The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 09, 2013

Remarks by the President at "In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul"

East Room

7:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Everybody, please have a seat.  And give it up for our musical director, Booker T. -- (applause) -- and the Memphis Soul All-Stars.  (Applause.)  I just want everybody to know that it is now my second term, so rather than “Hail to the Chief,” we're going with that from here on out.  (Laughter and applause.)  Little change in tradition.

Now, before we get started, I am going to exercise some presidential prerogative to say a few words about two very special people who are here tonight -- this will humiliate them, but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway.  Jess Wright and Kenny Thompson both work on my staff -- crucial members of my team since way back in Iowa in 2007. 

Over the weekend, Kenny popped the question and Jess said yes.  (Applause.)  So I want to congratulate -- publicly -- Kenny Thompson and Jess Wright.  A beautiful couple.  (Applause.)  We love them.  They are wonderful.  They've been loyal, shown such great friendship to me, and I'm so glad that they have gone ahead and taken the plunge. 

By the way, guys, Justin Timberlake just got married to this lovely young lady right here, Jessica Biel.  (Applause.)  So Justin can probably offer you a few pointers.  And, Justin, they are looking for a wedding singer.  (Laughter.)  I'm just saying. 

Tonight, I am speaking not just as a President, but as one of America’s best-known Al Green impersonators.  (Laughter.)  So I have a new appreciation for what Al once said about the Memphis Soul sound that he helped create -- “We don’t even know ourselves how that music has endured for so long and how that came out of us.”

All I know is I’ve been looking forward to tonight because, let’s face it, who does not love this music?  (Applause.)  These songs get us on the dance floor.  Even the governor of Tennessee said he's going to dance tonight.  (Laughter.)  They get stuck in our heads.  We go back over them again and again.  And they’ve played an important part in our history. 

In the sixties and seventies, Memphis knew its share of division and discord and injustice.  But in that turbulent time, the sound of Hi, and Duke, and Sun, and Stax Records tried to bridge those divides -- to create a little harmony with harmony.  The great Memphis musician Don Nix went to an all-white school, and he described what it was like.  He said, “If you could imagine, nobody’s ever heard R&B music before.  White kids had never heard it.  And you can imagine what that did to us.”

So he and others kept playing music that everybody could get into.  They created a whole new sound, and as they did, they broke down barriers.  On McLemore Avenue, in the heart of a segregated city, Stax Records was integrated from the studio musicians all the way to upper management.  Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper, who are both here tonight, helped form one of the city’s first integrated bands.  They weren’t allowed to go to school together.  They weren’t always allowed to travel or eat together.  But no one could stop them from playing music together.

And that was the spirit of their music -- the sound of Soulsville, U.S.A., a music that, at its core, is about the pain of being alone, the power of human connection, and the importance of treating each other right.  After all, this is the music that asked us to try a little tenderness.  It’s the music that put Mr. Big Stuff in his place.  (Laughter.)  And it’s the music that challenged us to accept new ways of thinking with four timeless words: “Can you dig it?”  (Laughter.) 

So it’s really no surprise that Memphis Soul swept the nation, and it has stood the test of time.  And tonight, we bring it to the White House.

We’ve got folks here who were there at the beginning, legends like Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, William Bell, and Eddie Floyd.  We’ve got artists like Cyndi Lauper, and Ben Harper, and Queen Latifah, who still turn to Memphis for inspiration.  We’ve got Justin Timberlake, a proud son of Memphis who’s never forgotten his roots, and the Alabama Shakes, who are bringing the Muscle Shoals sound to a new generation.

So to all of you, even more than for the music you’ve created, I want to say a special thank you for the difference that you’ve made in our lives.  More than half a century after Soulsville, U.S.A. first opened its doors, you still bring us together.  You still remind us how much we have in common.  You still help us imagine a better place.  And you promise, through your beautiful music, that you can take us there.  

So tonight, we’re going to start things off with two extraordinary artists who span the generations -- one is a Memphis legend who’s been around just about forever, the other an American Idol who’s turning 21 today.  In the heyday of soul music, no band had more hits than the group known simply as “Sam and Dave.”  Here to perform his classic “Soul Man” along with Joshua Ledet, please welcome the great Sam Moore.  (Applause.)

END              
7:47 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
April 09, 2013

Remarks by the First Lady at the Memphis Soul Workshop

State Dining Room

10:58 A.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, watching you all’s faces -- priceless.  Priceless.  (Laughter.)  See, you never know what’s going to happen at the White House.  Okay, let’s breathe.  Come on.  (Laughter.)  Everyone, let’s breathe, even the moms.  (Laughter.) 

While everybody is getting settled, I just want to welcome you to the White House.  Hi, how are you?  (Applause.)  Good afternoon. 

So let me just say, the White House is buzzing with excitement today as we celebrate the rhythmic groove of Memphis soul.  Thank you, Daniel.  He’s taking care of my hometown girl, Mavis Staples.  We are just so thrilled so have you.

I want to start by thanking our wonderful guest for taking the time -- because we ask a lot from people when they come and perform.  I was just joking it slowly turns into an all-day affair.  But the degree to which everyone so graciously offers their time on a day like this, it just warms my heart, and we are just so grateful.

Let me introduce everyone on the stage for those of you who don’t know.  We have Bob Santelli from the Grammy Museum, who has been here a number of times with me.  (Applause.)  And of course these five incredible musicians:  Sam Moore.  (Applause.)  Mavis Staples.  (Applause.)  And I don’t know if you guys recognize this young gentleman in the middle -- Justin Timberlake.  (Applause.)  Charlie Musselwhite.  (Applause.)  And Ben Harper.  (Applause.)

Thank you all so much.  It is a true honor to have you all here in the State Room of the White House.  But in addition to these icons and legends, we are also thrilled to have with us today some other stars -- all of our young people, you all are our stars.  (Applause.)  Yes. 

We have students here from all over the country -- some folks from California, New York, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, right here in D.C., and the hometown crowd from Stax Music Academy in Memphis, Tennessee.  (Applause.)  Yes!  Memphis is in the house! 

Now, over the past few years we’ve hosted workshops like these to give young people like all of you the opportunity to learn and explore everything from country and classical music to modern dance and poetry.  Just last week we hosted a group of young people here for the screening of the movie “42,” which is a story of Jackie Robinson’s life.  And afterward, the students had a chance to talk about the film with the director, the lead actors, as well as to hear directly from Mrs. Rachel Robinson, who’s the wife of Jackie Robinson.

So we have hosted many great conversations in this room.  This is also where we host state dinners, and diplomats and world leaders are here.  And you all are here, too -- right here.  So we are thrilled to have you all here today as we continue this tradition and turn our attention to Memphis soul. 

Memphis, Tennessee is the birthplace of both Elvis Presley’s rock and roll and B.B. King’s blues.  And while you can hear both of those influences in Memphis soul, this music has a style and a story uniquely its own. 

Back in 1957, a young man started a record label out of his garage.  The next year, his sister took out a second mortgage on her house to help him buy some new recording equipment.  And just a few years later, their company, Stax Records, was churning out nationwide hits.  And soon enough, Memphis had a few more record labels and its own brand of soul, thanks to performers like Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, and of course, somebody my husband thinks he sounds like -- (laughter) -- the Reverend Al Green.  Let’s just tell him he does, okay?  (Laughter.)  Since he is the President, we like to boost him up a little bit.

But today, that music is still alive.  Ben and Charlie and teamed up on a new album from Stax that came out earlier this year.  But the best way to understand this music is to hear it and feel it.  So in a little bit, I’m going to turn it over to Bob and you’re going to have a chance to hear some stories and songs from these folks up here on stage who have so graciously given their time.

But, look, as you listen, I want you all to keep one thing in mind -- and I try to say this to every young person that I encounter that walks through those doors -- but realize that none of these folks up here arrived here on the basis of talent alone.  They’re here because they’ve been working hard to perfect their craft since they were at least your age and many of them even younger. 

Ben Harper first picked up a guitar at age six.  Mavis Staples and Sam Moore have both been performing since they were kids singing gospel music in church.  When Charlie Musselwhite was getting started, he had to fit in his gigs between shifts at his factory job.  And when Justin first started touring, he would immediately go to the bus to watch a tape of his performance, taking notes so that the next night he would be even better.

So for decades, these folks have been practicing until their fingers were numb and their voices were shot.  They’ve been in the studio for 12, 14 hours a day or more rehearsing and refining until they got every song just right.  And I know that most of you here are also involved in music as well, which means I know you spend a lot of time memorizing scales and learning theory.  And sometimes that aspect of music isn’t always that much fun. 

But I want to emphasize, and I think these people up here will back me up, that the only way for you to become the best musician you can be is pushing through those moments when something doesn’t seem fun -- by spending hours in the practice room, repeating those scales, and drilling into that theory.  And if you do all that, you do it over and over again, you might become a better performer than you ever imagined.

And even if you don’t go into music as a career, the skills you learn through music can stay with you your whole life.  And that was certainly true for me.  When I was young, I played the piano.  Now, as I try to remind my kids, I regret the fact that I didn’t keep it up.  I try to tell them that every single day. 

But I still remember the hours that it would take to learn just one section of a song.  The discipline, the patience, the diligence I learned through the study of music -- those are all skills that I apply every single day in my life.  I applied them as a student, as a lawyer, as a First Lady, and definitely as a mother.  So every moment of every day, you have the chance to commit yourselves to your craft.  And stick with it especially when those times -- it gets a little hard.  Just stick with it.

And also, you guys know that you have to educate yourselves.  That is first and foremost.  Learn from everyone you can.  Learn from everyone you can and take advantage of every opportunity that you find.  And right now, you’ve got an amazing opportunity to learn from some of the greatest musicians our country has to offer.  So I want you to relax, loosen up, be comfortable.  Ask a lot of questions.  Don't be shy.

The cameras will leave.  The lights will turn down a little bit, so I want you to take full advantage of being here.  Find out what it took for them to be who they are.  Find out what it takes for them to maintain who they are. 

But I want you all to remember that nothing happens without hard work, and I want you all to recommit yourselves to the work that you're going to do in your lives because we need you all to be the next generation of leaders in whatever you do.  And we have complete faith that you all will.

So it is an honor and a privilege for me to be here with you.  And with that, I’m going to turn it over to Bob so you all can get this party started.  (Laughter.)  Thank you all so much.  Have fun.  (Applause.)

END
11:09 A.M. EDT 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 08, 2013

Remarks by the President on Reducing Gun Violence -- Hartford, CT

University of Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut

5:45 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Connecticut.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Well, thank you so much, everybody.  Let me begin by thanking Nicole, and Ian, for your brave words.  (Applause.)  I want to thank them and all the Newtown families who have come here today, including your First Selectman, Pat Llodra.  (Applause.)  Nobody could be more eloquent than Nicole and the other families on this issue.  And we are so grateful for their courage and willingness to share their stories again and again, understanding that nothing is going to be more important in making sure the Congress moves forward this week than hearing from them.

I want to thank all the educators from Sandy Hook Elementary who have come here as well -- (applause) -- the survivors --

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  We love you, Obama!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  I do.  (Applause.) 

-- the survivors who still mourn and grieve, but are still going to work every day to love and raise those precious children in their care as fiercely as ever.

I want to thank Governor Malloy for his leadership.  (Applause.)  Very proud of him.  I want to thank the University of Hartford for hosting us this afternoon.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Hawks.  (Applause.)  And I want to thank the people of Connecticut for everything you’ve done to honor the memories of the victims -- (applause) -- because you’re part of their family as well. 

One of your recent alumni, Rachel D’Avino, was a behavioral therapist at Sandy Hook.  Two alumni of your performing arts school, Jimmy Greene and Nelba Marquez-Greene, lost their daughter, Ana -- an incredible, vibrant young girl who looked up to them, and learned from them, and inherited their talents by singing before she could talk. 

So every family in this state was shaken by the tragedy of that morning.  Every family in this country was shaken.  We hugged our kids more tightly.  We asked what could we do, as a society, to help prevent a tragedy like that from happening again. 

And as a society, we decided that we have to change.  We must.  We must change.  (Applause.) 

I noticed that Nicole and others refer to that day as “12/14.”  For these families, it was a day that changed everything.  And I know many of you in Newtown wondered if the rest of us would live up to the promise we made in those dark days -- if we’d change, too; or if once the television trucks left, once the candles flickered out, once the teddy bears were carefully gathered up, that the country would somehow move on to other things.

Over the weekend, I heard Francine Wheeler, who lost her son Ben that day, say that the four months since the tragedy might feel like a brief moment for some, but for her, it feels like it’s been years since she saw Ben.  And she’s determined not to let what happened that day just fade away.  “We’re not going anywhere,” she said.  “We are here.  And we are going to be here.”  And I know that she speaks for everybody in Newtown, everybody who was impacted. 

And, Newtown, we want you to know that we’re here with you.  We will not walk away from the promises we’ve made.  (Applause.)  We are as determined as ever to do what must be done.  In fact, I’m here to ask you to help me show that we can get it done.  We’re not forgetting.  (Applause.)

We can't forget.  Your families still grieve in ways most of us can’t comprehend.  But so many of you have used that grief to make a difference -- not just to honor your own children, but to protect the lives of all of our children.  So many of you have mobilized, and organized, and petitioned your elected officials “with love and logic,” as Nicole put it -- as citizens determined to right something gone wrong.

And last week, here in Connecticut, your elected leaders responded.  The Connecticut legislature, led by many of the legislators here today, passed new measures to protect more of our children and our communities from gun violence.  And Governor Malloy signed that legislation into law.  (Applause.)

So I want to be clear.  You, the families of Newtown, people across Connecticut, you helped make that happen.  Your voices, your determination made that happen.  Obviously, the elected leaders did an extraordinary job moving it forward, but it couldn’t have happened if they weren’t hearing from people in their respective districts, people all across the state.  That's the power of your voice.

And, by the way, Connecticut is not alone.  In the past few months, New York, Colorado, Maryland have all passed new, common-sense gun safety reforms as well.  (Applause.)

These are all states that share an awful familiarity with gun violence, whether it’s the horror of mass killings, or the street crime that’s too common in too many neighborhoods.  All of these states also share a strong tradition of hunting, and sport shooting, and gun ownership.  It’s been a part of the fabric of people’s lives for generations.  And every single one of those states -- including here in Connecticut -- decided that, yes, we can protect more of our citizens from gun violence while still protecting our Second Amendment rights.  Those two things don’t contradict each other.  (Applause.)  We can pass common-sense laws that protect our kids and protect our rights.

So Connecticut has shown the way.  And now is the time for Congress to do the same.  (Applause.)  Now is the time for Congress to do the same.  This week is the time for Congress to do the same.  (Applause.) 

Now, back in January, just a few months after the tragedy in Newtown, I announced a series of executive actions to reduce gun violence and keep our kids safe.  And I put forward common-sense proposals -- much like those that passed here in Connecticut -- for Congress to consider.  And you'll remember in my State of the Union address, I urged Congress to give those proposals a vote.  And that moment is now. 

As soon as this week, Congress will begin debating these common-sense proposals to reduce gun violence.  Your senators, Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy -- they're here -- (applause) -- your Representatives, John Larson, Rosa DeLauro, Elizabeth Esty, Jim Hines, Joe Courtney, they are all pushing to pass this legislation.  (Applause.)  But much of Congress is going to only act if they hear from you, the American people.  So here’s what we have to do. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you, Mr. President. 

THE PRESIDENT:  I appreciate that.  (Laughter.)  Here's what we've got to do.  We have to tell Congress it’s time to require a background check for anyone who wants to buy a gun so that people who are dangerous to themselves and others cannot get their hands on a gun.  Let’s make that happen.  (Applause.) 

We have to tell Congress it’s time to crack down on gun trafficking so that folks will think twice before buying a gun as part of a scheme to arm someone who won’t pass a background check.  Let’s get that done.  (Applause.) 

We have to tell Congress it’s time to restore the ban on military-style assault weapons, and a 10-round limit for magazines, to make it harder for a gunman to fire 154 bullets into his victims in less than five minutes.  Let’s put that to a vote.  (Applause.) 

We have to tell Congress it’s time to strengthen school safety and help people struggling with mental health problems get the treatment they need before it’s too late.  Let’s do that for our kids and for our communities.  (Applause.) 

Now, I know that some of these proposals inspire more debate than others, but each of them has the support of the majority of the American people.  All of them are common sense.  All of them deserve a vote.  All of them deserve a vote.  (Applause.)

Consider background checks.  Over the past 20 years, background checks have kept more than 2 million dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun.  A group of police officers in Colorado told me last week that, thanks to background checks, they’ve been able to stop convicted murderers, folks under restraining orders for committing violent domestic abuse from buying a gun.  In some cases, they’ve actually arrested the person as they were coming to purchase the gun.

So we know that background checks can work.  But the problem is loopholes in the current law let so many people avoid background checks altogether.  That’s not safe.  It doesn’t make sense.  If you’re a law-abiding citizen and you go through a background check to buy a gun, wouldn’t you expect other people to play by the same rules?  (Applause.)

If you’re a law-abiding gun seller, wouldn’t you want to know you’re not selling your gun to someone who’s likely to commit a crime?  (Applause.)  Shouldn’t we make it harder, not easier for somebody who is convicted of domestic abuse to get his hands on a gun?  (Applause.)

It turns out 90 percent of Americans think so.  Ninety percent of Americans support universal background checks.  Think about that.  How often do 90 percent of Americans agree on anything?  (Laughter.)  And yet, 90 percent agree on this -- Republicans, Democrats, folks who own guns, folks who don’t own guns; 80 percent of Republicans, more than 80 percent of gun owners, more than 70 percent of NRA households.  It is common sense.

And yet, there is only one thing that can stand in the way of change that just about everybody agrees on, and that’s politics in Washington.  You would think that with those numbers Congress would rush to make this happen.  That's what you would think.  (Applause.)  If our democracy is working the way it’s supposed to, and 90 percent of the American people agree on something, in the wake of a tragedy you’d think this would not be a heavy lift.

And yet, some folks back in Washington are already floating the idea that they may use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms.  Think about that.  They’re not just saying they’ll vote “no” on ideas that almost all Americans support.  They’re saying they’ll do everything they can to even prevent any votes on these provisions.  They’re saying your opinion doesn’t matter.  And that’s not right.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  That is not right. 

AUDIENCE:  We want a vote!

THE PRESIDENT:  We need a vote.

AUDIENCE:  We want a vote!  We want a vote! 

THE PRESIDENT:  We need a vote.

AUDIENCE:  We want a vote!

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, I’ve also heard some in the Washington press suggest that what happens to gun violence legislation in Congress this week will either be a political victory or defeat for me.  Connecticut, this is not about me.  This is not about politics.  This is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here that have been torn apart by gun violence.  (Applause.)  It’s about them and all the families going forward, so we can prevent this from happening again.  That’s what it’s about.  It’s about the law enforcement officials putting their lives at risk.  That’s what this is about.  This is not about politics.  (Applause.)  This is not about politics.

This is about these families and families all across the country who are saying let’s make it a little harder for our kids to get gunned down. 

When I said in my State of the Union address that these proposals deserve a vote -- that families of Newtown, and Aurora, and Tucson, and a former member of Congress, Gabby Giffords, that they all deserved a vote -– virtually every member of that chamber stood up and applauded.  And now they’re going to start denying your families a vote when the cameras are off and when the lobbyists have worked what they do?  You deserve better than that.  You deserve a vote.

Now, look, we knew from the beginning of this debate that change would not be easy.  We knew that there would be powerful interests that are very good at confusing the subject, that are good at amplifying conflict and extremes, that are good at drowning out rational debate, good at ginning up irrational fears, all of which stands in the way of progress.

But if our history teaches us anything, then it’s up to us –- the people -– to stand up to those who say we can’t, or we won’t; stand up for the change that we need.  And I believe that that’s what the American people are looking for. 

When I first ran for this office, I said that I did not believe the country was as divided as our politics would suggest, and I still believe that.  (Applause.)  I know sometimes, when you watch cable news or talk radio, or you browse the Internet, you’d think, man, everybody just hates each other, everybody is just at each other’s throats.  But that’s not how most Americans think about these issues.  There are good people on both sides of every issue. 

So if we’re going to move forward, we can’t just talk past one another.  We’ve got to listen to one another.  That’s what Governor Malloy and all these legislative leaders did.  That’s why they were able to pass bipartisan legislation.  (Applause.)

I’ve got stacks of letters from gun owners who want me to know that they care passionately about their right to bear arms, don’t want them infringed upon, and I appreciate every one of those letters.  I’ve learned from them.  But a lot of those letters, what they’ve also said is they’re not just gun owners; they’re also parents or police officers or veterans, and they agree that we can’t stand by and keep letting these tragedies happen; that with our rights come some responsibilities and obligations to our communities and ourselves, and most of all to our children.  We can’t just think about “us” –- we’ve got to think about “we, the people.”

I was in Colorado.  I told a story about Michelle.  She came back from a trip to rural Iowa; we were out there campaigning.  Sometimes it would be miles between farms, let alone towns.  And she said, you know, coming back, I can understand why somebody would want a gun for protection.  If somebody drove up into the driveway and, Barack, you weren’t home, the sheriff lived miles away, I might want that security.  So she can understand what it might be like in terms of somebody wanting that kind of security. 

On the other hand, I also talked to a hunter last week who said, all my experiences with guns have been positive, but I also realize that for others, all their experiences with guns have been negative.

And when he said that, I thought about the mom I met from suburban Chicago whose son was killed in a random shooting.  And this mom told me, I hate it when people tell me that my son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He was on his way to school.  He was exactly where he was supposed to be.  He was in the right place at the right time, and he still got shot.  (Applause.) 

The kids at Sandy Hook were where they were supposed to be.  So were those moviegoers in Aurora.  So were those worshippers in Oak Creek.  So was Gabby Giffords.  She was at a supermarket, listening to the concerns of her constituents.  (Applause.)  They were exactly where they were supposed to be.  They were also exercising their rights -- to assemble peaceably; to worship freely and safely.  They were exercising the rights of life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  So surely, we can reconcile those two things.  Surely, America doesn’t have to be divided between rural and urban, and Democrat and Republican when it comes to something like this. 

If you’re an American who wants to do something to prevent more families from knowing the immeasurable anguish that these families here have known, then we have to act.  Now is the time to get engaged.  Now is the time to get involved.  Now is the time to push back on fear, and frustration, and misinformation.  Now is the time for everybody to make their voices heard from every state house to the corridors of Congress.

And I’m asking everyone listening today, find out where your member of Congress stands on this.  If they’re not part of the 90 percent of Americans who agree on background checks, then ask them, why not?  Why wouldn’t you want to make it easier for law enforcement to do their job?  Why wouldn’t you want to make it harder for a dangerous person to get his or her hands on a gun?  What’s more important to you:  our children, or an A-grade from the gun lobby?  (Applause.) 

I’ve heard Nicole talk about what her life has been like since Dylan was taken from her in December.  And one thing she said struck me.  She said, “Every night, I beg for him to come to me in my dreams so that I can see him again.  And during the day, I just focus on what I need to do to honor him and make change.”  Now, if Nicole can summon the courage to do that, how can the rest of us do any less?  (Applause.)  How can we do any less? 

If there is even one thing we can do to protect our kids, don’t we have an obligation to try?  If there is even one step we can take to keep somebody from murdering dozens of innocents in the span of minutes, shouldn’t we be taking that step?  (Applause.)  If there is just one thing we can do to keep one father from having to bury his child, isn’t that worth fighting for?

I've got to tell you, I've had tough days in the presidency -- I've said this before.  The day Newtown happened was the toughest day of my presidency.  But I've got to tell you, if we don’t respond to this, that will be a tough day for me, too.  (Applause.)  Because we've got to expect more from ourselves, and we've got to expect more from Congress.  We've got to believe that every once in a while, we set politics aside and we just do what's right.  (Applause.)  We've got to believe that.

And if you believe that, I'm asking you to stand up.  (Applause.)  If you believe in the right to bears arms, like I do, but think we should prevent an irresponsible few from inflicting harm -- stand up.  Stand up.  (Applause.)    

If you believe that the families of Newtown and Aurora and Tucson and Virginia Tech and the thousands of Americans who have been gunned down in the last four months deserve a vote, we all have to stand up.  (Applause.)

     If you want the people you send to Washington to have just an iota of the courage that the educators at Sandy Hook showed when danger arrived on their doorstep, then we’re all going to have to stand up. 

     And if we do, if we come together and raise our voices together and demand this change together, I’m convinced cooperation and common sense will prevail.  We will find sensible, intelligent ways to make this country stronger and safer for our children.  (Applause.)

     So let’s do the right thing.  Let’s do right by our kids.  Let’s do right by these families.  Let’s get this done.  Connecticut, thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

 

                                           END                6:13 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 06, 2013

WEEKLY ADDRESS: The President’s Plan to Create Jobs and Cut the Deficit

WASHINGTON, DC—President Obama used his weekly address to tell the American people about the Budget he is sending to Congress this week, which makes the tough choices required to grow our economy and shrink our deficits.  The President’s Budget calls for a balanced approach to deficit reduction, including reforms that strengthen Medicare for future generations and tax reform that closes wasteful loopholes, so we can afford the investments required to grow grow the economy, create new jobs, and reignite the engine of our economic growth: a rising, thriving middle class.

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

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
April 6, 2013

Hi, everybody.  Our top priority as a nation, and my top priority as President, must be doing everything we can to reignite the engine of America’s growth: a rising, thriving middle class.  That’s our North Star.  That must drive every decision we make.

Now, yesterday, we learned that our businesses created 95,000 new jobs last month.  That’s about 500,000 new jobs this year, and nearly 6.5 million new jobs over the past three years. 

But we’ve got more work to do to get the economy growing faster, so that everybody who wants a job can find one.  And that means we need fewer self-inflicted wounds from Washington, like the across-the-board spending cuts that are already hurting many communities – cuts that economists predict will cost our economy hundreds of thousands of jobs this year.

If we want to keep rebuilding this economy on a stronger, sturdier foundation for growth – growth that creates good, middle-class jobs – we need to make smarter choices.

This week, I’ll send a budget to Congress that will help do just that – a fiscally-responsible blueprint for middle-class jobs and growth.

For years, an argument in Washington has raged between reducing our deficits at all costs, and making the investments we need to grow the economy.  My budget puts that argument to rest.  Because we don’t have to choose between these goals – we can do both.  After all, as we saw in the 1990s, nothing reduces deficits faster than a growing economy. 

My budget will reduce our deficits not with aimless, reckless spending cuts that hurt students and seniors and middle-class families – but through the balanced approach that the American people prefer, and the investments that a growing economy demands.

Now, the truth is, our deficits are already shrinking.  That’s a fact.  I’ve already signed more than $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction into law, and my budget will reduce our deficits by nearly $2 trillion more, without harming the recovery.  That surpasses the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that many economists believe will stabilize our finances.

We’ll make the tough reforms required to strengthen Medicare for the future, without undermining the rock-solid guarantee at its core.  And we’ll enact commonsense tax reform that includes closing wasteful tax loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected – loopholes like the ones that can allow a billionaire to pay a lower tax rate than his or her secretary.

This is the compromise I offered the Speaker of the House at the end of last year.  While it’s not my ideal plan to further reduce the deficit, it’s a compromise I’m willing to accept in order to move beyond a cycle of short-term, crisis-driven decision-making, and focus on growing our economy and our middle class for the long run.  It includes ideas many Republicans have said they could accept as well.  It’s a way we can make progress together.

But deficit reduction cannot come at the cost of economic growth or middle-class security.  And it doesn’t have to.  My budget will make critical investments to grow the economy, create jobs, and strengthen the middle class. 

As I said in my State of the Union Address, every day, we should ask ourselves three questions: how do we make America a magnet for good jobs?  How do we give our workers the skills they need to do those jobs?  And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?

To make America a magnet for good jobs, we’ll invest in high-tech manufacturing and homegrown American energy, put people to work building new roads, bridges, and schools, and cut red tape to help businesses grow.

To give workers the skills they need to do those jobs, we’ll invest in education that begins in the earliest years, and job training that better equips workers to compete in a 21st century economy.

To make sure hard work is rewarded, we’ll build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class, and focus on revitalizing some of our communities hardest-hit by recession and job loss.

All of these investments will help grow the economy and create jobs.  None of them will add to the deficit.  And I will lay out these priorities in greater detail in the days ahead.

It’s a budget that doesn’t spend beyond our means.  And it’s a budget that doesn’t make harsh and unnecessary cuts that only serve to slow our economy.  We’ll keep our promise to an aging generation by shoring up Medicare.  And we’ll keep our promise to the next generation by investing in the fundamentals that have always made America strong – manufacturing and innovation, energy and education. 

Because that’s what it’ll take to make sure America remains strong in the years ahead – and to leave behind something better for our kids.

Thank you.

###

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 05, 2013

Remarks by the President and Vice President at Easter Prayer Breakfast

East Room

9:28 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you all for being here today.  And welcome to the White House, and a belated happy Easter -- this time of the year when we celebrate renewal and we reflect on the faith that brings us together.

For me, the essence of my faith is tolerance:  not being judgmental about people of different faiths.  When I was in Rome a few weeks ago, Pope Francis spoke movingly in his homily about our commitments to each other, not just as people of faith, but, he went on to say, but as human beings.

I grew up in a tradition of Catholic social doctrine, and I was incredibly impressed by His Holiness’s homily, his sense of social justice.  But I believe his message reads something essential about all faiths, and that is ultimately we all believe that we have a responsibility to one another and we all are our brothers’ and our sisters’ keepers.

When it comes down to it, we all know that we’re connected by much more than divides us, although the focus is always on what divides us.  As we move forward as a nation, I do believe we’re going to be judged on how we answer that call -- that call of moral responsibility, to whether we stand up for those who have the least among us, whether we act on their behalf.

And one of the things that I think at least the President and I believe has been the essence of this administration is the most animating principle of the administration has been just that:  to look out for the least among us.  Those are the values that I know that the President -- and I personally know -- the President holds extremely close to his heart. 

So I’d like to introduce to you now, my friend, and our President, President Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Everybody, please have a seat.  Thank you. 

Well, good morning, everybody. 

AUDIENCE:  Good morning.

THE PRESIDENT:  Welcome, once again, to the White House.  It is always wonderful to see so many friends from all across the country.  I want to thank you for joining us today.  I want to thank everybody for their prayers, but, most importantly, I want to thank everybody for their good works through your ministries.  It's making a difference in communities all across this nation, and we could not be more proud to often have a chance to work with you.

To all the pastors in the house, I hope you’ve enjoyed some well-deserved rest after a very busy Holy Week.  I see some chuckles, so maybe not.  (Laughter.)  Here at the White House, I’m pleased to say that we survived yet another Easter Egg Roll.  (Laughter.) 
 
Now, if you’ve been to this breakfast before, you know that I always try to avoid preaching in front of people who do it for a living.  That's sound advice.  So this morning, I'm just going to leave the sermon to others and offer maybe a few remarks as we mark this -- the end of this Easter season.

In these sacred days, those of us as Christians remember the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for each of us –- how, in all His humility and His grace, He took on the sins of the world and extended the gift of salvation.  And we recommit ourselves to following His example –- to loving the Lord our God with all our hearts and all our souls and with all our minds, and to loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

That’s the eternal spirit of Easter.  And this year, I had -- I think was particularly special for me because right before Easter I had a chance to feel that spirit during my trip to the Holy Land.  And I think so many of you here know there are few experiences more powerful or more humbling than visiting that sacred earth. 

It brings Scripture to life.  It brings us closer to Christ.  It reminds us that our Savior, who suffered and died was resurrected, both fully God and also a man; a human being who lived, and walked, and felt joy and sorrow just like us.  

And so for Christians to walk where He walked and see what He saw are blessed moments.  And while I had been to Jerusalem before, where Jesus healed the sick, and cured the blind, and embraced the least of these, I also had a chance to go to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  And those of you who have been there know that entering the church is a remarkable experience, although it is a useful instruction to see how managing different sections of the church and different clergy -- it feels familiar.  (Laughter.)  Let’s just put it that way.  (Laughter.) 

And as I approached the Altar of the Nativity, as I neared the 14-pointed Silver Star that marks the spot where Christ was born, the Patriarch of Jerusalem welcomed me to, in his words, “the place where heaven and Earth met.”

And there, I had a chance to pray and reflect on Christ’s birth, and His life, His sacrifice, His Resurrection.  I thought about all the faithful pilgrims who for two thousand years have done the same thing -- giving thanks for the fact that, as the book of Romans tells us, “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” 

I thought of the poor and the sick who seek comfort, and the marginalized and the forsaken who seek solace, and the grateful who merely seek to offer thanks for the simple blessings of this life and the awesome glory of the next.  I thought of all who would travel to this place for centuries to come and the lives they might know. 

And I was reminded that while our time on Earth is fleeting, He is eternal.  His life, His lessons live on in our hearts and, most importantly, in our actions.  When we tend to the sick, when we console those in pain, when we sacrifice for those in need, wherever and whenever we are there to give comfort and to guide and to love, then Christ is with us. 

So this morning, let us pray that we’re worthy of His many blessings, that this nation is worthy of His many blessings.  Let us promise to keep in our hearts, in our souls, in our minds, on this day and on every day, the life and lessons of Christ, our Lord.

And with that, I’d like to ask Father Larry Snyder to deliver our opening prayer.  

END 
9:36 A.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 04, 2013

Remarks by the President at a DNC Event -- Atherton, CA

 

Private Residence
Atherton, California
 
 
12:12 P.M. PDT 
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  It is good to be back in California.
 
AUDIENCE:  It’s good to have you!  (Laughter.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Somebody said -- somebody told me, they were in the photo line, they said, we’re glad you could join our state.  (Laughter.)  They made it sound like a health club or something.  (Laughter.)  But I appreciate that you allowed me to join -- (laughter) -- because it is obviously a spectacular place and we’ve got so many good friends here, and some of you I see out there worked tirelessly dating back to when people could not pronounce my name.  (Laughter.)  And so I’m grateful to all of you. 
 
First of all, though, I want to give a special acknowledgement to John and Marcia for the incredible job they've done and their great hospitality.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  And I must say that if you had a cute baby competition, their granddaughter would have to be an entry.  (Laughter.)  And I got to say, I might have to pick her, because she is adorable and did not drool on my suit when I grabbed her.  (Laughter.)  So I'm grateful.  I'm grateful to her for that.  
 
We've got some elected officials who are doing incredible work -- great friends.  First of all, somebody who works tirelessly on behalf of California every day, but also works on behalf of working people and makes sure that we've got a more inclusive America -- a good friend of mine, somebody who you guys should be very proud of, Congressman Mike Honda is here.  Where is Mike?  (Applause.)  He is around here somewhere.  There he is.  Yes, I mean, he's not like a real tall guy, but he's a great guy.  (Laughter.) 
 
Second of all, you have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in anybody who is administering the law, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake.  She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country -- Kamala Harris is here.  (Applause.)  It's true.  Come on.  (Laughter.)  And she is a great friend and has just been a great supporter for many, many years. 
 
And, finally, somebody who is not yet probably as well known on the national scene but is certainly well known in all of us who worked on my campaign this last time out.  He did incredible work, could not have been more effective, and has now taken on what can sometimes be a thankless job of being the DNC finance chair -- Henry Muñoz is here.  Can everybody please give Henry Muñoz a big round of applause.  (Applause.) 
 
So my election is over and you thought you wouldn’t have to see me again at these fundraisers.  (Laughter.)  And a close friend of mine, Abner Mikva, who was White House counsel -- he was a long-time congressman from the Chicago area -- he used to say that being friends with a politician is like perpetually having a child in college.  (Laughter.)  It's like every few months you have to write this check and you're thinking when is it going to be over.  With elected officials, it's never over.
 
But the reason I'm here is not for me.  The reason I'm here is because the country still needs you.  We have, as John indicated, done some work that I'm very, very proud of over the last four years.  We took an economy that was about to go into a great depression and we were able to yank it out and put us back on a path towards growth and putting people back to work.  We were able to make sure that in the process we rebuilt roads and bridges and a smarter infrastructure all across the country; and invested in clean energy; and made sure that schools got the kinds of Internet connections that they needed; and invested in basic science and research -- all of which will pay dividends for years and years to come. 
 
We said that in a country as wealthy as ours, nobody should go bankrupt just because they got sick.  And, already, millions of people are benefiting from the Affordable Care Act.  And, by next year, we will know that millions of people all across the country who previously did not have health insurance will have it, including folks with preexisting conditions, which will make everybody a little bit more secure.  (Applause.) 
 
We expanded access to college by expanding our student loan programs.  We are in the process of reforming our schools to make sure that every child gets a fair shot in life.  We ended "don't ask, don't tell" -- laying the groundwork to make sure that this was a country where you were treated fairly and equally no matter who you love.  (Applause.) 
 
We expanded national service.  We doubled fuel efficiency on cars.  We doubled the production of wind and solar energy.  We made sure that the Violence Against Women Act was resigned and that it provided even greater protection for women all across this country.  (Applause.)  We ended one war, as promised.  We're in the process of ending another, and at the same time have been able to keep the American people safe.  
And so I'm very proud of the work that we've done.  But we've got a lot more work to do.  We all know that.  This country is the greatest nation on Earth, but it can be even greater.  And my main message here today is that America’s greatness will not result simply from who you elect to office; it’s going to depend on you, as citizens, and how badly you want it.  
 
During the State of the Union speech, as well as my inauguration speech, I talked about citizenship.  And this is a word that I spend a lot of time thinking about these days, partly because my background, my orientation, I came into politics believing that politics works best when people are involved.  I’ve never believed that more than I do now, in my second term as President, that the idea of citizenship is not just that you vote, it’s not just that you write a check where you can to support a candidate.  It’s this notion, fundamental to who we are, that we have responsibilities to ourselves and our families, but we also have obligations to our neighborhood, our community, our cities, our states, and ultimately the nation and the next generation.  
 
And the only way that this country moves forward is when we, the people, collectively, make it our business to meet the challenges of our time.  And we know what those challenges are.  And we know we’ve got to do better.
 
Now, in the next couple of months, we’ve got the opportunity to make some very significant changes.  Number one, I believe that we can get comprehensive immigration reform passed -- (applause) -- and that is going to mean that America can continue to be a nation of laws, but also a nation of immigrants, and attract the best and the brightest from all around the world.  And if we push hard and we stay focused, we’ve got the opportunity to get this done over the next couple of months.  
 
I believe that we have a chance to, after 30 years, frankly, of doing almost nothing, to reduce gun violence in our society.  (Applause.)  And it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough, but I think we’ve got a chance to get some stuff done on that.
 
Now, one of the things that I want to be very clear on is that this year, next year, and for the next four years that I’m in office, I am always going to be seeking, wherever I can, bipartisan solutions.  And I intend to continue to reach out to Republicans because I genuinely believe that the politics that you see in Washington isn’t representative of America; that most people actually have common sense, and most folks think cooperation and occasional compromise is part of life.  And I also think that we have to govern, not simply politick.  
 
And so, whether it’s on immigration reform or the budget or any of these issues, I will continue to do everything I can to reach out to my friends on the other side of the aisle.  And look, I believe that they love their kids and this country just as much as we do, and although we may have some very fundamental disagreements about how to get there, I don’t think we’ve got a disagreement about what we need to be as a nation.  
 
Having said that, though, there are still some really big arguments that we’re having in Washington, and I believe that Democrats represent those values that will best advance the interests of middle-class families and everybody who is willing to work hard to get into the middle class; that will grow this economy in a broad-based way, and that will lay the foundation for prosperity for generations to come.  
 
And you believe that, too.  That’s why you’re here.  In order for us to do that, you’re going to have to stay involved.  Think about some of the things I spoke about during the State of the Union address:  making sure that every child in America has outstanding, high-quality, early childhood education.  We know that there’s nothing more important to a child’s success than those early years.  And if we do that right, not only are we going to see better performance in our schools, we’re going to see better performance in our economy.  And we can do it.  We can afford to do it.  
 
But in order for us to make that happen, we’re going to have to have an active, motivated, Democratic national party.  People here in this area care deeply about issues of energy and climate change.  And I think that the science is indisputable, and this is an obligation we owe to future generations.  And as I said, we’ve already done a lot to reduce our carbon footprint and to make our economy more energy efficient.  But if we’re going to do more, then we’ve got to make sure that we’re active and involved, and helping to educate our friends and our neighbors and our coworkers about why this is important and why there’s no contradiction between a sound environment and strong economic growth; that, in fact, if we do this right, the energy sources of the future, the clean energy sources of the future can be an engine for economic growth for decades and decades to come.
 
When it comes to our economy -- making sure that we’re investing in basic research and science.  This is the epicenter of innovation in this nation.  Some of you saw, a couple of days ago, I announced a new BRAIN Initiative that will allow us to crack the code and map -- (applause) -- what this incredible gray matter between our ears, one of the greatest mysteries there is, what’s causing things like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and to not just provide cures but also to help generate entire new industries that can put people to work in this region and around the country.  
 
In order for us to make sure that we’re investing sufficiently in basic science and research, you’re going to have to be involved.  You have to push.  You can’t just wait for it to happen, because there are going to be competing interests and folks who want to spend those resources in a different way.  
 
When it comes to our budget, I actually think that we can stabilize our finances, reduce our debt, reduce our deficit in a prudent, balanced way.  But we’ve got the other side insisting that somehow we can cut our way to prosperity.  I disagree with that.  I will take that case to the American people.  But for me to be successful in resolving that argument in a way that allows us to keep growing and keep investing, I’m going to need your help.  
 
Making sure that we’re providing ladders of opportunity in communities all across the country that have been left behind -- and, in some cases, have been behind for decades -- so that we’re not just investing in education, but also making sure that we’re providing transportation assistance and tax credits so that impoverished communities can be part of this global economy.  That will make us all stronger.  I can’t do that unless I have your help.
 
And for us to continue to make progress so that this is a society that is more just and more equal and more inclusive -- we’ve made remarkable progress over these last few years, but that’s not because of what started in Washington, it’s because of what happened in communities all across the country.
 
I was mentioning to people I had a chance to see an early screening of this new movie called “42”; it’s about Jackie Robinson.  And I look around the room -- young people -- (laughter) -- kind of vaguely know, yes, Jackie Robinson -- (laughter) -- first African American baseball player.  His widow was there, Rachel Robinson, who’s gorgeous and 90, but looks better than I do -- (laughter) -- and could not be more gracious.  
 
And to sit there in a movie theater watching what happened in her lifetime, and to know that because of the decisions and courage of Jackie Robison and Branch Rickey, and all the other path breakers, that we now have a country that is fairer and better for it is a reminder of how change happens in this country.  It doesn’t happen all at once.  It doesn’t happen in one fell swoop.  It doesn’t happen because a President gives a speech.  It happens because a whole bunch of people out there, day in and day out, are making choices and decisions about whether we’re going to be fair or less fair; whether we’re going to be generous or less generous; whether we are going to be inclusive or less inclusive.  And that changing of our hearts and our minds ultimately translates itself into politics, but it begins with citizens.  It begins with you.
 
And if the Democratic Party stands for anything, then it has to stand for that basic proposition that not only do we want an economy where if you work hard, you can make it if you try -- no matter where you come from, what you look like, who you love -- but also that the way to get there is by giving everybody a voice and making sure everybody is involved and everybody is included.  If we stand for anything as Democrats, that’s got to be what we stand for.
 
And so the DNC is an important part of that overall process.  And the fact that you are here, the fact that John and Marcia were willing to open up their home like this gives me confidence that, in fact, we will be able to sustain these efforts.  And it has to be sustained beyond elections.  You can’t just wait until a presidential election to do this.  It’s all those days in between that are going to determine whether or not we bring about the changes that we so desperately believe in.
 
So to all of you, I want to say thank you.  But understand this is just a beginning, it’s not an end.  You are going to be called on to do more work.  You are going to be called on to get more engaged and more involved.  And if you ever have any doubts as to why you’re doing it, then you have to look at John and Marcia’s grandbaby, or that young man who’s falling asleep because I’ve been talking too long.  (Laughter.)  And you will remember that, ultimately, the only thing that matters is whether or not we’re leaving behind a country that’s a little bit better than the one we founded for them.  That’s why we do what we do.  That’s why I do what I do -- for Malia and Sasha, and all the Malias and Sashas out there, I want to make sure we’re doing right by them.
 
All right, thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)  God bless you.  Thank you.
 
END
12:31 P.M. PDT

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
April 04, 2013

Remarks by the First Lady at Kitchen Garden Planting Event

White House Kitchen Garden 

1:16 P.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA:  How are you guys doing?

CHILDREN:  Good.

MRS. OBAMA:  Is it a little chilly?

CHILDREN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Where are your jackets?  I'm going to be the mother.  Where are your jackets?  (Laughter.)  All right, so we're going to put you to work. 

Well, welcome.  This is the fifth planting of the White House Kitchen Garden.  Are you guys excited?

CHILDREN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  So that we know who is here, I want to make sure that all these wonderful people with their cameras know which schools are here.  So when I say your school name, raise your hand, or scream or something like that. 

Milton Elementary School from Milton, Vermont.  Woo-hoo!  Yes, is that the principal?  It's like woo-hoo, party on.  Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Technology Academy in Knox County, Tennessee.  Woo-hoo!  (Applause.)  Arthur D. Healey School, Somerville Public Schools in Somerville, Massachusetts.  Woo-hoo!  (Applause.)  Benjamin David Gullett Elementary School in Bradenton, Florida.  (Applause.)  Yes, that was it.  That was it.  I know you all are cold, coming from Florida.  And then we have our partners from many, many, many years -- Bancroft Elementary School.  (Applause.)  There we go.  See, they're comfortable yelling in the White House.  (Laughter.)  And then we have the Harriet Tubman Elementary School students.  (Applause.)

So it's great to have you guys here.  Are you ready to go?  One of the reasons we invited these schools -- Harriet Tubman School and Bancroft, they have been our partners for years.  But the schools from across the country who have come, you guys are here because you are doing such wonderful things to implement the new school nutrition standards at your school.  So do you like your school lunches?  They are healthy and they are good?  And you're eating your vegetables?  And many of you have gardens of your own?  Awesome.  So you know what to do here, right?  Are you ready to plant?

All right, let's get going.  Let's do it! 

END
1:18 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 04, 2013

Remarks by the President at a DNC Event -- Atherton, CA

Private Residence
Atherton, California

10:28 A.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Well, it is wonderful to see all of you.  This is an intimate group.  What I want to do is mostly have a conversation.  But, first of all, obviously I want to thank Liz and Mark for their incredible hospitality.  We couldn’t be more appreciative.  And I want to thank all of you for being here today.

A lot of you -- in fact, almost everybody here I’ve known, have supported me.  Some of you were involved in my first campaign when nobody could pronounce my name.  (Laughter.)  And you stuck with me through thick and thin, and I just want to say how much I appreciate all of you for taking the time.

Some people have been asking me -- well, what’s different about the second term?  And I say, well, for one thing, I’m not raising money for myself, and that’s good.  (Laughter.)  For another thing, the girls are getting old enough now where they don’t want to spend time with us on the weekends.  (Laughter.)  They have sleepovers and parties and sports, and all that stuff.  I don’t know if you guys are doing the same thing to your parents, but it’s starting to happen.

But I think the most important thing is that when you don’t have another race to run, all you’re really thinking about it is how do I leave a legacy, not simply for the next President, but for the next generation that makes America stronger; that helps assure our children can compete with an ever-changing world; that we are solving what I think is one of the core challenges we face as a generation, and that is making sure that we have a strong, growing middle class and ladders of opportunity for everybody who is willing to work to get into that middle class; that we continue to be innovative; that we address some of our core environmental challenges, particularly climate change, to make sure that the planet we leave behind is one that our children can thrive in.

So you end up taking the long view on things.  And you also feel a great urgency because you know you don’t have a lot of time.  And so the main message I want to deliver here today is that I could not be prouder of the track record that we’ve put together over the last four years and two months, whether it was saving an economy from a great depression; doubling fuel efficiency standards on cars; expanding access to college for the millions of young people; making sure that nobody in this country has to go bankrupt because they get sick; re-upping the law preventing violence against women; making sure that we have the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which I think has laid the groundwork for further progress when it comes to LGBT rights.

On so many issues, we’ve made progress.  But we’ve got so much more work to do.  And I laid out what that vision might look like during both the inauguration speech and in the State of the Union.  I want to make sure that we’ve got the best education system in the world and that starts young.  And so we’ve given all the research that we have.  Expanding our investment in childhood education can make all the difference in the world, and will pay enormous dividends for a very, very long time.

I want to make sure that we’re rebuilding this country, our infrastructure.  We’ve got $2 trillion in deferred maintenance.  We could be putting people back to work right now, and not only improving our current economic growth, but laying the foundation for economic growth for many years to come.  Many of you are aware that I am a big proponent of investments in science and research, and obviously, this entire region has thrived precisely because it has been the epicenter of innovation.  And that requires us putting money into research in biomedicine, in nanoscience.  Our recent initiative around the brain and being able to map that and crack the code potentially not only can help us cure things like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, but can generate entire new industries and put people back to work and be the next great challenge for the American economy.

And I believe that we’ve got to get a handle on our energy policy so that we are growing and we are productive, but we are not simply investing in the energy sources of the past; we’re also investing in the energy sources of the future.  We’ve doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars, but we’ve also had a chance to double our production in solar and wind and biofuels.  We can continue to make progress on that front.  We can continue to make sure that electric cars and other new technologies for transportation are built here in the United States of America and not someplace else. 

We can make sure that our buildings, our schools, our hospitals are more efficient.  If we were able to achieve the same efficiencies that Japan already has achieved using existing technologies, we'd cut our power utilization by 15, 20 percent -- which would have enormous ramifications in bringing down our carbon footprint.

And we can do all this without spending massive amounts of money.  The truth is, is that our fiscal situation has improved significantly since I first came into office, but we still have a long way to go.  The way for us to do it intelligently is the kind of balanced approach I've talked about in the past:  making sure that everybody is doing their fair share; making sure that those of us in this room and, frankly, in this whole town probably -- (laughter) -- recognizes the incredible blessings that we've been given and make sure that we're willing to invest back in the next generation, and also making sure that our money is wisely spent. 

We still waste money in all kinds of things that don't work, and we have the capacity to shift those dollars into things that do work and that will grow our economy.  And we can reduce our deficit, stabilize our debt, and do so without sacrificing the kinds of investments that are going to be required to grow.

Now, the last point I'll make is just politics.  Our policies, the ones that we prevented -- or the ones that we've presented, traditionally, would be considered pretty bipartisan.  There's nothing particularly Democratic about road building or basic science or environmental protection.  Teddy Roosevelt started the conservation movement.  Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President, was pretty big on building infrastructure and investing in things like science and research. 

Unfortunately, we continue to still have some of that gridlock in Washington.  Part of it is fed by changes in information and communications that amplify conflict and extremes as opposed to trying to bring people together.  I know it's a great source of frustration for the American people.  I assure you it's a source of frustration for me as well.  (Laughter.)

But what I believed when I was running for this office back in 2007-2008, what I believed when I was running for a second term is what I still believe now -- and that is this country is not as divided as our politics would suggest.  And the only way we break through this gridlock is when people's voices are heard and people are engaged and involved.  I am very optimistic that we get immigration reform done in the next few months.  And the reason I'm optimistic is because people spoke out through the ballot box, and that's breaking gridlock. 

It's going to be tougher to get better gun legislation to reduce gun violence through the Senate and the House that so many of us I think want to see, particularly after the tragedy in Newtown.  But I still think it can get done if people are activated and involved. 

And so, on every front, on every issue that all of you care about, making sure that we can provide good information to the American people, engage them, inform them; make sure that they are embracing a form of citizenship that goes beyond just voting, but involves understanding what's at stake and talking to their neighbors, talking to their coworkers, talking to their friends, writing to their members of Congress, getting organized, getting mobilized -- all that ends up being really the critical ingredient and the constant dynamic change and improvement that has characterized this country for so long.

And your involvement with the DNC helps us do that.  It will help us register voters.  It will help us make sure that they understand what's at stake in all of these issues.  It's hugely important.  It's not always glamorous.  It's not always sexy.  But it's really what ends up driving our ability to make policy and to deliver for the young people who are here today. 

So, again, I want to thank Liz and Mark for making this spectacular home available to us.  And I want to thank all of you for not only what you've done in the past on my behalf, but more importantly what you're continuing to do on behalf of this country as a whole. 

Thank you, so much.  I appreciate it.  (Applause.)

END
10:39 A.M. PDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 04, 2013

Remarks by the President at a DCCC Event -- San Francisco, CA

Private Residence
San Francisco, California
 
 
8:24 P.M. PDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Well, first of all, let me thank Ann and Gordon for once again extending such gracious hospitality to all of us.  I was reminded that I was first here in 2008, when I was running the first time, and I had much less gray hair.  (Laughter.)  But they were kind to me then and have been kind to me since, and I appreciate very much their friendship and support.  
 
I want to acknowledge Steve Israel, who is here and has an often thankless, extraordinarily difficult but critically important job, and he’s done so with good humor and boundless energy.  And so please give Congressman Steve Israel a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  
 
And of course I’m here because your neighbor told me I needed to be here.  (Laughter.)  And I am here because there are very few people in public office who I am more fond of and respectful than the person who just introduced me, Nancy Pelosi.  She is thoughtful, she’s visionary, she’s as tough as nails.  (Laughter.)  She is practical.  She never lets ideology cloud her judgment.  She’s constantly motivated by how do we create a country that is more just, more fair, more dynamic.  She knows why she’s in public life.  It’s connected to her values -- the values that she grew up with, the values that she’s raised her kids, and now spoils her grandkids with.  (Laughter.)  And I’m just so proud to call her a friend.  
 
And I am here because I won my last election, but I’m here because my job is not simply to occupy the Oval Office.  My job is to make sure we move the country forward, and I think we can best do that if Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House once again.  (Applause.)
 
Nancy used a word that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about these days.  And that’s the word “citizenship.”  I talked about it at the inauguration speech.  I talked about it at the State of the Union speech.  I actually talked about it at the convention, my acceptance speech.  And the reason I care about the word so much is because there are times in today’s busy world, the media chatter, where there’s a government over here somewhere, and then there’s people and ordinary life and the private sector, and all that stuff is over there.  And somehow the notion is that these two things are separate. 
 
And some of the folks who most adamantly insist that government is something alien and distant are the same folks who claim the mantle of the Founders and believe that their views best represent the original intentions of those who fought for and formed this country.
 
And yet, when I read the Declaration of Independence, when I read the Constitution, when I look at all the great documents and laws that have been passed that built this country up, what I see is this central idea that citizenship means we are the government -- the government of and by and for the people -- which means we have responsibilities that extend beyond voting or even writing a check.  
 
It speaks to rights, but it also speaks to responsibilities and obligations.  It suggests that we are responsible for ourselves, and our families, and our neighborhoods, and our cities, and our farmlands, and our neighbors, and our nation, and future generations.  And so we don't just think about “us,” we think about “we, the people.”  That’s the idea that motivated me to get into public service in the first place.  That’s what I think has always been at the heart of America.  
 
And the reason that we’ve been able to make significant progress over the last four years and couple months is because a lot of you have believed it, too.  That’s how I got elected in 2008.  That’s how Nancy Pelosi became Speaker in 2006.  That’s the reason that we were able to yank an economy on the verge of depression and get it back on track to growth and job creation.  That’s the reason that we were able to pass a health care law that is already helping millions of people, and will help millions more when it is fully implemented next year.  (Applause.)  
That’s the reason we’ve been able to put people back to work building roads and bridges and water systems and new park trails all across this country.  That’s the reason that we were able to double fuel efficiency standards on cars, begin the process of reducing carbons and making our economy more energy-efficient, and doubling the amount of clean energy that we’re producing through wind and solar and other renewables.  
It’s the reason that we’ve been able slowly to nurse the housing market back to health.  That is the reason that we’ve been able to keep this country safe while still being true to our values and principles of rule of law.  
 
That is the reason why we’ve been able to help millions of kids all across this country go to college who couldn't otherwise afford it.  We’ve started to reform schools at the K-12 level.  
 
We were able to do all this because you believed in citizenship.  And the reason I ran for another term was because I think we’ve got more work to do.  And the reason that Nancy wants to be Speaker again is because she thinks we have more work to do.  (Applause.)  I assure you that she does not like being away from her grandkids.  (Laughter.)  She could be doing a lot of other stuff.  Steve makes enormous sacrifices.  He’s got to travel all across the country raising money constantly and recruiting candidates.  He’d love to be home.  But we think we’ve got more work to do.
 
Now, this year, we have a window.  Just completed one election.  We would like to see some governing done in Washington before the next election starts.  (Laughter.)  And so we’ve got this opportunity that we need to seize to initiate serious gun safety legislation, reduce gun violence -- (applause) -- to make sure that we finally get a comprehensive immigration reform done, because we are a nation of laws but we are also a nation of immigrants, and those two things are not incompatible.  (Applause.)  
 
We have more work to do to make sure that we stabilize our finances in a way that still allows us to make investments in critical infrastructure and basic research.  Somebody mentioned to me they heard my speech about the new BRAIN Initiative that we’ve put forward; just an entire sweeping horizon of possibilities when it comes to -- (applause) -- curing Alzheimer’s, and curing Parkinson’s, and so many diseases, but also just allowing us to do things that we couldn't even imagine a year ago, two years ago.  Now we’re on the threshold of cracking a code that could open up endless possibilities.  
 
Now, in order to do that, we’ve got to be able to pass laws.  There are some things I can do administratively, a lot of stuff that we can do administratively, but a lot of stuff we’ve got to do legislatively.  Right now we’re constrained by what we get done.  And I have said publicly and I will say it to this room once again that I believe that Republicans love their kids and their country as much as we do, and there are a whole bunch of folks out there who I believe actually want to cooperate with us but feel constrained right now because of their own politics.   
 
I’m looking and probing for every crack and possible opportunity to join in a bipartisan fashion to solve these problems, because I think most of the problems out there are ones that, at least historically, have garnered support from Democrats and Republicans, and that’s -- there is nothing inherently Democratic about building roads or funding research or looking out for the environment.  It used to be a great bipartisan set of ideas.
 
And so my hope is, is that we can get some governing done this year, and I know that Nancy feels the same way.  By the way, she’s already worked with her caucus to deliver votes on things that aren’t necessarily politically advantageous but are the right thing to do.  She did it as Speaker, and she’s done it as Democratic Leader in the House.  So we want to get this -- we just want to get stuff done.  
 
And I won’t say -- I won’t speak for Nancy here, I will speak for myself.  I would love nothing better than an effective, loyal opposition that is willing to meet us halfway and move the country forward -- because that’s what the American people are looking for.  The economy is growing but there is still a lot of folks out there who are struggling; still way too many people who are unemployed; people who haven’t seen a raise in a decade; people whose homes are still underwater; people who when they see $4-a-gallon gas know that that is money that’s coming straight out of their pockets or their retirement funds and is going to be very hard to make up.  And they’re hoping that we can do some governing.  And that’s what I intend to do this year, and the year after that and the year after that. 
 
But I would be dishonest if I didn’t say that it would be a whole lot easier to govern if I had Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.  (Laughter and applause.)  Because here are the stakes -- I actually think we’ve got a great chance of getting immigration reform done.  I think we have a good chance of getting serious gun safety legislation done.  But if we’re going to move forward on some of the other things I talked about in the State of the Union -- making sure that we’ve got early childhood education for every child in America so that they can (inaudible.) (Applause.)  
 
If we’re going to deal with the $2 trillion of deferred maintenance we’ve got in terms of infrastructure -- not just roads and bridges, but a smart grid that can connect up clean energy to our cities and make sure that we continue to reduce not only existing loads of renewable energy, but also discovering those breakthroughs that are going to make all the difference down the future, then I’m going to need some more help in Congress. 
 
If we’re going to deal with climate change in a serious way, then we’ve got to have folks in Congress -- even when it’s not politically convenient -- to talk about it and advocate for it, and break out of this notion that somehow there’s a contradiction between us being good stewards of the environment and us growing this economy.  They are not a contradiction.  We can grow this economy fast and faster if we are seizing the opportunities of the future and not just looking at the energy sources of the past.  We’re going to need some help. 
 
I’m going to need some help if we are going to continue to make progress in assuring that every young person in this country has a chance to go to college and that they can afford it.  I’m going to need some help if we’re going to make sure that simple stuff -- what should be simple -- that everybody in America right now can refinance their homes.  We could put $3,000 a year into the pockets of every single American just by passing a law in Congress that, by the way, Mitt Romney’s key economic advisor, chief economic advisor says was a good idea.  For some reason, we still can’t get it through the Congress -- 3,000 bucks.  It’s like free money for families who right now are struggling.  Think about what they could do with it, and what that will do in terms of boosting our growth.  I need some help.
 
And my hope is, is that we’re going to see more and more Republicans who say, you know what, I didn’t come here just to fight the President or demonize Nancy Pelosi, I came here to get some stuff done.  And they will be greeted with great enthusiasm by me and I think by Nancy, if we could get some more stuff done right now.  But, realistically, I could get a whole lot more done if Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House.  (Applause.) 
 
So let me just close by saying this.  And I know that Nancy’s people will have a chance to answer some more specific questions about their game plan, all the great candidates they’ve recruited, the significant financial burden that will have to be bent in order to help elect these candidates.  
 
But let me close by saying this, go back to where I started this notion of citizenship.  People ask me, does it feel different now in your second term than it did in your first?  It does.  Look, I would hope I’m better at my job now than I was when I first came in.  I’ve got some nicks, bruises to prove that I’ve been to this rodeo before.  Hopefully, I’m making better decisions and our team is better organized, and we know what works and what doesn’t, what some of the pitfalls are. 
 
But the main difference really is a sense of perspective and realization that nothing worthwhile happens in six months or a year.  It happens over decades.  It happens over generations, that the story of America has been us steadily, through fits and starts, expanding opportunity, creating a more perfect union, seizing the promise of the future, fighting off some of our own worst impulses.  And that any one of us, our job is not to do it by ourselves or get it all done in one year or one term or even necessarily in our lifetimes, but our job is to make sure that we’re pressing and pushing so that the whole country, over time, is moving in the right direction.
 
We did a screening of the Jackie -- there’s a new movie about Jackie Robinson called “42,” which I usually don’t plug movies, but I strongly recommend people take their kids and their grandkids to see this.  A lot of people don’t necessarily remember the story of Jackie Robinson or if they it’s sort of vague.  His widow, Rachel Robinson was there.  She’s 90 years old and gorgeous.  And in the theater at the White House, I thanked her.  I thanked the people who made the film, just for reminding me in very visceral terms that in her lifetime, she saw her husband being the first African American to play in Major League Baseball, and now she’s sitting there with me, in the White House.  That’s a long time -- 70 years.  On the other hand, that’s a blink of an eye in terms of human history.  And that required Branch Rickey, it required Jackie Robinson, and then it required --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Chandler.  The commissioner, Happy Chandler.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  -- and it just -- it required a succession of people making tough choices, but the right choice.  And then slowly things changed.  A culture transformed itself.  
 
I was just in another house here in, very close by.  A wonderful young woman, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile was performing.  And she was with her wife -- just got married I guess the day that I announced that I supported same-sex marriage.  And she’s a young woman, and I’m assuming she’s thinking about all the people who were fighting the good fight not just in Stonewall, but well before that.   
 
And so generation after generation, we just plug away, and sometimes we make progress and sometimes it feels like we’re not making progress.  We just stay at it and stay at it.  And then suddenly there’s a breakthrough, and the entire culture shifts.  
 
And that’s what citizenship means.  That’s why it’s so important, because it’s not going to happen all at once.  And all of us have to carry the burden of moving things forward. 
 
So I hope that when you hear from Nancy and Steve, I hope that all of you understand this is not just a one-off, this is not just checking this off the list.  You’ve got to stay with them.  And it’ll be frustrating, it’ll be slow, and there will be times where you lose hope, and there will be times where you won’t be mad at Nancy, but there will certainly be times where you’re mad at me.  (Laughter.)   
 
But if you stay with it, if you and your neighbors and your friends and your children and your grandchildren, if they maintain that sense that this is our government not somebody else’s, and we can change it, then I’ve got great optimism for the future of this country and for the future of citizens in America. 
 
Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)
 
END
8:48 P.M. PDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 04, 2013

Remarks by the President at a DCCC Event -- San Francisco, CA

Private Residence
San Francisco, California
 
 
6:53 P.M. PDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you.   Well, first of all, I want to thank Tom and Kat for opening up this spectacular home.  They were bragging about the view -- (laughter) -- but Secret Service wasn’t going to let me look at the view.  But I’m now in my second term, so I can -- (laughter) -- so I called an audible, and I went out there, and it is spectacular.  And they were all apologetic.  They said, well, you can’t see the bridge.  (Laughter.)  I said, it’s okay, I can see the Pacific Ocean; that’s pretty good.  (Laughter.)  So I was perfectly satisfied with the view, and I could not be more grateful and thankful to them for hosting us here tonight.  So give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)
 
I want to thank Brandi Carlile for singing the -- (applause) -- there she is.  Now, I just -- the reason I know Brandi is because the White House photographer, Pete Souza, was a fan of Brandi’s before the rest of the world knew Brandi, and followed her around everywhere.  He didn’t stalk her, he was just -- (laughter) -- he was a fan.  And so Pete Souza gets credit, before Jimmy Fallon or anybody else, for Brandi Carlile being discovered, at least by me.  (Laughter.)  But we’re so grateful for her participating here tonight.
 
The main reason we’re here is actually not me.  The main reason we’re here is because we have got a fearless leader who happens to be your neighbor, who day in, day out is fighting the good fight on every single issue that matters in terms of making this a more equitable, more prosperous, more generous, more competitive nation.  And she has been an extraordinary friend of mine, but more importantly, she’s a friend to working families all across the country each and every day.  I could not be prouder of her, and I expect that she is going to be once again the Speaker of the House -- Nancy Pelosi.  Love Nancy.  (Applause.)
 
And Nancy wouldn’t be -- I think would be the first to say that she could not do what she does if it weren’t for her extraordinary members.  Right now, her chief rebounder, assist person, handyman -- (laughter) -- the guy who is making this enormous effort work is Steve Israel.  So we want to thank Congressman Steve Israel.  (Applause.)  And we’ve got three other members here today.  Mike Honda -- where’s Mike?  There he is in the back.  (Applause.)  Jared Huffman.  Jared is right there.  (Applause.)  And Eric Swalwell.  There he is.  (Applause.)  
 
All right, now, first of all, Tom used that analogy I think two days after I went two for twenty at -- (laughter) -- at the Easter Egg Roll, guarded by a number of 6-year-olds.  (Laughter.)  So clearly I have not been playing enough basketball for anybody to want to use that analogy.  But what I think is absolutely true is that the way I have always thought about politics, I know the way Nancy thinks about politics, is that we are a team.  And when I say “we,” I’m not simply referring to the people in Washington.  
 
If you noticed, during my inauguration address and my State of the Union, I talked about citizenship; I talked about what it means to be a citizen.  And the notion of citizenship is not simply a matter of voting, it’s not simply a matter of writing a check to a candidate who you like.  The notion of citizenship is that all of us have obligations to this nation, to our fellow citizens, and to future generations, and that each and every day we are tested and asked to participate in ways large and small to push that boulder up the hill a little bit, and to make sure that when our time here has passed, we can say, America is stronger, it’s more prosperous, and opportunity is available to every single American.
 
That’s not just my job, it’s not just Nancy’s job -- it’s your job, as well.  And the fact that all of you are here is an indicator that you take this notion of citizenship seriously.  And because you do, Nancy and I, and Steve and others, we’ve had an opportunity over these last four years and a couple of months to make some extraordinary changes in this country. 
 
We were able to yank an economy that was on the verge of a depression out of depression.  And although we’re not all the way back, the economy has stabilized, our financial markets have stabilized, housing is beginning to come back, and families are starting to feel a little more hopeful about their prospects for the future.
 
Because of you, because of our team, we have been able to assure that people who already have health insurance have better health insurance; that they’ve got preventive care, they’ve got contraceptive care; that insurance companies can’t drop them for no good reason; that young people can stay on their parent’s plan until they’re 26.  And by next year, we’ll know that 35 million people, most of whom work, are never again going to have to say to themselves that because of a preexisting condition or simply a lack of money, that they end up bankrupt or end up in an emergency room when they or their family members get sick.  That happened because of all of you.  (Applause.)  
 
Because of you, we were able to make sure that serving your country didn't depend on who you loved, and as a consequence of some of those changes, we’re now starting to see a extraordinary transformation in our culture that assures that the LGBT community has full and equal citizenship in this country.  (Applause.)  That happened because of you.  
 
Because of you, roads have been built that needed repair, and people were put back to work.  Because of you, research has happened that is looking to cure everything from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s to juvenile diabetes.  Because of you, we’re actually seeing genuine improvement in our schools, and states all across the country -- including very red states -- have embarked on a reform agenda that makes certain that our kids can compete in this new global economy.
 
Because of you, millions of young people have health insurance -- they have health insurance but are also able to afford college, and couldn't afford it before.  And because of you, despite a very aggressive agenda on the other side to block action, we’ve been able to double fuel efficiency standards on cars.  We’ve been able to take mercury out of our air.  We have been able to reduce carbon emissions in this country and have made not only this a healthier place to live, but have also begun to address in a serious way one of the biggest challenges of our time, and that is the challenge of climate change.  That all happened because of you.  (Applause.) 
 
But here is the thing:  We’ve got a lot more work to do.  That’s why I ran for a second term.  The plane is nice -- (laughter) -- but the truth is, is that being in the bubble drives me crazy.  So if I didn't think I was actually going to get something done, I wouldn’t have run.  
 
Nancy has gorgeous grandchildren.  And if it weren’t for the fact that we have more work to do, I’m sure that she wouldn’t be going after the speakership again.  The reason we do so, and the reason you’re here, is because we know we can do so much more to make this country what it can be.
 
Now, over the next couple of months, we’ve got a couple of issues:  gun control.  (Applause.)  I just came from Denver, where the issue of gun violence is something that has haunted families for way too long, and it is possible for us to create common-sense gun safety measures that respect the traditions of gun ownership in this country and hunters and sportsmen, but also make sure that we don’t have another 20 children in a classroom gunned down by a semiautomatic weapon -- by a fully automatic weapon in that case, sadly.  
 
Immigration reform is something that I believe that we can get done over the next couple of months.  It’s interesting how clarifying to the mind Democrats getting 70 percent of the Latino vote was in suggesting that maybe we needed to get -- finally fix a broken immigration system, and making sure that we’re both a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.  
 
But even if we’re able to get those two things done -- and I’m hopeful that we do over the next couple of months -- we’re going to have some big challenges.  We still have to rebuild this country.  We’ve got about $2 trillion worth of deferred maintenance.  We could be putting back to work Americans all across this country not just rebuilding roads and bridges, but building state-of-the-art schools and a smart grid that would make sure that we’re wasting less energy, and link cities that are using energy with wind farms in the Dakotas and in the plains of Colorado.  
 
We’ve got still more work to do to make college more affordable.  We’re going to have a lot more work to do to make sure that hard work pays off, which is why passing a minimum wage increase is so important -- because there are a lot of families out there, even who have jobs, who are having a tough time each and every day.
 
And something that I know is near and dear to Tom and Kat’s hearts, and to Nancy’s -- we’ve got more work to do in terms of dealing with climate change and making sure that we’ve got an economy that is energy-efficient, that is productive, that is cutting-edge, and thinks about not just the energy sources of the past, but also the energy promise of the future.  
 
And the thing that I’m going to have to try to work to persuade the American people a little more convincingly on is this notion that there’s a contradiction between our economy and our environment is just a false choice -- that if we invest now, we will create jobs, we will create entire new industries; other countries will be looking to catch up, they will be looking to import what we do.  We will set the standard, and everybody else will have to adapt.  
 
But -- and I mentioned this to Tom and Kat and a few folks right before I came out here -- the politics of this are tough. Because if you haven’t seen a raise in a decade; if your house is still $25,000, $30,000 underwater; if you’re just happy that you’ve still got that factor job that is powered by cheap energy; if every time you go to fill up your old car because you can’t afford to buy a new one, and you certainly can’t afford to buy a Prius, you’re spending 40 bucks that you don’t have, which means that you may not be able to save for retirement -- you may be concerned about the temperature of the planet, but it’s probably not rising to your number-one concern.  And if people think, well, that’s shortsighted, that’s what happens when you’re struggling to get by.  You’re thinking about what’s right in front of you, which is how do I fill up my gas tank and how do I feed my family.
 
And so part of what we’re going to have to do is to marry a genuine, passionate concern about middle-class families and everybody who is trying to get into the middle class to show them that we’re working just as hard for them as we are for our environmental agenda, and that we can bridge these things in a way that advances the causes of both.  And that’s going to take some work. 
 
But the most important thing that it’s going to take is people in Washington who are willing to speak truth to power, are willing to take some risks politically, are willing to get a little bit out ahead of the curve -- not two miles ahead of the curve, but just a little bit ahead of it.  And that’s why your presence here is so important.  
 
Look, my intention here is to try to get as much done with the Republican Party over the next two years as I can, because we can’t have perpetual campaigns.  And so I mean what I say.  I am looking to find areas of common ground with Republicans every single day.  I want to make sure that we’re working together to stabilize our finances.  And I think actually that we can come up with a fiscal deal that instead of lurching from crisis to crisis every three months, we lay the groundwork for long-term growth -- controlling our deficits, controlling our debt, but also making sure we can invest in our future.  I want to get an immigration deal done.  I want to find some common-sense gun safety legislation that we can get done.  And I do believe that there are well-meaning Republicans out there who care about their kids just as passionately as we do.  
 
Despite all the rhetoric on television, I actually believe that Americans have a lot more in common than our political rhetoric would give us credit for.  But having said all that, I know Nancy Pelosi.  I’ve seen her courage.  I know that she is willing to do the right thing, even when it’s not politically popular.  And I want her once again as a fully empowered partner for us to be able to move our agenda forward.  
 
And so I’m going to expect that you guys are fighting for issues, helping to move public opinion; engaging in organizing and engaging in advocacy and public policy work -- all the stuff that -- and I’m looking around this room, it’s full of do-gooders here -- all the stuff you do.  But I also want to make sure that you are paying attention to what can we do to support the prospect of Nancy Pelosi being Speaker once again.  
 
If we do that, then I’m confident that not only can we deliver on this profound issue of climate change, not only can we make sure that clean energy is the norm here in America, but I also think that we can give America that sense of confidence and forward movement that’s always been our hallmark that characterizes who we are.  To do that, I’m going to need you and Nancy is going to need you. 
 
And so I hope that this is not the end of your involvement.  I hope it is the beginning.  If, in fact, all the energy that’s represented in this room is fully deployed, then I feel pretty good about Malia and Sasha, I feel pretty good about these young people right here.  They’re smarter than we are.  If we hand off the kind of America that we should be handing off to them, I promise you they will take it to ever greater heights.  
 
All right, thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.) 
 
END
7:12 P.M. PDT