Thank you, Barbara [Byrd], for that kind introduction.              

And thank you, John [Kitzhaber], for being here for this Town Hall meeting. We like your ideas and your energy. Thank you for your commitment to working families. We're a loyal bunch, and when our champions need us, that's when we step up. We're going to fight, and we're going to win for John Kitzhaber for governor!              

The labor movement in Oregon has top-quality leadership -- Barbara's the real deal. And Tom Chamberlain is helping to bridge the gaps between working families and environmentalists and industry, so we can lead America forward toward a future of good jobs and shared prosperity. That's critical work, Tom.              

And I don't think it's too much to say that you in Oregon have led by example, you lifted every worker, this state's entire economy, when you fought for and won the Worker Freedom Act to end the practice of captive audience meetings. That's big. And you were one of the first states to have majority sign-up for public employees.              

This is the kind of nuts-and-bolts legislative work that makes a tremendous difference in the lives of working Oregonians.              

I want to talk to you about the AFL-CIO's strategy to rebuild America's middle class, but first I've got to talk to you about the problem, because it's not as simple as 11 percent official unemployment or the 20 percent under-employment in Oregon today.              

Those numbers are bad. But our problem goes back much further.              

Over the past 25 years, Oregon's middle class has slipped. Led by a decline in timber production and wood products manufacturing -- but also by the overall bleeding of the industrial base. Oregon's hard-working families have been working for less, and less.              

Even before the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, wages in Oregon fell steadily from 105 percent of the national average in 1990 to 95 percent of the average today.              

Now, you know as well as I do that the answer isn't to go back. There is no "back" to go to. This is about a nationwide, generation-long assault on the middle class by corporate CEOs in search of a low-wage workforce.              

In waves of outsourcing and anti-union legislation, we've seen private-sector jobs destroyed, degraded, our families demoralized.            

You saw how the right-wing attacked the autoworkers, blamed them for the woes of the auto industry, and now they're coming after the public employees.            

The job-killers want to portray union members as a greedy island of privilege. The truth is union members remain the foundation for decent standards. You're the strongest thing holding back a Republican-driven, all-out race-to-the-bottom -- a deeper and deeper hole.            

And that'll be the end of America's middle class.              

When union workers everywhere negotiate decent pay and decent benefits, what we do is lift all boats. Every worker, and every child, every retiree, and even every business owner in America, gets a chance to prosper -- a better life.            

Now, we have a plan to put a stop to this pell-mell race to the bottom. It's a one-word plan: Jobs!            

When you listen to Republicans on the jobs issue, it sounds like they're talking about some make-work project that costs a lot of money, is gone in six months, and saddles our kids and grandkids with debt.            

That makes about as much sense as Chris Dudley in the governor's office.            

I'm talking about real public investments that will dramatically alter and improve the face of America, public investments to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure -- and modernize it, like the light rail projects in Arizona and elsewhere, that will boost manufacturing right here in Portland at Oregon Ironworks, the only American manufacturer of light rail cars. I'm talking about public investments like the $3 billion planned reconstruction and expansion of I-5 between Portland and Vancouver, to include 10 lanes and light rail.            

These projects will create cycles of innovation and creation to spur additional private investments, technological advances, and spin-off businesses. This is how you rebuild an economy.            

What I'm talking about are real jobs for you, a future for your family.            

A moment ago I mentioned Oregon Ironworks. I just toured the plant. Let me tell you, we're advocating a comprehensive national industrial policy, because it's no good if we make dramatic light rail investments in America, and then watch the rail cars arrive in Portland Harbor  from China, or Italy, or Germany. We've got to manufacture them right here in America.            

And we can do it. Nobody can beat America's workers, if our playing field is level, if our trade laws are fair, if our tax laws don't reward corporations for sending jobs overseas.              

We need to act to stop the Chinese government from continuing to undervalue its currency by 40 percent, and Congress is going to vote on that. We need the right representatives for that vote – and for every other important vote this year and next.            

Our government's failure to stop currency manipulation is robbing Oregon of jobs, every month, every year.              

Those goals, and a sound industrial policy, are within our reach, but we've got to have the right representatives in Washington – and here in the state house. We are only ten weeks away from the November elections, and there couldn't be more at stake.              

Jobs, infrastructure spending, comprehensive immigration reform, clean energy investments, education – Congress can pave the way forward or put up a roadblock.              

To be frank with you, a lot of us anticipated that Congress would have moved faster in the last year and a half. That maybe, by now, we would have seen some serious job growth, major investments to rebuild our crumbling schools, bridges, highways, and rail systems.  That we would not have had to fight so hard for a decent health care bill and financial reform.            

But let's be clear about why we it has been so hard to move forward.             

Every time the Democrats and President Obama have proposed jobs legislation or anything else that might help working people, they've been blocked by crass maneuvers from the most politically motivated, intellectually dishonest, and utterly hypocritical Republican minority we have ever seen – and I really do mean ever.               

At every attempt to solve America's most urgent issues, their answer has been, No. Just No.             

The Party of No doesn't want the recovery to work for one reason, because they don't want President Obama to succeed, and that is disgusting.               

The Party of No doesn't want workers to have the freedom to form unions and bargain for better lives, because they don't want us to succeed.              

I want to talk for a minute about the Obama administration: Without the Obama recovery plan, we'd be in a full-blown depression. The Obama administration has already created more jobs, even in this weak recovery, than were created during the entire 8 years of George W. Bush.               

Let's not forget the jobs in clean energy, and school construction, and Obama's executive action to reverse the Bush ban on PLAs, and to prohibit federal contractors from using funds to block union organizing.               

That's a record, a real foundation. It's something to build on. But it's not enough.            

As you know, a critical piece of unfinished business is the Employee Free Choice Act. A lot of people ask me if it is dead. The answer is no. It's far from dead. We're working on it. It's critical for America's future.            

But you're not going to see any solutions from the other side, even from those who understand the importance of the freedom to join together in a union for a better life.            

You see, the Party of No made a cynical calculation. They don't want the union vote -- the working family vote. They want us all to stay at home out of frustration. They figure that if they can mobilize the rightwing radicals, the corporate conservatives, the Tea Party fanatics, and the talk show fans, and if they can thoroughly disgust the rest of us, then they can win this election in a walk.            

Well, I have news for them. We're still here, and we're organized. We're going to win jobs. We're going to win for each other, and we're going to win for Oregon by fighting to keep strong majorities who will invest in jobs in Congress and in the states.              

But we're not going to get what we need if we don't win in November.            

Earlier this month every Senate Republican but two voted to keep tax loopholes for companies that send jobs overseas, instead of sending the money to Oregon and other states to keep teachers in the classroom, cops on the beat, and firefighters one phone call away! That's wrong.            

Sisters and brothers, Wall Street destroys our economy and robs us of millions of jobs. And the Republican response is: Great! How about more of the same?            

We're done with that kind of deal for America.            

Your choices are clear. You're either going to move ahead with John Kitzhaber, or backwards with out-of-touch former NBA player Chris Dudley, who benefited from his union, but doesn't think the rest of us should.            

During his years in the governor's office, Kitzhaber forged partnerships between environmentalists and industry, to create good jobs. He had the foresight to try to reform Oregon's health care system, and his effort showed the importance of national health care reform. He has stood by working families, and we'll stand by him.            

You've got a choice between jobs and recovery with Rep. Kurt Schrader, or the same old Republican story with Scott Bruun, who would keep tax cuts for the rich and repeal health care reform. And on Social Security he flip-flops like a trout, but both his stated positions are bad. He either wants to reform "entitlements" or privatize Social Security.            

We need elected officials like Schrader if we want to hold our trading partners -- hold China accountable -- and stem the flow of jobs overseas.            

We need a strong showing everywhere -- a clear call for progress. And let me tell you why: Because if we win these elections on November 2, it'll strengthen us to fight on November 3, and the next day, and the day after that, for the jobs we need, for the economy we need.             

People who want a better economy have to understand: If Oregon and America are going to create new jobs with rising wages, stable benefits, and promising futures, we've got to work for it. And I know you will.           

Thank you. And God bless you all.