I — I am here to tell you that the truth
is nobody fully understands the challenges
of the job of president until you’ve actually
sat at that desk.
Everybody’s got an opinion, but nobody actually
knows the job until you’re sitting behind
the desk.
(APPLAUSE)
Everybody can tweet, but nobody actually knows
what it takes to do the job until you’ve
sat behind the desk.
(APPLAUSE)
I mean, Sasha tweets, but she doesn’t think
that she thereby should be sitting behind
the desk.
Each of these policies — the policies Hillary
mentioned — would help working families
feel more secure in today’s economy. She’s
actually got a plan. It’s actually paid
for. You can actually look at it.
Now, the fact that we haven’t gotten all
these ideas done, it’s not the fault of
immigrants or unions or some liberal socialist
scheme. It’s very simple. Republicans in
Congress and Republican governors have been
blocking these ideas for the last eight years.
It’s that simple.
(APPLAUSE)
So — so, look, I — I just want to be clear.
Not everybody votes on the economy. I understand
there are other issues. But if your concern
is who is going to look out for working families,
if you’re voting your pocket book, if you’re
asking who’s actually going to stand up
for the guy on the construction site or the
guy on the — in the factory or — or the
woman who is cleaning a hotel room, or somebody
who’s really working hard, the working family
— if that’s your concern, this isn’t
even a choice, because the other side has
nothing to offer you.
(APPLAUSE)
The other side’s got nothing to offer you.
(APPLAUSE—Chants of “Hillary, Hillary”)
I — I’m going a little off-script here,
but I just want to repeat this. If your concern
is working people, then this is not a choice.
I don’t care whether you’re white, black,
Hispanic, Native American, polka dot, male,
female — I don’t care.
OBAMA: If what you care is who’s going to
be fighting for ordinary folks who are fighting
for a better life for themselves and their
children, then I don’t know how you vote
for the guy who’s against the minimum wage,
against unions, against making sure that everybody
gets a fair shot, against legislation for
equal pay, against sick leave and family leave,
against all the things that working families
care about.
So, if you’re voting for the other team,
it’s not because of the economy. It’s
not because of the economy. You’ve got to
be — you’ve got to be clear about that.
(APPLAUSE)
I mean, even — even — even the Republicans
on the other side don’t really know what
the guy is talking about.
(LAUGHTER)
They really don’t. They really don’t.
You ask them, they’re all like, I don’t
know. And then they kind of duck the other
way. Am I joking? No.
Hillary mentioned how we operate on the world
stage. Now, let me just say, I know the other
guy talks about making America great again;
America is really great.
(APPLAUSE)
And just the other day, somebody was writing
about, wow, when you look at the surveys in
the world, turns out that when Obama came
into office, the world didn’t think we were
that great, but now they think we’re the
greatest.
(APPLAUSE)
They think we’re the strongest. They think
we’re the best-positioned. We — we were
in a hole before I came into office, but right
now, the world — the rest of the world thinks
we’re pretty darn great.
(APPLAUSE)
And by the way, you can look that up; that’s
a fact. That’s not like just something I
just made up and tweeted.
(LAUGHTER)
So you know, there are actually like surveys
done. They polled people so you actually know
what people think, you don’t just assert
it and it turns out that’s what they think.
You can look it up.
OBAMA: Part of the reason for that is because
we had an outstanding secretary of state.
(APPLAUSE)
Part of the reason is that Hillary understood
and continues to understand that just a bunch
of tough talk doesn’t replace the hard work
of diplomacy. A bunch of phony bluster doesn’t
keep us safe. And she understands that we
can’t retreat from a world that needs American
leadership.
That’s why she offers a smarter approach
that uses every element of American power
to protect our people and to protect our allies.
You know, unless you’re a Native American,
somebody brought you here.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
Somebody came here. You — you — you came
from someplace else, now. So I just want to
be clear about that. And not everybody had
their papers straight when they came. I’m
just saying.
(APPLAUSE)
For years the Republicans who run this Congress,
they talk a good game about immigration reform
and then they don’t do anything.
And now they’ve picked a nominee who’s
only plan is to build a higher wall. That’s
not a plan. No, no, no. Hold on a second.
I was waiting for this opportunity. Don’t
boo. Vote.
(APPLAUSE)
Don’t boo. Vote.
Booing doesn’t help. You need to vote.
You can’t be reckless. You don’t have
the luxury of just saying whatever pops into
your head. You’ve actually got to know what
you’re talking about.
You’ve actually got to do your homework.
You can’t just kick out reporters. You can’t
go to another country and if they ask you
a question you don’t like just kick them
out. Because you’re in another country.
You’ve got to apply steady judgment. Even
when things don’t go your way. You gotta
make the tough calls, even when they’re
not popular. And even when they won’t pay
off right away. Or increase your poll numbers.
You gotta be able to handle criticism without
taking it personally. You just got to brush
it off and get the job done.
That’s some of what I’ve learned while
serving as your president. That’s some of
what Hillary’s learned as a Senator and
as a Secretary of State. And that’s why
I’m voting for Hillary Clinton to be the
next President of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
So let me — I know I’ve gone on too long.
That’s what happens, you haven’t campaigned
in a while you start just enjoying it too
much. So let me just simplify this. And let
me be blunt. I want to be blunt. Can I be
blunt? I’m gonna be blunt.
Hillary’s got her share of critics. That’s
what happens when you’re somebody who’s
actually in the arena. That’s what happens
when you fought for what you believe in. That’s
what happens when you dedicate yourself to
public service over the course of a lifetime.
And what sets Hillary apart from so many others
is she never stopped caring. She never stopped
trying.
You know we’re a young country, so we like
new things. And I benefited from that culture,
let’s face it. When I came on the scene
in ’08 everybody said, “Well, he’s new.”
They don’t say that now because I’m not.
(LAUGHTER)
But sometimes we take somebody who’s been
in the trenches and fought the good fight,
and been steady for granted. Sometimes we
act as if never having done something and
not knowing what you’re doing is a virtue.
We don’t do that, by the way, for airline
pilots. We don’t do that for surgeons.
OBAMA: But somehow we think the president
of the United States, let’s just get — I
don’t know, who’s that guy? Come on.
(LAUGHTER)
And so as a consequence, you know, that means
that sometimes Hillary doesn’t get the credit
she deserves. But the fact is, Hillary is
steady and Hillary is true, and she’s been
in politics for the same reason I am, because
we can improve other people’s lives by doing
this work.
And we don’t care about the slings and arrows
that are thrown at us, because we know that’s
how real change and real progress happens,
and that we, if we’re willing to work hard,
can finish — can — can bring about changes
that make life better for some kid out there,
some senior out there, somebody who’s unemployed
out there.
And it may take more than a year. And sometimes
it takes more than a term. And sometimes it
takes more than one presidency or even one
generation. And yeah, that’s old-fashioned.
I think she’ll fess up to that. But we want
people to believe that their government can
work and that their president cares.
And that every child in this country should
have the same chance that this country gave
us. Because we weren’t born with a silver
spoon.
(APPLAUSE)
And we know that behind all the division and
sometimes angry rhetoric of this election
year and all the petty bickering and the point-scoring
and the punditry, the ordinary American — Americans
are good. And they are generous and they are
hard-working and they’ve got an awful lot
of common sense.
And we share a certain set of common values
and hopes and dreams. That’s why I ran in
2008. And I believe in those values and those
ideals more than ever. And I believe in you,
the American people, more than ever. And I
am more optimistic about our future than ever.
And that’s why my faith — my faith is
stronger about the simple American ideal as
old as our founding, that people who love
their country can change it for the better.
I have seen it happen.
I have run my last campaign. And I couldn’t
be prouder of the things we’ve done together.
But I’m ready to pass the baton.
(APPLAUSE)
And I know that Hillary Clinton is going to
take it.
(APPLAUSE)
And I know she can run that race — the race
to create good jobs and better schools and
safer streets and a safer world, and that’s
why I’m fired up. And that’s why I’m
ready to go. And that’s why I’m with her.
And that’s why I need you to work just as
hard to make sure that Hillary Rodham Clinton
is the next president of the United States
of America.
(APPLAUSE)
God bless you, North Carolina.
