Obama Calls for 'Real Change' to a Cheering Crowd of 10,000 in Rhode Island

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If we want real change, we need leaders in Washington who say what they mean and mean what they say. I don’t want to just tell everyone what they want to hear, I’ll tell people what they need to know. Because real change isn’t about changing your position to fit the politics of the moment. And that’s the choice in this election.

Real change isn’t calling NAFTA a victory and saying how good it was for America until you decide to run for President, like Senator Clinton did. I won’t stand here and tell you that we can stop every job from disappearing because of trade, but I will tell you that when I am President, we will end the tax breaks for corporations who ship our jobs overseas and give them to companies who create good jobs right here in America. That’s real change.

Real change isn’t saying that you’ll stand up to lobbyists and special interests when you’ve taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any Democrat or Republican running for President, like my opponent has. I’m the only one in this race who’s actually passed laws to take power away from lobbyists, they haven’t funded my campaign, and they will not drown out the voices of working Americans when I am President. That’s real change.

Real change isn’t voting for a bankruptcy bill that makes it harder for working families to climb out of debt and then saying that you’re glad it didn’t pass once you start running for President. One of the first things I did when I got to the Senate was fight against the credit card industry’s bankruptcy bill, and when I am President, we’ll reform our bankruptcy laws so that CEOs can’t dump your pension with one hand while collecting their bonus with another. That’s real change.

And real change isn’t voting for George Bush’s war in Iraq and then telling the American people it was actually a vote for more diplomacy when you start running for President. The title of the bill was “A Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq.” What else were you voting for? I knew what it was, and that’s why I opposed this war from the start, and why I will bring our troops home when I am President. That’s real change.

You know, I am reminded every day, if not by events than by my wife, that I am not a perfect man. And I will not be a perfect President. But I promise you this – I will always tell you what I think and where I stand. I will be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, even when we disagree. And I will wake up every day in that White House thinking and working and fighting to make your lives a little bit better. That’s real change, and that’s the change we’ll have when I am President."