i will spend the next four weeks talking about the contrast anti- choice between myself and brian dubie. there are real differences. i am a small business person who wants to use my skills in the legislature to put vermonters' back to work. i have a vision for where we need to go and how we will get there. we can do a lot better. i am very optimistic about our future. i would not run a campaign of fear. it is a campaig of opportunity. i hope he will vote for me. >> bria dubie. >> it that is the case, why is the rhetoric different from the reality? you are still run in an ad that attacks my integrity. here's my commitment. my commitment is i am going to talk about serious issues. i will not make jokes and

dismissed them. these are serious issues. these are serious times. public safety is a serious issue. vermonter's expect a goo candidate for governor to conduct a campaign about serious issues. my campaign is focused on job creation. i have a 10-point plan. i have listened to thousands of vermonters will as i put together my plan i am encouraged that the 1800 small businesses of of vermont had endorsed my plan and my candidacy. my spirit as a candidate in my spirit for vermont's next governor is to bring people together -- rich people, people of humble means, bng them together. that will be my commitment. >> thank you. next is emily peyton. >> i think the problem with the world today is there is too much testosterone. i think it is really important

that we learn to nurture. i think these people here are willing to share their salaries, are unwilling to share the work. i will give up that ego to get the best job to the right person. i do not need to do it the way people do. i also want to say that i want to get a reading list for people at home. read the book "ask and it will be given." we have things that we have to deal with that are big. i am done. >> thank you. >> i want to carry on a conversation with vermonters in the next few weeks about what is

happening in california to see it that is of the debt vermonters want. californians will vote on whether or not to legalize marijuana and tax it. the state of california is expecting over $1 billion a year in new taxes from the legal sale of marijuana. i want a conversation with vermonters' about what they think about california. let me show you what is going to happen in california. rain rain rain. >> hello? >> we have a special today. we all u.n. does analysis of california ultrahigh marijuana with 6 ounces for free. when the shipment com, you crack open the free b, you take a 23 ounces and try it out. if it does not achieve 50% higher and at the height is that last 50% longer will refund your money but you get to keep the half-dozen for free. that is what is going to happen in carolina if they -- in

california if they legalize marijuana. >> gracias. thank you all candidates. we are short on time. we'll say goodnight. vermont public television continues this series with the candidates for lieutenant governor. tomorrow night we invite you back here forur political roundtable called "vermont this week." thank you to our candidates and to all of you at home, good night. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> here's a look at some political news from around the country. from msnbc, washington democratic incumbent senator patty murray is getting some high-profile help in her bid for re-election when former president bill clinton campaigns for her on monday. president obama will also be

doing his part later in the week when he speaks to students in seattle. meanwhile one has sdsd candidate campaigning for him. you can see the next debate between senator murray and mr. president rossi live sunday night at 10:00 p.m. eastern, here on c-span. for more political nureks go to our website at c-span.org/politics. next, president obama campaigns for the senate candidate in delaware. then live at 7:00 a.m., your calls and comments on washington, d.c. -- on "washington journal." now, president o'bam ape and vice president biden speak at a cap pain rally for delaware candidate chris kuehne at the grand ole opry house. she is running against christine o'donnell previously

held by the vice president. this is 50 minutes. >> thank you. thank you for being here. i'm sure you are all wondering why we all gathered here today. it is a great day to be a del warne. it is a great day to be a delawarian democrat. can we give an inspirational applause to the choir? [applause] >> and i know you've heard some amazing comments from our governor, and our next congressman jack carney. [applause]

from senator ted kaufman from senator tom. what a great day. please a round of applause for these great folks. [applause] you know, ever since the primary here, there's been a lot more attention to this race in little ole delaware. lots of media from all over the country and recent thirty world asking about lots of other issues, but while my opponents i'm facing have changed, the issues i'm focused on in this election haven't. i'm focused on the same things i know you're focused on. i'm focused on the 35,000 delawarians who are without work and those facing forclosure on their homes and i'm focused on getting our statened our country back to work. [applause] and folks, as i've gone up and down this state and listened to

folks and spoken over the last nine months, i've said over and over, and this is what i want to fight under washington, i want these six words to mean something again. made in the u.s.a., manufactured in delaware. [applause] i understand what happened in the republican primary. people are angry and frustrated and feel angry and mad about the endless bickering in washington, and they are concerned. but as i've met with folks, i've listened and what they want is is to take america back. but that's not where i come from. that's not where i think you come from. together, we want to take america forward. [applause] now i take very seriously the idea that this election is a

job interview. i want to go to work for you. and i think it's important for us to look at both candidates in the campaign i'm currently in. ien spent eight years working for one of delaware's manufacturing companies and six years running our government and made hard choices and delivered unbalanced -- delivered on balanced budgets. i know what it's like to grow up in hard times and good times i had an deeply care about our country and i think our point whether you're running for statewide and federal or local office, the point is to make sure people have a good job and strong and bright few. my sponet someone who sees our society and government as a fundamentally different way than i do. i believe in ideas. she offers ideology. 14e says government really news role. sheblets so strong living in this that in our race she's

wanted to privatize health care and thanks for your service now here, go find yourself a dr. she's opposed extending the eligibility age for social security for those who earned their way into retirement. i don't believe that the federal government our beryl or private lives. how you live. [applause] how you live, who you love, how you exercise those trots me is all about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. i think the government does not have that role. but i do think our government has an appropriate role in protecting the environment. in protecting investors, in supporting our veterans. building our economy in partnership with a vibrant private secter. my opponent believes the

option. she doesn't believe the government ought to be protecting the environment. 4er mantra is drill, baby, drill. or protecting investors, it's buyer beaware. but i believe at the end of the day these lines are joined and the lines are clear, i hope all of you get how important this election is for our state and our country. over the past few weeks as i've been up and down the state, i've seen those involved in government service and many have said hey, give me a call. you need some help? give me a call. i'm calling. today, i'm calling. [laughter] [applause] we, all of us who stood here today are calling on you to say now is the time to stand up, get out, and share with your friends and family what are the stakes in this election.

and of all the people i call. of all the people i ask for support, i am most grateful to our vice president and president who are joining us here today. [applause] the last time i was here, the last time i was on this stage, i was on a reiser with lots of other delaware local electives watching michele obama delivering one of the most incredible, inspiring, pouch and moving speechesive -- i have ever appeared in my entire life, and i'm sorry mr. president, but we have both married up. [applause] >> michele. the first lady, speaking about her husband, now our president, speaking about the issues at stake in that election in 2008 was incredible. she was inspiring. she was moving.

and then not much longer on a beautiful day just like, this i joined with so many of you now rodney square to hear from this then candidate, now president, barack obama. and that day, i was moved, as have so many who had volunteered and worked and later voted for change in 2008. to believe in the possibility of position and of change. and folks, more than ever, we now need to get to work together to make real that change, to deliver on that change, and to move forward on that change. we have only 18 days left until election day. i need you to connect with your friends and family to remind you what they have fought for and -- to build a better -- scriptture says to those who

are given more, more is required. things that folks who came before us and folks who are serving overseas fought for. they are things that are ours today, our inheritance only because of sacrifice, because of struggle, and only because of others who stood up, demanded and asked for and fought for change. so please, as we go forward in these next 18 days, don't forget that fight. don't leave owe your voice and your vote. we know something about fighters folks, here in delaware. we know smact governor jack marquel who is fighting to bring our economy back and jack carney who has fought for our middle class and al terntive energy and fighting to be our next congressman. ted kaufman who has fought to

make wall street reform real. joe biden who has fought to make true promise of justice in this state and our senior senator tom carper who has worked tirelessly for veterans and economic development and education reform. we have fighters here in delaware. and i am so honored, so grateful to be joining you today in the fight that matters most, the fight to keep movinging this country forward. it's my honor. [applause] but of all the folks i just mentioned, we took lessons. we learned about fighting. from the man who represented us in the united states senate for 36 years. a man who has for so long ban tireless advocate who has fought for civil rights, who has fought for merck's middle class. who has fought for delaware and

who now today fights for america each and every day. ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states, our own joe biden. [applause] >> hey, everybody. good to see wall y'all. hello up in the balcony. hello, wilmington. good to be home. good to be home. it's good to be home. how are you doing, pal? good see you. [applause] and i tell you what, i noticed no one missed me as senator once you got cough pann. [laughter] >> i got say something about ted kaufman. all the years i served in the

senate, -- no one, i mean this literally, no one has made as much of an impact in his first two years as a senator than ted kaufman in the entire 36 years i've been there. [applause] >> hey, lynn, how are you? and john carney, i want you to know i'm from clay monte toorks you know. we got a great ticket, and i tell you what, the president's always talking about chicago. and hawaii. [laughter] >> you know? they are nice. hawaii is magnificent. chicago i like. but i was reminded as i got out of the car today, he would not be president of the united states today but for delaware. let me tell you why. [applause] >> no. let me tell you why. the way i look at it, without david and dan fiker, we would have had a hard time. ladies and gentlemen, i want to

introduce dan's mom and dad. where are you, mom and dad. dan's mom and dad, we owe you big. we owe you big. [applause] you produced a great delawarian and we're counting on him saving us again. ladies and gentlemen, it's a delight to be home and it's a delight to be back with all of you. chris, when you were representing all those people who learned from me, the president leaned up and put his hand on my shoulder and he said, and, the old guy. you all learned from me. but i'm not that old. actually, i am. i was telling the president, i remember when -- well, anyway. [laughter] hey, look, we're here for one overwhelming reason. there's a great, great deal at stake. you all got behind the president and me in this last election and delaware produced

really big for barack obama and joe biden. and i couldn't have been prouder my home state played such a -- not only such a solid role, but overall supporting us. and itment a great deal to me personally. you know that expression atributable to -- when i die double will be written on my heart. well delaware will be written on mine. and delaware has always come through for me. [applause] folks, really, really important that we keep this momentum going. and it's impossible to keep this momentum going without us having the united states senate. and as chris will tell you, the first guy that i called to ask to run for the united states senate, i think i may have been among the first to call you. i think i was beating by -- i'm

not sure who called first, but we called to strongly suggest chris kunz run for the united states senate. and i think chris kunz even had mike castle won. i think chris kunz may still have made it and still have been a united states senator. but let me tell you why he called him. [applause] >> let me tell you why my family from my sister valerie whose campaigned up and down the state for chris and my wife and daughter and everyone, the reason we feel so strongly about chris kunz is because like you, we know him. we not only know he has a genuinely keen intellect. as a bright guy. that is self evident. but the over thing i like about him the most and thank his mom and dad -- he is so centered. he knows why he is in this. there's a lot of people in this audience, mr. president i'm

going to introduce in a moment that i've been asked ever since i won this senate seat at age 30, everybody understands well, if biden with win at 30, anybody can. [laughter] >> you're laughing, but that's not -- [laughter] >> so an awful lot of young can candidates have come to me and said i'm thinking about running. i don't know there's many that have run in the last 30 years that are have not at least politely come by and said with a do i need to do? i say the same thing, the one thing you have to know when you run is -- and john's shaking his head. what is it worth losing the election over? if there's something other than ambition. that is something i never, never, never wondered about chris kunz. this guy knows exactly why. he knows exactly why he's paged. this guy knows exactly why he's

got asked his three children and wife to go through what is an honor but also a real hard walk. because he knows what's worth losing over and why he has to win. and it's about giving middle class folks an even shot. just to let them play -- my dad used to say joey, i don't want the government solve my problems but i at least expect them to understand my problem. this guy understand it is problem of struggle in america. those struggling to get into the middle class and those who are in the middle class barely hanging on, about to slide out. that's what this is all about. that's what this race is all about. that's why i'm absolutely convinced without fear of resident vacation. when chris kunz goes to the united states senate, you will never, never, never have to wonder why you voted for him. that is man of incredible integrity.

[applause] and this is a man of action. so look. i work with a guy. a guy who i've liked since the day i met him. he needs me like he needs a hole in his head, but campaigned when he was running for the united states senate in illinois. we've become genuinely good friends. close friends. this guy has a backbone like a ramrod. i kid him he's got a brain bigger than his skull and a heart to match both. this is a man who knows what has to be done. this is a man who is not afraid to make tough decisions. and i honsly believe. some of you kid me because you say how can i after all these years be more optimistic when i first got elected at age 29? i'm optimistic, because i know

the journey of this country, and never when people have been given an even shot and laid out a vision have they ever not repaired to that vision. and the guy i'm about to introduce to you is all about that. this is a guy who knows where america has to go and is not afraid to stand up and say it and willing to lay out the vision. no president havers been a great president and hasn't laid out a vision for the people as to how they can move to -- from where they are. we used to say, and i'm paraphrasing. we say we americans know we don't have to step situation we can't bear. we just have to have the backbone to stand up and fight for what we know is right. my dad used to say it differently. when you get knocked down, there's only one thing you do. get up. j u.s. get up. and ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack obama is getting america back on its feet. we have gone from hemorrhaging

jobs to creating jobs. we have gone from hemorrhaging debt to beginning to grab hold of debt. we've gone from one of the least-respected nations in the world in the last forth -- we brought home 100,000 troops and will keep our commitment in iraq. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, what you've known for a long time and the president has known of late is i never say anything i don't mean, and sometimes i say things i mean and shouldn't say, but folks, i mean with a i say, and i'm telling you, wilmington is coming back. delaware is coming back. the united states of america is coming back. and in large part it's because of this man i'm about to introduce, the president of the united states of america, my friend, barack obama. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you, wilmington. thank you, very much. thank you. thank you, so much. thank you, everybody. [applause] thank you. thank you, very much, everybody. thank you. thank you, very much. thank you so much. thank you. everybody, please have a seat. it is good to be back in wilmington. [applause]

last time i was here, it was a day just like today. speck tack day. we were outside. some of you were there. and it was just beautiful. it is great to be back here in del in delaware. it is an extraordinary honor to be here to campaign for the next great senator of delaware, chris kunz. i wanted to just acknowledge some of the extraordinary public servants who are here. you've already heard from them or about them. but all these folks have been such great friends of mine and such terrific workers on bhaffle of delaware, i want to make sure to make mention of them. governor jack marquel is here. where's jack? there he is the. lieutenant governor is here.

along with zachary. [applause] >> senator ted coughlin. done extraordinary work over the last few years. thank you, senator. and my infiltrate friend, tom carper. senior senator. delaware. delaware attorney general joe biden, we are so thrilled with the work that he's done. but also his extraordinary service to this country. we are proud of him. and then there's this guy. i've had to make a lot of decisions.

over the last 24 months. both before i was president and since. the single best decision that i have made was selecting joe biden as my running mate. [applause] single best decision i have made. i mean that. true. [applause] joe has been an extraordinary vice president. a great friend. a fighter. somebody who knows what our core mission is, which is making sure that we are growing this economy on behalf of a middle class, so they can aspire to live tout american dream. joe has lived out that dream.

he hasn't forgotten where he came from. so i know that me taking him out of delaware for a while was frustrating. but i assure you it was worth it at least for me, and i think for you. so i am grateful to all of you. now that's why it's so important in filling these enormous shoes of joe, that we get somebody who represents those same delaware values. and chris is the kind of leader that you want representing you in the united states senate. [applause] he knows the state. he knows the values. when enhe talks about cleaning up washington, it's from the stand point of somebody whose cleaned house as a county executive. [applause]

somebody whose balanced a budget. somebody whose cracked down on wasteful spinding. somebody who even cut his own pay. believe me, you won't see too many members of congress willing to do that. [applause] chris has traveled all across this state, talking to people, finding out what's on their minds, listening to their hopes for the future. he wants delaware to be a leader on clean energy, because he knows it will lead to new jobs and new industry, and he's got a plan to make it happen. [applause] he's -- chris isn't looking to be a voice for special interest. he wants to be a voice for delaware. this is where he grew up. this is the community he's going to fight for. now in a little more than two weeks, you have the opportunity , right here in delaware, to set the direction of the state and this country for the next

several years. in two weeks, you can continue the journey that we've started in 2008. and just like you did in that election, you can defy the conventional wisdom that says you can't change washington,. you can't overwhich all the special interest money. you can't solve all the problems. that's always been the conventional wisdom. it was the conventional wisdom two years ago. remember that? everybody said no, you can't. and two years ago you said, yes, we can. and you can say that same thing two weeks from now. [applause] i want everybody to be clear. there's no doubt this is a difficult election. it's difficult here and croice the country. and although i think chris has so far run an extraordinary race, i don't want anybody here

taking this for granted. this is a tough political environment. [applause] this is a tough political environment right now. this is a difficult election because we've been through an incredibly difficult time as a nation. for most of the last decade, middle class families saw their costs rise and their incomes fall. they saw too many jobs disappear overseas. there were too many parents who couldn't afford to send their kids to college. see a doctor if they got sick and americans working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. and all these problems were compounded when we had the worst economic crisis since the great depression. the worst in our lifetimes, a recession that cost us more than 6 million jobs in the six months before i took offers. 750,000 jobs lost the month i was sworn in. 600,000 the month after that

and 600,000 the month after that. all told 8 million jobs lost most of them lost before any of our economic plans had an opportunity to take effect. it was a once-in-a-generation challenge. and i'll be honest with you, joe called this. our hope was because this was such a unique challenge that, it would cause both parties to put politics aside for the sake of the country. [applause] that was our expectation. our hope was that we could move beyond the division and the bickering and game-playing that had dominated washington for so long. because although we were proud to be democrats, we are prouder to be americans. [applause] but you know what happened.

the republican leaders in washington made a different decision. i had an want to be clear. it was the decision of republicans in congress, because i think there's a whole lot of republicans across the country who in fact, wanted the same thing, but that's not what they saw in washington. their attitude, and it was tactical on their part. was that we were climbing out of such a deep hole. they had made such a big mess, that they figured it was going to take some time to repair the economy. longer than any of us would like. they knew that people would be frustrated and angry and they figured if they just sat on the side lines and opposed us every step of the way and said no to even policies they could agree with, that historically, they have supported, then people might forget that they were the ones who had caused the mess.

and that people's anger and frustration would lead them to success in the next election. that was their strategy. and you have to give them credit. in terms of short-term tactics, it wasn't a bad strategy. materials of what was good for the country, -- in terms of what was good for the country, it didn't work out so well. the other side wants you to believe that this election is simply a ref ren dumb on the current state of the economy. but make no mistake, this election is a choice. this election is a choice. and the stakes couldn't be higher. if they win this election, the chair of the republican campaign committee has promised to pursue the exact same agenda as they did before i took

office. we know what that agenda was. you cut taxes, mostly for millionaires and billionaires. you cut rules for special interests then you cut middle class families loose to fend for themselves. we also know the results of that agenda. it's not as if we didn't try it. this isn't -- we don't have to guess in terms of how their here's the might work out. from 2001 to 2009, slowest job growth since world war two. 2001 to 2009, incomes for middle class families went down by 5%. those aren't my claims. that was trumented in the "wall street journal." took a record surplus and turned it to a record deficit. an agenda that let wall street run wild at the expense of folks on main street. an agenda that nearly destroyed

our economy. that's what they say they want to go back to. the exact same agenda. if they take over cops, they'll decide as prosmsed to roll back health vosme insurance companies can go back to denying you coverage when you get sick. or denying your child coverage if they've got a preexisting condition. they want to roll back wall street reform so the taxpayers are on the hook again for wall street bailouts and credit card companies can hit you with hidden fees and mortgage brokers can steer you toward the most expensive mornl or a mortgage you can't afford. they wanted to cut back on education spending by 20% to help pay for a $700 billion tax break that only the wealthiest the% of americans will ever benefit from. [person screamed from balcony] >> my sentments exactly.

[applause] this is the same theory they've been pedaling for years. this is not as if they went off into the desert after 2008 and said boy, we really screwed up. let's meditate here a little bit and try to figure out what we did wrong and they came back and said we realized the error of our ways and we have new ideas. that's not what's happening. they are just pretending as if all that stuff didn't happen. and so it's up to you to remind your friends and your neighbors and your co-workers, we've tried that stuff. it didn't work. we've been there before, and we're not going back. we're moving forward. not backwards. [applause] we don't want to keep giving

tax breaks to demeans ship jobs overseas, we want to give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in wilmington. right here in delaware. we don't want tax cuts for folks who don't need them. by borrowing the money from china to pay for them and cut education in the process. we want to invest in young people right here in the united states of america, because we know that the countrys that outeducate us today are going to outcompete us tomorrow. so we want to invest in our young people. we don't want to go back to the days where insurance companies and wall street banks have free rain to run rough shot over the middle class. we don't want to see two more years of gridlock and game playing and point scoring in washington. we want to solve problems an move forward. that's why chris is running and

why familys are putting up with him running, because we want to solve problems for the families of delaware and people all across america. [applause] we want a growing middle class an economy that's built to compete in the 21st century. and because of the steps we've taken, we no longer face the probability of a sebled depression. the private secter, we've seen job growth in the private secter nine months a row now. but we still have a long way to go. we still have a lot of work to do. there's a lot of people working out -- hurting out there. i hear from them every day, families hanging on by a lead the. that's what keeps me up at night. that's what keeps me fighting. and i know this. the biggest mistake we could make right now as a country and

to go back to the same policy that is caused this hurt in the first place, the last thing we should do is return to a philosophy that decimated the middle class and destroyed economy over the course of years. what's the this election is about. not where we are right now but where we want to go five, 10, 20 years from now. it's not about the work we've done but the work we have left to do. and i bring this up not because i want to relitigate the past. it's because i don't want to relive the past. [applause] i want to reach for a better future. and that election is a choice between our fears and our hopes. that's what's at stake right now. chris and i and joe, we've got a different idea about what the next two years should look like. it's an idea rooted in our beliefs about how this country

was built. we know the government doesn't have the answers to all our problems. we believe the government should be lean and efficient, and you've seen chris' track record than to front as a county executive. but in the words -- in the words of abraham lincoln, the first republican president, we also believe the government should do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves. we believe in a country that rewards hard work and responsibility. a country where we look after one another, a country where we say i am my brother's keeper. i am my sister's keeper. i'm not just thinking about myself. i'm thinking about everybody. i want every child to succeed and everybody to climb that ladder to success. that's the choice in this eleggs. that's what we're about. that's why we're democrats and that's why we're going to win this election. [applause]

we see a future where america is driven by innovation and ingenuity. we want to give tax breaks to companies who are creating jobs and investing research and development right here in the united states to clean energy companies. i don't want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars and advanced batteries made in europe or asia. chris coons and i want them built here in the united states of america by american workers. i wanttous take the lead in energy independence. that's the choice in this

election. [applause] we see in america where every citizen has the skills and training to compete with any worker in the world. the other side might think it's a good idea to cut education by 20%. but let's think about this. do you think that china is cutting education by 20%? is south korea cutting education, spending or india or germany? these countries, they are not cutting back on education. those countries are not playing for second place, and neither should we. the united states, beplay for first. we play for first place. [applause] and that's why we took tens of billions of dollars, with the help of tom and ted and others. we took tens of billions of dollars in tax subsidy that is used to go to big banks and they are now going where they

should be going, to students and families, millions getting a break on student loans so they can get a break on going to college. this is a tax credit worth $10,000 in tuition relief for each student who is going to college. that's the america we believe in. [applause] that's the america we believe in where the middle class is growing and where opportunity is shared. and the only limits to your success is how hard you are willing to work. that's why the tax cuts we want to make, the tax cuts we want to make permanent would go to middle class families. that's why we'll fight the efforts of some in the other parties to privatize social security. because as long as i'm president no one is going to take the retirement savings of an entire generation of americans and hand it over to wall street. not on my watch. [applause]

that's why we're going the keep fighting. to keep the new protections we put in place for patients and consumers. so insurance companies can't drop you when you're sick. credit card companies can't jack up your rates without notice on your bill. that's the choice in this election. that's what we're fighting for. now, right now, the same special interests that would profit from the other side's agenda, they are fighting hard. they are fighting. to win this election they are plotting millions that are running misleading ads all across america. tens of billions of dollars are pouring in. and they don't have the -- to stand up and show who themplet they could be wall street banks or foreign corporations and we won't no, because there's no

disclosure. they have these knock would you say names like americans for prosperity and moms for motherhood. [laughter] >> i made the last one up. [laughter] >> but this isn't just a threat to our livelihood. it's a threat to our democracy. and the only way to fight it, the only way to match their millions of dollars is with millions of voices who are ready to finish what we started in 2008. and that's where you come in. a lot of you got involved in 2008 because you believed we were at a defining moment in our history, a crossroads. you believed this was al time where the additions we make won't just affect us. they are going to affect and shape the lives of our children and grandchildren for decades to come. and that's the reason you knocked on doors and made phone calls and waited in line to cast your vote. some of you for the very first

time. because you believed that your actions could make a difference. that you might play some small role in making big change. now we are in the midst of not just advocating for change, but doing the grind and doing the job of delivering the change day-by-day. it's not easy. believe me, joe and i know and i understand some of the excitement has faded since election night or inauguration day. you know that was fun. beon saye was singing. bono. -- beyonce was singing. bono. [laughter] but that's not what the election was about. i also know it's hard to keep faith when a family member still hasn't found a job after months of trying or another forclosure sign is hung on the house down the street. and it doesn't help when you

turn on the television and see politicians tearing even other down or pundits that treat poll ticks like a sport. but i'm here to tell you that don't let anybody tell you this fight is not worth it. don't let them tell you we're not making a difference. because of you there's a woman in new hampshire right now who no longer has to choose between losing her home and treating her cancer. because of you, there are parents who can look their children in the eye and guarantee those kids are going to college. because of you there are small business owners and clean energy entrepreneurs who can keep their businesses open and put help wanted signs out in the window and because of you there are hundreds of thousands of brave men and women who are no longer off at a war in iraq. that's because of you. don't let them tell you change isn't possible. [applause] don't let them convince you that we have not made progress.

we have made progress. i've been using the analogy as i travel across the country that these folks drove the car into the ditch. and joe and i and tom and ted and others, we all put our boots on and went down in that ditch and it was muddy and nasty and hot. there were bugs. [laughter] but we decided we were going to get that car out of the ditch. we kept on pushing and shoving. and every once in a while we'd look up and the republicans, they'd just be standing there. [laughter] fanning themselves. sipping on a slurpee, just -- [laughter] and we would say, why don't you come down here and help? they'd say, no, it looks muddy. but we pushed anyway, and kept

on pushing and finally we got this car up on level ground, pointing in the right direction. [applause] and you know, look, the car is a little dented up. needs to go to the body shop. needs a tune-up. but it's running. and it's ready to go forward. and suddenly we get this tap on our shoulder and we look back. and who is it? the republicans. they say excuse me, can we have the keys back? and we got to tell them no, you cannot have the keys back. you don't know thousand drive! -- you don't know how to drive! can't have them back. you can ride with us, but you got to ride in the back seat. [applause] we're not going to have special interests riding shotgun. we want the american people in the front. [applause]

you've noticed when you want your car to go forward, what do you do? you put it in d. when you want it going backward, what do you do? you put it in r. we want to go forward. we don't want to go back. don't let them take this country backwards. [applause] don't let them take this country backwards because you didn't care enough to fight for it. because my parents and grandparents and great grandparents, if they had made the same decision years ago, we would not be here tonight. the only reason we are is because past generations were unafraid to push forward. even in the face of difficulty. even in the face of uncertainty. they were willing to do what was necessary. even when success was not promised and was sometimes

slow. and you had to gribed it out. that's how we got through war. that's how we got through depression. that's why we have civil rights. that's why we have workers rights and women's rights. that's the spirit we need today. the journey we started in 2008 was not about putting a president in the white house. it was never just about getting to election night. it was about every day after that and building a movement for change that endures. it's about realizing that in the united states of america, anything is possible. if we're willing to work for it and fight for it and believe in it. so i need you all to keep on fighting. i need all of you to knock on doors. i need all of you to talk to your neighbors. i need all of you to make phone calls and all of you to commit to vote for chris coons, because if you are willing to step up to the plate, we're not going to just win this election. we're going to restore our

economy and rebuild the middle class and restore this for the future generations. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [applause]

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