We've got to make sure that people understand the choices that are at stake.

Your speeches seem to be getting far tougher.Well,it's getting to be crunch time.Now is the time where people are going to start pay attendtion,leading up into the convention,and we've got to make sure that people understand the choices that are at stake....I think what we've been getting from John McCain has been nonstop attack against me and my character,which have distracted people from the issues.What I want to do is make sure the people understand that here are the choices,that you've got a candidate who is presenting policies that are identical to what George Bush has been doing for the last eight years,you've got somebody who intends to fundamentally change those policies so that they work for the average American family.And if people understand what those choices are,I think we will win.


There are Democrats who are nervous that you are not tough enough for the general election.I don't think that's just about me.I think they are congenitally nervous because we lost a bunch of presidential eletion where people felt that we should have won.But keep in mind that whatever concern people have about me,my campaign in particular,we heard those all through the primaries.And the reason-as I said the town-hall meeting-that I think we're going to be successful is,it's not about me.It's about the American people,It's about the fact that their wages and incomes have flatlined,their costs have gone up.Their costs have gone up,they are losing their health care.They are worried about the future.And the Republicans are going to want to try to focus this election on me.What I want to do is focus this election on the American people and who can actually deliver for them.



There has also been some criticism that you've helped fuel that idea that the election is about you-for example,with the huge rallies.I give full credit to the Karl Rove acolytes who are working for John McCain,and one of their general strategies is to try to turn strengths into weakness.The enthusiasm and involvement the grass roots that we've seen in my campaign,I consider a strength.That's one of the reasons we are able to compete in 18 battleground states.But those crowds and those rallies,those poeple have not come out bacause of my speechmarking.They've come out because they understand what's an stake in this election.And that's not going to change,and when when we have small town halls or we have roundtables like we had this morning,whatever the venue,the message is going to be the same,that somebody needs to be fighting for America's families in Wasington.We've got to stop haveing the agenda set by special interests and lobbyists,and I'm the person who's best quipped to bring that change about.