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7/31/2019 Hofstra Presidential Debate Transcript 2012
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FINALTRANSCRIPT
PRESIDENTBARACKOBAMAANDFORMERGOV.MITTROMNEY
PARTICIPATEINACANDIDATESDEBATE,HOFSTRAUNIVERSITY,
HEMPSTEAD,NEWYORK
OCTOBER16,2012
SPEAKERS:FORMERGOV.MITTROMNEY,R-MASS.
PRESIDENTBARACKOBAMA
CANDYCROWLEY,MODERATOR
[*]
CROWLEY:GoodeveningfromHofstraUniversityinHempstead,NewYork.I'mCandyCrowleyfromCNN's"Stateofthe
Union."Wearehereforthesecondpresidentialdebate,atownhall,sponsoredbytheCommissiononPresidential
Debates.
CROWLEY:TheGalluporganizationchose82uncommittedvotersfromtheNewYorkarea.Theirquestionswilldrivethe
night.Mygoalistogivetheconversationdirectionandtoensurequestionsgetanswered.
Thequestionsareknowntomeandmyteamonly.Neitherthecommission,northecandidateshaveseenthem.Ihope
togettoasmanyquestionsaspossible.
CROWLEY:AndbecauseIamtheoptimisticsort,I'msurethecandidateswillobligebykeepingtheiranswersconciseand
onpoint.
Eachcandidatehasasmuchastwominutestorespondtoacommonquestion,andtherewillbeatwo-minutefollow-
up.Theaudiencehereinthehallhasagreedtobepoliteandattentive--nocheeringorbooingoroutburstsofanysort.
WewillsetasidethatagreementjustthisoncetowelcomePresidentBarackObamaandGovernorMittRomney.
(APPLAUSE)
Gentlemen,thankyoubothforjoiningusheretonight.Wehavealotoffolkswho'vebeenwaitingalldaytotalktoyou,
soIwanttogetrighttoit.
GovernorRomney,asyouknow,youwonthecointoss,sothefirstquestionwillgotoyou.AndIwanttoturntoafirst-
timevoter,JeremyEpstein,whohasaquestionforyou.
QUESTION:Mr.President,GovernorRomney,asa20-year-oldcollegestudent,allIhearfromprofessors,neighborsand
othersisthatwhenIgraduate,Iwillhavelittlechancetogetemployment.Whatcanyousaytoreassureme,butmore
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importantlymyparents,thatIwillbeabletosufficientlysupportmyselfafterIgraduate?
ROMNEY:Thankyou,Jeremy.Iappreciateyour--yourquestion,andthankyouforbeingherethiseveningandtoallof
thosefromNassauCountythathavecome,thankyouforyourtime.ThankyoutoHofstraUniversityandtoCandy
Crowleyfororganizingandleadingthis--thisevent.
Thankyou,Mr.President,alsoforbeingpartofthis--thisdebate.
Yourquestion--yourquestionisonethat'sbeingaskedbycollegekidsalloverthiscountry.IwasinPennsylvaniawith
someonewhohadjustgraduated--thiswasinPhiladelphia--andshesaid,"I'vegotmydegree.Ican'tfindajob.I've
gotthreepart-timejobs.They'rejustbarelyenoughtopayformyfoodandpayforanapartment.Ican'tbegintopay
backmystudentloans."
Sowhatwehavetodoistwothings.Wehavetomakesurethatwemakeiteasierforkidstoaffordcollege.
ROMNEY:Andalsomakesurethatwhentheygetoutofcollege,there'sajob.WhenIwasgovernorofMassachusetts,
togetahighschooldegree,youhadtopassanexam.Ifyougraduatedinthetopquarterofyourairlines,wegaveyoua
JohnandAbigailAdamsscholarship,fouryearstuitionfreeinthecollegeofyourchoiceinMassachusetts,it'sapublic
institution.
IwanttomakesurewekeepourPellgrantprogramgrowing.We'realsogoingtohaveourloanprogram,sothatpeople
areabletoaffordschool.Butthekeythingistomakesureyoucangetajobwhenyougetoutofschool.Andwhat's
happenedoverthelastfouryearshasbeenvery,veryhardforAmerica'syoungpeople.Iwantyoutobeabletogeta
job.
Iknowwhatittakestogetthiseconomygoing.Withhalfofcollegekidsgraduatingthisyearwithoutacollege--excuse
me,withoutajob.Andwithoutacollegeleveljob,that'sjustunacceptable.
Andlikewiseyou'vegotmoreandmoredebtonyourback.Somoredebtandlessjobs.I'mgoingtochangethat.Iknow
whatittakestocreategoodjobsagain.Iknowwhatittakestomakesurethatyouhavethekindofopportunityyou
deserve.Andkidsacrossthiscountryaregoingtorecognize,we'rebringingbackaneconomy.
It'snotgoingtobelikethelastfouryears.Themiddle-classhasbeencrushedoverthelastfouryears,andjobshave
beentooscarce.Iknowwhatittakestobringthemback,andI'mgoingtodothat,andmakesurethatwhenyou
graduate--whendoyougraduate?
QUESTION:2014.
ROMNEY:2014.Whenyoucomeoutin2014,IpresumeI'mgoingtobepresident.I'mgoingtomakesureyougetajob.
ThanksJeremy.Yeah,youbet.
CROWLEY:Mr.President?
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OBAMA:Jeremy,firstofall,yourfutureisbright.Andthefactthatyou'remakinganinvestmentinhighereducationis
critical.Notjusttoyou,buttotheentirenation.Now,themostimportantthingwecandoistomakesurethatweare
creatingjobsinthiscountry.Butnotjustjobs,goodpayingjobs.Onesthatcansupportafamily.
OBAMA:AndwhatIwanttodo,isbuildonthefivemillionjobsthatwe'vecreatedoverthelast30monthsintheprivate
sectoralone.Andthereareabunchofthingswecandotomakesureyourfutureisbright.
Numberone,Iwanttobuildmanufacturingjobsinthiscountryagain.NowwhenGovernorRomneysaidweshouldlet
Detroitgobankrupt.Isaidwe'regoingtobetonAmericanworkersandtheAmericanautoindustryandit'scomesurging
back.
Iwanttodothatinindustries,notjustinDetroit,butallacrossthecountryandthatmeanswechangeourtaxcodeso
we'regivingincentivestocompaniesthatareinvestinghereintheUnitedStatesandcreatingjobshere.
Italsomeanswe'rehelpingthemandsmallbusinessestoexportallaroundtheworldtonewmarkets.
Numbertwo,we'vegottomakesurethatwehavethebesteducationsystemintheworld.Andthefactthatyou're
goingtocollegeisgreat,butIwanteverybodytogetagreateducationandwe'veworkedhardtomakesurethat
studentloansareavailableforfolkslikeyou,butIalsowanttomakesurethatcommunitycollegesareofferingslotsfor
workerstogetretrainedforthejobsthatareoutthererightnowandthejobsofthefuture.
Numberthree,we'vegottocontrolourownenergy.Now,notonlyoilandnaturalgas,whichwe'vebeeninvestingin;
butalso,we'vegottomakesurewe'rebuildingtheenergysourceofthefuture,notjustthinkingaboutnextyear,but
tenyearsfromnow,20yearsfromnow.That'swhywe'veinvestedinsolarandwindandbiofuels,energyefficientcars.
We'vegottoreduceourdeficit,butwe'vegottodoitinabalancedway.Askingthewealthytopayalittlebitmore
alongwithcutssothatwecaninvestineducationlikeyours.
Andlet'stakethemoneythatwe'vebeenspendingonwaroverthelastdecadetorebuildAmerica,roads,bridges
schools.Wedothosethings,notonlyisyourfuturegoingtobebrightbutAmerica'sfutureisgoingtobrightaswell.
CROWLEY:LetmeaskyouformoreimmediateanswerandbeginwithMr.Romneyjustquicklywhat--whatcanyoudo?
We'relookingatasituationwhere40percentoftheunemployedhavebeenunemployedhavebeenunemployedforsix
monthsormore.Theydon'thavethetwoyearsthatJeremyhas.
Whataboutthoselongtermunemployedwhoneedajobrightnow?
ROMNEY:Wellwhatyou'reseeinginthiscountryis23millionpeoplestrugglingtofindajob.Andalotofthem,asyou
say,Candy,havebeenoutofworkforalong,long,longtime.Thepresident'spolicieshavebeenexercisedoverthelast
fouryearsandtheyhaven'tputAmericansbacktowork.
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Wehavefewerpeopleworkingtodaythanwehadwhenthepresidenttookoffice.Ifthe--theunemploymentratewas
7.8percentwhenhetookoffice,it's7.8percentnow.Butifyoucalculatedthatunemploymentrate,takingbackthe
peoplewhodroppedoutoftheworkforce,itwouldbe10.7percent.
Wehavenotmadetheprogressweneedtomaketoputpeoplebacktowork.That'swhyIputoutafive-pointplanthat
getsAmerica12millionnewjobsinfouryearsandrisingtake-homepay.It'sgoingtohelpJeremygetajobwhenhe
comesoutofschool.It'sgoingtohelppeopleacrossthecountrythatareunemployedrightnow.
Andonethingthatthepresidentsaid,whichIwanttomakesurethatweunderstand,hesaidthatIsaidweshouldtake
Detroitbankrupt.Andthat'sright.Myplanwastohavethecompanygothroughbankruptcylike7-Elevendidand
Macy'sandCondell(ph)Airlinesandcomeoutstronger.
AndIknowhekeepssaying,youwanttotakeDetroitbankrupt.Well,thepresidenttookDetroitbankrupt.Youtook
GeneralMotorsbankrupt.YoutookChryslerbankrupt.SowhenyousaythatIwantedtotaketheautoindustry
bankrupt,youactuallydid.
AndIthinkit'simportanttoknowthatthatwasaprocessthatwasnecessarytogetthosecompaniesbackontheirfeet,
sotheycouldstarthiringmorepeople.ThatwaspreciselywhatIrecommendedandultimatelywhathappened.
CROWLEY:Letmegivethepresidentachance.
Goahead.OBAMA:Candy,whatGovernorRomneysaidjustisn'ttrue.Hewantedtotakethemintobankruptcywithout
providingthemanywaytostayopen.Andwewouldhavelostamillionjobs.Andthat--don'ttakemywordforit,take
theexecutivesatGMandChrysler,someofwhomareRepublicans,mayevensupportGovernorRomney.Butthey'lltell
youhisprescriptionwasn'tgoingtowork.
AndGovernorRomney'ssayshe'sgotafive-pointplan?GovernorRomneydoesn'thaveafive-pointplan.Hehasaone-
pointplan.Andthatplanistomakesurethatfolksatthetopplaybyadifferentsetofrules.That'sbeenhisphilosophy
intheprivatesector,that'sbeenhisphilosophyasgovernor,that'sbeenhisphilosophyasapresidentialcandidate.
Youcanmakealotofmoneyandpaylowertaxratesthansomebodywhomakesalotless.Youcanshipjobsoverseas
andgettaxbreaksforit.Youcaninvestinacompany,bankruptit,layofftheworkers,stripawaytheirpensions,and
youstillmakemoney.
That'sexactlythephilosophythatwe'veseeninplaceforthelastdecade.That'swhat'sbeensqueezingmiddleclass
families.
Andwehavefoughtbackforfouryearstogetoutofthatmess.Thelastthingweneedtodoistogobacktothevery
samepoliciesthatgotusthere.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,thenextquestionisgoingtobeforyouhere.
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And,Mr.Romney--GovernorRomney--there'llbeplentyofchancesheretogoon,butIwantto...
ROMNEY:That--thatDetroit--thatDetroitanswer...
CROWLEY:Wehaveallthesefolks.
ROMNEY:...thatDetroitanswer...
CROWLEY:Iwillletyouabsolutely...
ROMNEY:...andtherestoftheanswer,wayoffthemark.
CROWLEY:OK.Will--will--youcertainlywillhavelotsoftimeherecomingup.
BecauseIwanttomoveyouontosomethingthat'ssortofconnectedtocarshere,and--andgoover.Andwewantto
getaquestionfromPhillipTricolla.
QUESTION:Yourenergysecretary,StevenChu,hasnowbeenonrecordthreetimesstatingit'snotpolicyofhis
departmenttohelplowergasprices.DoyouagreewithSecretaryChuthatthisisnotthejoboftheEnergyDepartment?
OBAMA:Themostimportantthingwecandoistomakesurewecontrolourownenergy.Sohere'swhatI'vedonesince
I'vebeenpresident.Wehaveincreasedoilproductiontothehighestlevelsin16years.
Naturalgasproductionisthehighestit'sbeenindecades.Wehaveseenincreasesincoalproductionandcoal
employment.ButwhatI'vealsosaidiswecan'tjustproducetraditionalsourceofenergy.We'vealsogottolooktothe
future.That'swhywedoubledfuelefficiencystandardsoncars.Thatmeansthatinthemiddleofthenextdecade,any
caryoubuy,you'regoingtoendupgoingtwiceasfaronagallonofgas.That'swhywedoubledclean--cleanenergy
productionlikewindandsolarandbiofuels.
Andallthesethingshavecontributedtousloweringouroilimportstothelowestlevelsin16years.Now,Iwanttobuild
onthat.Andthatmeans,yes,westillcontinuetoopenupnewareasfordrilling.Wecontinuetomakeitapriorityforus
togoafternaturalgas.We'vegotpotentially600,000jobsand100yearsworthofenergyrightbeneathourfeetwith
naturalgas.
Andwecandoitinanenvironmentallysoundway.Butwe'vealsogottocontinuetofigureouthowwehaveefficiency
energy,becauseultimatelythat'showwe'regoingtoreducedemandandthat'swhat'sgoingtokeepgaspriceslower.
Now,GovernorRomneywillsayhe'sgotanall-of-the-aboveplan,butbasicallyhisplanistolettheoilcompanieswrite
theenergypolicies.Sohe'sgottheoilandgaspart,buthedoesn'thavethecleanenergypart.Andifweareonly
thinkingabouttomorroworthenextdayandnotthinkingabout10yearsfromnow,we'renotgoingtocontrolourown
economicfuture.BecauseChina,Germany,they'remakingtheseinvestments.AndI'mnotgoingtocedethosejobsof
thefuturetothosecountries.IexpectthosenewenergysourcestobebuiltrighthereintheUnitedStates.
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That'sgoingtohelpJeremygetajob.It'salsogoingtomakesurethatyou'renotpayingasmuchforgas.
CROWLEY:Governor,onthesubjectofgasprices?
ROMNEY:Well,let'slookatthepresident'spolicies,allright,asopposedtotherhetoric,becausewe'vehadfouryearsof
policiesbeingplayedout.Andthepresident'srightintermsoftheadditionaloilproduction,butnoneofitcameon
federalland.Asamatteroffact,oilproductionisdown14percentthisyearonfederalland,andgasproductionwas
down9percent.Why?Becausethepresidentcutinhalfthenumberoflicensesandpermitsfordrillingonfederallands,
andinfederalwaters.
Sowhere'dtheincreasecomefrom?WellalotofitcamefromtheBakkenRangeinNorthDakota.Whatwashis
participationthere?Theadministrationbroughtacriminalactionagainstthepeopledrillingupthereforoil,thismassive
newresourcewehave.Andwhatwasthecost?20or25birdswerekilledandbroughtoutamigratorybirdacttogo
afterthemonacriminalbasis.
Look,Iwanttomakesureweuseouroil,ourcoal,ourgas,ournuclear,ourrenewables.Ibelieveverymuchinour
renewablecapabilities;ethanol,wind,solarwillbeanimportantpartofourenergymix.
Butwhatwedon'tneedistohavethepresidentkeepingusfromtakingadvantageofoil,coalandgas.Thishasnotbeen
Mr.Oil,orMr.Gas,orMr.Coal.Talktothepeoplethatareworkinginthoseindustries.Iwasincoalcountry.People
grabbedmyarmsandsaid,"Pleasesavemyjob."TheheadoftheEPAsaid,"Youcan'tbuildacoalplant.You'llvirtually--
it'svirtuallyimpossiblegivenourregulations."Whenthepresidentranforoffice,hesaidifyoubuildacoalplant,you
cangoahead,butyou'llgobankrupt.That'snottherightcourseforAmerica.
Let'stakeadvantageoftheenergyresourceswehave,aswellastheenergysourcesforthefuture.Andifwedothat,if
wedowhatI'mplanningondoing,whichisgettingusenergyindependent,NorthAmericaenergyindependencewithin
eightyears,you'regoingtoseemanufacturingjobscomeback.Becauseourenergyislowcost,thatarealready
beginningtocomebackbecauseofourabundantenergy.I'llgetAmericaandNorthAmericaenergyindependent.I'lldo
itbymoredrilling,morepermitsandlicenses.
We'regoingtobringthatpipelineinfromCanada.Howintheworldthepresidentsaidnotothatpipeline?Iwillnever
know.
ThisisaboutbringinggoodjobsbackforthemiddleclassofAmerica,andthat'swhatI'mgoingtodo.CROWLEY:Mr.
President,letmejustseeifIcanmoveyoutothegistofthisquestion,whichis,arewelookingatthenewnormal?Ican
tellyouthattomorrowmorning,alotofpeopleinHempsteadwillwakeupandfillupandtheywillfindthatthepriceof
gasisover$4agallon.
Isitwithinthepurviewofthegovernmenttobringthosepricesdown,orarewelookingatthenewnormal?
OBAMA:Candy,there'snodoubtthatworlddemand'sgoneup,butourproductionisgoingup,andwe'reusingoilmore
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efficiently.AndverylittleofwhatGovernorRomneyjustsaidistrue.We'veopeneduppubliclands.We'reactually
drillingmoreonpubliclandsthaninthepreviousadministrationandmy--thepreviouspresidentwasanoilman.
Andnaturalgasisn'tjustappearingmagically.We'reencouragingitandworkingwiththeindustry.
AndwhenIhearGovernorRomneysayhe'sabigcoalguy,Imean,keepinmind,when--Governor,whenyouwere
governorofMassachusetts,youstoodinfrontofacoalplantandpointedatitandsaid,"Thisplantkills,"andtookgreat
prideinshuttingitdown.Andnowsuddenlyyou'reabigchampionofcoal.
SowhatI'vetriedtodoisbeconsistent.Withrespecttosomethinglikecoal,wemadethelargestinvestmentinclean
coaltechnology,tomakesurethatevenaswe'reproducingmorecoal,we'reproducingitcleanerandsmarter.Same
thingwithoil,samethingwithnaturalgas.
Andtheproofisouroilimportsaredowntothelowestlevelsin20years.Oilproductionisup,naturalgasproductionis
up,and,mostimportantly,we'realsostartingtobuildcarsthataremoreefficient.
Andthat'screatingjobs.Thatmeansthosecarscanbeexported,'causethat'sthedemandaroundtheworld,anditalso
meansthatit'llsavemoneyinyourpocketbook.
OBAMA:That'sthestrategyyouneed,anall-of-the-abovestrategy,andthat'swhatwe'regoingtodointhenextfour
years.
ROMNEY:Butthat'snotwhatyou'vedoneinthelastfouryears.That'stheproblem.Inthelastfouryears,youcut
permitsandlicensesonfederallandandfederalwatersinhalf.
OBAMA:Nottrue,GovernorRomney.
ROMNEY:Sohowmuchdidyoucut(inaudible)?
OBAMA:Nottrue.
ROMNEY:Howmuchdidyoucutthemby,then?
OBAMA:Governor,wehaveactuallyproducedmoreoil--
ROMNEY:No,no.Howmuchdidyoucutlicensesandpermitsonfederallandandfederalwaters?
OBAMA:GovernorRomney,here'swhatwedid.Therewereawholebunchofoilcompanies.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY:No,no,Ihadaquestionandthequestionwashowmuchdidyoucutthemby?
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OBAMA:Youwantmetoansweraquestion--
ROMNEY:Howmuchdidyoucutthemby?
OBAMA:I'mhappytoanswerthequestion.
ROMNEY:Allright.Anditis--
OBAMA:Here'swhathappened.Youhadawholebunchofoilcompanieswhohadleasesonpubliclandsthatthey
weren'tusing.Sowhatwesaidwasyoucan'tjustsitonthisfor10,20,30years,decidewhenyouwanttodrill,when
youwanttoproduce,whenit'smostprofitableforyou.Thesearepubliclands.Soifyouwanttodrillonpubliclands,
youuseitoryouloseit.
ROMNEY:OK,(inaudible)--
OBAMA:Andsowhatwedidwastakeawaythoseleases.Andwearenowrelettingthemsothatwecanactuallymakea
profit.
ROMNEY:Andproductiononprivate--ongovernmentland--
OBAMA:Productionisup.
ROMNEY:--isdown.
OBAMA:No,itisn't.
ROMNEY:Productionongovernmentlandofoilisdown14percent.
OBAMA:Governor--
ROMNEY:Andproductionongas--
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA:It'sjustnottrue.
ROMNEY:It'sabsolutelytrue.Look,there'snoquestionbutthepeoplerecognizethatwehavenotproducedmore
(inaudible)onfederallandsandinfederalwaters.Andcoal,coalproductionisnotup;coaljobsarenotup.
Iwasjustatacoalfacility,wheresome1,200peoplelosttheirjobs.TherightcourseforAmericaistohaveatrueall-of-
the-abovepolicy.Idon'tthinkanyonereallybelievesthatyou'reapersonwho'sgoingtobepushingforoilandgasand
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coal.You'llgetyourchanceinamoment.I'mstillspeaking.
OBAMA:Well--
ROMNEY:AndtheanswerisIdon'tbelievepeoplethinkthat'sthecase--
OBAMA:--(inaudible).
ROMNEY:Thatwasn'tthequestion.
OBAMA:OK.
ROMNEY:Thatwasastatement.Idon'tthinktheAmericanpeoplebelievethat.Iwillfightforoil,coalandnaturalgas.
Andtheproof,theproofofwhetherastrategyisworkingornotiswhatthepriceisthatyou'repayingatthepump.If
you'repayinglessthanyoupaidayearortwoago,why,then,thestrategyisworking.Butyou'repayingmore.Whenthe
presidenttookoffice,thepriceofgasolinehereinNassauCountywasabout$1.86agallon.Now,it's$4.00agallon.The
priceofelectricityisup.
Ifthepresident'senergypoliciesareworking,you'regoingtoseethecostofenergycomedown.Iwillfighttocreate
moreenergyinthiscountry,togetAmericaenergysecure.AndpartofthatisbringinginapipelineofoilfromCanada,
takingadvantageoftheoilandcoalwehavehere,drillingoffshoreinAlaska,drillingoffshoreinVirginiawherethe
peoplewantit.Thosethingswillgetustheenergyweneed.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,couldyouaddress,becausewedidfinallygettogaspriceshere,couldyouaddresswhatthe
governorsaid,whichisifyourenergypolicywasworking,thepriceofgasolinewouldnotbe$4agallonhere.Isthat
true?
OBAMA:Well,thinkaboutwhatthegovernor--thinkaboutwhatthegovernorjustsaid.HesaidwhenItookoffice,the
priceofgasolinewas$1.80,$1.86.Whyisthat?Becausetheeconomywasonthevergeofcollapse,becausewewere
abouttogothroughtheworstrecessionsincetheGreatDepression,asaconsequenceofsomeofthesamepoliciesthat
GovernorRomney'snowpromoting.
So,it'sconceivablethatGovernorRomneycouldbringdowngaspricesbecausewithhispolicies,wemightbebackin
thatsamemess.
WhatIwanttodoistocreateaneconomythatisstrong,andatthesametimeproduceenergy.Andwithrespecttothis
pipelinethatGovernorRomneykeepsontalkingabout,we've--we'vebuiltenoughpipelinetowraparoundtheentire
earthonce.
So,I'mallforpipelines.I'mallforoilproduction.WhatI'mnotforisusignoringtheotherhalfoftheequation.So,for
example,onwindenergy,whenGovernorRomneysays"theseareimaginaryjobs."Whenyou'vegotthousandsof
peoplerightnowinIowa,rightnowinColorado,whoareworking,creatingwindpowerwithgood-payingmanufacturing
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jobs,andtheRepublicansenatorinthat--inIowaisallforit,providingtaxbreaks(ph)tohelpthisworkandGovernor
RomneysaysI'mopposed.I'dgetridofit.
That'snotanenergystrategyforthefuture.Andweneedtowinthatfuture.AndIintendtowinitasPresidentofthe
UnitedStates.
CROWLEY:Igotto--Igottomoveyouon--
ROMNEY:Hegetsthefirst--
CROWLEY:--andthenextquestion--
ROMNEY:Heactuallygot--
CROWLEY:--foryou--
ROMNEY:Heactuallygotthefirstquestion.SoIgetthelastquestion--lastanswer--
CROWLEY:(Inaudible)inthefollowup,itdoesn'tquiteworklikethat.ButI'mgoingtogiveyouachancehere.Ipromise
you,I'mgoingto.
Andthenextquestionisforyou.Soifyouwantto,youknow,continueon--butIdon'twanttoleaveall--
ROMNEY:Candy,Candy--
CROWLEY:--sittinghere--
ROMNEY:Candy,Idon'thaveapolicyofstoppingwindjobsinIowaandthat--they'renotphantomjobs.They'rereal
jobs.
CROWLEY:OK.
ROMNEY:IappreciatewindjobsinIowaandacrossourcountry.Iappreciatethejobsincoalandoilandgas.I'mgoingto
makesure--
CROWLEY:OK.
ROMNEY:--we'retakingadvantageofourenergyresources.We'llbringbackmanufacturingtoAmerica.We'regoingto
getthroughaveryaggressiveenergypolicy,31/2millionmorejobsinthiscountry.It'scriticaltoourfuture.
OBAMA:Candy,it'snotgoingto--
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CROWLEY:We'regoingtomoveyoualong--
OBAMA:Usedtobeinginterrupted.
CROWLEY:We'regoingtomoveyoubothalongtotaxesoverhereandallthesefolksthathavebeenwaiting.
Governor,thisquestionisforyou.ItcomesfromMaryFollano--Follano,sorry.
ROMNEY:Hi,Mary.
QUESTION:GovernorRomney,youhavestatedthatifyou'reelectedpresident,youwouldplantoreducethetaxrates
forallthetaxbracketsandthatyouwouldworkwiththeCongresstoeliminatesomedeductionsinordertomakeupfor
thelossinrevenue.
Concerningthe--thesevariousdeductions,themortgagedeductions,thecharitabledeductions,thechildtaxcreditand
alsothe--oh,what'sthatothercredit?Iforgot.
OBAMA:You'redoinggreat.
QUESTION:Oh,Iremember.
Theeducationcredits,whichareimportanttome,becauseIhavechildrenincollege.Whatwouldbeyourpositionon
thosethings,whichareimportanttothemiddleclass?
ROMNEY:Thankyouverymuch.Andletmetellyou,you'reabsolutelyrightaboutpartofthat,whichisIwanttobring
theratesdown,Iwanttosimplifythetaxcode,andIwanttogetmiddle-incometaxpayerstohavelowertaxes.
AndthereasonIwantmiddle-incometaxpayerstohavelowertaxesisbecausemiddle-incometaxpayershavebeen
buriedoverthepastfouryears.You'veseen,asmiddle-incomepeopleinthiscountry,incomesgodown$4,300afamily,
evenasgasolinepriceshavegoneup$2,000.Healthinsurancepremiums,up$2,500.Foodpricesup.Utilitypricesup.
Themiddle-incomefamiliesinAmericahavebeencrushedoverthelastfouryears.SoIwanttogetsomereliefto
middle-incomefamilies.That'spart--that'spartone.
Now,howaboutdeductions?'CauseI'mgoingtobringratesdownacrosstheboardforeverybody,butI'mgoingtolimit
deductionsandexemptionsandcredits,particularlyforpeopleatthehighend,becauseIamnotgoingtohavepeopleat
thehighendpaylessthanthey'repayingnow.
Thetop5percentoftaxpayerswillcontinuetopay60percentoftheincometaxthenationcollects.Sothat'llstaythe
same.
Middle-incomepeoplearegoingtogetataxbreak.
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Andso,intermsofbringingdowndeductions,onewayofdoingthatwouldbesayeverybodygets--I'llpickanumber--
$25,000ofdeductionsandcredits,andyoucandecidewhichonestouse.Yourhomemortgageinterestdeduction,
charity,childtaxcredit,andsoforth,youcanusethoseaspartoffillingthatbucket,ifyouwill,ofdeductions.
Butyourratecomesdownandtheburdenalsocomesdownonyouforonemorereason,andthatiseverymiddle-
incometaxpayernolongerwillpayanytaxoninterest,dividendsorcapitalgains.Notaxonyoursavings.Thatmakeslife
aloteasier.
Ifyou'regettinginterestfromabank,ifyou'regettingastatementfromamutualfundoranyotherkindofinvestment
youhave,youdon'thavetoworryaboutfilingtaxesonthat,becausethere'llbenotaxesforanybodymaking
$200,000.00peryearandless,onyourinterest,dividendsandcapitalgains.WhyamIloweringtaxesonthemiddle-
class?Becauseunderthelastfouryears,they'vebeenburied.AndIwanttohelppeopleinthemiddle-class.
AndIwillnot--Iwillnotunderanycircumstances,reducethesharethat'sbeingpaidbythehighestincometaxpayers.
AndIwillnot,underanycircumstancesincreasetaxesonthemiddle-class.Thepresident'sspending,thepresident's
borrowingwillcostthisnationtohavetoraisetaxesontheAmericanpeople.Notjustatthehighend.Arecentstudy
hasshownthepeopleinthemiddle-classwillsee$4,000.00peryearinhighertaxesasaresultofthespendingand
borrowingofthisadministration.
Iwillnotletthathappen.Iwanttogetusontracktoabalancedbudget,andI'mgoingtoreducethetaxburdenon
middleincomefamilies.Andwhat'sthatgoingtodo?It'sgoingtohelpthosefamilies,andit'sgoingtocreateincentives
tostartgrowingjobsagaininthiscountry.
CROWLEY:Thanks,Governor.
OBAMA:Myphilosophyontaxeshasbeensimple.Andthatis,Iwanttogivemiddle-classfamiliesandfolkswhoare
strivingtogetintothemiddle-classsomerelief.Becausetheyhavebeenhithardoverthelastdecade.Overthelast15,
overthelast20years.
SofouryearsagoIstoodonastagejustlikethisone.Actuallyitwasatownhall,andIsaidIwouldcuttaxesformiddle-
classfamilies,andthat'swhatI'vedone,by$3,600.00.IsaidIwouldcuttaxesforsmallbusinesses,whoarethedrivers
andenginesofgrowth.Andwe'vecutthem18times.AndIwanttocontinuethosetaxcutsformiddle-classfamilies,
andforsmallbusiness.
ButwhatI'vealsosaidis,ifwe'reseriousaboutreducingthedeficit,ifthisisgenuinelyamoralobligationtothenext
generation,theninadditiontosometoughspendingcuts,we'vealsogottomakesurethatthewealthydoalittlebit
more.
SowhatI'vesaidis,yourfirst$250,000.00worthofincome,nochange.Andthatmeans98percentofAmericanfamilies,
97percentofsmallbusinesses,theywillnotseeataxincrease.I'mreadytosignthatbillrightnow.Theonlyreasonit's
nothappeningisbecauseGovernorRomney'salliesinCongresshaveheldthe98percenthostagebecausetheywanttax
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breaksforthetop2percent.
ButwhatI'vealsosaysisforabove$250,000,wecangobacktothetaxrateswehadwhenBillClintonwaspresident.
Wecreated23millionnewjobs.That'spartofwhattookusfromdeficitstosurplus.Itwillbegoodforoureconomyand
itwillbegoodforjobcreation.
Now,GovernorRomneyhasadifferentphilosophy.Hewason60Minutesjusttwoweeksagoandhewasasked:Isitfair
forsomebodylikeyou,making$20millionayear,topayalowertaxratethananurseorabusdriver,somebodymaking
$50,000year?Andhesaid,"Yes,Ithinkthat'sfair."Notonlythat,hesaid,"Ithinkthat'swhatgrowstheeconomy."
Well,Ifundamentallydisagreewiththat.Ithinkwhatgrowstheeconomyiswhenyougetthattaxcreditthatweputin
placeforyourkidsgoingtocollege.Ithinkthatgrowstheeconomy.Ithinkwhatgrowstheeconomyiswhenwemake
suresmallbusinessesaregettingataxcreditforhiringveteranswhofoughtforourcountry.Thatgrowsoureconomy.
Sowejusthaveadifferenttheory.AndwhenGovernorRomneystandshere,afterayearofcampaigning,whenduringa
Republicanprimaryhestoodonstageandsaid"I'mgoingtogivetaxcuts"--hedidn'tsaytaxratecuts,hesaid"taxcuts
toeverybody,"includingthetop1percent,youshouldbelievehimbecausethat'sbeenhishistory.
Andthat'sexactlythekindoftop-downeconomicsthatisnotgoingtoworkifwewantastrongmiddleclassandan
economythat'sstrivingforeverybody.
CROWLEY:GovernorRomney,I'msureyou'vegotareplythere.
(LAUGHTER)ROMNEY:You'reabsolutelyright.
YouheardwhatIsaidaboutmytaxplan.Thetop5percentwillcontinuetopay60percent,astheydotoday.I'mnot
lookingtocuttaxesforwealthypeople.Iamlookingtocuttaxesformiddle-incomepeople.
AndwhydoIwanttobringratesdown,andatthesametimelowerexemptionsanddeductions,particularlyforpeople
atthehighend?Becauseifyoubringratesdown,itmakesiteasierforsmallbusinesstokeepmoreoftheircapitaland
hirepeople.
Andforme,thisisaboutjobs.IwanttogetAmerica'seconomygoingagain.Fifty-fourpercentofAmerica'sworkers
workinbusinessesthataretaxedasindividuals.Sowhenyoubringthoseratesdown,thosesmallbusinessesareableto
keepmoremoneyandhiremorepeople.
Forme,Ilookatwhat'shappenedinthelastfouryearsandsaythishasbeenadisappointment.Wecandobetterthan
this.Wedon'thavetosettlefor,howmanymonths,43monthswithunemploymentabove8percent,23million
Americansstrugglingtofindagoodjobrightnow.
Thereare3.5millionmorewomenlivinginpovertytodaythanwhenthepresidenttookoffice.
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Wedon'thavetolivelikethis.Wecangetthiseconomygoingagain.Myfive-pointplandoesit.Energyindependence
forNorthAmericainfiveyears.Openingupmoretrade,particularlyinLatinAmerica.CrackingdownonChinawhen
theycheat.Gettingustoabalancedbudget.Fixingourtrainingprogramsforourworkers.Andfinally,championing
smallbusiness.
Iwanttomakesmallbusinessesgrowandthrive.Iknowhowtomakethathappen.Ispentmylifeintheprivatesector.
knowwhyjobscomeandwhytheygo.Andthey'regoingnowbecauseofthepoliciesofthisadministration.
CROWLEY:Governor,letmeaskthepresidentsomethingaboutwhatyoujustsaid.
Thegovernorsaysthatheisnotgoingtoallowthetop5percent,believeiswhathesaid,tohaveataxcut,thatitwillall
evenout,thatwhathewantstodoisgivethattaxcuttothemiddleclass.Settled?
OBAMA:No,it'snotsettled.
Look,thecostofloweringratesforeverybodyacrosstheboard,20percent.Alongwithwhathealsowantstodoin
termsofeliminatingtheestatetax,alongwhathewantstodointermsofcorporates,changesinthetaxcode,itcosts
about$5trillion.
GovernorRomneythenalsowantstospend$2trilliononadditionalmilitaryprogramseventhoughthemilitary'snot
askingforthem.That's$7trillion.
HealsowantstocontinuetheBushtaxcutsforthewealthiestAmericans.That'sanothertrilliondollars--that's$8
trillion.
Now,whathesaysishe'sgoingtomakesurethatthisdoesn'taddtothedeficitandhe'sgoingtocutmiddleclasstaxes.
Butwhenhe'sasked,howareyougoingtodoit,whichdeductions,whichloopholesareyougoingtoclose?Hecan'ttell
you.
The--thefactthatheonlyhastopay14percentonhistaxeswhenalotofyouarepayingmuchhigher.He'salready
takenthatofftheboard,capitalgainsaregoingtocontinuetobeatalowratesowe--we'renotgoingtogetmoney
thatway.
Wehaven'theardfromthegovernoranyspecificsbeyondBigBirdandeliminatingfundingforPlannedParenthoodin
termsofhowhepaysforthat.
Now,GovernorRomneywasaverysuccessfulinvestor.Ifsomebodycametoyou,Governor,withaplanthatsaid,here,I
wanttospend$7or$8trillion,andthenwe'regoingtopayforit,butwecan'ttellyouuntilmaybeaftertheelection
howwe'regoingtodoit,youwouldn'ttakesuchasketchydealandneithershouldyou,theAmericanpeople,because
themathdoesn'taddup.
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And--andwhat'satstakehereisoneoftwothings,eitherCandy--thisblowsupthedeficitbecausekeepinmind,this
isjusttopayfortheadditionalspendingthathe'stalkingabout,$7trillion-$8trillionbeforeweevengettothedeficit
wealreadyhave.Or,alternatively,it'sgottobepaidfor,notonlybyclosingdeductionsforwealthyindividuals,that--
thatwillpayforabout4percentreductionintaxrates.
You'regoingtobepayingforit.You'regoingtolosesomedeductions,andyoucan'tbuythesalespitch.Nobodywho's
lookedatitthat'sserious,actuallybelievesitaddsup.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,letmeget--letmegetthegovernorinonthis.AndGovernor,let's--beforewegetintoa...
ROMNEY:I--I...
CROWLEY:...vastarrayofwhosays--whatstudysayswhat,ifitshouldn'taddup.Ifsomehowwhenyougetinthere,
thereisn'tenoughtaxrevenuecomingin.Ifsomehowthenumbersdon'taddup,wouldyoubewillingtolookagainata
20percent...
ROMNEY:Wellofcoursetheyaddup.I--Iwas--Iwassomeonewhoranbusinessesfor25years,andbalancedthe
budget.IrantheOlympicsandbalancedthebudget.Iranthe--thestateofMassachusettsasagovernor,totheextent
anygovernordoes,andbalancedthebudgetallfouryears.Whenwe'retalkingaboutmaththatdoesn'taddup,how
about$4trillionofdeficitsoverthelastfouryears,$5trillion?That'smaththatdoesn'taddup.Wehave--wehavea
presidenttalkingaboutsomeone'splaninawaythat'scompletelyforeigntowhatmyrealplanis.
ROMNEY:Andthenwehavehisownrecord,whichiswehavefourconsecutiveyearswherehesaidwhenhewas
runningforoffice,hewouldcutthedeficitinhalf.Insteadhe'sdoubledit.We'vegonefrom$10trillionofnationaldebt,
to$16trillionofnationaldebt.Ifthepresidentwerereelected,we'dgotoalmost$20trillionofnationaldebt.Thisputs
usonaroadtoGreece.Iknowwhatittakestobalancebudgets.I'vedoneitmyentirelife.Soforinstancewhenhesays,
"Yoursisa$5trillioncut."Well,noit'snot.BecauseI'moffsettingsomeofthereductionswithholdingdownsomeof
thedeductions.
And...
CROWLEY:Governor,I'vegotta--gotta--actually,Ineedtohaveyouboth(inaudible).
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Iunderstandthestakeshere.Iunderstandbothofyou.ButI--IwillgetrunoutoftownifIdon't...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY:AndIjustdescribed--Ijustdescribedtoyou,Mr.President--IjustdescribedtoyoupreciselyhowI'ddoit
whichiswithasinglenumberthatpeoplecanput--andtheycanputthey're--they'redeductionsandcredits...
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(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Mr.President,we'rekeepingtrack,Ipromiseyou.AndMr.President,thenextquestionisforyou,sostay
standing.
OBAMA:Great.Lookingforwardtoit.
Andit'sKatherineFenton,whohasaquestionforyou.
QUESTION:Inwhatnewwaystoyouintendtorectifytheinequalitiesintheworkplace,specificallyregardingfemales
makingonly72percentofwhattheirmalecounterpartsearn?
OBAMA:Well,Katherine,that'sagreatquestion.And,youknow,Iwasraisedbyasinglemomwhohadtoputherself
throughschoolwhilelookingaftertwokids.Andsheworkedhardeverydayandmadealotofsacrificestomakesure
wegoteverythingweneeded.Mygrandmother,shestartedoffasasecretaryinabank.Shenevergotacollege
education,eventhoughshewassmartasawhip.Andsheworkedherwayuptobecomeavicepresidentofalocalbank
butshehittheglassceiling.Shetrainedpeoplewhowouldendupbecomingherbossesduringthecourseofhercareer.
Shedidn'tcomplain.That'snotwhatyoudidinthatgeneration.Andthisisoneofthereasonswhyoneofthefirst--the
firstbillIsignedwassomethingcalledtheLilyLedbetterbill.Andit'snamedafterthisamazingwomanwhohadbeen
doingthesamejobasamanforyears,foundoutthatshewasgettingpaidless,andtheSupremeCourtsaidthatshe
couldn'tbringsuitbecausesheshouldhavefoundaboutitearlier,whereasshehadnowayoffindingoutaboutit.Sowe
fixedthat.Andthat'sanexampleofthekindofadvocacythatweneed,becausewomenareincreasinglythe
breadwinnersinthefamily.Thisisnotjustawomen'sissue,thisisafamilyissue,thisisamiddle-classissue,andthat's
whywe'vegottofightforit.
Italsomeansthatwe'vegottomakesurethatyoungpeoplelikeyourselfareabletoaffordacollegeeducation.Earlier,
GovernorRomneytalkedabouthewantstomakePellGrantsandothereducationaccessibleforyoungpeople.
Well,thetruthofthematteris,isthatthat'sexactlywhatwe'vedone.We'veexpandedPellGrantsformillionsof
people,includingmillionsofyoungwomen,allacrossthecountry.
Wediditbytaking$60billionthatwasgoingtobanksandlendersasmiddlemenforthestudentloanprogram,andwe
said,let'sjustcutoutthemiddleman.Let'sgivethemoneydirectlytostudents.
Andasaconsequence,we'veseenmillionsofyoungpeoplebeabletoaffordcollege,andthat'sgoingtomakesurethat
youngwomenaregoingtobeabletocompeteinthatmarketplace.
Butwe'vegottoenforcethelaws,whichiswhatwearedoing,andwe'vealsogottomakesurethatineverywalkoflife
wedonottoleratediscrimination.
That'sbeenoneofthehallmarksofmyadministration.I'mgoingtocontinuetopushonthisissueforthenextfour
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years.
CROWLEY:GovernorRomney,payequityforwomen?
ROMNEY:Thankyou.Andimportanttopic,andonewhichIlearnedagreatdealabout,particularlyasIwasservingas
governorofmystate,becauseIhadthechancetopulltogetheracabinetandalltheapplicantsseemedtobemen.
AndI--andIwenttomystaff,andIsaid,"Howcomeallthepeopleforthesejobsare--areallmen."Theysaid,"Well,
thesearethepeoplethathavethequalifications."AndIsaid,"Well,gosh,can'twe--can'twefindsome--somewomen
thatarealsoqualified?"
ROMNEY:And--andsowe--wetookaconcertedefforttogooutandfindwomenwhohadbackgroundsthatcouldbe
qualifiedtobecomemembersofourcabinet.
Iwenttoanumberofwomen'sgroupsandsaid,"Canyouhelpusfindfolks,"andtheybroughtuswholebindersfullof
women.
IwasproudofthefactthatafterIstaffedmyCabinetandmyseniorstaff,thattheUniversityofNewYorkinAlbanydid
asurveyofall50states,andconcludedthatminehadmorewomeninseniorleadershippositionsthananyotherstate
inAmerica.
NowoneofthereasonsIwasabletogetsomanygoodwomentobepartofthatteamwasbecauseofourrecruiting
effort.Butnumbertwo,becauseIrecognizedthatifyou'regoingtohavewomenintheworkforcethatsometimesyou
needtobemoreflexible.Mychiefofstaff,forinstance,hadtwokidsthatwerestillinschool.
Shesaid,Ican'tbehereuntil7or8o'clockatnight.Ineedtobeabletogethomeat5o'clocksoIcanbetherefor
makingdinnerformykidsandbeingwiththemwhentheygethomefromschool.Sowesaidfine.Let'shaveaflexible
schedulesoyoucanhavehoursthatworkforyou.
We'regoingtohavetohaveemployersintheneweconomy,intheeconomyI'mgoingtobringtoplay,thataregoingto
besoanxioustogetgoodworkersthey'regoingtobeanxioustohirewomen.Inthe--inthelastwomenhavelost
580,000jobs.That'sthenetofwhat'shappenedinthelastfouryears.We'restilldown580,000jobs.Imentioned31/2
millionwomen,morenowinpovertythanfouryearsago.
Whatwecandotohelpyoungwomenandwomenofallagesistohaveastrongeconomy,sostrongthatemployers
thatarelookingtofindgoodemployeesandbringingthemintotheirworkforceandadaptingtoaflexibleworkschedule
thatgiveswomenopportunitiesthattheywouldotherwisenotbeabletoafford.
ThisiswhatIhavedone.It'swhatIlookforwardtodoingandIknowwhatittakestomakeaneconomywork,andI
knowwhataworkingeconomylookslike.Andaneconomywith7.8percentunemploymentisnotarealstrong
economy.Aneconomythathas23millionpeoplelookingforworkisnotastrongeconomy.
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Aneconomywith50percentofkidsgraduatingfromcollegethatcan'tfindsajob,oracollegeleveljob,that'snotwhat
wehavetohave.CROWLEY:Governor?
ROMNEY:I'mgoingtohelpwomeninAmericagetgoodworkbygettingastrongereconomyandbysupportingwomen
intheworkforce.
CROWLEY:Mr.Presidentwhydon'tyougetinonthisquickly,please?
OBAMA:Katherine,IjustwanttopointoutthatwhenGovernorRomney'scampaignwasaskedabouttheLillyLedbetter
bill,whetherhesupportedit?Hesaid,"I'llgetbacktoyou."Andthat'snotthekindofadvocacythatwomenneedinany
economy.Now,therearesomeotherissuesthathaveabearingonhowwomensucceedintheworkplace.Forexample,
theirhealthcare.YouknowamajordifferenceinthiscampaignisthatGovernorRomneyfeelscomfortablehaving
politiciansinWashingtondecidethehealthcarechoicesthatwomenaremaking.
Ithinkthat'samistake.Inmyhealthcarebill,Isaidinsurancecompaniesneedtoprovidecontraceptivecoverageto
everybodywhoisinsured.Becausethisisnotjusta--ahealthissue,it'saneconomicissueforwomen.Itmakesa
difference.Thisismoneyoutofthatfamily'spocket.GovernorRomneynotonlyopposedit,hesuggestedthatinfact
employersshouldbeabletomakethedecisionastowhetherornotawomangetscontraceptionthroughherinsurance
coverage.
That'snotthekindofadvocacythatwomenneed.WhenGovernorRomneysaysthatweshouldeliminatefundingfor
PlannedParenthood,therearemillionsofwomenallacrossthecountry,whorelyonPlannedParenthoodfor,notjust
contraceptivecare,theyrelyonitformammograms,forcervicalcancerscreenings.That'sapocketbookissuefor
womenandfamiliesallacrossthecountry.Anditmakesadifferenceintermsofhowwellandeffectivelywomenare
abletowork.Whenwetalkaboutchildcare,andthecreditsthatwe'reproviding.Thatmakesadifferenceinwhether
theycangooutthereand--andearnalivingfortheirfamily.
Thesearenotjustwomen'sissues.Thesearefamilyissues.Theseareeconomicissues.
Andoneofthethingsthatmakesusgrowasaneconomyiswheneverybodyparticipatesandwomenaregettingthe
samefairdealasmenare.
CROWLEY:Mr.President...
OBAMA:AndI'vegottwodaughtersandIwanttomakesurethattheyhavethesameopportunitiesthatanybody'ssons
have.That'spartofwhatI'mfightingforaspresidentoftheUnitedStates.
CROWLEY:IwanttomoveusalongheretoSusanKatz,whohasaquestion.
And,Governor,it'sforyou.QUESTION:GovernorRomney,Iamanundecidedvoter,becauseI'mdisappointedwiththe
lackofprogressI'veseeninthelastfouryears.However,IdoattributemuchofAmerica'seconomicandinternational
problemstothefailingsandmisstepsoftheBushadministration.
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SincebothyouandPresidentBushareRepublicans,Ifearareturntothepoliciesofthoseyearsshouldyouwinthis
election.WhatisthebiggestdifferencebetweenyouandGeorgeW.Bush,andhowdoyoudifferentiateyourselffrom
GeorgeW.Bush?
ROMNEY:Thankyou.AndIappreciatethatquestion.
Ijustwanttomakesurethat,IthinkIwassupposedtogetthatlastanswer,butIwanttopointoutthatthatIdon't
believe...
OBAMA:Idon'tthinkso,Candy.
ROMNEY:...Idon'tbelieve...
OBAMA:Iwanttomakesureourtimekeepersareworkinghere.
ROMNEY:Thetime--thetime...
CROWLEY:OK.Thetimekeepersareallworking.Andletmetellyouthatthelastpart,it'sforthetwoofyoutotalkto
oneanother,anditisn'tquiteas(inaudible)youthink.
Butgoaheadandusethistwominutesanywayyou'dliketo,thequestionisonthefloor.
ROMNEY:I'djustnotethatIdon'tbelievethatbureaucratsinWashingtonshouldtellsomeonewhethertheycanuse
contraceptivesornot.AndIdon'tbelieveemployersshouldtellsomeonewhethertheycouldhavecontraceptivecareof
not.EverywomaninAmericashouldhaveaccesstocontraceptives.And--andthe--andthepresident'sstatementof
mypolicyiscompletelyandtotallywrong.
OBAMA:Governor...
ROMNEY:Letmecomebackand--andansweryourquestion.
PresidentBushandIare--aredifferentpeopleandthesearedifferenttimesandthat'swhymyfivepointplanisso
differentthanwhathewouldhavedone.
Imeanforinstance,wecannow,byvirtueofnewtechnologyactuallygetalltheenergyweneedinNorthAmerica
withouthavingtogotothe--theArabsortheVenezuelansoranyoneelse.Thatwasn'ttrueinhistime,that'swhymy
policystartswithaveryrobustpolicytogetallthatenergyinNorthAmerica--becomeenergysecure.
Numbertwo,trade--I'llcrackdownonChina,PresidentBushdidn't.I'malsogoingtodramaticallyexpandtradeinLatin
America.It'sbeengrowingabout12percentperyearoveralongperiodoftime.Iwanttoaddmorefreetrade
agreementssowe'llhavemoretrade.
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Numberthree,I'mgoingtogetustoabalancedbudget.PresidentBushdidn't.PresidentObamawasright,hesaidthat
thatwasoutrageoustohavedeficitsashighashalfatrilliondollarsundertheBushyears.Hewasright,butthenheput
inplacedeficitstwicethatsizeforeveryoneofhisfouryears.Andhisforecastforthenextfouryearsismoredeficits,
almostthatlarge.Sothat'sthenextareaI'mdifferentthanPresidentBush.
Andthenlet'stakethelastone,championingsmallbusiness.Ourpartyhasbeenfocusedtoolong.Icamethroughsmall
business.Iunderstandhowharditistostartasmallbusiness.That'swhyeverythingI'lldoisdesignedtohelpsmall
businessesgrowandaddjobs.Iwanttokeeptheirtaxesdownonsmallbusiness.Iwantregulatorstoseetheirjobas
encouragingsmallenterprise,notcrushingit.
AndthethingIfindthemosttroublingaboutObamaCare,wellit'salonglist,butoneofthethingsIfindmosttroubling
isthatwhenyougooutandtalktosmallbusinessesandaskthemwhattheythinkaboutit,theytellyouitkeepsthem
fromhiringmorepeople.
Mypriorityisjobs.Iknowhowtomakethathappen.AndPresidentBushhasaverydifferentpathforaverydifferent
time.Mypathisdesignedingettingsmallbusinessestogrowandhirepeople.
CROWLEY:Thanks,Governor.
Mr.President?
OBAMA:Well,firstofall,Ithinkit'simportanttotellyouthatwedidcomeinduringsometoughtimes.Wewerelosing
800,000jobsamonthwhenIstarted.Butwehadbeendiggingourwayoutofpoliciesthatweremisplacedandfocused
onthetopdoingverywellandmiddleclassfolksnotdoingwell.
Now,we'veseen30consecutive--31consecutivemonthsofjobgrowth;5.2millionnewjobscreated.Andtheplans
thatItalkedaboutwillcreateevenmore.ButwhenGovernorRomneysaysthathehasaverydifferenteconomicplan,
thecenterpieceofhiseconomicplanaretaxcuts.That'swhattookusfromsurplustodeficit.Whenhetalksabout
gettingtoughonChina,keepinmindthatGovernorRomneyinvestedincompaniesthatwerepioneersofoutsourcingto
China,andiscurrentlyinvestingincountries--incompaniesthatarebuildingsurveillanceequipmentforChinatospyon
itsownfolks.
That's--Governor,you'rethelastpersonwho'sgoingtogettoughonChina.Andwhatwe'vedonewhenitcomesto
tradeisnotonlysignthreetradedealstoopenupnewmarkets,butwe'vealsosetupataskforcefortradethatgoes
afteranybodywhoistakingadvantageofAmericanworkersorbusinessesandnotcreatingalevelplayingfield.We've
broughttwiceasmanycasesagainstunfairtradingpracticesthanthepreviousadministrationandwe'vewonevery
singleonethat'sbeendecided.
WhenIsaidthatwehadtomakesurethatChinawasnotfloodingourdomesticmarketwithcheaptires,Governor
RomneysaidIwasbeingprotectionist;thatitwouldn'tbehelpfultoAmericanworkers.Well,infactwesaved1,000
jobs.Andthat'sthekindoftoughtradeactionsthatarerequired.
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ButthelastpointIwanttomakeisthis.Youknow,therearesomethingswhereGovernorRomneyisdifferentfrom
GeorgeBush.GeorgeBushdidn'tproposeturningMedicareintoavoucher.GeorgeBushembracedcomprehensive
immigrationreform.Hedidn'tcallforself-deportation.
GeorgeBushneversuggestedthatweeliminatefundingforPlannedParenthood,sotherearedifferencesbetween
GovernorRomneyandGeorgeBush,butthey'renotoneconomicpolicy.Insomeways,he'sgonetoamoreextreme
placewhenitcomestosocialpolicy.AndIthinkthat'samistake.That'snothowwe'regoingtomoveoureconomy
forward.
CROWLEY:Iwanttomoveyoubothalongtothenextquestion,becauseit'sinthesamewheelhouse,soyouwillbeable
torespond.Butthepresidentdoesgetthisquestion.IwanttocallonMichaelJones.
QUESTION:Mr.President,Ivotedforyouin2008.Whathaveyoudoneoraccomplishedtoearnmyvotein2012?I'm
notthatoptimisticasIwasin2012.MostthingsIneedforeverydaylivingareveryexpensive.
OBAMA:Well,we'vegonethroughatoughfouryears.There'snodoubtaboutit.Butfouryearsago,ItoldtheAmerican
peopleandItoldyouIwouldcuttaxesformiddleclassfamilies.AndIdid.ItoldyouI'dcuttaxesforsmallbusinesses,
andIhave.
IsaidthatI'dendthewarinIraq,andIdid.Isaidwe'drefocusattentiononthosewhoactuallyattackeduson9/11,and
wehavegoneafterAlQaeda'sleadershiplikeneverbeforeandOsamabinLadenisdead.
OBAMA:Isaidthatwewouldputinplacehealthcarereformtomakesurethatinsurancecompaniescan'tjerkyou
aroundandifyoudon'thavehealthinsurance,thatyou'dhaveachancetogetaffordableinsurance,andIhave.
IcommittedthatIwouldreinintheexcessesofWallStreet,andwepassedthetoughestWallStreetreformssincethe
1930s.We'vecreatedfivemillionjobs,andgonefrom800jobsamonthbeinglost,andwearemakingprogress.We
savedanautoindustrythatwasonthebrinkofcollapse.
Now,doesthatmeanyou'renotstruggling?Absolutelynot.Alotofusare.Andthat'swhytheplanthatI'veputforward
formanufacturingandeducation,andreducingourdeficitinasensibleway,usingthesavingsfromendingwars,to
rebuildAmericaandputtingpeoplebacktowork.Makingsurethatwearecontrollingourownenergy,butnotonlythe
energyoftoday,butalsotheenergyofthefuture.Allofthosethingswillmakeadifference,sothepointisthe
commitmentsI'vemade,I'vekept.
AndthosethatIhaven'tbeenabletokeep,it'snotforlackoftryingandwe'regoingtogetitdoneinasecondterm.But,
youshouldpayattentiontothiscampaign,becauseGovernorRomneyhasmadesomecommitmentsaswell.AndI
suspecthe'llkeepthosetoo.YouknowwhenmembersoftheRepublicanCongresssay,"We'regoingtosignanotax
pledge,sothatwedon'taskadimeformillionairesandbillionairestoreduceourdeficitsowecanstillinvestin
education,andhelpingkidsgotocollege.Hesaid,"Metoo."
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Whentheysaid,"We'regoingtocutPlannedParenthoodfunding."Hesaid,"Metoo."Whenhesaid,"We'regoingto
repealObamacare.FirstthingI'mgoingtodo,"despitethefactthatit'sthesamehealthcareplanthathepassedin
Massachusettsandisworkingwell.Hesaid,"Metoo."Thatisnotthekindofleadershipthatyouneed,butyoushould
expectthatthosearepromiseshe'sgoingtokeep.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Mr.President,letmelet...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA:...thechoiceinthiselectionisgoingtobewhosepromisesaregoingtobemorelikelytohelpyouinyourlife?
Makesureyourkidscangotocollege.Makesurethatyouaregettingagoodpayingjob,makingsurethatMedicareand
SocialSecurity...(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Mr.President.Thankyou.
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA:...willbethereforyou.
CROWLEY:Thankyou.Governor?
ROMNEY:Ithinkyouknowbetter.Ithinkyouknowthattheselastfouryearshaven'tbeensogoodasthepresidentjust
describedandthatyoudon'tfeellikeyourconfidentthatthenextfouryearsaregoingtobemuchbettereither.
IcantellyouthatifyouweretoelectPresidentObama,youknowwhatyou'regoingtoget.You'regoingtogetarepeat
ofthelastfouryears.Wejustcan'taffordfourmoreyearslikethelastfouryears.
Hesaidthatbynowwe'dhaveunemploymentat5.4percent.Thedifferencebetweenwhereitisand5.4percentis9
millionAmericanswithoutwork.
Iwasn'ttheonethatsaid5.4percent.Thiswasthepresident'splan.Didn'tgetthere.
HesaidhewouldhavebynowputforwardaplantoreformMedicareandSocialSecurity,becausehepointedout
they'reontheroadtobankruptcy.Hewouldreformthem.He'dgetthatdone.Hehasn'tevenmadeaproposaloneither
one.
Hesaidinhisfirstyearhe'dputoutanimmigrationplanthatwoulddealwithourimmigrationchallenges.Didn'teven
fileit.
Thisisapresidentwhohasnotbeenabletodowhathesaidhe'ddo.Hesaidthathe'dcutinhalfthedeficit.Hehasn't
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donethateither.Infact,hedoubledit.Hesaidthatbynowmiddle-incomefamilieswouldhaveareductionintheir
healthinsurancepremiumsby$2,500ayear.It'sgoneupby$2,500ayear.AndifObamacareispassed,orimplemented
--it'salreadybeenpassed--ifit'simplementedfully,it'llbeanother$2,500ontop.
ROMNEY:Themiddleclassisgettingcrushedunderthepoliciesofapresidentwhohasnotunderstoodwhatittakesto
gettheeconomyworkingagain.Hekeepssaying,"Look,I'vecreated5millionjobs."That'safterlosing5millionjobs.
Theentirerecordissuchthattheunemploymenthasnotbeenreducedinthiscountry.Theunemployment,thenumber
ofpeoplewhoarestilllookingforwork,isstill23millionAmericans.
Therearemorepeopleinpoverty,oneoutofsixpeopleinpoverty.
Howaboutfoodstamps?Whenhetookoffice,32millionpeoplewereonfoodstamps.Today,47millionpeopleareon
foodstamps.Howaboutthegrowthoftheeconomy?It'sgrowingmoreslowlythisyearthanlastyear,andmoreslowly
lastyearthantheyearbefore.
Thepresidentwantstodowell.Iunderstand.Butthepolicieshe'sputinplacefromObamacaretoDodd-Franktohistax
policiestohisregulatorypolicies,thesepoliciescombinedhavenotletthiseconomytakeoffandgrowlikeitcouldhave
Youmightsay,"Well,yougotanexampleofonethatworkedbetter?"Yeah,intheReaganrecessionwhere
unemploymenthit10.8percent,betweenthatperiod--theendofthatrecessionandtheequivalentoftimetotoday,
RonaldReagan'srecoverycreatedtwiceasmanyjobsasthispresident'srecovery.Fivemillionjobsdoesn'tevenkeepup
withourpopulationgrowth.Andtheonlyreasontheunemploymentrateseemsalittlelowertodayisbecauseofallthe
peoplethathavedroppedoutoftheworkforce.
Thepresidenthastried,buthispolicieshaven'tworked.He'sgreatasa--asa--asaspeakeranddescribinghisplans
andhisvision.That'swonderful,exceptwehavearecordtolookat.Andthatrecordshowshejusthasn'tbeenableto
cutthedeficit,toputinplacereformsforMedicareandSocialSecuritytopreservethem,togetustherisingincomeswe
need.Medianincomeisdown$4,300afamilyand23millionAmericansoutofwork.That'swhatthiselectionisabout.
It'saboutwhocangetthemiddleclassinthiscountryabrightandprosperousfutureandassureourkidsthekindof
hopeandoptimismtheydeserve.
CROWLEY:Governor,Iwanttomoveyoualong.Don't--don'tgoaway,andwe'llhaveplentyoftimetorespond.Weare
quiteawareoftheclockforbothofyou.ButIwanttobringinadifferentsubjecthere.
Mr.President,I'llberightbackwithyou.
LorraineOsoriohasaquestionforyouaboutatopicwehavenot...
OBAMA:ThisisforGovernorRomney?
CROWLEY:It'sforGovernorRomney,andwe'llberightwithyou,Mr.President.Thanks.
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ROMNEY:IsitLoraina?
QUESTION:Lorraine.
ROMNEY:Lorraine?
QUESTION:Yes,Lorraine.
ROMNEY:Lorraine.
QUESTION:Howyoudoing?
ROMNEY:Good,thanks.
QUESTION:Mr.Romney,whatdoyouplanondoingwithimmigrantswithouttheirgreencardsthatarecurrentlyliving
hereasproductivemembersofsociety?
ROMNEY:Thankyou.Lorraine?DidIgetthatright?Good.Thankyouforyourquestion.Andletmestepbackandtell
youwhatIwouldliketodowithourimmigrationpolicybroadlyandincludeananswertoyourquestion.
Butfirstofall,thisisanationofimmigrants.Wewelcomepeoplecomingtothiscountryasimmigrants.Mydadwas
borninMexicoofAmericanparents;Ann'sdadwasborninWalesandisafirst-generationAmerican.Wewelcomelegal
immigrantsintothiscountry.
Iwantourlegalsystemtoworkbetter.Iwantittobestreamlined.Iwantittobeclearer.Idon'tthinkyouhaveto--
shouldn'thavetohirealawyertofigureouthowtogetintothiscountrylegally.Ialsothinkthatweshouldgivevisasto
people--greencards,rather,topeoplewhograduatewithskillsthatweneed.Peoplearoundtheworldwithaccredited
degreesinscienceandmathgetagreencardstapledtotheirdiploma,cometotheU.S.ofA.Weshouldmakesureour
legalsystemworks.
Numbertwo,we'regoingtohavetostopillegalimmigration.Thereare4millionpeoplewhoarewaitinginlinetoget
herelegally.Thosewho'vecomehereillegallytaketheirplace.SoIwillnotgrantamnestytothosewhohavecomehere
illegally.
WhatIwilldoisI'llputinplaceanemploymentverificationsystemandmakesurethatemployersthathirepeoplewho
havecomehereillegallyaresanctionedfordoingso.Iwon'tputinplacemagnetsforpeoplecominghereillegally.Sofor
instance,Iwouldnotgivedriver'slicensestothosethathavecomehereillegallyasthepresidentwould.
Thekidsofthosethatcamehereillegally,thosekids,Ithink,shouldhaveapathwaytobecomeapermanentresidentof
theUnitedStatesandmilitaryservice,forinstance,isonewaytheywouldhavethatkindofpathwaytobecomea
permanentresident.
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ROMNEY:Nowwhenthepresidentranforoffice,hesaidthathe'dputinplace,inhisfirstyear,apieceoflegislation--
he'dfileabillinhisfirstyearthatwouldreformour--ourimmigrationsystem,protectlegalimmigration,stopillegal
immigration.Hedidn'tdoit.
HehadaDemocratHouse,aDemocratSenate,supermajorityinbothHouses.Whydidhefailtoevenpromote
legislationthatwouldhaveprovidedananswerforthosethatwanttocomelegallyandforthosethatarehereillegally
today?What'saquestionIthinkthe--thepresidentwillhaveachancetoanswerrightnow.
OBAMA:Good,Ilookforwardtoit.
Was--Lorranna--Lorraine--weareanationofimmigrants.Imeanwe'rejustafewmilesawayfromEllisIsland.Weall
understandwhatthiscountryhasbecomebecausetalentfromallaroundtheworldwantstocomehere.Peopleare
willingtotakerisks.Peoplewhowanttobuildontheirdreamsandmakesuretheirkidshaveanevenbiggerdreams
thantheyhave.
Butwe'realsoanationoflaws.SowhatI'vesaidisweneedtofixabrokenimmigrationsystemandI'vedoneeverything
thatIcanonmyownandsoughtcooperationfromCongresstomakesurethatwefixthesystem.
Thefirstthingwedidwastostreamlinethelegalimmigrationsystem,toreducethebacklog,makeiteasier,simplerand
cheaperforpeoplewhoarewaitinginline,obeyingthelawtomakesurethattheycancomehereandcontributetoour
countryandthat'sgoodforoureconomicgrowth.
They'llstartnewbusinesses.They'llmakethingshappentocreatejobshereintheUnitedStates.
Numbertwo,wedohavetodealwithourbordersoweputmoreborderpatrolonthe--anytimeinhistoryandtheflow
ofundocumentedworksacrosstheborderisactuallylowerthanit'sbeenin40years.
WhatI'vealsosaidisifwe'regoingtogoafterfolkswhoarehereillegally,weshoulddoitsmartlyandgoafterfolkswho
arecriminals,gangbangers,peoplewhoarehurtingthecommunity,notafterstudents,notafterfolkswhoareherejust
becausethey'retryingtofigureouthowtofeedtheirfamilies.Andthat'swhatwe'vedone.AndwhatI'vealsosaidisfor
youngpeoplewhocomehere,broughthereoftentimesbytheirparents.Hadgonetoschoolhere,pledgedallegianceto
theflag.Thinkofthisastheircountry.UnderstandthemselvesasAmericansineverywayexcepthavingpapers.Andwe
shouldmakesurethatwegivethemapathwaytocitizenship.
Andthat'swhatI'vedoneadministratively.Now,GovernorRomneyjustsaid,youknowhewantstohelpthoseyoung
peopletoo,butduringtheRepublicanprimary,hesaid,"IwillvetotheDREAMAct",thatwouldallowtheseyoung
peopletohaveaccess."HismainstrategyduringtheRepublicanprimarywastosay,"We'regoingtoencourageself-
deportation."Makinglifesomiserableonfolksthatthey'llleave.HecalledtheArizonalawamodelforthenation.Part
oftheArizonalawsaidthatlawenforcementofficerscouldstopfolksbecausetheysuspectedmaybetheylookedlike
theymightbeundocumentedworkersandchecktheirpapers.
Youknowwhat?Ifmydaughteroryourslookstosomebodylikethey'renotacitizen,Idon'twant--Idon'twantto
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empowersomebodylikethat.So,wecanfixthissysteminacomprehensiveway.AndwhenGovernorRomneysays,the
challengeis,"WellObamadidn'ttry."That'snottrue.IhavesatdownwithDemocratsandRepublicansatthebeginning
ofmyterm.AndIsaid,let'sfixthissystem.IncludingSenatorspreviouslywhohadsupporteditontheRepublicanside.
Butit'sveryhardforRepublican'sinCongresstosupportcomprehensiveimmigrationreform,iftheirstandardbearer
hassaidthat,thisisnotsomethingI'minterestedinsupporting.
CROWLEY:Letmegetthegovernorinhere,Mr.President.Let'sspeakto,ifyoucould...
ROMNEY:Yes.
CROWLEY:...theideaofself-deportation?
ROMNEY:No,let--let--letmegobackandspeaktothepointsthatthepresidentmadeand--and--andlet'sgetthem
correct.
IdidnotsaythattheArizonalawwasamodelforthenationinthataspect.IsaidthattheE-VerifyportionoftheArizona
law,whichis--whichistheportionofthelawwhichsaysthatemployerscouldbeabletodeterminewhethersomeone
ishereillegallyornotillegally,thatthatwasamodelforthenation.That'snumberone.
Numbertwo,IaskedthepresidentaquestionIthinkHispanicsandimmigrantsalloverthenationhaveasked.Hewas
askedthisonUnivisiontheotherday.Why,whenyousaidyou'dfiledlegislationinyourfirstyeardidn'tyoudoit?And
hedidn'tanswer.He--hedoesn'tanswerthatquestion.Hesaidthestandardbearerwasn'tforit.
I'mgladyouthoughtIwasastandardbearerfouryearsago,butIwasn't.
Fouryearsagoyousaidinyourfirstyearyouwouldfilelegislation.
Inhisfirstyear,Iwasjustgetting--lickingmywoundsfromhavingbeenbeatenbyJohnMcCain,allright.Iwasnotthe
standardbearer.
My--myviewisthatthispresidentshouldhavehonoredhispromisetodoashesaid.
Now,letmementiononeotherthing,andthatisself-deportationsaysletpeoplemaketheirownchoice.WhatIwas
sayingis,we'renotgoingtoroundup12millionpeople,undocumentedillegals,andtakethemoutofthenation.
Insteadletpeoplemaketheirownchoice.Andifthey--iftheyfindthat--thattheycan'tgetthebenefitsherethatthey
wantandtheycan't--andtheycan'tfindthejobtheywant,thenthey'llmakeadecisiontogoaplacewhere--where
theyhavebetteropportunities.
ButI'mnotinfavorofroundinguppeopleand--and--andtakingthemoutofthiscountry.Iaminfavor,asthe
presidenthassaid,andIagreewithhim,whichisthatifpeoplehavecommittedcrimeswegottogetthemoutofthis
country.
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ROMNEY:Letmementionsomethingelsethepresidentsaid.ItwasamomentagoandIdidn'tgetachanceto,whenhe
wasdescribingChineseinvestmentsandsoforth.
OBAMA:Candy?
Holdonasecond.The...
ROMNEY:Mr.President,I'mstillspeaking.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY:Mr.President,letmefinish.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY:I'vegottacontinue.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:GovernorRomney,youcanmakeitshort.Seeallthesepeople?They'vebeenwaitingforyou.(inaudible)
makeitshort(inaudible).
ROMNEY:Justgoingtomakeapoint.AnyinvestmentsIhaveoverthelasteightyearshavebeenmanagedbyablind
trust.AndIunderstandtheydoincludeinvestmentsoutsidetheUnitedStates,includingin--inChinesecompanies.
Mr.President,haveyoulookedatyourpension?Haveyoulookedatyourpension?
OBAMA:I'vegottosay...
ROMNEY:Mr.President,haveyoulookedatyourpension?
OBAMA:Youknow,I--Idon'tlookatmypension.It'snotasbigasyourssoitdoesn'ttakeaslong.
ROMNEY:Well,letmegiveyousomeadvice.
OBAMA:Idon'tcheckitthatoften.
ROMNEY:Letmegiveyousomeadvice.Lookatyourpension.YoualsohaveinvestmentsinChinesecompanies.Youalso
haveinvestmentsoutsidetheUnitedStates.YoualsohaveinvestmentsthroughaCayman'strust.
(CROSSTALK)
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CROWLEY:We'rewayofftopichere,GovernorRomney.
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA:Ithoughtweweretalkingaboutimmigration.
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA:Idowanttomakesurethat...
CROWLEY:IfIcouldhaveyousitdown,GovernorRomney.Thankyou.
OBAMA:Idowanttomakesurethat--Idowanttomakesurethatwejustunderstandsomething.GovernorRomney
sayshewasn'treferringtoArizonaasamodelforthenation.Histopadviseronimmigrationistheguywhodesignedthe
Arizonalaw,theentiretyofit;notE-Verify,thewholething.That'shispolicy.Andit'sabadpolicy.Anditwon'thelpus
grow.
Look,whenwethinkaboutimmigration,wehavetounderstandtherearefolksallaroundtheworldwhostillsee
Americaasthelandofpromise.Andtheyprovideusenergyandtheyprovideusinnovationandtheystartcompanies
likeIntelandGoogle.Andwewanttoencouragethat.
Now,we'vegottomakesurethatwedoitinasmartwayandacomprehensiveway,andwemakethelegalsystem
better.Butwhenwemakethisintoadivisivepoliticalissue,andwhenwedon'thavebipartisansupport--Icandeliver,
Governor,awholebunchofDemocratstogetcomprehensiveimmigrationreformdone,andwecan't...
ROMNEY:I'llgetitdone.I'llgetitdone.Firstyear...
OBAMA:...wecan't--wehavenotseenRepublicansseriousaboutthisissueatall.Andit'stimeforthemtogetserious
onit.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,letmemoveyouonhereplease.Mr.President,(inaudible).
OBAMA:Thisusedtobeabipartisanissue.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Don'tgoaway,though--right.Don'tgoawaybecauseI--IwantyoutotalktoKerryLadkawhowantsto
switchthetopicforus.
OBAMA:OK.
Hi,Kerry.
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QUESTION:Goodevening,Mr.President.
OBAMA:I'msorry.What'syourname?
QUESTION:It'sKerry,KerryLadka.
OBAMA:Greattoseeyou.
QUESTION:ThisquestionactuallycomesfromabraintrustofmyfriendsatGlobalTelecomSupply(ph)inMinneola
yesterday.
OBAMA:Ah.
QUESTION:Weweresittingaround,talkingaboutLibya,andwewerereadingandbecameawareofreportsthatthe
StateDepartmentrefusedextrasecurityforourembassyinBenghazi,Libya,priortotheattacksthatkilledfour
Americans.
Whowasitthatdeniedenhancedsecurityandwhy?
OBAMA:Well,letmefirstofalltalkaboutourdiplomats,becausetheyserveallaroundtheworldanddoanincredible
jobinaverydangeroussituation.Andthesearen'tjustrepresentativesoftheUnitedStates,theyaremy
representatives.Isendthemthere,oftentimesintoharm'sway.IknowthesefolksandIknowtheirfamilies.Sonobody
ismoreconcernedabouttheirsafetyandsecuritythanIam.
SoassoonaswefoundoutthattheBenghaziconsulatewasbeingoverrun,Iwasonthephonewithmynationalsecurity
teamandIgavethemthreeinstructions.
Numberone,beefupoursecurityandprocedures,notjustinLibya,butateveryembassyandconsulateintheregion.
Numbertwo,investigateexactlywhathappened,regardlessofwherethefactsleadus,tomakesurefolksareheld
accountableanditdoesn'thappenagain.
Andnumberthree,wearegoingtofindoutwhodidthisandwe'regoingtohuntthemdown,becauseoneofthethings
thatI'vesaidthroughoutmypresidencyiswhenfolksmesswithAmericans,wegoafterthem.
OBAMA:NowGovernorRomneyhadaverydifferentresponse.Whilewewerestilldealingwithourdiplomatsbeing
threatened,GovernorRomneyputoutapressrelease,tryingtomakepoliticalpoints,andthat'snothowacommander
inchiefoperates.Youdon'tturnnationalsecurityintoapoliticalissue.Certainlynotrightwhenit'shappening.And
people--noteverybodyagreeswithsomeofthedecisionsI'vemade.Butwhenitcomestoournationalsecurity,Imean
whatIsay.IsaidI'dendthewarinLibya--in--inIraq,andIdid.
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Isaidthatwe'dgoafteral-QaedaandbinLaden,wehave.Isaidwe'dtransitionoutofAfghanistan,andstartmaking
surethatAfghansareresponsiblefortheirownsecurity,that'swhatI'mdoing.Andwhenitcomestothisissue,whenI
saythatwearegoingtofindoutexactlywhathappened,everybodywillbeheldaccountable.AndIamultimately
responsibleforwhat'stakingplacetherebecausethesearemyfolks,andI'mtheonewhohastogreetthosecoffins
whentheycomehome.YouknowthatImeanwhatIsay.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,I'mgoingtomoveusalong.Governor?
ROMNEY:ThankyouKerryforyourquestion,it'sanimportantone.And--andI--Ithinkthepresidentjustsaidcorrectly
thatthebuckdoesstopathisdeskand--andhetakesresponsibilityfor--forthat--forthefailureinprovidingthose
securityresources,and--andthoseterriblethingsmaywellhappenfromtimetotime.I--I'm--Ifeelverydeeply
sympatheticforthefamiliesofthosewholostlovedones.Andtodaythere'samemorialserviceforoneofthosethat
waslostinthistragedy.We--wethinkoftheirfamiliesandcareforthemdeeply.Therewereotherissuesassociated
withthis--withthistragedy.Thereweremanydaysthatpassedbeforeweknewwhetherthiswasaspontaneous
demonstration,oractuallywhetheritwasaterroristattack.
ROMNEY:Andtherewasnodemonstrationinvolved.Itwasaterroristattackandittookalongtimeforthattobetold
totheAmericanpeople.Whethertherewassomemisleading,orinsteadwhetherwejustdidn'tknowwhathappened,
youhavetoaskyourselfwhydidn'tweknowfivedayslaterwhentheambassadortotheUnitedNationswentonTVto
saythatthiswasademonstration.Howcouldwehavenotknown?
ButIfindmoretroublingthanthis,thaton--onthedayfollowingtheassassinationoftheUnitedStatesambassador,
thefirsttimethat'shappenedsince1979,when--whenwehavefourAmericanskilledthere,whenapparentlywedidn't
knowwhathappened,thatthepresident,thedayafterthathappened,fliestoLasVegasforapoliticalfund-raiser,then
thenextdaytoColoradoforanotherevent,otherpoliticalevent.
Ithinkthese--theseactionstakenbyapresidentandaleaderhavesymbolicsignificanceandperhapsevenmaterial
significanceinthatyou'dhopethatduringthattimewecouldcallinthepeoplewhowereactuallyeyewitnesses.We've
readtheiraccountsnowaboutwhathappened.Itwasveryclearthiswasnotademonstration.Thiswasanattackby
terrorists.
Andthiscallsintoquestionthepresident'swholepolicyintheMiddleEast.Lookwhat'shappeninginSyria,inEgypt,
nowinLibya.Considerthedistancebetweenourselvesand--andIsrael,thepresidentsaidthat--thathewasgoingto
putdaylightbetweenusandIsrael.
WehaveIranfouryearsclosertoanuclearbomb.Syria--Syria'snotjustatragedyof30,000civiliansbeingkilledbya
military,butalsoastrategic--strategicallysignificantplayerforAmerica.
Thepresident'spoliciesthroughouttheMiddleEastbeganwithanapologytourand--and--andpursueastrategyof
leadingfrombehind,andthisstrategyisunravelingbeforeourveryeyes.
CROWLEY:Becausewe're--we'reclosingin,Iwanttostillgetalotofpeoplein.Iwanttoaskyousomething,Mr.
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President,andthenhavethegovernorjustquickly.
Yoursecretaryofstate,asI'msureyouknow,hassaidthatshetakesfullresponsibilityfortheattackonthediplomatic
missioninBenghazi.Doesthebuckstopwithyoursecretaryofstateasfaraswhatwentonhere?
OBAMA:SecretaryClintonhasdoneanextraordinaryjob.Butsheworksforme.I'mthepresidentandI'malways
responsible,andthat'swhynobody'smoreinterestedinfindingoutexactlywhathappenedthanIdo.
Thedayaftertheattack,governor,IstoodintheRoseGardenandItoldtheAmericanpeopleintheworldthatweare
goingtofindoutexactlywhathappened.ThatthiswasanactofterrorandIalsosaidthatwe'regoingtohuntdown
thosewhocommittedthiscrime.
Andthenafewdayslater,IwastheregreetingthecasketscomingintoAndrewsAirForceBaseandgrievingwiththe
families.
Andthesuggestionthatanybodyinmyteam,whethertheSecretaryofState,ourU.N.Ambassador,anybodyonmy
teamwouldplaypoliticsormisleadwhenwe'velostfourofourown,governor,isoffensive.That'snotwhatwedo.
That'snotwhatIdoaspresident,that'snotwhatIdoasCommanderinChief.
CROWLEY:Governor,ifyouwantto...
ROMNEY:Yes,I--I...
CROWLEY:...quicklytothisplease.
ROMNEY:I--Ithinkinterestingthepresidentjustsaidsomethingwhich--whichisthatonthedayaftertheattackhe
wentintotheRoseGardenandsaidthatthiswasanactofterror.
OBAMA:That'swhatIsaid.
ROMNEY:YousaidintheRoseGardenthedayaftertheattack,itwasanactofterror.
Itwasnotaspontaneousdemonstration,isthatwhatyou'resaying?
OBAMA:Pleaseproceedgovernor.
ROMNEY:Iwanttomakesurewegetthatfortherecordbecauseittookthepresident14daysbeforehecalledthe
attackinBenghazianactofterror.
OBAMA:Getthetranscript.
CROWLEY:It--it--it--hedidinfact,sir.Soletme--letmecallitanactofterror...
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OBAMA:Canyousaythatalittlelouder,Candy?
CROWLEY:He--hedidcallitanactofterror.Itdidaswelltake--itdidaswelltaketwoweeksorsoforthewholeidea
therebeingariotoutthereaboutthistapetocomeout.Youarecorrectaboutthat.
ROMNEY:This--theadministration--theadministrationindicatedthiswasareactiontoavideoandwasaspontaneous
reaction.
CROWLEY:Itdid.
ROMNEY:Ittookthemalongtimetosaythiswasaterroristactbyaterroristgroup.Andtosuggest--amIincorrectin
thatregard,onSunday,the--yoursecretary--
OBAMA:Candy?
ROMNEY:Excuseme.TheambassadoroftheUnitedNationswentontheSundaytelevisionshowsandspokeabouthow
--
OBAMA:Candy,I'm--
ROMNEY:--thiswasaspontaneous--
CROWLEY:Mr.President,letme--
OBAMA:I'mhappytohavealongerconversation--
CROWLEY:Iknowyou--
OBAMA:--aboutforeignpolicy.
CROWLEY:Absolutely.ButIwantto--Iwanttomoveyouonandalso--
OBAMA:OK.I'mhappytodothat,too.
CROWLEY:--thetranscriptsand--
OBAMA:Ijustwanttomakesurethat--
CROWLEY:--figureoutwhatwe--
OBAMA:--allofthesewonderfulfolksaregoingtohaveachancetogetsomeoftheirquestionsanswered.
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CROWLEY:BecausewhatI--whatIwanttodo,Mr.President,standthereasecond,becauseIwanttointroduceyouto
NinaGonzalez,whobroughtupaquestionthatwehearalot,bothovertheInternetandfromthiscrowd.
QUESTION:PresidentObama,duringtheDemocraticNationalConventionin2008,youstatedyouwantedtokeepAK-
47soutofthehandsofcriminals.Whathasyouradministrationdoneorplannedtodotolimittheavailabilityofassault
weapons?
OBAMA:We'reanationthatbelievesintheSecondAmendment,andIbelieveintheSecondAmendment.We'vegota
longtraditionofhuntingandsportsmenandpeoplewhowanttomakesuretheycanprotectthemselves.
Buttherehavebeentoomanyinstancesduringthecourseofmypresidency,whereI'vehadtocomfortfamilieswho
havelostsomebody.MostrecentlyoutinAurora.Youknow,justacoupleofweeksago,actually,probablyabouta
month,Isawamother,whoIhadmetatthebedsideofherson,whohadbeenshotinthattheater.
Andhersonhadbeenshotthroughthehead.Andwespentsometime,andwesaidaprayerand,remarkably,about
twomonthslater,thisyoungmanandhismomshowedup,andhelookedunbelievable,goodasnew.
Buttherewerealotoffamilieswhodidn'thavethatgoodfortuneandwhosesonsordaughtersorhusbandsdidn't
survive.
Somybeliefisthat,(A),wehavetoenforcethelawswe'vealreadygot,makesurethatwe'rekeepinggunsoutofthe
handsofcriminals,thosewhoarementallyill.We'vedoneamuchbetterjobintermsofbackgroundchecks,butwe've
gotmoretodowhenitcomestoenforcement.
ButIalsoshareyourbeliefthatweaponsthatweredesignedforsoldiersinwartheatersdon'tbelongonourstreets.
AndsowhatI'mtryingtodoistogetabroaderconversationabouthowdowereducetheviolencegenerally.Partofitis
seeingifwecangetanassaultweaponsbanreintroduced.Butpartofitisalsolookingatothersourcesoftheviolence.
Becausefrankly,inmyhometownofChicago,there'sanawfullotofviolenceandthey'renotusingAK-47s.They're
usingcheaphandguns.
Andsowhatcanwedotointervene,tomakesurethatyoungpeoplehaveopportunity;thatourschoolsareworking;
thatifthere'sviolenceonthestreets,thatworkingwithfaithgroupsandlawenforcement,wecancatchitbeforeitgets
outofcontrol.
AndsowhatIwantisa--isacomprehensivestrategy.Partofitisseeingifwecangetautomaticweaponsthatkillfolks
inamazingnumbersoutofthehandsofcriminalsandthementallyill.Butpartofitisalsogoingdeeperandseeingifwe
cangetintothesecommunitiesandmakingsurewecatchviolentimpulsesbeforetheyoccur.
CROWLEY:GovernorRomney,thequestionisaboutassaultweapons,AK-47s.
ROMNEY:Yeah,I'mnotinfavorofnewpiecesoflegislationon--ongunsandtakinggunsawayormakingcertainguns
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illegal.We,ofcourse,don'twanttohaveautomaticweapons,andthat'salreadyillegalinthiscountrytohaveautomatic
weapons.WhatIbelieveiswehavetodo,asthepresidentmentionedtowardstheendofhisremarksthere,whichisto
makeenormouseffortstoenforcethegunlawsthatwehave,andtochangethecultureofviolencethatwehave.
Andyouaskhow--howarewegoingtodothat?Andthereareanumberofthings.Hementionedgoodschools.Itotally
agree.Wewereabletodriveourschoolstobenumberoneinthenationinmystate.AndIbelieveifwedoabetterjob
ineducation,we'll--we'llgivepeoplethe--thehopeandopportunitytheydeserveandperhapslessviolencefromthat.
Butletmementionanotherthing.Andthatisparents.Weneedmomsanddads,helpingtoraisekids.Wherever
possiblethe--thebenefitofhavingtwoparentsinthehome,andthat'snotalwayspossible.Alotofgreatsinglemoms,
singledads.Butgoshtotellourkidsthatbeforetheyhavebabies,theyoughttothinkaboutgettingmarriedto
someone,that'sagreatidea.
Becauseifthere'satwoparentfamily,theprospectoflivinginpovertygoesdowndramatically.Theopportunitiesthat
thechildwill--willbeabletoachieveincreasedramatically.Sowecanmakechangesinthewayourcultureworksto
helpbringpeopleawayfromviolenceandgivethemopportunity,andbringthemintheAmericansystem.The--the
greatestfailurewe'vehadwithregardsto--togunviolenceinsomerespectsiswhat--whatisknownasFastand
Furious.Whichwasaprogramunderthisadministration,andhowitworkedexactlyIthinkwedon'tknowprecisely,
wherethousandsofautomatic,andAK-47typeweaponswere--weregiventopeoplethatultimatelygavethemto--to
druglords.
Theyusedthoseweaponsagainst--againsttheirowncitizensandkilledAmericanswiththem.Andthiswasa--thiswas
aprogramofthegovernment.Forwhatpurposeitwasputinplace,Ican'timagine.Butit'soneofthegreattragedies
relatedtoviolenceinoursocietywhichhasoccurredduringthisadministration.WhichIthinktheAmericanpeople
wouldliketounderstandfully,it'sbeeninvestigatedtoadegree,but--buttheadministrationhascarriedoutexecutive
privilegetopreventalloftheinformationfromcomingout.
I'dliketounderstandwhoitwasthatdidthis,whattheideawasbehindit,whyitledtotheviolence,thousandsofguns
goingtoMexicandruglords.OBAMA:Candy?
CROWLEY:Governor,Governor,ifIcould,thequestionwasabouttheseassaultweaponsthatoncewereoncebanned
andarenolongerbanned.
IknowthatyousignedanassaultweaponsbanwhenyouwereinMassachusetts,obviously,withthisquestion,youno
longerdosupportthat.Whyisthat,giventhekindofviolencethatweseesometimeswiththesemasskillings?Whyisit
thatyouhavechangedyourmind?
ROMNEY:Well,Candy,actually,inmystate,thepro-gunfolksandtheanti-gunfolkscametogetherandputtogethera
pieceoflegislation.Andit'sreferredtoasanassaultweaponban,butithad,atthesigningofthebill,boththepro-gun
andtheanti-gunpeoplecametogether,becauseitprovidedopportunitiesforboththatbothwanted.
Therewerehuntingopportunities,forinstance,thathaven'tpreviouslybeenavailableandsoforth,soitwasamutually
agreed-uponpieceoflegislation.That'swhatweneedmoreof,Candy.WhatwehaverightnowinWashingtonisa
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placethat'sgridlocked.
CROWLEY:SoIcould--ifyoucouldgetpeopletoagreetoit,youwouldbeforit?
ROMNEY:Wehave--
OBAMA:Candy?
ROMNEY:--wehaven'thadtheleadershipinWashingtontoworkonabipartisanbasis.Iwasabletodothatinmystate
andbringthesetwotogether.
CROWLEY:Quickly,Mr.President.
OBAMA:The--firstofall,IthinkGovernorRomneywasforanassaultweaponsbanbeforehewasagainstit.Andhesaid
thatthereasonhechangedhismindwas,inpart,becausehewasseekingtheendorsementoftheNationalRifle
Association.Sothat'sontherecord.
ButIthinkthatoneareaweagreeonistheimportantofparentsandtheimportanceofschools,becauseIdobelieve
thatifouryoungpeoplehaveopportunity,thentheyarelesslikelytoengageinthesekindsofviolentacts.We'renot
goingtoeliminateeverybodywhoismentallydisturbedandwehavegottomakesuretheydon'tgetweapons.
(AUDIOGAP)
OBAMA:becauseIdobelievethatifouryoungpeoplehaveopportunity,thenthey'relesslikelytoengageinthesekind
ofviolentacts.
We'renotgoingtoeliminateeverybodywhoismentallydisturbed,andwe'vegottomakesuretheydon'tgetweapons.
ButwecanmakeadifferenceintermsensuringthateveryyoungpersoninAmerica,regardlessofwheretheycome
from,whattheylooklike,haveachancetosucceed.
And,Candy,wehaven'thadachancetotalkabouteducationmuch,butIthinkitisveryimportanttounderstandthat
thereformswe'veputinplace,workingwith46governorsaroundthecountry,areseeingschoolsthataresomeofthe
onesthatarethetoughestforkidsstartingtosucceed.We'restartingtoseegainsinmathandscience.
Whenitcomestocommunitycolleges,wearesettingupprograms,includingwithNassauCommunityCollege,toretrain
workers,includingyoungpeoplewhomayhavedroppedoutofschoolbutnowaregettinganotherchance,training
themforthejobsthatexistrightnow.
Andinfact,employersarelookingforskilledworkers.Andsowe'rematchingthemup.Givingthemaccesstohigher
education.AsIsaid,wehavemadesurethatmillionsofyoungpeopleareabletogetaneducationthattheyweren't
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abletogetbefore.
Now...
CROWLEY:Mr.President,Ihaveto--Ihavetomoveyoualonghere.Yousaidyouwantedto...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Weneedtodoithere.
OBAMA:But--butit'll--it'll--it'llbe...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA:...justonesecond.
CROWLEY:One...
OBAMA:Because--becausethisisimportant.Thisispartofthechoiceinthiselection.
WhenGovernorRomneywasaskedwhetherteachers,hiringmoreteacherswasimportanttogrowingoureconomy,
GovernorRomneysaidthatdoesn'tgrowoureconomy.
When--whenhewasaskedwouldclasssize...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:Thequestion,Mr.President,wasgunshere,soIneedtomoveusalong.
OBAMA:Iunderstand.
CROWLEY:Youknow,thequestionwasguns.Soletme--letmebringinanother...
OBAMA:Butthiswillmakeadifferenceintermsofwhetherornotwecanmovethiseconomyforwardfortheseyoung
people...
CROWLEY:Iunderstand.
OBAMA:...andreduceourviolence.
CROWLEY:OK.Thankyousomuch.
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IwanttoaskCarolGoldbergtostandup,becauseshegetstoaquestionthatboththesemenhavebeenpassionate
about.It'sforGovernorRomney.
QUESTION:TheoutsourcingofAmericanjobsoverseashastakenatollonoureconomy.Whatplansdoyouhavetoput
backandkeepjobshereintheUnitedStates?
ROMNEY:Boy,greatquestionandimportantquestion,becauseyou'reabsolutelyright.Theplacewherewe'veseen
manufacturinggohasbeenChina.Chinaisnowthelargestmanufacturerintheworld.ItusedtobetheUnitedStatesof
America.Alotofgoodpeoplehavelostjobs.Ahalfamillionmanufacturingjobshavebeenlostinthelastfouryears.
That'stotaloverthelastfouryears.
Oneofthereasonsforthatisthatpeoplethinkit'smoreattractiveinsomecasestogooffshorethantostayhere.We
havemadeitlessattractiveforenterprisestostayherethantogooffshorefromtimetotime.WhatIwilldoas
presidentismakesureit'smoreattractivetocometoAmericaagain.
Thisisthewaywe'regoingtocreatejobsinthiscountry.It'snotbytrickle-downgovernment,sayingwe'regoingtotake
moremoneyfrompeopleandhiremoregovernmentworkers,raisemoretaxes,putinplacemoreregulations.Trickle-
downgovernmenthasneverworkedhere,hasneverworkedanywhere.
IwanttomakeAmericathemostattractiveplaceintheworldforentrepreneurs,forsmallbusiness,forbigbusiness,to
investandgrowinAmerica.
Now,we'regoingtohavetomakesurethataswetradewithothernationsthattheyplaybytherules.AndChinahasn't.
Oneofthereasons--oroneofthewaystheydon'tplaybytherulesisartificiallyholdingdownthevalueoftheir
currency.Becauseiftheyputtheircurrencydownlow,thatmeanstheirpricesontheirgoodsarelow.Andthatmakes
themadvantageousinthemarketplace.
Welosesales.AndmanufacturershereintheU.S.makingthesameproductscan'tcompete.Chinahasbeenacurrency
manipulatorforyearsandyearsandyears.Andthepresidenthasaregularopportunitytolabelthemasacurrency
manipulator,butrefusestodoso.
Ondayone,IwilllabelChinaacurrencymanipulator,whichwillallowmeaspresidenttobeabletoputinplace,if
necessary,tariffswhereIbelievethattheyaretakingunfairadvantageofourmanufacturers.
Sowe'regoingtomakesurethatpeoplewetradewitharoundtheworldplaybytherules.Butletme--letmenotjust
stopthere.Don'tforget,what'skeytobringingbackjobshereisnotjustfindingsomeoneelsetopunish,andI'mgoing
tobestrictwithpeoplewhowetradewithtomakesurethey--theyfollowthelawandplaybytherules,butit'salsoto
makeAmericathemostattractiveplaceintheworldforbusinessesofallkinds.
That'swhyIwanttodownthetaxratesonsmallemployers,bigemployers,sotheywanttobehere.Canada'staxrate
oncompaniesisnow15percent.Oursis35percent.Soifyou'restartingabusiness,wherewouldyouratherstartit?We
havetobecompetitiveifwe'regoingtocreatemorejobshere.
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Regulationshavequadrupled.Therateofregulationsquadrupledunderthispresident.Italktosmallbusinessesacross
thecountry.Theysay,"Wefeellikewe'reunderattackfromourowngovernment."Iwanttomakesurethatregulators
seetheirjobasencouragingsmallbusiness,notcrushingit.Andthere'snoquestionbutthatObamacarehasbeenan
extraordinarydeterrenttoenterprisesofallkindshiringpeople.
Mypriorityismakingsurethatwegetmorepeoplehired.Ifwehavemorepeoplehired,ifwegetbackmanufacturing
jobs,ifwegetbackallkindsofjobsintothiscountry,thenyou'regoingtoseerisingincomesagain.Thereasonincomes
aredownisbecauseunemploymentissohigh.Iknowwhatittakestogetthistohappen,andmyplanwilldothat,and
onepartofitistomakesurethatwekeepChinaplayingbytherules.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,twominuteshere,becausewearethengoingtogotoourlastquestion.
OBAMA:OK.Weneedtocreatejobshere.AndbothGovernorRomneyandIagreeactuallythatweshouldlowerour
corporatetaxrate.It'stoohigh.Butthere'sadifferenceintermsofhowwewoulddoit.Iwanttocloseloopholesthat
allowcompaniestodeductexpenseswhentheymovetoChina;thatallowthemtoprofitoffshoreandnothavetoget
taxed,sotheyhavetaxadvantagesoffshore.
Allthosechangesinourtaxcodewouldmakeadifference.
Now,GovernorRomneyactuallywantstoexpandthosetaxbreaks.Oneofhisbigideaswhenitcomestocorporatetax
reformwouldbetosay,ifyouinvestoverseas,youmakeprofitsoverseas,youdon'thavetopayU.S.taxes.
But,ofcourse,ifyou'reasmallbusinessoramom-and-popbusinessorabigbusinessstartinguphere,you'vegottopay
eventhereducedratethatGovernorRomney'stalkingabout.
Andit'sestimatedthatthatwillcreate800,000newjobs.Theproblemisthey'llbeinchina.OrIndia.OrGermany.
That'snotthewaywe'regoingtocreatejobshere.Thewaywe'regoingtocreatejobshereisnotjusttochangeourtax
code,butalsotodoubleourexports.Andweareonpacetodoubleourexports,oneofthecommitmentsImadewhenI
waspresident.That'screatingtensofthousandsofjobsallacrossthecountry.That'swhywe'vekeptonpushingtrade
deals,buttradedealsthatmakesurethatAmericanworkersandAmericanbusinessesaregettingagooddeal.
Now,GovernorRomneytalkedaboutChina,asIalreadyindicated.Intheprivatesector,GovernorRomney'scompany
investedinwhatwerecalledpioneersofoutsourcing.That'snotmyphrase.That'swhatreporterscalledit.
Andasfarascurrencymanipulation,thecurrencyhasactuallygoneup11percentsinceI'vebeenpresidentbecausewe
havepushedthemhard.Andwe'veputunprecedentedtradepressureonChina.That'swhyexportshavesignificantly
increasedundermypresidency.That'sgoingtohelptocreatejobshere.
CROWLEY:Mr.President,wehaveareallyshorttimeforaquickdiscussionhere.
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iPad,theMacs,theiPhones,theyareallmanufacturedinChina.Oneofthemajorreasonsislaborissomuchcheaper
here.HowdoyouconvinceagreatAmericancompanytobringthatmanufacturingbackhere?
ROMNEY:Theanswerisverystraightforward.Wecancompetewithanyoneintheworldaslongastheplayingfieldis
level.China'sbeencheatingovertheyears.Onebyholdingdownthevalueoftheircurrency.Numbertwo,bystealing
ourintellectualproperty;ourdesigns,ourpatents,ourtechnology.There'sevenanApplestoreinChinathat'sa
counterfeitApplestore,sellingcounterfeitgoods.Theyhackintoourcomputers.Wewillhavetohavepeopleplayona
fairbasis,that'snumberone.
Numbertwo,wehavetomakeAmericathemostattractiveplaceforentrepreneurs,forpeoplewhowanttoexpand
theirbusiness.That'swhatbringsjobsin.Thepresident'scharacterizationofmytaxplan...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY:...iscompletely...iscompletely...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY:...iscompletelyfalse.Letmetellyou...
CROWLEY:Letmetogothepresidentherebecausewereallyarerunningoutoftime.Andthequestioniscanweever
get--wecan'tgetwageslikethat.Itcan'tbesustained.
OBAMA:Candy,therearesomejobsthatarenotgoingtocomeback.Becausetheyarelowwage,lowskilljobs.Iwant
highwage,highskilljobs.That'swhywehavetoemphasizemanufacturing.That'swhywehavetoinvestinadvanced
manufacturing.That'swhywe'vegottomakesurethatwe'vegotthebestscienceandresearchintheworld.Andwhen
wetalkaboutdeficits,ifwe'readdingtoourdeficitfortaxcutsforfolkswhodon'tneedthem,andwe'recutting
investmentsinresearchandsciencethatwillcreatethenextApple,createthenextnewinnovationthatwillsell
productsaroundtheworld,wewilllosethatrace.
Ifwe'renottrainingengineerstomakesurethattheyareequippedhereinthiscountry.Thencompanieswon'tcome
here.Thoseinvestmentsarewhat'sgoingtohelptomakesurethatwecontinuetoleadthisworldeconomy,notjust
nextyear,but10yearsfromnow,50yearsfromnow,100yearsfromnow.
CROWLEY:ThanksMr.President.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY:GovernorRomney?
ROMNEY:Governmentdoesnotcreatejobs.Governmentdoesnotcreatejobs.
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