t student documentary competition. picture yourself as a newly elected member of congress. we ask this year's competitors, what is your top priority? and why? make a five to six minute video that shows the importance of your issue. don't be afraid to take risks with your documentary. be bold. amongst the $100,000 in cost processes, to the $500 grand prize. visit our website at studentcam.org. , resources, and a step-by-step guide. >> now former president barack obama campaigns in milwaukee, wisconsin, for the democratic candidates in the 2022 midterm election. the included governor tony evers, who is up for reelection.

and mandela barnes. mr. obama won the state of wisconsin in both 2008 and 2012. >> please welcome lieutenant, mandela barnes. [applause] >> alright, alright, alright. how are we feeling today? thank you so much. i am so excited to be here. i am mandela barnes.

today, with your help, we will -- [applause] i cannot tell you how much it means being back here at home. i am a proud product of marshall high school. history teacher over here. i say that if it wasn't -- i say that because i wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my public school education. i also wouldn't be here if it were not for the opportunity of wisconsin manufacturing and the strength of our labor union. i am just so grateful for the way things came together. this community has given me so much.

i want to make sure we can all rise together. today has a special meaning for me. 18 years ago, in the summer of 2004, i came back from whatever summer job i was working, turn on the tv, and i saw then state senator, barack obama, give a keynote speaker at the democratic national convention. it was literally a speech to change my life. things started to click for me. i didn't really consider politics before, i didn't see people who i felt shared my experience. there weren't a whole lot of elected leaders who i felt wanted to give me or my community the time of day. unfortunately, that is still the case. there was someone whose story sounded a little bit like mine. someone who talked about the same issues that i saw day in

and day out. seeing barack obama on that stage, it inspired me and made me realize that maybe, if i work hard enough, i could have the power to make a difference, too. that is a story that i am incredibly proud of, a story that i show and speak about everywhere i go. my grandfather moved to this city after his service in world war two. he got in a union job as a steelworker. it does not get more milwaukee than that. he walked in the factory one day, and he walked out 35 years later. he was able to retire comfortably, lay a foundation. when companies like that, factories like that, close their doors and move their operations, we saw a decline in opportunity. unfortunately, we saw a rise in

other things that made it tough for folks to get ahead. i don't come from a wealthy or well-connected family. growing up right here in the city of milwaukee in a union household. that is all i needed. [applause] it was my parents union job that were the ticket to the middle class. unfortunately, those tickets are in short supply. it was easier for my granddad to get into the middle class than people my age. that is why things need to change. are we all tired for being left behind by politicians? [applause] are we tired of politicians that put their own profits before our lives? [applause] i am talking about people like ron johnson.

a person who doubled his own wealth in the u.s. senate, but is hell-bent on making everybody else's life worse. a person that for 12 long years has turned his back on every single person in this room, every single person in this state. this november, we will turn our backs on ron johnson. [applause] because, the reality is, any politician that wants to take a way that right to choose, wants to put our social security and medicare on the chopping block, does not deserve our consideration, does not deserve our vote, and does not deserve their seat in the office. [applause] and while senator johnson tries to divide us and he tries to

distract from the fact that he supported a national abortion ban, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. or the fact that his biggest achievement in august was -- an office was delivering $15 million in tax deductions to two of his biggest donors. a person who wants to raise the retirement age to 70 years old. if ron johnson wants to raise the retirement age for us, for the next 10 days, we do the work to lower the retirement age for ron johnson. [applause] because what he does not understand, in rooms like this and all across the state, regardless of our zip code or where we were born or what language we be, how we love, or how we identify, we have more in

touch then any self-serving and out of touch politician like him. the reality is that it is not always about left or right, red or blue. it is about the very few that ron johnson has kept propped up at the top, and the rest of us who they consistently leave behind at the bottom. we know that if we are going to change washington, we have to change the people in washington. [applause] ron johnson said that women that don't like the laws of our state , like our criminal abortion ban, can just move. it is careless, it is callous. i do believe that the women of this state will band together and vote ron johnson out of the u.s. senate. [applause]

i love you back. [applause] i got in this race because i believe that better is possible for so many people. during the pandemic had to drive her children to a funeral home just to use the wi-fi. for my friends like tim, who should absolutely be building those next vehicles. for little girls right here in milwaukee, would you be able to grow up and make her own future which includes making her own health care decisions. i do believe that better is possible. i know that you believe the same thing. it is likely why you showed up here today.

people are looking for the same things. parents want to be able to send their children to school safely and have them return home safely. without the constant threat of gun violence. [laughter] -- clap in -- people want to go to the doctor and not worry about some politician making their decisions for them. and people want a good job that puts food on the table. people just want opportunity, we will never get that opportunity as long as ron johnson is in office. that is why we will continue to fight. [applause] this is about leading with our values and our vision. for the next 10 days, not showing up, letting people know what we stand for. we can no longer leave folks behind. that was the old way of doing things. people like ron johnson have

their day, it is our time now. [applause] but i need your help to make this reality possible. i need your help to knock on every door. i need you to help to make the phone calls. before you start clapping too hard, i need you to send out text messages i know you love. [applause] we have to give it absolutely everything we got. this is a fight for freedom, it is a fight for fairness and our future. i promise you, this is a fight that we will win. thank you all so much. thank you for being here. thank you, milwaukee! let's bring it home! [applause] thank you all so much. [applause] [applause]

now i am so incredibly proud to introduce somebody who has been a partner to me. a partner with me. leading the state through incredibly difficult times. a person i am proud to call a friend, someone who has been a champion for the working people of wisconsin. someone who truly embodies the wisconsin ideas. the same ideas that made wisconsin be the first date to ratify the 19th amendment, to give women the right to vote. i have an encore for y'all. we were the first date to declare the future.

the first date to have antidiscrimination laws based on ability on the books. and based on sexual orientation. [applause] someone who has diligently held up that order, taking us into the future, my good friend, and your good friend, tony! >> hello, everybody! thank you! thank you, milwaukee x thank you so much, thanks for being here today. mandela barnes! he has been such

a great partner for me, i can't wait to see him in the u.s. senate. also want to really have a shout out for every candidate here today. whether it is state, federal, or local, we need to have more stronger, better people running for office. thank you all for picking that up today, thank you so much. it is great to be here, running for reelection. it is an honor to have such a great group, small group, i guess. great people, we are going to win this campaign. because of all of you! [applause] it is not just you, we also have president, barack obama, with us today. and i can't wait to hear from him in just a few minutes. first of all, i am so proud of

what we have been able to accomplish for wisconsin over the past several years. we have delivered on the promises that i have made, we have focused on wrinkly, commonsense solutions for wisconsin and wisconsin values. oh yes. when we do the right thing, wisconsin is better and stronger. when our kids have access to a quality education, they have a foundation for a lifetime of success. that is why i work with both parties to fund our public schools, our technical colleges. more than the last two decades. [applause] because we know what is best for our kids, is best for our state. we are not done yet. i'm going to continue to create opportunities for all of our

kids by investing more in special education. [applause] more and mental health. [applause] and more for smaller class sizes. [applause] we are dealing with rising costs, we have put more money into your pockets. we cut income taxes for the middle class for 15%. we will continue addressing income tax cuts and relief to working families who need it most in the state of wisconsin. [applause] we have expanded affordable access to 387 thousand households in the state of wisconsin. we will expand access to another 300,000 in the next couple years. [applause] and, in case you didn't know it,

i fixed to dam roads. -- i fixed the damn roads. [applause] we fixed nearly 5000 miles of highway and 1500 bridges. i don't think you would really want to do this, you could drive from here to miami and back on smooth highways. i am going to do it more. we have opened and expanded more than 6000 small businesses from our main street bounce back program. we can also do lots more for the state, and i know we will. but, my opponent wants to stop that progress. [booing] and frankly, he does not share in our beliefs that we are doing the right thing.

he will take wisconsin in a radically wrong way if we are not successful. he has the most radical and dangerous policies in the state of wisconsin, it has nothing to do with wisconsin values, i will tell you that. radical and wrong on education. he hasn't stepped in a public school in this state for decades, it shows. he called increased funding of our schools, the definition of insanity. [booing] and he is open to reducing school funding by as much as 40%. if that happens, we may as well close the doors on our public schools, period. he said the 1849 criminal van is an exact mirror of his position. think about that.

we cannot afford a governor who believes in a no exception abortion ban. that would lock up doctors. i will always trust women to make these decisions for themselves. [applause] michael said overturning a 2020 election result means overturning the will of the people, of course, will be on the table when he becomes governor. good lord. there is a really clear choice between doing the right thing for wisconsin and what tim michaels wants to do for our state. first, i know i am not the flashiest guy in the room. this is a big room. but, i believe compassion, respect, and fairness. i believe wisconsin is the strongest when we are working together.

[applause] and, just remember, mr. rogers wasn't the flashiest guy in the room, either. [applause] we can choose to keep doing the right thing or go down a radical path. we cannot allow that to happen. i know when we organize, bring people together, talk to our neighbors about the future we want to build, we win. all of you can make that difference. but, there is someone else here today who knows a thing or two about the power of organizing. someone who has delivered results for some really tough times. someone whose leadership has left a lasting positive mark on

this entire nation. that is why i am so excited to introduce our next speaker today. he really needs no introduction. he has been a champion of the working people in. historic on everything from health care [applause] -- [cheers and applause] ♪ mr. obama: hello, milwaukee. ♪ [cheers and applause] mr. obama: how is everybody doing today? it is good to be back in wisconsin. [applause]

great to be back in the midwest. especially when it is 67 degrees in october. [cheers] my nephews are here and i was talking about the fact that we used to go trick-or-treating in chicago, we had no idea what their costumes were because they had those thick down jackets on, that this is some good trick-or-treating whether right here. and it is great to be back at north division high. [applause] this is actually the third time that i have spoken here. the last time was back in 2018, and for some reason i am the only one who looks older. which is a little disturbing. it is good to see you.

[applause] [applause] now, we are not going to talk about the bears or the packers. maybe next month, but not right now. we went to keep this an upbeat affair. [laughter] the reason i am here is simple. i am here to ask you to vote. [cheers] i am here to ask you to vote for my dear friend, the three g's, representative glenn mo, your attorney general, for your next lieutenant governor sarah rodriguez, for your outstanding governor tony evers, and your , next united states senator

mandela barnes. [cheers and applause] that is why i am here. and you do not have to wait for november 8 to cast your ballot. you can devote early in person through november 5 here in milwaukee or you can vote at your polling place on november 8, and if you are not sure about how and where and all of that go to iwillvote.com, find out what you were supposed to do and make a plan, because you do not want to sleep through the election. and while you're doing that, help your friends and family make a plan. take them with you if you vote early. if you vote in person, take them with you on election day, because this election requires

every single one of us to do our part. it is that important. now, i think it is fair to say this country -- and i am sure it is no different in milwaukee and wisconsin, this country as gone through some tough times these past few years. we have been through some stuff. we are just now coming out of a historic pandemic that wrecked havoc on families and schools and businesses and communities. everybody was impacted. michelle is good, but she was impacted. [cheers] michelle talks about this publicly, even for folks obviously we were in so many ways advantage, we did not have to worry about paying rent, food and stuff, but emotionally it

was hard for everybody, but some folks were more impacted than others. people lost loved ones. nurses, teachers, essential workers, meaning folks who actually do work, they were really affected. and more at risk. and the pandemic also highlighted and in some cases made worse problems that we have been struggling with for years. an economy that too often works for those at the very top but not for everybody else. communities where too many kids are out of school, and then they end up being out of work, and then they are out of hope, and sometimes that leads to violence and despair. and then there was a shift. and this is a long-term trend,

but we saw it get worse of just the breakdown of basic stability, of basic neighborliness, and no where did you see it more than in our politics where suddenly you had politicians doing their best deliberately to stir up division, to make us angry and afraid of each other. just for their own advantage. and all of this was amped up, hyped up 24/7 on cable and then on social media that finds it profitable to promote controversy and conflict instead of facts and truth. >> i got that. mr. obama: you got that? ok. [laughter] and we are still seeing the aftermath of that. i want you take a moment just to say a prayer for a friend of mine, mr. paul pelosi, 82 years

old. attacked, somebody breaks into his house looking for his wife, the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. beats him with a hammer. doctors fortunately believed that he is going to be ok, and we will let the investigators do their job, but, but, i think one thing is clear. this habit that we have seen completely contrary to what tony was talking about, this habit of saying the worst about people, demonizing people. that creates a dangerous climate, and if elected officials do not do more explicitly to reject the kind of over-the-top, crazy rhetoric, if they keep on ignoring it or passively supporting it or in

some cases encouraging it, if they are telling supporters you have got to stand outside polling places armed with guns and dressed in tactical gear, that is the kind of thing that ends up getting people hurt. and just as significantly it violates the basic precepts, the basic spirit of who we are supposed to be as a democracy. >> [indiscernible] mr. obama: so i get why people are anxious. i understand why you might be worried about the course of the country. i understand why you might sometimes just want to tune out. just watch football. [laughter] or hd tv -- hgtv, or the great british baking show. [laughter] it's a cute show.

national park's, that's a good show. but i am here to tell you that tuning out, milwaukee, is not an option. because the only way to make this economy fairer, to make it work for everybody is if we all fight for it. the only way to make our democracy stronger is if we nurture it and work for it. and that starts with electing people who know you, who see you, who care about you, who know what you are going through. [applause] and you did that two years ago when you sent joe biden to the white house. he is fighting for you every day, he has got your back. [cheers] mr. obama: he is doing everything he can to put more

money in your pockets, to make your streets safer, to bring more good paying jobs to wisconsin. you did it when you elected tony evers governor, you did it when you sent brent moore and tammy baldwin to washington to fight for you, and now you have got to do it again. [cheers and applause] because here is the thing, wisconsin. there are a lot of issues at stake in this election, but the most basic question, the fundamental issue you should be asking yourself right now is who will fight for you? who cares about you? that is the choice in this election. all of the other stuff is distraction. anybody can run pbs, these days they can say anything. no one is fact checking

anything, your gut you should have a sense of who cares about you. who is going to fight for working people struggling to pay the bills? glenn was talking about it. inflation is a real problem now, and by the way, it is not just here in america. it is worldwide. it is one of the legacies of the pandemic. it threw off supply and demand. folks who were in the auto industry, suddenly you could not get spare parts, people wanting to buy cars and there were not enough cars. all of this stuff is created inflation, it has put pressure on prices, and then on top of that you have got a war in ukraine. and that sent gas prices through the roof, and look, whatever the reasons, when gas prices go up, when grocery prices go up, that takes a bite out of people's

paychecks. that hurts. but the question you should be asking is who is actually going to do something about it? the republicans are having a field day running ads talking about it, but what is the actual solution to it? i will tell you. they want to gut security and medicare and then give some more tax breaks to the wealthy. and the reason i know that is their agenda is because, listen, that is their answer to everything. when inflation is low, what do you want to do? cut taxes. when unemployment is high, let's cut taxes on the wealthy. that will solve that. i was joking down in georgia, if there was an asteroid headed toward earth, they would be like two weeks, if you went into the

republican congress and said what do you want to do? well, we need a tax break for the wealthy. that is going to help. [laughter] i am only barely exaggerating. that is their only economic policy, the only one. and it is been there only one for the last 20 years. it would be nice if every problem you had you just said one answer. those of you who are young, still in school you were going into math exam, every answer is, number eight, just write eight, you would get an a. but that is not how the world works. they do not have a plan, that is why democrats actually have plans to take on drug companies to lower prices, to get oil

industry to clean up its act, to pass laws to make housing more affordable, to make sure big corporations that are already getting tax break create jobs here in wisconsin instead of overseas. [applause] that is the choice in this election. that is what this is about. [applause] i know you guys must be sick of these television ads. i mean -- look, let's talk about another one. there was a lot of talk about crime right now. i guess folks in milwaukee do not have any idea. listen -- oh yeah. violent crime has gone up over the last seven years, not just the last two. they act like the other guy was not president when some of this stuff was happening. it has gone up in conservative and rural areas, not just in the city.

so who will fight to keep you and your family safe? is it going to be republican politicians who want to flood our streets with more guns? who actually voted against more resources for police departments or is it leaders like tammy baldwin and glenmore who worked -- glenn moore who worked with president biden to pass the first major gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. that is what is at stake right now. [cheers and applause] who will fight for your freedoms? is it republican politicians and judges you think they should get to decide when you start a family or how many children you should have or who you marry or who you love? or is it democratic leaders who

believe that the freedom to make these most intimate, personal decisions belong to every american, not politicians, mostly men sitting somewhere in washington. [cheers and applause] mr. obama: that is the question this election, that is what you have got to decide. and you have got to decide who will make our political process, our democracy work for you. look, you can watch the news, read what they say. these republican politicians have promised -- they are on record. if they get control of congress will spend the next two years investigating president biden and their political opponents. that is all they want to do. they see it as payback. some of us said they have already gotten prepared that they are going to impeach biden.

they are not sure what for. [laughter] but apparently that is beside the point, and you are laughing, except, they have actually said. they have literally said, we are not sure what the theory is, but we are going to come up with one. now how is that going to help you pay your bills? how is that going to help your kids find a good job and career? how is that going to help wisconsin compete? or do you stand a better chance with president biden, democratic leaders who have worked together sometimes with republicans where possible to pass an infrastructure bill that creates new jobs, who made prescription drugs more affordable, who made the single largest ever investment in fighting climate change.

that is the choice of this election. [cheers] [applause] mr. obama: you have a choice between folks will say anything and do anything to get power and leaders who share our values. who are decent, good people, who are inspired by mr. rogers. [cheers and applause] mr. obama: leaders who want to help make your lives better and move this country forward. look, let me be clear, because i have been out here campaigning for the last few days. this has not always been a partisan thing. my favorite president was a guy from my home state of illinois

named abe lincoln, part of the republican party. it used to be there were gop leaders who champion civil rights and will of love. -- rule of law. folks who were with me in the 2008 election, we talked about bringing people together and spoke to all people regardless of party about how we could move the country forward, so that is my instinct. i am not somebody who believes that some party label defines us, but i have to speak the truth, which is these days just about every republican politician seems to adjust with just two things, owned the -- own the libs and getting donald trump's approval.

that is their agenda. don't boo. nobody can hear you boo outside of this auditorium, but they will hear your vote. [cheers and applause] this current crop of republican politicians, they are not interested in solving problems. they are interested in making you angry and then finding somebody to blame, and they are hoping that will distract you from the fact that they do not have any answers of their own. that is their obsession. that is their formula. that is their answer to everything. i can tell you what tony evers is obsessed with. he is obsessed with great -- growing wisconsin's economy, making sure every child gets a good education in this state.

you heard him mention that his opponent wants to make it easier for people to sue public school districts. he is opponent proposes to that -- increase education funding, the definition of insanity. really? have you been on the internet? people are out there saying we are ruled by giant lizards and that elvis is alive. you cannot think of anything crazier than investing more in our schools and our children? [laughter] let me tell you, if that is crazy, then tony is a good crazy, because he is a lifelong educator and the governor. [applause] he has worked with leaders from both parties to invest more in education that was

[indiscernible] [cheers and applause] he has vetoed republican bills that try to make it harder to vote. he vetoed bills that would make it easier to carry concealed weapons. i can tell you where mandela barnes' priorities lie. as your senator, he won't go off on some wacky conspiracy theory. you do not see him trying to make you afraid of everybody just so he can grab power. he is going to work to bring manufacturing jobs to wisconsin and help small businesses and family farms compete against huge megacorporations. that is his agenda. [cheers and applause] i want to say something here, i know that there are some folks, maybe not in this auditorium,

but elsewhere in wisconsin, and i know the ads are running this way -- just because mandela was named mandela, just because he is a democrat with a funny name, you must not be like you. he must not share your values. i mean, we have seen this. it sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it? get that birth certificate. get ready. [applause] [laughter] mr. obama: that was the good old days. do you remember when that was the craziest thing people said? think about that.

like, that was not that long ago. everyone is like that was some crazy stuff. now it does not even make the top 10 list of crazy. [laughter] but the truth is, i was just talking to mandela's parents. they were in the photo line. this is the son of a third shift autoworker and a public school teacher, grew up in one of milwaukee's poorest neighborhoods. worked as an organizer, served as a state legislator, not -- now lieutenant governor. he fought every step of the way to make sure wisconsinites have opportunities to get ahead just like he did. he is the reason the american dream is [indiscernible], a true blooded wisconsin american, i do not know what is. [cheers and applause]

and then there is mandela's opponent. [booing] don't waste your vocal cords booing. vote. that's right. you got the idea. so ron johnson. , as your senator -- now remember, the question is who is going to fight for you? who is on your side, he was -- who was thinking about you? ron johnson, as a senator, held give millions of dollars in tax deductions to some of the biggest donors who funded his campaign. and after he voted for a tax plan that allows people to write off the cost of private planes.

i have been trying to get this thing closed since i was president. if you can't afford a private plane, then you do not need a tax break. he fought for this, and then his adult children but not one, not two, but three private planes, because apparently carpooling was not an option. now -- i mean, you need three? [laughter] meanwhile, senator johnson voted to raise the retirement age to 70, supported the plan that would put social security and medicare on the chopping block every single year. each year you would have to vote to renew this thing.

think about it, because washington works so well. you want your social security and medicare reliant on congress every year. he has called social security a ponzi scheme. says it cannot just be given away. it is candy. the left is giving away. the point is, some of you here are on social security. some of your parents are on social security. some of your grandparents are on social security. do you know why they have social security? because they worked for it. they worked hard jobs for it. [applause] they have chapped hands for it. they had long hours and sore backs and bad knees to get that social security, and if ron johnson does not understand

that, if you get to tax breaks to private planes more than he understands making sure that seniors who have worked all of their lives are able to retire with dignity and respect, he is not the person he was thinking -- who is thinking about you and knows you and sees you, and he should not be your senator from wisconsin. [cheers and applause] i mean, the message he is sending is pretty clear, if you are related him -- related to him, or you donate to his campaign you get a deal. if you are not, you are out of luck and on your own. when you see the ad saying mandela is dangerous were different, ask yourself, who knows more about your life? this millionaire looking up for

-- out for his rich friends or a guy from a working class family? who understands what wisconsinites are going through each and every day and once to make your lives better? whose dad knows when that is like to work hard with his hands, whose mom knows what it is like to work hard as a teacher. do not fall for it, wisconsin. you deserve a senator like a mandela barnes. [cheers and applause] see through the surface of things. just go a little deeper. >> i love you. mr. obama: i love you too. [applause] you also deserve somebody who will stand up for a woman's right to make her own health care decision. [cheers and applause]

mr. obama: abortion has been controversial since i have been around. and i genuinely believe that there are good people of conscience who may differ with me on this issue, we should all agree that women everywhere should be able to control what happens with their own bodies. [applause] and it should not be controversial to say that the most personal of health care decisions, the most profound personal choices should be made by a woman and her doctor and not by a bunch of mostly male politicians in a state capitol or washington don't know nothing about -- [cheers and applause] mr. obama: and that is why when

the supreme court struck down roe v. wade it was a wake-up call for a lot of young people. especially young women, who maybe took roe for granted. it was a reminder that a politicized court can reinterpret well-settled constitutional rights. we can go backward, not just forward. if republicans take back the house and senate, we could be one presidential election away from a nationwide ban on access to abortion, and that might just be the beginning. i taught constitutional law for a decade. if a court does not leave in a zone of privacy that allows each of us to make certain decisions without the government interfering, like it is not their business, other freedoms that we take for granted are at risk, and justice clarence thomas already said as much. he wrote it in the dobbs decision. there is no right to privacy,

same-sex marriage could be at risk. the same idea of a right to the same idea of a right to privacy was the basis for saying that states could not ban interracial marriage. there is no actual right to marriage written down in the constitution. just like there was no right to contraception and the constitution, so almost every republican in the house of representatives have already voted against the right to use contraception. now you think about that? if they take that power, there is no guarantee that will not be next. now here in wisconsin, governor evers' opponent wants to ban abortions with no exceptions. according to him, i am quoting, it is not unreasonable for the government to force rape victims

to give birth. but, vote. support a criminal abortion ban passed more than 70 years before women got the right to vote. that could put doctors in jail for trying to save a patient's life, because part of what people do not think about is there are few people who want to bring a child to term, something goes wrong -- and if you do not have exception to the are being criminalized, they do not train to deal with those situations. they will not know what to do in some cases or you will not have a lot of people who can deal with it. the good news is, if you vote for tony, that is not going to happen. two days after the supreme court heard arguments in the case that would overturn roe v. wade he

vetoed five republican bills that would have eliminated or limited access to abortion. as long as tony evers as governor, he will keep doing whatever it takes to make sure that women have the power to make their own health care decisions, and that is how it should be. [cheers and applause] all of these issues are at stake. >> [indiscernible] mr. obama: gracias. all of these issues are at stake. if that is not worth 15 minutes of your time, i do not know what is. but if you do need another reason to vote, consider the fact that democracy is also on the ballot. [applause] i mentioned earlier, things have changed in terms of our

political discourse, and i have to admit it wears on me. sometimes it feels -- the idea of going up on the campaign trail feels a little harder and not just because i am older and a little grayer. back when i was first running for office, people did not agree with me on everything. and i was driving myself, i did not even have a driver. i am dating myself because we used maps, paper maps. you never knew how to fold them back up so they were sitting in your passenger seat. we would go out to rural areas, farm country. there were not a lot of folks named barrack or look like me and a lot of these were conservative for areas and i would stop by a vfw hall or i would talk to somebody at a fish

fry. might stop by the local paper, and you sit down maybe at a diner over a piece of pie and coffee, and they did not agree with me on everything, but you know, we could have a nice conversation and we could talk about the things we had in common, our hopes for our kids, problems we were seeing with farm prices. you could have a conversation about health care or an ailing mom, and over the course of the conversation maybe we kind of learn from each other and persuade each other a little bit. and folks did not all vote for me just because i had that conversation, but you felt as if you could make a connection, and that is why i ended up getting a bunch of republican votes, and then after i won for the presidency, my opponent, john mccain, first thing he did, graciously conceded.

got on stage, wished me luck for the good and the sake of the country. that was the basic foundation of our democracy. [applause] that is how it works. [cheers and applause] some sense of mutual respect. we can disagree without being disagreeable. and that is at risk right now. and listen. you know, you may not hear this a lot of times a democratic rally, democrats are not perfect. [laughter] mr. obama: i was not perfect as president. i am the first to admit it, politicians just like all of us can make mistakes. even with the best of intentions. but, for the most part just about unanimously democrats still abide by the basic norms

and rules of how the democracy is supposed to work. like in 2016, when my successor won, i was not feeling good, but i stayed up until 3:00 in the morning until it was finally decided and then i had to call them and say congratulations. because that is how democracy is supposed to work. and we ensured a peaceful transition of power. [applause] now today, with just a few notable exceptions, and i give credit to some courageous republicans who lost their seats because they believed in the rules, but the vast majority of

republican politicians, whether it is because they actually believe it or it is because they are scared to say otherwise, they are not even pretending that the rules apply anymore. they are literally just making stuff up. mandela's opponent has done more than just about anybody in congress to spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. he has a gold medal in that event. [laughter] he said the attacks on law enforcement at that capitol on january 6 were by and large, "peaceful protests." although he did say the rioters taught us all how to use a flagpole as a weapon. if that is a lesson you take away from storming a capitol

building, a violent insurrection, i do not know what to tell you. but you probably should not be serving as wisconsin's representative in the u.s. senate, because that is not how our democracy is supposed to work. [applause] if that does not elicit uniform outrage, what will? what does it take? tony's opponent said if he is elected governor, he will dissolve the bipartisan elections commission. he was to decide on his own how elections turned out or not. he even said is open to sending a bill to overturn the results of the last election. and to state the obvious, if somebody is openly obsessed with changing the last election, keep

-- he probably should not be in charge of overseeing this one coming up. [cheers and applause] you have a republican in the wisconsin state legislator trying to get themselves power to do whatever they want. here in wisconsin, already the map is so gerrymandered, the y only have to win 44% of the votes to get a majority of the assembly. think about that. think about any other thing you do in life where 44% on one side, 56% on the other side, and 44 wins. it does not make sense. that is correct. and if they pick up a few more seats in both chambers they will be able to force through

extreme, unpopular laws and everything from education to guns to abortion, and there will not be anything the democrats can do about it. right now the only person standing in the way is tony evers, and let me say this. i know tony is low-key, self-deprecating. he is got a little more of a clark kent five than superman vibe, but do not let the glasses and the necktie fool you, because tony is tough. he is single-handedly keeping republicans from driving the car off the road. he might be democracy's best hope in wisconsin. that is one more reason that he deserves your vote. [cheers and applause] mr. obama: so, i get democracy

-- right now, today, might not seem like a top priority. especially because people are worried about gas bills, food bills, they are worried about their paychecks, worried about their kids. i get that. i understand why when you do not see enough progress on issues that matter to you or your family you might just say, i do not have time to think about something so abstract like democracy. but, you know what? we have seen throughout history what happens when we lose democracy. we can see it right now around the world and of the countries -- and other countries, where the government tells you what books you can read, and what books you cannot read that question your loyalty if you do not worship the way they want you to worship. countries that put dissidents and reporters in jail. countries where it really does not matter who you vote for, because the game really is fixed, and people will do

anything to keep the power they got and where corruption is rampant because there was absolutely no accountability. i have seen it. when i was president, i dealt with countries like that all the time. and once that goes away, once self-government goes away, it is hard to get it back. it is dangerous, and people get hurt, and you can have real-life consequences, and that is why generations of americans, my grandfather in world war two -- world war ii, folks in every generation have fought and died for the idea of self-governance. that is why folks marched down in selma, and some folks died to make sure that the rules were fair. that is what women suffragists

marched and fought so that they could be included in self-government. so that we could set up rules that were fair to give everybody a voice. rules that we teach our kids when they are little about being honest and about being fair. rules about how we should debate -- make decisions. if we are in a group everybody gets a say, everybody gets a turn. if you do not get your way, you did not throw a tantrum in the sandbox. you do not pick up your ball and go home. we teach our kids this stuff. we tell our kids, you know, you get over it. you tried to do better next time. i mean, i -- i lost my first election for congress, i got

whooped. i did not say, you know, while -- wow, this election was rigged. i did not say let's go storm the capitol. that is what i mean when i say democracy is at stake and that is why it is not enough to elect democrats like mandela barnes and tony evers. you have to elect to good people up and down the ballot, because if things get close -- they could make all of the difference. and guess what, the good news, because i know some of this is been a little dark, but here is the good news. you get to make a difference. your vote will make a difference. that's why republicans are working so hard to stop you. that's why you cannot let them.

[applause] we joke in my house that between me and michelle, michelle can be the glass half-empty person, sometimes. and i am more of the glass half-full guy, hope and change guy, i am usually a little more optimistic. at the dinner table, and sometimes when she gets done -- down about the state of the country or the world, she has been reading too much news, i tell her, honey, everything is going to be ok. and i believe it will. but i also know things will not be ok on their own. we have to fight for it. we have to work for it. not just on election day but every day in between. that is why this election matters, wisconsin. [applause] and i know these are tough times, but we have been through tough times before.

the important thing is to resist the temptation just to throw our hands up and turn inward and see politics as a zero-sum game where rules are made to be broken, and the only way for people like us to win is for them to lose. to sink into cynicism. you know, even in our darkest moments -- and i remind michelle and i tell my children, this country has seen darker moments before. underneath it all, i believe we have had more in common than our politics and our politicians suggest. even when times are tough, i believe what unites us to be -- can be stronger than what

divides us. there have always been certain values that bind us together as citizens, no matter who we are or where we come from or what we look like or who we love. we think about our kids and me -- we think about working hard and we think about being honest and being fair. homespun values. it does not matter whether you are out on a farm somewhere or the inner city. people have a sense of that. it does not matter what your last name is. that is the promise of america. that is who we at least want to be. and in this election, you have a chance to do that, to make america live up to what we hope it can be.

[laughter] mr. obama: you have a chance to vote for leaders like glenn moore, you have a chance to vote for sarah rodriguez, you have got a chance to vote for a great and decent governor like tony evers. you have got a chance to vote for an outstanding young man who work hard for you, mandela barnes. [applause] you have got a chance to vote for this whole ticket that will fight for a hopeful and inclusive america that we believe in. an america where we might not fix all of our problems overnight but where we can make things better. and better is worth fighting for. [cheers] mr. obama: so if you are anxious, if you are frustrated. do not complain. >> vote.

mr. obama: do not boo. >> vote. mr. obama: do not get bamboozled. >> vote. mr. obama: vote. get off your couch. put down your phones for a minute and -- >> vote. mr. obama: vote for this whole democratic wisconsin ticket and do -- and tell people to do the same. enough of us make our voices heard we will be better, and we will build a country that is more fair and more just in a -- and more equal, and more free. let's go do this, wisconsin. thank you, milwaukee. i love you. let's get to work. [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪

♪ when i wake up in the morning and the sunlight hurts my eyes something without warning weighs heavy on my mind when i look at you in the world is all right with me just one look at you and i note it's going to be -- know it is going to be a lovely day a lovely day a lovely day a lovely day a lovely day ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ >> this election day, november 8, will republicans retake the

house, can democrats retain control of the senate, follow c-span's coverage of key house and senate races, with our coverage of debate, rally and candidate events. television, or on our c-span now app. or visit c-span.org/campaign 2022. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government, we are funded by these television companies and more including charter communication. >> broadband is a force for empowerment, that is why charter has invested bit -- empowering opportunities in communities big and small, charter is connecting us. charter communications support c-span as a public servi along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy.

♪ >> c-span's washington journal, every day we take your calls alive on the air on the news of the day and we discuss issues that impact you. coming up monday morning, charlie cook, founder of the cook political report toxic campaign 2022 and the political news of the day. then, joseph campbell on the challenges posters face in the upcoming midterm elections. watch washington journal live, on c-span or on c-span now our free mobile video app. during the discussion with your phone calls, these book comments, -- facebook comments, text messages and tweets. >> do all americans have the fundamental right to privacy? it's sunday, on q&a a look at

the right to privacy versus the right to the public's -- the public's right information. discussing hulk hogan's lawsuit against gawker in 2017 -- he argued even though it was truthful, that his right to privacy would trump the right to gawker to publish on that truth, ultimately the jury agreed with him and a lot of people in the united states were shocked at that, because we understand so much, i think, about the freedom of the press, and that truth will protect us -- and yet within an instant, -- and yet it was an instance of someone's privacy becoming more

important than the public's right to know. amy gajda on c-span's q&a, you can listen to q&a and all of our podcasts on our free c-span now app. middle and high school students, it's your turn to shine. you are invited to participate in this year's span, student cam documentary competition. picture yourself as a newly elected member of congress, we ask this year's competitors what is your top priority and why. make a video that shows the importance of your vision from supporting and opposing perspectives. don't be afraid to take risks in your documentary, be bold. there is a $5,000 grand prize. videos must be submitted by january 20, 23