Video: Obama Draws 100,000 at Rally in St. Louis

Sen. Barack Obama's rally at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis drew a mind-boggling 100,000 people today, St. Louis police authorities estimated. In his speech, Obama highlighted taxes as the issue of the day.

Obama called taxes a values issue and said Sen. John McCain’s position valued wealth more than the work that creates it. He answered the GOP claim that his plan to provide tax cuts for 95 percent of Americans would amount to welfare for the 40 percent the Arizona senator says don’t pay federal income taxes by saying he would only provide a tax break to people who are paying payroll taxes.

“John McCain is so out of touch with the struggles you’re facing that he must be the first politician in history to call a tax cut for working people welfare. Well, let me tell you, the only welfare in this campaign is John McCain’s plan to give another $200 billion in tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations in America -- including $4 billion in tax breaks to big oil companies that ran up record profits under George Bush. That’s who John McCain’s fighting for. I’m fighting for you.”

He also told the enthusiastic crowd that “America is ready for change and yet even as we face the most serious economic crisis of our time; even as you are worried about keeping your jobs or paying your bills or staying in your homes, my opponent’s campaign announced earlier this month that they want to quote 'turn the page' on the discussion about our economy so they can spend the final weeks of this election attacking me instead. You guys have seen the ads, some of you are getting the phone calls. Sen. McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, 'if we keep on talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.' ”

Here is the full text of his speech (prepared remarks) on KSDK's web site. That's Channel 5, the NBC affiliate, in St. Louis.