Remarks by the President Honoring the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks

East Room

2:15 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Please, everybody, have a seat.  (Applause.)  It is my pleasure to welcome back the Chicago Blackhawks to the White House.  (Applause.)  We have some very proud Blackhawks fans here.  A couple I want to point out in particular -- Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois -- (applause) --and Congressman Mike Quigley, who actually still has an old man’s hockey game that he’s in all the time.  (Laughter.)  Any false teeth, Mike?  Just a couple, all right.  But this guy is a serious hockey player.  So, Mike Quigley.  (Applause.)   

Now, since I took office, we’ve hosted a lot of championship teams -- from Boston and New York; Pittsburgh and Miami.  But since I’ve been President, only one team has brought a world championship to my hometown of Chicago.  And now the Blackhawks have done it twice.  (Applause.)  Twice!

Three years ago, the ‘Hawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.  And keep in mind, the Cubs have been waiting for 105 -- (laughter) -- so 49 might have not seemed so bad.  But luckily, the second Stanley Cup came just a little bit quicker.

From the very beginning of last season, when these guys won their first six games in a row, we had a feeling that this was a team on the move.  And we were right. 

With Coach Q behind the bench, the ‘Hawks dominated the regular season.  In the playoffs, Captain Jonathan Toews led the team all the way for the second time -- and he’s still only, by the way, 25 years old.  Now, I don’t remember everything I was doing when I was 25, but I wasn’t doing that.  (Laughter.)  That, I’m pretty certain of.  Incredible leadership on his part.

Patrick Kane, the playoff MVP, helped to send this team to the finals in an incredible double overtime.  (Applause.)  I will say some of the games were just stressful, though.  (Laughter.)  I was getting a little tense.

Duncan Keith had an interesting first round.  He scored a goal in game three.  Then he flew home to Chicago to be with his wife for the birth of their son, Colton.  Then he flew back to Minneapolis the same day, arrived two hours before the drop of the puck, helped lead the team to a win that put them up 3-1 in the series.  And about six weeks later, Colton may have become the youngest person ever to be hoisted by the cup.  (Laughter.)  That hadn’t happened before.

And finally, we’ve got Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland.  With less than two minutes left in game six of the finals -- the ‘Hawks down by just one goal -- teamed up to score two goals in just 17 seconds to bring the Cup back to Chicago -- 17 seconds.  (Applause.)  That’s the kind of clutch performance that would make Jordan proud, which is why the statue was wearing a Blackhawks jersey during the playoffs.

So this team is a great example of what Chicago is all about.  It’s not just, by the way, because of what they’ve done on the ice.  In game six, Andrew Shaw got hit in the face by a puck.  It earned him more than a few stitches, but after the game, he decided to make the best of a painful situation.  When those stitches came out, he auctioned every one of them off.  (Laughter.)  That does raise the question, like, who's buying sutures?  (Laughter.)  Somebody bid on this stuff.  He raised almost $20,000 for the V Foundation to help cancer research.

And he’s not the only guy with a big heart back here.  This morning, the entire team paid a visit to our wounded warriors at Walter Reed, helping to raise the spirits of men and women who have sacrificed so much for this country.  And when I had a chance to have some of our wounded warriors in the room with these guys beforehand, I said, I love the Blackhawks, I love all my sports teams, but obviously our best team, our most important team are those folks who every day serve us in uniform and keep us free.  So we really just are grateful to them.  (Applause.)   

So these are not just good hockey players, they’re good guys.  And that helps explain why 2 million Chicago fans came out to Grant Park to celebrate bringing home the Cup.  Speaking of Grant Park, we were originally going to let Corey Crawford say a few words today -- (laughter) -- but we thought we'd keep this family event family-friendly.  (Laughter.)  You guys have been hanging out with Rahm Emanuel too much.  (Laughter.) 

So congratulations again to the Blackhawks.  To the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, White Sox -- I am term-limited, so you guys have got to get moving.  I need to see you here soon.  Championships belong in Chicago.  So, to the Blackhawks, thank you for bringing it back home.  Thanks for bringing the Stanley Cup.  (Applause.)

COACH QUENNEVILLE[CHAIRMAN WIRTZ]:  Thank you, Mr. President.  On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks, thank you for this incredible honor.  I can assure you these fine players, beginning with Captain Jonathan Toews, will never take these visits for granted.  You can be proud the way that these players play for your home team hockey team. 

More than -- they are gifted athletes who not only win championships, but go a long way in breaking gridlock if you allow them into Congress.  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s true.  I should try a hockey stick -- during the shutdown -- (laughter) -- see how that worked.

COACH QUENNEVILLE[CHAIRMAN WIRTZ]:  But thank you once again on behalf of the team and our fans, and please accept this jersey as a gesture for our gratitude.  (Applause.)

END               
2:22 P.M. EST

Remarks by the President at Rally for Terry McAuliffe for Governor

Washington-Lee High School
Arlington, Virginia

2:28 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Washington-Lee!  (Applause.)  Hello, Virginia!  (Applause.)  How are you doing?  (Applause.)  Are you fired up?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to vote on Tuesday?  (Applause.) 

Well, it is good to be back in Virginia -- (applause) -- with the next governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe.  (Applause.)

Now, let me just say before I start saying nice things about Terry -- (laughter) -- that, like me, he married up.  (Laughter.) Those of you who have had a chance to meet Dorothy know that Terry clearly was very persistent, but whatever he did, it worked.  And as a consequence, they’ve got unbelievable children who are doing outstanding things on their own and are also on the campaign trail.  So please give it up for the family because they make some big sacrifices.  (Applause.)  And Dorothy is going to be a great first lady of the commonwealth.  (Applause.) 

I want to thank Terry for the introduction.  Over the last few weeks, a lot of people have been coming out and campaigning for Terry and I was tired of having other people have all the fun –- (laughter) -- Bill Clinton and Kerry Washington and all these folks.  (Applause.)  And I thought, I want to get in on the action.  And so did Joe Biden, who I understand is going to be out here tomorrow doing some campaigning.  (Applause.) 

But we’ve also got some folks here who are doing outstanding work in their own right and I want to acknowledge them.  They’re fighting every single day for you.  First of all, your wonderful Senator and former governor, Mark Warner.  (Applause.)  Three outstanding members of Congress who are fighting for you every single day -- Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran, Bobby Scott.  (Applause.)  Your next lieutenant governor, Ralph Northam.  (Applause.)  And your next attorney general, Mark Herring in the house.  (Applause.) 

So you’ve got an all-star team here.  There are no weak links.  Everybody is ready to work on behalf of Virginia.  But obviously at the top of the ticket is this man.  (Applause.)  And so let me just say a few things about Terry. 

First of all, I think it’s clear that he’s not shy.  (Laughter.)  This is a man who knows how to work and he knows how to push through obstacles, and he cares deeply about the opportunities that this country has given him, and he wants to make sure that those opportunities are there for everybody -- not just for a few.  He knows what it’s like to work hard and struggle to get ahead. 

You may know that Terry started his own business when he was 14.  He started 42 all together [He’s been in business 42 years all together], but the first one was when he was 14, paving driveways to help pay for college. And he’s brought that same grit and that same determination to everything he’s done, from public service to business, to being a husband and a father to the extraordinary children of the McAuliffe family.

So he knows what it’s like to work hard.  And when it comes to creating good jobs, when it comes to investing in education, when it comes to giving more Virginians the opportunities that they deserve, Terry understands what folks are going through.  He knows how to get things done.  And that’s why I hope you guys are fired up on Tuesday, because we cannot have people stay at home when so much is at stake.  (Applause.)  I hope you’re ready to fight for Terry, because he’s ready to fight for you for the next four years.  (Applause.) 

And this election is going to say a lot about Virginia’s future and about the country’s future.  It’s only been a few years since we went through a punishing recession.  Jobs were lost.  Too many people lost their homes, their security, their savings, including a lot of folks here in Virginia.  Now, thanks to some tough decisions that we made, we’re in a much different place.  Over the past three and a half years, we’ve created more than 7.5 million new jobs.  (Applause.)  Our deficits have been cut by more than half since I came into office.  (Applause.)  Health care costs are slowing.  The housing market is rebounding. The American auto industry is back on the move.  (Applause.) 

So we've made progress, but what Terry understands, what everybody on this ticket understands, is that there’s still too many folks out there who are hurting, too many families who are struggling, too many people who are in the middle class that  worry that maybe the life chances of their children won't be as good as theirs, and too many folks not yet in the middle class who no matter how hard they work don’t feel like those ladders of opportunity are still there for them.

And that’s what this election is about.  That’s what the great political contest in this country is all about.  Are we going to put in place policies that make sure that anybody in this country, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter who you love, that people can make it if they try here in the United States of America -- and are we going to give each other the support that people need to succeed?  (Applause.)  That’s what's at stake. 

So that’s been my priority as President -- to grow the economy, to create good jobs, to have broad-based prosperity.  Because America has always succeeded when everybody succeeds.  That’s good for folks at the top and good for folks at the bottom.  When everybody has the opportunity to get a good job if they're willing to work hard, that’s good for businesses because now they've got more customers.  Everybody does well when our growth is from the middle out and from the bottom up, not just from the top down.  (Applause.) 

And Terry understands that.  That’s what I focus on every day.  That’s what Terry will focus on when he's governor.  (Applause.) 

Now, as has been pointed out, unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the focus of too many folks on the other side of the aisle.  You know, no party has a monopoly on wisdom.  And I'm a Democrat and I'm proud to be a Democrat -- (applause) -- but, historically, in our two-party system, there's always been the capacity for folks on both sides of the aisle to work and find compromise on issues like the environment, or issues like building roads, and educating our workforce, and funding basic research.  There's been a broad consensus that these are things that are important for America to do. 

But lately, instead of rolling up their sleeves and working on the things that we can agree on together, you've seen an extreme faction of the Republican Party that has shown again and again and again that they're willing to highjack the entire party -- and the country and the economy -- and grind progress to an absolute halt if they don’t get 100 percent of what they want. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, this isn't just speculation.  We just saw it last month.  Here in Virginia, you felt the pain of the first government shutdown in 17 years.  And there aren't a lot of states that felt more of the pain than folks right here in Virginia.  Paychecks were delayed.  Families were forced to go without the services that they depended on.  Business owners took it on the chin when customers cut back on their own spending. 

And, as Terry mentioned, his opponent says he's perfectly happy with it.  Now he says it's in the rearview mirror.  Well, it can't be in the rearview mirror if this is your operative theory of politics.  If you embrace the very politics that led to this shutdown, then I guarantee it's not in the rearview mirror of voters in Virginia.  They remember.  They understand that that is not how you govern and that is not how you move America forward. (Applause.) 

This isn't a game.  And there are very real consequences when you operate ideologically, the way some of these folks do.  There are practical consequences when you operate this way.  And Terry understands that.  During the shutdown, he called on Speaker Boehner to stand up to the tea party, reopen the government so Virginians could go back to work.  He stood up for you.  Instead of joining him, Terry's opponent sided with the people who would rather hurt folks to make a point.  Rather than back down, Terry's opponent doubled down.

Well, Virginia, look, I know sometimes folks in Congress can get away with acting irresponsibly; acting like compromise is a bad word.  Maybe it's good for their political prospects; maybe it's good for their political district.  But you cannot afford to have a governor who's thinking the same way.  (Applause.)  The governor is -- that’s a practical job.  That’s about making sure schools are funded.  That’s about making sure that roads are built.  That’s about making sure that research is funded, that universities are operating at full capacity.  That’s what a governor does.  (Applause.)  They can't afford to be ideologues. They've got to be able to work with everybody and compromise and get the job done.  And that’s who Terry McAuliffe is, and that’s why you've got to vote for him on Tuesday.  (Applause.) 

When hardworking families come looking for some support, when communities come looking for a way to create new jobs in their area, when folks are looking for some job training that can actually get them into that new industry that is growing here in Virginia, they're looking to the governor.  And the governor can't be waving around a whole bunch of theories that have nothing to do with people's ordinary lives.  It's got to be somebody who is there and understands them, is willing to work for them. 

That’s what Mark Warner did.  (Applause.)  That’s what Tim Kaine did.  (Applause.)  And that’s what Terry McAuliffe will do. He is part of that legacy.  (Applause.) 

And, by the way, that’s why you've got so many Republican businessmen and women, Republican mayors and state legislators, many of whom never supported a Democrat before, who are stepping up in this race and saying, Terry McAuliffe is the right man for the job.  (Applause.)  They understand that the job of governor is not tearing stuff down; it is building folks up, building communities up, moving forward, bringing people together.  And they know that Terry can do that.  (Applause.)

So this is all about moving forward.  It's not about going backwards.  It's about building, not destroying.  And, Virginia, I'm asking you to choose progress.  Because the truth is what's holding us back right now is not a lack of good ideas.  I've got to tell you, I spend a lot of time on policy and I'm in a lot of meetings, and there are some very tough problems that the world faces and that the country faces, but so much of what needs to be done for us to make progress is right there.  Everybody knows what it is.  Everybody understands what we need. 

For example, here in Virginia, if we invest in our roads and our bridges, if all across the country we invest in our ports and our infrastructure, we can put more people back to work right now.  We can strengthen our economy in the long term.  That is not a Republican or a Democratic idea; that’s just common sense. (Applause.)  We've done it in the past and we can do it again.  And Terry has got a plan to make it happen right here in Virginia.  (Applause.) 

We know -- the research has been done -- if we invest in early childhood education, and every young person, when they go to school, they are already ready to learn and they're getting the support that they need, that you see drastic improvement and that those young people become productive citizens.  We know that.  (Applause.)  Terry understands it.  That’s not Democrat or Republican -- that’s common sense.  Let's make those investments. (Applause.)

We know that if we make sure that college is affordable for young people, most states that educate their workforce, they're going to attract more companies, more businesses.  We know that. It's not a Democratic or Republican idea -- that’s common sense. Terry understands that.

We know that there's no contradiction between a smart energy policy that makes sure that we're not only investing in energy sources of the past, but also energy sources of the future; that we're caring for our environment and we're thinking about what kind of legacy we're leaving to our children, and we can still grow and be at the cutting edge of those changes here in Virginia and all across the country.  Terry understands that.  (Applause.) 

We know that investing in basic research -- science -- makes sense for America.  It always has.  And, Virginia, part of the reason why Virginia has grown so much during your lifetimes is because this has been a centerpiece of research and development, particularly up here in Northern Virginia.  We've seen it. 

So that makes our economy work better and makes our businesses thrive, and allows them to compete all across the world.  It makes our military outstanding.  That innovative drive -- that’s part of what makes America special.

Now, Terry's opponent, I guess he's got other ideas in mind. But I can tell you, we will not create jobs when you focus on things like attacking Social Security.  That doesn’t create jobs. It doesn’t create jobs when you go after scientists, and you try to offer your own alternative theories of how things work -- (laughter) -- and engage in litigation around stuff that isn't political.  It has to do with what's true.  It has to do with facts.  You don’t argue with facts.  (Applause.) 

You don’t create jobs and help the people of Virginia by trying to restrict the health care choices that women make.  (Applause.)  Women are capable of making those choices by themselves.  That's not going to create jobs.  (Applause.)  Trying to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood -- that’s not something that will grow our economy.  That's not going to help middle-class families get ahead.  It doesn’t even help -- it sure doesn’t help making sure that our daughters have the same opportunities as our sons.  (Applause.) 

So, look, here’s the bottom line.  You deserve a governor who wants to move this commonwealth forward, not backwards.  A governor who believes that we’re better than the kind of ideological politics that we see all too often.  Somebody who understands that even if we don’t agree on everything there’s no reason we can’t make progress on the issues that we do agree on  -- and, by the way, that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

Now, Terry McAuliffe will be that governor.  And you know that.  Otherwise you wouldn't be at this rally.  Right?  (Applause.)  You know that Terry is the right man for the job.  That’s why you’ve devoted so much time and energy and effort to get him elected -- (applause) -- because you want somebody in the statehouse who is going to be waking up every single day thinking about you.   

But here’s the thing -- you’ve got to finish the job.  You are just a few hours away from when the polls open here in the commonwealth.  And -- I know Terry feels this -- nothing makes me more nervous than when my supporters start feeling too confident, so I want to put the fear of God in all of you.  (Laughter.)  All right?  Virginia, historically, has always been a swing state.  And this race will be close, because past races in Virginia have always been close.  And the question is going to be whether or not you are willing to out-work the other side.

In these closing hours, are you willing to knock on some more doors? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes! 

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you willing to make some more phone calls? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you willing to talk to your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes! 

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you willing to make sure that those family members who don't always vote during off-year elections are getting to the polls.  (Applause.)  Are you willing to make your case every single hour, every single minute, every single second?  Are you going to be willing to out-work and out-hustle the other folks?  Because I guarantee you Terry McAuliffe is going to be out-working and out-hustling the other guy over the next few hours.  (Applause.) 

You can bring this home.  You can make this happen.  But you’ve got to make sure that everybody goes out on Tuesday and chooses a better future for Virginia, and chooses a better future for America, and chooses Terry McAuliffe to be the next governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia!  (Applause.)

Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  (Applause.) God bless America.  (Applause.)

END                
2:50 P.M. EST

Weekly Address: Passing a Budget that Reflects Our Priorities

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that in order to keep growing the economy and creating good jobs, Washington must end its cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds.  It’s time for both parties to work together to pass a budget that reflects our priorities – making smart cuts in things we don’t need and closing wasteful tax loopholes, while investing in areas that create opportunities for the middle class and our future generations.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, November 2, 2013.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
November 2, 2013

Hi, everybody.  On Thursday, I addressed a conference for business leaders from around the world.  And my pitch was simple:  Choose America.  Invest in America.  Create jobs in America.

It speaks to my top priority as President: growing our economy, creating good jobs, strengthening security and opportunity for the middle class. 

Over the past three and a half years, our businesses have created over seven and a half million new jobs.  And this week, the Treasury confirmed that since I took office, we’ve cut our deficits by more than half.

But we have more work to do.  We need to grow and create more good jobs faster.  That’s my driving focus.  And I’ll go anywhere and do anything to make it happen. 

That has to be Washington’s driving focus as well.  But I know that what you often hear out of Washington can sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher – a jumble of unfocused noise that’s out of touch with the things you care about.

So today, I want to cut through that noise and talk plainly about what we should do right now to keep growing this economy and creating new jobs.

It begins by ending what has done more than anything else to undermine our economy over the past few years – and that’s the constant cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds. 

I was glad to hear the Republican leader in the Senate say this week that they won’t pursue another government shutdown or threaten another default on our debt.  Because we shouldn’t be injuring ourselves every few months – we should be investing in ourselves. 

And one way to do that is through the budget that Congress started working on this week. 

Now, budgets can be a boring topic – especially on the weekend.  But they can also be revealing.  Because they expose what our priorities are as a country for all to see. 

Think about it.  We can keep wasteful corporate tax giveaways that working folks don’t get – or we could close those loopholes and use that money to pay for things that actually create jobs.

We can keep harmful cuts to education programs – or we could give more kids a head start, hire more teachers in math and science, and help more kids afford a college education.

We can keep doling out corporate welfare to big oil companies – or we could keep investing in the renewable energy that creates jobs and lowers our carbon pollution.

Priorities. Choices.  That’s what this is about.  And the stakes for the middle class couldn’t be higher.  If we don’t pick the right priorities now, make the right choices now, we could hinder growth and opportunity for decades, and leave our children with something less.

That includes the obsession with cutting just for the sake of cutting.  That hasn’t helped our economy grow; it’s held it back. 

Remember, our deficits are getting smaller – not bigger.  On my watch, they’re falling at the fastest pace in 60 years.  So that gives us room to fix our long-term debt problems without sticking it to young people, or undermining our bedrock retirement and health security programs, or ending basic research that helps the economy grow.

Here’s the bottom line.  Congress should pass a budget that cuts things we don’t need, and closes wasteful tax loopholes that don’t help create jobs, so that we can free up resources for the things that actually do create jobs and growth.

Building new roads, and bridges, and schools, and airports – that creates jobs.

Educating our kids and our workers for a global economy – that helps us grow.

Investing in science, technology, and research – that keeps our businesses and our military on the cutting edge.  It’s vital for our economic future.

So the question isn’t between growth and fiscal responsibility.  We need both.  The question can’t be how much more we can cut; it’s got to be how many more jobs we can create, how many more kids we can educate, and how much more shared prosperity we can generate. 

Because in America, our economy doesn’t grow from the top-down.  It grows from the middle-class out.  And as long as I am President, our national mission will remain building an America where everyone belongs, and everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.