. >> let me ask you, madam chairlady, will this election be won or lost on the economy? what's the strongest message the democrats have? >> i think this election, reverend al, will be won by barack obama because he has taken our economy and focused on making sure that everyone in america has an opportunity to be successful. that we can set up the economy to be built to last. taking us from bleeding 750,000 jobs a month when he first took office to now three years later, we've had 22 straight months of job growth in the private sector. a resurgent manufacturing industry. created more jobs there since 1997. and we're pushing hard to make sure that when it comes to tax policy, there's no incentive for companies like there is now to offshore jobs to other countries. that we can manufacture things and create jobs here in america and make it in america. unlike republicans, the whole field tonight that you will hear continue to try to outright wing each other, ton focus on millionaires and billionaires and give people who are already doing well an opportunity to do even better.

you know, madam chairlady, when the early 1960's was there and i marched from selma to birmingham, alabama, it was 54 miles. but quite honestly, i don't know whether i've admitted this publicly or not, but i had no idea that i was going to march 54 miles. i thought i could go down, have my picture taken and come back and say i was with andy young and john lewis and ralph bunch and dr. king. but somehow i got caught up in it and i was cussing every step of the way wondering, how did i get caught up walking through all of these dark streets and being insulted? but much later when i heard linden johnson say that word, that theme that had directed us emotionally and patriotically, that we shall overcome, i felt so proud, notwithstanding my lack of knowledge of the importance of the issue, that i did march. when i found out that the civil rights act and the voting rights act, that it wasn't just something that made nye norths feel good, it made americans feel good and the ripple effect of this throughout the world we were able to say, see, we told you. that in the united states it's not what we