The reason I talk so much about the middle class is it's the glue that holds America together. It really is. And we don't speak enough to their legitimate concerns.

The Recovery Act is working, but it's going to continue to work. It's not over. A lot's going to happen this summer. And even after the summer, there's more to come with the act.

One of my roles as vice president is to - is to be an interlocutor with the Senate and the House because everybody up there knows I respect them and I enjoy it. And I have a lot of good friends on both sides of the aisle up there.

You know, the eleven million people living in the shadows, I believe, they're already American citizens... These people are just waiting, waiting for a chance to contribute fully. And by that standard alone eleven million undocumented aliens are already Americans in my view.

I think we just have to remember who the heck we are and speak to who we are and what we believe.

You can't go to insurance companies and say, you know what, we're not going to change anything having to do with the pool from which you - you draw your people. We're not going to do anything. But guess what, you can no longer allow for pre-existing conditions to disqualify somebody. And they go, oh. OK. How do I pay for that?

We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society.