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I want all of the blue collar American working class people to know that I'm out there fighting for them.

We know there are a lot of people in the unemployment pool that do not match up in their skill set for what jobs are going to be created, and that's an area we've got to keep pressing on.

I ask to be judged on the issue of unemployment.

The people at the bottom who are working but working at relatively low wages need some help.

Everybody wants to help folks out. But we've got a system where you can stay on unemployment for an awfully long time. And I think we need to create a system of decreasing benefits over time to encourage you to get a job.

I'm a working-class kid from a blue-collar New England family.

They keep extending these unemployment benefits to the point where people are afraid to go out and get a job, because the job doesn't pay as much as the unemployment benefit does.

Quality child care, health insurance coverage, and training make it possible for former welfare recipients to get, and keep, jobs.

I do benefits. I do them all the time. There's so many people out there that needs help that I can't say I won't help them.

While some people are certainly seeing economic benefits, many others are unemployed, underemployed, without health insurance and struggling to make ends meet.