Remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama - 2012 Lunch Reception in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Private Residence
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
1:33 P.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Yay to me! Yay! (Applause.) Oh, my goodness. Well, you all rest yourselves because you’ve raised a lot of money and you must be tired. (Laughter.) Thank you so much. It is a pleasure and honor, a thrill to be with all of you here in Maine. Look, this must be the weather in Maine, because the last time we were here we had beautiful weather, and today. So I’m assuming this is the typical weather in Maine, correct? You’ll tell me anything. (Laughter.)
No, it is beautiful. I want to start by thanking Bonnie and Karen for that beautiful introduction, for all the work that they’re doing, as well as their better halves, Bobby, Rob. I know you guys did a little, too, I’m sure. But Bobby and Bonnie, thank you for hosting us in this magnificent home. I would love to take you up on the offer of coming back and being normal, whenever that happens. (Laughter.)
But thank you for this time as well. So let’s give them a round of applause for all their hard work. (Applause.)
And I also want to recognize a couple of other people who are here and will be hanging out with me today. Representatives Michaud, who’s here, and Pingree, who’s here. Yay, they’re here. (Applause.) As well as former Governor Baldacci, who is working with us every step of the way doing a great job over at DOD. And of course my dear friend and our DNC finance chair, Jane Stetson, who is here with her beautiful daughter. (Applause.) Thanks for hanging out.
And finally, I want to thank all of you for taking the time on this beautiful day. You probably would rather be walking around in the park or doing something. But you’re here with me at this event. (Laughter.) Yeah, you would. The lobster is good, I can see.
But I am thrilled to see so many new faces, but I’m also thrilled to see so many old friends as well, folks who have been with us since the very beginning, through all the ups and downs along the way. And I know that there is a reason other than the great weather and lobster that you’re here today. You’re here because you know that we stand at a fundamental crossroads in our country. You’re here because you know that in 13 months we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come. And you’re here because you love this country. You love your fellow citizens. You’re here because you care about your kids and grandkids and you care about the world that we’re going to be leaving for them.
And that’s why I’m here. That’s why I am going to be working so hard over this next year, for that very reason. You see, as First Lady, I have the privilege of traveling all across the country, meeting folks from all different backgrounds, and hearing what’s going on in their lives every day. Every day I hear about the businesses that folks are trying to keep afloat. I hear about the doctor’s bills that they cannot pay, or the mortgage that they can no longer afford. I hear about how they’re taking on that extra shift, or working that extra job, how they’re saving and sacrificing, never spending a dime on themselves because they desperately want something better for their kids.
And make no mistake about it, if we think about it, these struggles aren’t new. For decades now, middle-class folks have been squeezed from all sides. The cost of things like gas and groceries and tuition have been rising continuously, but people’s paychecks just haven’t kept up. And when this economic crisis hit, for so many families, the bottom just fell out.
So the question today is, what are we as a country going to do about all this? Where do we go from here? And I know that in the midst of all the chatter and the debates, it can be hard to see clearly what’s at stake. Because these issues are complicated, and folks are busy. We’re raising our families, working full-time jobs, many of us helping out in our communities.
So many of us, we just don’t have the time to follow the news and sort through all the back and forth and figure out how all of this connects to our daily lives. But the fact is that in a little over a year from now, we are going to make a decision between two very different visions for this country.
And I’m here today because when it comes to just about every single issue we face -- from our health, to our economic security, to the quality of our schools -- the stakes for our families, and for our country, have never been higher.
Let’s start with the American Jobs Act that my husband just sent to Congress. (Applause.)
When we talk about how this bill will give tax cuts to 6 million small businesses, we’re talking about folks who run the restaurants and the stores and the startups that create two-thirds of all new jobs each year. Two-thirds. We’re talking about people who work themselves to the bone during the day every day, then head home and pore over the books late into the night, determined to make those numbers add up.
We’re talking about a tax cut that could mean the difference between providing for their families or not, the difference between hiring new employees or handing out pink slips, between keeping their doors open, or closing up shop for good.
That’s what’s at stake in this election.
When we talk about how this bill would extend unemployment insurance for 6 million Americans, we’re talking about folks who are just weeks away from losing their only source of income.
Now, this literally means that millions of families and children will be affected in terms of how much food they can put on the table, whether they have a roof over their heads. It’s about whether folks will have more money in their pockets, which means more money in our economy, which means more jobs.
But more importantly, it’s about whether we as a country will honor that fundamental promise that we made generations ago, that when times are hard, we don’t abandon our fellow citizens. We don’t let everything fall apart for struggling families.
Instead, we say, “There but for the grace of God goes my family.” Instead, we remember that we’re all in this together, and we extend a helping hand.
That is the choice in this election.
And how about the very first bill my husband signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work? (Applause.)
He did this because, as he put it, we believe that here in America there are no second-class citizens in our workplace. And he did it because he understands that when nearly two-thirds of women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy, and closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing 50, 100, 500 dollars from each paycheck, or having that money to put gas in their car, buy groceries, school clothes for their kids.
That is the choice that we’re making in this election.
And let’s talk a minute about health care. Last year, we made history together by finally passing health reform. (Applause.) But now, there are folks out there talking about repealing this reform. And today, we need to ask ourselves, will we let them succeed? Will we let insurance companies deny us coverage because we have preexisting conditions like breast cancer or diabetes? Or will we stand up and say that in this country, we will not allow folks to go bankrupt because they get sick? Who are we?
Will we let insurance companies refuse to cover basic preventative care -- things like cancer screenings and prenatal care that saves money and saves lives? Or will we stand up not just for our lives but for the lives of the people we love?
That is what’s at stake here. That is the choice in this election.
And think for a moment about what we’ve done on education. Think about the investments we’ve made to raise standards and reform public schools. It’s about improving the circumstances for millions of children in this country -- kids sitting in crumbling classrooms who have so much promise. You’ve seen these kids. Kids who could be anything they wanted if we just gave them a chance.
Think about how we’ve tripled investments for job training at community colleges just this year. That’s about millions of hardworking folks who are determined to get the skills they need for a better job and for better wages -- folks willing to do