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Obama Campaigns in Wisconsin; Romney Campaigns in Virginia

Aired November 05, 2012 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our fight goes on because this nation cannot succeed without a growing, thriving middle class and sturdy, strong ladders for everybody who's willing to work to get into the middle class. Our fight goes on because we know America has always done best. We've always prospered when everybody gets a fair shot. Everybody is doing their fair share. Everybody is playing by the same rules. That's what we believe. That's why you elected me in 2008. And that is why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States.

Now, Wisconsin, tomorrow you have a choice to make. And it's not just a choice between two candidates or two parties. It is a choice between two different visions for America. It's a choice between returning to the top-down policies that crashed our economy or a future that's built on providing opportunity to everybody and growing a strong middle class.

Understand, Wisconsin, as Americans, we honor the strivers, the dreamers, the small business people, the risk takers, the entrepreneurs who have been the driving force behind our free enterprise system. And that free market's the greatest engine of prosperity and growth the world's ever known. But we also believe that in this country, like no other, our market works, our system works only when everybody has got a shot, when everybody's participating, when everybody has a chance to get a decent education, when every worker has a chance to get the skills they need, when we support research in the medical breakthroughs and new technologies.

We believe that America's stronger, not weaker, stronger, when everybody can count on affordable health insurance. We believe our country is better when people can count on Medicare and Social Security in their golden years. We think the market functions more effectively when there are rules in place to make sure our kids are protected from toxic dumping, to make sure consumers aren't being taken advantage of by unscrupulous credit card companies or mortgage lenders.

We believe that there's a place for rules and regulations that make sure our people are safe. And we also believe there are some things politicians should stay out of. For example, we think that folks in Washington, especially men, should not try to control health care choices that women are perfectly capable of making themselves. Now, Madison, here's the thing. For eight years we had a president who shared these beliefs. His name was Bill Clinton. And when he first came into office, his economic plan asked the wealthiest Americans to pay a little bit more so we could reduce our deficit and still invest in the skills and ideas of our people. And at the time, the Republican Congress and a certain Senate candidate by the name of Mitt Romney said Bill Clinton's plan would hurt the economy, would kill jobs, would hurt the job creators. Does this sound familiar?

Turns out, his math back then was just as bad as it is now. Because by the end of President Clinton's second term, America created 23 million new jobs. Incomes were up. Poverty was down. Our deficit had turned into a surplus.

So, idea -- so, Wisconsin, our ideas have been tested. We've tried them. They worked. The other side's ideas have also been tested. They didn't work so well. After Bill Clinton left office, during most of the last decade, we tried giving big tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. We tried giving insurance companies and oil companies and Wall Street free reign to do whatever they pleased. And what did we get? Falling incomes, record deficits, the slowest job growth in half a century, an economic crisis that we've been cleaning up after ever since.

So this should not be that complicated. We tried our ideas. They worked. The economy grew. We created jobs. Deficits went down. We tried their ideas. They didn't work. The economy didn't grow. Not as many jobs and the deficit went up.

But here's the thing. Governor Romney is a very talented salesman. And in this campaign, he's tried as hard as he can to repackage the same old bad ideas and make them out to be new ideas. And tried to convince you that he is all about change. He's trying to convince you that these bad, old ideas are change. Listen, we know what change looks like, Madison. And what he's selling ain't it.

Giving more power back to the biggest banks, that's not change. Another $5 trillion tax cut that favors the wealthy is not change. Refusing to answer questions about your policies until after the election, that's definitely not change. That's the oldest game in the book. Ruling out compromise by pledging to rubber stamp the Tea Party's agenda in Congress, that's not change. Changing the facts when they're inconvenient to your campaign, not change.

Which raises something else about this presidential campaign. It's not just about policies. It's also about trust. It's also about trust. You know, Wisconsin, you know me by now. You may not agree with every decision I have made. You know, Michelle doesn't either. You may be frustrated at the pace of change. I promise you, so am I sometimes. But you know that I say what I mean and I mean what I say.

I said I would end the war in Iraq, and I ended it. I said I would pass health care reform. I passed it. I said I would repeal "don't ask, don't tell." We repealed it. I said we'd crack down on reckless practices on Wall Street, and we did. So you know where I stand. You know what I believe. You know I tell the truth. And you know that I'll fight for you and your families every single day as hard as I know how. You know that about me.

So when I say, Wisconsin, that I know what real change looks like, you've got cause to believe me because you've seen me fight for it and you've seen me deliver it. You've seen the scars on me to prove it. You've seen the gray hair on my head to show you what it means to fight for change. And you have been there with me. And after all we've been through together, we can't give up now because we've got more change to do. We've got more change to make.

Think about the next four years. Change is a country where every American has a shot at a great education. You know, and governments can't do it alone. Parents have to parent, students have to study. But don't tell me that hiring more outstanding teachers won't help this economy grow. Of course, it will. Don't tell me that students who can't afford to go to college should just borrow money from their parents. That wasn't an option for me, Madison. I bet it wasn't an option for a lot of students who are here today. And so that's why I want to cut the growth of tuition in half by the next 10 years. And recruit -- recruit 100,000 new math and science teachers so we don't fall behind the rest of the world. Train (ph) 2 million Americans at our community colleges with the skills that businesses are looking for right now. That's what changes. That's what we're fighting for in this election.

Change comes when we live up to this country's legacy of innovation. You know, I could not be prouder that I bet on American workers and the American auto industry. But what makes me really proud is, we're not just building cars again. We're building better cars. Cars that by the middle of the next decade will go twice as far on a gallon of gas, which will save you money, help our national security, help our environment. And that kind of innovation, that kind of ingenuity isn't restricted to the auto industry. We've got thousands of workers building long-lasting batteries, wind turbines all across the country. And I don't want to subsidize oil company profits, I want to support the energy jobs of tomorrow, the new technologies that will cut our oil imports in half, take some of the carbon out of the atmosphere. I don't want to -- I don't want a tax code that rewards companies for creating jobs overseas. I want to reward companies that are investing right here in Wisconsin and the next generation of manufacturing in America. That's my plan for jobs and growth, and that's what we're fighting for in this election.

Now, change is turning the page on a decade of war so we can do some nation building here at home. As long as I'm commander in chief, we will always pursue our enemies with the strongest military the world's ever known, but it's time to use the savings from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay down our debt and rebuild America. Putting some hard hats back to work repairing roads and bridges, making our schools state-of-the-art all across this country, hiring our veterans because if you fought for our freedom, you shouldn't have to fight for our job or a roof over your head or the services you've earned when you come home. And that's what will keep us strong. That's my commitment to you. And that's what's at stake in this election.

And, yes, change is a future where we reduce our deficits, but we do it in a balanced, responsible way. You know, I have signed $1 trillion worth of spending cuts, gotten rid of programs that aren't working. I intend to do more. But if we're serious about the deficit, we can't just cut our way to prosperity. We've also got to ask the wealthiest Americans to go back to the tax rates they paid when Bill Clinton was in office.

And by the way, we can afford it. I haven't talked to Bruce, but I know he can afford it. I can afford it. Mr. Romney can afford it. Because our budget reflects our values. It's a reflection of our priorities. You know, and as long as I'm president, I'm not going to kick some poor kids off a head start to give me a tax cut. I'm not going to turn Medicare into a voucher just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut.

So, Wisconsin, we know what change is. We know what the future requires. But we also know it's not going to be easy. You know, back in 2008, we talked about it. I know everybody sometimes romanticizes the last campaign and the posters and, you know, all the good feeling. But I said back then, and when I talk about change, I'm not just talking about changing presidents or political parties. I'm talking about changing how our politics works. I ran because the voice of the American people, your voices, had been shut out of our democracy for way too long by lobbyists and special interests and politicians who will say and do anything just to keep things the way they are. To protect the status quo. The status quo in Washington is fierce. And over the last four years, that status quo has fought us every step of the way.

They spent millions trying to stop us from reforming the health care system. Spent millions trying to prevent us from reforming Wall Street. They engineered a strategy of gridlock in Congress, refusing to compromise on ideas that both Democrats and Republicans had agreed to in the past.

And what they're counting on now is that you're going to be so warn down, so fed up, so tired of all the squabbling, so tired of all the dysfunction that you're just going to give up and walk away and leave them -- leave them right where they are, pulling the strings, pulling the levers and you lock out of the decisions that impact your lives. In other words, their bet is on cynicism. But, Wisconsin, my bet's on you. My bet's on you.

And, understand, I'm not making a partisan point here when the other party has been willing to work with me to cut middle class taxes for families and small businesses or some courageous Republican senator is crossing the aisle to support the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." I'm thrilled because we're not Democrats or Republicans first, we're Americans first. As long as I'm president, I'll work with anybody of any party to move this country forward. And if you want to break the gridlock in Congress, you'll vote for leaders like Tammy Baldwin (ph), whether they're Democrats or Republicans or Independents, who feel the same way. Who put you first, not the next election first.

But you know what, sometimes you got to fight. Sometimes you have to stand on principle. If the price of peace in Washington is cutting deals to cut students off of financial aid or get rid of funding for Planned Parenthood or let insurance companies discriminate against people with preexisting conditions or eliminate health care for millions of folks who are on Medicaid who are poor or elderly or disabled, I won't pay that price.

That's not a deal I'll take. That's not bipartisanship. That's not bipartisanship. That's not change. That's surrender. That's surrender to the same status quo that's been squeezing middle class families for way to long.

That's not why I ran for president, to leave things the way they are. I'm not ready to give up on that fight. I'm not ready to give up on that fight, Wisconsin, and I hope you aren't either.

Now, the folks at the very top in this country, they don't need another champion in Washington. They'll always have a seat at the table. They'll always have access. They'll always have influence. That's the nature of things.

The people who need a champion are the Americans whose letters I read late at night after a long day in the office, the men and women I meet on the campaign trail every day.

You know, the laid-off worker who is going back to community college to retrain at the age of 55 for a new career, she needs a champion. The restaurant owner who's got great food but needs a loan to expand after the bank turned him down, he needs a champion.

The cooks and the waiters and the cleaning staff at a Madison hotel trying to save enough to buy a first home or send their kid to college, they need a champion. The autoworker who never thought he'd see the line again and, now, is he back on the job filled with pride and dignity because he's not just building a great car. It's not just about a paycheck. It's about taking pride in what you do. He needs a champion.

A teacher in an overcrowded classroom ...

(END LIVE FEED)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama in Madison, Wisconsin, there. This is a state that carries 10 electoral votes and, of course, it is also very competitive, a highly competitive battleground state.

Back in 2008, Obama carried 56 percent of the vote. The last -- Wisconsin voted Democratic last six presidential elections, but you can see campaigning there at the very last day means that it is highly competitive.

You're going to hear more from the presidential Republican candidate, Mitt Romney. He is later this hour. He's going to be speaking in Lynchburg, Virginia. We're going to bring it to you life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're in the homestretch less than 24 hours away from the presidential election. Our final CNN/ORC poll shows President Obama, Mitt Romney in a dead heat at 49 percent each.

For the candidates, it is a mad scramble to fire up the voters in the battleground states, get their supporters to the polls. Both candidates and their running mates, they've got events going on this hour.

The president is in Madison, Wisconsin. We just saw him. Vice President Biden is in Sterling, Virginia. Mitt Romney campaigning in Lynchburg, Virginia. And Paul Ryan is on the campaign trail in Reno, Nevada.

We've got correspondents in all the crucial places, those swing states. Martin savage is in Ohio, John Zarrella in Florida, Ted Rowlands in Wisconsin. Miguel Marquez is in Nevada.

Once again, Ohio critical battleground state, the state's 18 electoral votes are the second biggest swing state prize behind Florida. No Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio.

Martin Savidge is live in Cleveland. Martin, tell us, first of all, the strategy for the president and Mitt Romney in Ohio. We are just talking just hours away from when people actually start voting.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you're right. There's a sense here that things are really building to something very critical, but to the strategy question you asked, it's simple. They've got to get in the last word, and then their organization has got to get out the vote.

And it's the getting out of the vote, especially in Ohio and the other swing states, that is going to be key. Organization is truly going to play a factor.

Take a look at what we're seeing here. This is early voting. Today is the last day of early voting in Ohio, which makes absolute sense. I mean, tomorrow's election day.

They have been voting in the state of Ohio since October 2nd. The lines were a lot big other the weekend, but they have been building throughout the day today and you really get a sense from people here that they know Ohio is a critical state and this is a crucial time to all of them.

The atmosphere's been fairly festive, actually. They've got a d.j. that's playing music on the corner. They've been serving hot coffee to people in line. The police are here to make sure that traffic keeps flowing.

But, if you talk to people, what they will tell you is simple. They have heard all the talk from the candidates. They know they have heard every political ad. They've also been bothered by all those robo calls and it is time to simply vote.

And they recognize it is the responsibility and they're here to get the job done, essentially, Suzanne. MALVEAUX: All right, long lines, they're enjoying the long lines, but that's a good thing. Everybody is coming out to vote there. Martin, thank you very much.

Another critical battleground state, of course, is Florida. Can't forget Florida, 29 electoral votes at stake there. This fight, early on now, over early voting. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: Let us vote! Let us vote!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: John Zarrella is in Doral, Florida, this morning. John, so, you've got state Democrats who have now filed an emergency lawsuit over the issue, trying to force the state to now extend early voting hours.

You've got election supervisors in couple of counties trying to take action here. What's going on?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's kind of a moot point at this point, that, you know, what kind of relief could the courts give when the election is actually tomorrow if there were to demand that all of the polls open across the state, again, for early voting, which technically ended on Saturday.

The governor, despite appeals to him, refused to extend early voting hours past Saturday, so what the individual counties did -- Miami-Dade here where I am and up in Palm Beach County, you can see these long lines. They had allowed people come yesterday and today to pick up and file an absentee ballot. Not technically early voting, but an absentee ballot.

You can you see how the line stretches that way and all the way down, Suzanne, and around the corner there. There are hundreds of people in line waiting to get that absentee ballot and to cast that here in Miami-Dade.

You know, I was talking to an election official on Saturday up in Broward County who said, you know, considering how toxic politics has become, it is so wonderful to see people really, in essence, saying, you know what, we're demanding our right to vote.

We have it. We're going to exercise it. And they're willing to stand in these long lines here, even today, to pick up an absentee ballot and to go ahead and turn that in and to file it today.

So, that's what is happening here, long lines up in Palm Beach County, as well. Broward County, Suzanne, did not do this. They are taking people by appointment only to turn in absentee ballots.

Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Yeah, a lot of fights going on over just the right to vote this go around. Thank you, John. Appreciate it.

Another part of the president's so-called "firewall" is Wisconsin. Of course, Wisconsin, home state to the Republican v.p. candidate, Paul Ryan. The state has 10 electoral vote up for grabs.

Ted Rowlands is in Milwaukee. So, Ted, you've got the Democrats who have got history on their side. Wisconsin hasn't voted a Republican ticket in 28 years. Last time was for Ronald Reagan.

So, what are the campaigns doing at this late hour? Can the Republicans make a difference?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, clearly, and they know this on the ground here, they do have their backs against the wall because all the latest polling does show the president with a lead. One poll, in fact, has him up by eight points.

What Republicans have going for them in Wisconsin which they don't have in other states is a fantastic ground game. And the reason they have that is Scott Walker, the governor here in Wisconsin.

You remember the recall election which just wrapped up earlier this year. Well, during that recall, Republicans were able to establish the ground game. So, what they're doing is just picking up where they left off earlier and they won that recall.

And they say they're very confident that, when it comes to getting out the vote, their ground game here is superior to President Obama's ground game, which, of course, doesn't usually translate into other states. Democrats usually have a much stronger ground game.

They're banking on that. That's where they think they're going to make up the difference in the get-out-the-vote. We're in Milwaukee County. This is the largest population center. In fact, about a third of the entire state lives in the greater Milwaukee area.

The president needs to run the numbers up here in order to offset his losses around the state in the rural areas. The president, obviously, not giving up an inch in Wisconsin. He's in Madison at this hour speaking.

They're also offering volunteers that come up from the state of Illinois. If you campaign or if you canvas here in Wisconsin, help us get out the vote, you get a ticket to the election night party in Chicago.

Paul Ryan is going to be here, as well, tonight, Suzanne. He'll end his long day in his home state at an event here in Milwaukee.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Ted.

Want to jump to Nevada, another critical battleground state. Has six electoral votes this time around. It's actually won more than it had back in 2008. President Obama won Nevada back then, but Republicans have actually carried the state in eight of the last 11 presidential elections. Miguel Marquez is in Vegas and, Miguel, the president seems to be holding his lead in the state. You see him leading Mitt Romney, 50 percent-44 percent in Nevada. Now, back in 2008, he spent a lot of there. Latino voters overwhelmingly going for the president by 76 percent. Are we seeing that same type of support this go round?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not entirely clear, but we are seeing a lot of Democratic support in the -- for the president in early voting. That ended on Friday here in Nevada, so now both these campaigns are after those few voters.

It's a small slice. Perhaps as many as 70 percent or 80 percent of voters across Nevada have already voted.

Latino voters, both here in Clark and Asian voters here in Clark County and in Washoe County up in the northwest corner of the state are going to be critical to the president's game plan.

In Washoe, it's very interesting. That's a Republican-leaning county and the Democrats have managed squeak out a few more votes in early voting in Washoe and it's probably likely because they're able to motivate Latinos in this state, so that will be very close to watch.

Republicans will really have to make up a lot of space and time here in Clark County over the next day in order to close that gap with the president. They say -- the Republicans say -- that if -- because there are so many disaffected Democrats and independent voters, those will swing over to Governor Romney and that's where they are going to see them make up those numbers come poll closing time tomorrow.

Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: All right. Miguel, I want to go to Reno, Nevada. That is where Paul Ryan is speaking at a campaign event. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

PAUL RYAN, REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Look at the leadership team you have here. Brian Sandoval, you are one fantastic governor. Thank you for what you have done.

We have Rosario Mara in here. Thank you very much for being here, Rosario. We appreciate everything you've done.

We've got Brian Kolicki, what a great lieutenant governor he is, isn't he?

And I know Mitt and Ann's son, Craig Romney, is here, as well. Thanks for being here, Craig. Really appreciate it.

And a guy who is a very good, close personal friend of mine, a guy I used to sit next to in the ways and means committee, a guy who is a good guy, a man who is honest who is a true Nevadan and the man that is going to help us make sure that Harry Reid is the next minority leader of the United States senate, Dean Heller.

Dean Heller has earned your support and Dean Heller deserves your support.

Are you going to help us win this thing, Nevada? We are doing a barn burner today. We are crisscrossing the country, Mitt and I are, because we are asking you to work with us, to stand with us to get our country back on the right track.

We know the kind of choice that's facing us. Look, the president sounded great four years ago. He made all these wonderful promises and the hope and change sounded good to a lot of people.

Here's the problem. Sounds like a bumper sticker. Here's the problem. When he campaigned four years ago, he said he would fix all these problems. He said he would cut the deficit in half. He said he would focus on job creation. He said he would bridge the partisan gap and bring ...

MALVEAUX: Want to go to Vice President Joe Biden. He is live in Sterling, Virginia, a campaign event. Let's listen in.

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We've had too much division. We've had too much division and one of the things that I've found remarkable is nobody -- none of the 50,118 who've been wounded, none of the 17,000 who were critically wounded, none of them ever ask the guy or woman that they're standing next to, are you a Democrat or a Republican?

None of them ever, ever engaged in anything other than what's in the interest of their country. They're a remarkable generation of warriors.

And I saw another demonstration of that spirit which gave me hope in this god-awful storm we just had, Sandy. It devastated -- hit parts of Virginia, hit my home state of Delaware, parts of Maryland, but it really clobbered New Jersey and on up through the coast.

And every morning and after this is over I'll be on another call with the president where we speak with all the governors of those affected states and the mayors and I found it remarkable. They're Democrat and Republican, but they're all acting together.

They're acting like when Mark -- when you and I got started in politics. I mean, we did -- no -- the governor of Delaware is a Democrat. On this call with FEMA and the Defense Department, everyone, along with all the other governors, is saying when asked what can you do? What do you need, Governor?

He said, well, Mr. President, I'd like to say to Chris, to Chris Christie, look, Delaware has been hit, but if you need any of our cherry pickers, you need anybody to put -- if you need any generators, you have been hit more than we've been hit, so we'll send them to you.

The governor of Connecticut saying the same thing, the mayors of these cities. Ladies and gentlemen, that is -- that's how people respond in a crisis now. And that's how we have to go back to, what we have to go to, again.

Folks, there's a great story that -- I've served, as can you tell. I'm by far the oldest guy up here. Unfortunately, you can probably tell that, but I go back a long way and there used to be ...

MALVEAUX: Vice President Joe Biden is in the critical swing state of Virginia.

I want to weigh in on the race for the White House. CNN has actually partnered with Facebook to create a new app. It is called "I'm Voting."

So, first, it asks you to commit to vote this election. We want you to do that. Second, it also shows you how your friends, your neighbors, how they feel about a variety of issues.

Just go to my Facebook page, Facebook.com/SuzanneCNN. Click on the "I'm Voting" app.

Today's question, are the candidates driving you to the polls? Let us know what you think. We're going to share inform your responses next hour. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to go to Mitt Romney. He is campaigning in Lynchburg, Virginia. Let's listen in.

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: ... sequester or on jobs with either the Republican leader of the House or the Senate since July. Think of that. Instead of bridging the divide between the parties, he has made it wider.

Now, so many of you look at the big debates we have in this country not as a Republican or a Democrat, but as an American. You've watched what has happened with an independent voice. You hoped that the president would live up to his promise to bring people together to solve big problems. He hasn't. I will.

It's because he cared more about a liberal agenda than he did about repairing the economy. I mean, did ObamaCare create new jobs? Did his war on coal and oil and gas create new jobs? Did that Dodd-Frank regulatory bill help banks give out more loans? Does raising taxes put more people to work? How about that avalanche of new regulations? Does that help small business?

You've got it right. You know, almost every measure he took hurt the economy. It hurt fellow Americans. We've got 23 million Americans today -- think of that number, 23 million Americans struggling to find a new job. One-out-of-six of our fellow citizens living in poverty and the middle class is being squeezed in our country.

Take home pay is down by $4,300 a year from the year he took office, and you are paying higher prices at the pump, higher prices for insurance, higher prices for electricity.

This weekend I spoke with the wife of a 60-year-old man here in Virginia. He'd worked as a welder for 40 years, but he just got laid off at age 60. In the prime of his life, by the way. Yeah, there are a few of us. Yeah. His wife asked, what can I do to help him? And she made it very clear she doesn't want a government check. He wants a job.

The president thinks more government is the answer. More jobs, that's the answer for America.

The question of this election comes down to this. Do you want four more years like the last four years? Or do you want real change?

Now, of course, President Obama promised change. He just couldn't deliver it. I not only promise change; I have a record of achieving it. I built a business and I helped turn around another business that was in trouble, helped put the Olympics back on track when they were in trouble.

And with a Democrat legislature in my state, I helped turn my state from deficit to surplus and from job losses to job growth. That's why I'm running for president. I know how to change the nation, how to get it back on course, how to create jobs, how to get a balanced budget, how to get rising take-home pay.

Accomplishing real change is not something I just talk about. It's something I've done, and it's what I'm going to do when I'm president of the United States of America.

If you believe we can do better and if you believe America should be on a better course, if you're tired of being tired, then I ask you to vote for change. Help us win this. Paul Ryan and I are going to bring real change to America from day one.

When I'm elected, the economy and American jobs are likely to still be very stagnant. You know, this year, by the way -- this year the economy is growing more slowly than last year, and last year more slowly than the year before.

I'm not going to waste my time complaining about my predecessor when I'm president. I'm not going to spend my time trying to pass partisan legislation that's unrelated to jobs. From day one, I'm going to go to work to help Americans get back to work.

And you know that people all over the country are responding to our five-point plan to create jobs. Part one is taking full advantage of our energy -- oil, coal, natural gas, renewables and nuclear.

I'm going to double the number of leases and permits on federal lands and in federal waters. I'm going act to speed the approval of the Keystone pipeline from Canada.

Number two, I'm going to move to boost trade, particularly with Latin America. We have some natural advantages there, and it's a huge market, and I'll finally will designate China as a currency manipulator. They've got to play fair.

I'm going to send something to Congress I'll call The Re-Training Reform Act to make sure that every worker can get the skills they need for a good job. Number four, I'm going to move to tackle out-of-control spending because I'm going to send Congress a series of bills, but the first one on day one is going to be called this, "The Down Payment on Fiscal Sanity Act."

And we will immediately cut, not just slow the rate of growth, but cut spending in the federal government. We've got to get this government on track to finally balance its budget. I'm not just going to take office on January 20th. I'm going to take responsibility for that office, as well.

And, number five, I'm going to act to boost small business and all business. I'm going to issue executive orders that are aimed straight at the problems that have been holding back the economy.

The first is going to grant state waivers from ObamaCare so we can begin its repeal. And with a second, I'm going to launch a sweeping review of all the Obama-era regulation with an eye to eliminate or repair those that are killing jobs.

And, by the way, for the first time in four years, every entrepreneur, every small businessperson, every job creator will know that the president and government of the United States likes them and likes the jobs they can bring to America.

Paul Ryan and my vision is to limit government rather than limiting the dreams of our fellow Americans.

Now, our choice tomorrow is going to lead to one of two very different outcomes. If the president were to be re-elected, he would still be unable -- I think you and I can agree on that here, but there may be some people watching who haven't decided yet, so I'll just note for them that if he were to get re-elected, he will not be able to work with people in Congress. And I say that because he hasn't been able to. He has ignored them. He's attacked them. He's blamed them.

And, by the way, if he can't work with Congress, think what happens the next time the debt ceiling comes up. All right? There are going to be threats of shut down and default. And what that means is, the economy freezes and jobs aren't created. The president was right when he said the other day that he can't change Washington from the inside. We're going to give him a chance to try and change it from the outside. OK? Let's do that.

Now in a very different way, when I'm elected, I will work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress. I'll meet with leaders in both parties. I'll endeavor to find good Democrats and good Republicans who care more about the country than they do about politics. They're there. We have to work together. We have got to be united as a nation. There's no question if the president were to be re-elected, he'll continue to wage his war on coal and oil and natural gas. I've got a very different view. I want to take an entirely different course on energy. Because to build jobs and to help with prices at the pump, we've got to achieve North American energy independence in eight years, and I will. Now, if the president were to be re-elected, he's going to continue to crush small business, raising their taxes, forcing their employees, whether they want to or not, to join unions, expanding regulations and, of course, imposing Obamacare. Look, I care about small business. I see it as a means for people to fulfill their dreams.

Last week I met one of those dreamers. Rhoda Elliott (ph). She lives in Richmond, Virginia. She's been running her family business for about -- well, quite a few years. And it's a business that's been in her family for 82 years called Bill's Barbecue. You know it. At its high point, she employed 200 people. She just closed it down. She told me that the Obama era regulations and taxes and Obamacare and the affects of the Obama economy put her out of business. And she teared up. She teared up as she was telling me this. And it wasn't about the money. This was about her future for her family and for her family of employees. I want to help the hundreds of thousands of dreamers like Rhoda and I will.

Now another difference. You know that if the president is re-elected, he's going to say he's going to improve our schools, but he'll do what his largest campaign supporters, the public sector unions, insist on and your kids will have the same schools with the same results. When I'm president, I'll be a voice of the children and their parents, because there is no union for the PTA. I give the parents the information they need to know if their school is succeeding or failing, and I'll give them the choice they need to have to pick the school where their child has the best chance for success. And by the way, as governor, we were able to take our schools to the very top of the nation. Number one of 50 states. And we did that by working together, Republicans and Democrats, by listening to the good advice of our best teachers who had dedicated their lives to helping others, listening to parents, always putting the students and their education first. And I'll do the same as a president.

Now, these last few months, as our campaign has gathered the strength of a movement, it's not just the size of crowds, although this one is pretty darn impressive. I've got to tell you. It's also the depth of our shared conviction. It has make me strive to be even more worthy of your support and to campaign as I would govern, to speak for the aspirations of all Americans. I learned as governor of Massachusetts, that the best achievements are shared achievements. I learned that respect and goodwill go a long way and usually returned in kind. This is how I'll conduct myself as president. I'll bring people together. I won't just represent one party, I'll represent one nation.

Throughout the campaign, the president has brought almost every argument he can think of to the front to try to convince you that these last four years have been a success. And so his plan for the next four years it to take all the ideas for the first term -- the stimulus, the borrowing, Obamacare, all the rest -- and do them over again. He calls that "forward." I call it forewarned.

The same course we've been on won't lead to a better destination. The same path means $20 trillion of debt at the end of a second term. It means crippling unemployment continuing for another four years. It means stagnant take home pay. It means depressed home values. And, of course, it means a devastated military.

Unless we change course, by the way, we may be looking at another recession. Now, just the other day, in his closing argument, President Obama asked his supporters to vote for revenge. For revenge. I asked the American people to vote for love of country.

We have got -- we have got to lead America to a better place. We have to be a united nation. Out of many, one. This is essential for us to come together at a critical time like this. By the way, we're only one day away for a fresh start. One day away from the start of a new beginning. My conviction that better days are ahead is not based on promises and hollow rhetoric, but on solid plans and proven results. And it's based on an unshakable faith in the American spirit. If there's anyone who is worried that the last four years are the best we can do, or if there's anyone who fears that the American dream is fading away or if there's anyone who wonder whether better jobs and better paychecks are a thing of the past, I have a clear and unequivocal message -- with the right leadership, America is about to come roaring back.

We're Americans. We can do anything. And we're going to. The only thing that stands between us and some of the best years we've ever imaged is lack of leadership. And that's why we have elections. And tomorrow is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do to put the past four years behind us and start building a new future.

You saw -- you saw the differences when President Obama and I were side-by-side during those debates, which I enjoyed, by the way. He says it has to be this way. I say it can't stay this way. He's offering excuse. I've got a plan. I can't wait to get started. He's hoping to settle. Americans don't settle. We build. We aspire. We dream. We listen to the voice that says, we can do better.

It's time for a better job and a better life for our kids and for a bigger, better country. And that better life is out there. It's waiting for us. Our destiny is in the hands of the people of American as they go to the voting booth tomorrow. Tomorrow we're going to get to work rebuilding our country, restoring our confidence, and renewing our conviction. Confidence that we're on a solid path to steady improvement. Confidence that college grads four years from (ph) now will find a better job. Confidence that single mom who are working two jobs will have a shot at a better job. And so tomorrow on November 6th, we come together for a better futures. And on November 7th, we'll get to work.

I need you to reach across the street to your neighbor who has the other candidate's sign in his yard. And I'm going to reach across the aisle in Washington to people of good faith and the other party because this is much more than our moment. It's America's moment of renewal and purpose and optimism. And we've journeyed far and wide during this great campaign for America's future and now we're almost home.

One final push is going to get us there. We've known some long days and some short nights. And now we're close. The door to a brighter future is open. It's waiting for us. I need your vote. I need your work. Walk with me. Walk together. Tomorrow we're going to begin a new tomorrow.

God bless you. God bless the United States of America. God bless the commonwealth of Virginia. We're going to win in Virginia with your help. Thank you so very much. Thanks, you guys. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney in Lynchburg, Virginia, fighting for every key vote that there is. There are 13 electoral votes out of Virginia. A very competitive state.

We're going to have more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: we've got some exclusive photos of Governor Mitt Romney and President Obama. Romney's photographer, Eric Draper (ph), and the White House photographer, Pete Suza (ph), both of them submitting candid photos during the last week of the campaign. So check it out.

This is Romney prepping for a speech he gave in Toledo, Ohio. That was on October 26th. Winning Ohio's 18 electoral votes critical for both candidates. Two days later, Romney went to Marion, Ohio. Here he is singing with the Oak Ridge Boys before hitting the stage for a rally. The gospel country singing group was the opening act there. It's pretty cool.

President Obama and former President Bill Clinton talking in a hotel room. This is in Orlando. This was on Sunday, October 28th. And the next day the president returned to Washington ahead of Hurricane Sandy.

Now, last Tuesday, the president gets briefed here on the hurricane response at the White House, toured the devastated coast of New Jersey on Wednesday. One hundred and ten people died in that storm.

I'm Suzanne Malveaux. We are 11 hours away from the moment the fist Election Day vote is going to be cast. Right now the candidates are in a dead heat. That is right. They are making a mad dash to pick up last minute voters.

President Obama, he is racing across the Midwest from Wisconsin to Iowa. Well, Mitt Romney, he is hitting swing states along the East Coast. Is this going to help push one contender out in front of the other? We don't know yet. But joining us to talk about where this race stands in the final hours, what happens after the election, CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen.