your story is their story. (Applause.)

They weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. They know what it's like to struggle. They know what it's like to have to work hard and piece together a budget and save. And they know what it's like when their parents or grandparents make sacrifices for them. And since they’ve taken office they’ve led. They led to clean up the Great Lakes. They helped to cut taxes for Michigan’s small businesses and invest in new, high-tech manufacturing. (Applause.) They fought to give Michigan’s minimum wage workers the raise they deserve.

When the chips were down and our most iconic industry was on the line, they said, we shouldn’t walk away. (Applause.) If the auto industry went down, communities across this state and Midwest would have gone down, too. So Mark and Gary placed their bet on Michigan. They placed their bet on American workers, making American products. (Applause.) And thanks to the grit and ingenuity and pride of American workers, that bet that they made paid off in a big way. (Applause.)

Now some of the folks who figured we should have thrown in the towel six years ago are the same folks who are asking you for your vote next week. They got a lot of nerve. (Applause.) They got a lot of nerve. If they’re not there for you when you need them -- (laughter) -- I think you should vote for Mark and Gary instead. (Applause.) That's what I think. Because you know they had your backs, and now we got to have theirs. (Applause.)

And that’s what this election is all about, Michigan. When you step into that voting booth, you are making a choice not just about candidates or parties. You're making a choice about two different visions of what America is about. And it boils down to a simple question: Who is on your side? Who’s going to fight for you? Who’s going to fight for your future?

Now, I want to be clear. Republicans are good people, they’re patriots. They love their country. They love their family --

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE PRESIDENT: Don't boo -- vote. (Applause.) No, but I mean what I say here. Listen, I mean what I say. We're all Americans. We're all Americans. We're Americans first. So they’re patriots. They love this country. But they’ve got bad ideas.

AUDIENCE: That's right!

THE PRESIDENT: And I always try to explain -- look, I've got members of my family who I love and have bad ideas. (Laughter.) I still love them. I just wouldn't put them in charge. (Laughter.) Right? You all have got somebody in your family like that. You're going to have them over for Thanksgiving, but you don't want to put them in charge. (Laughter.) Am I right? (Applause.)

And the worst idea they’ve got is this same economic theory that they just keep on putting out that we know undermines the middle class: More tax breaks for folks at the top. Less investment in education. Looser rules on big banks and credit card companies and polluters. A thinner safety net for folks when they fall on hard times. You know what -- we've tried those things.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: They don't work!

THE PRESIDENT: They don't work. (Applause.) Don't work. I mean, it would be one thing if we hadn’t tried them. We might say, okay, well, maybe that works. (Laughter.) But when you’ve done it again and again, and each time the middle class has a tougher time, and the folks at the top are doing better and better, I don't know why we would think it would work differently this time. (Applause.)

They’re not changing their tune either. Every time the Republican Party leaders in Washington had to take a stand this year on policies that would help the middle class, their answer was no. They said no to raising the minimum wage. They said no to fair pay legislation to make sure women get paid the same as men for doing the same job. They said no to helping young people refinance their student loans. They actually voted for rules that would make it more expensive for students when they take out student loans.

The only thing they voted yes on was another massive tax cut for millionaires. I know that's shocking, but it's true. And it's the clearest display of whose side they’re on. The same Washington Republicans who blocked a $2.85-an-hour raise for some of the hardest working people in America -- the folks who clean up your bedpans, the folks that make up and take care of seniors -- they made clear that they’re not going to do that. One of the first things they do is change the rules to jam tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans through. They’re not going to raise the minimum wage.

Their leadership said tax cuts for those at the top are “even more pressing now” than they were 30 years ago. That's what they said. When one of George W. Bush’s economic advisors took a look at how many jobs their agenda would create, he said, “not many.” That’s George W. Bush’s advisor admitting. They don't have an agenda for the middle class. They don't have an agenda for Detroit. They don't have an agenda for Michigan. At a time when nearly all the gains of this recovery are flowing to the top 1 percent, cutting taxes for those same folks doesn’t make any sense. It’s the wrong vision for the future. (Applause.)

But the good news is Mark and Gary have a different vision -- (applause) -- a vision rooted in the conviction that in America, prosperity does not trickle down from the top, it comes up from folks who are working every single day, middle-class folks, folks trying to work hard to get into the middle class. (Applause.) That's what we believe as Democrats. That's what we believe here in Michigan. (Applause.) We believe in an economy that grows for the many, not the few.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's right!

THE PRESIDENT: Mark and Gary are not running to give tax breaks to folks who don't need them. He’s running to build economies -- Michigan’s economy from the middle class out. (Applause.) They know that ideas to create jobs, they’re not Democrat or Republican, but they got to work. They got to work. And they know that education, for example, isn’t just the key to economic growth, it’s the surest path into the middle class. (Applause.) They’re not going to slash investments in schools, or make it harder for students to go to college. They’re going to make it easier for students to go to college, and make sure teachers are respected, and make sure we got early childhood education for our kids. (Applause.) That's what they’re going to run on. (Applause.)

We believe that in America, public servants should work for the people they represent. (Applause.) Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on frivolous lawsuits or ideological crusades, Mark and Gary will spend their time protecting ordinary citizens, making your lives better. And by the way, as your next Attorney General, that’s what former prosecutor Mark Totten will focus on, too. (Applause.) Looking out for you.

Let me tell you something else that Mark and Gary believe in. They don't think if you're working full-time in this country you should be raising your family in poverty. They’re not backed by special interests who think that the minimum wage is something we should get rid of. They’re running because they think we should champion the efforts of folks who work hard but still have trouble paying the bills at the end of the month. That's what they believe. That's what they’re going to fight for. And if you believe that too, you’ve got to vote. (Applause.)

Mark and Gary believe that the economy is stronger when women are full participants in our economy. (Applause.) I already told you Republicans said no to a national fair pay law. One of the Republicans running for national office, he said -- I'm quoting here -- he said, “You could argue that money is more important for men.”

AUDIENCE: Nooo --

THE PRESIDENT: That's a quote. Now, I don't know what woman he talked to. (Laughter.) He didn’t talk to you. Did he talk to you? No.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE PRESIDENT: I know he didn’t talk to Michelle. (Laughter.) No. See, if you're going to strengthen the 21st century economy, you’ve got to be in the 21st century. (Applause.) You’ve got to understand that women make up an increasing part of the workforce. They’re bringing home more of the bacon. (Applause.) They need to be paid fairly and treated fairly. (Applause.)

And just like Gary talked about, we've got to make sure that women control their own health care choices. (Applause.) Not their boss, or their insurer, and certainly not any politician. (Applause.) It’s funny, if you ask a Republican in Congress if they believe in climate change, they say, well, uh, I’m not a scientist. “I'm not a scientist” -- that's what they say. But when it comes to a woman’s right to choose, suddenly they’re a doctor. (Laughter and applause.) Come on, now. They got to update their attitudes.

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: “Mad Men” is a good show. I like that show. But it's set in the ‘60s. We're now in the 21st century. And we got to understand that in America, when women succeed, America succeeds. (Applause.)

So, look, here’s the bottom line. I know that, as I said, if you're here you're going to vote. I get that. But I want you to feel a sense of urgency these last three days. The biggest corporations don’t need another champion. The wealthiest Americans don’t need another champion. You do. (Applause.) Opportunity for a few is not what Michigan is about -- opportunity for all is what built the middle class in this country.

And that’s why you’ve got to vote. If you want something better, you got to vote for it. You got to work for it. (Applause.) If you believe working families need a tax break, not millionaires -- you got to vote it. (Applause.) If you think we should invest in our children’s schools, and give teachers more support, and get early childhood education in place so young people get a good start in life, and young people going to college aren't burdened with tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of debt -- you got to vote for it. You got to fight for it. (Applause.) If you think that folks who work hard should get an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work -- you got to vote for it. (Applause.)

You know, I tell you, we give away our power all the time. Some of you know I started as a community organizer. And when I talked to folks in the community the first thing I'd say is, why do you give away your power? And they’d say, what do you mean? And I'd say, well, you don't bother voting. You sit at home and complain. But complaining and not voting, that means you're just giving away your power. (Applause.) That means you are -- you're giving away your precious right to help determine the course of your nation.

So, look, Michigan, you’ve had my back twice. (Applause.) You’ve had my back twice. I love this state. But here’s the problem. In recent years, Michigan has led the nation in the number of voters who vote for President but then stay home during the midterms. According to one estimate, you got 900,000 folks in Michigan who voted in 2008 and then didn’t vote in 2010 -- 900,000. I don't know what’s going on with those folks. But we've got to let them know their vote matters.

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: Their vote could decide whether 28 million American workers get the raise they deserve. (Applause.) Whether American families continue to benefit from new health care coverage -- because, I don't know if you’ve noticed, but Obamacare works. (Applause.) Pretty soon they’re not going to call it Obamacare anymore. (Laughter.) You know that's right. (Laughter.)

Your vote will decide the course that Michigan takes from here. So Gary needs your vote, and Mark needs your vote. I need your vote. But I also need you to go out there and get involved in these closing days. Talk to one of the organizers who are in the room. Or go to Mark-Schauer.com. Or go to Peters-for-Michigan.com. Volunteer for these last three days. Make some phone calls these last three days. Knock on some doors these last three days. (Applause.) Grab somebody you know -- get them to vote for Mark. Get them to vote for Gary.

This election is too important to stay home. Don't let somebody else choose your future for you. (Applause.) When we vote, we win. (Applause.) When we vote, we win. When we vote --

AUDIENCE: We win!

THE PRESIDENT: -- we win.

The hardest thing in politics is changing the status quo. When you got a lot of people in power, they care about just keeping power, they don't care about helping you. And they count on you getting cynical. They count on you thinking you can't make a difference. They hope you don't get involved. They hope you don't organize. They hope you don't vote. And every day, they’re sending you a message that you don't count.

Don’t buy it. Despite all the cynicism, America is making progress. Despite the unyielding opposition of folks on the other side, there are workers who have jobs today who didn’t have them before. (Applause.) There are auto plants that got shifts that weren't there before. (Applause.) There are families who have health insurance who didn’t have it before. (Applause.) There are students who are going to college who couldn’t afford it before. (Applause.) There are troops who’ve been coming home from Afghanistan who weren't home before. (Applause.) There are the best car in America and in the world rolling off assembly lines right here in Michigan, right here in the United States, that weren't coming off those assembly lines before. (Applause.)

Don't let them tell you that your vote doesn’t matter. Don't get cynical. Cynicism didn’t put a man on the moon.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE PRESIDENT: Cynicism never cured a disease, or started a business, or built a V-8 engine, or taught a young mind. Cynicism is a choice. And hope is a better choice. (Applause.) Hope is what defeated fascism. Hope is what gave young people the strength to march for civil rights, and voting rights, and gay rights, and immigrants’ rights, and women’s rights. (Applause.) Hope that there are better days ahead. Hope that we can rebuild our middle class and pass on to our kids something better. That's what built America. That's what Motor City is all about. That's what built Michigan! (Applause.)

Our best days are still ahead. Believe it. And vote for Mark, and vote for Gary. And let’s get out there and win this thing. (Applause.)

Thank you, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)

END
7:30 P.M. EDT

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Leon Aron – Member, Broadcasting Board of Governors
• Jeffery S. Hall – Member, Farm Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration

Dr. Leon Aron is Resident Scholar and Director of Russian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a position he has held since 1993.  He was a weekly Contributor at the Voice of America’s Russian language radio and television show Gliadya iz Ameriki (Looking from America) from 1990 to 2004.  Dr. Aron was previously an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University from 1994 to 1996 and a Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation from 1987 to 1992.  He was awarded the Peace Fellowship from the U.S. Institute of Peace from 1992 to 1993.  Dr. Aron received a B.A. from Moscow State Pedagogical Institute and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Jeffery S. Hall, Nominee for Member, Farm Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration

Jeffery S. Hall is the President of The Capstone Group, a firm he co-founded in 2009.  Mr. Hall was the State Executive Director in Kentucky for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency from 2001 to 2009.  Previously, from 1994 to 2001, he served as the Assistant to the Dean at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.  Prior to that, Mr. Hall was a Legislative Assistant in the Office of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.  He has held leadership positions in a number of non-profit organizations.  Mr. Hall received a B.S. from Purdue University.

Presidential Proclamation -- National Family Caregivers Month, 2014

NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH, 2014

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Each day, courageous individuals step forward to help care for family members in need, their quiet acts of selflessness and sacrifice telling a story of love and devotion. Across our country, parents and children, siblings and spouses, friends and neighbors heroically give of themselves to support those in their lives affected by illness, injury, or disability. During National Family Caregivers Month, we salute the people who play difficult and exhausting roles, and we recommit to lifting up these Americans as they care for their loved ones while protecting their dignity and individuality.

In the United States, more than 60 million caregivers provide invaluable strength and assistance to their family members, and as the number of older Americans rises, so will the number of caregivers. Many of these dedicated people work full time and raise children of their own while also caring for the needs of their loved ones. Caregivers support the independence of their family members and enable them to more fully participate in their communities, and as a Nation, we have an obligation to empower these selfless individuals.

My Administration continues to work to improve many of the resources on which caregivers depend. The Affordable Care Act invested in programs that expand home and community-based services. To lift up a new generation of service members -- our 9/11 Generation -- we are fighting to ensure those who care for them have access to the support they need, including financial assistance, comprehensive caregiver training, mental health services and counseling, and respite care. Many caregivers rely on workplace flexibility and reasonable accommodations, and this year my Administration held the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families to develop a comprehensive agenda that ensures hard-working Americans do not have to choose between being productive employees and responsible family members. And next year, we will host the White House Conference on Aging, which will focus on the needs of older Americans and those who care for them.

Not only this month, but every month, let us work alongside our Nation's caregivers and make certain they are able to provide the best possible care for their loved ones for as long as necessary. Together, we recognize those who place service above self, including the women and men looking after our veterans. By offering them the same comfort, social engagement, and stability they bring to others, may we remind them that they are not alone.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2014 as National Family Caregivers Month. I encourage all Americans to pay tribute to those who provide for the health and well-being of their family members, friends, and neighbors.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA