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Phil Sandlin / AP
First lady Michelle Obama gives the "Gator Chomp" to students as she speaks to a rally in Gainesville, Fla., Monday, Sept. 17.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Rallying the college vote, first lady Michelle Obama commended the "energy and passion" of young voters during stops in Florida Monday -- and cranked the pressure up, too.
"All of the progress we've made, it is on the line," Obama said inside a packed arena on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee.
"As my husband has said, this election's going to be even closer than the last one," she added. "And it could all come down to what happens in a few key battleground states. Yes -- like Florida. And folks here in Florida, you all know a little something about close elections, don't you?"
It wasn't Obama's first reference to the George W. Bush era.
Earlier, she implored the crowd not to "turn around and go back" to economic policies that she said "got [the United States] into trouble in the first place."
Florida is clearly part of that mission.
The First Lady's visit may be an indication that whatever ground President Barack Obama has gained here and in other battleground states is going to be guarded closely.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll last week showed the president holding a lead of five points on Republican nominee Mitt Romney among likely voters in Florida and Virginia, and a lead of seven points in Ohio.
"From now until November the 6th, we're going to need every single one of you to work like you've never worked before," Obama said. She urged students to take advantage of early voting in order to volunteer on election day.
Hours before the first lady arrived in Tallahassee, a flap blew up over a surreptitious video that captured Romney at a fundraiser this year, telling donors that supporters of Barack Obama are "dependent upon government."
Obama didn't mention the controversy here in Tallahassee, and instead painted a broad picture of values she said she and her husband share.
"You have to be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all of the people you serve," she said. "As president you need a strong inner compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizen, that’s how you make the right decisions for this country. That’s what it takes to be a leader."
Late Monday, Romney said during a press conference that his remarks were not "elegantly stated" but reflect his philosophical differences with the White House.
"This is something I talk about a good deal in rallies and speeches and so forth, which is the president and I have very different approaches to the future of America," Romney said.
Obama campaign officials estimated 8,850 people showed up in Tallahassee. Earlier Monday, the first lady addressed students on the campus of the University of Florida, in Gainesville.
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OK all you college students that Michelle thinks are too obese, get off your fat asses and get to work. Oh, you can't find a job, but are saddled with huge low interest 30 year student loans, thanks to Obama? So what, get to work so Obo can take your taxes and try to pay down the record deficit he's responsible for. In the meantime, we've got food stamps and unemployment for you, as long as you move back in with the folks and stay on their insurance. Ain't life grand!
Of course this election is going to be closer than the last one. Palin couldn't have done any more damage to the McCain campaign if she had publicly flogged him.
I still believe that people are unhappy with were we are at right now and a lot of people are going to take that out on Obama. They problem that I see is that a lot of people see that Mitt Romney isn't a good option either.
So for me this election has come down to voting for the guy who has stabilized our economy, but not had much success at truly fixing it, or the guy who could do some serious damage.
Since I have a job, I'd rather suffer through 4 more years of what we have now rather than risk plummeting off a fiscal cliff so that the wealthy can have another tax break.
John Sidney McCain is and was a loser. He always talked about 'earmarks' and how he was going to eliminate them. That was his central theme. He never heard about the Mexican Invasion, the unnecessary wars, the high cost of fuel, the outrageous tax plans or JOBS. But by golly he knew about EAR MARKS. Well his earmark plan was about .0005 percent of the budget (which we still don't have in place thanks to Harry Reid) and he lost.
And this implausible ‘hero’ began his speeches with: My friends… he never knew we were not his friends but his employers. He never (like Obama if that is his name) held a job in commerce or industry, always at the public trough was he.)
This fool said "We won't campaign in Michigan because that is a democat state”. Palin said : Send me! The loser sent his cronies to her saying ‘STFU missy’. And then good old loser Sid made so many 'gimmes' for the usurper that there was no way he could ever win.
All of this nonsense begs the question as to whether or not Sid wanted to win, whether the old guard RNC wanted to win, whether or not they were even interested in winning?
The short answer is NO THEY WERE NOT.
And today, yes today the fools who operate the levers of power at the RNC do not want Romney to win so they have merely trickled ad help and financial help.
What sort of idiots are the people at the RNC ?
Support an American who supports America ! That for you miscreants would be Romney.
Remember the name.
I guess you REPUBLICANS, have figured out you picked the wrong guy. He bought your vote, now you are finding out stupid the vote was. OBAMA have to clean up behind you, now you gripe because he did what he had to do. Sorry, you should have picked a better candidate. the one you did is a liar and thief. sorry you did not check him out before you voted. your problem deal with it.
americans are going to fire obama....not as much as they are going to elect romney.
...sorry.
Romney stole the ballot from Ron Paul. Google it!
Any vote for Romney is a vote in support of voter fraud on a grand scale.
John Sidney McCain is and was a loser. He always talked about 'earmarks' and how he was going to eliminate them. That was his central theme. He never heard about the Mexican Invasion, the unnecessary wars, the high cost of fuel, the outrageous tax plans or JOBS. But by golly he knew about EAR MARKS. Well his earmark plan was about .0005 percent of the budget (which we still don't have in place thanks to Harry Reid) and he lost.
And this implausible ‘hero’ began his speeches with: My friends… he never knew we were not his friends but his employers. He never (like Obama if that is his name) held a job in commerce or industry, always at the public trough was he.)
This fool said "We won't campaign in Michigan because that is a democat state”. Palin said : Send me! The loser sent his cronies to her saying ‘STFU missy’. And then good old loser Sid made so many 'gimmes' for the usurper that there was no way he could ever win.
All of this nonsense begs the question as to whether or not Sid wanted to win, whether the old guard RNC wanted to win, whether or not they were even interested in winning?
The short answer is NO THEY WERE NOT.
And today, yes today the fools who operate the levers of power at the RNC do not want Romney to win so they have merely trickled ad help and financial help.
What sort of idiots are the people at the RNC ?
Support an American who supports America ! That for you miscreants would be Romney. Remember the name.
So Obama has "fired up" the college vote by having Michelle speak at one university in Florida? What a massive ego is given to them by the MEDIA.
(and he doesn't need the help with inflating his ego)
Neither Obama nor Romney have anything to offer our future but US Bankruptcy, endless wars followed by third world poverty.
With Ron Paul out of the race, the only useful hope for our children is Gary Johnson with the LIBERTARIAN Party.