wednesday to khouri said incomplete for four years is clearly a great f. he also said that if we give president obama a f, he will say it means fine. that is it from new york. >> this is fox business coverage of the democratic national convention. here is neil cavuto. neil: all right, from an already packed convention center, the democrats have a chance to respond to the republicans in tampa, florida, this week. we can tell you that the music is very good. very upbeat and loud. i am giving an early edge to

them on the music. although we still have a number of days ago. we already had a number of exciting people. nancy pelosi, joe biden here with richard trumpka. the president is speaking before him, that will set the stage down the road. all of this coming up, what could be ubiquitous timing, good or bad. we got news today that the national debt eclipsed $16 trillion. republicans pouncing on that as proof that this president is a big spender. about $5 trillion worth. many of the democratic party arguing that they also inherited a lot of that from their predecessor and this is not all the president is doing. there is no debt clock. one democrat telling me that it was moronic and plastic.

the peter barnes on the floor right now with a reader of the lay of the land. if they are on the defense come to have and have a funny way of showing it. we are going to go back and talk to peter in a minute, but a man i have with me is the nominee of his party from years ago, michael dukakis. >> good to see you face to face. we always do this electronically neil: do you ever feel we are coming back to these things? here you were a quarter of a century ago? >> it is not weird. i'm sorry i didn't win in 1988, obviously, as i said my fellow democrats. i apologize. if i had, we would wouldn't be in this mess. a lot of the folks that worked

hard for me in 1988 are still here. young people are coming along as well. neil: you have had quite a turnout in your convention. i'm wondering if we make too big of a deal out of that. what you think? >> i don't know how much you can get out of a convention -- but it's important to come together for the party. i think. making sure that the decisions are good and we have primaries printed predicted the time for parties to come together. i hope, come out energizing feeling good about where they are going. i hope that that will be what happens here. neil: you made bill clinton, he gave you a nomination -- in fact, they applauded. >> he went on johnny carson in the fall of 1981. johnny carson said why are you running? and he said because i want to finish my speech is. [laughter] neil: when you think about their

careers, the keynote speaker in richards, who is speaking that year, it can create new careers. are there any rising stars that you're looking at? >> obviously we have an incumbent president, we are going to work hard to get him reelected. but there are four years from now, folks who will be seeking office perhaps. neil: neil: what about congressman ryan? >> [inaudible] neil: it's a bipartisan thing. >> it is reflected on the incumbent. remember when bill clinton left office. this country was in great shape if. he had cut the national debt by $600 trillion and let the plan behind him to reduce the national debt in 10 to 12 years.

neil: we don't know that for sure. we do know that if a recession had taken hold, we could argue that forever. but i ask you, because you mentioned though clinton. he is a key speaker at this convention hall. a lot of people say that he and obama have a lot of agitation. but they don't really get along. >> these are two grown-up human beings. neil: did he run a speech by your? >> he didn't run it by me read didn't realize it, we should have. i will tell you that he feels very strongly about this election. he is no fan of mitt romney. obviously no fan of paul ryan. [talking over each other] [talking over each other]

neil: the allegations that have come out now, do you believe any of them? >> we are all big boys and girls in this business. you fight hard. neil: do you believe that? >> i have no idea. he feels very strongly about his candidacy. neil: there are pulls out that show that americans feel worse about their prospects. they hold the president responsible. that is a sticky situation to be an incumbent. >> of the economy isn't doing as well as you would like it to, it will be a tough fight. i know what it's like. it is always a challenge. there is a story to be told about mitt romney. romney's performance as an economic leader in massachusetts was a disaster. so when he says the taxes and

that went down, did he lie about a? >> well, he's not telling the truth, because he raised taxes and fees. i don't fault him for that because he inherited a heavy deficit from his republican predecessor. fourth from the bottom in job creation. we can run rings around them. neil: you think he's wonderful. what about his massachusetts health care plan? >> i don't know what is embarrassed of. why is he running away? neil: he seems to be embracing it. >> this is all about whether americans can have decent and affordable health care. when the american people learn about this guys rhetoric, his campaign will be over. neil: governor, there does seem to be a disconnect here. the democratic party has been

saying that yes, it might be debatable whether we are better off four years ago than today. but today we got distressing news, i've mentioned what has been happening with another manufacturing sector some say that as a sign of a recession. we're having another recession. what you think? >> i don't think it's debatable. we are in a better shape than we were with barack not being president. we were going over the cliff. he inherited an absolute mess created by the guys running against jim. neil: so you're not going to vote for mitt romney? >> there's a reason why he is behind the president in massachusetts. we elected scott brown and a bunch of republican governors and we saw mitt romney in

action. he has the fourth worst record. neil: do think this president has spent too much? >> that's not the issue. austerity never got a country out of a recession these guys want to impose a european tax solution on the united states. it doesn't work. neil: there must be a middle ground. >> you have to get out of the recession first. neil: governor dukakis, thank you so much. the governor and i were getting into some of the particulars are mess. the fact of the matter is that

as the governor pointed out, it will be able of what you want the governments role to be on spending. now, democrats at this convention are the same, do we want to resort to the policies that got us into this mess, or do we want to continue the policy that many of them argue is just going to continue. that is the point will be taken up later this evening with martin o'malley, who is among those saying that we have to get a handle on how much we are really committed to looking at this for your thing and whether it is something that we are not addressing right now. in other words, democrats are divided as to whether they can make it an easy characterization that you're you are better off than you were four years ago. a lot of times they frame this a different way by saying that this is their friend and the numbers are getting better.

that is the point that the governor will be in mentioning weight on. we will watch the san antonio mayor, julio castro, a rising star in the party, and how he feels. in the light of the president. that usually happens with presidents, but her stock is higher. maybe she can run off or glow on her husband. the lending tree chairman and ceo is my next guest. i am thinking about when this party ends on thursday. the bank of america stadium. the bank of america logo is going to be everywhere and i don't know if that's good or bad thing for the president. >> i'm not sure if it's good or bad for the president, but it tells the tale of the last four years. the way we have seen the mortgage industry, the big banks

have done very well. concentrating things. consumers are paying higher rates. the mom-and-pop mortgage brokers are having a tougher time. neil: do find it odd that we go after the banks when it was aggressive lending that got us into this pickle in the first place? >> i think that is somewhat true. although what we are really seeing right now is that consumers are paying higher rates because there isn't less competition. neil: is beginning to percolate. i don't want to jump the gun, but it seems to be. >> we are absolutely on the bottom. seems like we will get a positive indicator one day and a negative the next day. it is anybody's guess. in my view, the more competition we have, the better the market will be and the better it will be for the consumer to have more people competing for the consumer's business and help them get the best deal that they

can. i'm wondering whether we are sending the right message. what about the days when we loosen standards? maybe this is the time to loosen standards so more people can get mortgages. do you worry that we might slip back into the same problems that got us into this thing? >> i actually don't. i think that right now have the consumers are actually being denied credit. credit is very tight. neil: lenders are being leery or customers are not putting the requirements? >> most loans are not linked by a big. right now, the private securitization market is very shutdown and shut down and the only way you can get a loan is if it is approved by the federal government or the fha. neil: are you supporting the president? >> on promoting the person who

is going to bring the most choices and solutions about. >> i do think the lack of clarity is fair. one regulation called the [inaudible] imposed great licensing standards on the industry. if you can't pass the mortgage exam, you go down the street and work for the bank. neil: you're absolutely right. i never thought of that. lending tree chairman and ceo. he's a big deal here. very good to see you. thank you. >> everyone is anticipating bill clinton's speech tomorrow night. we are told that bill clinton did not have to run this by the obama folks, but the bill clinton changes the writing and often does on these things. no one interferes with bill clinton and no one suspects that he's going to do anything to

alienate himself or do anything to hurt his chances should hillary choose to run for president herself someday. more on that from a guy who knows clinton very well. and just a bit. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated.

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>> we are on the right path for the 21st century. neil: that was bill clinton and

then senator bob dole. this is a mother another democratic president. special counsel to the president, we were talking today in the newsroom, that could go both ways, the clinton speech? >> yes, but his speech will make it clear that his support is based upon policies and issues that barack obama stands for, that bill clinton stands for, starting with national health care. remember, he thought that that entailed and barack obama succeeded. now, i haven't heard about president clinton talking about policies and issues, he respectfully disagree with mitt romney on. neil: do you know if clinton had

showed obama his speech? >> i would be surprised if they were not aware of what is on the text. i would be surprised if president clinton did not little little bit. neil: so clinton does whatever he wants? >> i think he is committed to making this an effective speech. i haven't talked to him. i think he genuinely leaves that mitt romney's policies are better than -- not better than obama's. neil: honestly, this is about issues and ideas. neil: but it was also a nasty campaign. all this stuff has come to light. i know people who are long dead that we can't verify, but it sounds like bill clinton -- >> no, no -- in a million years come he would never say that,. neil: would he ever say this guy

should be getting a copy? >> he says something to somebody in the new yorker publishes it, it's impossible to bill clinton never do that. >> is it built over jealousy? >> i'm telling you, the policies are what brings clinton to the podium tomorrow night. he doesn't like the nastiness. he admires mitt romney,. neil: the white house sort of dialed him back. >> you're right about that. well, come back to the politics of decent debate and get out of this negativity. negative character attacks, which is not bill clinton. i think just barack obama listens to that part of the

message and endorses simpson-bowles, i think he will win reelection. >> i think you'll start to talk, i hope come along the lines of this 16 trillion-dollar national debt. he has to address this. neil: all of you ivy league guys stick together. thank you very much. he is right in this respect. this is what this whole convention comes down to. making a coherent counter to the republican charges last week. that this type of policy is not going in the right direction. it is not generating the number of jobs or interest or enthusiasm. it shows that 52% of americans believe the economy is on the wrong track and not the right track and there are a number of americans who believed that this is not their friend.

it is never fair to blame the president of united states for all goes wrong in the country, but people talk about things when things are going right. one of my favorite guests on this show, the powerful congressman from the state of pennsylvania, he and his beautiful wife, ask her how she puts up with him. very good to have you. >> it's good to be here, neil. >> all right, we have the 60 trillion-dollar debt news today. no one has mentioned it. why not? >> first of all because it's not new. it's not news because when the debt ceiling increase went on and we covered it, they love the debt ceiling of the country to rise to this number. everybody knew this number would come and would pass through the election before the matters were resolved without what is referred to -- neil: there's enough blame to go

round. it is a milestone. not to address it seems we are. >> we can't major in the minors. the truth is we have the wealthiest country in the world, we have the most powerful economy. we will trade all about him, but we don't want to -- we don't want to have any mortgage on our home. the question is how are we going to pay for it. we have the ability to pay for it. we can either cut spending or raise taxes or be like every bipartisan effort and do a little bit of both. neil: do get worried when you see b-schools about people who are not optimistic for the future, the president as is dead even with mitt romney in florida and ohio, these are states -- the president is lucky if he has

a lead. >> every time i look at the electoral college board, it shows us in advance. i hear particularly from fox, i don't think so. [talking over each other] [talking over each other] neil: is it fair to say, [inaudible] >> first and foremost, the president and mitt romney will refine the election day. the real question is the country we are living in. neil: but if you lose come and i know you don't envision it -- i have some people that say it would be a tremendous disappointment. is that fair? >> there have been some people worried about whether or not we can fill a stadium. barack obama has a much better chance to win in this election than he ever had of becoming the nominee. of our party four years ago.

neil: what's coming up in the surveys is that the president, he blew valuable time and oxygen on it and now there is this mess. >> maybe we could get to the point where we win the election, we talk about what democrats are actually doing to her country forward. neil: when i went after president bush -- [talking over each other] i think you are fair, but there is a tendency to see the glass as half empty -- [talking over each other] [talking over each other] neil: i don't see it. i don't see it. i see it as green.

>> he promised to go in to a border of a sovereign nation to do it. even though he was criticized by john mccain and members of his own party for saying that. he went and he ordered it to be done. he has moved our economy from losing jobs to gaining jobs but. neil: well -- [talking over each other] [talking over each other] >> so here we are. you just see the glass is half-full or half-empty. i see it as half full. i think that the country, the compass is pointing in the right direction. neil: do you think he deserves to be reelected with his performance? >> i think he has been an extraordinary president and not only deserves that, it, but the american people almost always get it right. neil: we will be sitting here? >> we will be sitting here on election night, me and you.

>> i think it's going to be close, one way or the other. neil: you do? >> it's not. the american people are going to sit with the president going forward. you don't see mitt romney running any ads in massachusetts. neil: we have sheila jackson lee coming out. we will hear from the maryland governor, the guy that was saying that we are better off than we were four years ago. most in this room are making the argument that thanks to this president, we are better off. and we were four years ago. a week after republicans were saying we were sought. fair and balanced, we will have more into this coming up next

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ripping out the news today that the data clips $16 trillion. the republicans had that clock at their convention last week. the democrats don't have any such thing. many democrats saying that they think it was a kabuki theater at that. sheila jackson lee doing it now. >> nobody is happening with the growing debt. but what we are happy with is the president -- president of barack obama who is sensitive and sympathetic enough, smart enough and focused enough on the economy to understand that the a continuation of the bush tax cuts along with the mitt romney and paul ryan plan, which is to enormously cut discretionary spending, in order to move up out of the 16 trillion-dollar debt, which was created before the president, you have to invest --

neil: wait a minute. you could argue that maybe $11 trillion was treated under the president. >> let me explain that. obviously, the debt continues. and it continues for several reasons. we have to turn wall street right-center. it collapsed. we had to turn auto industry that was completely flat, and mitt romney said let it go bankrupt, into a driving industry which has repeated that. i'm glad about that. but. neil: what you mean that mitt romney's opposition to the bailout -- that he is slightly ahead in michigan are at ground zero of the bailout. >> we are going to have a tough fight in michigan. i'm not ready to give up the. neil: you would think that everyone there would think barack obama would be treated like jesus christ. >> what you have is a native son element. we understand that. but i believe that we are winnable in michigan and we are in play in michigan. the one with 52% of the people

in the country think that we are in the wrong direction. we are not as optimistic. if i was the president, the incumbent president, i would be worried. >> those numbers are always something to work harder on. i'm only worried that we get our story out. once the story is told, once president obama takes to that podium on thursday night and tells -- [talking over each other] neil: if he does the blaming bush thing -- it gets old. >> factual you have to tell the story. neil: doesn't get old? >> oohing forward -- [talking over each other] [talking over each other] >> you tell the going forward story. i will tell you, we have a wonderful story going forward. why are the republicans allowing the american jobs are to be passed? neil: they say that you are big spenders with reckless disregard for the deficit and the debt.

it's your chance to justify all that. >> the republicans are dead wrong. we are the party of way or americans have gotten her their opportunity. from fdr to president barack obama. americans have gotten an opportunity when democrats have been in office. we are ready to tell the story. one portly, we are ready to work and we are ready to show that my colleagues have been part of the obstruction, i hate to say, to moving america forward. [talking over each other] neil: joe biden made the same remark. the shackle and sheens comment. did you witness that? did you think of that was stupid? >> i said that we have politicians who are colorful and use colorful language. was i as as offended as todd akin they told me there is a legitimate rape and pillage and rape? absolutely not. because what i understand as that you will be held back.

lbj said in 1965 when he was moving forward, how do you expect someone to run a race if they have shackles on. i was not offended by that. i was not offended with vice president biden. neil: do you think he's nutty or crazy? >> i think he's a good guy with great sense of humor. we love joe biden. he's going to make a great partner in the reelection of president obama and joe biden. america is ready for a team that will move them forward. moving the debt down and move prosperity up. neil: congresswoman, i would be remiss. you were diagnosed with breast cancer. you made a brief acknowledgment about it. how does that feel and how were you doing? >> i'm glad to be a survivor. i will say to all women that there is hope with the new medical technologies and science. more importantly, my message is for women to take care and get your annual exam to examine

yourself and to go to preventative way. that is the best way to go. lou: maybe god was just afraid of you. [laughter] >> i think i for being able to give me this opportunity to serve the american people and the houston, texas, district for many years. neil: it's great to have you. when we come back, corporate interests are represented here. coming up next want to try to crack it? yeah, that's the way to do it!

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>> do you want to know whether or not we are better off? osama bin laden is dead and general motors is alive. osama bin laden is dead and general motors motors is alive. neil: you know, i think he is a gifted speaker. but just when he kept repeating that, i kept thinking about the scene from the exorcist. that was just me. joe biden, he really is in a nutshell, surviving this administration.

osama bin laden is dead and gm is alive. we have the carmax cofounder. good to have you, austin. a prominent player here. where would we be without the bailout? >> i don't call it a bailout. i talk about the restructuring. because when i think of a bailout. let me explain to the bailout is when you pour money into something. you may or may not do anything. what makes this a restructuring is they didn't just put money into it, they went in and they took out management company put new management in place. neil: why could they have not done that in a bankruptcy? >> somebody had them take charge and make that work. they didn't go to a bankruptcy. but no one would've been charged of a replacement. a bankruptcy judge is not going to do that. neil: bankruptcy was not the

option. when mitt romney says that would be a more accessible option, you say no? >> mitt romney doesn't know what he's talking about. it's absolutely untrue. neil: it's ironic that we did the thing he advocated. he laid off a lot of workers. the only difference. >> the management at general motors, which is run by a private equity firm, they were putting money in. a bankruptcy court is not going to take charge and put new management in. that can dynamically restructure everything. neil: do think that was offered a good? >> i don't think it was all for that. i absolutely know is all for the good. neil: it seems like a slippery slope that bondholders like the back of the line, it was the president of the united states firing the ceo. it has a bad nature to it. >> about once every 70 or 80 years and have a glass of the largest industrial companies of

united states come you have to do some different things. it is one of the things that barack obama does. auto sales are up 50% since the restructuring. it has been one of the restructures in the economy. we have your member that auto sales are 20% of all retail sales. if you talk about a domino like collapse, first, gm, which would've pulled down the auto supply companies, that is what everyone else has been worried about. then the auto dealers, the aftermarket, all of that, we are talking about that and more. anyone in the auto industry would say that we were right on the edge of the abyss. neil: but there were other countries and companies like ford -- [talking over each other] [talking over each other] >> you misunderstand. all of those companies that if you let jim go down, that will crush the supply industry and automotive.

this president has a much better economic story than people appreciate. one of the things that go with it, as i talked about, the auto finance restructuring, where those of us like nissan, toyota, ford, they have great auto portfolios, the bush administration tried to fix it. the obama folks were stuck with it and they got it done in the credits started flowing for consumers again. neil: why are there not more guys like you hear? >> most business guys come as you know, i'm retired. and i'm no longer active at carmax. most guys don't want to get involved in politics because we have tea party customers and liberal hippie customers. neil: a lot of them were there last week. >> may have been true that most people don't want to do that. neil: you are right about that. awesome, thank you so much, it's great to talk to you. when we come back, jesse

jackson. saying that this president isn't given enough credit for the economy. the reverend jesse jackson says that he is the guy that preaches. jesse preaching next

neil: welcome, everyone. to the democratic national convention. the guy up on the stage right now is lincoln chafee. a democrat, he was one of the liberal republicans who switched sides. his father was a lifelong senator. always a liberal. this is the guy who just switched parties. lincoln chafee speaking.

speaking about those who have been disadvantaged and abused by the republican party. a notion that my next guests agrees with, the reverend jesse jackson. reverend, good to have you. >> he kept hope alive. neil: we could quibble about that, i guess. there are a lot of people that cross over. >> birder >> birder davis. >> that was a kind of realignment. neil: do you worry that businesses were dramatically represented here? there are some like the tarmac ceo that i just chatted with.

austin ligon. nothing like the republicans. they made a point in making it so with her speaker roster. >> at the end of the day, business and labor must -- neil: the later part of the problem? >> no, people working and raising benefits are part of the solution. neil: a lot of public-sector workers here, taxpayers -- [talking over each other] >> we need business and labor to find common ground. we need both. [talking over each other] [talking over each other] >> the radical pole position is not good for the country. businesses need to make profits and workers need to make wages. neil: do you think barack obama has perpetuated that? >> i do not. i do not believe that. because we see so many working people working more, longer, making lesser benefits.

neil: when he goes after private capital, do you think that's fair or accurate or right? [inaudible] for the president bring them in, there's nothing evil about it. [talking over each other] [talking over each other] >> these banks with the glass-steagall act, they took off, they went over a cliff. we had the bailout the banks to salvage the economy. breaking must have a more responsible role of. neil: we have this thing called the community reinvestment act. things can be blamed for a lot of things. but it was a portion that bill clinton had at the time -- to extend and heighten lending. did we go too far? and that we actually help the banks? >> we circumvented and engaged in some prime lending and --

neil: congress was not to blame? >> to the extent that they were the oversight -- than they were to blame. we bailout events. the homeowners have not been to about. neil: let me tell you what the new financial reform, daughter-in-law -- do you think that if we ever had a bank of america -- where at the bank of america stadium -- do you believe that it could go? you believe that? >> you cannot survive oversight and monitoring. nothing should be too big to fail. neil: do you really think that washington would turn its back and let it fill? >> well, not if its failure to many people. neil: that was supposed to

start, right? >> that the delicate balance between making a judgment based upon the global economy at that time. neil: are you worried that it led to a slippery slope? >> no, i do not. [inaudible] gm is number one again. they are making cars again. the government has a role development and labor and business to . neil: fair enough. i mention this with you the other day. you can make a very good argument that barack obama would not be where he is today without jesse jackson paving the way. neil: i played a role, but i would not be where i was. it is all connected. neil: but you made a very credible run for the nomination. you electrified a convention crowd in 1984.

>> somewhere along the way. our member barack obama one time, if he was a student in the audience in colombia when i was there. he said this could happen. somewhere along the way, i planted some seeds. neil: do you have me to blame? is that what you're thinking? >> you have me to thank. [laughter] i want barack obama reelected. a. neil: when we come back from a view from the republicans. a prominent governor from a wonderful state of oklahoma. she's coming up next after this looking for a better place to put your cash? here's one you may not have thought of -- fidelity. now you don't have to go to a bank to get the things you want from a bank, like no-fee atms, all over the world. free checkwriting and mobile deposits. now depositing a check is as easy as taking a picture.

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why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no.

if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally. neil: welcome back. this is the sixth speaker. saying that the health care law has made her family and children better. this is one of the more consistent themes i've seen out of this convention convention since it started going up 5:00 p.m. eastern time. this has been promoted in films and videos, helping us women and

families. supporting people in this country, not only health care, but saving lives. it is a counter to the republican attack that it is a waste of money and mitt romney wants to dismantle it piece by piece should he become president. i don't know how this next young lady snuck in there, but she did. the very recognizable governor, mary fallin, the fine state of oklahoma. she is a republican. we are striving to understand how she got in here, but we are very delighted. governor, we were talking to a week ago. >> yes, we were just a week ago together. neil: you hear that this president provided this health care plan and it opened up hearts and minds. republicans think what? >> it has been interesting to listen and hear all the speakers. i think what americans understand is that we have lost some of our power and our decisions of our health care. like what they are saying tonight, in fact, our choices are going to be limited. because now there is not a

doctor patient relationship. there is a federal bureaucracy between us where panelists will be telling us what kind of health care we can get, how much we will get, and when we will get it. back in oklahoma, i am having to make decisions because the federal health care law. neil: you have to set these exchanges. >> we haven't done any yet. we are hoping that there is going to be a change in november. neil: but the law requires that eventually you have to develop this. let's say mitt romney is elected. if you don't take the senate and this puppy is cement -- it's not going to go away? >> it is a federal law. but i'm holding out hope. as i believe many americans are. i know oklahoma is. [talking over each other] neil: i understand where you're coming from. but democrats could arrue with stories like that, almost like norman rockwell, look at all the good it has done in the kids that are protected. look at the young families that have hope. it reads like a commercial.

>> it is an interesting story. the reality of it is the health care law -- obamacare, takes where individual rights. it is going to hurt the economy. it is going to hurt our state budget in oklahoma. we had that happen. when you take away people's choices and relationships between doctors and patients, it is not good. there were some good things in obamacare. keeping your children on until they are 26 years old. neil: by the way, that is debatable if that is useful, by the way, governor. >> but i have a child that is on my insurance. neil: there is a lot you would like to say, but some of the more onerous requirements you'd like to disregard. but that would require the senate majority, right? >> it would. i am optimistic when i pick the

prediction that we will pick up seats in the senate as well. neil: health care is health care is a big theme. also the auto rescue. the stimulus. those big names. to the governor's point, that a lot of the rescues and bailouts and some of the themes that have helped a lot of people, even though it has a lot of expense, or being justified by this party. far from shying away from it and calling it a waste of money. this is the party that has been saying a lot of good has come of that. this is something that can't be lost of people. this is all to america's good. when i see very early on our great interest. is how democrats are running away from the spending. already, early on in this convention, health care is seen as a virtue, not a vice.

stimulus is money well spent, not just a big old black hole. there does seem to be this prevailing theme here. what democrats did when i first stepped in, we would be worse off. that will be the debate of the election. bill richardson, the secretary of energy under bill clinton says bring it on. good to have you, sir. >> nice to be with you. so they are trying to make a virtue of what seems to be at least a weakness. and that is that all the spending has done a lot of good? a lot of americans seem to think that it barely moves the needle. who is right? >> president obama is right. neil: a very political answer. >> i'm a former governor. the stimulus that came into my state, creating green jobs and stimulus jobs, saving teachers and firefighters -- that was the necessity at that time.

we were losing 900,000 jobs per month. since then, there has been about 4.2 million private-sector jobs unemployment has gone down. look, the economy is going to decide this election. but i think this is a progrowth presidential candidate. president obama. [cheers] [cheers] [talking over each other] >> i think the president is going to outline in this speech when he wants to do in the next four years. neil: he has had four years to prove the point. >> no, but i think he needs a second term to realize. neil: we haven't got a lot for of reporters. >> the american people like him. the american people trust him. the american people --

neil: a lot of people like me but they wouldn't want me running the country. what i'm saying is -- his electability thing overdone? he is a likable and commanding figure. a decent father, a very good human being. the republicans say he's a fake and economic putting. >> this convention and what this president wants to do is bring the country together. he wants to be positive. [talking over each other] neil: well, but why does he have to -- [inaudible] he has to say incomplete when you ask the question if we are better off than four years ago. >> bill richardson says we are a lot better off than we were four years ago we won do you think it would work in a debate? >> yes, absolutely. i think it will be proven by the energy plan he announces, the immigration reform plan,

technology, education, immigration, i think you'll see this president enveloped in the agenda. neil: giving him a good path in the back and and the honey? >> bill clinton is the progrowth dog's budget president. [talking over each other] [talking over each other] >> he does like him. he doesn't like me. [laughter] neil: all right, governor. they do so much. all the best year. we have peter barnes on the floor far from running away these issues. reporter: we want to talk about the vice chair of the loaded delegation. we are hearing about a lot of

the issues here from the speakers tonight. health care, governor script and trent strickland, ohio talked about that, democrats don't seee running away from these issues tonight in this campaign. >> we are not. we are not running away this time. we are going to face it head on. we actually have those issues solved. it's just that we can never put them in action. we were never able to help the president because all of these things -- yes, we are going to meet them all head-on. >> what about the ground in florida. are you putting it together? getting out the vote on election day? >> day? >> yes, and we have the issue with the voter suppression. the things that we brought in, the rules and regulations.

reporter: neil, vacuo. neil: they are embracing a lot of the spending and a lot of the government facts. we are minutes away from talking with kathleen sebelius, money well spent and not money wasted come, a point that will be echoed by martin o'malley. remember that he got himself in a bit of a pickle for trying to justify whether we really were better off than we were four years ago. early this morning he had not really in and he said well, i don't know. he will be capped off by michele obama. david walker joins because he

the incident last week in tampa. former u.s. general. >> we are in a 70 trillion-dollar hole. we have unfunded pensions and health care. unfunded social security, unfunded medicare. the range of other commitments and contingencies. it is over $70 trillion. neil: which party has the better plan to do that? >> it will be interesting to see how barack obama embraces simpson-bowles or that he hasn't yet, but if he does, that could be a game changer.

there is one serious problem in one moderate problem. the series problem is that if you don't effectively deal with health care costs, you don't solve the problem. neil: who better than kathleen sebelius to help you. >> he is a happy beneficiary to bring happy quality health care to every senior citizen. president obama is building on that legacy. by bringing quality and secure health care to every american.

obamacare is a badge of honor. because no matter who you are, what stage of life you are in, this law is a good thing. first, if you already have insurance that you like, you can keep it. insurance companies can no longer misused the funds. neil: neil: she called it a good thing. welcome back. >> we needed health health care reform. here is the problem. we had already overpromised and we made more promises. we did not effectively control costs. the affordable care act is going to cost vashem director sitting down, $12 trillion higher. we cannot expand coverage and reducing costs. it is an oxymoron. no matter who is elected, we are going to have to be honest with

the american people. we need to rationalize their promises, establish a budget, like every other major industrialized country. >> i didn't hear much of the republicans last week. >> that is a fair statement. here's one of the demagoguery is going on. the president obama and governor romney and brian want to basically reduce medicare costs about the same over time. what is happening in europe can't happen here. we are not exempt from the loss of finance. we are not an island in any way. neil: do think americans are ready for what you just said? >> when they know the facts, when they hear the truth, when they understand the adverse

consequences -- our standard of living at home, opportunities for our children, the domestic tranquility and even our national security. they get it. neil: david walker, do you agree or disagree? he does make you think because he does know the numbers. the obama campaign chairman. coming up shortly. just letting you know what we're were looking at shortly, david pointed out, this is early on a key way to characterize this convention. one is justifying spending we have seen. republicans, of course say just the opposite. that spending has made the situation worse. not better. so now you have kathleen sebelius from the help and human services secretary saying that

it's a good thing. others looking at this and saying that we are not so sure. democrats are far from good. as a result, the world economy. again, this will come down to the role of government. more specifically, how they governments should be. at the time necessitated some years back, we get vague and daring. and that is the footprint and the final mark of democrats. we have a former secretary of transportation. good to have you. >> good to see you again. i didn't know it's a big deal. neil: you have people. anytime you have people it's a big deal.

is that a risky strategy? >> the president proposed a 4 trillion-dollar proposal would speaker boehner to reduce the deficit very significantly. as we all know, it fell apart a year ago. that has always been the president strategy. it took us to turn his. neil: this president has actually made it worse? >> it is odd to hear people, and there might be very good reasons for it, but the spending was justified. doesn't that rest at the doorstep of the president? >> well, i would like to remind people that what we have done in the last four years. remember, -- neil: the president has done a good job of that. >> no, no, it's a question --

it's always ask, are we better off? and i argue that we are better off. neil: you think most americans agree with that? >> i think most understand that and they remember when housing prices were going down. neil: they are not going to use that as a bumper sticker. >> no, but housing prices are stabilizing. banks are lending again. we are now creating jobs. things are getting better. i would argue that strongly and strong then i will argue that the next few months. neil: why are there so many white house officials and operatives that seemed to trip over this phrasing. yes, if you include this or that. you either argue it or not. neil: i believe we are. neil: so we should embrace this, you say that the president is better than mitt romney -- are you kidding me? >> i like for mitt romney to go to the jugular on that one. the president has a great record and he will remind the american people why we are better off. this is a president who will try to do a big deal. a 4 trillion-dollar reduction in our deficit.

getting the republicans in the house to go along with her that she tried. neil: [inaudible] it is still new under his plan. it is still new under paul ryan's plan. but just spending the growth of our debt -- will we ever get together on cutting a? >> i think the american people are going to put a lot of pressure on the next congress. neil: what about republicans, to? everyone ignores it. >> that's going on. the american people are fed up with washington not working. they are going to have to meet me halfway. the american people accept that. it is up to both sides i believe there's going to be a lot of pressure. the poll numbers on the congress are the worst ever. so there is a lot of pressure on them also to get this job done. i am proud of this record. we can run on us. we can't wait for the first of the month. neil: thank you very much.

federico pena. rahm emanuel is addressing the troops right now. >> i want to tell you what i saw up close. while serving our president in a time of crisis. about the values and the voices he listens to. when president obama entered the white house, the economy was in a freefall. the auto industry on its back. the banks are frozen out. more than 4 million americans have already lost their jobs. americans bravest, men and women in uniform, were fighting for what would soon be the longest war in our history. you remember the uncertainty and the fear that seizes our country. on that first day, i sent

mr. president, which presents he wants to tackle first. he looked me in the eye with the low-key reserves for his chief of staff. , we were sent here to check all of them. there was no blueprint for fixing the global financial meltdown and auto crisis, two wars and great recession all at the same time. believe me, if there would've been, i would've done it. each crisis was so dangerous, any one of them would have defined another presidency. we faced a once in a generation moment in american history. fortunately, for all of us, we have a once in a generation president. [cheers] [applause] neil: you are watching rahm emanuel. i might have misidentified him,

barack obama's former chief of staff -- if i said that been, well, wrong. he is now the mayor of chicago. a little controversy. that's why he is here in the first place. there have been a number of violent uprisings and demonstrations in chicago. he took 50 of the finest here to help with personnel and law enforcement in the city of charlotte, north carolina. he took a lot of heat for that. he is a good friend of the presidents and a former chief of staff of the president. so he can walk and talk and chew gum at the same time. we are going to monitor how a certain guy who sort of a focal point of criticism response to that criticism. grover norquist. you remember him? harry reid ripped him a new one today. you heard what harry reid said. now, grover norquist response here and only here.

ally bank. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent.

nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

>> we must stop the tea party before the united states senate falls into the hands of extremists and ideologues who leave no room for reason or compromise who don't recognize common ground even when they are standing on it. [applause] and if they will stand up to of rush limbaugh or grover norquist , what would make anyone think they would stand up for you?

[applause] neil: well, you know you made when you come -- become the embodiment of evil. grover norquist on the phone with us. what did you think of that? >> well, harry reid is sort of my promoter, my pr agent. he certainly keeps my name out there. interestingly enough, i think the american people are focused on the fact that harry reid runs the senate, and they have not written or passed a budget for three years. and he has run in a very left-of-center partisan manner. so for him to criticize other people for being partisan does not pass the last test. neil: you know, grover, it is interesting. very early in this convention, and i'm no expert, but i can see , they're not running away from this spending. how it's all justified. paying rich dividends. so far from hiding from it,

they're bragging about it. maybe they're reading from a different survey. >> they're speaking to their constituency. the constituency of obama and emanu-el of the people who got those $5 trillion that we now have to spend. they don't view that. the view that as what they got. they're cut, they're big. so they're very happy to raising taxes. bill leaders of the democratic party, the special interests, spending interests the support and finance it love of that money. mom you and i don't see that. the people in the audience are going to make, that's income. that's not a problem. neil: they're not shying away from it. grover norquist, americans for tax reform. he might be an outgoing

congressman, but behind me, he attacks the crowd. brown live because they knew was coming out. i somehow doubt that. ohio congressman dennis fitzsimmons plant -- joins me now. you are among those who say we should not hide from our spending. we should embrace it because it is money well spent. in fact how we should be doing more of it. >> it all depends on what you talk about spending money on. worse, no, and pakistan, yemen, somalia, iraq, afghanistan, iran, no. infrastructure, yes. making sure that america it creates jobs, yes. tax cuts for people at the top one know. the trade deficit, no. are not for spending money on anything. i want to rebuild america. take care of things that tom. neil: this idea of rebuilding america, you and i have had it out on this issue before.

highway tolls and surtaxes and excise taxes and gasoline taxes, you would think all of our roads would be paved with gold, and get it does not happen that way. maybe it's money well intended, but i don't know whether we need our own lockbox toolbox, but it is not going for the intention, the private sector. >> take $2 trillion to bring our infrastructure. neil: the say you're right. who is passing this money away. >> not that it is being spent in a way that it shouldn't. neil: i don't think it is going to the right people. >> we need to have an investment in carper structure. government is to spend money to rebuild. it is an investment in america, and it creates millions of new jobs. that's how we will get america. neil: we have not created millions. >> that was not for an infrastructure. only a few hundred billion. excuse me. there was money for a number structure, only a fraction of the money that was in the stimulus.

a lot of it went for public needed to keep it on the payroll. we need not just the public economy bring america back. neil: building roads and bridges going to help laid-off workers at at&t are in the high-tech community, those who have no skills in this area. >> actually, high-tech is needed for design for engineering, all these infrastructure projects. neil: $200,000 a year nba get laid off. what is he going to do? >> there has to be room for that person in this economy. neil: it's not happening in. >> america has to regain the lead in technology. trade laws have to be changed. china is eating our lunch. china in order for boeing to get into the chinese market, boeing had to give up some of its prototypes for new aircraft. neil: congressman to what part abroad don't you understand. what part of, we have. [indiscernible] don't you understand?

>> i tell you the kind of broke i do understand. $6 trillion wasted on war, either now or in the present. i understand over a trillion dollars in tax cuts, we didn't have the money. $600 billion trade deficit, more than a third of which is with china and china does not have the same respect for democracy or respects human rights. neil: do you think, the best of intentions, these people are whipping up their own funeral? flapping and singing and rejoicing about spending and doing more of it. in this convention. they are at that -- out of sync with americans who wonder whether the spending has been market. >> democrats are americans. they're good americans. neil: cooler? >> all americans know we are in an economic bind right now. let's face it. we have to million people out of work. neil: americas surveys say overspending is a waste of time. >> it all depends.

if you ask them about what kind of spending, we have to go deeper. ask him if it was worth it, i think most americans would say no way. well, the award winning nobel prize-winning economist, cost over $3 trillion. what are we doing with our policy? was to care of things that count. if you ask the american people if we should take care of things at home, create jobs, have health care for all. neil: so you're only be for this president is that he did not spend enough? >> no. i have disagreements with the president, no question about it. neil: by the way, he left you on the altar. he did not do anything. >> i'm self-sufficient. i will say that and this about our country. neil: you bent over backwards for him. time to return the favor. >> you know what, the needs of this country are more important than one congressman. neil: really? he left you. >> i don't even think of it. >> you know what's --

neil: let me. he abandoned you. >> no, and self-sufficient, and i am proud to have served in the congress. i have a job until january 2nd also to the best of my ability. i've been in the best, make sure there is somebody calls for jobs neil: you never wavered, never done the politically expedient thing. convictions. very true. >> if we agreed this would be the end. neil: terrorism and, thank you very, very much. there is a reason why you are widely respected way outside this room. tennis kucinich. when we come back, the view from of former florida governor who was to reach out to the president, but in a very different way and for a very different thing. former alabama governor is next. with the spark miles card from capital one,

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solutionism. the new optimis ♪ neil: all right. back to the convention here in charlotte, and an unusual guest for you right now. i don't know whether he is persona non grata. the former democratic governor of the fine state of alabama who in a little more than a week

will be going to jail if he can't afford the president to retrieve them on a charge that the was embezzling more bribing officials with money that he never got, and it's along sorted story. the great corporation. that was then. but in order to make a charge of bribery, you have to find a suitcase full of money or the guy walking off with it. the governor, neither case. and, in fact, scores of attorneys general from around the country say we have to have a standard on much constitutes a political donation versus a bride. they said that it was unfair that the court really had not recognize that there was a standard and that penalizing and going after him was unfair. nevertheless, still looking and going back to jail for crimes he might not have committed, but more to the point to my crime does not even been adequately defined. on that level alone it is

complicated, if not unfair. >> thank you. i'm glad to be here. neil: you wanted to meet with the president. a pardon. does it look good? >> well, the delegates are here for reelection. i'm here seeking my freedom. as you mentioned, and less than a week ago to present. something that has never been considered a crime in america. attorneys general, even george wills pled with the u.s. supreme court to take my case because of the legal standard which you mentioned which gives prosecutors unprecedented latitude if they can change their target and some people to prison. neil: what worries me about this case, governor, i want to bring people up to speed, when a political donation becomes a bribe. you say you never took a bribe. a nation, never getting into any favoritism or anything that would benefit your he. but is as slippery and use --

loose stepped. >> well, it is in my case. i think i find myself to be the only person ever sent to prison on bribery where there was no self in richmond scheme where i was trying to up raise money for an issue advocacy campaign to send kids to college for free. the government never alleged that i put a single penny in my pocket, and the board on which the ceo executive was first appointed to was his 12th year. i was the fourth governor to appoint this man to the same board. neither here nor -- neither he nor i benefited. neil: you know what annoys me nor, the fact that you in the year of record donations to both campaigns, to anyone making a large donation, since it is have they been gray area and really in the eyes of the judge you could go to jail. >> any of these bunglers, president obama who are here tonight and some of them hoping to be appointed as ambassadors could find themselves in body,

prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned under the same standard that they're sending me to present, even if there is no agreement said swap by contribution. neil: but this judge had it against you from the beginning. what i ask about this, how do you define a bribe? he saw whatever you were doing. is that right? we don't have a standard. normally to me i think, the money in a freezer. that is a bribe. that is pretty easy to track down. check out the cold $50 bills. none of that with you. so not only that. >> the 11th circuit court of appeals said there was no evidence of an expressed agreement. i was not convicted, and i am not going to prison under an expressed deal, an implicit deal, and asserted deal, but under that theory that the jury could imply from the

circumstances that there was a deal. so that is why george wells is so impassioned. there has got to be a better standard. neil: get a definition. good a definition. we'll watch closely. a very weird. neil: i want you to sign a petition to the president. neil: you will watch very closely. we will also be here from another former governor, no controversy here. governor gray davis. we get ready. we will also hear later on from michele obama's tonight. this party says, we really are the party of latinos and hispanics, and they're going to prove it not only in the ranks of the delegation, but it is picking up there tonight. we'll have more after this. ♪

♪ neil: welcome back to charlotte. it is so loud here. we were just showing a second ago. and we are expecting to hear from duval patrick, the massachusetts governor, very close friend of president barack obama. it has been a busy night. former governor michael dukakis on here, presidential candidate 1988. it was this man's first

convention back then. the massachusetts treasure, former dnc chairman as well. very good to have you. >> thank you. neil: you stand by and say the party should probably stand by unions. i assume you mean private and public, right? >> i have had a union shop in my family business for six years. never had to go to arbitration. in our business we prospered for 102 years, for generations to my two boys, because we had a partnership. when unions kraft partnership with the employer and treat each other fairly across the conference table in negotiations , things can work, but you need to reform it. neil: other reforming enough, even in the heavily democratic cities, california, san jose got that taxpayers say you have to rain this in. you have to rein these increases in. >> state treasurer. health care reform.

$175 million all over massachusetts. pension reform saving $5 billion to reduce our pension liability. unions did not love it, but they were partners in it. many of our relationship between unions and can talk to one another and make things work initiated deal that is okay for everybody in teachers' unions in massachusetts reforming in terms of teacher evaluations, bringing teacher evaluations into whether teachers can stay on the jobs is the kind of reform that can work, so i think it can work. maybe in other places it hasn't, but in my home state you will hear that it has. neil: you worry about -- this administration came with the term optics. the union presence, in announcing that's a bad thing, but it reinforces an image that republicans are pushing last week that you are a party beholden to unions. >> there has to be a balance. i am a private sector got. i came into office 20 months ago

tremendous number of private sector helping small businesses. don't forget, on this president's watch 150,000 small businesses that $80 billion of st a small business a master's in loans neil: why is he so unpopular with small businesses? >> he should not be. neil: a communication error? >> i think capital is frozen for small business in 2009. small businesses, even my own could not borrow money. what do we do? turnaround. credit has been unfrozen. i understand some of the issues and challenges the small business faces. too much regulation. let's of health insurance, but if we can make capitol available to small business to help them grow and create jobs, it has to be about private sector jobs. neil: thank you very, very much. speaking of massachusetts, duval

patrick, the governor of massachusetts. remember, a little controversy not too long ago. bain capital, a private capitol company. the white house rein him in a little bit. duval patrick, a promising and rising star in the democratic party speaking to delegates right now. >> more than any one candidate or policy was a stake is the american dream. that dream, the ability to imagine a better way for ourselves and our families, reach for it. that dream is essential to who we are and what we stand for as a nation. whether that dream indoors for another generation depends on you and me. it also depends on who leads this. in massachusetts we know mitt romney. by that time he left office

massachusetts was 47 and the nation in job creation during better economic times and household income and our state was declining. he cut education deeper than anywhere else in america. roads and bridges were crumbling. business taxes were up and business confidence was down. our clean energy potential was stalled, and we had a structural budget deficit. mitt romney talked a lot about all of the things he has fixed. i can tell you, massachusetts was not one of them. [applause] he is a fine fellow and a great salesman, but as governor he was a lot more interested in having the job than doing the job. [applause] so when i came to office we set

out on a different course. investing in ourselves and our future. today massachusetts leads the nation in economic competitiveness, a student achievement, health care coverage, life science and biotech and energy efficiency, and veteran service. today, today with the help of the abomination we will expand broadband access. today we're out of the deficit all we have achieved the highest maundering in our history. today with labor at the table we made the reform that our pension and benefit systems, our school, a transportation system and more that mr. romney only talked about. and today in massachusetts you can't marry whomever you love. [applause] neil: you are listening to

massachusetts governor, a close friend of the president, rising star and the democratic party. and he was an early critic of the attacks on bain capital, private capitol, not because mitt romney was a former governor, but he felt it was going to send the wrong message on the part of this ticket. new york mayor, also attacked the white house. the attack line. a rising star and his party. my special guest after this.

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♪ neil: all right. whipping up the crowd. he might have just found a way to nullify this argument about are you better off for years ago mentioning that in just the last two and a half years this president has added more jobs than george bush did in his entire eight years in office. a game of semantics in numbers and i grant you, but it is a rather colorful and imaginative way to frame this, are you better off. welcome back. i'm neil cavuto. honored to be joined by former california governor. we were mentioning, far from retreating from spending and big

government, during the break there, democrats may get a backbone here. be proud of what you're doing. be proud of this spending. to you think that's going to resonate? >> i think it is. because president obama was sharing another great depression right in the face. job growth, of the bailout, helping kids stay on their parents health insurance, doubling the pell grant, all that stuff get people opportunity in a very difficult time. he listed as out of the ditch. we are not where we wanted to be, but were going in the right direction, so we are better off than we were four years ago without a doubt. neil: that might be a tough sell. >> what is a tough sale is we need to do better. we are clearly better. neil: you are seeing it. i know what you are saying, and agreed. black-and-white. but i think it's going to be a tough sell to tell americans 52 percent of whom think things

are getting worse not better, six out of ten of whom said the spending did not yield nearly what they had hoped. calling it a waste. this crowd is very different from the american electorate. >> these are the true believers. neil: but are they? the graveyard? >> no. i believe president obama will win this election. it will be a close, tough, intense election, but he has done an awful lot to lead america out of the ditch, and we were in a world of hurt. neil: here is what -- governor, i think it could be risky if we go back into the george bush and the inherited nonsense bank. do you think it would get a little old. >> but people understand how we got here. neil: fine. then shut up. not you, but your one step away from blaming millard fillmore torre? >> look. -- neil: and by the way, not without blame. >> a couple of centuries ago. neil: but you can go back.

>> look. every president bills on the last. obama has done a lot of positive things to lift people up, give them more opportunity. neil: but governor -- >> and the best is yet to come. neil: you would freely admit your shortcomings even though there really were all your shortcomings. your shortcomings, even though the power grid failure. we will control. shortcomings. i could go on and on. in other words, you were very accepting of mutual responsibility for problems. in which you were unfairly targeted. this president -- he doesn't admit failure. anything wrong. anything, it's his execution. wrong. navistar well enough. well enough or things like that. room care about is whether there is hope in their lives are in whether they have a job. whether their kids can get a job. neil: they need to stop blaming

and taking responsibility. >> they want to know if life is getting better. neil: they care about blaming others, right? >> president obama has a very high likability factor. the bottom line is he is getting high marks for trying. neil: is this crowd in here like folks back home? there is a sense in that. it is hard to say who is right. this party is embracing a big government and not at all ashamed of it. after this [ male announcer ] at scottrade, we believe the more you know, the better you trade. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more.

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[ male announcer ] with the people who matter most. i love you grandpa! i love you grandma! now you're a real fisherman. [ male announcer ] humana. neil: all right. this is another one of the highly anticipated speakers. governor martin o'malley was caught in a bit of a dilemma over the weekend. when he was asked if we were better off four years ago he said no, and then he was asked about being better off during the bush years. then someone who talked to him said that yes, we are better off than we were. the governor explaining how better off we were. how democrats are moving forward. and the neanderthal republicans are going backwards. the governor of maryland. >> facts are facts.

no president since franklin delano roosevelt in the great depression inherited a worse economy. bigger job losses, or deeper problems from his predecessor. the president obama is moving america forward, not back. yet, mitt romney and paul ryan now say that they want to take america back. back to what? back to the failed policies that drove us into this deep recession. back to the days of record job losses. back to the days when insurance companies called being a woman a pre-existing condition. no, thank you. i don't want to go back. do you? instead of the balance, a plan to create jobs and reduce the deficit, mitt romney says --

neil: i'm going to take a leap year and said that the governor is it may be on mitt romney. can't be sure, but anytime the crowd in chants against the other guy, that is usually a telltale sign. i will say the democrats are not retreating from their initiatives or their spending or their health care stimulus. their policies on energy, the very thing that republicans said last week. democrats are embracing all the with all the gusto that they can this week. minneapolis saying good for them, just him and brought the house down when he was speaking not too long ago. >> democrats should be embracing the fact that we have a president who led us out of a crisis. and we need to keep moving forward. that means if you're an auto worker, you have a president who stuck his neck out. mitt romney was wrong, the president was right. >> why is michigan dead even?

you think the auto bailout would be praising the president and it is not. [talking over each other] neil: if you were championing this, you think the president would say -- >> we can go back and forth, but let's talk about the issues. the fact of the matter is the auto worker is better off. the college student who has billions want to go into college student loans is better off than under the bush administration and under mitt romney. neil: you would say four years ago, the first debate that comes up, the president should comfortably say you are better off? >> i would say absolutely because of a number of things. the auto workers are better off, the college students are better off, the middle class is better off. certainly better off than the romney and brian plan in the future. [talking over each other] [talking over each other]

neil: the numbers are not getting better, right. >> the country has long a long way to go. let's look at the facts. if you were on the titanic and the captain shoves you onto an iceberg and then someone gets you halfway to sure, you don't want to go back to the iceberg. the point is, george bush and the republican policies, romney-ryan in the cool crowd, could have hit an iceberg. the president put us in the lifeboat. we are happy to show it, but we shouldn't have to go back. neil: let's say you are actually right. we could quibble about this forever. americans get tired of the blame game. after 3.5 years, -- he met that's not the case now. the president takes responsibility. every night he puts his head on a pillow. neil: to me one thing he has

admitted to. >> let me finish my statement. when the president puts his head on the pillow, he has the global economy. neil: when has he -- >> let me finish. when he deals with these issues, he is taking responsibility for mortgages and everything else. neil: when has he said that? >> it's an absurd conversation. [talking over each other] [talking over each other] neil: it's a problem. look, if you buy something, you are free to blame the other guy. he met what is important say is that washington is a team. the president leave the team. it is 100% on his shoulders. i have to say also that we have had in washington that has had mitch mcconnell and other republicans say that in the middle of a crisis they're not going to help. they will try to bring down obama. neil: mayor, mayor, he had the run of the table. he had a democratic senate.

[talking over each other] >> end a filibuster rule that made it a lot tougher. let's look at baxter. when 9/11 happened, if i was the mayor, the president was not a president that supported. but when those planes hit the trade towers, we united as one people. when the same thing happened to the economy from the republicans said no, we will do virtually nothing for four years, stopping every jobs program. that is about responsibility. the president will take plenty of responsibility. neil: i know you feel differently. i have no agenda here. i am all green. i look at money. i criticize the bush bank bailouts and the original bush auto bailout. you don't think that's a slippery slope? >> we disagree on the auto bailout. you are looking at a mayor balances the budget. i am looking at the ryan budget that will bankrupt us. neil: you are not a fan of paul

ryan? >> he's a nice guy, but i don't think he is a truth teller because he gave a speech that is, you know, certainly not welcome. neil: agree to disagree. thank you very much, mayor. this is a democratic showcase of a rising star in the party, the brother of the san antonio mayor, who is going to be making the argument that democrats are indeed the party of latinos. the party of hopeful minorities. both brothers have been saying that they are not a party that just throws the speakers of its make it look like they are including a party of latinos. before the brother gets to the introduction of his san antonio speech, i have christian hammill joining us right now. how is this party doing?

they are fully embracing government? >> they are fully embracing government and they don't think that $16 trillion is a big deal when it comes to the debt that we have. i guess they are expecting a little bit more of it. neil: they said we need to get a backbone about spending. it is pretty unequivocal. >> i think that is what you see today. that is pretty much what they are saying. the government is here for us. the government is doing whatever we need. and we will spare no expense. neil: we are looking at the 16 trillion-dollar debt clock. that is okay. neil: >> that is okay. we had $16 trillion today. we saw an increase in spending and that doesn't seem to be a problem. neil: thank you very much. julian castro is the san antonio mayor. his brother just introduced him. this is one of the rising stars of the democratic party. a lot of people say that barack obama is 2004, this year william

julian castro is a rockstar. >> thank you. my fellow democrats, my fellow democrats and americans. my fellow texans. [cheers] [applause] i stand before you tonight as a young american, a proud american. of the generation born of the cold war receded, shaped by the tragedy of 9/11. connected by the digital revolution and determined to reelect the man who will make the 21st century another american century, president barack obama. [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [applause] >> the unlikely journey that brought me here tonight begin many miles from this podium. my brother and i grew up with our mother.

and my grandmother. victoria. my grandmother wasn't working. as a young girl, she had to leave her home in mexico and moved to an antonio were some people agreed to take her in. she never made it past the fourth grade. she had to drop out and start working to help her family. she spent her whole life working as a maid, cook, and a babysitter. barely scraping by, but still working hard to get my mother's only child a chance at life, so that my mother could give us an even better one. as my grandmother got older, she begged my mother to give her grandchildren. she prayed to god for just one grandbaby before she died. you can imagine her excitement when she found out that her prayers would be answered. twice over. she was so excited that the day before we were born, she won

$300. that is how she paid our hospital bills. by the time we came along, this incredible woman had taught herself to read and write in spanish and english. i can still see her in the room that we shared with her. reading her agatha christie novels late into the night. and i can still remember her every morning as we walked out the front door to school, making the sign of the cross behind her, saying, may god bless you. my grandmother did not live to see us begin our lives and public service. but she found it extraordinary that just two generations after she arrived in san antonio. one grandson would be the mayor and the other would be on his way, the good people of san antonio, to the united states congress. [cheers]

[applause] [cheers] [applause] my family's story is not special. what is special is the america that makes our story possible. ours is a nation like no other. a place where great journeys can be made in a single generation, no matter who you are or where you come from, the path is always forward. america didn't become the land of opportunity by accident. my grandmother's generation and generations before always saw beyond the horizons of their own lives and their own circumstances. they believed that opportunity created today will lead to prosperity tomorrow. that is the country that they envision, and that is the

country that they helped build. the roads and bridges that they built, the schools and universities they created. the rights that they fought for and won. these open the door to a decent job, a secure retirement, the chance for your children to do better than what you did. that is the middle class. the engine of the economic growth. with hard work, everybody ought to be able to get there. with hard work, everybody ought to be able to stay there. and also go beyond. the dream of raising a family in a place where hard work is rewarded is not unique to americans. it is a human dream. one that crawls across portions and borders. the dream is universal, but america makes it possible. our investment and opportunity makes it a reality. [cheers]

[applause] >> in texas, we believe in the rugged individual. texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps. we expect folks to pull themselves up by them. we also recognize that there are some things that we can't do alone. we have to come together and invest in opportunity today for prosperity tomorrow. [cheers] [applause] it starts with education. [cheers] [applause] twenty years ago we left for college and went to law school. in those classrooms, we met some of the brightest people in the world. but at the end of our days there, i couldn't help but think

back to my classmates at thomas jefferson high school in san antonio, texas. they had the same talent, the same brains come in the same dreams as the folks that we sat with at stanford and harvard. i realized the difference wasn't one of intelligence or drive. the difference was opportunity. [cheers] [applause] in my city of san antonio, we get that. so we are working to ensure that more for your old have access to pre-k. we opened a café college where students get help with everything from test preparation to financial aid paperwork. we know that you can't be pro-business unless you are pro-education. we know that free trade and student loans are not charity. they are a smart investment in workforce that can create the jobs of tomorrow.

we are investing in young minds today to be competitive in the global economy tomorrow. [applause] it is paying off. >> last year, the milken institute ranked san antonio as the nation's top performer in turn performing economy. opportunity today, prosperity tomorrow. [cheers] [applause] like many of you, i watched last week's republican convention. and they told a few stories of individual success. we all celebrate individual success. but the question is, how do we multiply that success. the answer is president barack obama. [cheers] [applause]

mitt romney, quite simply, doesn't get it. a few months ago, he visited a university in ohio and the students there a little entrepreneurial advice. start a business, he said. but how? borrow money, if you have to, from your parents, he told them. gee, why didn't i think of that? [cheers] [applause] >> some people are lucky enough to borrow money from their parents. but that should not determine whether you can pursue your dreams. not in america, not here, not in the 21st century. i don't think governor romney meant any harm. i think he is a good guy. i just think he has no idea how good he has had it.

we know that in our free-market economy, some will prosper more than others. what we don't expect is the idea that some folks won't even get a chance. and the thing is, mitt romney and the republican party are perfectly comfortable with that america. in fact, that is exactly what they are promising. it doesn't just cut public education and medicare and cut job training, it just doesn't pummel the middle class. it dismantles it. it dismantles what generations before have built ensure that everybody can enter and stay in the middle class. when it comes to getting the middle class back to work, mitt romney says no. when it comes to respecting women's rights, mitt romney says no. when it comes to letting people love who they love and marry who they want to marry, mitt romney says no. when it comes to expanding

access to good health care, mitt romney says noll. actually, -- [laughter] actually -- [cheers] [applause] >> actually, mitt romney said yes, and now he says, no. governor romney has undergone an extreme makeover. , and it ain't pretty. so here's what we are going to say to mitt romney in november. we are going to say now. of all the fictions we heard last week in tampa, the one i find most troubling is this. if we all just go our own way, our nation will be stronger for it.

because we sever the threads that connect us, the only people who will go forward or those who already are ahead. we all understand that freedom isn't free. what mitt romney infoline don't understand is we have to invest in opportunity. [cheers] [applause] republicans tell us that the most prosperous among us, somehow the rest of us will prosper too. folks, we have heard that before. first they called it a trickle down and the supply-side is it romney-ryan or ryan-romney? either way, it failed our economy failed, the middle class pay the price, you are family paid the price, mitt romney just doesn't get it. [cheers] [applause] [cheers]

[applause] but barack obama does get it. he understands that when we invest in people, we are investing in our shared prosperity. when we neglect our responsibility, we risk our promise as a nation. just a few years ago, families that had never asked for anything found themselves at risk of losing everything. the dream my grandmother held that work would be rewarded, that the middle class would be there, if not for her, then for her children, that dream would've been crushed. but then president obama took office and he took action. when detroit was in trouble, president obama saved the auto industry and saved 1 million jobs. [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [applause] seven presidents before him, republicans and democrats try to expand health care to all

americans. president obama got it done. [cheers] [applause] he made a historic investment to lift our nation's public schools and expanded pell grants so that her young people can afford college. because he knows we don't have an ounce of talent to waste, the president took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants. [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [applause] now it is time for congress to enshrine in law the right to pursue their dream in the only place that they have ever called home. america. [cheers] [applause] four years ago, america stood on the brink of the depression. fighting incredible odds. and uniting in republican opposition.

our president took action. now we have seen 4.5 million new jobs. he knows better than anyone that there is more hard work to do. but we are making progress, and now, we need to make a choice. it is a choice between a country where the middle class pays more and so the millionaires can pay less, were a country where everybody can pay their fair share. so we can reduce the deficit and create the jobs of the future. a nation that invests more in education. it is a choice between a politician who rewards companies that ship american jobs overseas , or one who brings them back home.

this is our choice that is clear, a choice and a man who has always chosen us. a man who already is our president, barack obama. [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] in the end, the american dream is not a sprint or a marathon. it's a relay. our families don't always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. each generation passes on to the next, the fruits of their labors. my grandmother never owned a

house. she cleaned other peoples houses people's houses so she could afford to rent her own. but she saw her daughter become the first in the family to graduate from college. and my mother fought hard for civil rights. so that instead of a mob, i can hold this microphone. [cheers] [applause] while she may be proud of me tonight, i have to tell you, i am even more proud of you, mom. [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [applause]

today my beautiful wife and i are the proud parents of a three year old little girl. named after my grandmother. a couple of mondays ago,, it was her first monday of pre-k. we walked out of the classroom after we dropped her off and i found myself whispering to her as was once whispered to me, may god bless you. [cheers] [applause] she is still young and her dreams are far off yet. but i hope she will meet them. as a father, our responsibility as a nation is to come together and do our part as one community.

one united states of america. to ensure opportunity for all of our children. the days we live in are not easy ones, but we have seen days like this before, and america prevailed. with the wisdom of our founders and the values of our families, america prevails. with each generation going further than the last, america prevailed. with the opportunity that we build today, were shared prosperity tomorrow, america will prevail. it begins with reelecting barack obama. it begins with you. it begins now. may god bless you. and may god bless the united states of america. thank you. neil: a democratic star was born tonight. hooley and castro, all of 37 years old. his 3-year-old starting school today has become an instant

rockstar, whether this is the kind that launches a career down the wrote, he had years to do it. whether you agree with his positions or not, he is a gifted speaker. what he was saying is that everyone needs a hand. >> well, i think it's a little bit different. what i have been waiting for here, and i think credibility campaign.com says were you going to do different if you are elected these next four years. and how are you going to be accountable for it? so it's not that everyone needs a hand, everyone needs the opportunity to be their own hand. neil: would you think of the way he said that mitt romney, he would've a good. >> i i think we need more of a -- instead of mocking one another -- mitt romney did the same thing.

there are some great personalities. what we need to hear is how can we not get handouts, how can we, as americans, move forward and get along with one another and create something? but i haven't heard that yet. here's what we're going to do. neil: they are embracing the government. >> is what can we do differently. it is what can we do differently. neil: would he think of the fact that they were embracing things and throttling down with it. the mayor put a very nice congenial charismatic face on it. >> i think it's kind of that they are good people. but you can only do so much each and every time. you have to do something different. we did get the results we wanted in america. i think that they should be doing it differently. with all due respect, having we be accountable for? are you going to put it in paper

and doing? were a personalities, wonderful people, happy people. what are we going to do separately? instead of just giving us four more years, were we going to do differently. neil: i want to bring on our next guest, they are doing a video on michele obama. this mayor put a nice face on the message. >> absolutely. the job of the first lady when she comes up in a few minutes is really not to get into the partisan battle. her job will be to talk about the president as a husband and a father and as the better candidate. the better advocate for the middle class. we saw the mayor taking the

burden off the first lady, captain paul ryan and revealing the president's record. neil: are you surprised that to the degree which we talked about this, that the party -- the very thing the republicans ripped them a new one on, the spending and whether -- but far from her tree from it, getting a backbone and embracing it? >> i don't think i have a choice. the president's record is the president's record. mitt romney -- he is highlighting it that every opportunity he has. the president has to embrace his own record. and try to run on it and get reelected on it and convince the voters that obviously that his plan for the future -- we keep hearing this about -- he needs to do more, he has more to do. we heard others talking about the future here.

so they are embracing the president's record because they can't run for it. but they are trying to convince voters to look towards the future. neil: it does give you a reminder of what republicans are up against. airy effective communicators, they could put a very nice face on the government and more spending. on health care. norman rockwell types, the good of the government. what do republicans do to respond that? >> i would just say, be accountable. here is what we will do. how we are going to do it. and if we are bold enough and he could go to a accountability campaign.com, saying here's what i'm going to do or tell you after one year why i can't do it, then i'm going to quit my job. i will either do it or it tell you i can't do it. and every year i will report you or i will quit because i like you. that is accountability. but no one wants to do that. they are capable of reducing the

deficit and letting america be free. the entrepreneurs say we are. they are capable but they are not doing it. i am just a little amazed. >> maybe they are embracing this as we are not done yet and don't give us the details on the debt when we are talking about green submissions. are americans feeling? >> i think america wants credibility and resolve. they want to know how we're going to reduce the debt. if they want to know why and how. america wants to know. i think many democrats want to know. we embrace you, but what are we going to do to reduce the debt and get more people back to work? were we going to do? i think that's what these people want to know. america wants to know that. i just don't seem to get it. maybe they will come up with that tomorrow or something. neil: michele obama filming a video here. we could take a sneak peek. but she is his number one secret weapon, isn't she?

>> she's a good lady and she should be. she supports her husband. a good wife and mom. these are very good people. but i want to see him embrace one another in support of america. do you think that the divisive nature of this campaign, the two parties are so far apart that one embraces the government and the other despises it and that there really is no middle ground. it has to be decided by the election. mark? >> they should be holding america together and not pulling them apart. that's not right. america should be pulled together. we, the people, the united states of america. hopefully we will hear more of that from both parties. neil: do you get a sense that business leaders think this president can right the ship order notwithstanding, it's just not connecting? >> i hear a lot of, you know, he should've done this but he didn't. i hear a lot of that. that's for sure. not that he didn't mean well, but unfortunately, not pulling

it off. that's what they need to come across with. what they're going to do, how they're going to do it, and what the end result is. this is the biggest thing showing that america is a government. those on both sides should be accountable, do it in writing and report to us why they couldn't do it. that is what america deserves. neil: it's a crazy concept. thank you very much. peter barnes, the secret weapon is michele obama. electability is something that the president has going for him, right? >> that's right. the president continues to make the likability factor over governor romney known. two to one. michele obama is the most popular political figure in the country right now.

we try tried to get some data points to confirm that, but she might be. neil: we shall see. peter, thank you very much. another woman that is the most important and popular representative of this administration. the president's wife. about to be introduced very shortly. michelle obama's moment to sing her hubby's praises. >> i'm not even a political person. but what i am is a military mom. [cheers] [applause] my husband and i are so proud of our five kids. one each in the army, navy, the air force, and the marines. [cheers] [applause]

our youngest is still in high school, and yes, we are all hoping that he will join the coast guard. they are mom's most precious treasures. i don't know where i'm going to get them together again, because one of them is always deployed. but because of doctor biden and the first lady, our lives are a little bit easier, along with president obama, they have made helping military families a top priority. they have brought together the american people, including thousands of businesses to become part of a nationwide support network. it is an honor and a respect in action. and it was this mother's heart. [cheers] [applause] last december, i rolled michele

obama christmas card. just a mother to mother note to say thank you for caring. the first lady not only read my letter, she invited my husband and i to the white house. [cheers] [applause] it was an amazing experience. what is even more amazing is knowing that our commander in chief and first lady are thinking about families like mine every single day. [applause] like i said, i am not a political person. but i am a mom. and if someone is there for my family and families like mine, then i will be there for them. [cheers] [applause] that is why i am so proud to introduce my fellow mom and first lady, michele obama.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> thank you. thank you so much.

[cheers] [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much with your help -- with your help. let me start. i want to start by taking the lane. thank you so much. we are so grateful for your family's service and sacrifice. and we will always have your back. [cheers] [applause] over the past few years, as first lady, i have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. everywhere i have gone and the people i have met in the stories i have heard, i have seen the

very best of the american spirit. i have seen it in the incredible kindness that people have shown. me and my family especially. i have seen it in teachers in a near bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay. i have seen it in people who become heroes at a moment notice. diving into harms way to save others, flying across the country to put out a fire. driving for hours to bail out levittown. i have seen it in our men and women in uniform and our proud military families are at and wounded warriors who tell me that they are not just going to walk again, they are going to run and they are going to run marathons. in the young man blinded by a bomb in afghanistan, he said simply that i give my eyes 100

times again to have the chance to do what i have done and what i can still do. everyday the people that i meet inspire me. every day they make me proud. every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth. [cheers] [applause] serving as your first lady is an honor and a privilege. but back when we first came together four years ago, i still had some concerns about this journey that we had begun. while i believe deeply in my husband's vision for this country, like any mother, i was worried about what it would mean for our girls that he got that chance. how would we keep them grounded under the glare of the national spotlight? >> how would they feel being uprooted from their school and their friends and the only home

they had ever known. our life before moving to washington was filled with simple joys. saturdays at soccer games. mondays at grandma's house. and to date night for brock and me with either dinner or a movie, because as an exhausted mother, i couldn't stay awake for both. the truth is, i loved the life i had built from our girls. and i deeply love the man that i had built that way. and i didn't want that to change if i -- if he became president. even when barack obama was a senator and a presidential candidate, to me, he was still the guy who picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out that i could actually see the pavement going by in a hole in the passenger's side

door. he was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table that he found in a dumpster. who's only parodies and shoes was a half size too small. when barack started telling me about his family, that is when i knew i had found a gingered spirit. someone who has values and upbringing that were so much like mine. barack and i were raised by families that didn't have much in the way of money or material possessions, but who had given us something far more valuable. they have given us their unconditional love. they're unflinching sacrifice. and the chance chance to go places they had ever imagined for themselves. my father was a pump operator at

the city water plan. he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when i was very young. even if the child, i knew there were plenty of days when he's in pain. and i knew there were plenty of warnings when it it was a struggle for him to simply get out of bed. but every morning, i watched my father wake up with a smile. grab his walker, propped himself up against the bathroom sink and slowly shave and but in his uniform. when he returned home after a long day's work, my brother and i would stand at the top of the stairs of her little apartment, patiently waiting to greet us, watching as he reached down to lift one leg and then the other to slowly climb his way into her arms. but despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of work. he and my mother were determined to give me and my brother the kind of education that they could only dream of. [cheers] [applause] when my brother and i finally

made it to college, nearly all of our tuition came from student loans and grants. in every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, even taking out loans when he fell short. he was so proud to be sending his kids to college, and he made sure that we never missed the registration deadline because his check was late. for my dad, that is what it meant to be a man. like so many of us. he made a decent living that allow them to support his family. as i got no barack, i realized that even though he had grown up all the way across the country, he had been brought up just like

me. barack was raised by a single mother who struggle to pay the bills. by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help. barack's grandmother started out as a secretary at a community bank. she moved quickly up and sent up the ranks. like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling. for years, there were men no more qualified than she was, then that she had trained, earned more and more money while barack's family have continued to scrape by. day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catch the bus, arriving at work before everybody else. giving her best without complaint or regret. and she would often tell barack so long as you kids do well, that is all that really matters. like so many american families, our families were not asking for much.

they didn't begrudge anyone else or care that others had much more than they did. in fact, they admired it. they simply believed in that fundamental american promise. but even if you don't start out with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do, you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and a better life for your kids and grandkids. that is how they raised us. [cheers] [applause] that is what we learned from their example. we learned about dignity and decency. but how hard you work matters then how much you make. helping others means more than getting ahead of yourself. we learned about honesty and integrity. but the truth matters. but you don't take shortcuts. or play by your own set of

rules. and it doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square. we learned about gratitude and humility. that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our schools clean. [cheers] [applause] we were taught to value everyone's contributions and treat everyone with respect. those are the values that barack and i in so many of you are trying to pass on to your own children. that is who we are. standing before you four years ago, i knew that i didn't want any of that change if barack became president. well, today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways that i never could have imagined, i have seen

firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are. no, it reveals who you are. [cheers] [applause] you see, i have gotten to see up close and personal well being president really looks like. and i have seen how the issues that come across the president's desk are always the hard ones. the problems where no amount of data or numbers will get you to the right answer. the judgment calls are so high, and there is no margin for error. as president, you're going to get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people. but at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision as president, all you had to guide you are your values and your vision and life experiences the life experiences that make you who you are.

[cheers] [applause] when it comes to rebuilding our economy, barack is thinking about his father and his grandmother. he is talking about the pride that comes along with hardware. that is why he signed the lilly ledbetter at that helps women get their paper fare war. that is why he says pathless for working families and small businesses. in part to fought to get the auto industry back on its feet. that is how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again. jobs that you can raise a family on. right here in the united states of america.

when it comes to the health of our family, barack refused to listen to all those folks who told them to leave health reform for another day. another president. he didn't care whether it was the easy thing to do politically. no, that's not how he was raised. he cared that was the right thing to do. [cheers] [applause] he did it because he believed that here in america, our grandparents should be able to afford their medicine. our kids should be able to see a doctor when they are sick, and no one in this country should ever go broke because of an accident or illness. [cheers] [applause] and he believed that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care. [cheers] [applause] that is what my husband stands

for. when it comes to giving our kids the education that they deserve, barack nose like me and so many of you, he never could have attended college without financial aid. believe it or not, when we were first married, are combined monthly student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage. yes, we were so young, so unloved. and so in debt. that is why barack has fought to increase student aid and keep interest rates down. because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt. in the end, for barack, these issues are not political. they are personal.

because barack knows what it means when a family struggles. he knows what it means to want something more for your children and grandchildren. barack knows the american dream because he has lived it. he wants everyone in this country, everyone, to have the same opportunity, no matter who we are or where we are from or what we look like or whom we love. [cheers] [applause] he believes that when you work hard and have done well, and you walk through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. no, you reach back and do give other folks the same chances that help you succeed. [cheers] [applause]

so when people ask me whether being in the white house has changed my husband, i can honestly say that when it comes to his character and his convictions and his heart, barack obama is still the same man that i fell in love with all those years ago. yes. he is the same man started his career by turning down high-paying jobs and instead working and struggling in neighborhoods where steel plants had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get back to work. for barack, it's not about how much money you make. it's about the difference you make in people's lives. [cheers] [applause]

he is the same man. he is the same man when her girls were first born, he would anxiously checked their cribs every few minutes to ensure that they were still breathing. , proudly showing them off to everyone that we knew. you see, that is the man who sits down with me and our girls for dinner nearly every single night. patiently answering questions about issues in the news. strategizing about middle school friendship. that is the man that i see in those quiet moments late at night. hunched over his desk and poring over the letters that people have sent him. the letter from the father struggling to pay his bills. from the woman dying of cancer

whose insurance company won't cover her care. from the young people with so much promise but so few opportunities, and i see the concern in his eyes. i hear the determination in his voice. as he tells me that you won't believe what these folks are going through. it's not right. we have to keep working to fix this. we have so much more to do. [cheers] [applause] i have seen how those stories. [cheers] [cheers] i have seen -- i have seen how those stories, our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams,

i have seen how that is what drives barack obama every single day. and i did not think that it was possible, but let me tell you today, i love my husband even more than i did four years ago, even more than i did 23 years ago when we first met. let me tell you why. i love that he has never forgotten how he got started. i love that we can trust barack to do what he's going to say he's going to do, especially when it's hard. i love that for barack, there is no such thing as us and them. he doesn't care whether you are a democrat or a republican were none of the above. he knows that we all love our country. he is always ready to listen to a good idea and looking for the very best in everyone he meets. i love that even in the toughest

moments, when we are all sweating it -- when we are worried that the bill won't pass and it seems like all is lost, barack never let himself get distracted by the chattering and noise. just like his grandmother. who just keeps getting up and moving forward with patience and wisdom. encourage and grace. [cheers] [applause] [cheers] [applause] curds and grace. he reminds me that we are playing a long game here. change is hard. it is slow and it never happens all at once. eventually, we get there. we always do. we get there because of folks like my dad and barack's grandmother. folks who say i may be and not