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Last 10 Days Before Election Day, Democrats And Republicans Campaign Hard To Win Control Of Congress; Palin Remarks in Orlando; Obama Remarks in Minnesota

Aired October 23, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry in Las Vegas. You are watching CNN's special "Ballot Bowl" coverage. This is really the final sprint to the midterm elections. We've been talking about them for months now. So much of it will shape control of the U.S. Congress, both the House and the Senate.

So many governor's mansions up for grabs, as well. President Obama woke up today here in Nevada because of this premier Senate race, Senate majority leader Harry Reid fighting for his political life. Now the president is in Minneapolis, Air Force One just landed there. We're going to hear from the president live next hour.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. I'm Jessica Yellin in Orlando, Florida where Sarah Palin is the star attraction coming up at a Republican Party rally. Michael Steele, the RNC chairman just wrapping up a speech behind me. But this isn't all we're bringing you here, we're going to bring you live events from around the country from both parties.

We'll take you to Minnesota as Ed mentioned where the president is stumping for the Democrat candidate there for governor. I'm going to look at my notes, we're going to go the governor's race in Ohio where a Democrat is running behind and try to keep his office, Ted Strickland. We'll bring you some of his live remarks. We'll take you over to Arizona where Sarah Palin surprised a crowd earlier in the week, and we are going to, of course, dip into California, which is I got the admit my home state, a race I'm particularly interested in. That is where Meg Whitman has dumped so much money into that race for governor, more than $130 million. And I think we want to pause and bring you the next speaker here, Sarah Palin is now taking the stage.

SARAH PALIN, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Thank you so much, Orlando! Thank you! Thank you, Michael. Thank you so much. You look beautiful! Thank you so much, Orlando. Michael leading victory 2010. Thank you so much for all your efforts. Orlando, let me ask you, aren't you proud to be an American and don't you love your freedom!

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: All right, and then we know who to thank for these freedom, for protecting our Constitution. We thank our vets, the United States military. Those of you who have served, we salute you, we thank you, United States military. Ah, it is so good to be here. And as we recognize and appreciate those who have defended our freedoms, it occurs to me how much Alaska and Florida have in common.

Though you may not think a lot of similarities, we do. We do. And going coast to coast, you know, the patriotic hardworking, unpretentious job-creating Americans who are here, in Alaska and everywhere in between, are thinking you're lucky, you're going to get to learn a little more about my state here in the coming weeks, because there's this docu-series thing coming out.

Listen, OK, we taped these eight episodes about a place that is near and dear to my heart, all about the pioneers and the independence and the development that's needed and resources and a place that I have spent my efforts and all my time. It's called "Sarah Palin's Alaska," and the producers are already ready with their sequel.

And it's going to be based on a place that's near and dear to our president's heart, it's called "Barack Obama's golf courses," and it starts taping sometime November 2012. Look for that. Look for that, because victory 2010 is just the beginning, folks. Michael and these folks are going to lead us to victory 2012, too. So he'll have plenty of time for golf then.

Truly, it is so great to be in the sunshine state, where positive change truly is just around the corner. You know, as an outsider looking in at Florida, I think you all have some simple choices to make, some pretty easy decisions around here. You can either vote for the status quo, that means more taxes, more unemployment, more regulation, more government overreach. Or you can vote for those policies and those people that will put Florida back to work and America back to work on November 2nd. Yes.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: Choices you have to put Florida and all of America back to work. What this great country needs is a little bit of good old Reaganism.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: And Michael, as we had to do last week in California, we had to explain a little bit to the media why it is we do quote Reagan so often. Because there have been some reports lately about, "geez, what is all this Reagan stuff? Why are they always talking?" And well, you're not going to hear us invoke Alinsky (INAUDIBLE) or Mao or Wright (ph) or kind of a Reagan sort of crowd around here. That's why we quote Reagan.

So I shall be invoking Reagan's name again and again and again. Because what Obama, Pelosi and Reid have created for us is a blueprint of things that don't work in this country. They don't work to get our economy roaring back to life. Whereas Reagan, he gave us a an agenda and a way of thinking that does apply to what is right and what has worked, because his way of thinking, which we need to apply today, was based on some common sense Reagan principles that were based on time-tested truths.

Simple things that he believed in because they work. That's lower taxes, less government intrusion and overreach. Smaller, smarter government, and remember the national security policy. Back then, as Michael Steele spoke of, that national security policy was lived out by our native son and his good brother, Jeb and G.W., remember what he lived out to? The national security policy of we win, and they lose.

Now, the momentum is with us. The momentum is with us. But now is not the time to let up. Now is the time where we dig deep. Now in these last 10 days is where we work extremely hard as Michael said, we exhaust ourselves. And it really, it feels good to exhaust ourselves to know that we are going to do all that we can to get that vote out, to walk the precinct blocks, to drop the literature, to make the phone calls.

It's up to you as volunteers to get that vote out, doing all that you can for November 2nd to get the vote out. In order to put our government back on the side of the people, to turn things around and get America back growing, thriving, prospering. As Michael said too, y, it isn't over until it's over. These last 10 days, we can't be thinking that we got it in the bag. We can't get cocky about this yet. You know, we got to keep on working extremely hard. We got to leave the "Dancing to the Stars.

Soon we'll all be celebrating because I have faith that Florida is going to make the right decisions. The simple choices to put America back on the right track, to get Floridians back to work by electing the right people, who know those time-tested truths that can be applied.

Now, this is when we kick it in gear. We have to dig deep. We have to know these candidates have to know that you are there for them, that you're doing all that you can in order to get that vote out. You got to put in those 16, 18, 20-hour days. It does feel good to know, especially on November 3rd, that you are doing now and that you have done everything that you can within your power to get the vote out.

And it's in order to restore our republic and to renew America. We have life and death choices coming up on November 2nd. Policies that are hinging on who it is that we send to Washington, D.C. and that we fill up our statehouses with. This is paramount. This is the election, I think, of our lifetime. It is that important that we do all that we can.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: We have to do all that we can.

YELLIN: Sarah Palin speaking in Orlando, championing the Republican agenda, slamming President Obama and managing to plug her new cable TV show. We'll bring you more of Sarah Palin live on the other side of this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: Welcome back to CNN's "Ballot Bowl." The premiere place to keep up, up to the minute, all the developments of the final sprint heading into these midterm elections, now just 10 days away. You're looking live in Minneapolis. President Obama will be speaking shortly.

We're hearing a lot of Democrats sort of warming up the crowd at the University of Minnesota. Interesting the president has been speaking at a lot of universities to try to fire up young people. The strategy is that basically a lot of young people who came out maybe voted for the first time for the president in 2008, first time ever. They may stay home in 2010 if they don't realize what's at stake in this election. The president trying to fire up these university crowds.

Also, we've got Sarah Palin down in Florida trying to fire up the Republican crowd and make sure they keep their eye on the ball. That's where we find me partner, Jessica Yellin.

YELLIN: Ed, I'm in Orlando with Sarah Palin. She's been on a tear now talking about Nancy Pelosi and trashing what she calls "reckless Washington spending." Let's listen to her.

PALIN: And our country, because of government's policies and votes taken recently in these last 21 months of a failed agenda, our government and our country has really gotten off track. But people also know there is nothing wrong with America, that we can't fix with the good old fashioned election.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: It's times like these, that we can look for inspiration from someone like Ronald Reagan, and what it is that he did that he applied to make America prosper. The thing I loved best about him, he didn't waste time, always looking backwards and pointing fingers and placing blame. No, he was rock solid. He was optimistic and he was unwavering in his acknowledgement of the strength and the goodness of the American people.

He understood the power of the individual, and he understood that government is not the answer. It's we, the people, individuals, our families, our small businesses.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: It's you. He understood that and he understood this country because he believed in us as individuals. He believed in us, the little guy, and he said it with all due respect when he referred to us as the little guy. Reagan said, "you can't be for big government, big taxes and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy."

And we little guys, just hard-working, pro family, middle class, job- creating Americans, that's who Reagan could relate to. So freedom loving little guys, that's who I think of all of us, how about we make November 2nd freedom day and we take it back for the little guy.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: Because you know, really we, we don't ask for much. We ask for a good job in our own hometown so we can take care of ourselves, secure ourselves and take care of our own families. We ask for a fiscally and a physically secure nation. We ask for an honest government that is on our side and won't be riding our back. And we ask for leaders with servant's hearts and with ears to hear what the people are saying. We are not asking for much. We're asking for leaders who won't mortgage our kid's future with trillions more in debt.

And we ask for leaders who understand that raising federal taxes in a time of economic woe is a recipe for disaster. It's a recipe to bankrupt our country. This is a recipe for disaster, what we're seeing coming out of Congress and out of the White House right now.

Ultimately what it's going to cause is the people relying on a big centralized government to provide for them. Now, this is important. It's why we're calling for that do-over, because some of our current leaders, they do understand that last point, and yet they're doing it to you any way. So we ask for leaders who will recognize what our foundation is in America. That America is the most generous country on earth. The most prosperous. The safest. And united under god, we are an exceptional country and that is nothing to apologize for.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: There is no alternative. But we've got a president today, as we talk about no need to apologize, we've got a president today who is getting pretty good at apologizing. The problem, of course, is that he's apologizing to all the wrong people. So Mr. President, with all due respect, next time that urge to apologize kind of tingles up the left leg, I have some suggestions for who it is who needs to hear that apology. How about for the 15 million Americans who are out of work today?

YELLIN: Sarah Palin telling the crowd America has nothing to apologize for. We're going to take a quick break and bring her right back to you live here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: Welcome back to "Ballot Bowl." CNN's special coverage of the final sprint to the midterm elections. We're live in Minneapolis right now where President Obama will be speaking in a few moments. A big rally at the University of Minnesota. Interesting when he got off Air Force One, he worked a rope line, was doing something he doesn't do that much of.

He usually sort of pushes through that rather quickly. He's working those rope lines a lot more. These are the final days, he's trying to get out the vote for Democrats. He obviously hasn't been doing as much campaigning previous to this. He was busy governing and somebody who is not happy with the way he's governing is Sarah Palin, who has been ripping into the president down there in Florida where we find my colleague, Jessica Yellin.

YELLIN: Ed, she's been on a tear against him for the last few minutes. As you know, President Obama, a few days ago said that Americans in some way aren't thinking straight because they're so frustrated with what's going on. She has taken those words and been running with them. Right now, again, criticizing America's leadership. Let's listen to Sarah Palin.

PALIN: We're all about solutions here though, OK? We're all about solutions and here are a couple of things that we can do to get us back on the right track. First, before we spend anymore of the people's money or borrow anymore from China or print it out of thin air or squander our children's future opportunities, before that happens, adopt the test that President Reagan's economic policies had to pass. What he would ask was, will it serve to liberate, and empower the individual? Will it encourage us to reach for the stars or will it weaken us and drag us down into submission?

Pretty good bar to set 28 years later, don't you think

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: Again, we're not asking for much. The American people want a government that stands up for the little guy. And won't just kowtow to union bosses and radical special interests and shortsighted political favors and projects. We want a competent government that knows that overreach and over regulation and over taxation strangles our small businesses.

The feds' over taxation kills jobs and kills the American dream. They're forcing Americans to outsource jobs and opportunities to foreign countries. It is the left's policies that are forcing our businesses to look elsewhere to conduct business. We want a health care reform system based on common sense, that's not asking for much. We want common sense in health care, not wholesale government takeover of what was the best health care system in the entire world.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: And we want a government that understands that this isn't free money. Somehow, somewhere, every tax dollar that they spend comes from our pocket. Hard-working Americans, someone, somewhere is producing something for a politician to think that he gets to take that and spend it according to his own priorities. That's not how america was built. That's not how our private sector will be able to get back on track and grow and thrive and create jobs for the American people. It's not how our private sector will be able to prosper.

Obviously, you should be able to keep more of what you earn and produce so you can reinvest in your own businesses and elsewhere, according to your priorities. That's how you're able to hire more people, create more jobs. It really isn't that difficult.

November 2nd can be a new day where that common sense can start to be applied again. November 2nd, a new way forward with common sense, which granted is an endangered species in Washington today. But if we take this back, if we turn it around, and if we elect those people with that common sense and an understanding of how to run a business, how to balance a budget, how to make payroll, I kind of wish a pre- requisite for anybody running for office was you had to have, if not own a business, at least worked in the private sector to understand a little bit how the rest of us work.

(APPLAUSE)

YELLIN: Sarah Palin speaking in Orlando, Florida. We'll take a quick break so we can bring you right back to her. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: Welcome back to "Ballot Bowl." CNN's special coverage of the final sprint to these midterm elections. The buildup has been there for months. There's so much at stake. Control of the U.S. House, the Senate, as well. Completely up for grabs.

I'm in Las Vegas because that's where President Obama woke up this morning, trying to help out Harry Reid, the embattled Senate majority leader. But now the president has just landed a short time ago in Minneapolis. You're looking live at a rally that has started going. Some Democrats warming up the crowd but we haven't heard from the commander in chief yet. We will go to him live as soon as we see him take the stage.

For now though, there's some big players down in Florida on the Republican side. They are ripping into the president right now. My colleague Jessica Yellin is down there watching all the action.

YELLIN: Hi, Ed. Sarah Palin is speaking. She's been giving shoutouts to the various Republican candidates on stage and a somewhat awkward moment, she gave a shoutout to Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio, but he already left. She has continued her speech so let's listen in to Sarah Palin.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

SARAH PALIN, GOP FUNDRAISER: More power to Bill McCollum and his efforts there.

(APPLAUSE)

So many candidates around here running for the right reasons. You've got Rick Scott and Allen West. And you've got Pam Bondy.

(APPLAUSE)

And Steve Southerland. And you've got Daniel Webster.

(APPLAUSE)

OK, running against you know who. OK, we've got to stop just for one minute here with this one. The word that comes to mind, Jack Wagon. For some reason I think of Allen Grayson and Jack Wagon. Please, for the rest of the country, may that one-term wonder be retired, too. Please vote for Daniel Webster. Veterans for Webster.

You've got good candidates here in Florida. Thank the Lord. But they cannot win without you. Are you going to be there for them? Scott Carol. And I know that I'm missing some of them, folks, and just know that those who have that common sense, who are running for the right reasons, who have that servant's heart that the states will benefit from, please support them. Do all that you can for them.

Friends, we have important, very, very crucial decisions that are coming up. Policies that will be decided by these folks. In addition to the economic policies that we touched on quite a bit this afternoon, remember we have innocent lives. We have those with special needs. We have our esteemed elders that deserve our protection. They deserve security and respect for their lives. Will you be there for them?

(APPLAUSE)

We have America's finest, our men and women in uniform, a force for good throughout this world. Nothing to apologize for. Will you be there for them?

(APPLAUSE)

We have the greatest country in the world and you all deserve much better than what you're getting out of Washington. Will you be there for America?

CROWD: Yes!

PALIN: Now is the time we stand up, we stand strong for America. Keep the faith. Work hard, 2010 victory right, around the corner. God bless you. God bless, Florida. God bless the United States of America!

(APPLAUSE)

YELLIN: Sarah Palin speaking to a beyond enthusiastic, elated crowd here in Orlando. Most of the people we spoke to here said they came to see her. A lot of them got what they wanted. Sarah Palin taking on the Obama administration, the Democratic agenda, talking about national security, trying to get out the vote. And even in the midst of it, managing to make a plug for everyone to watch her new TV show, a reality show about her life in Alaska.

We'll bring you more BALLOT BOWL on the other side of this break. Ed Henry will also bring you the president of the United States, campaigning today, as well. So stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ED HENRY, CNN ANCHOR, BALLOT BOWL: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL. I'm Ed Henry in Las Vegas where the president woke up this morning after a big rally in this city, where he was standing up for the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He's in a tough race.

We reported, though, earlier in the program that senior Democratic sources are telling us that the senator's internal poll numbers suggest that he's up as much as 6 points over Republican Sharron Angle. A top Republican source insisted, though, to me, that it is a dead heat and those internal poll numbers are wrong. This is a pivotal battle. It may help decide who controls the U.S. Senate next year. In a few moments the president will be taking the stage at the University of Minnesota. We'll bring you that live as soon as he steps up. We're going coast to coast with all of these live events. We're really in the final sprint of the midterm elections and the person right in the middle of it is my colleague Jessica Yellin down in Florida.

YELLIN: Hi, Ed.

Sarah Palin just wrapped up speaking here to some very excited Republican stalwarts. She was rallying the kind of people who are likely to go out and get other people to vote. The purpose of a rally like this is to fire up the ground troops, to motivate the turn out to be as big as possible. And the folks leaving here seemed excited.

She said, for example, we need to stop Democrats big spending, big tax, pessimistic agenda. She said we are even, on her side, looking to get some disenchanted Democrats to vote Republican. They were quote, "snookered". At one point she mocks the president for saying earlier this week that people aren't thinking straight because they're so upset. She suggested that was somehow contemptuous, or not flattering to the American people.

She mocked the stimulus saying there was a measure in the stimulus package to study the motor skills of mice, when they're drunk, and used it as a joke to say I didn't know Mickey had a drinking problem. We're here in Orlando, Florida, Disney is big here, Mickey jokes go over well. And she ended with a huge rally for people to get out and vote.

Sarah Palin, of course, one of the biggest draws on either side of the political aisle and a huge rock star in this crowd.

We, of course, will bring much more of BALLOT BOWL coming up, later in this hour, and the next, with campaign rallies on both sides of the aisle. So if you didn't like what you heard from Sarah Palin, maybe you'll like what you hear from some of the other folks coming up. We are bringing it all to you. And we'll have more on the other side of this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: I'm Ed Henry. Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL, really, your premiere source to find out what's going on in this final sprint to the midterm elections. Our commitment is to bring the candidates and their surrogates live, unfiltered, coast to coast. You just heard from Sarah Palin in Florida. Without further ado, the president of the United States, live, at the University of Minnesota.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only candidate who saved taxpayer dollars by cutting waste and abuse. So you know Mark Dayton. He's got a track record. He's the only candidate in this race who will stand up for the middle class. He's got a plan to balance the budget without sacrificing our children's education.

(APPLAUSE)

A candidate who has a plan to create jobs and help small business owners grow and to thrive. The point is, Mark Dayton has spent his life fighting for Minnesota. And now I need all of you to fight for Mark Dayton so we can keep this state moving forward.

(APPLAUSE)

It looks like you're kind of fired up.

(CHEERS, APPLAUSE)

And I need you fired up. Because in just 10 days, you have the chance not just to set the direction of this state, but also help determine the direction of this country. Not just for the next two years, but the next five years, the next 10 years, the next 20 years. And just like you did in 2008, you have the chance to defy the conventional wisdom. Because right now the conventional wisdom is, that you can't overcome the cynicism of politics. That you can't overcome all the special interest money that Mark was talking about. That you can't tackle big challenges, that the political system just can't digest it. The same way that they said in 2008 that you can't elect a skinny guy with a funny name to the presidency of the United States of America. And so in 2008, you said, yes, we can. In 2010, you've got to say, yes, we can.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD CHANTING: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!

OBAMA: Yes, we can. Now, look, there is no doubt that this is going to be a difficult election. And it's because we've been through an incredibly difficult time for our nation. For most of the last decade, the middle class in America was getting pounded.

Give you a few statistics: Between 2001 and 2009, when Republicans were in charge, the middle class saw their incomes go down by 5 percent during that period. That's not according to me, that's according to "The Wall Street Journal." Between that same period, we had the slowest, most sluggish job growth of any time since World War II. So this was a lost decade for middle class families. Costs of everything from health care to getting a college education were skyrocketing. Jobs were disappearing overseas.

Too many parents had to say to their kids we might not be able to afford to send you to college. Too many families had to pass up going to the doctor when they got sick because they couldn't afford it. Too many Americans haven't two, three jobs and still not being able to make ends meet. And then all of this culminated in the worst financial crisis and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

I want everybody to think back to when I was first sworn in. We had lost 4 million jobs in the six months before I took office. We lost 750,000 the month I took the oath; 600,000 the month after that, 600,000 more the month after that. We lost almost 8 million jobs, almost all of them lost before any of our economic policies would be put into place. And when I arrived in Washington, my hope was that we could put politics aside for a moment to meet this once in a generation challenge. My hope was we could stop the division and the bickering and the partisanship that had dominated Washington. And that we could come together to solve problems because although we are proud Democrats, we are prouder to be Americans, Minnesota.

(APPLAUSE)

And I believe there are a lot of Republicans out there that felt the same way, but when we got to Washington, the Republican leaders in Congress, they had a different idea. Their basic theory was, they looked around and said, boy, we really made a big mess. We really screwed up, it's going to take a long time to get those 8 million jobs back. People are going to be angry and frustrated. It's better if we refuse to cooperate. We say no to everything. We try to gum up the works in Congress. And we may be able to deflect the blame come the next election. We'll just pretend like we had nothing to do with it, and we'll point our fingers at the Democrats.

(BOOS)

In other words, the other side was betting on amnesia. They're betting that you forget who caused this mess in the first place. But Minneapolis, it is up to you to show them that you have not forgotten.

(APPLAUSE)

It is up to you to remember that this election is a choice between the policies that got us into this mess, and the policies that are leading us out of this mess. The choice between the past and the future, a choice between hope and fear, a choice between falling backwards and moving forwards. And I don't know about you, but I want to move forward. I don't want to go backwards.

(APPLAUSE)

And if you don't think this is a choice, if you think somehow there's a new and improved Republican party out there, let me be clear. The chair of the Republican campaign committee was asked what are you going to do if you take over Congress? He said, we'll pursue the exact same agenda as we did before Obama took office.

(BOOS)

I mean, it's not as if they went off into the desert and they realized, boy, we really screwed up. And they went and meditated for a while and came up with some new ideas. All they got is the same old stuff that they were peddling over the last decade. Cut taxes mostly for millionaires and billionaires. Cut rules for special interests. And then cut middle-class families to fend for themselves.

So if you're out of a job, tough luck, you're on your own. You don't have health care? Their philosophy says tough luck, you are on your own. You're a young person, trying to afford a college education. Too bad. Pull yourself up by your own boot straps. You're on your own. This same agenda turned a record surplus into record deficits. Allowed Wall Street to run wild and nearly destroyed our economy.

And I make these points not because I want to re-argue the past, I just don't want to relive the past. We can't afford it.

(APPLAUSE)

(END LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

HENRY: You're listening live to President Obama at the University of Minnesota. As we said earlier, he's really trying to frame this midterm election between a choice. As he puts it, a choice between hope and fear, going backward or going forward. He does not want it to be a referendum on his leadership. Certainly Sarah Palin, and other Republicans we've been hearing from earlier on BALLOT BOWL, think just the opposite.

We're going to hear a lot more from the president of the United States right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: I'm Ed Henry. Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL, CNN's really special coverage of this final sprint into the midterm elections, the final 10 days.

Interesting that President Obama's message, largely built around the notion of, look, you were with me in 2008. I need you to be with me again in 2010. Perhaps warming up a little bit for 2012? We'll have to deal with that on another edition on BALLOT BOWL down the road.

For now, we are focused on 2010. Here's the president making his pitch at the University of Minnesota.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

OBAMA: --education of our children. And the skills of our workers. We believe in an America in which we look after one another, where I say I am my brother's keeper. I am my sister's keeper. That's our vision. That's the America that I believe in. And that Mark believes in, that you believe in. That's the choice in this election.

If you give the other side the keys, the other side will keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. Mark and I, we want to give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in Minnesota, right here in the United States, and small businesses and American manufacturers.

We want to invest in clean energy companies because I don't want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars built in Europe or built in Asia. I want them built right here in America with American workers. That's the choice in this election. We give them the keys. Here is their big economic idea. This is their big jobs plan is to cut taxes for the top 2 percent, it will cost $700 billion. It be an average of $100,000 check for millionaires and billionaires, 98 percent of folks would not see any of this money from this tax break. And to pay for it, we would have to borrow money from China. Oh, and by the way, we would also have to cut education spending by 20 percent.

Now, why -- why on Earth do we think that would be good for our future? Do you think that China is getting education spending by 20 percent? Is South Korea or India or Germany, are they cutting education by 20 percent?

CROWD: No!

OBAMA: They're not playing for second place. They understand that our competitiveness will be determined by how well we educate our workers for tomorrow. And America doesn't play for second place either. We play for first place. That's why, Amy, that's why Ed, that's why we work together, Keith and Betty. That's why we came together, to make sure that we took 10s of billions of dollars that were going to banks, in unwarranted subsidies, and we sent that money where it should be going, to you. We are financing millions of young people's college education more effectively now. Higher Pell grants, better student loans, a $10,000 tax credit for every young person going to college. Those are the choices that we're making. And that's the choice in this election. That's why when it comes to tax cuts we gave 95 percent of working families a tax cut. We gave the tax cuts to-

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are financing millions of young people's college education more effectively now. Higher pell grants, better student loans, a $10,000 tax credit for every young person going to college. Those are the kinds of choices we're making and that's the choice in this election. That's why when it comes to tax cuts, we gave 95 percent of working families a tax cut. We gave the tax cuts to families that needed them, not folks who didn't need them, because we know you're the ones that need relief. That's the choice in this election.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

We give the other side the keys back, and I promise, you will have those special interests sitting shotgun. The chair of one of the other party's committee has already promised one of the first orders of business is to repeal Wall Street reform. Now, think about this. We just had the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. And one of their first orders of business would be to eliminate protections for consumers, eliminate protections for taxpayers. Go back to a system that resulted in us having to save the entire economy and take these drastic measures. Why would we do that? Why would we do that? Why would we go back to the point where credit card companies could jack up your interest rates without any notice and could institute hidden fees? Why would we go back to the health care policies that they believe in, where insurance companies can drop your insurance when you get sick? Why would we put those folks back in the driver's seat?

Let me tell you about health care reform. Because of health care reform, everybody here who is under 26 can stay on their parent's health care, even if they don't have health insurance.

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Because of that reform, insurance companies can't drop somebody because they've got a preexisting condition. Because of health care reform, millions of small businesses are getting tax credits so they can afford to provide health insurance to their employees. That is their agenda to repeal that? Let me tell you something, we believe in making sure people don't get ripped off when they sign up for a mortgage. We believe in making sure that credit card companies treat you fairly. We believe taxpayers shouldn't ever be forced to pay for Wall Street's mistakes. We believe that insurance companies should cover you when you've been paying your premiums. That's what we believe. That's the choice in this election. That's why you got to elect Mark Dayton governor, because he believes it, too.

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Whether you care about protecting Social Security or you care about protecting our environment, whether you care about having an energy policy that can start freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil or you believe in a foreign policy that fosters cooperation among other nations. There is a choice in this election. We know what we're fighting for. But right now the same special interests that we've battled on your behalf, they're fighting back hard. Mark mentioned that they are spending millions of dollars. They want to roll back the clock and they are pouring millions of dollars through a network of phony front groups. Flooding the airwaves with misleading attack ads, smearing fine public servants like Mark.

And thanks to a gigantic loophole, these special interests can spend unlimited amounts without even disclosing where the money is coming from. We don't know where it's coming from. We don't know where it's from the oil industry, we don't if it's from bank, we don't know if it's insurance companies could be coming overseas, we don't know. They won't tell you. They don't want you to know. They don't want you to know. They won't stand behind what they do. This isn't just a threat to Democrats, this is a threat to our democracy. Minnesota has always had a tradition of clean, fair elections. A tradition of good government.

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And the only way to uphold that tradition, the only way to match their millions of dollars is with millions of voices. Millions of voices who are ready to finish what we started in 2008. And that's where all of you come in. That's why all of you've got to get out. All of you have to vote. If you are not registered to vote yet, you can walk in right now, you can register any time between now and Election Day. There is no excuse. Because if everybody who fought for change in 2008 votes in 2010, then Mark will win his election.

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A lot of you got involved in 2008 because you believe we were in a defining moment. It was a time when the decisions we make now would have an impact across the decades. Would impact our children, our grand children for decades to come. That's the reason you knocked on doors and you made phone calls and some of you cast your vote for the very first time because you believed that in America, citizens who want to make their country better can make a difference. And you know what? I told you then, two years ago, I told you that change is not easy. Power does not give up without a fight. And I understand that some of you, since election night and inauguration day, when you know, it was a lot of fun.

Beyonce was singing and Bono and everybody had their hope posters and everything looked like it might be easy. And I warned folks then, this won't be easy. Power concedes nothing without a fight. And so for the last two years, we have been grinding it out. We passed health care reform, but it was a hard fight. We passed Wall Street reform, but it was a hard fight.

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And now maybe some people are feeling discouraged thinking boy, you know, this is harder than I expected and maybe all that work that I did in 2008, maybe it didn't make as much of a difference as I hoped. But I want everybody here to understand, don't let anybody tell you that what you did has not made a difference, that the fight isn't worth it. Because of you, because of you, there's somebody in Minnesota right now that instead of going bankrupt is able to get treatment for their cancer. Because of you, there's a young person who is going to be able to go to college. Because of you, some small businesses stayed open in the depths of a recession. Because of you, there are 100,000 brave young men and women who we've brought home from Iraq.

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Because of you, because of you, so don't let them tell you that change is impossible. It's just hard, that's all and that's OK. We've got to earn it. We're just in the first quarter. We've got a lot more quarters to play. You know, this country, this country was founded on a tough, difficult idea. Thirteen colonies deciding to break off from the most powerful empire on earth. And then drafting a document, a declaration of independence that embodied ideas that had never been tried before. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. Endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That's not an easy idea. And it had to be fought for inch by inch, year by year. Slowly, slaves were freed. Slowly, women got the right to vote. Slowly, workers got the right to organize.

(APPLAUSE) Imagine, imagine if our grand parents and our great grandparents, our great great grandparents had said, oh, this is to hard. Folks are saying mean things about us. I'm not sure if we can ever get to the Promised Land. We wouldn't be here today. But they understood that we are tested when we stand up in the face of difficulty. When we stand up in the face of uncertainty. When we're unafraid to push forward. Because we know we're doing it not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

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That's how we came through war and depression. That's why we have civil rights and women's rights and worker's rights. That's why we've been able to clean up our air and clean up our water. That's why we've been able to end combat operations in one war. The journey we began together was never about putting me in the White House. It was about building a movement for change that endures. It's about understanding that in America, anything is possible if we're willing to work for it and fight for it and most of all, believe in it. So I need you to keep fighting. I need you to keep working and I need you to keep believing. And if you knock on some doors, again, if you make some phone calls again. If you talk to your neighbors again, you go to vote again, then I promise you, we won't just win this election, we won't just have Mark as governor, but you and I together, we are going to restore the American dream for future generations. God bless you.

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And God bless the United States of America.