think and feel and do. so to get out of the mess we're in, changing the government is not enough. we need to change the way we think about ourselves, and our role in society. your country needs you. and today i want to tell you about the part we've all got to play, and the spirit that will take us through. it's the spirit i saw in a group of nhs maternity nurses in my constituency who told me they wanted to form a co-op to use their own ideas and their nous to help new parents. it's the spirit you see just down the road in balsall heath, where local residents' street patrols have turned a no-go area into a place where people can once again feel safe.

it's the spirit that just today, has seen some of our leading social organizations come together to set up a new citizen university, to help give people the skills they need to play a bigger part in society. it's the spirit of activism, dynamism, people taking the initiative, working together to get things done. it's the spirit of social responsibility that drives our party today. sometimes that spirit gets taken a little too far. i got a letter from a six year old girl called niamh with a pound coin stuck to it. and there was a note from her mum which said, "dear mr.

cameron, after hearing about the budget, niamh wanted to send you her tooth fairy money to help." there we are, george -- nearly there. niamh, thank you. what i'm talking about, the spirit we need, is the big society spirit -- and here's why i think its time has come. all over the world, governments are wrestling with the same challenges. not just building prosperous, competitive economies, providing good public services and paying for pensions but creating strong societies, improving quality of life, ensuring that everyone feels they belong. the countries that succeed will be those that find new ways of doing things, new ways of harnessing the common good, better alternatives to the old- fashioned state and we're on

the right side of that argument. here at home, at this year's election, the result may not have been clear-cut when it came to the political parties. but it was clear enough when it came to political ideas. the old way of doing things, the high-spending, all- controlling, heavy-handed state, those ideas were defeated. statism lost. society won. that's what happened at the last election and that's the change we're leading. from state power to people power. from unchecked individualism to national unity and purpose. from big government to the big society. the big society is not about creating cover for cuts. i was going on about it years before the cuts. it's not government abdicating its role, it is government changing its role. it's about government helping

to build a nation of doers and go-getters, where people step forward not sit back, where people come together to make life better. of course the cynics and the defeatists will say it can't be done, that we're stuck in some inevitable decline. but that's what they said in the seventies. they were wrong then -- and we'll prove them wrong again. [applause] we can build a country defined not by the selfishness of the labor years but by the values of mutual responsibility that this party holds dear. a country defined not by what we consume but by what we contribute. a country, a society where we say, i am not alone. i will play my part. i will work with others to give

britain a brand new start. over the coming months we will need that spirit as we face up to our financial responsibilities. everyone knows that this government is undertaking a program of spending cuts. i know how anxious people are. wes", they say, "of course need to cut spending. but do we have to cut now, and by this much? isn't there another way?" i wish there was another way. i wish there was an easier way. but i tell you, there is no other responsible way. back in may we inherited public finances that can only be described as catastrophic. this year, we will borrow more money than we spend on the nhs. just think about that.

every doctor's salary. every operation. every heating bill in every hospital. every appointment. every mri scan. every drug. every new stethoscope, scalpel, hospital gown. everything in our hospitals and surgeries -- paid for with borrowed money, much of it from abroad. and then think about the interest. this year, we're going to spend £43 billion pounds on debt interest payments alone. £43 billion -- not to pay off the debt -- just to stand still. do you know what we could do with that sort of money? we could take eleven million people out of paying income tax. we could take every business in the country out of corporation tax. that's why we have acted decisively -- to stop pouring so much of your hard-earned money down the drain. and it's stopped us slipping

into the nightmare they've seen in greece, confidence falling, interest rates rising, jobs lost and in the end, not less but more drastic spending cuts than if you'd acted decisively in the first place. our emergency budget showed the world that britain is back on the path of fiscal responsibility. it took us out of the danger zone -- and the man we have to thank for that is george osborne. the world has backed us. our credit rating -- the mark of trust in our economy -- has been preserved. the international monetary fund, the g20, yes even the eu. they support what we're doing. there's just one group of people who don't, you guessed it, the people who mortgaged

britain to the hilt in the first place -- labor. labor's plan is just to halve the deficit over four years. let me tell you what that means. it means that even after years of cuts, not only would the national debt still be growing, it would be growing as a share of our national income. the problem would still be getting worse. and as a result, the cuts would be bigger, not smaller because the interest payments on that debt would be higher. that's why it's right to deal with this problem now, and right to deal with it properly. and i promise you that if we pull together to deal with these debts today, then just a few years down the line the rewards will be felt by everyone in our country. more money in your pocket. more investment in our businesses. growing industries, better jobs, stronger prospects for our young people. and the thing you can't measure

but you just know it when you see it, the sense that our country is moving forwards once again. the big society spirit means facing up to this generation's debts, not shirking responsibility. and here i want to say something to the people who got us into this mess. the ones who racked up more debt in thirteen years than previous governments did in three centuries. yes you, labor. you want us to spend more money on ourselves, today, to keep racking up the bills, today and leave it to our children -- the ones who had nothing to do with all this -- to pay our debts tomorrow? that is selfish and irresponsible. i tell you what, these labor politicians, who nearly bankrupted our country, who left a legacy of debts and cuts, who are still in denial about the disaster they created, they must not be allowed anywhere near our economy, ever, ever again.

reducing spending will be difficult.

there are program that will be cut. there are jobs that will be lost. there are things government does today that it will have to stop doing. many government departments will have their budgets cut by on average 25 per cent over four years. that's a cut each year of around seven per cent. of course, that's big. but let's remember, a lot of businesses have had to make the same or bigger savings in recent years. and when we're done with these cuts, spending on public services will actually still be at the same level as it was in 2006. the spending cuts we do have to make, we'll make in a way that is fair. fairness includes protecting the service we most rely on -- the health service. we said five years ago we were the party of the nhs and now in government, by protecting nhs spending from cuts, we are showing it.

and as we work to balance the budget, fairness includes asking those on higher incomes to shoulder more of the burden than those on lower incomes. i'm not saying this is going to be easy, as we've seen with child benefit this week. but it's fair that those with broader shoulders should bear a greater load. and i think it's time for a new conversation about what fairness really means. here's what i think. yes, fairness means giving money to help the poorest in society. people who are sick, who are vulnerable, the elderly -- i want you to know we will always look after you. that's the sign of a civilized society and it's what i believe. but you can't measure fairness

just by how much money we spend on welfare, as though the poor are products with a price tag, the more we spend on them the more we value them. fairness means supporting people out of poverty, not trapping them in dependency. so we will make a bold choice. for too long, we have measured success in tackling poverty by the size of the check we give people. we say, let's measure our success by the chance we give. let's support real routes out of poverty, a strong family, a good education, a job. so we'll invest in the early years, help put troubled families back on track, use a pupil premium to make sure kids from the poorest homes go to the best schools not the worst, recognize marriage in the tax system and most of all, make sure that work really pays for every single person in our country.

remember last year? when you stood up to show how angry you were about the injustice of some low paid single mothers going out to work and losing 96p for every extra pound they earned? well after months of hard work, i can tell you iain duncan smith has found a way to end that system. so to that single mother struggling and working her heart out for her children, we can now say, we're on your side, we'll help you work, we will bring that injustice to an end. here's something else about fairness. fairness isn't just about who gets help from the state.

the other part of the equation is who gives that help, through their taxes. taking more money from the man who goes out to work long hours each day so the family next door can go on living a life on benefits without working -- is that fair? fairness means giving people what they deserve -- and what people deserve depends on how they behave. if you really cannot work, we'll look after you. but if you can work, but refuse to work, we will not let you live off the hard work of others. tackling the deficit is what we have to do. but transforming our country is what we passionately want to do. here again we need the big society spirit -- of activism

and dynamism. we need it to get growth. let me tell you what i believe. it will be the doers and grafters, the inventors and the entrepreneurs who get this economy going. yes, it will be the wealth- creators and no, those aren't dirty words. when you think of a wealth- creator, don't think of the tycoon in a glass tower. think of the man who gets up and leaves the house before dawn to go out and clean windows. think of the woman who sits up late into the night trying to make the figures add up to make sure she can pay her staff. i can't tell you how much i admire people who leave the comfort of a regular wage to strike out on their own. i'll always remember what the owner of a small business told me once. he said "when i was starting out the government didn't lift a finger to help me. then as

soon as i start making money they're all over me trying to take it away." that is completely the wrong way round. we need to get behind our wealth creators. that's what we're doing. dealing with the deficit so interest rates stay low. slashing red tape. cutting the small business profits rate, corporation tax and national insurance contributions for new businesses. but i don't think our job ends there. i don't believe in laissez- faire. government has a role not just to fire up ambition, but to help give it flight. so we are acting to build a more entrepreneurial economy. tens of thousands of university and apprenticeship places and a new generation of technical schools. a new green investment bank, so the technologies of the future are developed, jobs created and our environment protected. big infrastructure projects like high speed rail, super-

fast broadband, carbon capture and storage. a £1 billion regional growth fund to stimulate enterprise in those areas where the private sector is weak. and as we've announced this week, a new enterprise allowance that gives money and support to unemployed people who want to start their own business. and there's another way we're getting behind business -- by sorting out the banks. taxpayers bailed you out, now it's time for you to repay the favor and start lending to britain's small businesses again. just as we need the big society spirit to get our economy going, we need it in our society too. social change is where this

coalition has its beating, radical heart. this is what drives us. to change forever the way this country is run. we're going to start by taking power away from central government and giving it to people. on may 11th a great shadow was cast over the empire of the quangocrats, the bureaucrats and the power-hoarders. he is the enemy of the bureaucratic state. public chum number one. the big man on the side of the people. eric pickles. [applause]

eric has come in to government and hit the ground sprinting, leading the most radical shift in power this country has seen for decades. more freedom for local councils, to keep more of the money when they attract business to their area, to finance big new infrastructure projects and to run new services. more power for neighborhoods, to keep local pubs open, stop post offices from closing, to run local parks, to plan the look, shape and feel of their area. new powers to you, to choose the hospital you get treated in, the school your child goes to. and because information is power, we're bringing

transparency to government. all those things the last government kept from you, who spends your money, what they spend it on, what the results are, where the waste is, we're putting it in your hands. after all, it's your money -- so you should see where it's going. this is not about a bit more power for you and a bit less power for central government -- it's a revolution. let's leave labor defending the status quo, the vested interests, the unions, the quangocrats, the elites, the establishment. we are the radicals now, breaking apart the old system with a massive transfer for power, from the state to citizens, politicians to people, government to society. that is the power shift this country needs today. and let me tell you why we desperately need this change. it's because the old way, of just pouring money into public services from on high, didn't

make the difference it promised to. health inequalities got worse. almost four in ten children left primary school unable to read, write and do maths properly. there were nearly a million violent crimes a year. so if anyone tells you that all we need to improve our hospitals and schools or keep our streets safe is more money, tell them, been there, done that and it didn't work. so this is what radicalism means. no more top-down, bureaucrat- driven public services. we're putting those services in your hands. the old targets and performance indicators that drove doctors, nurses and police officers mad -- they're gone. all that bureaucracy that meant nothing ever happened -- we're stripping it away. the big, giant state monopolies -- we're breaking them open to get new ideas in. saying to the people who work in our public services set up as a co-operative, be your own

boss, do things your way. saying to business, faith groups, charities, social enterprises -- come in and provide a great service. already, businesses are getting people trained and ready for work. gps are coming together to deliver local nhs services. and next year, the first generation of free schools will open in the state sector. but as with any radical changes, there's going to be opposition. i want to give you an idea of the mentality we're fighting. ed balls, the man who used to be in charge of education in our country, said one of the dangers of our schools policy was that it would create "winners." winners? we can't have that. the danger that your child might go to school and turn out to be a winner.

anti-aspiration. anti-success. anti-parents who just want the best for their children. what an unbelievable attitude from this labor generation. now i've heard people say there are some places where reform can't go -- like law and order. i disagree. of course the state has a clear role, to score a line between right and wrong, to punish those who step over it, and to do it in a way that gives people confidence. that's why i have no time for those who sneer at public attitudes to punishing criminals. offenders who should go to prison will go to prison. justice must be done. but we also have to recognize

where the state is failing on crime. we spend £41,000 a year on each prisoner -- and within a year of leaving half of them reoffend. there are 150,000 people in britain today who get their heroin substitutes on the state, their addictions maintained by the taxpayer. we have police officers who spend more time on paperwork than they do on patrol. it's here, that reform is needed most. so let's get our best charities to help rehabilitate offenders, our best social enterprises to get people off drugs. let's get more local people -- who know their streets -- to be special constables. and let's get our police officers out from behind their desks and on the streets fighting crime. i've seen what the police do for us -- how they put themselves in the line of danger to keep us safe.

so i want to give them more freedom. but in return for that freedom, police are going to have someone new to answer to. not ministers -- people. you. on the way are new elected police commissioners that you can vote in -- and kick out. neighborhood beat meetings where you hold the police to account. i say to every policeman and woman in the country -- don't be afraid of these changes. the more you've been controlled by the central state, the less people have respected you. i want to change that. more freedom for you to be out on the streets, policing the way you know best -- and in a way local people support, that will mean more respect for the vital work that you do. this is the reform our public services need. from top-down to bottom-up. from state power to people power. the big society spirit blasting through. but the big society needs you to give it life.

people already do so much to help others. three weeks ago volunteers were asked to come forward to help with the 2012 olympic games. you know how many applications have come in? 100,000. together we're going to make these olympics great for britain and great for the world. and on the way we're going to throw everything we can into winning that bid for the 2018 world cup. there is such an appetite out there for people to play their part. our job is to help them, encourage them, break down the barriers that stop them. so let's scrap the health and safety rules that put people off. let's get community organizers to stimulate social action in

our poorest areas. let's get going with national citizen service so more teenagers get some purpose in their lives. and today i can announce international citizen service, to give thousands of our young people, those who couldn't otherwise afford it, the chance to see the world and serve others. last century, america's peace corps inspired a generation of young people to act, and this century, i want international citizen service to do the same. that's the big society spirit, around the world and back here at home. so that great project in your community -- go and lead it. the waste in government -- go and find it. the new school in your neighborhood -- go and demand it. the beat meeting on your street -- sign up. the neighborhood group -- join up. that business you always dreamed of -- start up. when we say 'we are all in this together' that is not a cry for help, but a call to arms. society is not a spectator sport. this is your country. it's time to believe it.

it's time to step up and own it. so mine is not just a vision of a more powerful country. it is a vision of a more powerful people. the knowledge in the heart of everyone -- everyone -- that they are not captive to the circumstances of their birth, they are not flotsam and jetsam in the great currents of wealth and power, they are not small people but big citizens. people that believe in themselves. a britain that believes in itself. not a promise of a perfect country. just an achievable future of a life more fulfilled and fulfilling for everyone. at this time of great national challenge, two parties have come together to help make it happen. yes, this is a new kind of government, but no, not just because it's a coalition. it is a new kind of government because it is realistic about what it can achieve on its own, but ambitious about what we can all achieve together. a government that believes in

people, that trusts people, that knows its ultimate role is not to take from people but to give, to give power, to give control, to give everyone the chance to make the most of their own life and make better the lives of others. yes, we will play our part -- but the part you play will mean even more. yes, we will play our part -- but the part you play will mean even more. your country needs you. it takes two. it takes two to build that strong economy. we'll balance the budget, we'll boost enterprise, but you start those businesses that lead us to growth. it takes two to build that big society. we'll reform public services, we'll devolve power, but you step forward to seize the opportunity. don't let the cynics say this is some unachievable, impossible dream that won't work in the selfish 21st-century -- tell them people are hungry for it. i know the british people and they are not passengers -- they are drivers. i've seen the courage of our

soldiers. the spirit of our entrepreneurs. the patience of our teachers. the dedication of our doctors. the compassion of our care workers. the wisdom of our elderly. the love of our parents. the hopes of our children. so come on, let's pull together. let's come together. let's work, together, in the national interest." [applause] [applause]

>> one can wish upon a star >> to canada wish come true >> one can find it alone in the dark >> to commit the light shine through. >> takes to come on baby >> it takes too. -- it takes two. it takes two to make a dream come true.

♪ it takes two, baby. me and you. it just takes two. babytakes to,, it just takes two. it takes two, baby. me and you. it just takes two. ♪ it takes two, baby. to make a dream come true. it just takes a two. it takes -- >> british prime minister david cameron faces new the elected

labor leader ed miller band. live coverage at 7:00 a.m. eastern on wednesday morning on c-span2. >> next, president obama and vice-president biden campaign for democratic candidates in pennsylvania. after that, "q&a." and then another chance to see david cameron speaking at the conservative party conference. rich of thecover 2010 elections continues tomorrow night beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern with live coverage between the candidates running for the senate seat in kentucky. we will also be live at 8:00 p.m. with the indiana senate race candidates. at 9:00 p.m., we will hear for the candidates running for governor in michigan and then we will follow that with a debate in the new hampshire race at 10:00 p.m..

our coverage begins tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c- span. >> the supreme court has started its new term. you can learn more about the nation's highest court with our latest vote "the supreme court: skated conversations with active and retired justices. it reveals unique insights about the court and is available in hardcover wherever you buy books and also as an e -- book. >> hey, middle and high school students, entered c-span's studentcam competition. tell us about an issue, event or topics that help you better understand the will of the federal government in your life or community. be sure to include more than one point of view as well as c-span programming. download your video by j. were 20th, 2011. you will have a chance to win the grand prize of $5,000.

the competition is open to all students agreed 6 -- 12. -- great 6 -- 12. -- read 6 through 12. >> president obama was in philadelphia campaign for democratic candidates. among those candidates is a candidate running for senate. vice-president joe biden joins president obama at the rally. this is just over 45 minutes. >> given up for elliott. -- give it up for a jelly -- for elliott. yes we can. the president is here and the vice-president is here because they know that philadelphia is a great boating town.

we need to make sure that democrats, independents, and those that care about this country get out to vote on election day to support the president's agenda. when democrats vote, we win. yes, we can. yes, we can. yes, we can. yes, we can. yes, we can. democrats, come out to vote on election day. [applause] >> obama, obama. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome admiral joe sestak.

>> about two years ago, a young senator stood seven days from the iowa caucus and said something that everyone here remembers. our moment is now. to repair the world and heal this nation a. now is our moment. we need all of you to come out and helped. john f. kennedy said it well one time. one man can make a difference and every man can try. he was wrong. we need several men and women down there to ensure that this nation is healed. i would ask you all, more than anything, you do not vote just once for change, you keep fighting for change.

any democrat, any thoughtful moderate republican in even conservatives, america needs you. we must insure that this does not go wasted. we need to keep fighting and we need everyone. thank you. [applause] >> >> to introduce the vice president of the united states, please welcome dan. ♪> ♪ welcome to germantown in philadelphia. it is good to see you all.

23 days out, you know what the stakes are. we talk about getting the boat out. we talk about fundamental differences between where the two candidates are. if you care about education, then you have to show up to vote. if you care about $400 million coming from the state to fund basic education, we need you to show what to vote. if we care about jobs, that means that we have to train our people for the jobs of today and tomorrow and that means that we have to expand and get early childhood education on the agenda because sooner or later, we will figure this out. we will figure out that it is much better to invest in our kids as the polls -- as opposed to funding jails. you look at the young people today. we owe it to them.

we also owe it to the president of the united states. this is about his agenda and where we are going to take this country. i do not want to go back. do you want to go back? >> know. -- no! >> i want to make sure that we have in administration that understands that this race is about jobs, jobs, jobs. putting americans back to work. putting pennsylvanian is back to work and getting us all back to the middle class. this is what this is all about. the only way that we can do this is with your help. in 23 days, we need you to show what. we need philadelphia to show off and send a message -- show up and send a message. we are going to push the president's agenda forward. i get one official due today, which excites me.

i know you are going to give a typical southeast pennsylvania will come. ladies and gentleman, the vice president of the united states joe biden. [applause] ♪ ♪ hello, germantown. hello, philadelphia. hello, gov. look at all these kids down here. i hope you are able to vote. hey, people.

. joe the admirable. i have the greatonor of introducing the president. i want to introduce you to the president. well, i have the great honor of introducing the president, but i want to introduce you to the president. (applause.) mr. president, welcome back to my second city in my native state of pennsylvania. (applause.) mr. president, a lot of folks up here have been hit pretty hard by the economic policies of george bush and his republican friends. >> boo! >> knocked a lot of folks down. after eight years of unregulated greed and skyrocketing deficits, an awful lot of folks have been hurt. but let me tell you something, mr. president. these folks are tough. these folks don't stay down.

and they believe -- and they believe in you, mr. president. (applause.) and mr. president, like my dad used to say, when you get knocked down there's only one thing to do, is get up. just get up. (applause.) well, folks, we're getting up. and we're getting up with the help of the man i'm about to introduce. (applause.) ladies and gentlemen, we're starting to grow our way out of this republican debacle of the last eight years. we're creating jobs. we're building a new clean energy future. we're making college affordable to middle-class folks again. (applause.) and mr. president, that's because of you. mr. president, i promise you one thing. philadelphia is coming back. (applause.) pennsylvania is coming back. (applause.) america is coming back. (applause.)

and the philadelphia phillies are going back to win the world series. (applause.) mr. president, welcome to the home of the phillies. (applause.) ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states -- where is he? (laughter.) well, you know what, i guess that means you have to hear me for 20 minutes. (applause.) no, that's not good. no, that's not good. ladies and gentlemen -- that's it, let's call for him. obama! >> obama! obama! obama! >> hello, philadelphia!

(applause.) ♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ [applause] >> yes, we can! yes, we can! yes, we can!

>> thank you. thank you. this is -- (applause.) thank you. joe, this is a good-looking crowd, man. (applause.) this is a beautiful crowd on a beautiful day. it's good to be back here in pennsylvania. >> and they're all the way back in the parking lot. they can't even see you. >> it is good to be back in pennsylvania, good to be back in philly. (applause.) i know part of the reason you're fired up is because you've just heard from one of the finest vice presidents we will ever see in this country's history, joe biden. (applause.) plus, joe looks cool in those glasses, too, doesn't he? (applause.)

you know, i want you to know, when i was still campaigning, right after i selected joe, we went out and we were doing some events, small town hall meetings. and everywhere we went with joe, some woman would come by and say, you know, i think joe is kind of cute. can you introduce me to joe? (laughter.) that was true. and i had to inform this woman that joe is married to a wonderful jill biden. in addition to hearing from joe, i know you've heard from governor ed rendell. (applause.) senator arlen specter is in the house. (applause.) senator bob casey is in the house. (applause.) state treasurer rob mccord is here. (applause.) congressman chaka fattah is here. (applause.)

congressman joe sestak is here. (applause.) congressman bob brady is here. (applause.) mayor michael nutter is in the house. (applause.) and we've got allegheny county executive dan onorato is here. (applause.) i want to thank pastor kevin johnson for the invocation. (applause.) dj diamond kuts. (applause.) and give it up for the roots. (applause.) now, i'm glad to see that this crowd is fired up. are you fired up? >> fired up! >> are you ready to go? >> ready to go! >> i've got to make sure you stay fired up. i promise you'll be out of here to catch the phillies and the eagles. (applause.) i don't want to get between

philly fans and their sports teams. now, philadelphia, two years ago -- two years ago, you defied the conventional wisdom in washington. they said no, you can't. they said, no, you can't overcome the cynicism of politics. no, you can't overcome the special interests and the big money. no, you can't take on the big challenges of our time. no, you can't elect a skinny guy with a funny name to the presidency of the united states. what did you say? >> yes, we can! >> that's what you said. >> yes, we can! yes, we can! yes, we can! >> but, philly, i've got this message for you today. i want everybody to understand our victory in that campaign,

that wasn't the end of the road. that was just the beginning of the road. that was just the start of the journey. by itself, it does not deliver the change that we need. i know a lot of you thought just because of election night and the inauguration -- everybody was having fun and beyoncé was singing and bono, and so everybody thought, boy, this is it. but that was just the start. because we understood what we were going up against. the only thing that the election did was it gave us the chance to make change happen. it made each of you a shareholder in the mission of rebuilding our country and reclaiming our future. and philly, i'm back here two years later because our job is

not yet done and the success of our mission is at stake right now. on november 2nd, i need you as fired up as you were in 2008. (applause.) because we've got a lot of work ahead of us. after that last election, it was my hope that we could pull together, democrats and republicans, to confront the worst economic crisis since the great depression. i hoped that we could get beyond the divisions of red states and blue states. that's what we thought. >> yes, we can! yes, we can! yes, we can! >> because although we are proud to be democrats, we are prouder to be americans. (applause.) and i know there are plenty of

republicans out there in this country who feel the exact same way. but when we arrived in washington, the republicans in congress, they had a different idea. they knew it would take more than two years to climb out of this recession. they knew that by the time of this election, people would still be out of work. they knew people would still be frustrated. and so what they figured was, if we just sat on the sidelines, if republicans just opposed everything we said we could do, if they rejected every compromise we offered, if they spent all their time attacking democrats instead of attacking problems, they figured they might be able to do well in the polls. so they spent the last 20 months saying no -- even to policies that they had supported in the past. they said no to middle-class tax cuts. they said no to help for small businesses.

they said no to a bipartisan deficit reduction commission that they had once cosponsored. if i said the sky was blue, they said no. if i said there were fish in the sea, they said no. they figured if obama fails, then we win. am i wrong, joe? that's exactly what they said. now, they may have thought that playing political games would help them win an election, but i knew it wouldn't get america through the crisis. so i made some different decisions. i took whatever steps were necessary to stop the economic freefall, to stop a second depression -- even if those decisions were not popular, even if they were not easy. because you didn't elect me to do what was easy. you elected me to do what was right. that's why you sent me to washington. (applause.) you didn't send me to washington to put my finger to the wind

and figure out which way the wind was blowing, to spend all my time reading the polls. you sent me there to solve problems. and 20 months later, we no longer face the possibility of a second depression. our economy is growing again. the private sector created jobs nine months in a row now. there are 3 million americans who would not be working today if not for the economic plan that joe and i put into place. that's the truth. (applause.) now, what's also the truth is we've still got a long way to go. the hole we're climbing out is so deep, the republicans messed up so bad, left such a big mess, that there are still millions of americans without

work. i want everybody to understand this, just in case there's still some undecideds out there. before i was inaugurated and before joe was inaugurated, we had lost 4 million jobs in the six months before that. we lost almost 800,000 jobs the month i was sworn in; 600,000 the month after that; 600,000 the month after that. because any of our economic plans were put into place, we had lost almost 8 million jobs -- because of their policies. and that means that it's going to take us a while to get out of this hole. there are still millions of americans who can barely pay their bills. millions of americans who are just barely hanging on. millions of middle-class families, who were struggling even before this crisis hit, and are out there treading water. i know. so of course people are frustrated.

of course people are impatient with the pace of change. and believe me, so am i. but here's the thing i need everybody to remember. no matter how angry you get, no matter how frustrated you are, the other side has decided to ride that frustration and anger without offering any solutions. and, you know, a lot of folks in washington think that they're running a smart strategy. they're saying the other party's supporters are more enthusiastic, more excited. they say all y'all are going to stay home. you might not come out like you did in 2008. they say you might not care as much. they think, oh, well, obama's name is not on the ballot, maybe they're not going to turn out. they think you're going to be willing to let the same politicians and the same policies that left our economy in the shambles back to

washington. well, philadelphia, i think the pundits are wrong. i think the pundits are wrong. i think we're going to win -- but you got to prove them wrong. (applause.) it's up to you to show the pundits that you care too much about this country to let it fall backwards; that you're going to keep us moving forward; that you're ready to fight for your future. just, look, everybody, i need you to understand, this election is a choice. and the choice could not be clearer. it's not as if the republicans are offering new ideas. it's not as if the republican leaders have changed their agenda since the last time they ran washington. in fact, the chairman of one of their campaign committees promised that if the republicans take control of congress, they will follow the exact same agenda they pursued the last time they were in power. we know what that agenda was.

we know what this agenda was. you cut taxes, mostly for millionaires and billionaires. you cut regulations for special interests. you try to bust the unions. you cut back on investments in education and clean energy and research and technology. the basic idea is that if we put our blind faith in the market and we let corporations do whatever they want and we leave everybody else to fend for themselves, then america somehow automatically is going to grow and prosper. well, let me tell you something. the problem with their theory is, it didn't work. we tried it for eight years. it didn't work for middle-class families who saw their incomes fall and their costs go up when republicans were in charge. i want everybody to understand, between 2001 and 2009, the wages of middle-class families went down 5 percent. they didn't go up -- they went down. job growth was the slowest that it had been at any time since

world war ii -- slower than it's been over the last year. when they were in charge, they took a record surplus from bill clinton, and by the time i got there, we had a record deficit. and because of that free-for- all that they had on wall street, we're still digging our way out of the crisis. that's their track record. now, listen, everybody, i don't bring this up because i want to re-litigate the past. i bring it up because i don't want to re-live the past. (applause.) i don't want to go through what we already gone through. i bring it up because this is the other -- this philosophy that the other side intends to bring if they win in november. republicans might have a new name for it -- they call it the pledge to america -- but it's the same old stuff they've been peddling for years. let's take a look at the pledge to america.

anybody read the pledge to america? let me tell you, for starters, it turns out that the pledge was actually written in part by a former lobbyist for aig and exxon mobil. that should tell you something right there. you can't make that stuff up. and the centerpiece of the pledge is a $700 billion tax cut that would only go to the top 2 percent, the wealthiest 2 percent of americans. ninety-eight percent of you would not get this tax cut, but they would borrow $700 billion from the chinese or from the saudis or somebody. that's their big idea to get the economy moving again. these are the same folks who lecture us on fiscal responsibility, but now they want to borrow $700 billion to give a tax cut worth an average

of $100,000 to millionaires and billionaires. when you ask them, where are you going to get the money, they say, well, we don't have it. but mostly, they're going to borrow it from other countries. and just to pay for a small part of it, they want to cut education by 20 percent. >> boo! >> they would reduce financial aid for 8 million college students. >> boo! >> now, philadelphia, at a time when the education of our country's citizens is one of the most important things for economic success, the notion that we would give out tax cuts to folks who don't need and sacrifice the next generation, that does not make any sense at all. i want to ask my republican friends, do you think china is cutting back on education? do you think south korea or germany or india are cutting back on education? those countries aren't playing

for second place. they're playing for first place. guess what? america does not play for second place either. we play for first place. (applause.) so, philly, as long as i'm president, we're not going to let washington politicians sacrifice your education for a tax cut we can't afford. and that is a choice in this election. joe and i, we've got a different idea about what the next two years should look like, and it's an idea rooted in our belief about how this country was built. we know government doesn't have all the answers to all our problems. we know the private sector is primarily responsible for creating jobs and prosperity. i believe government should be lean and efficient, and i don't want anybody in washington wasting your taxpayer dollars. that's why i proposed a three- year spending freeze, set up a

bipartisan fiscal commission to deal with our deficit. but in the words of our first republican president, named abraham lincoln, we also believe that government should do what people can't do better by themselves. we believe in a country that rewards hard work and responsibility. we believe in a country where we look after one another. we believe in a country where working people can come together so they can get a minimum wage and better working conditions. we believe that i am my brother's keeper, i am my sister's keeper -- that everybody deserves a fair shot at the american dream. that's the america i know. that's the choice in this election. (applause.) we want to make permanent -- we want to make permanent tax cuts for the middle class, because you deserve a break. instead of the other side's

plan to keep giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas, i want to give those tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in the united states of america. (applause.) i want to give it to small businesses and to american manufacturers and to clean energy companies. i don't want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars built in europe or asia. i want them built here in the united states of america by american workers. (applause.) instead of cutting education and student aid, we want to make our new college tax credit permanent -- (applause) -- $10,000 in tuition relief for each young person who goes to college. (applause.) we're going to fight to keep the reforms we've made to the

student loan system, because thanks to those reforms, tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies that would be going to banks right now are going to students. that's where they belong. (applause.) if the other side wins, they'll try their hardest to give rein back to the insurance companies and the credit card companies and the wall street banks that we're finally holding accountable. we can't let them do that. we can't go back to the days of taxpayer-funded bailouts. we can't go back to the day when credit card companies could just jack up your rates without any reason, or insurance companies could deny or drop your coverage just because you get sick. we need to keep that new law in place that says if you're looking for a job or have a job that doesn't offer you coverage and you're a young person, you can stay on your parents'

insurance until you're 26 years old, and that they can't drop your coverage just because you get sick. (applause.) that's the choice in this election, philadelphia. that's what's at stake right now. so, philly, it comes down to this. many of the republicans who are running right now, these are the exact same folks who spent the last decade driving our economy into a ditch. and once we were elected, joe and i, we put on our boots, we went down into that ditch. it was muddy and dusty down there and it was hot. and we started pushing on that car to get it out of the ditch. and we had a whole bunch of folks like joe sestak helping us push that car out of the ditch. (applause.) and every once in a while, we'd look up at the republicans. they were -- they had driven into the ditch, but they had gotten out and they were kind of taking a break, fanning

themselves and sipping on a slurpee, watching us do all the work. and every once in a while they'd say, why don't you push harder? you're not pushing the right way, obama. but they didn't help. and after pushing and pushing over these last 20 months, finally we've got that car out of the ditch. (applause.) now, the car is a little dented up. the fender is a little busted. it needs a tune-up. but it's moving. it's pointing in the right direction. we're on level ground now. we're starting to make repairs. and suddenly we get a tap on our shoulder and we look back and who is it? it's the republicans. and they say -- what are they saying? -- they say, we want the keys back. >> no! >> philadelphia, they can't have

the keys back. they don't know how to drive. (applause.) they don't know how to drive. they can ride with us if they want, but they got to get in the back seat. (applause.) because we want to go forward. we don't want the special interests riding shotgun. we want working families, middle-class families, up front. they're our priority. i just want everybody to notice, when you get in your car and you want to go forward? you put the car in d. if you're going backwards, what do you do? you put the car in r. that's not a coincidence. you want to ride forward, put it in d on november 2nd. (applause.) but, listen -- listen, can i just say, at the end of the day, philly, whether the

republicans get the keys back or not is going to depend on you. there is no question -- there's no question the other side sees a chance to get back in the driver's seat. and thanks to a supreme court decision called citizens united, they are being helped along this year by special interest groups that are spending unlimited amounts of money on attack ads -- attacking folks like patrick murphy, attacking folks like joe sestak -- just attacking people without ever disclosing who's behind all these attack ads. you don't know. it could be the oil industry. it could be the insurance industry. it could even be foreign-owned corporations. you don't know because they don't have to disclose. now, that's not just a threat to democrats -- that's a threat to our democracy. every american business and industry deserves a seat at the table, but they don't get to a chance to buy every chair.

we've seen what happens when they do. they put the entire economy at risk and every american might end up suffering. so you can't let it happen. don't let them hijack your agenda. the american people deserve to know who's trying to sway their elections. and you can't stand by and let special interests drown out the voices of the american people. (applause.) so, philadelphia, that's why i need you working even harder in this election than you did in the last election. we need you to fight their millions of dollars with our millions of voices. (applause.) i look out on this crowd and i see millions of voices all across the country. we've got to finish what we started in 2008. because if everybody who fought so hard for change in 2008 shows up to vote in 2010, i am

absolutely confident we will win. and most of the polls say the same thing. see, what the other side is counting on, what they're counting on is you're going to stay home. they're counting on your silence. they're counting on your amnesia. they're counting on your apathy. they're counting on young people staying home and union members staying home and black folks staying home and middle- class families staying home. they're counting on the fact that they made the argument so ugly in washington that you just completely turned off and you're not going to vote for anybody. and if that happens, they win. philly, let's prove them wrong. (applause.) let's show washington one more

time change doesn't come from the top -- it comes from the bottom. it doesn't come from millions of dollars of ads -- it comes because people are out there knocking on doors, making phone calls, going into the beauty shops, going into the barber shops. we have come -- i know we're a long way from the day, the hope and excitement we all felt on election night. we're far from inauguration day. but i always told you it was going to take time. i always told you it was going to be hard. because change has always been hard. but from the first days as our nation, every time americans have tried to bring about real, meaningful change, we've faced down setbacks, we've faced down disappointments. we have faced fear and we have faced down doubt. as americans, we've always moved forward. we've always kept fighting. we've always remembered that in the united states of america, our destiny is not written for us -- it is written by us. that's how we came through war. that's how we came through

depression. that's how we got civil rights legislation. that's how we got workers' rights. that's how we got women's rights. it's being tested right now, but if you keep moving forward in the face of difficulty, i promise you we will not lose this election. we will win this election. and we will make sure that every american has the opportunity to live out the american dream. god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. (applause.) ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] ♪

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>> c-span's local content vehicles are traveling the country as we look at the most contested house races leading up to the midterm elections. >> how are you doing? >> good to see you. how are you? >> i want to tell you the spirit we have to stop president obama's agenda. whatever he comes out with, nancy pelosi and her people will represent it. she may vote against one or two items, but in the end, those so-called blue dog democrats are delivering each and every vote that she needs to pass the obama/pelosi agenda. >> i do not think they are realistic. our obligation to this

generation is not to pass a crushing debt to the next generation. i think the physical stimulus was appropriate. i did not agree with some of what was in it, but you hardly ever get exactly what you want in washington. >> the race between incumbent conservative democrat, the challenger in this race, austin from georgia. from rural areas, the south atlanta suburbs, and the metropolitan areas, the southern district. the district is a republican- leaning district. john mccain picked up 57% of the

vote in the district here in 2008, so this is a district and john mccain won, that is represented by a democrat. about one in four mccain voters most democrats. while he is a reliable democrat in the caucus votes, but he is not terribly reliable when it comes to health insurance. he is not terribly popular with liberals, but he has maintained a very strong connection to people in the middle. perhaps his best asset, his two really good assets -- one is that he has tied himself to the robins air force base future to keep the base open. there are a lot of folks at the base who see jim marshall as working very hard on their behalf. secondly, he has done a lot of good work in bringing things home. a lot of work in bringing things

back to the district, particularly in the rural communities. if you talk to the county commissioners and even some republicans, they will say i do not necessarily like the fact has worked hard for the district. austin scott is 20 years younger than jim marshall. he has been with the general assembly for three terms now. he really has a lot of confidence and youth. he started the election cycle running for governor. when it looks like jim marshall might be somewhat vulnerable, he switched to the congressional race and is doing quite well. projects a youthful side. both of them are committed to reducing the federal deficit. jim marshall is the chair of the house caucus for a balanced

budget amendment. austin scott talks about balancing the budget on his website. they talk about service and doing a good job of it. the major issue will be that jim marshall as a democrat, and i think this race is becoming republican perspective, particularly because there is a base for republicans. what the republican task is to do is convince republicans, not democrats, that they want to vote for the republican candidate and not for marshall. i have several republican friends who tell me they do not the republicans' task is to convince republicans that they want to vote for a republican candidate, and not vote for marshall. i have several republican friends who tell me they do not vote for democrats ever, except for jim marshall.

>> c-span's local content vehicles are traveling the country. as we look at some of the most closely contested house races leading up to the midterm lections. for more information on the local content vehicles and what they're up to this election season, isn't our website, c- c- -- visit our web sitespan.org/lcv. -- visit our web site at>> we're showing you some of the -- visit our web site c-span.org riprap tomorrow, current and former bank officials discussed the state of the global economy. speakers include christina romer recent resigned as chair of the council of economic and risers and former fed chairman paul volcker. that begins at noon on c-span