'Hardball College Tour:' Barack Obama

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

Obama answers students' questions
MATTHEWS:  Welcome back to West Chester University outside Philadelphia.  The first question of the night.  Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  My name is Brittany Ransome (ph), and I’m a student here.  And in the past recent years, there have been some cuts in federal funding and student aid.  I would like to know personally what you plan on doing in increasing that aid for college students.

OBAMA:  Well, thanks for the question, Brittany.  And this is something I hear about all across the country.  And first of all, I’ve got a personal stake in this because when Michelle and I graduated from law school, our combined monthly student loan was more than our mortgage.  And that was true for about 10 years.  And we were luckier than most because, as attorneys, we could make a little more than if somebody was a teacher or somebody was a social worker.

We’ve got to deal with this.  I want to restore money that’s already been taken away, number one.  Number two, I want to expand Pell grants because we need more grants, fewer loans so that students aren’t piling up huge amounts of debt.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

OBAMA:  Number three—number three, I want to create a $4,000 tuition credit, every student, every year.  But young people will not be able to get it for free.  You guys are going to have to participate in community service, work in a homeless shelter, work in a veterans’ home, join the Peace Corps.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

OBAMA:  So we’ll invest in you—we’ll invest in you, you invest in America.  And together, the country will get stronger, and you guys won’t be loaded up with so much debt when you leave college.  And one of the ways to pay for it, by the way, is eliminating the middlemen in some of the federal direct loan programs.  You’ve got banks and loan institutions that are making billions of dollars off student loans.  That’s something that we’ve got to change.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Hi.  My name is Shane Daniels (ph).  I’m interested in how has this campaign and the situation with your pastor affected your spiritual life?  And how will that influence your presidency?

OBAMA:  That’s an interesting question.  The—you know, I am—I am a Christian, and I pray every night.  And when you’re running for president, you pray even more.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA:  Although it’s interesting.  What I pray for, the longer I’m in this, is less about me and more about, first of all, making sure my family’s OK, but the second thing is that whatever I’m doing is actually good for the people I want to serve and good for the country.

Video   Obama answers questions from students April: 2: West Chester University students ask Barack Obama about the Rev. Wright controversy and how that's affected his faith, student aid, testing in schools and stem cell research. Hardball

The longer I’m in this process, the more you realize that you’re going to be successful if you can get your ego out of it and focus on the job that needs to be done and what people are going through that I talk to every day.  You know, obviously, there’s a flap in terms of my former pastor.  And that was a difficult moment.  You know, this is somebody who, on the one hand, is a good man, but said some things that I deeply disagree with.

And you know, I tried to give a speech here in Philadelphia to indicate the broader context of the anger that still exists and the resentments that still exists between the races.  And you know, my belief is that, you know, one of the important things about my Christian faith is that you forgive people.  You try to understand them.  And you know, ultimately, you know, the judge is going to be—God is going to be somebody who’s making judgments about many of these things.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

OBAMA:  So I’m going to stay focused on the job that I’m doing, and hopefully, you’ll pray for me, too.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  Hello, Chris.  Hi, Senator Obama.

OBAMA:  about many of these things.  So, I’m just going to...

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA:  ... stay focused on the job that I’m doing.  And—and, hopefully, you will pray for me, too.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  Hello, Chris.

Hi, Senator Obama.

I’m interested—I understand that you want to increase the teachers’ salaries, which I’m all for, since I will be a teacher.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  But I want to know your stance on merit pay and how it will affect special education teachers and then those in low SES areas.

OBAMA:  Well, the—I’m not in fair of merit pay as it is currently understood, which basically...

MATTHEWS:  Neither is that lady over there.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA:  ... which basically involves taking test scores and then rewarding people on how they score on tests, how students score on tests, because the problem is, let’s say, special-ed students, or ESL students.

By definition, special-ed students are behind, and may need special help.  They may not move at the same pace, even though we can aspire to make sure that they get the best education possible.  Students for whom English is a second language, they may be behind in terms of test scores, even though they’re very intelligent, just because it is not their native language that they’re speaking.

This is a broader problem that has to do with No Child Left Behind.

I want the highest standards for our students, but I don’t want standards measured solely by a single high-stakes standardized test.

I want to have...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA:  I want to make sure that our standards are crafted with educators, with teachers.  I do believe in creating career ladders for teachers, so that, if they become a master teacher, if they become nationally board certified, if they have done other things to improve their own professional development, that they can potentially get more pay.  I think that’s important.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS:  OK.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS:  We only have a couple seconds. Your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  Yes.

Hi.  My name is (INAUDIBLE)

And as a type 1 diabetic, I was just wondering what you are going to do to gain further support for stem cell research and...

OBAMA:  Well, the thing is, actually, we have enough support in the Senate and the House to pass this bill.  George Bush has vetoed it.

Here’s what we will do.  We just need one more vote, and that’s the vote of the president.  And since I will be the president, we will sign stem cell research.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS:  We are going to come right back with some 3:00-in-the-morning questions for Senator Barack Obama.

More of the HARDBALL College Tour from West Chester University— when we come back.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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