Midterms 2018: Obama makes last ditch attempt to win Democrat votes in Virginia with rousing rally speech
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Barack Obama is taking his star power to the campaign trail in a final push to get out the vote as Democrats seek to deliver a blow to Republicans and take control of at least one of the chambers of congress.
Having spent the weekend criss-criss-crossing the country and he exchanged barbs with his successor, Donald Trump, the 44th president made an eve of election day appearance in Fairfax, Virginia.
Speaking at the campaign office of senator Tim Kaine, Mr Obama said people had become disenchanted after his 2008 win and found that things did not “become perfect” overnight.
But he said that by electing people such as Mr Kaine and Jennifer Wexton, a Democratic candidate for congress, progress would be made.
“How we talk to each other gets better. Better is good. Better is a start,” he said. “When you do that everything is going to shine.”
Appearing over the weekend in Indiana and Illinois, Mr Obama attacked Republicans for “blatantly, repeatedly, baldly, shamelessly lying” about their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s protections for those with pre-existing conditions. He also accused Trump of stoking fear over a group of migrants headed towards the US-Mexico border.
“America is at a crossroads. The character of our country is on the ballot,” he said.
This is how his appearance played out
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He said young people came from across the country to support in places such as Iowa, where people were being asked to vote for someone "whose name they could not pronounce".
He said it was a good combination on the eve of an election to have young people, working with people who were "young at heart".
Mr Obama says healthcare is on the ballot, as is the economy. He says most important thing is "nature of the country" is on the ballot.
"We're going to expect basic decency from those in high office.....
"I will close saying this - because it was ten years ago yesterday when I won the presidency - the only problem was that we worried about expectations...
"It was hard, there was push-back and backlash....We worried that folks might let go and say 'He can handle it'....
Mr Obama says "it's a long race making the world a better place".
People should be disenchanted. If Mr Kaine and Ms Wexton are elected, if does not mean all the problems are sorted. But "it makes the world a better place".
"How we talk to each other gets better. Better is good. Better is a start."
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