When Roger West first launched the progressive political blog "News From The Other Side" in May 2010, he could hardly have predicted the impact that his venture would have on the media and political debate. As the New Media emerged as a counterbalance to established media sources, Roger wrote his copious blogs about national politics, the tea party movement, mid-term elections, and the failings of the radical right to the vanguard of the New Media movement. Roger West's efforts as a leading blogger have tremendous reach. NFTOS has led the effort to bring accountability to mainstream media sources such as FOX NEWS, Breitbart's "Big Journalism.
Roger's breadth of experience, engaging style, and cultivation of loyal readership - over 92 million visitors - give him unique insight into the past, present, and future of the New Media and political rhetoric that exists in our society today.
What we are against:
Radical Right Wing Agendas
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Donald J. Trump
Corporate Malfeasence
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Global and Econmoic Security
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THE RESISTANCE
Yesterday I brought you a story on "agitators". Keynote speaker of my blog was Lt. Col Allen West (Again no relation to me). This morning West now sees his statements coming back to haunt him.
Lt. Col West is engaged in a rapid about-face, appearing both on CNN and Faux news this morning to insist that what he said is not actually what he said.
On CNN, Westdemanded that a skeptical host Soledad O’Brien to view the entire speech an realize that “he was simply trying to draw attention to the decline of a country” at the hands of people who hold values that are “not in concert with our constitutional republic.” “And if you can’t understand that,” he added, ” please come down to South Florida, you and I can read the Federalist Papers.” Later on Fox and Friends, West told host Steve Doocy, “I did not refer to any person leaving”:
WEST: The other thing is that I did not refer to any person leaving. If you go back and read the transcript of the message that I gave, it was about equality of achievement, it was about economic dependence, it was about enslaving the American entrepreneur’s will and spirit. That message needs to leave this country. And that was what I was referring to. And I think that anyone that sat back and looked at the entirety of that 12 minute, 45 second speech would understand that we’re talking about a contrast of visions of this country.
ABOUT-FACE VIDEO:
Looking back at the transcript as requested, it’s pretty clear that West specifically named “President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and my dear friend, the chairman of the Democrat National Committee (Debbie Wasserman-Schultz)” to “take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States.”
Nonetheless, West has made a practice of lobbing incendiary rhetoric across the aisle and then blaming the news media for the resulting backlash. Reacting to Faux pundit Bob Beckel’s demand that West apologize, a somewhat thin-skinned West shot back, “I think Bob Beckel owes me an apology for saying that he would not refer to me as a Congressional representative nor as a lieutenant colonel, retired.”
Teapublicans don't apologize, especially Lt. Col West. They blame others for making them say the stupid things they say. It's never the fault of teapublicans to make irrational statements.
Allen West has a very different "vision," not just of this country, but of how to socially interact. He has proven, time and again, that he has a "shoot first" approach to life, unwilling or unable to be thoughtful - considering the consequences of what you say. His lack of impulse control - is not of benefit to this country in any leadership capacity.
I would tell the Lt. Col, "say what you mean and mean what you say." West is a troglodyte for saying what he said, and then to blame the media for the error of his ways - the character "two-faced" (Batman's villain) comes to mind.
Lt. Col Allen West
West suffers from that teapublican disease, hypocrite-itis - he is nasty piece of work, all this posturing about should someone apologize or not is both whiny and nauseating. Why give a foul-mouthed bomb thrower the opportunity to walk back his bombs?
DNC Wasserman repudiating West
Hopefully, Florida will wake up and give the Lt. Col a not so subtle hint - that he needs a less responsible and impactful job.
If you apply standard evolutionary theory to politics, you'd assume that teapublican politicians, as they climb up the food chain, would become more sophisticated, more intelligent and better adapted to an increasingly complex environment.
Not so, at least not here in America, where the progression from Mayor/House Speaker/Govna/Senator to POTUS is devolution at its most extreme - Want proof?
Upsetting the apple cart is the tactical blueprint for radical teas. There are many teapublican agitators in American. Hell the GOP will upset their own apple cart if it means a name on the presidential ballot this fall.
These agitators are emerging feverishly, the "Leave-Us-Alone Coalition" of property owners, anti-tax activists, gun owners, home- and private-schoolers, small business owners, religious radical conservatives who want the "government to stop interfering in their lives."
By contrast, the proponents of labor unions, government employees, progressive ideology, safe food, safe products, civil rights for all, regulation of federal markets, clean air and water, the middle class, for those whom believe in a forty hour work week, a minimum wage, Social Security, and welfare recipients - are taking hard noxious hits from these agitators.
The teapublicans have gained the support of so many by appealing to the worst instincts in human nature... greed, selfishness, arrogance, bigotry, fear, and hatred - the very things that our country has a proud legacy of rising above.
Teapublcian ideology is an air raid siren readers, not a dog whistle.
Allen West (No relation to blogger)
Alan West, a tea party-backed congressman from Florida raised questions about his mental stability with comments he made on Saturday arguing that President Obama and other top Democrats should “get the hell out of the United States of America.”
West was speaking at a meeting of Palm Beach, FL Republicans when he promoted the conspiracy theory that President Obama, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz were “enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people.”
Alan Keyes - "Obama the socialist"
A coat hanger apparently destroyed most of Keyes' brain, and this is why its imperative to keep abortion Safe and Legal. Proof in the pudding if you will.
Yes we Klan (caution language)
Sean Hannity denies a connection to a man affiliated with the KKK (Hal Turner), then admits it, then says it's not important.
Saranoya Palin
Is it possible too have an IQ of zero? Every time Saranoya opens her mouth she proves that yes its possible.
Ann 'the man' Coulter and Dana "radical loud mouth" Loesch
Andrew Breitbart - Tea Party Agitator and pathological film editor
RNC Chair Priebus compares Obama to Captain Schettino
Frankly I’m disgusted with the behavior of these so called conservatives. They aren’t conservatives, they’re hypocrites. Two face, double dealing liars, labeling themselves as Americans - many of them claiming to be Christians. I call them domestic terrorists. Their behavior is both appalling and disgusting.
Congratulations Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and the rest of you right wing demagogues, if agitation was your goal, then you have won the crown jewel.
As always, the past isn't even past. It is yesterday. Get ready NFTOS readers. What occurred in South Carolina, and what is currently happening in Florida is only a prelude for what the agitators are preparing - which is to unleash more incendiary, inflammatory remarks - in hopes of wrangling up the ire of the left, and engaging the ignorance of the right. What is coming to pass will be an repugnant, indigenous ride.
Newt "slim ball" Gingrich often pepper sprays us with ludicrous connotations of Saul Alinsky and his connection to both progressives and POTUS Obama - and there is a great reason for that.
"And I believe, if we have a big election with truly historic big choices, that we can defeat Barack Obama by a huge margin...it will be an American campaign open to every American who prefers a paycheck to food stamps, who prefers the Declaration of Independence to Saul Alinsky and who prefers a strong national security to trying to appease our enemies," said Newt Gingrich
Why do Newt and fellow teapublicans fear the Alinksy boogeyman? Because he was a civil rights activist who advocated for blacks. Just like Democrats and our POTUS.
"After a few years, by 1939, he became less active in the labor movement and became more active in general community organizing, starting with the slums of Chicago. His early efforts to "turn scattered, voiceless discontent into a united protest aroused the admiration of Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson, who said Alinsky's aims 'most faithfully reflect our ideals of brotherhood, tolerance, charity and dignity of the individual.'"
As a result of his efforts and success at helping slum communities, he spent the next 10 years repeating his organization work across the nation, "from Kansas City and Detroit to the barrios of Southern California." By 1950 he turned his attention to the African Americanghettos of Chicago, where his actions would later earn him the hatred of MayorRichard J. Daley, although Daley would later say that "Alinsky loves Chicago the same as I do." He traveled to California at the request of the San Francisco Bay Area Presbyterian Churches to help organize the black ghetto in Oakland. Hearing of his plans, "the panic-stricken Oakland City Council promptly introduced a resolution banning him from the city."
So its clearly easy to see why the pasty white racist would make the connection to Alinksy and POTUS, as they represent the same thing, "black America", which as we know is not something within the thinking mechanism of GOP - dom - which is, recognizing that African Americans are human too.
Wikipedia's definition goes on to say:
"Nor did he have much respect for mainstream political leaders who tried to interfere with growing black–white unity during the difficult years of the Great Depression."
A documentary was done titled "The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky and His Legacy," which states that "Alinsky championed new ways to organize the poor and powerless that created a backyard revolution in cities across America."
The Democratic Promise
Real Time's Bill Maher - Alinsky related video starts @ 2:23, but for entertainment watch entire clip.
Lord knows how dangerous it is to empower the poor, destitute and non-whites. Every time Newt mentions Alinksy, the deep rooted racist within him is exposed - by his nasty diaphoresis laden sports jacket. When you start piecing the Gingrich puzzle together, you assemble a vile, repulsive, racist, and the Alinsky puzzle piece is a hug component to showing us how immersed and subaqueous this racist is.
Whether your issuing and approving racist hate letters, or speaking from your lectern on Saul Alinsky, a racist is a racist no matter how you try to exscind it.
I have got to say, told you so, and who couldn't have predicted this? Do we really have to explain to teabagging Govna's that pardoning cold callous murderers is not a good idea?
We here at NFTOS are about transparency, truth, and debunking the radical ideology of those well right of center. We advocate for the Democratic, progressive movement and ideology. When I started my media firm almost two years ago, I never envisioned the turnout or success that NFTOS would achieve.
I started blogging for many reasons, foremost I was both vexed and aggrieved at a movement called "the tea party" movement. I couldn't just sit back idly by and allow these radical, racist, Gadsden flag stealers to go on without being repudiated!
Managing staff, writers, researchers, and site maintenance takes much time, and the fruits of our labor is upon us.
The below snapshot picture taken during a horseshoe meeting this afternoon is a milestone, for not only NFTOS, but for Democrats across this great land.
NFTOS BLOG STATS
NFTOS is quickly approaching 20 million hits/readers/page loads to our blog - in less than 24 months. Our voice is loud, our determination has never been more resolved, and with throughput like this, our mission is more defined.
Clearly our message is getting out. When we drill down these statistics, over 2 million readers have us either bookmarked or RSS feed to some type of device. This speaks volumes!
The intent of this blog is to thank you, our loyal readers, for our success is nothing without you! While there are bad apples out there whom disagree with us, and send us death threats and hate mail - and that's fine, "mission accomplished"! But an overwhelming amount of you, over 88% agree with our message, and at the end of the day, we have never been prouder to bring you NFTOS.
Thank You Progressives, be proud, and we greatly appreciate you visiting our site!
PolitiFacts' Pants On Fire: Who Will Fact-Check The Fact-Checkers?
NFTOS has disconnected itself from"politifact" a long time ago as a source of "facts", and finally someone else in MSM who has the chutzpah to do the same.
FACT:
"A fact (derived from the Latin Factum, see below) is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be shown to correspond to experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scientific facts are verified by repeatable experiments." ~ Wikipedia
Rachael Maddow this week blasted the "fact checking" organization for frequent "inconsistencies" in their "truth-O-meter, and true facts.
MSNBC's Rachael Maddow:
"PolitiFact, you are fired. You are a mess! You are fired! You are undermining the definition of the word fact in the English language by pretending to it in your name. The English language wants its word back. You are an embarrassment. You sully the reputation of anyone who cites you as an authority on fact-ishness, let alone fact. You are fired."
NFTOS Editor-In Chief Roger West told me when he hired me:
"readers come to our blog seeking facts, and the “importance of facts” is critical to repeat readership - indisputable fact is the best thing you can have in a debate. Especially when the other side insists on making up their own facts."
In the latest tell-people-what-they-want-to-hear speech on the endless election circuit, teapublican presidential hopeful Newt "slime ball" Gingrich made a remarkable promise: he wants a moon base. Well... don’t we all?
Appealing to residents of the state's economically struggling "Space Coast," teapublican racist Newton Leroy Gingrich promised to have a permanent U.S. base on the moon by the end of his second term as president.
“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American.”
In reality the U.S. is no closer to having a colony on the moon than it was when the last astronauts left in 1972, but it’s not for a lack of thinking about it. Until 2010, a moon base was exactly what NASA was working toward.
Space policy expert John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University, told SPACE.com:
"When we are not expecting a U.S. crewed launch to the ISS until 2016-2017 and are just getting started on a lunar-class launch vehicle, establishing a lunar outpost by 2020 is a fantasy,"
"It would be much better to set realistic goals, but that is not Mr. Gingrich's strong suit."
Given the parlous state of US finances and the retirement of NASA's shuttle fleet last year, the Newtster has raised a few eyebrows with his ambitious plans, but that did not seem to interfere with this grandiose vision for a moon colony as America's 51st state.
But how would the Newt-ron-bomb convince a future Congress to go along with what certainly would be an expensive proposition? President Obama couldn’t even convince Congress to give NASA an extra $6 billion over five years, and instead NASA’s budget has remained flat, without the big boost in technology development and science the current President was hoping for.
Technology will not be the problem when it comes to getting Gingrich’s (or even Bush’s) moon base built. With the right investment, America’s scientists and engineers could easily get the job done. The major issue today is the same as it was in 2004: where will the money come from?
In these economically straitened times, with Congress hell-bent on cutting every federal program going, finding the money to send a new generation of NASA astronauts to the moon will remain an impossible dream, and lets face it readers, we really need to concentrate on the "earth base" structures before we can focus on moon base fantasies.
My question to the Newt-ron-bomb, do we get Jedi Knight light sabers when we move to the moon?
Tea Party freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), who has spent months lecturing President Obama and Democrats on fiscal responsibility, owes $117,437 in child support to his ex-wife and three children.
Teabagger Joe has spurned the ire of many Americans, especially those from Illinois, and rightly so - as Illinois lawmakers have proposed a bill, which would forbid people owing more than ten thousand dollars for child support to be able to run for office.
Hear the new face of the radical conservative movement cheer letting people without heath insurance die, Cheer executions even when the person is found innocent, They believe if you lose your job its your fault your job is sent to china, They want senor citizens and the disabled to live on the streets so wall street can have there social security, They want woman that are raped to carry the rapist baby - but of course don’t want to help raise the rapist baby. They encourage killing Doctors that perform legal medical procedures because their ideology tells them its OK."
But yet, its perfectly acceptable to be a deadbeat dad? Do we see a pattern here readers? NFTOS has written hundreds of blogs on this hypocrisy.
NFTOS readers, are you tired of blogs that deal with hope, salvation and redemption? Have you been looking for a blog that deals with unabashed stupidity? Then you're in luck, because this teapublican "Joe Walsh" story is the epitome of WTF moments.
Bashir is not the only MSNBC host to call out this imbecile. Lawrence O'Donnell banned Walsh from his show for being a deadbeat dad.
The only thing worse than a liar is a deadbeat liar, and teapublcian Joe Walsh qualifies. It seems that while he's had money to loan his campaign $35,000 and gallivant around with his girlfriend, his ex-wife and children haven't received anything from him. Yeah, this from the same guy who had the nerve to open up his video with this:
“President Obama, quit lying. Have you no shame, sir? In three short years, you’ve bankrupted this country.”
Joe Walsh clearly lies whenever it suits him to avoid obligations, he gets away with all sorts of exceptions others wouldn't. Others would get their license suspended, their wages garnished or weekends in the local jail. But Walsh seems to manage to stay one step ahead of it whenever he can.
This weltanschauung is classic teabagger. Lie, cheat, steal, and then walk away from moral and financial obligations as though they were nothing to worry about.
Give me a freaking break!
NFTOS
Staff Writer
Steve "Damn Nazi Liberal" Chevapravatdumrong
It's it obvious Speaker Gingrich is using coded language to single out poor black people. His statements encapsulate the myths which postulate that African-Americans are shiftless, criminally inclined "Negroes", but more importantly, aren’t teapublicans assuaging their racist base when they peddle this putrid prejudice? Indeed their mission is to employing this "strategy”.
"Shit Republicans Say About Black People"
This mentality won't ever change because we as a race fail to educate these ignorant racist people. Lets take the bootlicking toadying of Lt.Col Allen West and Herman Cain. These men have ignored every single teapublican out there denigrating their race - as long as there's money to be had from it, or an office to be held I say.
But let's face it readers, teapublcians are equal opportunity bigots, if a white radical teabagger can identify a skill or talent they can abuse, mock, berate and make money off of, they will, regardless of color.
I grew up around white teapublican households (grew up in Richmond, VA home the Confederate Capitol) , and it's not a secret, it used to be just about the older teapublcian voters, but that's not the case any longer, as most radical righties, regardless of age, are plain racist, and mistakenly believe that minorities and welfare are "The Problem". It was white people in affluent areas with poor minorities in rougher urban areas, so they made that connection. However, the reason teapublican politicians single out blacks, is that it plays to their voter base - Southern whites - In fact, it's referred to as 'The Southern Strategy' in campaign circles, especially here in Virginia
Lets take a gander at some high profile teapublcians.
RUSH LIMBAUGH:
If we listen to anything excreted from Rush Limbaugh's upper orifice, it's nothing but racially charged idiom. Limbaugh is not a fringe conservative media figure. Teapublicans (elected officials or not) bow at his altar with alarmingly frequency. Here is just a collection (46) of Rush at his best:
Ann Coulter's existence revolves around implementing the far right's strategy of 'The Southern Strategy". Coulter's job is to inject into the teapublican echo chamber, racist words that would be unacceptable anywhere else. We are drearily familiar with her lies, false accusations, exaggerations, innuendo, and racist attacks while pretending to be "funny." Her bimbo routine for some reason lets her get away with it. Faux News puts her on and then the viewers react to her outlandishness, and then repeat it until it seeps into the mainstream (where the Far Right wants it).
With Coulter it is best to look not at what she says -- but who she is.
Coulter and her likes lay out the far Right's anti-Obama strategy:
"You're electing a black guy and he only cares about African Americans"; and
"He has a middle name that sounds like a 'terrorist' therefore he's 'soft' on terror and national defense." (Romney and Newt-ron-bomb will love this one because it dovetails perfectly with their strategy). It's coming into focus. The far Right wants the Obama campaign to waste a lot of time and energy answering meaningless slurs aimed at driving home these two racist lies.
Non-racists don't say things like: "Our blacks are so much better than their blacks ... We have very impressive blacks in our party," - not only is this not 1963, it's certainly not1863, but this shows the mentality and reality of life under radical teapublican rule.
Ann's resume shows she is a very educated woman. She went to Cornell University, is a lawyer, and was trained at the National Journalism Center. She's obviously playing to the teapublican base, a base that still believes that "the South's going to do it again" - riling them up in an attempt to sell her "brand."
But then again if you watch the below video, Ann 'the man" appears dumber than a box of rocks: CAUTION LANGUAGE!
SIDEBAR: If G.W. Bush had the slightest sense of irony, he might have paused to ask himself, "Wait a minute. How did I get into Yale?" It wasn't because of any academic achievement: his high school record was ordinary. It wasn't because of his life experience--prosperous family, fancy prep school--which was all too familiar at Yale - and it certainly wasn't his SAT scores either: 566 verbal and 640 math.
GLENN BECK:
The best of Beck’s race-baiting:
Beck suggested Obama’s name is un-American. On the February 4 edition of The Glenn Beck Program, Beck said of Obama: “He chose to use his name, Barack, for a reason. To identify, not with America — you don’t take the name Barack to identify with America. You take the name Barack to identify with what? Your heritage? The heritage, maybe, of your father in Kenya, who is a radical?”
Beck’s “funny ‘black guy’ character.” Journalist Alexander Zaitchik wrote in his September 2009 profile of Beck for Salon.com that Beck, as a younger man, had many “racial hang-ups.” According to Zaitchik: “Among the show’s regular characters was Beck’s zoo alter ego, Clydie Clyde. But Clyde was just one of Beck’s unseen radio ventriloquist dolls. ‘He was amazing to watch when he was doing his cast of voices,’ remembers Kathi Lincoln, Beck’s former newsreader. ‘Sometimes he’d prerecord different voices and talk back to the tape, or turn his head side to side while speaking them live on the air. He used to do a funny “black guy” character, really over-the-top.’ “
Beck forced to apologize for “mocking Asians.” In 1995, Beck and his co-hosts at KC101 in Hartford, Connecticut were made to apologize for mocking an Asian man who called into the program. The Hartford Courant reported in October 20, 1995: “When [Zhihan] Tong telephoned WKCI- FM to protest the broadcast as a racial slur, disc jockeys Glenn Beck and Pat Grey made fun of him. The two played a gong in the background several times, and Papineau, the executive producer, mocked a Chinese accent.”
Beck praised constitutional provision protecting slave trade. In his 2009 book Arguing With Idiots, Beck reprinted and praised the now-obsolete Article I, Section 9, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which prohibited Congress from ending the slave trade before 1808 and capped taxes on the slave trade at $10 per slave. Beck, without mentioning slavery, interpreted the provision to mean that “the Founders actually put a price tag on coming to this country: $10 per person. Apparently they felt like there was a value to being able to live here.”
Health care reform. “This guy is not who he says he is. None of his bills, none of his proposals are about what he says they’re about. The health care bill is reparations. It’s the beginning of reparations. He’s going to give — if you want to go into medical school, the medical schools will get more federal dollars if they have proven that they are putting minorities ahead.” [The Glenn Beck Program, 7/22/09]
Assistance to Native Americans. On November 11, 2009, Beck said: “When the president was sitting there, or standing there, and he was talking about Native American rights in the middle of a tragedy, Fort Hood, it didn’t feel right. And it seemed, maybe to me, that he was even promising reparations.” [The Glenn Beck Program, 11/9/09]
I don't want to make black people's lives better...
Leopards cannot change their spots readers, and neither can those of the tepublican persuasion. Whether its a "strategy" or true ideals - I could careless, its vile and repulsive!
A gassy belly wants to belch, likewise, a racist wants to belch. Changing his diet requires ingenuity -- which would very rarely be applied. Racists are highly lazy people, and don't expend energies, whether positive, in solving problems. Their shortcut is always the answer, whether complaint, insult, threat, or violence.
Yet another bombshell that could, potentially, derail former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s presidential aspirations? That is the newest insinuation made against Gingrich — not by a former spouse or lover, but rather by another former House Speaker.
On Wednesday, Gingrich sounded really annoyed about it. Just before the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Pelosi told King that Newt was "not going to be president of the United States," because, "There's something I know." Ominous! And it really irked Gingrich, who sounded exasperated on the Today show this morning.
"She lives in a San Francisco environment of strange fantasies and strange understandings of reality. I have no idea what’s in Nancy Pelosi’s head. If she knows something, spit it out. Tell us what it is. I have no idea what she’s talking about."
Better times for the speakers.
Tension between the two is at all time high - the fuse is ignited and ready to blow the powder keg.
Pelosi needs to toe the line very carefully here, as suggesting to use material that she developed when she was on the ethics committee - is a fundamental violation of the rules of the House, and Newt-ron-bomb would ensure that members would immediately file charges against her the second she does it.
Newt said in response to Pelosi's comments about her knowledge of his ethics probe:
"I think it shows you how capriciously political that committee was when she was on it." Capricious or not, disclose the information immediately, so we can kick this can down the road" and dispose of it properly"!
Capricious or not, disclose the information immediately, so we can kick this can down the road" and dispose of it properly!
"If only those whom seem to be so mad at President Obama would read this and reflect a moment - they might say: Hmmmm... You might be right!
Now, since Obama's regime, all of a sudden, folks have gotten mad, and want to take America Back...Back to what/Where is my question?
After The 8 Years Of The Bush/Cheney Disaster, Now You Get Mad?
You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate Energy policy and push us to invade Iraq.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 800 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.
You didn't get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars in cash just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.
You didn't get mad when they didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when Bush ran up 10 trillion dollars in combined budget and current account deficits.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the 1%, over a trillion dollars in tax breaks.
You didn't get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.
You didn't get mad when over 200,000 US Citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.
You didn't get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.
You finally got mad when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick......
Special Thanks to Vanessa Johnson Butler a true progressive for writing this and allowing us to re-post!
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:
Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought — and several thousand gave their lives.
We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al-Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.
We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.
The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share — the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.
The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.
Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.
In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.
Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.
The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.
No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last — an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.
This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.
On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.
We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.
What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t bring back every job that’s left our shores. But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.
So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.
We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.
So let’s change it. First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.
Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.
Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.
My message is simple. It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I’ll sign them right away.
We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal — ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.
I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration — and it’s made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they’re heavily subsidized.
Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you — America will always win.
I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that — openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.
That’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.
Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie’s tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.
I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers — places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.
And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It’s time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.
These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.
For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning — the first time that’s happened in a generation.
But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.
At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies — just to make a difference.
Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.
We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.
When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.
Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury — it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.
Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.
That doesn’t make sense.
I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.
The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.
You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.
After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year.
Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.
Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s right — eight years. Not only that — last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.
But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy — a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.
We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.
The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock — reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.
What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.
When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who said, “I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.”
Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t always come right away. Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.
We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history — with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.
Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here’s another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.
Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.
During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.
In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.
There’s never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren’t the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who’ve seen their home values decline. And while Government can’t fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.
That’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.
Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.
We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them. That’s why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don’t destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.
There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. We’ve already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill — because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.
I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.
And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system’s core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college.
So if you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out a “living will” that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail — because the rest of us aren’t bailing you out ever again. And if you’re a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.
We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.
And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.
A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.
Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let’s agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.
When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else — like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.
The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.
But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn’t go up. You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You’re the ones who need relief.
Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.
We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference — like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit. That’s an America built to last.
I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.
Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?
The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn’t come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?
I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad — and it seems to get worse every year.
Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let’s take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa — an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything – even routine business — passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.
The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.
Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common sense ideas.
I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. That’s why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and States. That’s why we’re getting rid of regulations that don’t work. That’s why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.
On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.
The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of America can’t achieve.
That is the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.
Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America.
From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.
As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana’a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators – a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can’t be reversed, and that human dignity can’t be denied.
How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings – men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.
And we will safeguard America’s own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.
The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. We’ve made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.
Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about. That’s not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they’ve been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can’t control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs – and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that way.
That’s why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats.
Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned — which is why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.
With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I’m proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.
Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.
One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates — a man who was George Bush’s defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.
All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job — the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other — because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there’s someone behind you, watching your back.
So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
