american life. and in ways that you detected, the way journalists interact with this ongoing story. >> sunday night on q&a. >> president obama spoke at a campaign rally for senator bob casey. governor tom wolf and other candidates. this portion of the remarks or 25 minutes. >> every time we try to pull ourselves closer to the american ideal that all of us are created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, every time that happens, somebody who likes things with ar, someone who is benefiting from power and privilege, pushback and they will push

anyway they can. sometimes they pushback directly, sometimes they are sneaky and will try to divide working people. they will try to make you feel like you have no power and try to make you cynical. it helps them keep power and privilege. were living through one of those moments right now. it didn't start with fungi, we didn't get here overnight. for a long time there has been anxiety, fear, and uncertainty because we live in a changing world. the economy is changing in the face of america is changing, technology is changing. that has challenged who we are and forced us to adapt and we

see things were not accustomed to and we get stressed or scared. we don't know what the future will bring. partly because these are serious challenges that require serious responses, it's easy sometimes when people are feeling uncertain and insecure to hear voices that stir up fears and try to make us feel more divided. we are in one of those moments right now. we are in a moment with there is backlash against progress. when i was president we had to work to deal with the worst economic crisis since the great depression. bob was helping every step of the way. the action we took turn the economy around and started the longest streak of job creation on record. [applause] and that continues to this day.

we covered another 20 million people with health insurance. [applause] we cut our deficits in half, we made sure the wealthiest paid their fair share of taxes. [applause] so, by the time we are done, wages were up, the uninsured rate was down, so when you hear folks taking credit for this economic miracle it's like oh no. hold up. [applause] they act like it just started. please. [applause] anyhow here's the thing.

we couldn't reverse some of these long-term trends. we have seen manufacturing jobs leave the country, that was still happening, we saw a rise in inequality that was still taking place. we saw the fact that the rate of unionization was still drafting. there were a lot of trends that made life harder for ordinary working people. were making progress but when republicans took over they decided we are going to stop progress. were going to block everything. they wouldn't even do stuff they used to support. just because i was proposing it. so, even though we did pull the economy out of crisis in the unemployment rate went down, there were issues on address.

people who were once solidly middle-class still felt insecure. even though overseas we took out bin laden, we wound down the iraq and afghanistan wars. [applause] people still saw on tv there were a lot of threats, terrorists. so, so, these challenges these challenges look at civic trust and make people feel like the game is rigged. then you have big money coming into politics and it felt like all the politicians aren't listening to us. there listening to lobbyists and folks who are pulling strings behind the scenes.

an opportunity started exploiting the frustrations. they reached back into our history of racial division and ethnic and religious division. they appealed to fear. they tried to pit people against each other. they tell us order and security would be restored if it weren't for those folks. the people who don't look like us or don't pray the same way we do. that's an old playbook. i see you back there by the way. [applause] so, the closer you get to election day, the more you'll see stuff like this, this is what politicians fall back on. i don't watch tv generally but i can tell you there trying to scare the heck out of you. they'll say candidates such and

such, they're going to lead and murders in your house. that's what they do. you'll be seeing more of that. the thing is, the good news is that unhealthy democracy that fear mongering does not work. in a healthy democracy, people of goodwill from both parties will call out the bigots, the fear mongers to get things done. but when there's a vacuum in our democracy. when we do not vote and take our basic rights for granted, then other voices fill the void. they promise to fight for the little guy even as they are helping the wealthiest and the most powerful. they promise to take on corruption in washington and then they plunder. they start undermining our

institutions of democracy. just so it can entrench power further and the make it harder for young people to vote to minorities imports about. the subsidize corporate polluters and give 1.5 trillion in tax cuts to folks like me who don't need him. the pretend their pain form but they are not. they know eventually to pay for they will argue that we should cut help for working families cut medicare. none of that is conservative. don't let them fool you. it's radical what they are doing. they have a vision that says all they want to do is protect the power even if it hurts the country. even if it hurts their own

constituents. we have governors who did not expand medicaid even though they had hundreds of thousands of people in their state who needed health insurance. [applause] they didn't think it was good politically. [applause] so, you have folks who are entirely comfortable with the idea that high-priced lobbyists and unlimited campaign contributions should set the agenda. let's be honest, the republicans in congress, they are no check on the white house, there bending over backwards their shields. [applause] to shield folks from scrutiny and accountability. look, i'm not telling me anything you don't know. here's the good news.

on november 6, you have a chance to restore sanity to our politics. [applause] on november 6, you can set the balance of power back to the people. because there's only one real check on bad policy there's only one real check on the abuse of power. that is you, the american people standing up and deciding to cast your ballot. [applause] the good news is that i have even better news. sometimes you go to vote just to vote against something. you have reason to vote against something. the good news is right now you have something to vote for. , you have these amazing candidates right here.

[applause] the reason it's so important to stand up for them is because they're going to stand up for you. [applause] there gonna stand up to bad behavior republicans keep congress they're going to try to cut healthcare, they said so. these democrats believe american access to affordable healthcare is not a privilege, it's the right. they will protect your care, they will stand up with a 5.3 million pennsylvanians who has pre-existing covered each and concerns. you have to vote and send them to congress.

[applause] if a republican took the governors mansion this fall they might undermine or rollback medicaid expansion. without a serious alternative. that would leave people with disabilities, seniors in nursing homes in the cold. we would put folks caught up in this terrible opiate epidemic at greater risk because they would have difficulty accessing treatment. the governor will expanded medicaid, covered 700,000 pennsylvanians come you know he will protect your care. to make sure he does that you have to vote. [applause] democrats believe a growing economy should benefit everybody, not just a few. rather than let congress keep

attacking you, we have to stand up for the right of workers to organize for higher wages and stronger benefits rather than straight stand up for big banks and for-profit colleges we need to let students earn higher education so they can get a good job and not go broke doing it. [applause] rather than side with the big drug company we have to bring down the cost of prescription medicine. to do that you have to vote for people who have a plan. have a history of doing it and will follow through. you have to convince people, even folks weren't democrats on every issue. you have to convince them. this election is too important. people of both parties should be concerned about the current

course of this country. folks should want to see a restoration of honesty, decency, lawfulness. [applause] you don't have to be a democrat or republican to say that it's not good to pressure the attorney general or fbi to use the criminal justice system to punish political enemies. that's what they did in dictatorships. that's not what we do in the united states of america. that's not how stuff works here. [applause] you don't have to be a democrat or republican to say that we don't threaten newspapers or tv stations if they publish stories we do not like. there's a bunch of stories i didn't like.

i did not threaten folks, i might complain, i might say to michelle, that's not fair because we live in a democracy. but to protect those rights you have to vote. you don't have to be a democrat or republican to say we do not target people based on how they look how they pray, what their last name is or their sexual orientation is, that's not right back treating people fairly with innate dignity, that's not a republican or democratic issue that's a human american issue. [applause] how hard is it to treat people

fairly? you're supposed to learn that in the sandbox. you teach that like when somebody three or four. you say you should treat that person nicely. right? look, there are conservatives who think it's not responsible to run up trillion dollar deficits. there are conservatives who are separating immigrant children from their moms. i believe republicans believe we need a limited government but one thing is to make sure that when the hurricane comes people are taking care of. [applause] let come i say this because to some degree i'm preaching to the

choir. but, hopefully some folks be on this amphitheater are listening. we don't have to agree on everything. but we have to agree on some basic things. we have to have elected officials who even if we don't agree on everything, we trust them to do the basic core values that make us proud as americans. [applause] who are not -- [applause] we need leaders who will stand up for what's right regardless of party loyalty and will fight for you fight for what's best in the american spirit. you can tell i'm losing my voice because i'm out of practice. but i'm gonna wrap it up.

here's the last thing i want to talk about. the talked about the fact that i am hopeful right now. the reason is that because out of the political darkness i see a great awakening happening. [applause] i'm so encouraged, because i am watching people get involved for the first time. are there waking up to the fact that i need to be involved after a very long time. there marching, organizing, marching people to vote, and running for office. people who never ran for office before decided this is too crazy, i have to get in there. they understood this moment is too important to sit out stomach there are military veterans like

chrissy and george, they are advocates who fight for americans in need. like mary and scott wallace and susan, their moms who fought to protect her kids from gun violence like madeleine. [applause] by the way, madeleine taught ethics in college. you know we need that in congress. [applause] so you have this movement of citizens including a record number of women like christie and mary kay. pennsylvanians a great state. let me just say right now you have no women in congress. you can send seven democratic

women's washington if you vote. [applause] [applause] i will tell you, michelle did not put me up to this. stuff works better when women are involved. [applause] government works better when women are represented in the halls of power. [applause] we have great candidates. but, the key is you. the anecdote to a government that is run by a few people, or that's organize, energized and that's what this moment is about. this election will not fix

everything but it can kickstart more progress. you have to start it. [applause] you have just started and then you have to go every election, every day. pay attention, be involved. [applause] the biggest threat to this democracy is not just one person in the white house, it's not just republicans in congress, the biggest threat to our democracy is indifference. the biggest threat to democracy is cynicism. i'm talking to you, young people. [applause] you. pay attention. the biggest search our democracy is with young people think that's not about me, i'm just gonna look at my phone. look at your phone to see where you can vote.

[applause] look at your phone, to see how can i get involved. [applause] if you don't like what's going on right now, don't complain, don't #, don't get all anxious, don't put your head in the sand, don't boo don't just sit back with your voice and act like you're too cool vote, vote vote by the way, i want you to vote for bob casey.

[applause] and i want you to vote for tom and i want you to vote for these great congressional candidates. but, i actually want you to vote for mayors and sheriff state legislators. in states attorneys and district attorneys. if you are a young person that cares about the criminal justice system, who do you think enforces the criminal justice system? who do you think decides whether or not if something bad has happened whether or not there will be justice done. it's not a president, someone on the local level that you have the power to decide who that person is.

[applause] when you vote, you can make sure elections are fair. year state supreme court throughout an unfair electoral map that's because people voted. we can make it happen across the country. when you vote you can strengthen laws to make sure women are protected from harassment and discrimination. [applause] and that they're paid equally. when you vote, you can make college affordable for students. you can make it harder for some disturbed person to shoot up a classroom. [applause] when you vote you can make sure someone keeps their health insurance. you can save somebody's life. you have that power in your hands. takes half an hour to vote. we have been through hard times in these.

regeneration took a summer better, not by sitting around waiting, but by leading a movement for change. [applause] that's the power you have right now. if you get involved, knock on some doors, talk to friends, talk to your family, convince new voters, get them to vote with this entire pennsylvania team, something powerful will happen. change will happen. hope will happen. every time a new law to help the kid read or a new law helps the family get shelter. a new law helps a veteran get support, it gets a little more hopeful. we take one more step in the direction of justice, fairness, equality, and opportunity.

it is up to you to spread hope. it's up to you to make change. pennsylvania, you going to vote? >> yes. >> let's get to work. [applause] >> thank you everybody, let's get to work. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ schematic "washington journal", live every day with newson policy issues that impact you. coming up on saturday morning, league of conservation voters will be on to talk about the november election. then, clipper young president of affairs will discuss the latest on brett kavanaugh nomination. dean cain will join us to tell us what it's like to be a trump supporter in hollywood. watch "washington journal" live at seven eastern on saturday morning. the discussion.

>> the first debate in the illinois governor race was held last night in chicago, that's next. then, barbara debates jennifer laxton in virginia's tenth district. president trump attends a rally in springfield, missouri. >> illinois governor and democratic challenger debated thursday in chicago. they were joined by kaz jackson and conservative candidate, sam mccann. topics included term limits, unions, colin kaepernick, immigration, gun violence and immigration. this is courtesy of nbc five, chicago. >> decision 2018, the race for