REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN ARNOLD, MISSOURI TOWN HALL

Fox Senior High School
Arnold, Missouri

10:25 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Everybody please have a seat.  Have a seat.  Thank you so much.  What a wonderful introduction.  It's good to be out of Washington, good to be back in the Midwest.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  Love you back.  (Applause.)

Let me, first of all, ask everybody to give a huge round of applause to Linda for the great introduction and everything that she's been doing in the community.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)

I've got a few other friends who are here -- you may know them, I want to make sure that I acknowledge them.  One of, I think, the finest members of Congress that we have and somebody who's just been a great friend of mine, she is somebody you want in the foxhole with you when you got a tough fight -- please give a huge round of applause to Claire McCaskill.  (Applause.)

We've got one of the finest new governors in the country, Jay Nixon.  (Applause.)  Where did Jay go?  There he is.  An outstanding Secretary of State and somebody who I think may turn out to be pretty good in Washington if she just so decides -- Robin Carnahan.  (Applause.)  We've got Attorney General Chris Koster here.  (Applause.)  State Treasurer Clint Zweifel.  (Applause.)  A great friend who was with me from the start -- Susan Montee, your State Auditor.  (Applause.)  We have our outstanding host today, Mayor Ron Counts, of Arnold.  (Applause.)

We've got Congressman Russ Carnahan, who is voting on the budget today, but I want everybody to give him a big round of applause anyway.  (Applause.)

I want to thank everybody here at Fox High School for their hospitality.  (Applause.)  I want to thank your lovely school superintendent, who is just doing an outstanding job. Please stand up.  (Applause.)  I want to thank the Warriors for the basketball jersey -- (applause) -- which I will wear with pride -- yeah!  (Applause.)  If I ever get to play basketball again -- (laughter) -- they've been keeping me a little busy.

It is great to be back in the middle of America, where common sense often reigns.  (Applause.)  And this reminds me of why I like to get out of Washington now and again.     

The last time I was in Missouri was just under six months ago, at a high school a lot like this one.  We were in Springfield; it was two days before the election, and I was making my final case to the American people.  And it was just an unbelievable crowd, bigger than anything anybody had expected.  And so we're here in Missouri to -- we were here in Missouri at the end of a long journey to the White House, and so now I want to come back and speak to you at the beginning of another long journey.  Today marks 100 days since I took the oath of office to be your President.  (Applause.)  One hundred days.  It's a good thing.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Now, back in November, some folks were surprised that we showed up in Springfield at the end of our campaign.  But then again, some folks were surprised that we even started our campaign in the first place.  (Laughter.)  They didn't give us much of a chance.  They didn't think we could do things differently.  They didn't know if this country was ready to move in a new direction.

But here's the thing -- my campaign wasn't born in Washington.  My campaign was rooted in neighborhoods just like this one, in towns and cities all across America; rooted in folks who work hard and look after their families and seek a brighter children -- future for their children and for their communities and for their country.

It was driven by workers who were tired of seeing their jobs shipped overseas, their health care costs go up, their dreams slip out of reach.  (Applause.)  It was grounded in a sense of unity and common purpose with every single American, whether they voted for me on Election Day or voted for somebody else.  It was energized by every citizen who believed that the size of our challenges had outgrown the smallness of our politics.  My campaign was possible because the American people wanted change.

I ran for President because I wanted to carry those voices -- your voices -- with me to Washington.  (Applause.)  And so I just want everybody to understand:  You're who I'm working for every single day in the White House.  I've heard your stories; I know you sent me to Washington because you believed in the promise of a better day.  And I don't want to let you down.

You believed that after an era of selfishness and greed, that we could reclaim a sense of responsibility on Wall Street and in Washington, as well as on Main Street.  You believed that instead of huge inequalities and an economy that's built on a bubble, we could restore a sense of fairness to our economy and build a new foundation for lasting growth and prosperity.  You believed that at a time of war, we could stand strong against our enemies and stand firmly for our ideals, and show a new face of American leadership to the world.
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