Entries Filed in 'Speeches'

Obama speaks about the Affordable Care Act

May 12th, 2013 · No Comments · Health Care, News from Washington, Speeches

The following are President Barack Obama’s remarks on the Affordable Care Act, made last Friday:
THE PRESIDENT: Moms take care of us. (Baby cries.) Yes, see? (Laughter.) Case in point. Sick kids, aging parents, grumpy husbands. And I know there are lots of moms out there who often go without the care that they need, or the checkups they know they should get, because they’re worrying that co-pay has to go to gas, or groceries, or the new soccer uniform instead. Or worse, they know the unfairness of being charged more for their health care just because they’re a woman, or the stress of trying to manage a family budget when health care costs are impinging on it, or trying to insure a sick child only to be told “no” over and over again.

So we decided that needed to change. In a country as wealthy as this one, there was no reason why a family’s security should be determined by the chance of an illness or an accident. We decided to do something about it.

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Chief Justice: putting Maine’s Judicial System “on the road to the new world”

February 21st, 2013 · No Comments · Capitol news, Civil Rights, Community Maine, Public Safety, Speeches

Maine’s Chief Leigh Justice called for creation of an e-filing system, continued commitment to courthouse safety measures, attention to mental health issues, and taking care of Maine’s youth during the annual State of the Judiciary to a Joint Session of the Maine Legislature.

The Chief Justice asked the Legislature to make Maine’s Judiciary “robust” in order to enforce the laws passed by the Legislature. Maine’s courts are among the slowest in the nation.

“In a world where records and communications are now routinely in digital format, our paper-based records are frankly out of step, and this affects public safety, public access, the costs of litigation, and the availability of important data,” said Saufley. “In short, this challenge affects every aspect of justice,” She asked the Legislature to allocate new funds to implement an electronic filing, or e-filing, system.

“Today, the Chief Justice outlined our need to advance Maine’s courts by bringing our courts in to the digital age,” said Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall of Richmond who also works as a lawyer. “Doing this will make our courts stronger and more responsive and efficient–and, will save money for those who are involved with Maine’s courts as well as taxpayers in the long-term.”

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The State of the Union 2013: increase minimum wage, improve infrastructure, invest in research and development and work together on debt

February 13th, 2013 · No Comments · Business & Innovation, Creative Economy, Education, Energy Issues, Environment, Maine's green energy potential, News from Washington, Speeches

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, fellow citizens:

Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this chamber that “the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress.” (Applause.) “It is my task,” he said, “to report the State of the Union — to improve it is the task of us all.”

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.) After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in 20. (Applause.) Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before. (Applause.)

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.)

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.)

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.

It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, 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.)

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Call to action to keep children safe from gun violence by President Obama

December 17th, 2012 · No Comments · Community Maine, News from Washington, Public Safety, Speeches

“Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose? I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change,” said President Obama.

Later in his speech he said,”In the coming weeks, I’ll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine.Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?”

The following are President Barack Obama’s remarks at a Dec. 16, 2012 prayer vigil for victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The gun man shot 20 young children and six staff members at the school before hearing the police closing in and then taking his own life.

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911: Remarks by President Barack Obama at the Pentagon Memorial

September 11th, 2012 · No Comments · News from Washington, Public Safety, Speeches

President Barack Obama and the First Lady pledge their allegiance at a memorial on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America on 9.11
Remarks by President Barack Obama at the Pentagon Memorial on 9/11/2012 at Arlington, Virginia.

The President: Secretary Panetta, General Dempsey, members of our Armed Forces, and most importantly, to the families –survivors and loved ones — of those we lost, Michelle and I are humbled to join you again on this solemn anniversary.

Today we remember a day that began like so many others. There were rides to school and commutes to work, early flights and familiar routines, quick hugs and quiet moments. It was a day like this one — a clear blue sky, but a sky that would soon be filled with clouds of smoke and prayers of a nation shaken to its core.

Even now, all these years later, it is easy for those of us who lived through that day to close our eyes and to find ourselves back there — and back here — back when grief crashed over us like an awful wave, when Americans everywhere held each other tight, seeking the reassurance that the world we knew wasn’t crumbling under our feet.

Eleven times we have marked another September 11th come and gone. Eleven times, we have paused in remembrance, in reflection, in unity and in purpose.

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Bill Clinton’s full speech at the DNC: video about Ryan plan comment

September 10th, 2012 · No Comments · Economy, News from Washington, Speeches

Bill Clinton speaking at the DNC convention highlighting how democrats helped create 42 million jobs while in office compared to 24 million when the Republicans held the White House. AP photo

“I want to nominate a man whose own life has known its fair share of adversity and uncertainty. A man who ran for president to change the course of an already weak economy and then just six weeks before the election, saw it suffer the biggest collapse since the Great Depression,”announced former Bill Clinton during his nomination speech. For an article please go here.

The following is a transcript of former President Bill Clinton’s speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 5, 2012:

We’re here to nominate a president, and I’ve got one in mind.

I want to nominate a man whose own life has known its fair share of adversity and uncertainty. A man who ran for president to change the course of an already weak economy and then just six weeks before the election, saw it suffer the biggest collapse since the Great Depression. A man who stopped the slide into depression and put us on the long road to recovery, knowing all the while that no matter how many jobs were created and saved, there were still millions more waiting, trying to feed their children and keep their hopes alive.

I want to nominate a man cool on the outside but burning for America on the inside.

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President Barack Obama’s DNC speech — the choice to move forward is ours

September 7th, 2012 · No Comments · Community Maine, Economy, News from Washington, Speeches

President Barack Obama delivering his speech on moving America forward, building on the last four years of progress, at the DNC convention, September 6, 2012

Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for president of the United States.

Now, the first time I addressed this convention, in 2004, I was a younger man — a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope, not blind optimism, not wishful thinking but hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward even when the odds are great, even when the road is long.
Eight years later that hope has been tested by the cost of war, by one of the worst economic crises in history and by political gridlock that’s left us wondering whether it’s still even possible to tackle the challenges of our time. I know campaigns can seem small, even silly sometimes.

Trivial things become big distractions. Serious issues become sound bites. The truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. And if you’re sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am I.

But when all is said and done, when you pick up that ballot to vote, you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years big decisions will be made in Washington on jobs, the economy, taxes and deficits, energy, education, war and peace — decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and on our children’s lives for decades to come.

And on every issue, the choice you face won’t just be between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for America, a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future. Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known — the values my grandfather defended as a soldier in Patton’s army, the values that drove my grandmother to work on a bomber assembly line while he was gone. They knew they were part of something larger — a nation that triumphed over fascism and depression, a nation where the most innovative businesses turn out the world’s best products, and everyone shared in that pride and success from the corner office to the factory floor.

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Joe Biden: it has never, never, ever, been a good bet to bet against the American people

September 7th, 2012 · No Comments · Economy, News from Washington, Speeches

Vice President Joe Biden talks about how the President saved the auto industry, strengthened health care, and had the courage, conviction and confidence in America's Seals to kill Osama bin Laden., at the DNC convention Sept, 6, 2012, in North Carolina.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m here to tell you, bravery resides in the heart of Barack Obama. And time and time again, I witnessed him summon it. This man has courage in his soul, compassion in his heart, and steel in his spine. And because of all the actions he took, because of the calls he made–and because of the grit and determination of American workers–and the unparalleled bravery of our special forces—we can now proudly say—Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive,” said Vice President Biden at the Democratic National Convention.

“We’re on a mission to move this nation forward—from doubt and downturn, to promise and prosperity. A mission we will continue and a mission we will complete,” the Vice President said in his opening remarks.

Vice President Biden spoke to the audience about the more personal side of the President that he’s grown to know over the past four years.

“I want to take you inside the White House to see the President, as I see him every day. Because I don’t see him in sound bites. I walk down the hall, 30 steps to the Oval Office, and I see him in action,” said Biden.

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Facts Take a Beating in Republican Convention Acceptance Speeches

August 31st, 2012 · No Comments · Economy, News from Washington, Speeches

Published in the New York Times on August 31, 2012

The news, even noted Republican Fox News, reported on the lies in Mr. Ryan's speech to the Republican convention

Representative Paul D. Ryan used his convention speech on Wednesday to fault President Obama for failing to act on a deficit-reduction plan that he himself had helped kill. He chided Democrats for seeking $716 billion in Medicare cuts that he too had sought. And he lamented the nation’s credit rating — which was downgraded after a debt-ceiling standoff that he and other House Republicans helped instigate.

And Mitt Romney, in his acceptance speech on Thursday night, asserted that President Obama’s policies had “not helped create jobs” and that Mr. Obama had gone on an “apology tour” for America. He also warned that the president’s Medicare cuts would “hurt today’s seniors,” claims that have already been labeled false or misleading…

Mr. Ryan’s speech was received rapturously by the Republican Party faithful, but his many questionable assertions ensured that much of the analysis on Thursday focused on his accuracy more than his acumen.The Obama campaign fanned the flames with a Web video mocking Mr. Ryan, showing anchors from CNN and Fox News questioning some of his statements. And Stephanie Cutter, the president’s deputy campaign manager, was blunt. “There’s no delicate way to say this: last night Paul Ryan lied, repeatedly, knowingly and brazenly,” she said.

Here are some of the misleading section of their convention speeches:

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President Obama’s remarks about the shootings in Aurora, Colorado

July 20th, 2012 · No Comments · News from Washington, Speeches

At an opening for the new Batman movie 12 people were shoot and 38 injured in Aurora, Colorado. President Barack Obama was in Florida and stopped campaigning after he heard of the tragic occurrence. The following are his remarks this morning:

THE PRESIDENT: I know many of you came here today for a campaign event. I was looking forward to having a fun conversation with you about some really important matters that we face as a country and the differences between myself and my opponent in this election. But this morning, we woke up to news of a tragedy that reminds us of all the ways that we are united as one American family.

By now, many of you know, many of you have heard that a few miles outside of Denver in a town call Aurora, at least 12 people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a movie theater, and dozens more are being treated for injuries at a local hospital. Some of the victims are being treated at a children’s hospital.

We’re still gathering all the facts about what happened in Aurora, but what we do know is that the police have one suspect in custody. And the federal government stands ready to do whatever is necessary to bring whoever is responsible for this heinous crime to justice. (Applause.) And we will take every step possible to ensure the safety of all of our people.

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