First Lady Michelle Obama: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

[bigtree]

excerpt of remarks by the First Lady from campaign event at Westerville Central High School Columbus, Ohio, July 24, 2012


. . . Believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. This is not a hypothetical for him. He knows what it means to work hard because you want something better for your kids and for your grandkids. And like me, and like so many of you, Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it. And he believes that when you’ve worked hard and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back and you give other people a chance to succeed as well -- that’s what the American Dream is about.

And more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake in this election. It is that dream, that fundamental American promise. And let me tell you, from now until November, we need you all to get out there and tell everybody you know -- tell them about Barack’s values. Tell them about his vision and about the choice we face in this election. That’s what we need from all of you . . .

So when folks ask you what this President has done for our country, tell them how many jobs he’s created; tell them how much money he’s put back into the pockets of the American people. You tell them that more of our kids can afford college, and more of our seniors can afford their medicine. Remind folks how Barack ended the war in Iraq, how he passed historic health reform, and stood up for our most fundamental rights and freedoms again and again and again.





But you have to also remind them that all of those accomplishments and so much more, all of that is at stake this November. It’s all on the line. These are the choices we face. Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: Or are we going to just let everything that we’ve worked so hard for just slip away?

AUDIENCE: No!

MRS. OBAMA: No, we can’t do that. We have to keep moving forward. Forward! We cannot turn back now. And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for -- the chance to finish what we started; the chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision for this country that we all share. And that is what my husband has been doing every single day as President.





And let me tell you, over the past three and a half years I have had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like, all right? (Laughter.) I’ve seen some things. (Laughter.) I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk, they are always the hard ones –- the problems with no easy solutions, the judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there is no margin for error. And as President, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people, right? But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, all you have to guide you in those moments are your life experiences, right? All you have to guide you are your values, your vision for this country. That’s it. In the end, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for.

And we all know who my husband is, don’t we? We all know what he stands for. And we have seen, again and again, just how hard he’s willing to fight for us.

Remember when folks in Washington told Barack to let the auto industry go under, with more than a million jobs on the line? Do you remember that? But Barack had the backs of the American workers. He put his faith in the American people. And as a result, today, the auto industry is back on its feet again and people are back at work again. Let them know.





And remember how folks were telling Barack, don’t take on health care. Don’t do it. They said, leave it for another day, another President. Just keep kicking that can down the road. That’s what they told him. But Barack had our backs, the American family’s. He had our backs, and as a result, today, millions of people can finally see a doctor when they’re sick; they can get the care they need to stay well.

So when it comes time to stand up for the middle class so our kids can go to college and our families can have a decent living and save for retirement, you know what my husband is going to do, don’t you? (Applause.) When we need a President to protect our most basic rights, no matter who we are or where we’re from or what we look like or who we love, you know you can count on Barack Obama because that’s what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States. You know who he is. (Applause.) That’s why we’re here.

But I have said this before, and I will say it again and again and again: He cannot do this alone. Because, as Barack has said, this election will be even closer than the last one -- that I guarantee you. In the end, it could all come down to those last few thousand votes, right? And while that might not sound like a lot, remember that those votes are spread across an entire state, across hundreds of cities and thousands of precincts. So that one new voter you register in your precinct, that one neighbor you help get to the polls on November the 6th, that could be the one that makes the difference. I want you thinking like that. That one conversation you have, that one new volunteer you recruit, that could be the one that puts us over the top. That could be the one that makes the difference between waking up on November the 7th and asking yourself, “Could I have done more?”, or feeling the promise of four more years. (Applause.) Four more years.

MRS. OBAMA: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!





MRS. OBAMA: With your help. With your help. And that is why we’ve launched a new effort, as Nancy mentioned, that we’re calling “It Takes One.” It takes one -- just think like that. It just takes one. And as simple as it sounds, every time you take action to move this campaign forward, we’re asking you to inspire one more person to step up and do their part as well. So if you’re making phone calls, knocking on doors, bring one friend. If you’re coming to an event, bring a neighbor who has never been involved in an election before, someone who is uncertain. When you’re voting early, or on Election Day, bring one new voter along with you, right? One -- it just takes one. Find one friend, one colleague, one person in your family, send them to barackobama.com/one. That’s it. Because we want them to get involved in this campaign as well. And also, bring them along to our very first “It Takes One” weekend of action that’s happening this weekend, where folks are going to be meeting up in cities across this country to register voters, to talk with neighbors about our camp. “Bring One.” One! Or two. (Laughter.) But that was too long for a T-shirt. We couldn’t say, “It takes one or two.” (Laughter.) Just one. You can sign up at the website for that event, and we need every single one of you -- every single one of you here to join us.

It’s like Barack has always said: It takes just one voice to change a room. And if you can change a room, you can change a city. And if you can change a city, you can change a state. And if you can change a state, you can change a nation. That is the power of one -- one person stepping up and doing their part to move this country forward. One person.

And I am not going to kid you -- because I never kid you, right? I tell you the truth. This journey is going to be long, and it is going to be hard, and there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way. But we have to just keep remembering that’s how change always happens in this country. That’s how real change happens. Real change is slow. It takes time and patience. But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, doing what we know is right, then eventually we get there. Because we always have. We always will. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes. Maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes, right?





Because, in the end, that is what this is all about. In the end, that’s what elections are always about. Elections are always about hope -- always. They’re about our hopes for our children. They’re about the world we want to leave for the next generation. And let me tell you, that is what I think about every night when I kiss my girls goodnight. That’s what keeps me being out here, passionate. I think about how I want to do for them and all of our children, what my dad did for me, and what Barack’s grandmother and mother did for him. That’s what this is about. I want to give my daughters, and all of our sons and daughters, a foundation for their dreams. I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise. (Applause.) I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility, that belief that here in America there is always something better if you’re willing to work for it.

So we can’t turn back now. No, not now. We have come so far. But we have so much more work to do -- so much more work to do. And with your help, we will do it.

So my last question -- Nancy, already indicated, but I don’t know about everybody here -- because I want everybody in this room -- whether you are decided, undecided -- I want to know: Are you in?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: Are you in? Are you in? No, no, I mean the kind of rolling-up-your-sleeves in. Are you ready to work for this? Are you ready to knock on doors to find that one new friend? Are you ready for that? Are you ready to pull in that one new person? Are you ready to register that one new voter and work for the vision for this country that we share? Are you ready for that?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: Because I am so far in. Have you not noticed how fired up I am? We are going to be working hard over the next few months, and we’re going to be working hard right here in this state. I want to thank you all for everything you’ve done, and do just a little bit more.

Love you guys. God bless.




read full address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/24/remarks-first-lady-campaign-event

[siligut]

1. Such a beautiful, confident, dynamic and charming first lady

I could go on, but I think everyone knows how great she is. I have a very well written email from her account, it just asks us to do one thing for Obama's reelection. I am doing that and more, but it is such an effective email, I can only imagine what is was like to be there at Westerville Central High School yesterday.

[Solomon]

2. That literally made me cry. We have just got to get 4more yesrs

[peace13]

3. Thanks bigtree! This is a beautiful recap!

I was in Westerville, OH yesterday and this woman is a ball of fire. She is so inspirational. Smart, beautiful and funny. I hope that folks here go out to http://www.barackobama.com/one and see what she is talking about. She puts it all on the line!

[handmade34]

4. Fired up, Ready to go!!

[applegrove]

5. She's the whole package.