The President answered questions from the audience, as well as from people who had submitted their queries via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. He made a strong case for reform, by reminding folks in the room of his three principles -- lowering costs, preserving patient choice and expanding access to quality, affordable care – and reiterated his commitment to a public option, a health insurance exchange and a fiscally responsible, deficit neutral plan. He said he wouldn’t accept the status quo and is dedicated to enacting health care reform this year.

Our broken health care system is something I’ve had to face every single day as the Governor of Virginia. We’ve been able to do some great things, but families and businesses in Virginia struggle with the high costs of care as much as anyone in this nation. Think about this: 1 in 7 Virginians doesn’t have health insurance; and since 2000, average family premiums have increased by 99 percent.

As powerful as those numbers are, I think the most powerful case for reform are real stories – stories of people who can’t afford insurance, are denied care because of a pre-existing condition, lose insurance coverage when they lose their job, or have been forced into bankruptcy to take care of a sick child or elderly parent. Over the past several weeks, we’ve collected hundreds of thousands of these stories. Have you read them? You can, here. Have you seen them? Here are five web videos we’ve released over the past couple of weeks: Kristine, Cesar, Cathy, Lisa and Russell.

Reforming our health care system will be hard; and, as the President has said so many times before, if it were easy we would’ve done it already. Sure, the details need to be worked out, and yes, we will have to work hard to get reform that lowers costs, preserves choice and expands access. But the Obama administration has already had success in lining up support from groups that have opposed reform in the past -- pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, insurance companies and doctors associations. If you consider that millions of people are calling for reform because they won’t accept our broken system for any longer, and if you remember that President Obama has demonstrated incredible leadership and commitment to this issue – you will believe, as I do, that we can pass health care reform this year.

Here's how to get involved and do your part to enact comprehensive reform.

Organizing for America has collected hundreds of thousands of personal health care stories. The grassroots effort is building support in communities across the country for a plan that adheres to President Obamas three principles for reform: lowering costs, preserving patient choice and increasing access to quality care.

Take action over at Organizing for America's site.

“Today, we were fortunate to have had three excellent candidates who waged hard-fought campaigns. Creigh Deeds, Terry McAuliffe, and Brian Moran each made phenomenal efforts in their quest to represent the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia . However, in this race, as in every election, only one person can claim victory. Tonight is Creigh Deeds’ night.

“The election of Senator Deeds tonight as the 2009 Democratic nominee for governor is an incredible victory for Virginia—and its citizens. Senator Deeds’ victory is a clear signal Virginians want to keep our state moving forward, and I am pleased to extend my congratulations to my friend and colleague on this critical accomplishment.

“As Virginia continues to weather the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, we need elected leaders with the savvy and the courage to make the tough decisions to get our economy back on track. With his years of dedicated public service and real-world experience, Creigh is the ideal leader to keep Virginia the Best State for Business, the Best-Managed State , and the Place Where a Child is Most Likely to Succeed in Life. I’ve worked closely with Senator Deeds over the years and I am confident he will do what’s right for our communities and our Commonwealth.

“I know from experience that Virginia is a place where Democrats have won—and will continue to win—because we take a pragmatic, results-oriented approach to politics and governing, instead of an ideological one. We’re known for being problem-solvers and unifiers and we pursue policies that work for Virginia families.

“Creigh Deeds has always been able to bring people together, build consensus, and deliver results. That’s exactly the approach that Virginians have supported over the past eight years, and I have no doubt that Creigh will work in a bipartisan way to keep building on the progress we’ve made.

“In the coming months, Virginians will have the chance to decide who we want to be the chief steward of our resources and the kind of leader we feel will ensure the best opportunities for our families and our future.

“The choice is clear: Creigh Deeds is the best candidate to continue the work begun by my administration — and the Warner administration before ours — while positioning us for future achievements.”

Deputy Assistant Secretary George Skibine said in March that "there are rare circumstances when Congress should intervene and recognize a tribal group, and the case of the Lumbee Indians is one such rare case."

The Lumbee tribe in particular has generated significant support for their cause and passage of this legislation;

The Lumbees are recognized by the state and were partially recognized by the federal government in 1956, but at the same time Congress denied the Lumbee benefits given to other American Indians.

"What Congress started Congress should finish, that's why we are back here today," said Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., the bill's sponsor. "It's time for discrimination to end and for recognition to begin."

Here's some news: even before money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is available to start stimulating the economy, the President’s signature on the act may itself be able to start saving jobs.

Though it could be a matter of weeks or months before funds from the act actually reach businesses and local governments, the Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar said today that if ARRA passes, his company would be able to rehire some of the 20,000 employees it has laid off in the last few weeks.

Creating millions of jobs and investing in our nation's future with a 21st century economy. Fired up and ready to go.

Watch the video, and head over to the Obama campaign blog for the full text of remarks.

Warner, who is running for Senate, carried the rural area for the Democrats when he ran for governor in 2001. And Warner persuaded CGI and Northrop Grumman Inc. in 2005 to locate in the coal-mining region.

The two companies moved to the region as a less expensive way to do business without sending jobs overseas. Amid the rolling farmland, Northrop Grumman operates a call center and backup data center for Virginia's state government across from Canada's CGI Group center, which employs software developers, analysts and consultants.

The text of McCain's call for deregulating health insurance companies follows:

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation." - John McCain

Below are excerpts from the press conference:

Judy Feder, Democratic nominee for US Representative from Virginia's 10th Congressional District:

"We're here today, all of us, to repudiate Senator McCain's call to deregulate the health insurance companies. Senator McCain wrote in this month's issue of an insurance magazine that we should deregulate the insurance companies--and I quote--'as we have done over the last decade in banking.' In other words, John McCain wants to run the health care industry just like they've been running Wall Street--straight into the ground...After risking the American people's retirement and jeopardizing the economic security of our country, now they want Americans to suffer the same uncertainty about their health care...I'm here today, as someone who has spent my life trying to get everybody affordable health care and fix our broken system, and I'm here to say to John McCain: No way.   It's a risk we can't afford."

Barbara Favola, Vice Chair of the Arlington County Board and a member of Virginia's State Health Board:

"The election before us is about choices.  As we stand before John McCain's campaign headquarters and one of his homes, one of his many homes, John McCain's risky health care plan won't do a whole lot to help the people I just talked about...working families need someone who will stand up for them, someone who will tell the oil lobbyists, the insurance companies, and other special interest groups that the average American must come first. Can we trust John McCain to deliver that message? No. On the other hand Barack Obama understands the struggles of working class families. He understands that access to health care is a basic necessity of life and the pursuit of happiness and the American dream really don't happen until these basic necessities are taken care of.  Barack Obama has a package that respects American families that tells them they are valued and helps them provide for their children and their future."

Looking out at this crowd and feeling the energy, I can tell you this: We are making history.

I am here tonight not just as the governor of Virginia who knows the people of my state need a better partner in White House, not just as a Democrat who is tired of politics as usual, but most importantly as an American who wants to see American values guiding our country again.

For eight years we’ve seen what happens when a president lets Washington values become more important than American values. Gas prices skyrocket when the White House lets oil companies call the shots. Our children are left behind when an administration cares more about sound bites than sound schools. And middle-class families are left to fend for themselves to save their jobs, their homes, and their grasp on the American dream.

Maybe for John McCain the American dream means seven houses—and if that’s your America, John McCain is your candidate. But for the rest of us, the American dream means one home—in a safe neighborhood, with good schools and good health care and a little money left over every month to go out for dinner and save for the future.

Does that seem like too much to ask? John McCain thinks it is.

He’ll keep answering to the special interests and Washington lobbyists—we’re ready for leadership that answers to us. And the leader who will deliver the change we need is Barack Obama.

Now folks, it won’t be easy. Change never is. And if we are to succeed, we’ll need a little extra something. The Gospel of Matthew says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain ‘move mountain’ and it will move.” My life-long faith deepened when I traveled to Honduras to work with Catholic missionaries after my first year in law school.

Hay algunos Latinos aqui? Estamos unidos, verdad?

I learned from a great mentor there, Brother Jim O’Leary, that faith is about more than words or doctrine—it’s about action. And that led me to spend my life in public service. While I was learning how to put my faith into action in Honduras, Barack Obama was doing the same thing on the streets of South Side Chicago—empowering people to rebuild their communities and reclaim their lives after the steel plants closed down.

Joe Biden has also spent his lifetime putting faith into action—overcoming unspeakable tragedy in his personal life, and as a U.S. Senator making our world safer, our air cleaner, and protecting women from crimes of violence.

For Barack Obama, for Joe Biden, for me, for all of us, the principles of faith call us to service.

With faith in the American dream, we strive for better schools, economic justice, and smarter foreign policies because we believe in the God-given principles of equality, freedom, and opportunity. With faith in each other, we work for a common-sense approach to politics that focuses on results, not partisan division, because we recognize that we’re all in this together.

Aren’t we all tired of a Washington that doesn’t have any faith in us? Fellow delegates, fellow Democrats, and fellow Americans, now is the time to let our faith guide us to action once again.

We need to put our faith into action—to elect a president who will put middle-class Americans first again and reward companies who create jobs in America instead of shipping them overseas.

We need to put our faith into action—to elect a president who will end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and invest in green-collar, clean-energy jobs right here at home.

We need to put our faith into action—to elect a president who will invest in our students, teachers and schools, and make college affordable once again for every American family.

We need to put our faith into action—to elect a president who will responsibly end the war in Iraq, give our veterans and their families the support they need, and reinvigorate our military to face the challenges ahead.

If we put our faith into action, we can move mountains.

We can move the mountains of negativity and division and gridlock.

We can move the mountains of special interests and business as usual.

We can move the mountains of hopelessness that surround too many of our people and communities.

Does anybody here have a little faith tonight? Is anybody here ready to move those mountains?

Starting right here in the Mile High City, we will put our faith into action; we will reject the failed policies of George Bush and John McCain; we will elect Barack Obama our next president.

In the words of the gospel hymn—“move mountain.”

Say it with me—“move mountain.”

Say it with me again—“move mountain.”

Mountain, get out of our way!

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) energized the Pepsi Center with an incredible speech and was introduced by daughter, Chelsea. Senator Clinton declared: "No way. No how. No McCain."

Democratic Senatorial candidate and former Governor Mark Warner (D-Virginia) delivered a great keynote address.

Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-Montana) fired up the room and rattled off an unforgettable line about drilling in all of John McCain's many, many backyards, including the ones he cannot remember.

Watch more videos from the Democratic National Convention here and at 3pm Mountain, catch live streaming video in the most crystal-clear HD that this blogger has ever seen on the tubes.

And I believe from the bottom of my heart with the right vision, the right leadership, and the energy and creativity of the American people, there is no nation that we can’t out-hustle or out-compete, and no American need be left out or left behind.

Yes, the race for the future is on, and it won’t be won if only some Americans are in the running. It won’t be won with yesterday’s ideas and yesterday’s divisions. And it won’t be won with a president who is stuck in the past. We need a president who understands the world today, the future we seek and the change we need. We need Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

Now, I have a unique perspective on this race for the future. Like many of you, I was the first in my family to graduate from college. It was made possible by supportive parents, good public schools, and since my folks didn’t have the resources, thank goodness for the student loan program. After I graduated law school, it didn’t take long to realize that America really wouldn’t miss me as a lawyer.

So I started a business. My first company failed in six weeks. My next one was much more successful. It failed in six months. And then a buddy of mine told me that there was this new idea—this thing called “car telephones”—“cell phones.”

Friends told me, “Warner, get a real job. No one’s going to want a phone in their car.” But I saw a different future. And with luck and a lot of hard work, I got in on the ground floor of the cell phone industry.

There’s only one country in the world where I could have received that education. Where I could have been given not just one chance, or two, but three, and where I could have succeeded—and that’s this country: the United States of America.

At our best, it’s not your lineage or last name that matters. It’s not where you come from that counts, it’s where you want to go. In America, everyone should get a fair shot. Barack Obama understands this, because he’s lived it. And Barack Obama is running to restore that fair shot for every American.

When we look around today, we see that for too many Americans that fair shot is becoming more of a long shot. How many kids have the grades to go to college, but not the money? How many families thought their home would always be their safest investment? How many of our soldiers come back from their second or third tour of duty, wondering if the education and health care benefits they were promised will actually be there? Two wars, a warming planet, an energy policy that says let’s borrow money from China to buy oil from countries that don’t like us. How many people look at these things and wonder what the future holds for them?

Their children? Their country? How many? In George Bush and John McCain’s America, far too many.

Let’s be fair, some of these challenges were inevitable. But all of them are more severe, more immediate and more threatening, because of the misguided policies and outdated thinking of this administration.

People always ask me, “What’s my biggest criticism of President Bush?” I’m sure you all have your own. Here’s mine—it’s not just the policy differences, it’s the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resource: the character and resolve of the American people. He never asked us to step up.

Think about it: after September 11th, if there was a call from the president to get us off foreign oil to stop funding the very terrorists who had just attacked us, every American would have said, “how can I do my part?” This administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation, when all of us work together.

John McCain promises more of the same—a plan that would explode the deficit that will be passed on to our kids. No real strategy to invest in our crumbling infrastructure. And he would continue spending $10 billion a month in Iraq.

I don’t know about you, but that’s just not right. That’s four more years that we just can’t afford.

Barack Obama has a different vision—and a different plan. Right now, at this critical moment in our history, we have one shot to get it right. And the status quo just won’t cut it.

Now let me tell you, if you think there’ve been dramatic changes in the world and technology over the last 10 years, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The race is on, and if you watched the Olympics, you know China’s going for the gold.

You know, America has never been afraid of the future, and we shouldn’t start now. If we choose the right path, every one of these challenges is also an opportunity. Look at energy: if we actually got ourselves off foreign oil, we can make our country safer. We’ll start to solve global warming, and with the right policies, within 24 months, we’ll be building 100 mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrid vehicles right here, with American technology and with American workers.

Look at health care: if we bring down costs and cover everyone, not only will America be healthier, we’ll be more competitive in the global economy. Just think about this: in six months we will have an administration that actually believes in science, and then we can again lead the world in life-saving and life-changing cures.

Look at education: if we recruit an army of new teachers and actually give our schools the resources to meet our highest standards, not only will every child in America get a fair shot, the American economy will get a shot in the arm. Whether they want to be an engineer or an electrician, every kid will be trained for the jobs of the 21st century.

Or look at America’s standing in the world: if we rebuild our military and rebuild our alliances, we can rally the world to defeat terrorism and restore America’s leadership. Which candidate understands these opportunities, and which candidate knows we don’t have another four years to waste? Barack Obama.

And Barack Obama knows this too: we need leaders who see our common ground as sacred ground. We need leaders who will appeal to us not as Republicans or Democrats, but first and foremost as Americans.

You know, I spent 20 years in business. If you ran a company whose only strategy was to tear down the competition, it wouldn’t last long. So why is this wisdom so hard to find in Washington? I know we’re at the Democratic convention, but if an idea works, it really doesn’t matter if it has an “R” or a “D” next to it.

Because this election isn’t about liberal vs. conservative. It’s not about left vs. right. It’s about the future vs. the past. In this election, at this moment, in our history, we know what the problems are. We know that at this critical juncture we have only one shot to get it right. And we know that these new times demand new thinking.

We believe in success. We believe that everyone should have an opportunity to get ahead, and with success comes a responsibility to make sure others can follow. I think we are blessed to be Americans. But with that blessing comes an obligation to our neighbors and our common good.

So you give every child the tools they need to succeed. That means quality schools, access to health care, safe neighborhoods. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, of course it is; but because if those kids do better, we all do better. You can be soft-hearted or hard-headed—both are going to lead you to the same place. We’re all in this together. That’s what this party believes. That’s what this nation believes. That’s what Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe.

And we can do it, sure we can. When I became governor, this is what Virginia faced: a massive budget shortfall, an economy that wasn’t moving, gridlock in the capital. Sound familiar? So what did we do? Working together, a Democratic governor, with a two-to-one Republican legislature, and a whole lot of good folks who didn’t see themselves as either Democrats or Republicans but as Virginians, we closed the budget gap, and Virginia was named the best managed state in the nation.

We made record investments in education and in job training. We got 98 percent of our eligible kids enrolled in our children’s health care program. We delivered broadband to the most remote areas of our state; because, if you can send a job to Bangalore, India, you sure as heck can send one to Danville, Virginia and Flint, Michigan and Scranton, Pennsylvania and Peoria, Illinois. In a global economy, you shouldn’t have to leave your home town to find a world-class job.

Let me tell you about a place called Lebanon—Lebanon, Virginia. Lebanon is in the coalfields of southwest Virginia, and everyone in that whole town could fit right here on the convention floor. Lebanon is like many small towns in America. It has seen the industries that sustained it downsized, outsourced, or shut down. Now, some folks look at towns like Lebanon and say, “Tough luck. In the global economy, you’ve lost.”

But we believed that we shouldn’t—and couldn’t—give up on our small towns and expect the rest of the state to prosper. And that’s what brought me, towards the end of my term, to the high school gym in Lebanon to announce that we were going to bring over 300 high-tech jobs, jobs that paid twice the county average.

One student told a reporter from The Washington Post that before this, he always thought he’d have to move away to get a good job and raise a family. I just heard from this young man, Michael Kisor. Today, he is a junior at Virginia Tech. His older brother just moved back home to Lebanon because there was an information-technology job open for him, that was just too good to pass up.

That’s a story worth rewriting all across America. With the right leadership, we can once again achieve a standard of living that is improved—and not diminished—in each generation. We can once again make America a beacon for science and technology and discovery.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know how to do it. The American people are ready. And Barack Obama and Joe Biden will get it done.

As governor of Virginia, it was humbling to occupy a position that was once held by Thomas Jefferson. Almost as daunting as delivering the keynote speech four years after Barack Obama or speaking before Hillary Clinton.

Towards the end of his life, Thomas Jefferson, the founder of our party, wrote one of his frequent letters to his old rival, John Adams. He complained about the aches of getting old, but what was on his mind was what life would be like for the next generation of Americans. As Jefferson was ready to go to sleep, he closed his letter by writing, “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”

Jefferson got it right at the dawn of the 19th century, and it’s our challenge to get it right at the dawn of the 21st. This race is all about the future. That’s why we must elect Barack Obama as our next president. Because the race for the future will be won when old partisanship gives way to new ideas, when we put solutions over stalemates, and when hope replaces fear.

Tonight, looking out at all of you and with a deep faith in the character and resolve of the American people, I am more confident than ever that we will win that race and make the future ours.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

(Our bus driver Glen feeds the meter)

We stopped in Pittsburgh last night for a grassroots fundraiser at The Church Brew Works, a brewpub built into an old Catholic church. If you're a fan of architecture and good beer (and I am of both), it's worth a trip to Pittsburgh to see it. Around 400 people came out to see Kal Penn and the Governor speak. Sean Casey, the owner, figured we hadn't eaten after being on the bus all day and gave us a couple of pizzas (which proved to be just as good this morning as they were last night).

We left Pittsburgh at 8am and we're 50 miles outside Harrisburg as I write this, watching an Olympic soccer game. We've seen a lot of randomness on the road -- a burning car (everyone was fine), a military convoy complete with tanks, and this giant fiberglass cow, which our advance guy Chad was proud to pose in front of.

More after Harrisburg, then it's back to DC before Virginia tomorrow.

Across the board, people are impressed with Mark Warner's ability to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Known for bringing people together, the former Virginia Governor’s career encompasses the Convention’s theme of Americans coming together for change.

One of Warner’s hometown papers, the Roanoke Times, explains his ability to broaden the Democratic base. Warner “was elected governor in 2001 partly by reaching beyond traditional Democratic constituencies and making inroads in rural areas. He forged working coalitions with Republicans who controlled the General Assembly and won support for a 2004 tax increase that he deemed essential to shoring up the state's finances.”

Chat away...

I've gotten multiple reports from politicos in Maryland and Virginia about the Trust Huckabee robo-calls. The third-party group has launched their usual automated calls going after Huck's rivals, but with a twist: they haven't take Mitt out of their cross-hairs.

Huckabee has disavowed the group's efforts, but took a contribution from their parent organization last quarter.
[...]
The group offers even more oppo on the dreaded Romney, hitting the former rival on abortion, taxes, immigration and guns.