Plouffe also implored students to vote on Nov. 2, hoping to cut into the high voter enthusiasm that Republicans saw in primary elections earlier this year.
Outgoing Rep. Paul Hodes '72, D-N.H. the Democratic candidate for New Hampshire's open U.S. Senate seat and Ann McLane Kuster '78 the Democratic nominee for New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District also discussed their campaign platforms and spoke of the importance of the upcoming election.
Plouffe said that Republicans have made it clear that they want to continue the policies that they put in place before Obama took office.
"This isn't political spin," he said. "The Republicans want to go back."
Plouffe spent much of his speech defending the track record of the Obama administration since the election. He used the opportunity to respond to critics who say that the Obama administration has not done enough to steer the country through the economic crisis.
"Two years ago, we had another election right in front of us, and we had an economy that was on the brink of collapse," he said. "If President Obama hadn't done what he did we would be sitting here in the middle of a great depression."
The current state of the economy is not positive according to any American, Plouffe said.
"No one's satisfied with where we are today, but the question is, are we better off today?" he said. "The overwhelming answer is yes."
Hodes said that the Republican Party is becoming more radicalized because of the influence of Tea Party candidates.
"We are battling forces on the Right," he said. "Not just on the Right, but the Far Right."
Plouffe said that if elected, Tea Party candidates would eliminate Social Security and Medicare. While these candidates advocate change, they are responsible for the current state of the country, he said.
"When President [Bill] Clinton left this country, he had a huge surplus, and eight years later we had a massive deficit," he said. "[Republicans] all act as if they had nothing to do with it, but it was their policies that orchestrated the collapse."
Midterm elections receive less coverage and may be less "sexy" than years in which there are presidential elections, but they are equally important, Plouffe said, telling students that they are in a unique position to effect change in the country.
"I would humbly suggest that if you want a country that is fair and equitable and tolerant, then you need to go out there and make this happen," he said. "There are people who need you do to the right thing and who won't have any opportunity like you've had."
Dartmouth students enjoy a privilege that obliges them to take responsibility for their role in the civic process, Plouffe said.
"Pretty much anyone in the world would trade places with you," he said. "Your economic future is almost assured."
Plouffe said that the Democrats' fate will be determined not by Republican success, but by the party's ability to encourage its own members to go out and vote.
"There are so many people who are just not sure that they are going to vote," he said. "If they sit out the vote, they will not have anything to complain about when things start coming down the pike."
Young people will play a crucial role once again in determining the outcome of November's elections, Plouffe said in an interview after his address. He cautioned that the nature of the election means that turnout among all political parties will not be as high as in 2008.
"[Young people] won't come out in the same numbers because it's an off-term election," he said. "We're doing all we can to show young voters a clear choice."
Kuster said that Dartmouth students are able to vote in two of the most important races in the country. Her congressional seat is open for the first time in 22 years at the same time that one of the state's Senate seats is also open.
"Your vote means more than anyone else's in the country," she said. "It will come down to the people in [this] room."
Kuster said her party's platform tackles a host of issues that the Republican platform ignores, including access to higher education, affordable health care, clean energy development and Wall Street responsibility. She also discussed her party's foreign policy stance.
"I'm standing up for a free and safe country," she said. "I think we can have both those things."
Hodes said that people need to give the Obama administration the time it needs to implement its agenda.
"Change happens with persistence and courage," he said.
The decisions that will have to be made about the future, most notably in regards to the deficit, will require bold leaders who are able to make tough choices, Plouffe said.
"You're not going to have rose petals thrown in front of you for [making tough decisions]," he said. "There's no easy answer."
