2012 Presidential Election

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on college affordability while speaking at the football practice field at the University of Michigan’s Al Glick Field House in Ann Arbor, Mich., Jan. 27, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In the State of the Union, President Obama made a point to talk about two critically important trends when it comes to education.

First, if you look at unemployment rates broken down by education level, you’ll notice something stark: Those without a college diploma are twice as likely to be without a job as those who earned a bachelor’s degree. For those who finished college or received more education still, the unemployment rate is just 4.1 percent—less than half the national average. And even among the employed, those who finished college make twice as much as those who failed to finish high school.

But even as a college degree has become more important than ever, the cost of that diploma has [begun to]skyrocketed. For the first time, Americans owe more on their student loans than they do on their credit cards. A senior in high school today has seen the cost of full-timeattendance at a public university nearly double in her lifetime.

This morning at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the President outlined a Blueprint for making college more affordable.

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Aboard Air Force One
En Route Joint Base Andrews

12:11 P.M. EST

MR. CARNEY:  Okay, welcome to the sort of final leg of this journey.  I know you have all the fact sheets and stuff on the President’s college affordability proposals that he talked in front of a very enthusiastic University of Michigan crowd this morning, marking the end of a — what he feels was an excellent trip around the country talking about the proposals he put forward in his State of the Union Tuesday night.

With that, I’ll take your questions.

Q    Jay, a number of economists are saying that beneath today’s GDP numbers, it shows that we’re not going to hit 2 percent of the first quarter of this year, and some are calling — saying it shows we’re still in a danger zone.  Does the President agree that we’re still in a danger zone?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I wouldn’t want to use that language, but I would say simply that this President has made clear, at least since he introduced the American Jobs Act, that while our economy has been recovering and our economy has created over 3 million private sector jobs in the last 22 months, we need to do everything we can to boost growth and boost job creation.  The recovery, as the President has said, remains fragile.  And we — and that’s why we need to pass the elements of the American Jobs Act that have not yet been passed, and that begins with Congress passing, without drama, without political theater and sideshows, debates about extraneous issues, the full extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance.

Q    What’s the President’s message to Democrats going to be today?

MR. CARNEY:  To work with him and with their colleagues in Congress to pass important initiatives to get the economy moving, growing jobs.  He’ll certainly talk about some of the other initiatives in the State of the Union address — the push to boost American manufacturing, to boost the trend towards insourcing, the need to develop American skills so that we have the workforce necessary for the jobs of the 21st century economy, the need to make college affordable for as many Americans as possible, which he discussed today.

So his State of the Union agenda will pretty much be the focus.

Q    Some Democrats sometimes get upset when he refers to the obstructionist Congress, and they feel that he’s lumping them in with Republicans, and I’m wondering if he’s going to make a distinction –

MR. CARNEY:  I certainly don’t think you’ve heard that kind of concern expressed by Democrats in any — in recent memory.  I think we’ve made pretty clear, because the facts are incontestable, that the unfortunate obstructionism the country has encountered in passing common-sense, mainstream measures to get the economy going, in passing a balanced approach to deficit reduction and long-term control of our debt, have been Republicans exclusively.

So let me be clear:  The obstacles that we face, the obstructionism we face in Congress have been thrown up by Republicans, unfortunately, and House Republicans in particular.  I mean, we saw at the very end of December with the back-and-forth over extending the payroll tax cut for two months.  What happened then has been the case on too many occasions, where a section of the House Republican caucus has been causing a lot of problems when it comes to getting common-sense, mainstream measures passed that could help the economy and boost job creation.

Q    Yesterday, when the President was announcing his clean energy initiatives, there was a Las Vegas manufacturer of solar panels that had received stimulus funds that announced that 200 people working for it are going to be laid off.  Does that undercut his message?

MR. CARNEY:  Look, the economy remains — or the recovery, rather, remains fragile, as we’ve discussed.  I’m not familiar with the details of this particular company, but I’m sure — I know, of course, that when you do a report on that story or when you have done a report, you will note the 3.2 million private sector jobs that have been created in the last 22 months overall in the country.

There are obviously — even as overall payroll — the workforce has expanded and unemployment has been gradually ticking down, some companies contract as others expand.  We need to do everything we can to continue to grow the economy and create jobs.  We need to pass the American Jobs Act, the portions that haven’t passed yet.  We need to — Congress needs to act on the measures that require congressional action in the State of the Union address and the President’s agenda, so that we can build on the progress we’ve made already towards digging ourselves out of this terrible recession.

Q    Other than the payroll tax cut, which I guess is at the top of the agenda, how does the President prioritize the various legislative initiatives that he’s been talking about?  I mean, where does he put manufacturing?  Where does he put the tuition assistance in controlling costs?  What does he want done first by Congress?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, payroll tax cut, as you know, extension is the pressing matter because of the deadline that is approaching, again, on that issue.  As I made clear and he’s made clear, the overarching priority that he has are the things that he can do with Congress and through his own executive authority to grow the economy and create jobs.

So the broader impact of making college more affordable is building a foundation for long-term economic growth to ensure that we have a workforce that’s educated, prepared for the jobs of the 21st century.  And that’s more of a long-term.

Q    So that’s not an immediate priority?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, again, you want to rank things.  I mean, these are all — the things that he discussed in these past three days are his absolute top priorities.  But the thing that he focuses on more than any other every day is economic growth and job creation.

Q    This — I know this trip is official business, but this last rally felt kind of campaign-y, with a big cheering crowd, “four more years.”  He was certainly in the mode where he was making his case in a very passionate way.  What would you say to people who would look at that and say that this looked like a campaign rally?

MR. CARNEY:  Look, I mean, obviously the President appreciates the enthusiasm of the crowd, but the President came and spoke about policy initiatives.  He didn’t deliver a campaign speech.  Throughout this three-day trip and five-state trip, he's been discussing the substantive and sometimes quite detailed policy proposals that he put forward in the State of the Union address.  So, I mean, that’s a fact.  I mean, again, we can’t — we're not going to tell people not to applaud or be happy to see him.

Q    When the President watches this bruising Republican primary contest that’s going on, has he expressed any concern that he might be stepping into a general election that will be equally as rough-and-tumble?

MR. CARNEY:  He hasn’t to me.  As you know, because you've heard him say so, he doesn’t really watch the Republican primary.  He reads about it, he just doesn’t — you haven't asked me yet if he watched the debate last night, but he didn’t.  Not because, again, it’s just he doesn’t watch a lot of TV.

Q    He hasn’t watched a lot of the debates?

MR. CARNEY:  He hasn’t watched any of them.  He doesn’t watch a lot of TV, except for sports.  But he certainly reads about and keeps up with what's going on.  But he hasn’t expressed that concern, no.  I mean, he –

Q    Newt Gingrich, does he have any preference?

MR. CARNEY:  — the President has had his own experience with tough campaigns, certainly in 2008, the primary campaign in particular.  I mean, that campaign, what was notable about it was it really was — both that and the general election were focused primarily on the issues.  And he looks forward to having a debate about the issues in the general election when the time comes.  Right now he's going to focus on doing the things he needs to do for the country as President.

Q    Jay, the President, during this trip, has also been talking to Spanish-language media about immigration, for instance.  Yesterday in the debate, there was a big brouhaha between Gingrich and Romney on that issue.  Does he believe that any of the Republican candidates is anti-immigrant, as Gingrich has characterized Romney?

MR. CARNEY:  The President is committed to comprehensive immigration reform.  He's also committed to enforcing our laws and dealing with illegal immigration, as you’ve heard him say.  Under his presidency, there are more boots on the ground on the border than before and fewer illegal crossings.

I think a distinction that he has made and you in the media have made has to do in particular with the DREAM Act, which both leading candidates in the Republican primaries have said they would veto.  The President strongly disagrees with that position, and you’ve heard him say so in interviews with not just Latino media but general press conferences and others.  So that’s a very stark difference, as is the fact that setting aside the presidential race, but the comprehensive immigration reform used to have the support of some extremely high-profile Republicans, elected officials, including the President’s predecessor George W. Bush, including the President’s opponent in general election 2008, John McCain, senator from Arizona — including a number of others.

It requires that kind of bipartisan support to get it done.  And the President certainly hopes that Republicans in Congress will once again acknowledge that we need a comprehensive approach to immigration reform.  The President has demonstrated through his actions his commitment to enforcing the law, to putting boots on the ground on the border.

Q    Would he describe him as anti-immigrant, though?

MR. CARNEY:  Jim, that’s — I’m not going to wade into the Republican primary.

Q    Can you give us a week ahead?

MR. CARNEY:  I should have said at the beginning that we do not yet have a week ahead, but we’ll get it to you.  It will be a great week.

Q    There will be a week ahead?

Q    Do you have anything on the fundraising event tonight?

MR. CARNEY:  I don’t have anything on that.  I’d have to check.  I didn’t even see that in my schedule.

Q    You’re probably not going to know the answer to this, but is the President planning any purely campaign swings in the next — at anytime  soon, just like — I don’t know how you would define it, but is that on the horizon?

MR. CARNEY:  I don’t have any travel — I don’t have any travel to announce, and I don’t — I’m not aware of any upcoming travel like that.  But that — I don’t know when our next trip is, so I’m not much help to you.

Q    Can you just describe his mood at all at the end of this — at the end of this trip after the State of the Union?  With some good news, again, polling news from this week, just how he’s feeling about his standing right now politically in the campaign.

MR. CARNEY:  I would — I’m not going to talk about the campaign.  I mean, I’ll answer questions about charges and stuff because I speak for him and defend him, obviously.  But he’s certainly in a very good mood, and those of you who have seen him up close I think can confirm that.  He always enjoys getting out in the country.  And this was I think a particularly rewarding trip because he was able to go a lot of different places, a lot of different audiences, speak about very substantive issues that matter to Americans on the ground in Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, Iowa.  Where else did we go?

Q    Arizona.

MR. CARNEY:  Arizona.  Did I say that?

Q    Is he talking about Arizona?  (Laughter.)

MR. CARNEY:  I love Arizona, and so does the President.  I think I said Nevada, didn’t I?  I can’t remember.  Anyway, five states.  So he’s in a very good mood.  Obviously the State of the Union address seems to have been very well received, both it was well received in the hall and it was well received broadly across the country.  And the initiatives that he’s put forward seem to have a great deal of support, which he thinks is a good thing, because they’re important to growing our economy and creating jobs.  I think that — when you’re President, that makes for a good week.  And obviously the super performance of our special forces on Tuesday night added to the week.

Q    Thanks.

MR. CARNEY:  Thanks, guys.  We’ll get you a week ahead.

END                12:27 P.M. EST

On Tuesday, President Obama delivered his State of the Union address and laid out his Blueprint for an America that is built to last, a nation where hard work and responsibility are rewarded, where everyone does their fair share, and where everyone is held accountable for their actions. All week, Vice President Biden and over 30 White House officials have been taking your questions on Twitter. 

And, on Monday January 30 at 5:30 p.m. ET, President Obama will answer questions that have been submitted by Americans from across the country in the first completely-virtual interview from the White House. 

The deadline to submit your questions is midnight on Saturday January 28, so head over to the White House YouTube Channel now to submit a question or vote for your favorite question.

Then don’t forget to tune in at Monday at 5:30 p.m. when the President will join a special Google+ Hangout from the West Wing. He'll be answering several of the most popular questions that have been submitted through YouTube, and some of the people who submitted questions will even be invited to join the President in the Hangout and take part in the live conversation.

Private Residence
Palm Beach, Florida

4:28 P.M. EST
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, my goodness.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Wow.  Thank you all.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Please, rest yourselves.  We want you ready to work.  (Laughter.)  So don't waste any energy on clapping.  Oh, never mind, you can clap.  (Laughter.)  But it is a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you. 
 
And I want to start by thanking Michele for that — my staff is back there and they were saying, we need to get Michele on the road.  I mean, she covered every point.  I'm done.  (Laughter.)  I am done.  You're amazing, Howard.  Thank you both for hosting us in your beautiful home.  You have an amazing family.  We had a great time.  I was drilled about iCarly, Air Force One — I think they covered it all.  You two need to go into media interviewing.  (Laughter.)  You could give Oprah a run for her money.  (Laughter.)  But we have to give them a round of applause for opening up this beautiful home.  (Applause.)
 
And I also want to recognize Congressman Deutch and his family, who are here.  (Applause.)  And there's a birthday girl here as well. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, she's a Deutch.
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Yeah, happy birthday.  And Mayor Muoio, for her leadership.  Thank you both.  Thank you all for joining us today.  (Applause.)
 
And of course, I want to thank the co-hosts who made this event such a wonderful success — Ewa, Danny, Elaine, Jerry, Mark, Andrew — awesome.  Way to go.  Let's give them a round of applause.  (Applause.)  They do it so seamlessly.
 
And finally, I have to thank all of you for taking the time to join us here this afternoon.  And I've seen a few of you around the country, and I'm always amazed that you come back to hear me again and again.  (Laughter.)  Funny, you're not sick of me yet.  (Laughter.)  But it is always a joy, and it feels like a privilege and an honor when I come out here and I see so many people who are just positive and enthusiastic.  I tell people, as I see them in rope lines and photo lines, it's important for you to know that this keeps us going.  I mean, for me and for Barack, it's your love, it's your support, it's your energy that inspires us.  So we are so grateful.
 
And I know there’s a reason that you all are here today.
 
You’re here because you know that we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country.  You’re here because you know that in less than a year — and it is — the months are closing in — we are going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come.
 
And you’re here because you know that the choice that we make won’t just affect all of us, but it's going to affect our children and our grandchildren, and the world we leave for them long after we’re gone.
 
And that’s truly why I’m here.  That's why I do this.  That's where I get my energy.

You see, as First Lady, I have the privilege of traveling all across this country, meeting folks from all different backgrounds, and hearing what’s going on in their daily lives. 
 
And believe me, people are struggling.  I hear about their struggles –- the bills they’re trying to pay, the businesses they’re trying to keep afloat.  I hear about how people are doing everything in their power to keep it together, taking the extra shift, working the extra job; how they’re saving and sacrificing, many people never spending a dime on themselves because they desperately want something better for their kids.
 
And make no mistake about it, these struggles are not new.  For decades now, middle-class folks have been squeezed from all sides, with the cost of things like gas and groceries and tuition continuing to rise — and people’s paychecks just haven’t kept up.
 
So when the economic crisis hit, for far too many families, the bottom completely fell out.  Now, over the past three years, this administration, your President, has worked very hard to dig us out of this mess.  And there has been a lot of amazing progress made.  We have had 22 straight months of private sector job growth, and the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in nearly three years.  (Applause.)
 
But we know that we still have a long way to go.  And this President of yours has been working hard to rebuild our economy based on, as Michele said, a vision that we all share -– the belief that, as Barack says, that hard work should pay off; that responsibility should be rewarded; and that everyone should get a fair shot, and do their fair share, and play by the same rules.  Michele, you said this as well — these are basic American values.  These are the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.
 
By now, you know my story:  My father was a blue-collar worker, working at the city water plant, and we lived in a small apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  Neither of my parents attended college, but they worked, and they saved, and they sacrificed, because they wanted something better for me and my brother.
 
And more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake — the fundamental promise that no matter who you are, or how you started off, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself, and an even better life for your kids.
 
And on just about every issue -– from health care to education to the economy -– that is the choice we face.
 
For example, when we talk about tax cuts for the middle class, or unemployment insurance for folks out of work, that’s about whether people will be able to heat their homes, put a hot meal on their table, put gas in their car so that they can even look for work.  It’s about whether folks can afford to own a home, send their kids to college, retire with dignity, with security.  It’s about whether people will have more money in their pockets, which means more money in our economy, which means more jobs.
 
That’s what’s at stake.  That is the choice that we face.
 
And if we think for a moment about what this administration has done to stand up for American consumers — I’m talking about families who are getting hit with those hidden credit card fees; I’m talking about students drowning in debt; seniors losing their homes, their savings because they were tricked into loans that they couldn’t afford, couldn't understand. 
 
That’s why my husband created a new consumer watchdog with just one simple mission –- and that is to protect folks from exactly these kind of abuses.  Because he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and when you’ve saved — when you've followed the rules, you shouldn’t lose it all to someone looking to make some easy money.  That’s not fair.  That's not right.  And your President is working hard to do something about it.
 
And then you have to think about all that we've done together for small businesses, and the companies that create two-thirds of all new jobs each year — two-thirds.  And I’m talking about the mother who opens a drycleaner on the corner to provide for her kids.  That's who we're talking about.  Or the family that's been running that neighborhood diner for generations.  Or the veteran who launches a startup and pursues that American Dream that he fought so hard for.
 
Those are the folks that we're talking about.  The folks who work themselves to the bone during the day, and then they go home at night, poring over the books, trying to make it all add up — determined.
 
For these folks, these tax increases [sic] mean so much.  The small business tax cuts this administration has passed mean the difference between these people hiring new employees or handing out pink slips; between keeping their doors open, or closing shop for good.
 
That is the choice that we face.
 
And how about the very first bill my husband signed into law — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.) 
 
And he did this because he knows what it means when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He watched his own grandmother -– a woman with a high school education –- worked her way up to become the vice president at a little community bank.  And she worked hard.  She was good at her job.  But, like so many, she hit a glass ceiling, and she watched men no more qualified than she was -– men she actually trained -– be promoted up the ladder ahead of her.
 
So believe me, Barack, for him, this issue is not abstract, it's not hypothetical.  And he signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from each check, or having that money for gas and groceries and school clothes for their kids.

He did it because when nearly two-thirds of women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, he knows that women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)  Yes.  And he did it because, as he put it, we believe that here in America, there are no second-class citizens in our workplace.
 
And that’s what’s at stake in this election.  (Applause.)
 
And let’s just talk for a minute about health care.  Last year, we made history together by finally passing health reform.  (Applause.)  But now, there are folks actually talking about repealing this reform.  And today, we have to ask ourselves, are we going to stand by and let this happen?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are we going to let insurance companies refuse to cover things like cancer screenings, prenatal care that save money, but more importantly, save lives?  Or will we stand up for our lives, and the lives of the people we love?  (Applause.)
 
Are we going to go back to the day when insurance companies could deny our children coverage because they have pre-existing conditions like cancer or diabetes or even asthma?  Or will we stand up and say that in this country, no one should ever have to choose between going bankrupt or watching their child suffer because they can’t afford a doctor?
 
And then, when our kids get older and they graduate from school, we know how hard it is for them to find jobs, especially jobs that have insurance.  And that’s why, as part of health reform, kids can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  And today, that’s how 2.5 million of our young people are getting their coverage.  (Applause.)
 
So are we going to take insurance away from those kids?  Or will we say that we won't let out sons and daughters go without health care, when they’re just starting out and building their families and careers?  Are we going to fight for this?
 
That is the choice that we face.  (Applause.)
 
And think, for a moment, about what’s been done on education.  I mean, think about all those investments that your President has made to raise standards and reform public schools.  I mean, this is about improving the circumstances for millions of children in this country.  I mean, these are our children, sitting in crumbling classrooms today; kids with so much promise; kids who could be anything they wanted if we just gave them a chance.
 
And think about how we've tripled investments for job training at community colleges.  I mean, this is about hundreds of thousands of hard-working folks who are determined to do whatever it takes to get the skills they need for a better job and better wages.  I mean, these are the folks that are doing it all.  They’re working full-time.  They’re raising their kids.  But they still make it to class every evening, they study late into the night, because they desperately want something better for their families.
 
And make no mistake about it, this investment in our students and in our workers will determine nothing less than the future of our economy.  It will determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will let us compete with any country, anywhere in the world.
 
That is what’s at stake.  (Applause.)
 
And let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices — (applause) — and for the first time in history, our sons and our daughters watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  And consider the impact their decisions will have on our lives for decades to come -– on our privacy and security; on whether we speak freely, worship openly, and love whomever we choose.
 
That’s what’s at stake.  That is the choice that we’re facing.  (Applause.)
 
And finally, let’s not forget all that this administration has done to keep our country safe and restore our standing in the world.  (Applause.)  Thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts of terror.  (Applause.) 
 
Your President ended the war in Iraq, brought our troops home for the holidays.  (Applause.)  And we are working so very hard to give our veterans and their families the support, the education, the employment benefits that they have earned.  (Applause.)
 
And because Barack ended "don’t ask, don’t tell," our troops will never have to lie again about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)
 
That is what’s at stake.
 
So make no mistake about it, whether it’s health care or the economy; whether it’s education or foreign policy — (phone rings) — or someone calling on the phone — (laughter) — the choice we make will determine nothing less than who we are as a country, but more important, who do we want to be.  That's the question:  Who are we?
 
Will we be a country where opportunity is limited to a few at the top?  Or will we be a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead, no matter who you are or how you started out?  Who are we?  That's the question.  Will we tell folks who’ve done everything right, but are still struggling — just a little bit — are we going to look those Americans in the eye and say, tough luck, you’re on your own?  I mean, who are we?
 
Or will we honor that fundamental American belief that this country is strongest when we’re all better off?  Will we continue all the change that we’ve begun, all the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything we’ve fought for to just slip away?
 
Because that is the choice we face.  Those are truly the stakes.
 
And it is important for you to know that your President, my husband, Barack, he knows this deep in his core.  He understands these issues, because he’s lived them.
 
He was raised by a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  He saw that.  And when she needed help, his grandmother stepped up, waking up every morning before dawn, getting on a bus to go to a job at the bank.  And even though she was passed over again and again, she never complained.  How many people do we know like that in our lives?  You never complain.  She just kept showing up, kept doing her best.  
 
So believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone you love doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man –- and more importantly, the President -– that he is today.  And we should be so proud to have him standing for us.  (Applause.)
 
And that is what I hear in his voice when he returns from traveling around the country, and he tells me about the people he’s met.  That’s what I see in those quiet moments late at night, after the girls have gone to bed, and he’s poring over the letters he's getting from people all over the country.  The letter from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care.  Or the letter from the father struggling to keep up, to pay his bills and keep his family under one roof.  The letter from too many young people with so much promise, but too few opportunities.
 
You hear the passion and the determination in his voice.  He's like, "Folks are struggling.  You will not believe what they're going through."  He says, "Michelle, this isn't right.  We've got to fix this.  We've got so much more work to do." 
 
You see, when it comes to the people he meets — I tell people this everywhere — Barack has a memory like a steel trap.  (Laughter.)  If he's had a few minutes with you and a decent conversation, he might not remember your name but he will never forget your story.  And it is those stories that stay imprinted on his heart.  And that's what he carries with him every day — it is our collection of struggles, and our hopes and our dreams. 
 
That is where Barack gets his passion.  That is where he gets his toughness and his fight.  And that is why, even in the hardest moments, when it seems like all is lost, and we're wondering, what's going on?  What's he doing?  Why doesn't he do this?  Why doesn't he do that?  We're sweating him, but he's not sweating.  Because he never loses sight of the end goal.  That is the beauty of your President.  (Applause.)  He keeps his eye on the big prize; never lets himself get distracted by all the chatter and the noise.  He just keeps moving forward, one step at a time.
 
Because your President has a vision for this country -– a vision that we all share.  I don't care who you are.  This is the vision that made our country great.  But I have said this before, and I will say it again:  He cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  That was never a possibility.
 
He needs your help.  Even when you don't agree with him, he needs your help.  He needs you to make those calls and register those voters; get down on the ground and do that work to knock on those doors; take those "I’m In" cards, sign yourself up and your friends up, and your neighbors and your colleagues.  There's too much at stake.  Convince them to join in giving just a little part of their lives, a little time each week to this campaign. 
 
Because we all know that this is not just about one extraordinary man.  (Applause.)  This is not about Barack Obama — though I have to admit, I think he's really cute and pretty fabulous.  (Laughter.)  This is really about us -– it always has been about us — all of us coming together, believing in the country that we live in, working together to make it great.  It's about us.
 
But I am not going to kid you, this journey, as always, will be long.  It will be hard.  It will be full of twists and turns.  You see it now:  One minute — you never know what's going to happen.  (Laughter.)
 
But the truth is, that’s how change always happens in this — that's how change happens.  The reality is, change is slow; it never happens all at once — never.  Not real change.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, then eventually we get there.  We always do.  We always have.  We never go backwards.  Maybe not in our lifetime, but maybe in our children’s lifetime, or our grandchildren’s lifetime.
 
Because in the end, this is not about us.  In the end, we are not fighting these battles for ourselves.  We are fighting them for our sons and our daughters, and for our grandsons and our granddaughters.  We’re fighting for the world that we want to leave for them.  (Applause.)
 
And I’m in this fight not just as a mother who wants to leave a legacy for my daughters.  I’m in this as a citizen who knows what we can do together to make this country better.  Because the truth is, no matter what happens, my girls will be okay.  They are blessed.  My girls will have plenty of opportunities and advantages, and I'm sure that's true for many of the kids in your lives as well.
 
But I think the last few years have shown us the truth of what Barack has always said:  that if any child in this country is left behind, then that should matter to us — even if he is not our son, even if she is not our daughter.  It should matter to us.  (Applause.)
 
If any family in this country struggles, then we cannot be fully content with our own family’s good fortune.  That's not who we are.  In the end, we cannot separate our individual stories from the broader American story.  Because what we know is that in this country, we rise and we fall together.  And we know that if we make the right choices, and if we have the right priorities, we can ensure that everyone gets a fair shake, that everyone has a chance to get ahead. 
 
That is what’s at stake.
 
So it’s time for us to get moving.  (Laughter.)  It is time for us to get to work.  We don't have time to worry, to groan, to — we don't have time. 
 
So I have one question:  Are you ready for this?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  No, we need you to be really in.  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  There is a lot at stake.  We don't have time.  We need you fired up and ready to go and ready to make it happen.  Because this is too important for our future.
 
So I am counting on seeing all of you out there, doing whatever it is you do best — taking your neighbors and shaking them a little bit.  (Laughter.)  Going to church and making sure people are registered to vote.  Yelling from the rooftops.  Pulling women aside — just shaking them.  (Laughter.)  We need you.  And I know that if we come together, and we do this work, we will elect the President that this country deserves:  Barack Obama.
 
Thank you all.  God bless you.  (Applause.)
 
END
4:52 P.M. EST

This week, the President prepared for and delivered his State of the Union Address, welcomed the Boston Bruins to the White House, and took his message West to Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado.  

Click here to see the video.

President Obama was in Las Vegas, Nevada today to outline how we’re using more of an abundant source of energy, natural gas. Last April, the President issued a challenge to shipping companies to upgrade their fleets to run on less oil or no oil at all. Today, he delivered remarks at UPS’s facility in Las Vegas—one of the first companies to step up to the challenge, becoming a leader in using natural gas as an alternative.

Over the last three years, we negotiated the toughest new efficiency standards for cars and trucks in history. We’ve opened up millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. Eight years. Last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the last 16 years. That hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, but that’s important. We’re moving in the right direction when it comes to oil and gas production.

Some of you may not be following this, but because of new technologies, because we can now access natural gas that we couldn’t access before in an economic way, we’ve got a supply of natural gas under our feet that can last America nearly 100 years.

So we’re going to keep working with the private sector to develop up to five natural gas corridors along our highways. There are highways that have natural gas fueling stations between cities, just like the one that folks at UPS, South Coast Air, and Clean Energy Fuels are opening today between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. That’s a great start. So now one of these trucks can go from Long Beach all the way to Salt Lake City. And they’re going to be able to refuel along the way.

You can read the full speech here—and for a closer look at the President’s proposals on increasing America’s energy independence, check out his remarks at the State of the Union.

Back in December, thousands of Americans shared their stories about the impact that losing $40 per paycheck would have on them, and on their families, if Congress did not pass the payroll tax cut.

Responses poured in from across the country, and these stories made a difference: Congress passed and President Obama signed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut for middle class families before it expired at the end of 2011. 

Amber Morris from Virginia Beach, Virginia was one of the people who wrote in to say what losing $40 per paycheck would mean to her, and on Tuesday night she joined First Lady Michelle Obama for the President’s State of the Union Address. Amber was selected to represent the tens of thousands of Americans who made their voices heard during the debate.  

Here’s what Amber had to say back in December: 

Forty dollars a paycheck means that I'll be able to pay my bills, but most months it'll be a tight squeeze.  It means that I'll have no spending money which means I can't do my part in encouraging my local economy. Forty dollars a paycheck may not seem a lot, but it could mean a steady job for me and my coworkers or unemployment. 

We put together a video highlighting Amber and some of the Americans who joined First Lady Michelle Obama. Check it out: 

Learn more

• Take a deep dive into the data behind the President’s plan
• Find out how you can talk to Obama Administration officials about the President’s plan
• Watch the enhanced version of the 2012 State of the Union Address
• Video: Go behind the scenes as the President prepared his speech
• Photo Gallery: Scenes from the State of the Union

Brad Miller has served the people of North Carolina for two decades. In the House of Representatives, Brad helped lead the fight to protect families from abuses by the financial industry, and is a key reason why today we finally have a strong watchdog in place looking out for American consumers. Michelle and I thank Brad for his service, and wish him the very best in the future. 

Parklawn Elementary School
Alexandria, Virginia

11:32 A.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you, everyone.  Please, sit, rest.  This is exciting.  It is such a pleasure to be here today.  This is an exciting day.

I want to start by thanking Secretary Vilsack, not just for that very kind introduction but for his outstanding work as Secretary of Agriculture.  He has been just a major proponent on so many issues that are near and dear to me, and we wouldn't be here without his efforts and the efforts of his entire agency.  So, thank you, sir.

I’d also like to thank Principal Akroyd and Jen Fitzgerald for their terrific work and for hosting us here today at Parklawn Elementary School.  Go, Panthers!  (Laughter.)  I hear you're the "purring Panthers."  (Laughter.)  It's very, very good — very good.  We are so happy to be here and so proud of you all.

And I want to recognize all of the educators, the administrators, the food service workers and the advocates who are here today for everything that you do, every day, on behalf of our kids.  This is a great celebration for us all.

And of course, I want to give a special hello to Rachael Ray, who’s a special guest here.  I know she's hard at work getting lunch ready, and I am hungry — (laughter) — so I'm looking forward to it.  But she has been a true advocate on this issue for quite some time, and we're just thrilled that she's here with us today.

And finally, I want to thank all of the parents who are here today — because, I just want to be clear that we can't make any mistake about it — this movement to improve the food in our schools is happening in large part because of all of you, the parents.  It’s happening because you all stood up.  It's happening because you all spoke out and you asked for something better for our kids. 

Because, as parents, we all know that if left to their own devices, many of our kids would eat candy for breakfast, they'd follow it up with a few French fries for lunch and cookies and chips for snacks, and then they’d come home for a big chocolate sundae for dinner, right?  (Laughter.)  And we know that it is our responsibility, as adults, to make sure they don’t do that.  So it’s our responsibility to make sure that they get basic nutrition that they need to stay healthy. 

And that’s why so many of us try so very hard to prepare decent meals at home, and to limit how much junk food they get at home, and to ensure that they have a reasonably balanced diet.   And when we’re putting forth this kind of effort at home — and many of us are, and it's difficult to do every single day — it's always a challenge, particularly with tough economic times and not enough time in the day — but when we’re putting forth these efforts, when we’re doing what we're supposed to do at home, the last thing we want is to have all these hard efforts, all this hard work undone in the school cafeteria. 

When we send our kids to school, we have a right to expect that they won’t be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods that we're trying to keep from them when they're at home.  We have a right to expect that the food they get at school is the same kind of food that we want to serve at our own kitchen tables.

And let’s be clear, this isn’t just about our kids’ health. Studies have shown that our kids’ eating habits can actually affect their academic performance as well.  And I’m sure that comes as no surprise to the educators here today.  Anyone who works with kids knows that they need something other than chips and soda in their stomachs if they're going to focus on math and science, right?  Kids can’t be expected to sit still and concentrate when they’re on a sugar high, or when they’re stuffed with salty, greasy food — or when they’re hungry.

And that brings me to another important point.  For many kids whose families are struggling, school meals can be their main — or only — source of nutrition for the entire day.  So when we serve higher-quality food in our schools, we’re not just fighting childhood obesity; we’re taking the important steps that are needed to fight child hunger as well.

And that’s why so many schools across this country have been working so hard to improve the food that they serve to our kids in school.  In fact, there are many schools that have been meeting these new standards for years, long before this legislation was passed.  Thousands more have made significant improvements, offering their students a whole array of healthy — and tasty, mind you — new options.

For example, right here at Parklawn and in schools throughout this district, you all are doing some wonderful things, serving baked chicken tenders instead of frying them — small things; replacing white rice with brown rice.  You're offering all kinds of veggie side dishes, everything from succotash to broccoli, exposing kids to a whole array of wonderful tastes and flavors. 

And we’re seeing changes like these in schools all across the country, of all sizes — rural, urban and suburban.  And I’m not just talking about schools in well-off areas with plenty of resources.  I’m talking about schools like F.S. Ervin — it's an elementary school in Pine Hall [sic], Alabama.  Now, Pine Hall [sic] is a little-bitty town, rural town, with a population under 1,000 and an average household income of less than $26,000.  But they have made some important changes to their school menu already — things like replacing canned vegetables with fresh or frozen ones, moving in more whole grains, offering plenty of fresh fruit, and even baking their French fries instead of frying them.  These are small changes.

And plenty of schools like F.S. Ervin are getting creative in this way.  There are schools around the country that are holding taste tests and recipe contests to get kids really involved in the whole change — give kids a competition and they'll get involved.  There are schools that are partnering with farmers and with chefs in their communities, and that's making a difference.  They’re making these small, daily changes — simple things like replacing whole milk with skim milk — changes that add up over time and it can make a real difference in the life of our kids. 

And again and again, schools are finding that when they actually offer these healthier options, kids aren’t just willing to try them, they actually like them.  That's the thing, that's the surprising thing.  I've been to so many schools across the country where parents see their kids eating fresh vegetables off the vine, kids they say would never try anything, but that's the beauty of children — they change.  They change much easier than we do, and when we give them an opportunity to try something new, they embrace it oftentimes, and they come back for more.

So while budgets are tight right now, there are schools across the country that are showing that it doesn’t take a whole lot of money or resources to give our kids the nutrition they deserve.  What it does take, however, is effort.  What it does take is imagination.  What it does take is a commitment to our children’s futures. 

So today, I am asking parents and educators and food service workers across this country to embrace this effort on behalf of our children.  Embrace it.  Because we all know that we are some of the best role models for our kids.  We are the first and best role models.  And if kids are like mine, if I'm excited about something, they're excited about it — right?  If we as adults embrace it, the kids will follow suit.  They're looking to us to figure out how to make this happen.  So if we get pumped up about this effort, get excited, get creative, the kids will follow suit and they will do it with vigor and vim, and they'll be out there out front in a way that we would never expect.

So I want to thank you all once again for all that you do every day on behalf of our children.  I’m excited to be here.  This is a great day, a wonderful accomplishment.  And it's just exciting to be able to highlight the work that's being done here at Parklawn.

So now, as I mentioned, I'm a little hungry.  (Laughter.)  I understand that I get to hang out with the kids, have a little lunch.  And it's turkey tacos!  Sounds really good.  So with that, I want to thank you all for being here, and we're going to have some lunch. 

Thank you all.  (Applause.)

END                    
11:42 A.M. EST

President Barack Obama looks at an agricultural auger while touring Conveyer Engineering and Manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jan. 25, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Since the end of 2009, business investment has grown by a rate of 18 percent, and exports have increased by 32 percent — for a total of $2 trillion.

That's good news for American manufacturing, which has added 334,000 jobs in the past two years.

Last night, in the State of the Union, President Obama said that his Blueprint for an America that lasts begins with manufacturing. He talked about the revival of the American auto industry and said that what is happening in Detroit can happen in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Raleigh.

To achieve that vision, the President focused on three key themes. 

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