This was the first major speech that I missed our pathetic
excuse for a leader give since his first election. Quite frankly, he’s got nothing new to say,
and after giving commentary
in red, I realized just how vapid he thinks the American people
are. Okay, so he might be correct,
thinking they’re stupid. They did just
reelect him, after all. However, he’s
got no mandate to govern, having received just over half the vote – and govern
isn’t really his thing, when he can just campaign for another four years. He’s drawn the battle lines, if you will, and
he makes it obvious in this speech that he has no real ideas, but rather wants
to paint his political opponents (particularly those in the House) as the
detractors/legislative hijackers. He hit
the high points. Immigration, gun laws,
and the economy. Nothing new there. He did have a few “new” bits, but nothing of
real substance.
This was a typical speech.
Change a few of the words, and I’m sure you heard everything in one of
his stump speeches last fall. He used “I”
34 times, “my” 19 times, “fair” twice, “bipartisan” three times, “Democrats/Republicans”
four times, and “both parties” six times.
I struck out his sob stories and self-congratulating ramblings. This thing is a behemoth (19 pages in Word),
and not for the faint of heart. Reading
it is easier than watching it, but it takes longer. However, my television’s mortality is at
stake if I watch him, so I’m sure my Vizio breathed a sigh of relief when it
learned I wouldn’t be viewing the buffoon this time.
Read at your own risk, after the jump…if you dare.
---BEGIN
TRANSCRIPT AND COMMENTARY IN RED---
Thank you.
Please, everybody, have a seat.
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, fellow Americans, 51 years ago, John
F. Kennedy declared to this chamber that “the Constitution makes us not rivals
for power, but partners for progress.”
(APPLAUSE) Oh, nice. Hail a Democrat icon and a document you obviously have no
respect for.
“It is my
task,” he said, “to report the state of the union. To improve it is the task of
us all.” Thanks for that little history lesson.
Tonight,
thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much
progress to report. After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in
uniform are coming home.
(APPLAUSE) Until we have to send them back because you’re setting a time table
for withdraw, allowing al Qaida to bide their time.
After years
of grueling recession, our businesses have created over 6 million new jobs. We
buy more American cars than we have in five years and less foreign oil than we
have in 20.
(APPLAUSE) I don’t believe a word of this.
Our housing
market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients and
homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.
(APPLAUSE) Or this. (Except the stock
market, that is obviously rebounding.
Though, nothing compared to where it would be if Governor Romney were
the one standing there speaking.)
OBAMA: So,
together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and we can say with
renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.
(APPLAUSE) False. Nothing you have done
has helped. You’ve crushed opportunity
at every turn, creating a massive class of dependents and punishing those who
have been successful. We are in full-on
crisis mode here. $16 trillion in debt,
8%+ unemployment (probably closer to 20%, really, but 8% is bad enough), and a
government so mired in corruption at every level, on both sides of the
aisle. Mr. President, the crisis has not
been cleared. With you standing there,
we are weaker.
But -- but
we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and
dedication have not yet been rewarded. Our economy is adding jobs, but too many
people still can’t find full- time employment. Corporate profits have
skyrocketed to all-time highs, but for more than a decade, wages and incomes
have barely budged. It is our generation’s task, then, to reignite the true
engine of America’s economic growth: a rising, thriving middle class.
(APPLAUSE) Let the class warfare begin.
It is -- it
is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country,
the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get
ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like or who you
love. “Basic
bargain”? How about common sense. Oh, and way to inject race/gay rights into
this, Captain Panderer.
It is our
unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many (read: tells them what to do/say), and not just the few, that it encourages free enterprise,
rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every
child across this great nation.
(APPLAUSE) There you go,
using children as political pons. I
don’t believe he believes a word of this.
OBAMA: The
American people don’t expect government to solve every problem. They don’t
expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect
us to put the nation’s interests before party.
(APPLAUSE) Which you’ve refused to do at every turn. We expect you to have common sense. Clearly that’s a quality deficient in that
room.
They do
expect us to forge reasonable compromise (read: make
Republicans cave) where
we can, for they know that America moves forward (way
to inject your campaign slogan) only when we do so together and that the responsibility of
improving this union remains the task of us all.
Our work
must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget, decisions that will
have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery. Over the last few years,
both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5
trillion, mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the
wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway
towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we
need to stabilize our finances. $4 trillion. Even if I did
believe you – which I don’t – that’s 25% of our debt. What’s your plan for the other 75%? Or do you just plan on kicking that can even
further down the road, so your grandchildren have to take care of it?
Now we need
to finish the job. And the question is: How?
Here’s a novel idea: resign and take Biden with you.
In 2011,
Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn’t agree on a plan to
reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars’ worth of budget cuts would
automatically go into effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts
would jeopardize our military readiness, they’d devastate priorities like
education and energy and medical research. They would certainly slow our
recovery and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. And that’s why Democrats,
Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts
-- known here in Washington as “the sequester” -- are a really bad idea. You know what
else is a bad idea? ObamaCare. The $1 trillion dollar tax payer funded DNC
rainy day fund disguised as a “stimulus package”. These people have no concern for
spending. They don’t care about the
military, and they just use the other topics (education, energy, etc.) as a
means of propelling an agenda.
Now, some in
this Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even
bigger cuts to things like education and job training, Medicare and Social
Security benefits. That idea is even worse.
(APPLAUSE) Medicare and
Social Security are broken, education spending is a joke, and job
training? Since when is that the federal
government’s concern? How about you make
it more attractive for people to work instead of sitting at home collecting
welfare/other social handouts?
Yes, the
biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an
aging population. And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare
must embrace the need for modest reforms (read: not
ideas from the Republicans). Otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we
need for our children and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for
future generations. Already in jeopardy. Again,
$16 trillion. Ringing a bell?
But we can’t
ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of
deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and the most
powerful.
(APPLAUSE) Can he say
nothing without injecting a little class warfare?
We won’t
grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college
onto families that are already struggling or by forcing communities to lay off
more teachers and more cops and more firefighters. Most Americans -- Democrats,
Republicans and independents -- understand that we can’t just cut our way to
prosperity. They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced
approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with
everybody doing their fair share. This is a campaign speech.
Broken record.
And that’s
the approach I offer tonight. On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that
will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the
next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles
commission.
(APPLAUSE) I love how he props up the Simpson-Bowles commission, a commission
he sanctioned, but didn’t take their advice.
Already, the
Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs.
(APPLAUSE) And merely shift those costs from payments to insurance companies to
payments to the IRS.
And -- and
the reforms I’m proposing go even further. We’ll reduce taxpayer subsidies to
prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors.
(APPLAUSE) Anyone else
doing shots whenever he goes all class warfare on us?
We’ll bring
down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our
medical bills shouldn’t be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent
in the hospital. They should be based on the quality of care that our seniors
receive.
(APPLAUSE) Bored.
And I am (not) open to
additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don’t violate the
guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn’t make promises we
cannot keep, but we must keep the promises we’ve already made.
(APPLAUSE) Since when is
it the federal government’s job to guarantee a secure retirement? And could someone define “secure” for
me?
To hit the
rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what leaders in both parties
have already suggested and save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid
of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and the well-connected. After
all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to
protect special interest tax breaks? How is that fair? Why is it that deficit
reduction is a big emergency, justifying making cuts in Social Security
benefits, but not closing some loopholes? How does that promote growth?
(APPLAUSE) Clearly you
failed at economics; otherwise we’d have your college records. This isn’t the place to be asking questions,
Mr. President. You’re the one who’s
supposed to have solutions. Too bad
you’re just another mouthpiece.
Now is our
best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job
creation and helps bring down the deficit.
(APPLAUSE) This is one
line I could almost get behind, if it weren’t from the mouth of a liberal – who
makes a living being a silver-tongued liar.
We can get
this done.
(APPLAUSE) Not in a way
that keeps the best interests of Americans in mind.
The American
people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses spend less time filling
out complicated forms and more time expanding and hiring, a tax code that
ensures billionaires with high- powered accountants can’t work the system and
pay a lower rate than their hard-working secretaries, a tax code that lowers
incentives to move jobs overseas and lowers tax rates for businesses and
manufacturers that are creating jobs right here in the United States of
America.
(APPLAUSE) Flat tax,
anyone? And way to inject the Buffet
rule in there.
That’s what
tax reform can deliver. That’s what we can do together.
(APPLAUSE) Scrap the tax
code. Don’t make me go all Libertarian
on you.
I realize
that tax reform and entitlement reform will not be easy. The politics will be
hard for both sides. None of us will get 100 percent of what we want. But the
alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, visit hardship on millions of
hardworking Americans. You’re doing a bang-up job of that already.
So let’s set
party interests aside and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts
with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let’s do it without
the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors.
(APPLAUSE) HOW ABOUT
PASSING A BUDGET PERIOD?!
The greatest
nation on Earth -- the greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its
business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. We can’t do it.
(APPLAUSE) You and
(primarily) your party aren’t running government like a business; you’re
running it like patrons at a casino with endless credit.
Let’s agree
-- let’s agree, right here, right now, to keep the people’s government open and
pay our bills on time and always uphold the full faith and credit of the United
States of America.
(APPLAUSE) I would agree
with you, but your actions have shown you care nothing about deficit reduction,
so I’m not going to believe a word you say about it.
The American
people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see
their elected officials cause another. Now...
(APPLAUSE) Lalalalalala…
... most of
us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. But
let’s be clear: Deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan.
(APPLAUSE) Why not?
A growing
economy that creates good, middle-class jobs, that must be the North Star that
guides our efforts.
(APPLAUSE) Not following
the analogy. And, just so you know, a
growing economy won’t happen with a tax-and-spend liberal in the White House.
Every day,
we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: How do we attract more
jobs to our shores? How do we equip our people with the skills they need to get
those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living? Pretty sure
the three you ask yourself are: Who can I use to advance my leftist
agenda? How can I make Republicans look
bad? Where am I going to play golf?
A
year-and-a-half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that independent (read: Democrat hack) economists said would create more than 1 million new jobs.
And I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda; I urge this
Congress to pass the rest. But...
(APPLAUSE) Bored.
... tonight
I’ll lay out additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent
with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me
repeat: Nothing I’m proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single
dime. It is not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets
priorities and invests in broad-based growth.
(APPLAUSE) Broad-based
growth of government? Say what you will,
but you’re a big government kind of guy.
And I’ll agree, we do need smarter government. However, that will only being by getting
liberals out of government. Thereby,
with you in office, the IQ of the government is at best at a standstill, but
likely in decline. Oh, and if everything
you’re proposing isn’t going to increase the deficit, why ask for an unlimited
debt ceiling hike?
That’s what
we should be looking for.
(APPLAUSE) I’m looking
for your fingers crossed behind your back.
I’m also looking for substance.
Our first
priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. After
shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about
500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan.
Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. And this year, Apple will start making
Macs in America again.
(APPLAUSE) Caterpillar
is in the bag for Team Obama, and Apple – don’t even get me started. Ford is the one here that was a calculated
mention. Mentioning GM would make is
seem as if this were (even more of) a campaign speech. But this was basically a shout-out to his
union buddies in the UAW to let them know he’s their [lapdog].
There are
things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created
our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A
once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are
mastering the 3-D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we
make almost everything. There’s no reason this can’t happen in other towns. The campaign
is over. Let’s not give shout-outs to
Ohio.
So tonight,
I’m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where
businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn
regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And
I ask this Congress to help create a network of 15 of these hubs and guarantee
that the next revolution in manufacturing is made right here in America. We can
get that done.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, if we
want to make the best products, we also have -- have to invest in the best
ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our
economy. Every dollar. (I don’t buy that fuzzy math
for a second. I’m sure he failed at
economics, but probably at math as well.) Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock
the answers to Alzheimer’s. We’re developing drugs to regenerate damaged
organs, devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is
not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation.
Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the
height of the space race. We need to make those investments.
(APPLAUSE) Investments
cost money. We don’t have any.
Today, no
area holds more promise than our investments in American energy. After years of
talking about it, we’re finally poised to control our own energy future. We
produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years.
(APPLAUSE) Again. I don’t buy it. Why haven’t we built any more
refineries? Where’s that Keystone
Pipeline?
We have
doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas (and made them hideous to look upon) and the amount of renewable energy we generate from
sources like wind and solar, with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to
show for it. (Tell that to the 1100 people laid off
from Solyndra.) We
produce more natural gas than ever before, and nearly everyone’s energy bill is
lower because of it. And over the last four years, our emissions of the
dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.
But for the
sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change.
(APPLAUSE) I was
wondering when he’d get to this.
Now...
(APPLAUSE) Why did this get applause?
Now, it’s
true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years
on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires,
floods, all are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe
that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst
wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we
can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science and act before
it’s too late.
(APPLAUSE) Overwhelming
judgment of science? Wow. No commentary necessary.
Now, the
good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving
strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to get together, pursue a
bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain
and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. Which is one
of the reasons I’ve never really liked John McCain.
But if
Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct...
(APPLAUSE) Don’t make me
quote Padme Amidala.
I will
direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the
future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of
climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy. Did I not say
that this is the way he’ll govern?
Through executive orders and an EPA run rampant with
overregulation?
Now, four
years ago, other countries dominated the clean-energy market and the jobs that
came with it. And we’ve begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added
nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let’s generate even more.
Solar energy gets cheaper by the year. Let’s drive down costs even further. As
long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we. Are you just
saying this because we’ll eventually have to bow to China’s wishes because,
well, they’ll own us?
Now, in the
meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy
independence. We need to encourage that. That’s why my administration will keep
cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits.
(APPLAUSE) Cutting red tape. You’re funny. I forgot he’s so comedic.
That’s got
to be part of an all-of-the-above plan. But I also want to work with this
Congress to encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas burn
even cleaner and protects our air and our water.
In fact, much
of our newfound energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own
together. So tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund
an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift
our cars and trucks off oil for good. (Read: forcing everyone to drive a Prius.)
If a
nonpartisan (a word not in his vocabulary) coalition of CEOs and retired
generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let’s take
their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in
gas prices we’ve put up with for far too long.
Says the guy on who’s watch we’ve seen gas go up over 100%.
I’m also
issuing a new goal for America: Let’s cut in half the energy wasted by our
homes and businesses over the next 20 years.
(APPLAUSE) Great. More twirly light bulbs.
We’ll work
with the states to do it. Those states with the best ideas to create jobs and
lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive
federal support to help make that happen.
Yeah, let’s ask California how their energy solutions are working
out. Let’s also seek their advice on
debt reduction.
America’s
energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of
repair. Ask any CEO where they’d rather locate and hire, a country with
deteriorating roads and bridges or one with high-speed rail and Internet,
high-tech schools, self- healing power grids.
Maybe if we were good stewards of what we had, we wouldn’t be
experiencing deterioration. But the
federal government just has a throw-money-at-it band-aid attitude about
everything, instead of careful consideration and maintenance.
The CEO of
Siemens America -- a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North
Carolina (again, campaign shout-out) -- has said that if we upgrade our
infrastructure, they’ll bring even more jobs. And that’s the attitude of a lot
of companies all around the world. And I know you want these job-creating
projects in your district; I’ve seen all those ribbon- cuttings.
(LAUGHTER) Oh, so funny.
So, tonight,
I propose a “Fix-It-First” program to put people to work as soon as possible on
our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges
across the country.
(APPLAUSE) Wasn’t the
stimulus supposed to fix those. Oh, that
didn’t happen?
And to make
sure taxpayers don’t shoulder the whole burden, I’m also proposing a
Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what
our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to
withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children.
(APPLAUSE) Don’t even get me started on “modern” schools. And maybe if businesses weren’t regulated to
death, these projects would look more attractive.
Let’s prove
there’s no better place to do business than here in the United States of
America, and let’s start right away. We can get this done.
And part of
our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector. The good news is,
our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007. (Who was running the show in 2007?
Oh, yeah. The Democrats.) Home prices are rising at the
fastest pace in six years. Home purchases are up nearly 50 percent. And
construction is expanding again. Could have fooled me.
But even
with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who
want to buy a home are being rejected. Too many families who have never missed
a payment and want to refinance are being told no. That’s holding our entire
economy back. We need to fix it. Maybe too many families who couldn’t afford the mansion they wanted
shouldn’t have been allowed to get them in the first place. But your party told the other it would be
racist not to let them, so they caved and we got the Freddy/Fannie fiasco.
Right now,
there’s a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in
America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today’s rates.
Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. So what are we waiting for?
Take a vote and send me that bill.
(APPLAUSE) Bored.
Why are --
why would we be against that?
(APPLAUSE) Maybe because it’s loaded with pork (of the political sense, not the
scrumptiously edible sense)?
Why would
that be a partisan issue, helping folks refinance? Right now, overlapping
regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home.
What’s holding us back? Let’s streamline the process and help our economy grow. Um…wasn’t it
your party that overregulated in the first place?
Now, these
initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, housing, all these things
will help entrepreneurs and small-business owners expand and create new jobs.
But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills
and training to fill those jobs.
(APPLAUSE) I thought
that’s what public education was for.
Clearly that’s a testament of government success.
And that has
to start at the earliest possible age. You know, study after study shows that
the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road.
But today, fewer than three in ten 4-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality
preschool program. Most middle-class parents can’t afford a few hundred bucks a
week for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack
of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives. Pre-school,
to me, is just another way to start getting kids indoctrinated even
earlier. Plus, like public education in
general, pre-school is just a baby-sitting service, allowing parents to 1) try
to work harder to pay off their school/stupid debt or 2) an excuse to get rid
of their kids that they only had because it was the next step in their
meaningless consumer-driven lives. If
things were done correctly, kids would only be in two-parent (one of each sex)
households, with one at home full-time – preferably the mother, but it can
happen if dad works from home. Okay,
this was a tangent. I’m only half done
with this speech.
So, tonight,
I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every
single child in America.
(APPLAUSE) I propose you
stop talking.
That’s
something we should be able to do.
(APPLAUSE) Another thing
we should be able to do – have a polygraph machine attached to you during this
speech.
Every dollar
we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than seven
dollars later on (again, shady math), by boosting graduation rates,
reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that make it a
priority to educate our youngest children -- like Georgia or Oklahoma --
studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level,
graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own. We
know this works. So let’s do what works and make sure none of our children
start the race of life already behind. Let’s give our kids that chance.
(APPLAUSE) Classic
Democrat political strategy – make it about the kids. Just wait.
It’ll happen again in this campaign speech.
Let’s also
make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job.
Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high school
students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community
colleges, so those German kids, they’re ready for a job when they graduate high
school. They’ve been trained for the jobs that are there.
Now at
schools like P-TECH in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York public
schools and City University of New York and IBM, students will graduate with a
high school diploma and an associate’s degree in computers or engineering. We
need to give every American student opportunities like this. And four years
ago...
(APPLAUSE) So…what it
sounds like is that we need to get government out of public education and let
companies do it? Oh, wait, I think you
meant you want to let government dictate what companies should want in
employees. Either way, this statement
doesn’t make sense.
Four years
ago, we started Race to the Top, a competition that convinced almost every
state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, all for about 1
percent of what we spend on education each year. Tonight, I’m announcing a new challenge, to
redesign America’s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands
of a high-tech economy. And we’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships
with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science,
technology, engineering and math, the skills today’s employers are looking for
to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be there in the future. I’m about to
go Orwellian on you here. It sounds as
if the Department of Education will reward schools for picking partnerships
with the colleges and employers that they deem prudent. Government overreach, anyone?
Now, even
with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education.
It’s a simple fact: The more education you’ve got, the more likely you are to
have a good job and work your way into the middle class. But today,
skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a higher education or
saddle them with unsustainable debt. Says the guy who used to teach at one of those ridiculously
overpriced institutions.
Through tax
credits, grants, and better loans, we’ve made college more affordable for
millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers can’t
keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education.
Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure
that they do.
(APPLAUSE) Maybe if
people focused a little less on cost/prestige and a little more on
functionality of a degree, college tuition wouldn’t be such a big deal. But it’s a liberal institution, for the most
part, so it’s just another example of do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do thinking.
So, tonight,
I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and
value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of
federal aid.
(APPLAUSE) Again, it’s
very hard to listen to him talk about affordability when he’s doubled the
deficit.
And -- and
tomorrow, my Administration will release a new college scorecard that parents
and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you
can get the most bang for your educational buck. Yes, because
we should trust everything your
Administration says.
Now, to grow
our middle class, our citizens have to have access to the education and
training that today’s jobs require. But we also have to make sure that America
remains a place where everyone who’s willing to work -- everybody who’s willing
to work hard has the chance to get ahead.
“Willing” – note he doesn’t say “able”. How many able people are there out there who
aren’t willing to work, because they’ve become used to suckling from the
government teat? Yeah, I just went
there.
Our economy
is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful
immigrants.
(APPLAUSE) So
fascinating, his use of the word “harness” in that statement. If a Republican had said that, there would be
no end to the screams of racism and slavery invocation from the left.
And right
now, (left-leaning)
leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, faith communities, they all
agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now’s
the time to do it.
(APPLAUSE) We all knew
he’d get to this eventually.
Now’s the
time to get it done.
(APPLAUSE) But I’m already bored with it.
Now’s the
time to get it done.
(APPLAUSE) I’ve heard it all before.
Captain Panderer is at it again.
Real reform
means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my
administration’s already made, putting more boots on the southern border than
at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest
levels in 40 years. All while suing states like Arizona for enforcing immigration
laws? I don’t believe a word he says on
this issue.
Real reform
means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship, a path that
includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty,
learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to
come here legally.
(APPLAUSE) Again, I’d
almost agree here, but he’s shown by his administration’s actions that his
words mean nothing.
And real
reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods and
attract the highly skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create
jobs and grow our economy.
(APPLAUSE) This is merely
a plan to secure incoming immigrant’s votes stay with the Democrat party. That’s all.
In other
words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak, bipartisan groups in
both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts.
So let’s get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill (that doesn’t include options/ideas from Republicans) in the next few months, and I will
sign it right away. And America will be better for it.
(APPLAUSE) You’ll sign
it, or you’ll have your auto-pen sign it while you’re on vacation?
Let’s get it
done. Let’s get it done.
(APPLAUSE) Wow. Such urgency.
Too bad you don’t feel the same way about reducing the deficit.
But we can’t
stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, our mothers, our
daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace and
free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence
Against Women’s Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I
now urge the House to do the same.
(APPLAUSE) Pandering. That’s all. How about an anti-discrimination policy for
straight, white men? We’re the most
discriminated sect of society. Add in
Republican and Christian and you’re basically a social pariah.
Good job,
Joe.
(APPLAUSE) So glad I
didn’t have to watch this.
And I ask
this Congress to declare that women should earn a -- a living equal to their
efforts and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
(APPLAUSE) I have a
diatribe I could go into on this subject, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that statistics don’t favor
this argument.
We know our
economy’s stronger when we reward an honest day’s work with honest wages. But
today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even
with the tax relief we’ve put in place, a family with two kids that earns the
minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong. That’s why,
since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen
to bump theirs even higher. So why not leave it up to them?
Tonight,
let’s declare that, in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full
time should have to live in poverty -- and raise the federal minimum wage to $9
an hour.
(APPLAUSE) Yeah, because
we’re not broke enough.
We should be
able to get that done.
(APPLAUSE) This must be
his catch phrase of the night. New
drinking game, anyone?
This single
step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the
difference between groceries or the food bank, rent or eviction, scraping by or
finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean
customers with more money in their pockets.
It would also mean they’d have to pay their employees more, and
thereby, it would affect their bottom line.
Thereby, small businesses is where this proposal would hit hardest. Does this man or his handlers/minions think
about this stuff before they put it on the teleprompter?
And a whole
lot of folks out there would probably need less help from government. In fact,
working folks shouldn’t have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go
up, while CEO pay has never been higher. So here’s an idea that Governor Romney
and I actually agreed on last year: Let’s tie the minimum wage to the cost of
living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
(APPLAUSE) Again, with
the class warfare.
Tonight,
let’s also recognize that there are communities in this country where, no
matter how hard you work, it is virtually impossible to get ahead -- factory
towns decimated from years of plants packing up, inescapable pockets of
poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first
job. Yep, and
those communities are run by liberals.
---I’m pretty sure I started listening
about here. It should have been
over. It was 9:00 CST. Why was he still talking?---
America is
not a place where the chance of birth or circumstance should decide our
destiny. And that’s why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the
middle class for all who are willing to climb them. Let’s offer incentives to
companies that hire Americans who’ve got what it takes to fill that job
opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance
anymore. Let’s put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in rundown
neighborhoods. Rebuild them so who can move in?
There’s a reason people are fleeing from places like Detroit.
And this
year, my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns
in America to get these communities back on their feet. And we’ll work with
local leaders to target resources at public safety and education and housing.
We’ll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. (I thought we were going to simplify the tax code.) And we’ll work to strengthen
families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low- income
couples and do more to encourage fatherhood, because what makes you a man isn’t
the ability to conceive a child, it’s having the courage to raise one. And we
want to encourage that. We want to help that.
(APPLAUSE) I don’t know
anyone who decides not to get married
because of the financial downside. And
until we stop rewarding people for having kids outside of marriage, there won’t
be an advantage to being a father. His
words are good, but they’re empty.
Stronger
families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind of
prosperity -- broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class -- that has
always been the source of our progress at home. It’s also the foundation of our
power and influence throughout the world.
Where’s the mention of faith?
Tonight, we
stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to
protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will
complete its mission in Afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeating the
core of Al Qaida.
(APPLAUSE) Obligatory. He only cares about ending the war, not the
repercussions or our troops.
Already we
have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our
forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the
lead. Tonight, I can announce that, over the next year, another 34,000 American
troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the
end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.
(APPLAUSE) Again, just
letting Al Qaida bide their time.
Beyond 2014,
America’s commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but
the nature of our commitment will change. We’re negotiating an agreement with
the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping
Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos and
counterterrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of Al Qaida and
their affiliates.
Today, the
organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self.
(APPLAUSE) No thanks to
you. That was a “mess” you inherited and
have done nothing of substance with.
It’s true,
different Al Qaida affiliates and extremist groups have emerged, from the
Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to
meet this threat, we don’t need to send tens of thousands of our sons and
daughters abroad or occupy other nations. Instead, we’ll need to help countries
like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security and help allies
who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And, where necessary,
through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against
those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans. Now...
(APPLAUSE) I’m surprised
he didn’t throw in a “I got Osama” reference.
... as we
do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That’s why my administration has
worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our
counterterrorism efforts. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of
our efforts. And I recognize that, in our democracy, no one should just take my
word for it that we’re doing things the right way. So, in the months ahead, I
will continue to engage Congress to ensure not only that our targeting,
detention and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and
system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent
to the American people and to the world. Of course...
(APPLAUSE) So where’s
the mention of the epic debacle in Benghazi?
... our
challenges don’t end with Al Qaida. America will continue to lead the effort to
prevent the spread of the world’s most dangerous weapons. The regime in North
Korea must know, they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting
their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night
will only further isolate them, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own
missile defense, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these
threats. I’ll
just say it – does anyone really fear North Korea? They’re only doing this stuff to get us
talking about them. Kim Jong-un is like
a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.
Ignore him or beat him.
Likewise,
the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic
solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their
obligations. And we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a
nuclear weapon.
(APPLAUSE) Actions,
again, are louder than words. And we’ve
been talking for far too long.
At the same
time, we’ll engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals
and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that could
fall into the wrong hands, because our ability to influence others depends on
our willingness to lead and meet our obligations. Well, it’s a
good thing you have more flexibility with Russia now, I guess.
America must
also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber attacks.
(APPLAUSE) Bored.
Now, we know
hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private e-mails. We know
foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies
are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial
institutions, our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from
now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security
and our economy. Yeah, and making medical records electronic won’t lead to this at
all…
That’s why,
earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber
defenses by increasing information-sharing and developing standards to protect
our national security, our jobs, and our privacy.
(APPLAUSE) Just what we
need – you signing more executive orders.
But now --
now Congress must act, as well, by passing legislation to give our government a
greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks. This is something we
should be able to get done on a bipartisan basis.
(APPLAUSE) Why does
Congress need to act? Can’t you just
sign another executive order?
Now, even as
we protect our people, we should remember that today’s world presents not just
dangers, not just threats. It presents opportunities. To boost American
exports, support American jobs, and level the playing field in the
growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific
Partnership. And tonight, I’m announcing that we will launch talks on a
comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European
Union, because trade that is fair and free across the Atlantic supports millions
of good-paying American jobs.
(APPLAUSE) And we should
try to emulate Europe at every possible chance.
We also know
that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all, not
only because it creates new markets, more stable order in certain regions of
the world, but also because it’s the right thing to do. And throwing
money at the problem always fixes it.
You know, in
many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United
States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next
two decades, by connecting more people to the global economy, by empowering
women, by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve and
helping communities to feed and power and educate themselves, by saving the
world’s children from preventable deaths, and by realizing the promise of an
AIDS-free generation, which is within our reach.
(APPLAUSE) Having
returned recently from a place where these programs are supposedly working, I
sure don’t see success stories to speak of.
When will politicians realize that earmarking money for these programs
doesn’t fix the problems?
You see...
(APPLAUSE) No, I don’t.
You see,
America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of
historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon, in Burma,
when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American president into the home where she
had been imprisoned for years, when thousands of Burmese lined the streets,
waving American flags, including a man who said, “There is justice and law in
the United States. I want our country to be like that.”
In defense
of freedom, we’ll remain the anchor of strong alliances, from the Americas to
Africa, from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as
they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to
democracy.
(APPLAUSE) 1) Thanks for that geography lesson, and 2) does “stand with
citizens” mean “stand with the Muslim Brotherhood”? How’s that been working out for ya? Oh, and does that mean we stand with the
citizens who attacked our embassy in Benghazi?
Just asking.
We know the
process will be messy (like Benghazi – still waiting
for you to mention that foreign policy disaster), and we cannot presume to dictate the course of
change in countries like Egypt, but we can -- and will -- insist on respect for
the fundamental rights of all people.
We’ll keep
the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people and support
opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand
steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.
(APPLAUSE) Yes, pressure
on Syria – because that’s helped stop the mass murder. And I don’t believe a word you say about
standing with Israel. Especially since
you’re nominating Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense.
These are
the messages I’ll deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month. Are you going
on another taxpayer-funded apology tour?
And all this
work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous
places at great personal risk: our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and
the men and women of the United States armed forces. As long as I’m
commander-in-chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve
their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military the world has ever
known.
(APPLAUSE) What about
protecting our ambassador and the three others murdered in Benghazi? I know I sound like I’m beating a dead horse
here, but the blackout over that atrocity is nigh treasonous.
We’ll invest
in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. We will
ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their
families, gay and straight.
(APPLAUSE) Again,
obligatory. Gotta keep those gays happy
(and voting Democrat).
We will draw
upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters and moms, because
women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat. We will keep faith
with our veterans, investing in world-class care, including mental health care,
for our wounded warriors...
(APPLAUSE) Everyone
wants to take care of our veterans.
However, you’re bringing them home to an economy in shambles (of your
making), which is why many of them joined the military in the first place. And as for women on the front lines, it’s not
their ability or their equality that should keep them from the front lines – it’s
the principle.
...
supporting our military families, giving our veterans the benefits and
education and job opportunities that they have earned. And I want to thank
my wife, Michelle, and Dr. Jill Biden for their continued dedication to serving
our military families as well as they have served us.
(APPLAUSE) Giving them
job opportunities? The economy you
helped destroy won’t afford them such opportunities. So their failures to reintegrate into the
private sector will be another part of your failing legacy.
(APPLAUSE)
Defending
our freedom, though, is not just the job of our military alone. We must all do
our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That
includes one of the most fundamental rights of a democracy, the right to vote.
(APPLAUSE) Why is this
even an issue? I’m fuming, just thinking
of rehashing this part.
Now...
(APPLAUSE) Why did this…
When...
(APPLAUSE) …get so much
applause?
When any
American -- no matter where they live or what their party -- are denied that
right because they can’t wait for five or six or seven hours just to cast their
ballot, we are betraying our ideals. So...
(APPLAUSE) I have never
heard of a person waiting 5-7 hours to vote.
When and where did this happen?
Was it the polling places being “observed” by the New Black Panthers, as
they intimidated voters? I’d bet my
bottom dollar that any alleged instance of waiting so long was in a precinct
dominated by liberal government.
So, tonight,
I’m announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting experience in
America. And it definitely needs improvement. I’m asking two long-time experts
in the field -- who, by the way, recently served as the top attorneys for my
campaign and for Governor Romney’s campaign -- to lead it. We can fix this. And
we will. The American people demand it, and so does our democracy.
(APPLAUSE) Voting is an “experience”
now? Not a responsibility? What’s to improve? Are you going to make Starbucks cater coffee
to everyone standing in line? What’s to
fix? There’s early voting in almost
everywhere. There’s still the absentee ballot
(though, there’s were some serious failures on the part of getting them
overseas in the last election – even to the voting block that would most likely
vote Democrat).
Of course,
what I’ve said tonight matters little if we don’t come together to protect our
most precious resource, our children. And here comes the anti-gun part.
(APPLAUSE) Criminals
will always get guns. It’s the ability
for law-abiding citizens to get them that you threaten.
Senators --
senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent
anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs (that let themselves be used by the left) are asking our help to get weapons
of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because these police
chiefs, they’re tired of seeing their guys and gals being outgunned.
Each of
these proposals deserves a vote in Congress.
(APPLAUSE) Guns don’t
kill people. People kill people. When will you bloviating politicians get that
through your thick skulls. Until you
change the culture of violence – which is perpetuated by your liberal policies –
you’re never going to stop the killings.
Now...
(APPLAUSE)
If you want
to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote, because
in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations,
anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun. More than
a thousand.
(APPLAUSE) You’re
right. I don’t have to vote for an
anti-Second Amendment proposition that’s built on the backs of those who’ve
been used by your kind (liberals) to perpetuate an agenda without caring about
the bloodshed that gets you what you want.
They deserve
a vote.
(APPLAUSE) Stop.
They deserve
a vote.
(APPLAUSE) Shut your
mouth.
(APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE) Pretty sure I
should have pulled off the road at this point, as my expletive-laced tirade and
elevated blood pressure didn’t allow for a safe driving environment.
Our actions
will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. In fact, no
laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all of the
challenges I’ve outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We
were sent here to make what difference we can -- to secure this nation, expand
opportunity, uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but
absolutely necessary work of self-government.
And here I was thinking that you were sent to wreck our economy,
grow our government, and take our liberties.
We were sent
here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one
another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country. We
should follow their example.
(APPLAUSE) You were sent
to govern, Mr. President. And I’ve seen
not one shred of evidence that would lead me to believe you’ve done an ounce of
it in the past four years.
(APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
We may do different
jobs, and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person
beside us. But as Americans, we all share the same proud title: We are
citizens. (I’m getting that tingling feeling this is
a telling lead up to the day we’ll all be called “citizen” instead of by our
identities, and robots will take over.
Can you tell I’ve completely checked out of this “speech”?) It’s a word that doesn’t just
describe our nationality or legal status. (Can you
sense my rolling eyes?) It
describes the way we’re made. It describes what we believe. It captures the
enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations
to one another and to future generations (like
saddling them with our debt?); that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well
into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens
of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter in our
American story(/fantasy).
Thank you,
God bless you, and God bless these United States of America. Every time he
says those words, I ponder the physical pain it must give him to do so.
---END TRANSCRIPT---
No follow-up necessary.
If you bought a line of anything he was saying, you want to be
fooled.
I need two days of my life back.
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