Maher slide james is here. And you are here. [applause] if you have a seat, feel free to sit down. Startingant everybody to fall out. If you dont have a seat, dont sit down. But bend your knees a little bit. Its always good to spend a little time in kansas city. Last night i had a chance to get some barbecue at arthur bryants. They had run out of coleslaw. I said, did you save some coleslaw for me . They said, no. Im sorry, what are you hollering about . [indiscernible] i believe in god. Thanks for the prayer. Amen. Thank you. [indiscernible] i want to be on record, because people have been asking me this question. I deal with a lot of tough issues. I am not going to decide who makes the best barbecue in kansas city. Yants barbecue was tasty. Effector is right. I did plow through it pretty good. I did not have enough samples to make a definitive judgment. I will have to try some other barbecues and next time i come here. Victor was not shy about eating, either. I just want to be clear. Barbecue,re for the but also i went there because i wanted to have a chance to talk to victor and three other people from the area who took the time to sit down with me and talk because they had written letters to me. Some of you may know [inaudible] if i had known, i wouldve had you over for dinner, too. I read 10 letters that we receive. We get 40,000 correspondents. Our Correspondence Office tooses 10, a sample for me take a look at. It gives me a chance to hear directly from the people i serve. Folks tell me their worries and hopes and hardships, successes. Some say im doing a good job. But other people say you are an idiot. That tells me i am getting a good sample of letters. [laughter] last week, a young girl wrote to me to ask why arent there any women on our currency. Then she gave me a long list of possible women to put on our dollar bills and quarters and stuff. Which i thought was a pretty good idea. Victor wrote to me to tell me about his life as a butler and he told me that he had been unemployed for a while after he and his wife had had a first child. He refused to quit. He earned his degree. He found a fulltime job. He is helping folks with disabilities live independently. He is a goodhearted man. [applause] you can tell he is doing great stuff. And victor described how he got through some tough times because of his Christian Faith and his determination. Which are things that Government Programs and policies cant replace. You have got to have that sense of purpose and perseverance. That has to come from inside. You cant legislate that. But he also said he was able to afford Health Insurance because of the Affordable Care act. [applause] and he also said that, because of the incomebased repayment plan that we had put in place where you only have to pay 10 of your income maximum in repaying your loans each month, that was what allowed him and his family to keep a roof over their heads and support themselves. And so i am here because victor is the sort of person i am working for every single day. Somebody who never quits. Somebody whos doing everything right. Somebody who believes in the american dream. Somebody who just wants a chance to build a decent life for himself and his family. That is the vast majority of americans. That is who i am fighting for right here in kansas city and all across this country. Thats why i ran for president in the first place, to fight for folks like that. [applause] we all know it hasnt always been easy. The crisis that hit near the end of my campaign back in 2008, it would end up costing millions of americans their jobs, their homes, their sense of security. But we have fought back. We have got back on our feet. We have dusted ourselves off. Today, our businesses have no he 10 million new jobs are the past six months. Manufacturing is back. Our energy, or technology, our Auto Industries are all booming. The Unemployment Rate is at its lowest point since september 2008. It dropped faster than any time in 30 years. [applause] this morning, we found out that, in the Second Quarter of this year, our economy grew at a strong pace. Businesses are investing. Workers are building new homes. Consumers are spending. America is exporting goods around the world. So the decisions that we made to rescue our economy, to rescue the auto industry, to rebuild the economy on a new foundation, invest in research and infrastructure, education, all of those things are starting to pay off. The worlds Number One Oil and gas producer is not saudi arabia. Its not russia. Its the United States of america. [applause] we tripled the amount of electricity we get from wind. [applause] we have increased by 10 times the amount of electricity we get from the sun. And all of that is greeting tens of thousands of jobs across the country. Our High School Graduation rate is at a record high. More young people are earning their College Degrees than ever before. [applause] 401ks have recovered their value. Home prices are rising. And, yes, millions of families now have the peace of mind, just like victors family does, of getting Quality Affordable Health Care when you need it. It makes a difference in peoples lives. [applause] kansas city, none of this is an accident. It is a result of the resilience of people. It is also thanks to some of the decisions we made early on. And now america has recovered faster and come farther than just about any other advanced country on earth. And for the first time in more than a decade, if you ask Business Leaders around the world what is the number one place to invest, they dont say china anymore. They say the United States of america and our lead is growing. [applause] sometimes you wouldnt know it if you watch the news, but there are a lot of good reasons to be optimistic about america. We hold the best cards. Things are getting better. The decisions we make now can be better. Decisions we make now can determine whether the economic gains generated are broadbased, whether they go to the few at the top or whether we have an economy in which the middle class is growing, folks were try to get in the middle class have more rungs on the ladder, whether ordinary folks are benefiting from growth. That is what is at stake right now, making sure our economy works for every american. I am glad that gdp is growing. Im glad that corporate profits are high. Im glad that the stock market is growing. But really what i want to see is a guy working nine to five and then working some overtime, i want that guy making more than minimum wage. [applause] and what i really want what i really want is somebody who has worked for 20 or 30 years be able to retire with some dignity and some respect. [applause] what i really want is a family that has a capacity to save so that when their child is ready to go to college they know they can help and that it is affordable and that that child will not be burdened down with the debt. That is the measure of whether the economy is working. Not just how well its doing overall, but is it doing well for ordinary folks who are working hard every single day and are not always getting a fair shot. [applause] that is who we are fighting for. That is why i ran for president. That is who i am focused on every day. [applause] and thats what sometimes washington forgets. Your lives and what youre going through daytoday, struggles and the opportunities and the hopes and the good things, but sometimes the rough things that happens, that is more important than some of the phony scandals or the fleeting stories that you see. This is the challenge of our time. How do we make sure we have an economy that is working for everybody . All of you are doing your part to help bring america back. You are doing your job. Imagine how much further along we would be, how much stronger our economy would be if congress was doing its job, too. [applause] we would be doing great. Every time i meet somebody these folks who have written me letters, we sit down and talk and they say, what is going on in washington . [laughter] what they tell me is, if congress had the same priorities that ordinary families did, if they felt the same sense of urgency about things like the cost of college, the need for increases in the minimum wage, how we are making child care more affordable and improving Early Childhood education, if thats what they were thinking about, we could help a lot more families. A lot more people would be getting ahead. The economy would be doing better. We can help a lot more families. And we should. We should be relentlessly focused on what we call an opportunity agenda, one that creates more jobs. That has always made our economy strong. Making sure that we are on the cutting edge when it comes to clean energy. Making sure that we are rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, our ports, our airports, our locks, our dams. [applause] making sure that advanced manufacturing is happening right here in the United States so we can start bringing manufacturing jobs back to the midwest and all across the country, jobs that pay a good wage. [applause] investing in research and science that leads to new american industries. Training our workers. Really making a Job Training Program and using our Community Colleges in ways that allow people to constantly retrain for the new opportunities that are out there and to prepare our kids for the global competition that they are going to face. Making sure that hard work pays off with higher wages and higher incomes. If we do all these things, we will strengthen the middle class, help more people get into the middle class, businesses will be better. If folks have more money in their pocket, then businesses have more customers. Businesses have more customers. They hire more workers. You hire more workers, they spend more money. You spend more money, businesses will have even more money and hire more workers. You start moving in the right direction. It doesnt start from the top down but from the middle out and the bottomup. So far this year, republicans in Congress Keep blocking or voting down just about every idea that would have some of the biggest impact on the class and working class families. They said no to raising the minimum wage. They said no to fair pay, making sure that women have the ability to make sure they are getting paid the same as men for doing the same job. They said no for fixing our broken immigration system rather than investing in education, they actually voted to give another massive tax cut to the wealthiest americans. And they have been pushing to gut the rules we put in place after the financial crisis to make sure that big tanks anchor Card Companies wouldnt take advantage of consumers or cause another crisis. So they havent been that helpful. [laughter] there have not been as constructive as i would have hoped. [laughter] and these actions, you know, they come with a cost. When you block policies that would help millions of americans right now, not only are those families hurt, but the whole economy is hurt. That is why this year, my administration, what we said was we want to work with congress. We want to work with the republicans and democrats to get things going. But we cant wait. So if they are not going to do anything, we will do what we can on our own and we have taken more than 40 actions aimed at helping hardworking families like yours. [laughter] [applause] that is why we act when congress wont. [applause] when congress failed to pass equal pay legislation, i made sure that women got more protection in their fight for fair pay in the workplace. I think that when women succeed, everyone succeeds. I want my daughter pay the same as your son for doing the same job. [applause] congress had the chance to pass a law that would help lower Interest Rates on student loans. They didnt pass it. I acted on my own to give millions of americans a chance to cap their payments, the program that victor has taken advantage of. I dont want our young people saddled with the debt before they have even gotten started with life. [applause] when it comes to the minimum wage, last week marked five years since the last time the minimum wage went up. You know the cost of living went up. Minimum wage did not go up. So i went ahead, on my own, when it came to federal contractors come i said, if you want a federal contract, you have to pay your workers at least 10. 10 an hour. I have been working with governors and mayors, in some cases with business owners, just calling them up directly how about giving your folks a raise . And some of them have done it. Since i first asked congress to raise the minimum wage, businesses like the gap, 13 states and d. C. , they have raised the minimum wage. It makes a difference in peoples lives. Heres something interesting. The states that have increased their minimum wage this year, they have seen higher job growth than the states that didnt increase their minimum wage. [applause] so remember, you give them a little more money, businesses have more customers. They got more customers, they make more profit. They make more profit, what do they do . They hire more workers. America deserves a raise and its good for everybody. So some of the things we are doing without congress are making a difference but we can do so much more if congress would just come on and help out a little bit. [applause] just come on. Come on and help out a little bit. Stop being mad all the time. [applause] stop just hating all the time. [applause] come on. Lets get some work done together. [applause] they did pass this workforce training act and it was bipartisan. There were republicans and democrats. We had a bill signing. They were all in their suits. I said, doesnt this feel good . [laughter] we are doing something. Its useful. Nobody is shouting at each other. It was really nice. I said, lets do this again. Lets do it more often. [laughter] [applause] i know they are not that happy that im president com, but thats ok. Ive only got a couple of years left. Then you can be mad at the next president. Weve got just today and tomorrow until Congress Leaves Town for a month. We still have serious work to do. We still have a chance we have to put people to work rebuilding roads and bridges and the Highway Trust Fund is running out of money. Cap to get resources to fight wildfires out west. To dealmore resources with the situation at the southern part of the border but some of those kids. We have to deal with that in a proper way. [applause] there is a bunch of stuff that needs to get done. Boat ately, the main the main vote they have is whetheror today or not they decide to sue me for doing my job. First of all, do not sue, vote. [applause] think about it. They have announced they will sue me for taking executive actions to help people. They are mad because im doing my job. Way, i told them, i will be happy to do it with you. The only reason im doing it on my own is because you wont do anything. If you want, lets work together. Everybody recognizes this as a political stunt. Becausese than that every vote they are taking like that means a vote they are not taking to actually help people. When they have taken 50 votes to repeal the Affordable Care act, that was time that could have been spent working constructively to help you on some things. [applause] way, you know whos paying for the suit they will pass . You. You are paying for it. Its estimated that by the time the thing is done, i will have already left office. Its not a productive thing to do. Here is what i want people to remember every single day. Whatpressing sometimes as goes on in washington maybe, i see the inherent goodness and generosity of the American People. I see it in all of you and the poor people i had dinner with last night. In addition to victor, mark turner who works with High School Dropouts to help get them back on track. He used to be a successful Corporate Executive and decided he wanted to give Something Back. Momhave valerie, a single come engineer, owns a small business. She is doing great things even though its a struggle making sure that she keeps her business upload. She has persevered and is helping her son get his college education. Of thee the president Town Fork Creek association. After School Programs and mentoring programs, basketball leagues. A community center. I could not keep track of all of them. To listen to them talk, it makes you optimistic. There are good people out here. Everybody is out there trying to do their best, trying to look after their families, trying to raise their kids, trying to give Something Back, working with the church or synagogue or their places of faith. Just trying to give Something Back and give some meaning to ir lives in a responsible we all make mistakes. We all have regrets. Generally speaking, people are decent. The question is, how can we do a better job of capturing the spirit in washington . The American People are working harder than ever to support families and strengthen communities. Instead of suing me for doing my job, i Want Congress to do its and make life better for the americans who sent them there in the first place. Stop posturing. [applause] way, there is one place to start. About this and little more. Right now, there is a loophole in the tax code that lets a small group of corporations be the country they declared themselves no longer American Companies just to get out of paying their fair share of taxes , even though most of their operations are here. They have always been American Companies and they took advantage of all the benefits of being American Companies but now are convinced that they can get out of paying taxes. They are renouncing their citizenship even though theyre keeping most of the business here. Its an accounting trick. It hurts our countrys finances. It sticks you with the tab. If they are not paying their fair share, you dont have that option. It aint right. [laughter] [applause] i hope everybody is clear. There is a distinction. There are some things that are not right and then there are some things that just aint right. [laughter] [applause] accountantsve figuring out this stuff for you. They should not turn their backs on the country that made their success possible. By the way, this can be fixed. I have put forward lance to cut plans to cutes corporate taxes and make it clear. I say, join with me. Lets work to close this unpatriotic tax loophole for good. Lets use the savings we get from closing the loophole to invest in things like education that are good for everybody. Dont double down on topdown economics. Lets fight to make sure that everybody gets a chance. And that everybody plays by the same rules. We could do so much more we got that economic patriotism that says that we rise and fall as one nation and one people. [applause] that is what victor believes. When he wrote me his letter, he said i believe regardless of political party, we can all do something to help our citizens have a chance at a job, have food in their stomachs, have access to great education and health. That is what economic patriotism is. [applause] that is what we should all be working on. Instead of tax breaks for folks who dont need them, give tax breaks to working families to help them pay for child care and college. Dont reward companies shipping jobs overseas. Companies tax breaks here in the midwest. Access toone college and Affordable Health care and lets make sure women get a fair wage. [applause] lets make sure anybody who is working fair time does not live in poverty. Are not american ideas. These are patriotic ideas. On which we built america. [applause] just remember this. The hardest thing to do is to bring about real change. Its hard. You have a stubborn status quo. Folks in washington are sometimes focus on everything but your concerns. There are special interests and and they are paid to maintain the status quo that is working for somebody and they are counting on you getting cynical c dont vote and you dont get involved. More you do that, the more power the special interests have. And the more entrenched the status quo becomes. You cant afford to be cynical. Cynicism is fashionable sometimes. You see it all over our culture and all over tv. Everybody likes being negative and putting stuff down. It shows that you are sophisticated and cool. Cynicism do not put a man on the moon. Cynicism did not win women the right to vote. Cynicism did not get a Civil Rights Act signed. Cynicism hasm never won a war cure a disease that were started a business or started a business. I do not believe in a cynical america. I believe in an optimistic america but is making progress. There arecan workers who have jobs because of what weve done. Students are going to college who could not afford it before. Afteroops to come home four after twerp duty because what we have done. You dont have time to be cynical. Hope is a better choice. That is what i need you for. Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. [applause] taking you live in just a moment to kentucky for the 135th annual fancy farm picnic. Republican Senate LeaderMitch Mcconnell and democratic candidate and kentucky secretary of state Alison Lundergan grimes. Welcome to fancy farm, kentucky. Im bill goodman with renee shaw for ke t. We want to welcome all kentucky ians. All of you listening and watching from across the world to one of the most premier expected record crowd, a nice day, picnics we have had in many years. We appreciate you being along with us. We have an interesting pregame show before we start hearing speeches in about 30 minutes. Weve been anticipating this event, this day since this time last year. It will think disappoint. They said out on the campaign trail all week, they are geared up. Post sides are fired up and ready to go. Both sides are fired up and ready to go. Before we go any further, there has been a lot of work put into this production. I have to give a great big shout out to our great crew. Those in front of us here that you can see and those you might be seeing right now in the control room are doing a fantastic job. Lets get down to business. A lot has been going on this week. Tell us how the messages are changing. As this race for the u. S. Senate this is the biggest turnout ive seen since al gore came out in 2002. When i got to the mile marker two, it was bumper to bumper to get here. The campaigns are ready. This is the unofficial kickoff for the fall race. Its a great opportunity for kentuckians to hear a message. We hope we can hear some today overall the heckling. Over all the heckling. Alison Lundergan Grimes who is trying to take out the incumbent is working hard. You can say the same thing about your candidate