you're a good >> who did you vote for four years ago? >> obama. vice with president obama already being in office, -- >> with president obama already been in office, continue your plan, and then we will evaluate where we are, and i will determine whether i would go democrat again. >> you voted for years ago for? >> mccain. >> what are you thinking? >> it reminds me of the two- headed monster on sesame street where they are pulling each other at the end, but they get back together by cooperation and collaboration. >> who is the cooperation candidates? >> is that answerable?
congress, and it will be less gridlock if we have a republican president. >> we have covered it. we have covered the world. we have got only two weeks left. stay involved. there is a lot going on here, and these are exactly the things the candidates need to hear, so i want to thank each and everyone of you for joining us, and we will see where it goes from here. thank you all very much. >> thank you.
voters, bike's what surprised you the market lacks i am surprised because we spend our time on the campaign trail trying to meet voters, and to meet undecided voters of this point agonizing, going back and forth. was another way. it is hard to understand because most people are decided from birth, and these are people who are at sea. >> i should state that is why i brought them into the room.
rose on obama, and i think the formulation and now is the question is the faction, and they are somewhere in between, and you can see if it is pervasive, and the question is defection. i am angry, but i am not going to do it. she to me was quintessential. a fact of these people got so much out of the conventions -- they really a sort of so much, region in re -- they really absorbed so much. >> it was hard to see, because we did not have the tabulation, but if you do a net balance, it does not seem it is going to end up as a big romney game.
praxair was one person here who had been for mccain and definitely was for obama. that one, who was not really undecided. >> he liked obamacare, and one of them said he thought obama was his brother, but there was all kinds of affection for obama, and then there was one who said it would be the worst day of his life is obama got reelected. >> i think from my point of view i happen to agree with mark. in the last session i did in milwaukee, michelle was this quintessential voter who you could see the struggle of what was going on common-law -- going on, and i thought mary was much the same.
they are going through the same kind of struggle, yet if barack obama wins, he is going to win the election. if he loses these women, and it is going to be difficult to tout. -- difficult to sell. i think mary is undecided, and i think anne is undecided. >> is she quintessential, because i thought it was interesting that she was very emotional. she was very emotional, and all she said was about the gut feeling. in the end she said, i am leaning towards mitt romney.
obama. there was good will, but i also thought of is this man had some strength to it, so that impressed me. >> definitely the one you did in denver, where there were weather-related questions and there was early spring for most people. the graph you put up, most people thought it was the economy. this is the area of the economy that has been touched by the downturn. there was a lot in northern virginia about that. everybody talked about the desire for bipartisanship, cooperation. that seemed to be one of the themes, a gridlock.
very negative light. i was fascinated by this. it put him into a spot like that was uncomfortable. >> i do not think it was as much foreign policy as it was insight into romney, and they saw it, and they found that appealing and attractive. it was a cheap shot. it did not show presidential restraint. it reminded me of gary hart. the airliner was shot down with congressmen macdonald, and he asked what he would do, and he said, i would put the jets and look in the windows, and it was such a silly answer before he decided to shoot it down.
it was a stupid answer, and romney has the same kind of disqualifying -- >> it is interesting. the three who were really undecided common and two of them voted for mccain. faxon it is not a statistic. >> the point is they are going both ways. taiex i will take final thoughts. likes a lot of people said obama is just the lesser of two evils. they know they are going to get to the ballot box, and they are going to say, no one lived up to what i asked him to live up to, so who is the guy who is not that bad? >> i think the women's issues may affected.
mitt romney in new hampshire. tomorrow morning we will look of the democrats' legislative and campaign agenda with maryland representative don edwards. a good republican senator, a member of the committee, will discuss the on rests in the middle east and the so-called fiscal cliff at the end of the year. -- the unrest in the middle east and the so-called fiscal cliff at the end of the year. our guest is jamie strawbridge, managing editor of inside u.s. trade. " the washington journal is every day 7:00 a.m. eastern. a forum on the supreme court 2011-2012 terms.
softened three -minute debates -- face off in 390-minute debates. follow our coverage on c-span, c-span radio, and online at c- span.org. >> of trade complaint against china regarding auto subsidies. president obama made a stop in cincinnati. this is a little more than an hour. ♪ >> hello, cincinnati.
na little chicken. a little potato salad. baked beans. he said -- who said beer? it is beautiful. can anybody please give andrew a great round of applause for that wonderful introduction? wasn't it great? but we say we could not be -- let me say we could not be prouder a disservice to our country as a veteran. we are very proud of the work he is doing and the work he does with his union but the thing i am most proud of is the fact that he has triplets and he is still standing. i had a chance to meet his wonderful wife. triplets. that is serious.
businesswoman in cincinnati expand or the construction worker who has been laid off? we have been there, we have tried that. we are not going back. we in not going back. [applause] we are not going back to trickle-down. we are not going back to top down, you are on your own economic. we are not going to tell folks that you are on your own because we believe we are all in this together. we do not think the economy grows from the top down. we think it grows from the middle out. from the strong middle-class. strong working families. when people are doing well in the middle, then everybody does well. what happens when you have a little more money in your pocket? you spend it. and that means businesses have more and make more profits.
researchers in the world. we have the best colleges and universities in the world. there is not a country on earth that would not trade places with the united states of america. our problems can be solved and our challenges can be met. the past the offer may be hard but it leads to a better place. i am asking you to choose that future. i am asking you to rally around a set of goals to create new manufacturing jobs here in ohio. to build on what we have already done terry to create a new energy strategy for america. building on what we have already done. to prove -- improve education and bring down our deficit. turn the page on a decade of war. that is what we can do in the next four years, cincinnati. that is what i am running for a second term as president of the united states of america. [applause] crowd: four more years!
everything i can to make sure american workers get a fair shot a in the global economy. when other countries do not play by the rules, we have done something about it. we bought more trade cases against china in one term than the previous administration did in two. and every case we have brought that has been decided, we won. when governor romney says that stopping on a fair surges in chinese companies would be bad for america, we ignore his advice and got over 1000 americans back to work, creating tires right here in the united states. [applause] earlier this year, i said that a new task force to go after on fair trade practices that harm our workers.
the chance to earn the skills they need to compete. education was the gateway of opportunity for me, for michelle, and it is the gateway of opportunity for a lot of you. and right now, he is studying -- andrew right now is getting to get his degree with help from pell grants that we expanded because the understand that even though he is doing well now, we constantly have to build up our skills treat it as the gateway to a middle-class life. -- skills. it is the gateway to a middle- class life. we said let's get the money directly to students and we have been able to help millions more young people get an education. so, you have a choice. the other side, you look at their budget.
universities to keep tuition down. to cut in half the tuition costs over the next 10 years. we can meet those goals together. that is the future we can choose. third thing -- i have a plan to control more of our own energy. after 30 years of inaction, we raised fuel efficiency standard so by the middle of the next decade, your cars and trucks will goal tries as far -- will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. that helps our national security and our environment. we have double the amount of renewable energy. thousands of americans have jobs today building went turbines and long-lasting batteries. we are less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two years. you of a choice.
between plan to repurchase this progress or one that built on it. as long as i'm president, i will not begin our not let oil properties right in this country's energy plan and i will not let them keep collecting $4 billion in tax payer funds in corporate welfare. we have a better path. we will keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal technology. we will help farmers harness new biofuels. let's put construction workers back to work rebuilding our homes and factories so they waste less energy. we've got to develop a nearly hundred-year supply of natural gas beneath our feet. we can do it in a way that is safe. if you choose this path, we can cut our oil dependence in half by 2020.
that is a plan for the future, not a plan looking backward. number four, we will reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class. i put forward a plan that will reduce our deficit by $4 trillion. an independent analysis has looked at this. just in case you are skeptical, we have got real numbers behind it. i have worked with republicans in congress to already cut $1 trillion in spending, and we're willing to do more. i do not want a government that is wasting money. it has to make sure it is focused on the people that are working hard, but need a ladder up.
there are programs that do not work. i want to reform the tax code so it is simple and fair. i have done my own taxes. i do not know about some of these other folks, but i have done mine. i know we can make this a more simple and fair system, but we have to ask the wealthiest households to pay a little bit more on incomes over $250,000, the same rate we had when bill clinton was president, the same rate when the economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest surplus in history, and we helped millionaires to boot. if we are helping middle-class families, what happens?
you are going to spend the money. middle out, not top down. my opponent has a plan when it comes to taxes. one thing is missing from it -- arithmetic. they talk about -- they say the most important thing we have to do is reduce the deficit. then the first thing they do is to spend trillions of dollars more on tax breaks for the wealthy. not just the bush tax cuts. on top of the bush tax cuts, $5 trillion more.
they must have skipped math class when they were in school. that math does not add up. whenever you ask them to explain the plan, they will not. they will not say how they will pay for $5 trillion in new tax cuts. sometimes this money gets all mixed up, millions, billions. $5 trillion over 10 years means $500 billion every year. $500 billion is about the amount of our entire defense budget. everything we spend on our military -- everything -- troops, planes, carriers -- it is about $500 billion. they are saying they are going to give a tax cut equivalent to our entire defense budget every single year. they cannot tell you how they are going to pay for it. and the truth is they cannot pay for it without raising taxes on middle-class families.
but then on top of that, they want to spend another $2 trillion in new military spending, they say, without adding to the deficit, but they do not tell you how they are going to do that. the only thing they can do is keep trying to bluff their way through until november, and hope that you will call them on it. but understand, cincinnati, i want to work with them to reduce the deficit. if the republicans need more love, if they want me to walk the dog or wash their car, i am happy to do it. and i genuinely believe that most americans -- they just want us to solve problems. so i am ready and willing to work.
but i refuse to ask middle-class families to pay over $2,000 more so that millionaires and billionaires can pay less. i refuse to cut clean energy investment and put 125,000 clean-energy jobs here in ohio at risk just to give me or romney a tax cut. i refuse to ask more than 365,000 of students to pay more for college or take children out of head start programs or eliminate health insurance for millions of americans who are poor or elderly or disabled just to pay for a tax cut for wealthy folks who do not need it. and i will never turn medicare into a voucher.
here at home. that is the choice you face. that is what this election comes down to. 50 days and you will start making that choice. -- 15 days and you will start making that choice. over and over again we have been told by our opponent that their way is the only way, that if government cannot do everything, they should do nothing. if a company is polluting the air your children breathe, that is the price of progress. if you cannot afford to start a business or go to college, borrow money from your parents. [crowd boos] don't boo. vote. you know what? that is not who we are. that is not what this country is about.
as americans, we insist on personal responsibility. we insist on individual initiative. we cannot help folks who are not even trying to help themselves. nobody is entitled to success. we believe in somebody who is starting a business, the drivers, the dreamers, the risk takers who drive our economy. that is what we believe in, and the free enterprise system, the greatest energy for prosperity, but we believe in this country as citizens we accept certain obligations to each other and to future generations. as citizens, we understand america is not just what can be done for us, it is what can be done by us together as one nation, as one people. all of you understand that. the election four years ago was not about me.
it was about all of you. it was about us. you are the reason that there is a cancer survivor in medina who can afford their health care plan. you did that. you are the reason that young man in columbus whose mother worked three jobs to raise him can afford to go to college. that is because of you. you are the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will not be deported from the only country that she has known as home. you are the reason we don't do don't ask don't tell.
a country where in america, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, the matter what your last name is, you can make it if you try. that is why i am asking for a second term, ohio, and if you are willing to stand with me and knock on some doors for me, and make some phone calls for me, and vote for me, we will win ohio. we will win this election. we will finish what we started. and we will remind the world what the united states of america is the greatest nation on earth. god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] mitt romney is thought to president obama's announcement to end subsidies for chinese of the pots big chinese auto parts.
he also laid out his five. economic plan. ♪ >> another rally in ohio today, in columbus, and there you see mitt romney on the stage in los angeles, speaking out to the u.s. hispanic chamber of commerce. >> thank you so much for that warm introduction. and congratulations to christina as well. thank you. good to be here. i have a son here. hi, guys. it is an honor to be your guest and speak to you as we begin national hispanic heritage month. i am pleased to represent the party of governor susana martinez and marco rubio and ted cruz.
party is the right home of hispanic americans, but my speech today is not about my party. it is about the country we love and the future we want to build. during the course of the campaign i have traveled across the country, seeing people who have fallen into poverty, living paycheck to paycheck, people who are tired of being tired. over 23 million americans are out of work. the number of people on food stamps has risen by almost 15 million since president obama took office. median household income has fallen four years in a row. seeing such a poor jobs and income picture, the federal reserve has announced it will print more money.
the fed knows this comes with a high cost and risk for the future. it feels it has no other choice. our leaders in washington have failed to produce a real recovery. no one is exempt from the pain of this economy, but the hispanic community has been particularly hard hit. while national unemployment is at 8.1%, hispanic unemployment is over 10%. over 2 million more hispanics are living in poverty today than the day president obama took office. in 2008, candidate obama promised us a world of limitless hope. what we got instead is a world where hope has painful limits, limits that make it hard to start a business, to grow business, or to find a job. the administration promised us that its policies would have brought unemployment down to 5.4% by now. they have not. unemployment is still above 8%, and the difference between the 5.4% they promised and the 8% unemployment rate we have is millions.
i have a plan, and my plan for a stronger middle class will create 12 million new jobs by the end of my first term, and it will raise take-home pay. my plan is premised on the condition it is freedom that drives our economy, that free people creating free enterprises is what creates the jobs with good wages. government supports the job creators, but it cannot take their place. my plan has five key steps.
first, we will take advantage of our oil, gas, and renewables to achieve north american energy independence. that will not only give us the affordable energy we need, but also create nearly 4 million new jobs. it will bring manufacturing back to our country. [applause] second, we got to give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today. we got to give our kids the education they need for the careers of tomorrow. there are too many of our kids trapped in failing schools. as president, i will assure every child from every background receives quality education. i will empower the parents of our low-income and special-needs students to choose where they go to school.
at the same time we will jump- start our economy by expanding trade with latin america, and hispanic businesses will have the most to gain. president obama has not initiated a single new trade agreement with latin america. i will. i will pursue a comprehensive strategy to confront china's unfair trade practices and do that from day one. the president may think that announcing a new trade lawsuit will distract from his record. american businesses and workers struggling on an uneven playing field know better.
for public broadcasting and the legal services corporation and the national endowment for the arts and humanities. i like some of those things, by the way, but we cannot afford them. my test for each program is this -- is the program so critical it is worth borrowing money from china to pay for it? if not, i will cut it off. in addition i will send a number of programs that have been growing uncontrollably fast back to the states, limit their rate of growth to the rate of inflation. i will look to sharply increase the productivity of washington by reducing federal government employment by 10% through attrition by combining departments, to reduce the overhead, by cracking down on the $115 billion a year in improper payments to the government programs, and also align government compensation with that in the private sector.
i started a business myself. we began with 10 people. today it employs hundreds of people. our business was investing to help turn around or grow or to start up other small businesses. today, over 100,000 people work at companies that we helped start, companies like staples, the sports authority. small businesses often grow into large businesses. 2/3 of american jobs created over the last 15 years were created by small business. i know small business. not because i studied it at school, but because i lived small business. i know that small businesses are being crushed by this administration's policies. too often regulators treat businesses like they are the enemy and crush them with an avalanche of regulations.
large businesses can deal with that, but small businesses cannot. i met an entrepreneur in the electronic industry in st. louis who said that he and his son had gone through a calculation to determine how much they paid to the government, in federal income taxes, payroll taxes, state income taxes, gasoline taxes, sales taxes, and real estate taxes. it amounted to over half of what their business earned. over half. you think about that. the likelihood of success of a small business is not real high, and if you are successful, the government wants to take more than half. no wonder business startups are at a 30-year low. the president plans to raise the federal income tax on small businesses even more to 40%. that will kill about 700,000 jobs. we need more jobs, not less. a recent study concluded that my plan which reduces the tax rate on small business will instead create 7 million jobs.
we talk about "obamacare." the chamber of commerce surveyed 13 of its members and found that 3/4 of them said they are less likely to hire people because of "obamacare." that will replace consumer choice with government choice and will cause health insurance premiums to skyrocket. i will repeal "obamacare" and replace it. if we take advantage of our energy resources at home and we fix our schools and open more trade and we cut the deficit and we truly champion small business, our economy will come roaring back.
we can do better than this lackluster economy. we can create 12 million jobs and rising take-home pay. my confidence comes from the entrepreneurs i met across the country. we're in a room full of them right here. in 1988, a person founded a spanish-language weekly, and she became an expert in search- engine marketing and she turned it into an on-line powerhouse. we're joined by another successful entrepreneur, who oversees one of the nation's top construction management firms.
she has been collecting so many awards that we're lucky she did not have a conflict today. i happen to believe that entrepreneurs like martha and doreen are the future for america. i believe the credit for their work goes to them, not the government. i sure do not believe the government should take more of what they earn away from them. this is at the heart of the difference between president obama and my vision for the future of america's economy. he wants government to tax more and regulate more because he believes government can do a better job than you can. i believe in you. i believe you can do a better job than government. i believe -- i am confident you and your dreams and your freedoms will build a stronger future for all of us and for our children.
this belief in free people and free enterprise that is the american heritage. it is why americans outperformed economically over every nation on earth. i want to say a word about immigration. americans may disagree about how to fix our immigration system, but we can agree is broken. for years, republicans and democrats have been more interested in playing politics with immigration than fixing it. candidate obama said one of his highest priorities would be to fix immigration in his first year in office, with his party having majorities in both houses of congress. the president never even offered up a bill. like so many issues confronting our nation, when it comes to immigration, politics have been going on for too long.
i will work with republicans and democrats to permanently fix our immigration system. we will never achieve a legal system that is efficient if we do not get control our borders. what we need are fair and enforceable immigration laws that will stem the flow of illegal immigration while strengthening legal immigration. i want to make the system for more simple and transparent. you should not have to hire a lawyer to find out how to legally emigrate to the united states. i want to shift our diversity to bring together immediate family members and i want to structure our temporary worker visa programs so these meet the needs of our employers. if someone gets an advanced degree, i want them to stay here, so i will give them a green card with a diploma.
president obama created a stopgap measure for children who were brought here illegally through no fault of their own. i will pursue permanent immigration reform and i will start by insuring those who serve and our military had the opportunity to become legal permanent residents their country. [applause] those who have risked their lives have earned a right to make their life in america. i spoke about my father, who was born to american parents living in mexico. when he was 5, they left everything behind and started over again in the united states. my dad grew up poor. he believed in a country where the circumstances of one's birth were not a barrier to achievement, a place where hard work could turn dreams into reality.
he went from selling paint out of the trunk as his car to becoming the chief executive of a great car company, and ultimately to become the governor of the state of michigan. my wife's father was a first- generation immigrant, and he ended up founding a manufacturing company. many of you in this room have similar stories. that is the american story, one that is told over and over and over again, the story of the american dream. the american dream is not gone. it has just been put a little further from us. i know what it takes to bring it back, to have inspired our fathers and mothers, who sacrificed so much that we could have as part of our lives, and now it is our turn, a responsibility to restore the opportunity and prosperity and dreams that have invigorated this nation from its beginning, and is a responsibility we will fulfill together.
campaign events first with michelle obama campaigning for her -- her husband in florida and senator john mccain campaign for mitt romney in new hampshire. tuesday, former political prisoner of the burmese league for democracy will talk about her country's transition to democracy and its relations with the u.s. live at 12:30 p.m. eastern here on c-span. 5:30 eastern, we hear from general james amos, speaking at the atlantic council about the role of the marine corps. >> i watched c-span2 find the unfiltered truth. what they're saying, when and why. beyond that, i like to use c- span as a thermostat for what is happening in the country.
sometimes you get caught up a in the beltway. one of the shows are really enjoy watching is "washington journal." it makes my job easier when i do the work that i do. there are morning interviews and c-span talks about the same topics i am getting a hit on. it allows me to get my arguments before i>> richard wan comcast. cabled by america's companies in 1979. brought to you as a public service by your cable company. >> first lady michelle obama campaigns for president obama in gainesville. this is just over 30 minutes.
character. [applause] it was his decency. it was his honesty, his compassion, his conviction. i love that barack was so committed to serving others that he turned down high-paying jobs and he began his career by trying to get people back to work in struggling communities. yes, yes. was so that barack so s devoted to his family, especially the women in his life. i saw the love and respect he had for his mother. i saw how proud he was that she put herself through school football supporting himself and his sister as a single mom.
i saw his tenderness for his grandmother. long after she should have retired, she was still waking up every morning and catching a bus to her job to support families. he watched as she was passed over for promotions and simply because she was a woman. he also saw how she kept doing the same job, getting up your or your -- after year without complaint or regret. in barack i found a real connection. in his life's story, i found so much of my own. growing up on the south side of chicago, i saw my father make the same uncomplaining journey every day. it was at the city water plant. he have the same dignity.
way to go to rebuild our economy, we have at 30 straight months of private sector job growth under this president. a total of 4.6 million new, good jobs in the united states of america. here is more proof. when it comes to health care, the health of our families, barack did not care if health reform was the easy thing to do politically. he care that it was the right thing to do. today, as alex mentioned, because of health reform, our parents and grandparents on medicare pay hundreds of less for their prescription drugs. kids can stay on insurance until -- their parents' insurance until they are 26 years old.
now insurance companies have to cover things like contraception and cancer screenings without any of pocket cost. they will not be able to discriminate against you because of a pre-existing condition like diabetes or asthma. here is another thing. if you get a serious illness and you need expensive treatment, no longer can they tell you that you hit your lifetime limit and we are not paying a penny more. that is now illegal because of health reform. [applause] for the young people here, when it comes to giving young people the education they deserve, like me and so many of you, you never cut have attended college without financial aid. never.
backs. barack knows from personal experience what it means for families when women are not treated fairly in the workplace. he knows what it means when women fail to meet the demands of their jobs and families. he knows as a father to know what it means to have our daughters to have the same freedom and opportunity is as our sons. very first bill he signed as president was to help women get equal pay for equal work. that is why your president will always, always fight to ensure that women can make our own decisions about our bodies and our health care.
your neighborhood, your dorm, that could be a single vote in your apartment building. if there is somebody here thinking that their vote does not matter, that their involvement does not count, that in this complex political process that normal votes cannot make a difference, i want you to think about those 36 votes. we all know 36 people, right? with just a few evenings on a phone bank, just a few weekends knocking on doors. in this stadium, you all could swing an entire precinct for barack obama.
clipboard. make sure you get to the polls and cast your vote on election day. here in florida, you do not have to wait until november 6. for young people, the one-day timeframe is tricky. you might oversleep, you might forget about it, you might not feel like it. you can request a ballot now. starting october 27, you can vote early at convenient locations throughout the state. do you hear that, young people? vote early. to find out where to vote, and go to gottaregister.com, love you. got to vote.
got to vote. because here is the thing, this is not just about barack obama, this is about your future. this is about all young people making your voices heard. you have got to do it every election. pretend i am not the first lady. i am like your mother. you have got to vote, got to vote. [applause] i have got to be honest with you. i always try to be honest. love you. vote, vote. understand this. this journey is going to be hard. these next days are going to feel long.
when you start to get tired, and you will, when you think about taking a day off, and you will, i want you to think about what we do for the next 50 days will make the difference between waking up on november 7 at the day after election day and asking ourselves, could we have done more, for feeling the promise of four more years. [applause] from now until november 6, we need you to keep on working and struggling and pushing forward. that is how change always happens in this country. if we keep showing up and fighting that could fight, we eventually get there. we always do. maybe we do not get there in our lifetimes.
something more. the hope that so many of us feel when we look into the eyes of our own kids and grandkids. that is why so many of us are here today. we want to give all of our kids in this country a foundation for their dream. we want to give all of our kids opportunities worthy of their promise.
medical insurance. >> does that concern you at all? >> yes. i would like to see him more and evolved rather than having paul ryan out there all of the time. -- to have a more involved. >> let us look at some statements. i think maybe it will, up. one other thing -- let me bring this up. i may need a little help from the back room. ok.
maybe if i can yet some help. let me ask one thing, if i could come in terms of barack obama. give me three words that best described him. adjectives to describe barack obama. >> inspiring. >> smart. >> yes. >> overconfident. >> strong. >> cool, smart, overconfident. >> let me have us look and a couple clips. i will start with ann romney.
who should be our next president. no one will work harder. no one will care more, and no one will [inaudible] to make this country a better place to live. >> she wants us to love him. >> your impression? >> of her. >> elegant and well spoken. a perfect first lady. >> she is an incredible woman and to raise that many boys, i can only imagine. i think that she speaks the truth, all the wonderful thing she says about him. >> dedicated asset. >> she loves her husband and her family. that is obvious. >> and feels that he has what it takes. >> how does she add to your impressions about mitt romney?
will trickle down to you. >> what did you think? >> i want someone getting richer because it does trickle down. i agree with ben. under obama, the epa has put some money roadblocks on the economy. if you get rid of some of those roadblocks, the economy would do better. >> what did you think? >> i like he did not promise to balance the budget. he said on track to balancing the budget so that is a bit more realistic. >> did you feel more solidity toward romney? you felt you were leaning? does this make you feel closer or i am still in the same place. >> it justifies where he is.
meaning far over. >> what do you think? >> i hate that 12 million jobs. some of the things were going on nicely but 12 million bits seems like -- i know we need 12 million. how is he going to do that? i understand there are lots of ways but it seems like such -- >> dave. >> i want to see the jobs first. that has been my biggest complaint. you have the jobs cut on the forefront. the thing that always sticks with me is education -- the education plan and i do support that choice. the current president supports it. it is not a big deal anymore. those are the things that stuck out to me. >> anybody else? >> trade agreements. >> what is this man going to do about china? >> i have not heard him say that once. >> this man meeting -- >> brahney. -- romney.
>> he was not speaking to me. >> let me turn and do barack obama. three adjectives to describe him. give me an adjective. >> school. >> cool. >> airtran. >> why? >> the way he has his presence and he is a great speaker. he is so convincing but when you see that things have not happened, it is a feeling i get. he can say it and glasshoff that we're going to believe. it seems arrogant. >> i would say strong.
quicker rate that and has. -- than it has? >> where does that leave pamela? >> as far as my vote? >> i am trying to understand. >> i do not believe a man in that position can get much done in four years and there is a part of me that still wants to give him a chance because i think he had some great ideas and because of his confidence, i was hoping against all hope. he is a relatively young and new in the game, romney is not. in four years he might get the hang of it. >> a very good talker and i voted for him. he has not accomplished what he said he was going to. that is why i am undecided. >> he talks a good game, but he is hesitant in action. >> biggest accomplishment, write it down. first four years. we will start with ben. 10 seconds each.
accomplishment. how many say i see that as a positive accomplishment? and it is a big accomplishment because? >> uninsured. that is a big one. to get that done. however he got it done, it is a big deal. >> children are able to be insured logger when they are in college. >> he let the secretary of defense not have that kind of coverage for military children for a number of months, almost a year. >> any healthcare?
>> i think it was a big deal as far as accomplishment. i cannot get my head around what it means. >> biggest disappointment. >> the economy. like of direction. >> health care again. >> the debt ceiling. >> unemployment. >> the deficit. >> the economy. >> tell me one thing. finish the sentence. here is what really bugs me about barack obama. >> there are so many things. his arrogance. friendly but not arrogant. >> he flicks the badass switch twice a year.
>> the resources heat through to the unions. >> his hesitancy about things like a tree when he did not show up for more than two weeks. -- katrina. >> washington is more partisan now than before. >> i am in 100% with carlina, they were not able to come to an agreement. >> his inexperience. >> the stimulus going to the places that it did. >> scary future if he gets elected. >> anybody want to give him a quality from a former president? >> lyndon johnson, i would make him a politician.
>> get something passed. >> skills regulation. >> sam rayburn. >> he [inaudible] >> anybody else? thank you. let's see if we can get up the -- system. we will need robert's fine hand to make this work.
great system but it needs a little help. >> i read somewhere that i have a storybook marriage. >> could we go back to the menu? we will go to michelle. we will first hear from michelle. >> barack knows the american dream because he has lived it. and he wants everyone in this country, everyone to have the same opportunity matter who we are or where we are from or what we look like or how we love.
come. and on every issue, the choice you face will not just be between two candidates or two parties, it will be a choice between two different paths for america. a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future. ours is a fight to restore the values that builds the largest middle-class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. [applause] the values my grandfather defended as a soldier in patton's army, the values that drew my grandmother on -- to work on the bomber assembly line when he was gone. they knew they were part of something larger, a nation that tramped over fascism and depression, were the most innovative businesses turned out the world's best products, and everyone shared in that pride and success from the corner office to the factory floor.
my grandparents were given the chance to go to college, to buy their own home, and fulfil the basic bargain at the heart of america's story. the promise that hard work will pay off. the responsibility will be rewarded and everyone gets a fair shot. everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules from main street to wall street, to washington, d.c. >> ok. let me ask your reaction to that. >> he said a lot of things everyone agrees with. it was not saying this is what i think. it is in general so you are like, i agree 85% of the time. it is what it comes to my personal -- the romney would do a better job with what you're talking about. -- mitt romney would do a better job with what you are talking about. if you wanted to vote for him, it would make you want to vote for him more but if you are leaning toward mitt romney, it pushes you more toward mitt romney.
it don't you help me? help me figure it out. let's get the people involved again. let's hear what you have to say. that is why i am loving this event. >> i felt the speech there was a level of humility there. it was as almost -- begging would be too harsh. he was trying to talk to me about, i know you were enthusiastic the first time, would you do it again? i was not sure again, if he can complete the plan as he presented it. >> there tw -- are two things. the idea that he pulled himself about of nothing and he was raised by single mother and all this. he did have a single mother but he went to the best schools the nation has to offer.
he went to columbia, harvard. he is not everyone -- like everyone else and this idea that he has come up from the bottom. no. he had supported people behind him the whole way who put him through the best way possible. and the second thing is his inability to compromise or to work with people. i said lbj because lbj did the great society and was able to talk to people and convince people, you may have grown up this way but that is not fair. it is not fair that you get great schooling in this person does not. he found a way to get people to get on board. he has not been able to do that yet. it bothers me. >> communistic. everyone needs to have everything equal.
everyone gets everything. >> that is not right. >> some people work for their grades, other people flowed along. life is like that. and to see that everyone deserves the same is not right. >> what did you think? >> i thought his speech was ok. it had a hard time living up to the one that took place the night before. and you definitely get the sense that there was a shadow he was trying to step out of there. but i also just to touch on an earlier point, it is difficult to reach across the aisle when every time you tried to reach across, it gets bitten by a pit bull. that has been what has happened over the last four years. >> let me hear from christine and married. >> i was disappointed by his use of the word "ours." i do not like the idea of us versus them. it was similar to what he did in 2008 but this time my eyes were open more wide.
it was nothing concrete. >> i wanted to be inside but was not -- excited because i was not. it felt like i wanted to say, where's the beef? there is something missing here. >> anybody else? i have a couple of other things that want to discuss. one thing i have heard, the whole question of medicare. redoing medicare. is that good or bad, does it make any difference? is this an opportunity or something that would be a challenge? anybody have any feelings?
>> something has got to be done, regardless. to be put on the right track. >> we need to have the same thing that most people here will be entitled to. there does need to be a change that does not take away things like for my parents who are banking on social security but we cannot live in a false reality that i will be able to get it. it needs to be something, what is. >> the years need to be adjusted. 65 cannot be the golden goose. we live a lot longer. >> as i understand it, does anybody know about the plan that mitt romney and paul ryan are expressing?
>> i wish i did. >> they were saying there would raise the social security age to 75 but -- >> does anybody have any idea about the medicare program about romney-ryan, the details have been limited. >> money will be assigned to states and the states will do what they think is best for theistate. >> it sounds to me like -- >> i am 60 and it will not affect my generation. these changes are going to affect future generations. >> anyone under the age of 55 will be affected. >> when they talked about changing things before, they said they looked at 20-40 -- at 2040. and the politics came out, they will take away grandma's nest egg. >> from what i understand, friends have a problem dock -- finding doctors that will see them.
this new particular -- how that is going to affect people who do have pre-existing conditions, is there going to be a price difference? the internet says it is not. it will be a flat line price. i would like to see it in action. >> here is what fascinates me. you have done great, a marvelous job tonight. i think you so much but here is what fascinates me. you want a plan and yet i would have to say at this moment, a lot of this is not coming through to you. you do not have any sense necessarily what president obama wants to do or what governor romney wants to do. is that true? >> true. >> you have a debate coming up very soon. what do you want to hear from them? what do they have to tell you?
say that rings true with regard to humanity, the struggles, a realistic opinion about what it is, we as americans as a whole need to achieve. i can -- tend to want to hear about global foreign policy because again, it is not just us here in the united states. i want to hear something -- obama has had this much experience. that is why i want to know who their visors work. that would influence my vote tremendously. >> mary, you have been terribly supportive and terribly critical and terribly realistic also. >> i want some answers and i realize in the debate, it is not reasonable to think that you are going to get a plan. i also feel like if there is some structure with how you're going to do this, what is going to look like and how are you going to put it together?
better on women's health and women's rights, just instinctively? >> obama. >> does that make a difference to you? >> yes. one part of it. >> here you are with these marvelous observations and we have sam rayburn floating in here. tell me where your at and what is the -- you are at and what is the point at which you come out on all this. >> at the debate i would like to see how well they talk on their feet. without stumbling over a number of things. let's not have someone say, i knew jack kennedy and your not him.
the laws on the books that are outdated or religious put out so someone can make a lot of money -- or really put out so someone can make a lot of money. good >> i have listened to you for two hours. you can say you are undecided, but i have only heard one side, so why won't romney get your vote? >> i am leaning more towards romney, i guess, and part of it is from what i saw on the tv. based on what some of the people are saying, i am leaning a little towards romney, and i think it is because i feel trephine -- trick by obama. i voted for him. i believe in him.
possibly how we could make the economy work, which would automatically fix or guarantee something for down the road. it would create a spiral. >> i am going for the lesser of evils. obama is already in there, and hopefully he is heading in the right direction than getting romney in there and starting fresh. >> who did you vote for four years ago? >> john mccain. >> so you are starting fresh. >> there is so much confusion, and what i want to know is how can you speak straight up to the american people so we understand what is going to be on the platform, what is it you're a good >> who did you vote for four years ago? >> obama.
romney? >> he would like to do more wheeling and dealing in business. >> romney had your votes from the beginning. you are a mccain voter four years later, why doesn't he have in? it should be locked down. >> it should be locked down, and i cannot tell you what it is in the back of my mind, and part of it has to do with the republican platform and women's health issues, which should not be an issue. >> i want to see some good answers in the debate. i do not want to see a bunch of name calling.
i want to see candidates lay on the line what they are going to do and not be diverted by political questions. good i want to hear what they are going to do, and the candidate who gives me that i will vote for them. >> christina you voted for years ago for? >> barack obama. >> you are staying with him? >> a exactly. >> you are staying with him because? >> i think a lot of social issues and women's health issues are making it hard to move towards the republican platform, but i do like a lot of things on the republican platform. i think men romney, one of the things he has going for him is he has a history of working with the other party, and that is what we need right now, but part of me cannot get over the other little things. >> other little things being?
>> womens' health, gay issues, the right for everyone to marry. those things hold me back. >> a.j.? >> romney has bought everything he ever wanted. i was really hoping there would be a good alternative. if there was a mccain-type character this year or even bob dolan and not -- if there were a couple of guys on the republican ticket fed did not heard my sensibilities i would be closer to the middle, but it is not he has basically bought his way into the nomination and has picnic the extreme right to shore up his base. >> susan? -- he has picked the extreme right to shore up his base. >> susan?
>> i would like the one who is successful in business running the country. >> four years ago you voted for? >> both candidates. >> how did you do that? >> i voted for mccain in the primary and barack obama in the general election. i was a mccain supporter in 2000, and i got turned off when we got to the general election. i'd tell me why you are leaning toward seven. >> i want to see hammond works for both sides, but -- i want to see him work for both sides, but obama is the lesser of two evils right now. >> i think nationally security will be stronger.
i think it is the republican congress, and it will be less gridlock if we have a republican president. >> we have covered it. we have covered the world. we have got only two weeks left. stay involved. there is a lot going on here, and these are exactly the things the candidates need to hear, so i want to thank each and everyone of you for joining us, and we will see where it goes from here. thank you all very much. >> thank you.
saying on major issues like the economy, the deficit, national security and immigration. watch and engage. >> today on c-span, the cable institute hosts reform on the supreme court's 2011 and 2012 -- live at 10:30 a.m. here on c- span. >> the country faces a stark -- the starkest choice for president in my memory. you see, the president and i have fundamentally different visions then governor romney and congressman ryan. and eight different value set that guides us. under the current president, we are risk of becoming a poor country. because he looks to government as a great benefactor in every light.
they say -- government is the only thing that we all belong to. i do not know about you, but i have never thought of something -- as government as something that i belong to. >> the vice presidential candidates will debate october 11 in ky. the presidential debates are october 3, october 16 and october 22. >> united states has filed a trade complaint against china regarding of the subsidy. this is a little more than a half hour.
>> hello, cincinnati. thank you. thank you. thank you so much.
crowd: four more years! it is good to be back in cincinnati. it's good to be in ohio. it is great to be in this beautiful setting. it seems that we should have a picnic. who has the chicken? [laughter] a little chicken. a little potato salad. baked beans. who said beer? it is beautiful. can everybody please give andrew a great round of applause for that wonderful introduction? wasn't it great? [applause] let me say we could not be prouder a disservice to our country as a veteran. country as a veteran.