Excerpts: Obama to lay out second term agenda

STAN HONDA/AFP/GettyImages

(CBS News) CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Obama is set to deliver his acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination tonight between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET.

According to his campaign, the president won't be unveiling any policy proposals he hasn't put forward already, but he will lay out a clear picture of what his agenda in a second term would look like. In addition to explaining his agenda, Mr. Obama plans to talk about the tough choices he made in the past four years and "crystallize the choice" between himself and Mitt Romney, according to a campaign official.

According to excerpts of the president's speech, released by the campaign, Mr. Obama will say, "The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place"

Below are the released excerpts of Mr. Obama's speech, as well as a list of policy goals he'll discuss this evening:

"But when all is said and done - when you pick up that ballot to vote - you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace - decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come.

"On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties.

"It will be a choice between two different paths for America.

"A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.

"I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It will require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one. And by the way - those of us who carry on his party's legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from Washington.

"But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future. I'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country - goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That's what we can do in the next four years, and that's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States."

President Obama's Goals for America

Manufacturing
Create one million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016
Double exports by the end of 2014

Energy
Cut net oil imports in half by 2020
Support 600,000 natural gas jobs by the end of the decade

Education
Cut the growth of college tuition in half over the next 10 years
Recruit 100,000 math and science teachers over the next 10 years
Train two million workers for real jobs at community colleges

National Security
Invest in the economy with the money we're no longer spending on war

Deficit
Reduce the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade

[Da_Hammer_]

The Republican mantra was to do what ever they could to beat the President in 2012. That led to endless filibusters in Congress. Which led to stalemate, after stalemate. It was the adult version of "constantly annoying your sister". The only ones who suffered were THE PEOPLE .....

[AlanBeasley]

Bill Clinton left the economy in a mess!

We lost jobs for 22 of 24 months after Clinton left office. We lost 1 million jobs before 9/11.

Bush had to clean up Clinton's mess, Clinton's recession, respond to 9/11, create Homeland Security, etc. and that cost more than $1.7 trillion

So when I hear Clinton talk about these phantom surpluses - I think to myself, "why didn't he spend the money and take bin Laden seriously?"

Twin embassy, WTC1, Cole, and on and on

Maybe we wouldn't have 1 "un-funded" war. Maybe we wouldn't need a Homeland Security Department.

Maybe we wouldn't have 3000 dead civilians and so many military deaths and wounded - if Clinton would have taken bin Laden's constant attacks on the U.S. seriously while he was the president?

15 years after treating bin Laden "on the cheap" -

Clinton DO NOT tell me that Bush ruined some phantom surplus!

Surplus on the back of 3000 Americans!
.

[AlanBeasley]

Obama read the report before his speech - so he knew the manufacturing loss and lied!

GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHY A JUNIOR SENATOR IS NOT READY TO BE PRESIDENT:

U.S. Auto Industry: Ford, KIA, Honda, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Jeep, Mazda, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Vovo, Audi, Subaru, Suzuki, Mercedes, Saab, Porsche, Jaguar, Hyundai, Ferrari, Land Rover, Maserati, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maybach, Chrysler, and GM.

Obama doesn't even know that GM is only16% of the Industry and this explains much about Obama's failures

[CoachHouser]

Obama, Sept 6 2012
""I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades."

Wow! Just the opposite of what he said in 2008, when he claimed he could do anything, everything, every day all day,in any country, to anyone. Amazing what reality (and the desire for reelection) will do to people.

[CoachHouser]

OK, hold on.
He promised and promised and promised in 2008. What % actually occurred? 10%? 20%?
The title of this article is "Obama to lay out his 2nd term agenda"??? How should I know which 20% to listen to? to believe? And how can he make this speech with a straight face when he probably knows that 80% of what he says has no chance of being put into action? Wow.

[RealiteBites]

Can't stand Biden - not sure why everybody's getting so excited about him saying that the American Dream is still alive.

I think people have better chances winning the Powerball lottery than living the American Dream when all the jobs have been oursourced to 3rd world countries who are outcompeting people on WAGES not SKILL.

This should be obvious to anybody with an IQ over 155 ... that's not Biden, but Barack should know better ...

[tsigili]

I have had my fill of Obama lies.

[wheear]

Unlike Romney who doesn't lie he just fails to disclose. I am a Republican who will not vote for the GOP until it gets real with itself. This negative cynical approach just attracts Klan and Aryans,

[ABunker]

Less than 2 months and our long national nightmare will be over. Romney and Ryan will have their work cut out for them trying to repair the massive damage this communist has inflicted on our country. Pray God that after Jan.20,2013, we never have to hear the words Barack Obama again.

[hypnotoad72]

If Americans are to be competitive, especially noting how many taxpayer-funded handouts were given to corporations that offshored, amongst other things, college costs need to massively drop NOW. Not over 10 years.

Sorry, but that's a fact. Obama did suggest urgency in 2007 when he first, that I'm aware of, addressed the issue (noting Romney's website merely parrots what Obama has said years ago): http://techcrunch.com/2007/11/26/qa-with-senator-barack-obama-on-key-technology-issues/

The working/middle classes cannot wait.

[alphabet77-2009]

I am extremely proud and happy to be voting with the Democrats for Barack Obama in November!

[hypnotoad72]

Obama's not been perfect, but he's put in more detail than anything Romney or others have, that's a fact. And, yes, I'll argue some of his lines as well. Adding everything up, every single issue, Obama is still far better.

[littleleers]

Why? What are you happy with? A new bridge? A new road? Your school added a new teacher? Ok...got it.