@BarackObama Thanks Charlotte for #DNC2012

From President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama:

To everyone who helped make the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte such a rousing success, we have two simple words – thank you. From the tireless work of Mayor Anthony Foxx and the host committee, to the police officers and state troopers who kept everyone safe, to the more than 10,000 volunteers who gave their time and energy, to the incredible people of Charlotte who offered such warm Southern hospitality, you all should be proud.

You made this the most open and accessible convention in history. You built a legacy in Charlotte that will stand for years to come by engaging young people, working to help our children lead healthier lives, promoting inclusive business practices, and making your city more sustainable. You showed off your spirit of service – our friends and family were thrilled to join in by helping to make care packages for returning troops, capping off more than 4,000 volunteer hours served by convention staff. And more than anything, you welcomed the two of us and the thousands of visitors to your city with a level of heartfelt kindness that will never be forgotten.

We chose Charlotte because we wanted a setting that would help us share our values and vision for this country. We believe that here in America, everyone should get a fair shot, everyone should do their fair share, and everyone should play by the same set of rules.

In this election, Americans face the clearest choice we’ve seen of any time in the last generation: We can tell folks they’re on their own and return to the failed policies that led us into the gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Or we can say that we’re all in this together and continue on the path to recovery that we’ve begun.

We can reward companies that open new plants and create new jobs here in the United States. We can double our exports and create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. We can reform our tax code so that it’s simple and fair. We can invest in clean energy like wind, solar, clean coal and natural gas. We can recruit 100,000 math and science teachers in the next 10 years, help 2 million workers learn new skills at a community college, and work with colleges and universities to cut the growth of tuition costs in half in the next decade. And we can use the money we’ll no longer be spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, schools and runways.

Our vision is grounded in the belief that hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and no matter where you come from or what you look like or who you love, you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better one for your kids. That’s what this election is about.

And Charlotte, we can’t thank you enough for helping us share that story last week. What started with 30,000 people celebrating together at CarolinaFest on Labor Day and continued through three evenings at Time Warner Cable Arena could not have happened without your energy and dedication. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for being so generous, caring, and hospitable. We simply couldn’t have asked for a better host city.