First Lady Michelle Obama wows Daytona with passionate plea to vote so the country can move forward

6,500 at the Ocean Center chant 'four more years'

Headline Surfer photo by Henry Frederick / First Lady Michelle Obama takes to the podium Thursday at the Ocean Center with an impassioned speech encouraging the 6,500 supporters to vote for her husband to keep the country moving forward.

DAYTONA BEACH -- First Lady Michelle Obama wowed 6,500 people in the Ocean Center with a passionate plea to get out and "vote for Barack."

The crowd was equally enthusiastic with countless people chanting her name as well as that of the president during her 30-minute speech.

"We must move forward; we can't go back," she said, drawing thunderous applause.

Security was tight, but the crowd was well behaved. Paramedics were called in to tend to at least three people who had some minor medical issues, but nobody had to be transported.

A series of speakers took to the stage prior to the first lady's arrival with singer Marc Anthony drawing the loudest applause, especially when his name was announced. He, too, urged people to vote and get their friends to come along, and vote as well.

But the loudest cheers were for Michelle Obama, who took to the stage in a flower-patterned purple dress, making her impassioned case for everyone to get out and vote so that her husband can move the country forward as hundreds in the first few rows on both sides of her as well as up front waved teal-colored "Forward" signs and chanted "four more years!"

"We've got a plan and it involves you," she said. "You're at the core of this plan." Obama added it might be too late to vote on election day, encouraging early voting, saying that's what she did.

"The thing about early voting is life happens," she said. "Election Day is just one day." The first lady stressed the president inherited a mess the first day with the auto industry in crisis and the country losing 8,000 jobs a month, saying he brought real change and turned things around for the better.

But President Obama needs another four years to keep the momentum going and get the economy turned around, she said.

"While he's proud of what we've achieved together, my husband is nowhere near satisfied," Michelle Obama said. "Slowly, but surely we've been pulling ourselves out of that hole we started in."

Editor's Note: Headline Surfer will have more on Michelle Obama's visit shortly, including several reaction side bars and video coverage of her speech. The 24/7 Internet newspaper will announce its endorsement for president on Sunday.