Will fundraising for Obama get Dick Lobo chairmanship of Broadcasting Board of Governors?

BBG Watch Commentary

There have been rumors that Richard Lobo, the current director of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), is being considered by the White House for the position of the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). IBB and Voice of America (VOA) are some of the elements of the BBG, which manages all U.S. government-funded civilian international broadcasting and Internet news operations.

Broadcasting Board of Governors and Voice of America employees are now asking whether fundraising for President Obama’s presidential campaign by the Lobo family will get Richard Lobo BBG chairmanship. Having a friend of the U.S. President at the head of the BBG might be good for U.S. international broadcasting if it provides access to the White House that is used to bring in more prestige and funding as it did when Charles Z. Wick was put in charge of the United States Information Agency during the Reagan Administration.

But critics argue that Richard Lobo and the Obama Administration have supported plans that could have resulted and may still result in broadcasting cuts to countries without free media, firings of experienced journalists, privatization of the Voice of America and giving control over other U.S. international broadcasting assets to a group of political supporters of President Obama, their friends and business associates.

IBB Director Richard Lobo

Lobo is also not as close to President Obama and the First Lady as Charles Wick was to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. As a sign of President Obama’s lack of interest, the White House made no move to replace BBG members whose terms have long expired. They continue to serve. Critics also point out that the Obama White House doesn’t even come close to sharing President Reagan’s passion for using international broadcasting to undermine undemocratic regimes. The same critics also describe Lobo as a poor IBB manager.

But, Lobo does seem to have at least some influence with the Obama family. According to media reports, about 250 people attended the outdoor fundraiser last Thursday at the Lobos’ home in Sarasota, FL at which Michelle Obama was a key speaker. Guests paid a minimum of $500 per person, with the proceeds going to the Obama Victory Fund. The First Lady was introduced by Richard Lobo’s wife Caren, who also hosted the fundraiser at the same location with Michelle Obama four years ago prior to the 2008 presidential primaries.

President Obama later nominated Richard Lobo to be the director of the International Broadcasting Bureau. The job pays more than $170,000 per year plus generous federal employment benefits.

Walter Isaacson

The rumor has it that Richard Lobo could now replace Walter Isaacson, the BBG Chairman, who announced his resignation last Friday.

Critics charge that both Isaacson and Lobo have done little to improve U.S. international broadcasting. They both kept and even promoted members of the management team that has been consistently rated in government-wide employee surveys as being the worst in leadership and management knowledge. During Lobo’s and Isaacson’s tenure, their managers proposed to end Voice of America radio and television broadcasts to China. That proposal raised loud protests from VOA journalists, media freedom and human rights groups and was ultimately killed by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Contributing to poor employee morale under Isaacson-Lobo leadership has been also the hiring of former CNN employees, some of whom had worked with Isaacson at CNN, to fill various high-paying management and other positions at the BBG. Some of these former CNN staffers have no experience in international journalism and don’t speak any foreign languages.

Steven Korn

Critics describe some of the CNN hires as contributing to worsening of employee morale. One of the hires, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Steven Korn, referred in an email to a group of RFE/RL employees as “old white guys” and in an open meeting joked about hiring “a cute high school intern.” Some of those present and watching the meeting online, particularly women, found his comment highly offensive.

But, in his departing email to his senior staff, Isaacson praised Korn’s selection for the RFE/RL position, which also comes with a high three figure salary and a free apartment in Prague, the Czech Republic. Some critics see Isaacson’s farewell comment as an implicit endorsement of cronyism and a work environment at the Broadcasting Board of Governors in which women and men can be demeaned by top managers without any consequences. According to our sources, one of the BBG members even warned Isaacson and other BBG members about a legal liability of appearing to condone comments with inappropriate references to age, gender and race. BBG Watch has seen reports of older white males at RFE/RL being pushed out or having their titles changed. We have also received highly disturbing reports of women, including women of color, being humiliated, fired and their rights ignored by top level managers at the BBG headquarters in Washington, DC.

As an IBB director, Richard Lobo has had no direct authority over RFE/RL, RFE/RL president and his statements, but Isaacson did have such authority, and Lobo would have it if he became BBG chairman. One BBG Watch source who spent some time with Lobo described him as a “nice and very smart guy.” Another source said, however, that Lobo lacks vision and energy to make badly needed personnel and policy changes. Another highly placed BBG official described the possibility of Lobo becoming BBG chairman as bad news for U.S. international broadcasting. The critic cited Lobo’s management record at the IBB.

Lobo inherited poor employee morale, but critics claim that he has done little to improve it and rewarded managers who were responsible for alienating BBG journalists and other rank-and-file employees. Lobo defended his decision to grant bonuses, some as high as $10,000 on top of $150,000-$170,000 salaries, to members of his management team, while at the same time some of very same managers tried to fire 45 Voice of America broadcasters specializing in human rights reporting to China.

Victor Ashe

Some of the managers defended by Lobo resisted BBG Governor Victor Ashe’s efforts to allow free flu shots for Voice of America contract employees who work in the same offices as regular full time VOA workers. Ashe prevailed by pointing out that contractors without flu shots who also work full time and share desks with government employees can infect the entire workforce.

The same IBB/BBG management team supervised by Lobo is also responsible for delays in payments to contract employees and not paying other BBG bills on time. Some of the payments have been delayed for many months and cost U.S. taxpayers extra money in interest. Full time contract employees, who constitute nearly half of the VOA workforce, charge that BBG executives exploit them by denying them cost of living raises and all other basic employment benefits and protections. Ashe has been pressing Lobo for answers.

Critics also charge that the same executives working under the direction of Isaacson and Lobo have developed the BBG restructuring plan, which will be presented to Congress. Critics see the plan as an attempt to limit transparency, accountability, and public scrutiny while promoting corporate cronyism.

Despite some of Isaacson’s shortcomings, which — according to one source — included an oversize ego, being distracted by his book writing project, being unseen by most rank-and-file employees, avoidance of conflict and inability to confront failed managers, he was also regarded as someone with talent, class, and sometimes willingness to consider opposing points of view. He was apparently willing to compromise with the BBG’s senior Republican member Ambassador Victor Ashe.

Isaacson was also seen as a supporter of free debate at the board level. Ted Lipien, director of the independent Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB), which strongly opposed Isaacson’s plan to end VOA broadcasts to China, praised Isaacson for scrapping the China plan and for his later support of greater transparency at the BBG.

Critics fear that with Isaacson gone, the IBB/BBG management team, which ended VOA broadcasts to Russia, wanted to end them to China and now works for Richard Lobo, will again be making decisions affecting critical U.S. national security assets and international broadcasting operations. BBG Watch endorses the appeal of the Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting that the vacancy left by Chairman Walter Isaacson be filled with someone who shares CUSIB’s mission of supporting journalism that promotes media freedom and human rights and will call for greater transparency and accountability by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

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From the official BBG website:

Richard M. Lobo, Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau

Richard Lobo was named Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau in September 2010.

The IBB Director operates as an extension of the Broadcasting Board of Governors in its oversight of U.S. international broadcasting.  He provides day-to-day management of Agency operations including oversight of the technical, professional, and administrative support as well as strategic guidance and management of other programs.  Additionally, the IBB Director serves as the principal liaison for the Board with other U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, and private-sector organizations.

The IBB manages a global network of transmitting sites and an extensive system of leased satellite and fiber optic circuits, along with a rapidly growing Internet delivery system servicing the 58 language services of the BBG networks. For the agency’s federal components, the IBB provides research, manages the evaluation of broadcasts and is responsible for VOA editorials, along with support services including human resources, Equal Employment Opportunity, procurement, security, administrative, and graphics.

Prior to his appointment as director of the IBB, Lobo served as chairman of the Florida Public Broadcasting Service, Inc. He was also president and chief executive officer of WEDU (PBS) Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota. Lobo previously was president and general manager of WTVJ in Miami, station manager of WNBC-TV in New York, and vice president and general manager of NBC stations in Chicago and Cleveland. He served as director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting in the mid-1990s. An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Lobo has also been honored with the New York Black Citizens for a Fair Media’s Community Service Award, the Wall Street Chapter of IMAGE’s Hispanic Executive Award, and the Leadership Award of the Chicago Latino Committee on the Media. Under his direction as general manager of WTVJ, the station won the Peabody Award, the duPont Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for its coverage of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

A graduate of the University of Miami, Lobo has served on the board of the Florida Association of Broadcasters, was a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Suncoast chapter, and is the recipient of its Silver Circle Award. He was recent inductee into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. The Sarasota Chapter of the American Jewish Committee presented Lobo and his wife with the Civic Achievement Award. Lobo is a Captain (Retired) in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is married to Caren Lobo, has three children and five grandchildren.

Walter Isaacson, BBG Chair

Walter Isaacson is President of the Aspen Institute and serves as chair of the board of Teach for America. He is the former Chairman and CEO of CNN and former editor of Time Magazine.  Mr. Isaacson is the author of Steve Jobs, Einstein: His Life and Universe and Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, and the co-author of The Wise Men. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

Mr. Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard College and Pembroke College of Oxford University.

Isaacson serves as an ex-officio member of all Board committees including Governance, Strategy and Budget, Communications and Outreach.

Steven Korn, President and Chief Executive Officer, RFE/RL

Steven W. Korn was named President and CEO of RFE/RL, Inc. on June 3, 2011.

From 1996-2000, Mr. Korn served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of CNN, where he oversaw all operational, financial, technological, and other non-editorial functions for the CNN News Group on a global basis. In addition, he served on the supervisory board of German television news channel n-tv and on the board of CNN Plus, a Spanish language news service based in Madrid. Previously, Mr. Korn served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (TBS), where he was responsible for all legal affairs of TBS and its subsidiaries worldwide.

Following his 17 years at Turner Broadcasting, Mr. Korn assumed the role of publisher of the Daily Report, a legal newspaper, and GC South magazine, both located in Atlanta, Georgia. Before joining Turner in 1983, he was an attorney specializing in civil litigation involving media, entertainment and telecommunications issues.

Mr. Korn serves as a director on a variety of public and private company boards and as a trustee for a range of leading cultural and educational not-for-profit institutions, including Brown Shoe Company, Vassar College, SV Investment Partners and Precision IR Group. From 2000-2007, Korn served on the Board of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) where he was Chairman of the Investment and Compensation committees and was a member of the Executive, Strategic Planning, Finance and Budget, Programming, and Presidential Search committees.

Mr. Korn received a bachelor’s degree with honors from Vassar College in 1975, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and a juris doctor degree from Cornell University in 1978. At Cornell, he served as chancellor of the Cornell Law School Moot Court Board and a member of the National Moot Court Team.

From the White House official website:

The White House

Remarks by the First Lady at a DNC Event — Sarasota, FL

Private Residence
Sarasota, Florida

1:50 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, my goodness!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  This is beautiful.  I am never leaving.  (Laughter.)  It is such a pleasure and an honor to be back here.  I remember this event so well, because the Lobos are amazing — terrific, warm family.  This is a beautiful house, beautiful venue.  I think I wanted to stay last time.  (Laughter.)  So we have to arrange this differently from now on.

But I want to start by thanking Caren for not just that kind introduction — (applause) — absolutely.  But I want to thank Caren and Dick and their wonderful family for hosting us in their home again, and for all that they’ve done on behalf of this administration, our family.  It’s this kind of consistent support — so many of you were here that time ago — it matters.  It really does make a difference to us as we’re working so hard.  So we are so grateful.  So a round of applause to all of you.  (Applause.)

And we have to thank Alyssa White for her wonderful performance.  She is a tremendous talent, a beautiful young woman.  (Applause.)  Sign of the future — that’s who we’re working for. 

And of course, I want to thank our host committee for their outstanding work — this is an amazing turnout.  And I heard you guys were flawless to work with, so thank you all.  I want to make sure that we thank the caterers, the wait staff, everyone who’s worked so hard to make this event such a success.  Thank you all.  (Applause.)

And finally, thank you for joining us this afternoon.  And I know that there’s a reason why you all are here today, and it has a little more to do with spending a wonderful, sunny afternoon with a wonderful view and good food and good friends.  You’re here because you know that we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country.  You’re here because you know that in less than a year from now, we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come.

And you’re here because you know that that choice won’t just affect all of us, it will also affect our children and our grandchildren and the world we leave for them long after we’re gone.  (Applause.)  Absolutely. 

And that is also why I’m here today.  You see, as First Lady, I have had the privilege of traveling all across this great country, meeting folks from different backgrounds and hearing what’s going on in their lives.  And every day, I hear about their struggles -– the bills they’re trying to pay, the businesses they’re trying to keep afloat.  I hear about how people are taking that extra shift, working that extra job; how people are saving and sacrificing, never spending a dime on themselves, because they desperately want something better for their kids.

And make no mistake about it, these struggles are not new.  For decades now, middle-class folks have been squeezed from all sides.  The costs for things like gas and groceries and tuition have been rising, but people’s paychecks just haven’t kept up.

So when the economic crisis hit, for far too many families, the bottom just completely fell out.  And now, over the past three years, we have worked very hard to dig ourselves out of this mess.  And we have made some wonderful progress — wonderful progress.  (Applause.)  We have had 22 straight months of private sector job growth, and the unemployment rate is now the lowest it’s been in nearly three years.  That’s the truth.  (Applause.)

But we know that we have a long way to go.  And we’ve been working hard to rebuild our economy.  Your President has been working hard to build that economy based on a vision, a vision that we all share -– the belief, as my husband says, that hard work should pay off, that responsibility should be rewarded, and that everyone should get a fair shot, everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules.  (Applause.)

And these are basic American values.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  You know my story.  My father was a blue-collar worker, worked at a water plant.  My family lived in the South Side of Chicago, a little-bitty apartment.  My mother still lives there.  My room looks exactly the same.  (Laughter.)  She won’t change the bedspread  — nothing.  (Laughter.)  Neither of my parents attended college, but they worked and they saved and they sacrificed everything, because they wanted something more for me and my brother.

And more than anything else, that is what’s at stake, that fundamental promise that no matter who you are, or how you started out, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.

And on just about every issue -– from health care to education to the economy -– that is the choice we face.  For example, when we talk about tax cuts for middle-class families, or unemployment insurance for folks out of work, that’s about whether people can heat their homes; it’s about whether or not people will be able to put a hot meal on their table, or put gas in their car so that they can get to work, look for work.  It’s about whether folks can afford to own a home; send their kids to college; retire with dignity and security.  It’s about whether people will have more money in their pockets, which means more money in our economy, which means more jobs.

And that’s what’s at stake here.  That is the choice that we face.

And if we think for just a minute about what this administration has done to stand up for American consumers — I’m talking about families getting hit with those hidden credit card fees.  I’m talking about students, our kids, drowning in debt; our seniors losing their homes and savings because they were tricked into loans they couldn’t afford, couldn’t understand.

And that’s why my husband created a new consumer watchdog with just one simple mission –- (applause) — and that is to protect folks from exactly these kind of abuses.  Because when you’ve worked hard and you’ve saved and you’ve followed the rules, your President believes that you shouldn’t lose it all to someone looking to make some easy money.  That’s not fair.  It’s not right.  And we are working hard, your President is working hard, to do something about it. 

And what about all we’ve done together for our small businesses, the companies that create two-thirds of all new jobs each year — two-thirds.  I’m talking about the mother who opens up a dry-cleaning store in the neighborhood to provide for her kids.  Or the family that’s been running that neighborhood diner for generations.  Or the veteran who launches a startup and pursues that American Dream he fought so hard for. 

See, those are the folks who work themselves to the bone during the day, and then they head home and they pore over their books late into the night, determined to make those numbers add up.  That’s who we’re talking about.  For these folks, the small business tax cuts this administration has passed mean the difference between hiring new employees or handing out pink slips.  It’s the difference between keeping their doors open, or closing up shop for good.   

And that is the choice that we face.  That is the difference.

And how about the very first bill my husband signed into law — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work?  (Applause.)  The first thing he did.  And he did this because he knows what it means when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.

Barack watched his own grandmother –- a woman with a high school education, who worked her way up to become a vice president at a little community bank.  And she worked hard, and she was very good at what she did.  But like so many others, she hit a glass ceiling.  She watched men no more qualified than she was –- men she had actually trained -– be promoted up the ladder ahead of her. 

So, believe me, Barack knows that, for him, this issue is not abstract — this isn’t hypothetical.  He signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money for gas and groceries, school clothes for their kids.  

He did it because when nearly two-thirds of women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, he knows that women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)  And he did it because, as he put it, we believe that here in America, there are no second-class citizens in our workplace. 

That is what’s at stake here.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  (Applause.)

And let’s talk for just a minute about health care.  Last year, we made history together by finally — finally passing health reform.  But now, there are folks out there actually talking about repealing that reform.  And today, we have to ask ourselves, are we going to stand by and let that happen?

AUDIENCE:  No!

MRS. OBAMA:  Are we going to let insurance companies refuse to cover things like cancer screenings, prenatal care that don’t just save money, but save lives?  Or will we stand up for our lives — and for the lives of the people that we love?  (Applause.)   

Are we going back to the days when insurance companies could deny our children coverage because they have a preexisting condition like cancer or diabetes or even asthma?  Or will we stand up and say that in this country, no one should ever have to choose between going bankrupt or watching their child suffer because they can’t afford a doctor. 

And when our kids get older and graduate from school, we know how hard it is for them to find jobs — or jobs with insurance, which are even harder.  And that’s why, as part of health reform, kids can now stay on their parent’s insurance until they’re 26 years old.  And today, that’s how 2.5 million of our young people are getting their coverage.  (Applause.)  

So will we take that insurance away from our kids?  Or will we say that we don’t want our sons and daughters going without health care when they’re just starting out, trying to build families and careers of their own?   But that is the choice we face.

And think for a moment about what’s been done on education. 

Think about all those investments to raise standards and reform our public schools.  This work is about improving the circumstances for millions of children in this country.  These are all our children.  Kids we know are sitting right now in crumbling classrooms — kids who have so promise, kids who could be anything they wanted if we just gave them a chance.

Think about how we have tripled investments for job training at community colleges.  This is about hundreds of thousands of hardworking people who are determined to get the skills they need to better themselves — get better jobs, get better wages.  These are the folks that are trying to do it all.  They’re working fulltime.  They’re raising their kids.  But they still make it to class every evening, study late into the night, because they desperately want something better for their families.

And make no mistake about it, this investment in our students and our workers will determine nothing less than the future of our economy.  It will determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will let us compete with any country anywhere in the world.  That is what’s at stake.  That’s what’s at stake.  (Applause.)
 
And let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices, and for the first time in history — (applause) — our daughters and our sons watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)  And let’s not forget the impact their decisions will have on our lives for decades to come — on our privacy and security, on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and love whomever we choose.  That is what’s at stake here.  That is the choice we’re facing.  (Applause.)

And finally, let’s not forget all this administration has done to keep our country safe and restore our standing in the world.  (Applause.)  And thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts.  (Applause.)  

My husband ended the war in Iraq, brought home our troops for the holidays.  (Applause.)  And we’re working to give our veterans and their family the education, the employment and the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.)

And because your President ended “don’t ask, don’t tell,” our troops will never have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)

That is what’s at stake.  That is the choice we make.  (Applause.)

So make no mistake about it, whether it’s health care, the economy, whether it’s education or foreign policy, the choice we make will determine nothing less than who we are as a country — but more importantly, who we want to be.  Who are we?  Will we be a country where opportunity is limited to just the few at the top?  Or will we be a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead, no matter who you are or how you started out?

Who are we?  Will we tell folks who’ve done everything right, but are still struggling to get by — are we going to tell them, tough luck, you’re on your own?  Who are we?  Or will we honor that fundamental American belief that this country is strongest when we’re all better off?  (Applause.)  

Who are we?  Who do we want to be?  Will we continue all the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything we’ve fought for to just slip away?  That is the choice we face.  Those are the stakes.

And believe me, Barack knows this better than anyone.  He understands these issues because he’s lived them.  He was raised by a single mother who struggled to put herself through school, pay the bills, and when she needed help, his grandmother stepped up, working every day, going to take the bus before dawn to that job at the bank.  And even though she was passed over for all those promotions, she never complained.  She never complained.  She just kept showing up, just kept doing her best.  

So Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man — and more importantly — the President he is today.  And we are blessed to have him.  (Applause.)

And that is what I hear in his voice every day, when he returns home after a long day traveling around the country, and he tells me about the people he’s met.  That’s what I see in those quiet moments late at night, after the girls have gone to bed, and he’s poring over the letters people have sent him.  The letter from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care.  The letter from the father struggling to pay his family’s bills.  The letter from too many young people with so much promise, but so few opportunities. 

And I hear the passion and the determination in his voice.  He says, you will not believe what folks are going through.  That’s what he tells me.  He says, “Michelle, this isn’t right.  We’ve got to fix this.  We have so much more work to do.”

See, when it comes to the people that your President meets, he has a memory like a steel trap.  (Laughter.)  He might not remember your name, but if he’s had a few minutes and a decent conversation with you, he will never forget your story.  It becomes imprinted on his heart.  And that is what he carries with him every single day.  It is our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams.  And that is where Barack gets his passion.  That’s where Barack gets that toughness and that fight. 

And that’s why, even in the hardest moments, when it seems like all is lost and we’re all sweating — and we’re sweating him — (laughter) — Barack Obama never loses sight of the end goal.  He never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise.  He just keeps moving forward.  (Applause.)  

And he does it because he has a vision for this country.  He has a vision.  A President has to have a vision.  It’s a vision that we all share.  Deep down, we all share this vision. 

But I’ve said this before, I said it to you a few years ago and I will say it again:  He cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  He needs your help.  He needs you to make those calls, needs you to register those voters.  He needs you to take those “I’m in” cards and get them signed, and get your friends and your neighbors and colleagues to sign up.  Convince them to join you in giving just a little part of their life each week for the next few months to this campaign. 

Because we all know that this isn’t just about one extraordinary man — although I admit I’m a little biased.  I think he’s kind of cute.  (Laughter.)  But it is really, and has always been, about us — all of us — all of us coming together for the values we believe in and the country we want to be.

And I have never been one to kid you — right?  I am not going to kid you today.  This journey is going to be long.  It is going to be hard — it already has been — with many twists and turns along the way.  But what an exciting story it is.  (Laughter.)  But the truth is that’s exactly how change always happens in this country.  The reality is that real change is slow, and it never happens all at once.

But if we keep showing up, if we keep focused and fighting the good fight, then we always get there.  We always do.  We always get there.  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes; maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.  Because in the end, that’s what this is all about.  In the end, we are not fighting these battles for ourselves.  We’re fighting them for our sons and our daughters, for our grandsons, for our granddaughters.  We’re fighting for the world we want to leave for them.  (Applause.)  For them.  

And I’m in this not just as a mother who wants to leave a legacy for my children.  I’m in this as a citizen who knows what we can do together to change this country for the better.  Because the truth is, no matter what happens, my girls will be okay.  They are blessed.  My girls will have plenty of advantages and opportunities in their lives.  And that’s probably true for so many of the kids in your lives as well.  But I think that the last few years have shown us the truth of what Barack has always said — that if any child in this country is left behind, then that matters to all of us, even if she’s not our daughter, even if he’s not our son.  If any family in this country struggles, then we cannot be fully content with our own family’s good fortune. 

In the end, we cannot separate our own individual story from the broader American story.  Because we know that in this country, we rise and we fall together.  (Applause.)  And we know that if we make the right choices, if we have the right priorities, we can ensure that everyone — everyone — gets a fair shake and everyone has a chance to get ahead.  That is what’s at stake.

So it is time for us to get moving.  It is time for us to get it together, to get to work.  Stop complaining and worrying.  We need to stand up and work.  (Applause.)

So let me ask you one final question:  Are you in?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

MRS. OBAMA:  Wait.  Are you in?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

MRS. OBAMA:  Because I am so in.  (Laughter.)  I am so very in. 

So I hope that you all are fired up.  I hope that you all are ready to go.  And I look forward — I am going to be out there so tough, as much as I can be, getting it done.  You all have to have our backs once again.  You have been amazing.  But this is going to be hard.  We can’t take anything for granted and we need everyone — every single one of you — to be laser-focused, creating those smart women — right?  (Applause.)  Building up that base.  Telling people the truth of who this President is and what he’s done for so many across the country and around the world.  So we have to get it done. 

So thank you all.  Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.  Thank you for what you’re going to do in the future.  We are going to work hard. 

God bless you all.  Thanks.

END
2:14 P.M. EST

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