Atlanta (CNN) – President Barack Obama spoke to an excited crowd in Atlanta Tuesday, defending his Affordable Care Act on the eve of the Supreme Court's decision on the constitutionality of the law.
Speaking at a fundraising reception at the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel, Obama told supporters "the American people understand we're not going to make progress by going backwards. We need to go forward. They understand we don't need to re-fight this battle over healthcare. It's the right thing to do."
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Repeating the "it's the right thing to do" mantra several times, the 500 attendees reacted with loud cheers. Each paid between $500 and $1000 to attend the event.
Highlighting the differences between Mitt Romney's economic plans and his own, Obama took shots at his rival's plan for top-down economics.
"We tried it, tried it recently and it doesn't work," Obama said, insisting the way to grow the economy is to "make sure every child in America has the best education possible" and to bring jobs back to the U.S.
Referencing a recent Washington Post article, Obama pointed out Romney's former firm, Bain Capital, was a pioneer in using offshore jobs. Obama stated frankly, "We need a president in the White House that will fight to bring jobs back to the U.S."
He told the group, "I am not a perfect man and I will never be a perfect president," but stressed the importance of Americans working together and acknowledged his need of the crowd's support.
"This is going to be a close election. The economy is still tough and folks are still frustrated," Obama said. He explained the messages from the Romney campaign will be, "the economy is bad and it's Obama's fault," but insisted that when he travels the country his faith is restored each day.
Laughing, he commented that in 2008 he didn't have all the gray hair he does today but promised "I believe in you. I hope you still believe in me."
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@anoel2005: are you kidding? the white house has reached out so many times to the republicans to try to work together. nearly every time, the republicans throw a temper tantrum when things aren't 100% their way. that's not working together. then they turn around and say the democrats and the white house don't want to cooperate. the republicans have repeatedly stated their goal is to defeat obama. their goal is not the recovery of the economy, it's not the job market, it's not anything but making sure obama is a one-term president.
Hopefully this man is TOAST--–A slick salesman that doesn't know how to deliver!
Divide and conquer-he likes to do that.
I believed you in 2008 when you said Bush ruined America, and you were going to make things better for Americans. Then you kept Bush's policies in place. Now you're giving hundreds of thousands of illegals work permits when we have 12 million legal Americans unemployed. How can the Republicans be any worse after 3 and a half years of your lies? I believe nothing you say, and will not make the mistake of voting for you again.
I do. I still have faith in you.
I'd vote for Bill Clinton before voting for Obama. Hell, I'd vote for Clinton before I vote for Romney.
Thinking people never did believe in you, Obama, and we never will. You are a loser.
Hope for change in 2012.
YES! I still believe you are the same s ocialist your were in 2008 when you hoodwinked America.
Believe in you? Are you kidding me? What a joke.
are you serious?? barry, you've been a complete failure!!
I don't believe Obama will lower the sea levels like he said he would.
I still believe in our president. I intend to vote once again for him in November. If Romney is elected, we will no longer have ANY middle class. It will be either the poverty-stricken (working or non-working poor) or the 1%. Take your pick. We need a strong middle class to have a strong economy. Romney has no idea what it's like to be poor, to wonder where your next meal is coming from, to wonder when you will ever find a job that will give you the potential to rise out of poverty. Romney was born into wealth and has never had to worry a day in his life about money. How can he relate?
Not a bad guy? O m g you cant be serious! Believe in him? While hes systematically battled american soverignty and her citizenry, hes absolutely diabolical. Sure barry we're still expecting hope and change, what a laughingstock. Romney at bain did what he was hired to do in leu of the global economy and the fed shut down of american industry. With liberals its like arguing with a third grader. You guys really should rest your necks im almost embarrased for you and barry, what a joke. I believe in you barry, i believe you should be in prison!
So what's his next whine "I can change, I can change" sniff sniff tear. Ha Ha Ha.
Vote him out, it's the right thing to do......
Our children are uneducated
manufacturers have left
the middle class is vaporizing before our eyes
jobs you can make a living at are very hard to come by
both political parties work to keep them self in power...
Does anyone have a fix that does not involve pointing fingers and political rhetoric?
Obama has attended more campaign fundraising events than the last 6 presidents combined.
Four years ago, Candidate Obama ran his campaign on working across party lines to help the middle-class. The middle-class are diminishing under Obamanomics. 95% of the people that lost jobs during the recession were middle-class. Those that have been fortunate enough to find work find themselves classified as poor. 12.7 million are still looking for work. The median household net worth has dropped 40% under Obama pushing many more into the poor classification. $5 trillion debt and a sliding economy threaten to plunge us back into recession.
Mr. Obama, I don't believe in you anymore!
Republican strategy for a Democratic president: obstruct his first term, while trying to create as much difficulty for him to succeed at his job. Then when he's re-elected, you still obstruct his presidency. But now you're not trying to simply make the guy a 1 term president. It's time for guys like Darrell Issa (or Newt Gingrich back in Clinton's time) to ramp up the phony investigations designed to take up all of the President's time throughout his 2nd term.
The GOP will not be satisfied until they again control all branches of government.
We all know how that turned out the last time.
I still believe Obama's best days are yet to come. In Chicago.
Nothing that this man says is believable. No matter how beautifully he reads from a teleprompter, his message is only as lasting as smoke from a candle on a breezy porch.
No, I don't believe you anymore. I voted for you four years ago and I will not vote for you again.
Change I can believe in isn't you Mr. President.
l my 401k stinks...house has lost 25% ....nope...dont believe in your fail ideas....and moral cripple leadership...nope...
Don't worry Mr. President, I never believed in you to begin with and I still do not today but you didn't swear a pledge to Grover Norquist so you probably get my vote in November. The sad truth is you beat a better man last time in John McCain by making promises you should of known you could not keep. You are to the nation what the Governator was to California. The Governator came in promising to make everything better too and nothing much changed on his watch either. If you do lose this time the lesson that should be learned is don't promise things you can't deliver. I believe you are the lesser of two evils and that's the best you are ever going to get from me.
Don't get me wrong. I was an Obama fan but "I hope you still believe in me" sounds pathetic. Having said all that, I don't have a dime worth of interest in Romney. After all, I reckon that I'm just sick and tired of same old politics.