After his speech at the Kennedy Space Center today, President Obama headed to Miami for a pair of fundraisers expected to bring in $2.5 million for the DNC. Speaking at one of those events, the president made a Tax Day defense of his administration's policies and claimed to be "amused" by the tea party rallies occurring nationwide today. From a pool report:

On tax day, he show cases the tax cuts in the stimulus plan, other tax break, and refusal to raise taxes on people making less than $250,000 a year.

"So I've been amused in recent days by these people having rallies," he said to laughter. "I think they should be saying thank you." Big applause, and calls of "Thank you" from the crowd.

Full pool report available after the jump.

Rolling out of Estefan neighborhood at 6:15pm, headed for Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

More than 1,000 people inside, some into the second balconies. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, DNC vice chair, introduces Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman.

Kaine told audience that history suggests party in power will have difficult first mid-term elections. "We sort of have to assume we're running into a head wind," he said, urging party grass roots to get ready for fall camapign.

But, he says, "the prognosticators are under-estimating us for a couple reasons." "First, we have a great president," he said to applause. Also, "great candidates" and "we have you."

"You don't mind being the underdog, you don't mind running into a head wind, you don't mind an uphill race," he said. "You don't mind being the under dog. Becasue that's what Democrats do. We are the under dogs."

Then jokes about how fast POTUS is graying. Intrduces POTUS and crowd rises to its feet, cheering.

POTUS says was just visiting NASA and thought he'd "beam down and visit my friends in Miami."

Thanks the Haitian-American community, and a score of people rise and clap toward him. Says his political director Patrick Gaspard is from Haiti, "and through him we learned how much you lost and gave."

He says it's "good to be among friends in Florida." Thanks them for their hard work on his behalf, and says, "The change you fought for is beginning to take hold."

"Change is never easy, I don't know if you've noticed that," he said to laughter. "People hold onto the status quo, even when the status quo is not working for them."

Says economy "is stable," "an economy that was contracting is growing again." Says banks have paid back much of the bailout money and "I have proposed a bank fee to recover every last penny of it," to big applause.

On tax day, he show cases the tax cuts in the stimulus plan, other tax break, and refusal to raise taxes on people making less than $250,000 a year.

"So I've been amused in recent days by these people having rallies," he said to laughter. "I think they should be saying thank you." Big applause, and calls of "Thank you" from the crowd.

Big standing ovation when he tells them "with your help we finally passed comprehensive health reform."

"As my vice president said, 'This is a big deal,'" he said to laughter. "And he was right."

"Go Joe Biden," a man in the crowd yelled.

"Now this reform not's perfect, there will be adjustments that have to be made," he said. Says he's bemused by the commentary about people still being angry about it, the country not coming together, adding "it's only been three weeks."

Begins a section that has some partisan swagger with his "go for it" dare to Republicans seeking health care repeal.

He lists all the things Republicans are going to have to tale away. Asks each in the form of a question, "Will they tell the.."

A man in the audience yells, "They are."

"Well, they won't be very successful," POTUS answers.

Says that the Ted Deutch special election in the Florida 19th - which he won- was cast by Republicans as "a referendum on health care, a referendum on the stimulus..."

"And you know what, it was," he said to a standing ovation.

Shakes his head in bringing up fiscal reform, says GOP "inerited huge surpluses from Blll Clinton."

"They conveniently forget when they were in charge they turned a surplus into massive debt," he said (check against transcript.) "Now that we're in charge they've got thwe green visors, they're sharpening their pencils."

"So not surpsingly people are frustrated with Washington," he said.

Says it "might be heresy" to say "before a crowd like this, at an eventike this" but "there are more important things than a political party."

Lists improving the economy, creating good jobs, etc Calls for passing financial regulatory reform.

"The bottom line is we've come a long way in this past year, but we've got a long way to go," he said.

Says must "shun the cynics" and "listen to the better angels of our nature" and will continue to push through agenda.

Speech a half hour long.

Rolling at 7:15 pm back to AF1.

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