Note: out of space considerations, as well as respect for those with slower browsers, photos and a rough transcript of the President's remarks are below the fold.
There I was, waiting in the media line for my computer and camera to be screened by the Secret Service, when a text message comes in from David Dayen, erstwhile colleague of mine at Calitics and currently the proprietor of FireDogLake's Newsdesk:
Adam Nagourney is right in front of you.
And that's when it hit me: a few serious people were here too--scattered among a very enthusiastic crowd of 37,500 who had crowded onto the campus of the University of Southern California near downtown Los Angeles to see the president fire up his base to turn out the vote for Democrats in California.
The president had quite the welcoming committee on hand: Speaker of the California Assembly John Perez, the first openly gay speaker in California history; Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Also on hand, of course, were some of the principal beneficiaries of the president's visit: gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown, Attorney General candidate Kamala Harris (who is seeking to become the first African-American and the first woman to hold the office of attorney general), and Senator Barbara Boxer.
As David Atkins described in his liveblog on Calitics, the diversity of California was well on hand in the introductions. The invocation was given by Denise Eger, a lesbian rabbi. The masters of ceremonies were actors Kal Penn and Jamie Foxx. And the afternoon's entertainment was provided by the Latino culture-mash rock group Ozomatli. The faces on the stage--as well as the faces in the crowd--stood in sharp contrast to what you might see at a Sarah Palin rally or perhaps a Tea Party convention, if they could ever get one organized.
But beyond the diversity and unity represented by the crowd and the speakers, the main message of the afternoon was a sharp contrast between what was being offered by the Democrats who are seeking to retain power, as opposed to the Republicans who are seeking to wrest it from them: a contrast not just in political results and ideology, but morality as well. There was an urgency, a simplicity, a clarity to the message of Democratic accomplishments. Speaker Perez said it in the most basic terms possible:
We saved the auto industry. We saved the economy from a complete collapse.
Yes, people are frustrated that not enough progress has been made. When people look around and see that their neighbors are still without a job, or that they themselves are facing foreclosure, or that they have no idea how they'll pay for college for their kids--yes, there will still be some dissatisfaction. But in today's world of short-term memory, Speaker Perez did a very good job of reminding the crowd, and anyone who may have been listening through the filter of the media, about exactly how high the stakes were, and just how deep the hole was that we were in.
And when President Obama finally took the stage, he continued this same theme--but not before receiving a massively enthusiastic and adulating welcome that would have made anyone think that it was still the fall of 2008. If there is an enthusiasm gap among Democrats, it certainly wasn't evident among the tens of thousands on hand.
The tenor of the president's speeches has changed ever so slightly. This was not a policy talk, or even a "get out the vote" talk; it was an overt polemic. On occasion, some progressive media commentators--including this one--have complained that President Obama seemed to keep on trying to take a drink from the well of bipartisanship despite so many pieces of evidence that the Republican Party had absolutely no interest in cooperation. The tone of this speech seemed to indicate that those hopes are a thing of the past.
It wasn't just what he said; there was also a flash of indignation and even a little bit of anger in the president's voice as he discussed the utter lack on the part of the Republicans of anything resembling a willingness to compromise, or even a desire to focus on the good of the country as opposed to their own political ambitions.
Their whole campaign strategy is based on amnesia. And so you need to remember that this election is a choice between the policies that got us into this mess and the policies that got us out. A choice between hope and fear. Moving forwards or going backwards. And Trojans, I want to move forward.
...
It's the same agenda that turned a record surplus into a record deficit. Same agenda that nearly destroyed our economy. I don’t bring it up to reargue the past, I bring it up because I don’t want to relive it. It’s not as if we haven’t tried what they’re selling. We tried it, we didn’t like it, and we’re not going back to it.
All in all, the president was in fine form, and he hasn't lost his mojo. He can still draw a hugely enthusiastic crowd. And even more importantly, Friday's event seemed to give an indication that he's done playing nice.
All photos are mine and free for any use with proper attribution unless otherwise specified.
Bloggers cover the rally: flanked by David Atkins (thereisnospoon) of Calitics, and David Dayen (dday) of FireDogLake. Photo by Marta Evry (msblucow).
Marine One flies overhead to thunderous applause from the assembled crowd.
President Obama greets Senator Barbara Boxer before speaking to the crowd
President Obama salutes the crowd before beginning his address
Volunteers stand at the ready to guide attendees. Photo by Marta Evry.
Actor Jamie Foxx introduces Attorney General and candidate for Governor Jerry Brown.
A small portion of the assembled crowd.
Barbara Boxer speaks to the rally.
President Obama waves to the crowd after completing his remarks.
For more photos, please visit my public gallery and Marta Evry's online album.
Below is a rough, unofficial transcript of the president's remarks:
In just 11 days you have the chance to set the direction of this country for the next 2 years, the next 5 years, the next 10 years, and you can defy the conventional wisdom that says that young people are apathetic, that you can’t beat the cynicism in politics, that all that matters is the negativity and the TV ads. You have the chance to say, ‘yes we can.’
Look, I don’t wanna fool anybody. This is a magnificent crowd, but this will be a difficult election because we’ve been through a difficult time as a nation. Through most of the last decade, the middle class has been hurting. Families saw their incomes between 2001 and 2009 drop by 5%. That’s not my statistics. That’s the Wall Street Journal talking. Job growth was more slugging than any time since WWII. Jobs were being shipped overseas. Families couldn’t send their kids to college, or to the doctor. And families had to work 2 or three jobs just to make ends meet...
We lost 4 million jobs in the 6 months before I took office. 750,000 the month I was sworn in, and 600,00 each month after that. We lost 8 million jobs before any of my policies had a chance to go into effect. My hope was that in this moment of crisis, we could come together and both parties would put politics aside. That we would come together to meet this once-in-a generation challenge because we’re proud to be Democrats, but even prouder to be Americans. There are plenty of Republicans out there who feel the same way. But the leaders made a different calculation. The looked around at the mess they had left me and said, ‘this is a really big mess. This will take a long time to fix. Unemployment will be high for a while, people will be angry and frustrated. So maybe if we sit on the sidelines, say no to everything, and point our finger at Obama and say he’s to blame’, maybe you’d forget who caused that mess in the first place. But Los Angeles, you haven’t forgotten.
Their whole campaign strategy is based on amnesia. And so you need to remember that this election is a choice between the policies that got us into this mess and the policies that got us out. A choice between hope and fear. Moving forwards or going backwards. And Trojans, I want to move forward.
It would be one thing if the Republicans, having made this mess, went into a retreat, meditated and came up with some new ideas. But that’s not what’s going on. The campaign committee chairman promised the exact same agenda if they win back the House and Senate. Cutting taxes for millionaires and billionaires. Cutting rules for the special interests, and cutting middle class families to fend for themselves. You’re on your own, no healthcare. No job? It’s your problem. You’re a young person who wants to go to USC but can’t afford it? Tough luck. You’re on your own.
It’s the same agenda that turned a record surplus into a record deficit. Same agenda that nearly destroyed our economy. I don’t bring it up to reargue the past, I bring it up because I don’t want to relive it. It’s not as if we haven’t tried what they’re selling. We tried it, we didn’t like it, and we’re not going back to it.
Think about it this way. Imagine that these folks drove the car into the ditch. And it was a deep one. And they walked away from the accident. And me, Barbara, Jerry, Antonio, we all put on our boots and we climbed into the ditch. It’s hot down there. It’s got a lot of flies down there, we’re sweating...but we’re pushing. And even though Barbara’s small, she’s pushing too. We’re all pushing. And as we’re pushing, the Republicans are all standing there, and we say, come down and help. And they say, no, that’s alright. And kick a lot of dirt into the ditch, and say, you’re not pushing hard enough. And yet despite all that, we still get the car out of the ditch and it’s on level ground. Now I admit, the car’s a little banged up. It needs some work. But suddenly, we get this tap on our shoulder. It’s the Republicans, and they say, “we want the keys back.” And we have to tell them, you can’t have the keys back. You don’t know how to drive! You can ride with us, but you have to be in the back, because we’ve got middle class America in the front seat.
For instance, let’s say you own a car. When you want to move the car forwards, you put it in D. If you want to go backwards, you put it in R. And I don’t think we want to go backwards.
We no longer face the risk of another depression. But we’ve still got a long way to go and a lot of work to do. There are a lot of people still hurting. A lot of families still hanging on by a thread. That’s what keeps me fighting, and you fighting. But we have a different idea about what the future holds. It’s an idea rooted in a belief in how this country was built. The government doesn’t have all the answers. It needs to be lean and efficient. But in the words of Abraham Lincoln, who couldn’t get nominated in todays Republican party, Government should do for the people what the people cannot do better for themselves.
We believe in an America where we look after each other. Where we are our brother’s keeper, our sister’s keeper. That is the choice in this election. This election is a choice. And if we give them the keys—which will happen if you don’t vote—they’ll keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. We want to give those tax breaks to American manufacturers, companies that bring jobs back home, and green energy companies. I want solar panels, wind turbines, built right here in the United States by American workers.
If we give them the keys back, and we will if you don’t vote—the other side has said they’re going to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, costing us $700 billion dollars and cut education spending by 20% to pay for it. This, at a time when how well our country competes depends on how well we educate our children. Do you think China is doing that? Do you think that South Korea is doing that?
So instead of giving unlimited subsidies to the banks, we want to give that to students like you so you can afford an education. A $10,000 tax credit for tuition so you can get the education you deserve. We want tax cuts to middle class families. We don’t want special interests back in the shotgun. The other side has already promised to roll back Wall Street reform. Health insurance reform. We won’t let that happen. We want to make sure that insurance companies can’t deny you coverage when you get sick. We want to make sure that you can stay on your parents’ plans until you’re 26. We want to make sure that credit cards can’t jack up your rates without notice. We’re going to fight the effort to privatize social security. Nobody will take a generation’s worth of retirement savings and hand them to Wall Street. Not on my watch.
We will make sure we invest in clean energy. You’ve seen what they’re trying to do in California—roll back laws that will keep California at the cutting edge. And now that we have the special interests spending millions to cut these standards—and they’re doing the same thing all across the country—they use phone names, like, Americans for Prosperity, or Mothers for Motherhoood—well, I made that last one up. But the point is, you have no idea who’s financing all these negative ads against Barbara Boxer and Jerry Brown. And they were able to do that because of the Supreme Court ruling. Which makes it crucial who gets to appoint to the Supreme Court. And I’m proud that I nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
We need you all committed to finish what we started in 2008. That’s why all of you have to vote. If everyone who fought for change in 2008 turns out to vote, we will win this election. You didn’t get involved to elect a President. You beleieved that this was a defining moment. Where the challenges we face will shape the lives of our children, our grandchildren. That’s why some of you cast a ballot for the very first time. And the last two years haven’t been easy. You’re thinking back to election night, inauguration day...how much fun that was. Beyonce was singing. Bono. It felt like a big party. But I told you this was going to be hard. Power concedes nothing without a fight. Inch by inch, day by day, week by week, we’ve been grinding it out. That’s the nature of change in a big complex democracy. And it seem so distant from those wonderful times. We haven’t gotten everything that we hoped for. Maybe a neighbor is out of a job, but don’t let anyone tell you that our fight hasn’t been worth it, or that we’re not making a difference. Because of you, there are people right here in CA who don’t have to choose between cancer treatment or going bankrupt. There are women who can look their children in the eye and say, yes you are going to college. Businesses able to keep their doors open during a recession. 100,000 brave men and women home from Iraq. We will continue to fight to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We will have an energy policy for the future of America. So don’t let them tell you that change isn’t possible. Here’s what I know. Change is always hard. And if your parents, if our gradparents, if our great-grandparents had listened to the cynics, we wouldn’t be here today.
This country was founded on 13 colonies coming together to declare a revolution, shoving off the yoke of tyranny, and fighting the biggest, baddest empire on the planet. And in their declaration, they held the truth to be self-evident that all men are created equal. That we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. And the cynics didn’t believe it. And during the civil war, they didn’t think we could free the slaves. If our ancestors had given up to the cynics, we couldn’t have gotten through war, through depression. We would not have been able to battle to achieve women’s rights, civil rights, worker’s rights. That’s the spirit we have to summon today. The journey we began together was not about a President in the white house, it was about a movement for change. The promise of the US of A. And if we keep fighting, there’s nothing we can’t achieve. And if you knock on some doors, keep marching, keep organizing—we won’t just win this election. We will restore the American dream for everyone in this great land. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
