Centreville — Before President Barack Obama addressed the huge crowd inside Centreville High, Saturday afternoon, Jerry Foltz of Wellspring United Church of Christ gave the invocation. Praying to God, he said, "May this community, in all its diversity of national origin and ethnicity, with Your blessing, become an example of how people of good will can work and learn and live and play together. May all our levels of government listen to the hearts of people and provide courageous and bold leadership for the tasks that lie ahead," Foltz said. "We welcome our President, Barack Obama, into our Centreville-Clifton community. May he find friendship and hospitality here ... [and] may he bring a unity of spirit to all."

Then Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) took the podium. "I have the dubious distinction of being part of the most unpopular Congress ever," he said. "They’re dedicated to seeing this president fail. Barack Obama inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression; the banking, auto and real-estate industries were on the ropes."

But now, said Connolly, "Corporate profits are at record highs and General Motors is number one again and is creating jobs. But the Republican response is, ‘He’s not cleaning up our mess fast enough.’ You’ve got to be kidding."

Connolly said Obama’s "making sure equality exists for everyone in America. This man cares about the average, middle-class family and is doing something to help them. I’m going to campaign with and for him and, on Nov. 6, we’re going to win."

THEN, AS THE CROWD ERUPTED in thunderous cheers and applause, Obama entered the school gym and strode to the podium, smiling and shaking hands along the way. During his Senate and presidential campaigns, he said, what’s inspired him is "the core of the American dream that says, if you work hard, you can make it. You can enjoy the security of middle-class life."

This security, he said, means "a home to call your own, and you’re not bankrupt if you get sick. You can send your kids to school and they can go as far as possible. And you can retire with some dignity and respect. In 2008, for too many people, it seemed like that dream was slipping away, so Americans came together to fight for that American ideal."

"We understood that the economy in this country works best when it works for everybody," continued Obama. "But the financial crisis resulted in people losing their homes and jobs." However, he stressed, "In the past three-and-a-half years, we’ve fought back to create 4.4 million new jobs, but we’ve got more work to do. American people are tough, and we still need to build an economy where hard work pays off."

He said the problem is the stalemate in Washington and two, fundamentally different ideas of how to move the country forward. "My opponent believes, if we cut taxes for those at the top – even if it hurts things like research and education – that somehow, it’s going to be good for everybody," said Obama. "And that, if you eliminate regulations on credit-card companies, polluters, insurance companies and banks, it’ll fuel the engine of growth and somehow trickle down. But we tried it before and it didn’t work."

Instead, he said, "I believe in middle-out and bottom-up economies. I believe, when working people are doing well, we all do well. And that’s why I’m running again – to fight for the middle class."

He said people like him, who can afford it and make $250,000/year, should pay their fair share of taxes. Under his plan, said Obama, "98 percent of Americans shouldn’t see [their] taxes go up one dime. And 97 percent of small businesses earn less than $250,000/year, so the vast majority of people would get some relief."

Obama wants the auto industry’s success to happen in manufacturing, too, and he doesn’t want companies that ship jobs overseas to receive tax breaks. Noting U.S. military successes overseas, Obama said, "After a decade of war, I think we should take the money we spent on [it] and use half to pay down the [national] debt and the other half to rebuild America – invest in our infrastructure to keep us at the cutting edge."

He wants to reduce the cost of college so young adults may get the jobs they need. He’d also like to strengthen the housing market so people can save money by refinancing their homes. "My opponent would let the housing market bottom out and let foreclosures play out," Obama said.

LOUD CHEERS AND APPLAUSE punctuated his speech several times – especially when he said he believes women should make their own health-care choices. He also said he’s for comprehensive immigration reform and that immigrants are "a strength, not a weakness."

Then, listing several benefits of the Affordable Health Care Act, Obama said he pressed for it because "it’s the right thing to do. If you’ve got health insurance, the insurance companies won’t be able to jerk you around. And if you don’t have it, we’ll help you get it, without passing on the costs to somebody else."

He told the crowd it’ll be a close election and people are already being "inundated" with negative ads in scary voices. "But when the American people get together and say, ‘This is what matters, what’s right and what’s true,’ we don’t have to settle for what is, but what could be."

"If you believe in an economy where everybody gets their fair share and plays by the same rules – and that we rise or fall together, as one people – then I’m confident we’re going to win," continued Obama. "I see myself in you [and] I have faith in you, the American people."