the economy is still weak. it's going to help you make ends meet, but it's also going to mean more customers for businesses. it will increase demand. it's right for the economy, and i would sign that bill today if it came to my desk. [ applause ] tell congress to get past their differences and send me a road construction bill so that companies can put tens of thousands of people to work right now building our roads and bridges and airports and seaports. i mean, think about it. america used to have the best stuff, best roads, best airports, best seaports. we're slipping behind because we're not investing in it, because of politics and gridlock. do you want to put people to work right now rebuilding america? you've got to send that message to congress. send -- send a message to congress to come to an agreement on trade deals that will level the playing field and open markets to our businesses so we can sell more goods to countries around the world. yeah, we've got a lot of americans driving kias arou s a hyundais. i want people in korea driving fords and chevys and chryslers. i'd like to see that. i want to see billions of dollars more products sold around the world stamped with three words, made in america. made in america. those trade bills are teed up. they are ready to go. let's get it done. tell congress we need to reform the patent system so entrepreneurs like the ones who developed some of the technology here can turn their ideas into businesses more quickly, so companies like this one can better compete against companies around the world. we shouldn't make it so difficult for somebody with a good idea to translate that into a business. tell congress we've got hundreds of thousands of bright, talented, skilled americans who are returning home from iraq and afghanistan, and i've proposed connecting those veterans looking for work with businesses that need their skills. you've got 24-year-olds and 25-year-olds that are leading platoons and handling equipment that's worth tens or hundreds of billions of dollars, and they come back here and they can't find a job? let's put them to work. these are things we can do right now. these are things i've already proposed. we've worked out the glitches. the legislation is drafted. let's get it done. now given the weaknesses of the economy, we need to do even more than, that and over the coming weeks i'm going to be putting out more proposals, week by week, that will help businesses hire and put people back to work, and i'm going to keep at it until every single american who wants a job can find one. now, we do have to pay for these things, and in order to pay for these things congress has to finish the job of reducing the nation's budget deficit in a sensible responsible way. not just with more cuts this year or next year. those cuts would weaken the economy more than it already is, and we've already cut $1 trillion in what's called discretionary spending. what we need is a long-term plan to get our nation's finances in order. that's the only way we can invest in places like this. that's how we can fund the research at the department of energy, that's how we can fund the community college that trains folks to be able to work here. that's how we can fund the infrastructure and the technology that will help us win the future. by doing what you do, what families do. think about it. when things are tight, you cut out those things you cannot afford, even if it's tough, to pay for the things that really matter. you don't cut out the college fund for your kids. you stop maybe going out as often. you don't stop taking care of your parent who needs care. you cut back on some of the things that you don't really need. it's the same principle that applies to government. and by the way in your own families, i'm assuming you don't just keep all the stuff you like and tell your spouse you got to get rid of all the stuff she likes or he likes. that wouldn't work in my hou household. you don't just cut out the stuff that's important to you and -- or keep all the stuff that's important to you and cut out stuff that's important for your kids. the same is true for us as an american family. we can't ask the people in this room, working families, middle class families, to bear the entire burden. we're not going to balance our budgets on the back of middle class and working people in this country. everybody's got to do their part. everybody's got to do their part. everybody's got to chip in. that's fair. you learn it in kindergarten. that's what all this fuss was about in washington. are we going to deal with our deficit in a way that's fair? and that means closing tax loopholes for billionaires before we cut college loans for young people. that means ending government subsidies for oil and gas companies that are doing very well before you cut health care for seniors. it means making sure that the biggest corporations pay their fair share in taxes before we gut the investments in technology and clean energy that made this factory a reality. now that's just common sense. it should have bipartisan support. these are things we could be doing right now. that's how we can jump start this economy and speed up the recovery and get more folks working while making sure that we get our fiscal house in order. we can do both. i'll be laying out more proposals in the days ahead, and i'm going to keep after every idea and every serious proposal to help us grow this economy, until everybody wants a job can find one. but i want everybody to understand here the problem is not that we don't have answers. the problem is that folks are playing political games. we've got a long way to go. we didn't get into this mess overnight. it's going to take time to get us out. that's the truth, but that's no excuse for inaction. it's time to put aside ultimatums. it's time to stop drawing lines in the sand. you know, in the aftermath of this whole debt ceiling debacle, with the markets going up and down like they are, there's been a lot of talk in washington right now that i should call congress back early. the last thing we need is congress spending more time arguing in d.c. what i figure is they need to spend more time out here listening to you. and hearing how fed up you are. that's why i'm here. that's why i'll be traveling to a lot of communities like this one over the neck week. that's what congress should be doing. go back home and listen to people's frustrations with all the gridlock. listen to how frustrated folks are with the constant bickering and the unwillingness to compromise and the desire to score points even if it's at the expense of our country. and if they are listening hard enough, maybe they will come back to washington ready to compromise and ready to create jobs and ready to reduce our deficit, ready to do what you sent them there to do. you know, america voted for divided government, and that makes it tough. you've got one party controlling the house of representatives, another party controlling the senate, so they voted for -- you voted for divided government, but you didn't vote for dysfunctional government. you didn't vote for a do nothing government. you didn't vote for a government where folks are just looking out for special interests. you didn't vote for a government that is beholden to lobbyists. we've got a lot of work to do, and the only way we will get it done is if everybody, democrats and republicans, find a way to put country ahead of party. that's what i'm fighting for. i'm here to enlist you in that fight. you've got to hold everybody accountable because if we can come together and find common ground, there is no stopping the united states of america. there is no holding us back. we can strengthen this economy, and we can put our nation back to work and we can lead the world in growing industries, and we will make it through these economic storms and reach calmer waters stronger than we were before. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. thank you. >> president obama. did you hear his tone through that speech this in holland, michigan in the president is fired up and in a sense he also seems fed up, fed up with bipartisan bickering in washington. he's speaking at this one factory in this town in michigan that is just about 30 miles southeast of grand rapids, and essentially at one point he was juxtaposing the success at this one particular factry, the factory makes hybrid batteries for cars, successes there. they got a cash injection from the stimulus, juxtaposing that with what doesn't seem to be working, according to the president in washington, the lack of compromise. at one point saying there's nothing wrong with the country. something is wrong with our politics. talked about inferring that the debt mess and also the recent s&p downgrade, referring to that as a self-inflicted wound. let's go to athena jones who is there traveling with the president, and athena, being in the room there, i'm sure you could hear this very impassioned voice. seemed to be speaking to one very specific group in congress who as he said more than once is putting party in front of country. >> that's true. he was very fired up today. we didn't just hear him talk about this -- this company here that's working on advanced battery technology which is the reason he came to tour. you also heard him talking about urging congress to find common ground. now this is not unusual to hear the president urge congress to compromise. we hear this all the time from him, but today we heard a little bit more impassioned language from him. he said he's frustrated. you can probably hear it in my voice he said at one point. at one point he said people have been saying after all of this mess with the raising of the debt ceiling, with the downgrade, that he should be calling congress back to washington to work together towards reaching these more deficit reductions that are required by this debt ceiling deal. he said the last thing congress needs is to be back in washington arguing with each other. what they heed is to be out here on the road in places like this talking to their constituents who are fed up just like he, the president is. he talked about how he's going to be going on this trip next week out in the country talking to residents about how they feel, and so you heard a little bit of the touch on these advanced technology batteries, the kind of technology that will help spur jobs. this is part of his overall agenda, but you definitely heard some of the same political rhetoric we heard before with congress working together with a little bit extra pep in it. back to you. >> yeah. i would say so. some political pep indeed. he also alluded to that super committee. we now know the 12 names, the bipartisan committee, the debt-busting committee that will have to take a good long look at the debt and see what and how they can cut to make up to $1.25 trillion in cuts, hoping to quote the president, they will do that in a sensible, fair, responsible way. but, you know, some republicans, athena, have criticized the president saying, look, where's the president's plan? he talks about job and job creation, but how can we go about creating jobs? and i know he mentioned a couple of examples as we heard before from the president talking about extending the payroll tax, trade deals. can you elaborate on what we heard from him today? >> well, he also talked about infrastructure. the trade deals that has been on the -- on the -- on the books for congress for a while, and so they wanted to see these deals with colombia, panama and south korea pushed through. of course, you have your usual resistance on the part of labor to some of these deals, and so this is yet another area that remains to be worked out. it's one of the many things that can help spur growth, but what was so interesting today to hear him come again and again back to the whole issue of congress working together. he talked about the need to -- to have a fair share, everyone hold their fair share when it comes to making these deficit reductions so he doesn't want to see aid for students to go to college cut when you could also close tax loopholes for billionaires and for big companies, and so you saw a lot of that. i expect to hear this kind of rhetoric going forward, pushing congress to come together, to compromise, as you mentioned, with the super committee. there's already speculation about the people on the committee who have been chosen, whether or not these -- these individual people show that they are not going to be willing to compromise, for instance, some of the members on the super commit were also on the erskine bowles committee who later rejected that deal. >> we know the nine names, now the final three making the 12, leader pelosi naming her three. athena jones with me from holland, michigan. thank you so much. the president also mentioned the markets. have you been watching along. guys, let's take a look at the big board. the dow, look at this, quite the contrast from what we saw yesterday. it is very much so in positive territory, dow up 470, 468 points as we are just about 45 minutes away from that closing bell, rocky first couple of days on wall street. we're all over it and, of course, the closing bell as well. we'll take that live. meanwhile, folks challenging president obama for his job of right now they are in iowa in a state that could make or break them, and mitt romney, he was asked an interesting question with an interesting answer. we will take you there live to iowa next. [ waves crashing ] [ martin luther king jr. ] i still have a dream that one day on the red hills of georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. i have a dream today! [ male announcer ] chevrolet is honored to celebrate the unveiling of the washington, d.c., martin luther king jr. memorial. take your seat at the table on august 28th. [ male announcer ] want to pump up your gas mileage? come to meineke for our free fuel-efficiency check and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke. okay. presidential politics time. republican party full-court press in iowa. mitt romney heckled today by this activist on the subject of social security. watch. >> sir, i am on social security. >> i'm glad you're on social security. hold on just a moment. hold on just a moment. held on just a moment. >> and my wife is on social security. you came here to listen to the people. mitt romney not taking part in saturday's straw poll and campaigning nonetheless. back to mitt romney here in just a moment. first, i'm willing to bet you're asking what the heck is this iowa straw poll? stay with me, folks, because these are the basics. here you go. iowa straw poll rule number one, music. give the voters entertainment. rule number two, food, and what you're about to see here, various manifestations of the iowa staple, butter, so that is rule number two. feed your supporters. real number three. bid the highest price for the choiceiest seats at the hilton coliseum in aims, iowa, and on straw poll day pack that place with more of your backers than those of your competition. that is how a candidate wins the iowa straw poll, an exercise labeled perhaps unkindly as organized bribery. here's the deal. iowa straw poll. it's saturday, pretty darn important, but it's not very good at picking winners. look back with me. back to 1979, the winner of the straw poll was george h.w. bush who would lose the nomination to ronald reagan. '87, pat robertson won the iowa straw poll, george h.w. bush received the nomination, a bit of a muddle involving the two-way tie. '99, that year the straw poll did pick the winner, the second george bush. 2007, straw poll picked mitt romney. winner, john mccain. let's go to paul steinhauser live in des moines. paul, if the straw poll can't pick the winner, at least with any great frequency, why is it so important? >> here's why, brooke. it is a real test in presidential campaigns, organizational strength and grass roots outreach and while it may not always pick the winner for the republican nomination down the road the following year, it can often break a campaign. it was four years ago that former wisconsin governor tommy thompson running for governor on the republican side, didn't do so well at aims, dropped out a few days later. mike huckabee didn't win four years ago, you're right, mitt romney had but huckabee had a strong second place finish. he went on to win the iowa caucuses so it can definitely make or break some campaigns. the straw poll as well as the state fair right here, three crucial days for the race for the white house on the republican side. a lot at stake, and this race may be very different after this weekend is over. some candidates have a lot at stake tonight. the first debate in nearly two months since our cnn debate in new hampshire. talking about michele bachmann, a lot on the line, tim pawlenty, former minnesota governor, a lot on the line for him at the debate and straw poll and mitt romney who is perceived as the front-runner right now, the former massachusetts governor, brooke. >> but, paul steinhauser, here's the but, the biggest names in and around this ration here, not even taking part in the straw poll, a, why, and, b, what's up with sarah palin swooping in out of the blue here? >> yeah, let's start with sarah palin. we're here at the state fair in des moines. there's our bus, brought, it a big deal, all the white house candidates come here. sarah palin we've learned is going to be here, good reporting from our political reporter. bringing that one nation bus tour which we saw earlier this summer back east. it's going to be right here in iowa. listen, every time she falls out of the spotlight she jumps right back in. maybe that's what she's doing. sarah palin says she will decide by september whether she will run for the republican presidential nomination. it will be interesting to see what she says when she's right here in iowa. the other big name, rick perry, the texas governor. he's going to be here in iowa this weekend and earlier on saturday he's basically going to announce in south carolina that he's a candidate for president. he is moving closer and closer to running, and that is also going to change the race, brooke. it's getting more exciting by the day. >> paul steinhauser, very exciting there at the state fair. enjoy the twinkie logs. i see the stand over your shoulder, incredibly delicious and oh, so nutritious. >> we'll send you one. >> as we said the straw poll winner back in 2007 won willard mitt romney, his first name willard, current republican front-runner. back in 2007 here's what he said about the republican hopefuls who declined, declined to take part in that iowa straw poll. >> you know, it's too bad the other guys weren't competing here. if they thought they could have been successful here, they would have been here. >> that is mitt romney then, the same mitt romney who is not in the straw poll this time, even though he is there campaigning today. shannon travis, why no mitt romney in the straw poll, and is he taking any grief from the folks there in iowa? >> reporter: well, the first question, brooke, why no mitt romney? mitt romney says he's focusing his attention on races that award delegates. you know, you have to collect delegates in order to win the republican nomination, and the straw poll that's going to be held here on saturday does not award delegates. as paul just mentioned, basically a test of organization and popularity here in iowa. he spent a lot of money last time for a narrow win, and this time he's sitting it out. he's been focusing a lot of attention, a lot of attention on new hampshire. obviously that's the first in the nation primary and on south carolina, too, the first primary in the south, so he's not he