Remarks at a Campaign Event in Toledo, Ohio

Thank you! Wow, thank you! What a welcome! Thank you! [cheers and applause] Wow! You guys, you're great! Thank you so much!

Now we're in Toledo! We're in Toledo, right? [cheers and applause] So it's o-h — (crowd responds "i-o!") — OK, that's where we are!

Well, it's great to be here with you today. Thank you so much for that welcome. [cheers and applause]

Thank you, Congressman Latta, appreciate your help in welcoming me here today.

My goodness, how many people are in this room? This is extraordinary! [cheers and applause] Thank you!

You know, the president just the other day said that you can't change Washington from the inside, you can only change it from the outside. Well, we're going to give him that chance on November 2nd! [cheers and applause]

I know that they're out there chanting at his events "four more years." But let me ask you this, do you want four more years with 23 million people struggling to find a job? (Crowd boos.) Do you want four more years where half our kids coming out of college can't find a college-level job? (Crowd responds, "no!") Do you want four more years of trillion-dollar deficits? (Crowd responds, "no!")

Look, I don't want four more years any more than you do, but I can tell you this. If President Obama were to be reelected, what you'd see is four more years like the last four years, and we can't afford another four years like the last four years! [cheers and applause]

His plan for America, did you hear it at his convention? Did you hear all the new ideas? (Crowd responds, "no!") Yeah, there weren't any. There weren't any. [laughter] It's the status quo. It's what he's been saying for the past four years, to get out there and he wants another stimulus, all right, and then he wants to be able to pick winners and losers, make government investments.

By the way, government investments, that means taking your money and he invests it in the businesses owned by his friends. That's not my kind of investing. (Crowd boos.)

More deficits, of course, trillion-dollar deficits. Do you see that clock up there? Sixteen trillion dollars in debt. When his campaign began, it was a heck of a lot less than that. When the president was elected, it was about 10-point-something (billion dollars). He's added about $6 trillion in debt to the country. That's not good for the economy, it's not good for jobs, and in my view I think it's immoral for us to pass on obligations to our kids, of that nature. We've got to stop it! [cheers and applause]

Do you realize what that number means, by the way, to your kids and to you? Do you know how much you're paying for that? You might just think that's, oh, that's debt out there, someone will repay it someday, maybe our kids or grandkids.

That's not how it works. You pay interest on that right now. People in America are paying interest. How much interest are they paying? More than all that is spent on housing by our government, agriculture, all that's spent on education, transportation. Think of that — housing, education, agriculture, transportation, all combined. Don't spend as much as the interest on that debt, we will stop adding to that debt and we'll finally get America on track to a balanced budget. It's the right thing to do! [cheers and applause]

Look, I'm going to take America in a very different direction than this president. [cheers and applause] And this — this election comes down to a choice. It comes down to a choice of path. His campaign slogan is "forward," forward with the same ideas, the same approaches he's had for the last four years. Nothing is going to change, and we know the result of the last four years, so we don't have to wonder what would happen if he were reelected.

We see it! We see the high unemployment. We see the 23 million people out of work. We see kids coming out of school that can't find jobs. We see manufacturing. Manufacturing jobs in the last four years have dropped by 582,000 people. This is not the path we want for America! (Crowd responds, "no!")

There's a different path, and the path I represent is one which will add 12 million new jobs — [cheers and applause] — that will get rising take-home pay again.

There are five things I'll do. Five things I'll do to get this economy going right from the state. Number one, I'm going to take full advantage of our oil, our coal, our gas, our nuclear — [cheers and applause] — our renewables — [cheers and applause] — this is an extraordinary resource! And by the way, that means lower prices at the pump. [applause]

By the way, under this president, prices at the pump have doubled, all right? Now, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we create as much energy of our own as we can. We're going to have North American energy independence within eight years. [cheers and applause] That's going to happen!

And not only does it mean lower prices at the pump and hopefully get the prices down of our electricity as well from where they otherwise would be, but it also means more jobs. Because if we have whole exploitation of our oil, our gas, our nuclear, our renewables, our coal, why, we'd have more jobs in the energy sector, and we'd also have more manufacturing that comes back here. Because if we have low-cost, abundant energy, manufacturing is going to beat a path back to here! We're going to get more jobs here! [cheers and applause]

So number one is energy.

Number two — number two relates to trade. Trade has to work for us. We can compete with anyone in the world. And so I'm going to open up new markets for us to be able to sell goods to.

But I'll tell you what else I'm going to do. I'm going to crack down on China. They should not steal our jobs unfairly. That can't continue! [cheers and applause]

Over the past decades, they've held down the value of their currency. You wonder, what does that mean? What does that do? Here's what it does. It means the prices of their products are artificially low. And so if you're an American company manufacturing a product that competes with their product, why, their prices are low. And so the American company ultimately goes out of business and we lose the jobs.

That's what's been happening over the years of one year after the other. The president has had multiple opportunities to label China a currency manipulator. He hasn't; I will. (Cheers, applause.

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Number three — number three — to make sure we have a great prospect for our people today, I want to have job-training programs that work for the American worker. And that means that instead of having 47 different federal training programs that report to eight different agencies with all sorts of overhead, I'm going to take the dollars that the federal government spends, bundle it up, give Ohio its fair share and let Ohio create its own job-training program for its own people! [cheers and applause]

And to make sure that we're not just training our current workers for the jobs of today, but also our future workers for the jobs of tomorrow, I'm going to make sure we fix our schools. We know how to do that, by that way. [cheers] We know it's key in our schools.

You know, you'll hear a lot of confusion because people have — some people have a big interest in the outcome as to how money is spent in education. But a lot of people have looked at this issue. My state of Massachusetts, our schools are ranked number one in the nation. Four federal measures, on all four ranked number one.

How did we get there? We got there because we understand the key to a great school is having great teachers. We need to put our teachers and our kids and our families first, and the teachers union behind! [cheers and applause]

Number four — number four — we're not going to have entrepreneurs go out and start a new business or big companies come here and decide to build a new facility, a new plant and hire a lot of people if they think we're on the road to Greece. And that clock up there, that clock up there looks like Greece.

If President Obama were to be reelected, we'd have about a $20 trillion debt by the end of his next term. That will not happen because he's not going to get reelected. I will balance our budget — [cheers and applause] — and get America to live within its means!

Let me mention something else. One more. Number one was making sure, for instance, that we take advantage of our energy resources. Number two was making sure that we have the opportunity to get our people to have the skills they need to succeed. And trade that works for us. And number four is to make sure we balance our budget.

And number five — let me tell you what this is. We need to champion small business. We need to help small business — [cheers and applause] — get on its feet and grow because small business is where jobs come from. [cheers and applause] And the president's plan — the president's plan, by the way, you know what it is. He plans on raising taxes. He's already said he's going to raise taxes on some 1 million small businesses. One million small businesses in this country are taxed as individuals; he wants to raise the tax rate on them. That will kill jobs. (Crowd boos.) I'm going to lower the tax rates; he wants to raise them. I'll create jobs; he'll kill them! [cheers and applause]

A study — there was a study put out by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. They had Ernst & Young look at his tax proposal. They concluded that his tax proposal will cost 700,000 jobs. We can ill-afford that.

My tax proposal? It creates 7 million jobs. I want to create jobs! [cheers and applause] His plans don't do that.

There's something else about small business. There's something else that's scaring small business. There was a survey done by the Chamber of Commerce. They surveyed members across the country. They asked them, what's the effects of "Obamacare" in your hiring plans? And the people came back, three-quarters of them said it made them less likely to hire people.

I will repeal "Obamacare" and replace it with real health care reform! [cheers and applause]

You see, "Obamacare" is really exhibit number one of the president's political philosophy, and that is that government knows better than people how to run your lives. (Crowd boos.) It is a view that government should stand between you and your doctor.

I don't believe in a bigger and bigger government taxing more and more, more intrusive in our lives, more directing and compelling of our enterprises, telling us what kind of energy we can have, taking $90 billion and investing it in green energy companies.

I believe in free people pursuing their dreams. I believe in freedom! [cheers and applause]

Now, of course, government has a role. We have people that are hurting. We have people who are disabled and people who are poor. They need our help and they receive our help. We're a charitable people. No nation on earth is as charitable as the people of the United States of America. And so we're going to help those that need our help. We're a compassionate people. [applause]

At the same time, we're going to insist that these people have the opportunity for work if they can carry out work, if they're able-bodied. [cheers and applause] Because we are not going to create a society of dependence on government! [cheers and applause]

Look, this president has put us on a path to become like Europe. (Crowd boos.) Europe doesn't work in Europe — [laughter] — I don't want it here. I don't want a government that gets larger and larger, that has huge debts like that I don't want an America where we have chronic high unemployment year after year after year, where there's no wage growth.

Do you realize what's happened to the income of the median family in America? Their income has gone down every year for the past four years. It's come down some 8.2 percent, I believe the number is, under the Obama years. Think about that. American families are having a hard time, incomes are down. At the same time, the cost of food is up. The cost of electricity is up. The cost of health care is way up. The cost of gasoline is double.

The American family, middle-income families are having a hard time.

Look, I know the president cares about America and the people of this country, he just doesn't know how to help them. I do! I'll get this country going again! [cheers and applause]

Now, I have confidence in our future. I recognize that America is going to come roaring back. Were we to reelect President Obama, there's no question in my mind we'd face four more difficult years.

If instead, I — no, instead — when I become president — [cheers and applause] — we're going to get this economy growing again. We're going to do the things that ignite this economy. Those five things I describe will get America's economy going again, will help people find jobs that need those jobs, will get take-home pay to come up again. This is not a mystery.

We know how to do it. America has faced challenges before. When we have strong leaders, when we have people who know how to lead and where to lead, we can get it done! And I am; and we will! [cheers and applause]

You know — (crowd chants, "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!") — [cheers and applause] — I believe in America. And I believe in you. I believe you're going to help me win Ohio, I'll tell you that. All right? [cheers and applause]

We love this country. We know what it stands for. We know the power of freedom. We take our inspiration from the founding documents: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. [cheers and applause] We believe the Founders were right when they said that our rights came from God, not from government, but from God — [cheers and applause] — and among those rights — among those rights were life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

And that last phrase, don't forget it, that last phrase really means something — pursuit of happiness. What that means is that in this country we can pursue happiness as we choose. We're not told by our government what we can accomplish. We're not limited by the circumstance of our birth.

I was with Marco Rubio the other day. You know Marco? [cheers and applause] He said, growing up there were some big homes not far from where he lived. He said, I never heard my parents say, why don't those people give us some of what they have? Instead they said, aren't we lucky to live in a country where if we work hard and take some risks and get as much education as possible, we can achieve that ourselves. [cheers and applause]

America's economy — America's economy is driven by freedom, it's not guided by government. That's how the Europeans did it. That did not work.

The reason we have surpassed them, the reason we have grown to become the most powerful economy in the history of the earth is not because of government bureaucrats telling us how to live our lives or what to invest in or telling us what kind of health care we can have.

Instead, free American people, living their lives as they freely choose, that's what America what we are! We're a nation of dreamers! [cheers and applause]

Now, I know you've been outside for a long time, but I want to tell you one more thing. I want to tell you where my passion and conviction of the future of this country comes from. It's because I get the chance to see the American people, and I have over my lifetime seen people in this country, by the way, most of whom are struggling with one kind of challenge or another.

You look around, you see everybody, they look happy, and you think everybody's doing just fine and you're the only one with problems. But the truth is, most people that you see have some real challenges in their life of one kind or another. I understand that.

And I've seen that inside the heart of the American people, despite our challenges, is a conviction that this nation is the greatest nation in the history of the Earth. [applause] And we love this country and recognize the sacrifice that is made for this country.

I wonder how many people in this room have served in our armed forces or are doing so now. Would you raise your hand? [cheers and applause] Thank you, thank you, thank you for your service.

Some years ago I had the chance of helping to organize the Olympic Winter Games of 2002. This experience was one of the most meaningful to me, perhaps the most memorable for me. It was at the closing ceremonies. And the vice president of the United States came to watch those last events. And Vice President Cheney asked me to choose one athlete to come sit next to him in his box to represent all the American athletes, and I chose Derek Parra.

Derek is Hispanic American. He was born in Los Angeles. He was a rollerblader, all right? And his friends told him, look, you've got to pick up another sport because there's no medal in rollerblading. So he tries on ice skates. And he skates pretty darn well. As a matter of fact, he skates so well and works so hard he makes the U.S. speedskating team and comes to the Olympics.

And while he was there, he skates his heart out and gets a silver medal in the 5,000 meters and then a gold medal in the 1,500 meters. Fastest man in the world ice. [applause] And he's about 5'4" and strong, passionate.

I asked him to come in and sit with the vice president at the closing ceremonies. He came in, I stopped him and I said, Derek, what was the most meaningful experience in your Olympic games? And it wasn't the silver medal and it wasn't the gold medal. He said it was being honored to carry in the American flag that had flown above the World Trade Center on September 11th of 2001. [cheers and applause]

Derek was one of eight athletes chosen to carry in that flag that had been above the World Trade Center on that tragic day. The flag is about 8 feet by 12 feet. It's badly torn and burned, so you can't put it up a flagpole, you carry it in horizontally. And he said that they expected when it was announced as it was coming into the stadium that the audience would burst into tears; but instead, total silence and complete reverence.

So they carried the flag and he said, we stopped in front of the choir and they began performing the national anthem. And he said, Mitt, it was hard to hold onto my emotions as I was holding that flag and they were singing those words.

And then he said, the choir did something we hadn't expected. Now, I knew it was coming because I chose the version of the national anthem the choir sang, and I chose a version from the 1930s, arranged by Robert Shaw, where you repeat the last line and the sopranos go up an octave and there's much greater orchestration. "Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." And he said this time as they sang it again, a gust of wind blew in the flag and lifted it in their hands. And he said it was as if all the spirits of those that had fought and died for American liberty had just blown in that flag. [applause]

We are a patriotic people. We recognize that our nation is an exceptional nation. We recognize the power and unique nature of the nation which was formed based upon the principle that God gave us our rights and that we have freedom as part of our life inheritance from this great nation.

This is who we are. The world needs the example of America. It needs a strong America.

I was in Poland a few weeks ago and saw Lech Walesa, a world hero. I came in to see him. He said, Mitt, you've come from America, you must be tired; you sit, I'll talk, you listen. [laughter] And so I did.

And then he said this: Where is American leadership? We need American leadership. Yours is the only superpower on the planet.

And then he'd look at what was happening in the Middle East and say, where is American leadership?

And then he'd go to another arena in the world, where is American leadership?

The world needs America to lead. Our families need America to lead. Our future needs America to lead.

If I'm the next president — when I'm the next president of the United States — [cheers and applause] — I will do everything in my power to keep America strong, strong in our homes, strong in our economy, strong in our military. We will lead! We will lead again! We'll have the jobs we need, the incomes we deserve, the respect we should receive around the world!

I love this country! I love Toledo, Ohio! [cheers and applause]

Thank you so very much! What a welcome! What a sendoff! Thank you!

[cheers and applause]