The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
January 11, 2012

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event in Charlottesville, VA

Private Residence
Charlottesville, Virginia

5:33 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  This is a great -- thank you all.  Thank you so much.  Oh, my goodness.  Rest yourselves.  You’ve earned it.  Have they fed you anything yet?  (Laughter.)  All right, I’m going to talk quick so you can get to dinner.

But I am just thrilled to be here.  It is such a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you.  I want to thank Karen for that very kind introduction.  And while I know that Carter couldn’t be here this evening, I want to thank both him and Karen and their beautiful family.  We got brothers and sisters and moms -- everybody is here.  (Laughter.)  Thank you for inviting me into their lovely home. 

And Nadja, thank you for that beautiful tribute.  She did a wax figure of me.  Well, no, she did a report on me, and you were a wax figure and you were me.  (Laughter.) And the dress was amazing.  (Laughter.)  So let’s give them all a round of applause.  Thank you all so much.  (Applause.)

I also want to recognize a few other people who are here -- your former mayor, Mayor Norris, is here.  Thank you for your service and for joining us here tonight.  I’m not sure where everyone is around here.  Yay!  (Applause.)

I want to thank Sonjia Smith and Bruce Murray for their outstanding work as co-chairs of this event.  (Applause.)  Where’s Bruce?  Bruce is not the -- where is Bruce?  Bruce, Bruce, Bruce.  I wasn’t expecting Bruce.  (Laughter.)  It’s like, you’re not a Bruce.  (Laughter.)  She tricks us all with that.  She’s a Bruce.  (Laughter.)  Thank you all.  This is amazing -- amazing job.
    
And finally, I want to thank all of you for joining us here this evening, for coming out in the pouring rain.  I heard it was sunshiny up until now.  I usually bring sunshine, so this is a little odd.  (Laughter.)  But I really appreciate you all taking time out of your busy lives and being here with me.

And I know that you’re -- I know why you’re here.  And it’s not just to see me, it’s not just to eat a good meal.  You’re here because you know that we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country.  And you’re here because you know that in less than a year from now, we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come. 

And you’re here because you know that choice won’t just affect each of us.  It will also affect our children.  It will affect our grandchildren, and it will affect the world that we leave for them long after we’re gone.  And that is why I’m here tonight as well.  That’s why I’m going to be out there campaigning for my husband.

See, as the First Lady, I have the privilege of traveling all across this country, meeting folks from all different backgrounds and hearing what’s going on in their lives.  And every day, I hear about people’s struggles -– the bills they’re trying to pay, the businesses they’re trying to keep afloat. 

I hear about how folks are taking that extra shift, working that extra job, how people are scrimping and saving and sacrificing; many never spending a dime on themselves because they desperately want something better for their kids. 

And make no mistake about it, these struggles are not new.  For decades now, middle-class folks have been squeezed from all sides.  The cost for things like gas, groceries, tuition have been steadily rising, but people’s paychecks just haven’t kept up.  So when this economic crisis hit, for far too many families, the bottom completely fell out.

Now, as Karen mentioned, over the past three years, your President has worked very hard to dig us out of this mess.  We’ve all worked very hard, and we’ve made some important progress.  We have had 22 straight months of private sector growth, and unemployment now is at its lowest in the last three years, and that’s good news.  But we have a long way to go. 

And you have a President that has been working hard to rebuild our economy based on a vision that we all share --the belief, as my husband says, that hard work should pay off, that responsibility should be rewarded, and that everyone, everyone should get a fair shot, and do their fair share, and play by the same rules.  And these are basic American values.

They’re the kind of values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  And many of you know, my father was a blue-collar worker at the city water plant, and my family lived in little bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  That’s where I grew up.  Neither of my parents attended college, but what they did was work really hard.  And they saved, and they sacrificed, because they wanted something more for me and my brother.

And more than anything else, it’s important for us to remember that’s what’s at stake, that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.

And on just about every issue, from health care to education to the economy, that is the choice that we face. 
For example, when you hear people talking about tax cuts for the middle-class families, or unemployment insurance for folks out of work, I mean, what that is about is --it’s about whether people can heat their homes.  It’s about whether people can put a hot meal on their table, put gas in their car to look for a job. 

It’s about whether folks can afford to own a home, send their kids to college, retire with dignity and security.  It’s about whether people will have more money in their pockets, which means more money in our economy, which means more jobs.

That’s what’s at stake.  That is the choice that we face.  And think for a minute about what this administration has done to stand up for American consumers. I’m talking about families getting hit with hidden credit card fees.  I’m talking about students, our students, drowning in debt.  Our seniors losing their homes and savings because they were tricked into loans they couldn’t afford. 

And that’s why my husband created a new consumer watchdog with just one simple mission:  to protect folks from exactly that kind of abuse.  (Applause.)  Because your President believes that when you’ve worked and you’ve saved and you followed the rules, you shouldn’t lose it all to someone looking to make some easy money.  That’s not right.  That’s not fair.  And we’re all working to do something about it. 

And what about all we’ve done together for our small businesses?  The companies that create two-thirds of all new jobs in this country each year.  Two-thirds.  And I’m talking small businesses.  Think about the mother who opens up the drycleaner store on the corner to provide for her kids.  We’re talking about the family that’s running that neighborhood diner for generations.  Or the veteran who launches a startup and pursues the American Dream that he fought so hard for. 

See, these are the folks who are working themselves to the bone during the day, then they head home just to pore over the books more late into the night, determined to make the numbers add up.

For these folks, the small business tax cuts this administration has passed mean the difference between these kind of hardworking people hiring new employees or handing out pink slips.  It means the difference between keeping their doors open, or closing up shop for good.  That is the choice that we face.

And then how about the very first bill my husband signed into law -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work?  (Applause.)  He did this because he knows what it means when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace. 

He watched his own grandmother –- a woman with a high school education -– work her way up to become a vice president at a little community bank.  She worked hard, and she was good at her job.  But like so many women even today, back then, she hit a glass ceiling and she watched men no more qualified than she was –- men she had actually trained -– be promoted up the ladder ahead of her. 

So believe me, your President, for him, this issue is not abstract.  This is not hypothetical.  He signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pocket to buy gas, groceries, to put clothes on the backs of their kids.

He did it because he knows that when nearly two-thirds of women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, that women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  And he did it because, as he put it, we believe that here in America there are no second-class citizens in our workplace.  And that is what’s at stake.  (Applause.)
 
And we have to spend a minute talking about health care, because last year we made history together by finally passing health reform.  (Applause.)  Wonderful progress.  But now there are some folks actually talking about repealing this reform.

So today, we must ask ourselves, are we going to stand by and let that happen?  I mean, really?  Are we going to let insurance companies refuse to cover things like cancer screening, prenatal care, that don’t just save money, but they save lives?  Or are we going to stand up for our lives and for the lives of the people that we love?  

Are we going to go back to the days when insurance companies could deny our children coverage because they have a preexisting condition like cancer, diabetes, even asthma?  Or will we stand up and say that in this country, no one should ever have to choose between bankruptcy or watching their children suffer because they can’t afford a doctor?  (Applause.)

And when our kids get older and they graduate from school -- I know many people are in that situation -- we know how hard it is for them not only to find a job, but a job with insurance.  And that’s why, as part of health reform, kids can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  And today, that’s how about 2.5 million of our young people are getting their coverage. 

Will we take that insurance away from those kids, our kids?  Or will we say that we don’t want our sons and daughters going without health care when they’re just starting out, when they’re just starting to build families and careers of their own?  But that’s the choice that we face.

And think, for a moment, about what’s been done on education.  Think about all the investments that your President has made to raise standards and to reform our public schools.  This is about improving the circumstances for millions, millions of children in this country -- kids who are sitting in crumbling classrooms.  Our kids, kids with so much promise.  Kids we know could be anything they wanted if we would just give them a chance.

And think about how we have tripled investments for job training at community colleges.  I mean, this is about hundreds of thousands of hardworking folks who are determined to get the skills they need for a better job and better wages. 

I mean, these folks are doing everything right.  They’re doing it all.  They’re working full-time.   They’re raising their kids.  But they’re still making it to night class, and studying late into the night, because they desperately want something better for their families.

And make no mistake about it, this investment in our students and in our workers will determine nothing less than the future of our economy.  It will determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will let us compete with any country anywhere in the world.  That’s what’s at stake. 

And let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices -- (applause) -- and for the first time in history, our daughters and our sons watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)

And let’s not forget the impact their decisions will have on our lives for decades to come –- on our privacy and security, on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and love whomever we choose.  That’s what’s at stake.  (Applause.)  That is the choice that we’re facing.  (Applause.)

And finally, let’s not forget all that this administration has done to keep our country safe and restore our standing in the world.  (Applause.)  And thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts of terror.  (Applause.)

My husband kept his promise:  ended the war in Iraq and brought our troops home for the holidays.  (Applause.)  And we are working to give our veterans and their families the education, the employment and the benefits they’ve earned.

And because my husband ended “don’t ask, don’t tell,” our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)  That is what’s at stake.  That is what we’ve done.  That is what this President has accomplished.  And I could go on.

But make no mistake about it, whether it’s health care or the economy, whether it’s education or foreign policy, the choice we make will determine nothing less than who we are as a country, but more important it will determine who we want to be.  Who are we?  Who are we?

Will we be a country where opportunity is limited to just the few at the top?  Or will we be a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead, no matter who you are or how you started?  Who are we?  Who do we want to be?

Will we tell folks who have done everything right, but are still struggling to get by, are we going to tell them, “tough luck, you’re on your own”?  Who are we?  

Or will we honor that fundamental American belief that this country is strongest when we’re all better off?  Who do we want to be?

Will we continue all the change we’ve begun, all the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything we’ve fought for to just slip away?  Because that is the choice we face.  Those are the stakes.

And believe me, Barack knows this better than anyone.  He understands these issues, because like so many of us, he’s lived them.  He was raised by a single mother who struggled to put herself through school, pay the bills.  And when she needed help, who stepped up but his grandmother, waking up every morning before dawn, catching that bus to the job at the bank.  And even though she was being passed over for all those years, his grandmother didn’t complain. 

Sound familiar?  She just kept on showing up, just kept on doing her best.  So believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  See, those are the experiences that have made him the man, and more importantly, the President he is today. 

And that’s what I hear in his voice when he returns home from a long day traveling around the country, and he tells me about the people he’s met.  And that’s what I see in those quiet moments late at night, when the girls have gone to bed, and he’s poring over the letters that he gets from people.  He reads them every night. 

The letter from the woman who is dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care.  The letter from the father struggling to pay the family’s bills.  The letters from too many young people with so much promise, but so few opportunities. 

And I hear the passion and the determination in his voice.  He tells me, “You will not believe what folks are going through.”  He says, “Michelle, this isn’t right, and we got to fix it.  We have so much more work to do.”

See, when it comes to the people that he meets, Barack has a memory like a steel trap.  I tell people this all the time -- he might not remember your name, but if he’s had a few minutes and a decent conversation with you, he will never forget your story.  It’s like it becomes imprinted on his heart.  And that’s what he carries with him every single day -– it is our collection of struggles, and hopes and dreams. 

And that is where your President gets his passion.  That is where he gets his toughness and his fight.  And that’s why, even in the some of the hardest moments, when it seems like all is lost and we’re wringing our hands, and wondering, oh, no, what’s he thinking, what’s he doing, let me tell you, Barack Obama never loses sight of the end goal.  Never loses sight.  He never lets himself get distracted by all that chatter and noise, because he just keeps moving forward.  Just keeps showing up.  Because, see, he has what many don’t -- it’s a vision for this country.  And it’s a vision that we all know and we all share.  It’s our vision.  We all know that vision.

But I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again:  He cannot do this alone.  He cannot do this alone.  Never could.  It was never the promise.  He needs your help.  He needs you to make those calls, to register those voters.  He needs you to take those “I’m in” cards and to sign them and to sign up your friends and your neighbors and your colleagues, and convince them to join in giving just a little part of their lives each week to this campaign. 

Need you to make that one-on-one contact, because people want to know what has this President done, and they’re doing to trust you, as their neighbors and friends, to share with them what you know.  That’s how you win elections.  It’s person to person, it’s not PAC money.  It’s not -- it’s one-on-one conversations with people, your neighbors.  Because we all know that this election is not just about one extraordinary man -– though I’ll admit I’m a little biased.  I think he’s pretty cool.  (Laughter.)

This election is and will always be about us.  It’s about all of us.  Who are we?  It’s about all of us, coming together for the values we believe in and the country we want to be.

Now, I’m not going to kid you, either, that this journey is going to be long.  And it’s going to be hard.  And it’s going to have many twists and turns along the way.  That is guaranteed.  I guarantee you.  I don’t expect anything less.  And if it happens, I will be surprised.

But the truth is, that’s how change always happens in this country.  The reality is that change is slow.  Real change takes time, and it never happens all at once.  But we know in our hearts that if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, doing what we know is right, then we eventually get there, because we always do.  We always have in this country.  That is our history.  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.  Because in the end, that’s what this is really all about.

I mean, in the end, we’re not fighting these battles for ourselves.  We’re fighting these battles for our sons and our daughters.  We’re fighting these battles for our grandsons and granddaughters.  We’re fighting for the world that we want to leave for them.  This is not about us.  It’s about them.  And I am certainly in this fight not just as a mother who wants to leave a legacy for my daughters, I’m in this as a citizen who knows what we can and should do together to change this country for the better.  Because the truth is, that no matter what happens, my girls will be okay.

See, my girls are like so many.  They’re blessed with plenty of advantages and opportunities in their lives.  And that’s probably true for so many of the kids right here in this room.

But I think the last few years have shown us the truth of what Barack has always said:  that if any child in this country is left behind, then that matters to all of us, even if he is not our son, even if she’s not our daughter. 

If any family in this country struggles, then we cannot be fully content with our own family’s good fortune, because in the end, we cannot separate our own story from the broader American story.  Like it or not, we are all in this together, and we know that in this country, we rise and we fall together. 

And we know that if we make the right choices, and have the right priorities, we can ensure that everyone, everyone is this country gets a fair shake and everyone has a chance to get ahead.  That’s what’s at stake.

So it is time for us to get moving.  It is time for us to get to work.  So I have one final question:  Are you all in?  (Applause.)  Are you all in?  Are you all ready for this?  Because let me tell you something -- I am in.  I am so in.  (Applause.)  That vision that we know, that world we want to create, we know what it is, but we have to work for it and we need you fighting, working, hustling every second of the day until election day.

So I look forward to working with you all.  Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.  (Applause.)  Thank you for everything you’re doing to do.  And God bless you all.  Thanks so much.  (Applause.)

END          
5:59 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 11, 2012

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

UIC Forum
Chicago, Illinois

5:49 P.M. CST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Chicago!  (Applause.)  Thank you!  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Hello!  (Applause.) Oh, it’s good to be -- it’s good to be home.  It is good to be home.  (Applause.)  No place like it.

It is great to see so many old friends.  I don’t mean in years, although you guys are getting older, some of you.  I’ll be honest with you, I wouldn’t mind popping over to the United Center.  I think the Bulls are playing tonight.  (Applause.)  They are off to a fine start.  You might have heard the Dallas Mavericks came to the White House on Monday to celebrate their championship, and I told them, enjoy it, because the Bulls will be here next year.  (Applause.)  That’s what I said.

I want to thank Jessica for sharing her extraordinary story.  And Jessica is so representative of all the folks who did so much four years ago and are doing so much now.  So give her a big round of applause.  We are appreciative of her.  (Applause.)

I want to thank Janelle Monáe for her wonderful performance.  (Applause.)  Her whole crew is here.  We had them at the state dinner, and the Korean President and his whole family, they were moving around and -- (laughter) -- do you remember that?  Oh, they loved it.  So music is the universal language, and Janelle and her team are incredibly talented. 

I want to thank my dear friend.  He and I went to law school together; he decided to make something of his life.  (Laughter.)  You see him on TV all the time -- Hill Harper is in the house.  Thank you, Hill.  (Applause.)

One of the finest public servants and one of the finest senators in the land, Dick Durbin is here.  Thank you, Dick.  (Applause.)  Two of the finest members of Congress in the land, and great friends -- Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky.  (Applause.)  And we’ve got Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle who is here as well.  (Applause.)

Now, I also want to say a special word about a friend of ours, a man who’s done extraordinary work for me and performed extraordinary service for our country over the past year, and that is Bill Daley.  (Applause.)  Now, first of all, Bill and I, we got off the plane, and we said, is it really 45 degrees in January?  (Laughter.)  So we were a little confused, thought we had landed in the wrong place.  (Laughter.)  But when Bill first told me it was time for him to return to our hometown, I asked him to take a couple days to reconsider.  But it is tough to resist the greatest city in the world.  And as much as I will miss him in the White House, he’s going to be an extraordinary asset to our campaign.  He’s going to be helping us win in 2012.  So I just want to publicly say how much I appreciate him.

Now, I also want to say how much I appreciate you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you.  I love you, too.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back, man.  (Laughter.)  You know, I’m here not just because I need your help.  But I’m also here because the country needs your help.  There was a reason why so many people like Jessica worked your hearts out in our 2008 campaign.  And it wasn’t because you thought it was going to be easy.  When you support a guy named Barack Hussein Obama -- (laughter) -- for President of the United States, you’ve got to assume that the odds may not be in your favor.  (Laughter.)  You didn’t need a poll to know that it wasn’t a sure thing.

But what you understood was that the campaign was not about me.  It was about our common vision for America.  It wasn’t a cramped, narrow vision of an America where everybody is left to fend for themselves and the most powerful are able to play by their own rules. 

It was a vision of a big and compassionate and ambitious and bold America where everybody has a chance to get ahead -- everybody, not just those who are advantaged.  A vision that says we’re greater together than we are on our own.  A vision where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share, and there’s a sense of fair play; that the rules apply to everybody. 

That’s the vision we shared.  That’s the change we believed in.  And we knew it wouldn’t come easy, and we knew it wouldn’t come quickly.  But I’m here to tell you that three years later, because of what you did in 2008, we’ve begun to see what change looks like.  (Applause.)  

Change -- we’ve begun to see -- and sometimes, because things are moving so fast and the media moves from thing to thing to thing, we don’t take time to step back and ask ourselves what happened because of the work you did in 2008.

Change is the first bill I signed into law -– a law that says an equal day’s work should mean an equal day’s pay, because our daughters should be treated the same and have the same opportunities as our sons.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)

Change is the decision we made -- that was unpopular at the time -- to go in and help the auto industry retool, prevent its collapse, even when you had a lot of folks who said we should just let Detroit go bankrupt.  And as a consequence, we saved 1 million jobs, and local businesses are picking up again, and fuel efficient cars are rolling off the assembly line stamped with three proud words, “Made in America,” and the automakers are back and folks are working.  That’s because of you.  (Applause.)

Change is the decision we made to stop waiting for Congress to do something about our oil addiction and go ahead and raise fuel efficiency standards on cars.  And by the next decade, we’ll be driving cars that get 55 miles to a gallon.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)  Save us billions of barrels of oil, and save consumers billions of dollars from their pocketbooks, and it means that we’ll have a better chance of making sure that we leave the planet a little big cleaner and a little bit better off for our kids.

And change is the fight we had, and the fight we won, to stop handing out $60 billion in taxpayer subsidies to banks that issue student loans and give that money directly to students so that millions of more young people are able to get the kind of education that they need in this 21st century economy.  (Applause.)  That’s what change is. 

And as Jessica pointed out, change is finally, after a century of talking about it, passing health care reform that ensures that in the United States of America nobody goes bankrupt because they get sick.  And 2.5 million young people already have health insurance because they can stay on their parents’ plan.  And nobody is denied coverage or dropped by their insurance company when they need it most.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)

Change is the fact that for the first time in our history, you don’t have to hide who you love in order to serve the country you love.  That’s what change is.  “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is over.  (Applause.) 

And change is keeping one of the first promises I made back in 2008, and that is ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home so we can focus our attention on rebuilding America.  (Applause.)

Focus our attention on rebuilding America, but also focusing our efforts on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11.  And thanks to the brave men and women in uniform, al Qaeda is weaker than it has ever been, and Osama bin Laden will never walk this Earth again.  (Applause.)

Now, these changes weren’t easy.  Some were risky.  Almost all of them came in the face of fierce opposition, powerful lobbyists, special interests who spent millions trying to maintain the status quo.  And not all the steps we took were politically popular at the time, certainly not politically popular with the crowd in Washington. 

But you know what kept me going is you.  See, I remembered all the work you put in.  I remembered your hopes and your dreams.  And I knew that on every one of these fights, you guys were out there making your voices heard, knocking on doors, making phone calls, keeping up the fight for change long after the election was over. 

And that should make you proud.  It should make you hopeful.  It shouldn’t make you complacent.  It shouldn’t make you satisfied, because everything that we fought for is now at stake in this election.  The very core of what this country stands for is on the line -- the basic promise that no matter who you are, where you come from, this is a place where you can make it if you try.  That’s at stake in this election.  

The crisis that struck in the months before I took office put more Americans out of work than at any time since the Great Depression.  But it was also a culmination of a decade of neglect, a decade where the middle class fell further behind and more good jobs in manufacturing left our shores.  And suddenly, our prosperity was built on risky financial deals and homes that we couldn’t afford.  And we racked up greater debt.  And even as incomes fell, wages flatlined, the cost of everything from college and health care kept on going through the roof. 

And those problems built up over a decade, in some cases more.  They didn’t happen overnight.  We knew we couldn’t solve them overnight.  It’s going to take more than a few years to meet the challenges that have been decades in the making.  And the American people understand that. 

What they don’t understand are leaders who refuse to take action.  (Applause.)  What they’re sick and tired of is watching people who are supposed to represent them put their party ahead of the country, put the next election ahead of the next generation.  That’s what they don’t understand.  (Applause.)

President Kennedy used to say that after he took office, what surprised him most about Washington was it was just as bad as he had said it was.  (Laughter.) 

I can relate to that.  (Laughter.)  When you’ve got the top Republican saying his number-one priority isn’t creating more jobs, isn’t solving the health care problems, isn’t making sure that we’re competitive in the 21st century, but is to beat me, then you know things aren’t on the level.  That’s how you end up with Republicans in Congress voting against all kinds of proposals that they -- even proposals they supported in the past -- tax cuts for workers; tax cuts for small businesses; rebuilding roads, bridges; putting cops and teachers back to work.  Suddenly they’re opposed. 

They’ll fight with their last breath to protect tax cuts for the most fortunate of Americans, but they’ll play political games with tax cuts for the middle class.  I guess they thought it was a smart political strategy, but it’s sure not a strategy to create jobs.  It’s not a strategy to strengthen the middle class or help people who are trying to get into the middle class to get there.  It’s not a strategy to help America succeed.

So we’ve got a clear choice this year.  The question is not whether people are still hurting, the economy is still recovering.  Of course folks are still hurting.  We’ve got a long way to go.  The question is what are we going to do about it, where are we going to go, what direction does this country move towards. 

The Republicans in Congress, the presidential candidates who are running, they’ve got a very specific idea about where they want to take this country.  I mean, they’ve said it.  They said they want to reduce the deficit by gutting our investments in education and gutting our investments in research and technology, letting our infrastructure further deteriorate.  

Now, my attitude is, I’ve already signed a trillion dollars’ worth of spending cuts; I proposed even more.  It’s time, when we’re talking about reducing the deficit, to also ask people like me to pay our fair share in taxes.  We can do that.  (Applause.)  We can have a system in which folks who have been incredibly blessed by this nation do a little bit more so that the next generation is able to get on the ladder of success.

The Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail, they want to make Medicare a form of private insurance, where seniors have to shop with a voucher, and it may not cover all their costs.  I think we can lower the cost of Medicare but still guarantee the dignified retirement that our seniors have earned.  They’ve earned it.  (Applause.)  They’ve earned it.

When I hear some of them talk about, oh, this is just an entitlement -- these folks earned it.  They worked hard.  They paid into it.

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  

THE PRESIDENT:  This crowd, they think the best way for America to compete for new jobs and businesses is to follow other countries in a race to the bottom.  They figure, well, since China pays really low wages, let’s roll back the minimum wage here and bust unions; since some of these other countries allow corporations to pollute as much as they want, let’s get rid of protections that help make sure our air is clean and our water is safe. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Go, EPA! 

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, I don’t think we should have any more regulations than what are necessary for our health and safety.  And we’ve made reforms that will make sure that businesses save billions of dollars.  We want government that is smart and efficient and lean.  And by the way, we’ve issued fewer regulations than the Bush administration.  They’ve been better regulations.  (Laughter and applause.)

But I don’t believe in a race to the bottom.  I think we should be in a race to the top.  (Applause.)  We should be competing to make sure we’ve got the best schools.  We should be competing to make sure we’ve got the most highly trained workers.  We should make sure that a college education is within reach for everybody.  (Applause.)

We should be in a race to make sure our businesses have the best access to the fastest Internet, the fastest railroads, the best airports.  I want a race where we continue to have the best scientists and researchers, making the next breakthroughs in medicine and clean energy.  I want to make sure that happens right here in America.  That’s the race we can win.

We should be in a race to make sure the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in Asia, not in Europe, but right here in Chicago, in Detroit, in Pittsburgh, in Cleveland, in Charlotte, in Nashville.  (Applause.) 

I don’t want this -- I don’t want this nation to be known for what we buy, what we consume.  I want us to be known for building and selling products all around the world.  (Applause.) 

And you know it’s possible.  I had a meeting this morning with CEOs from -- some of them very big companies like Intel, some of them small manufacturers.  They’re starting to bring jobs back to the United States.  They’ve started to figure out -- they’ve started to figure out that, yes, some of these countries may have lower wages, but when you factor in all the costs and quality and the productivity of American workers, that it actually makes sense to build plants here.  And they’re moving plants back from China and plants back from Mexico, because they know that businesses who succeed here will succeed anywhere.

But what they also said was we can only come here if we know that we’ve got the best workers.  And that means the education system has to work.  (Applause.)  We can’t come here if we don’t think that the Internet and our roads and our transportation infrastructure is the best in the world. 

The competition for new jobs, for businesses, for middle-class security, that’s a race I know we can win.  But America is not going to win if we give in to those who think that we can only respond to our challenges with the same tired, old tune -- just hand out more tax cuts to folks who don’t need them and weren’t even asking for them, let companies do whatever they want, hope that prosperity somehow trickles down on everybody else’s head.   

It doesn’t work.  It didn’t work when it was tried in the decade before the Great Depression.  It’s not what led to the incredible post-war boom in the ‘50s and the ‘60s.  It didn’t work when we tried it under the previous President, and it’s not going to work now.

We cannot go back to this brand of you’re-on-your-own economics.  We believe that everybody has a stake in each other, and that if we attract an outstanding teacher to the profession by giving her the pay and training and support that she needs, she’ll go out and educate the next Steve Jobs.  (Applause.)  And suddenly, a whole new industry will blossom. 

And we believe that if you provide faster Internet to some little town out in rural America, that store owner now suddenly has a whole world marketplace.  And if we build a new bridge that saves a shipping company time and money, then workers and customers all over the country are going to do better.  And if we invest in basic science and research, that the next new thing will be invented. 

And so, instead of listening to Janelle on the iPod -- who knows what the next thing is, but it will be because we have invested in the innovation that makes us the greatest nation on Earth. 

Now, this has never been a Democratic idea or a Republican idea.  This isn’t a partisan idea.  It was a Republican President from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln who launched the transcontinental railroad and the National Academy of Sciences and the first land grant colleges.  Teddy Roosevelt called for a progressive income tax -- he was a Republican.  Dwight Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System, invested in boosting our science and math and engineering education here in this country.  It was with the help of Republicans that FDR helped millions of people -- returning heroes, including my grandfather -- get a chance to go college on the GI Bill.  This should not be a partisan idea.  

And that same spirit of common purpose, it still exists today.  It may not exist in Washington.  But out in America, when you talk to people on main streets and in town halls, they’ll tell you, we still believe in those values.  Our political parties may be divided, but most Americans, they understand we’re in this together.  We rise and fall together as one nation, as one people.  (Applause.)

That’s what’s at stake right now.  That’s what this election is about.  So, Chicago, yes, it has been three tough years.  There are times where the changes we want didn’t come as fast as we wanted.  And after all the noise in Washington, I know it’s tempting to believe sometimes that, gosh, maybe -- maybe change isn’t possible. 

But remember -- remember what we said during the last campaign:  Yes, we can.

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  We said real change and big change isn’t easy.  I warned you it was going to take time.  I said it was going to take more than a year, maybe more than one term.  Some of it is going to take more than one President.  It takes ordinary citizens who keep fighting, keep pushing, keep inching this country closer and closer and closer to our ideals.

That’s how the Greatest Generation overcame a decade of Depression and ended up building the largest middle class in the history of the world.  That’s how young people beat back billy clubs and fire hoses and ensured that their kids could grow up in a country where you can be anything, including the President of the United States.  (Applause.)

Change is hard, but it is possible.  I’ve seen it.  You’ve seen it.  We have lived it.  And if you want to end the cynicism and stop the game playing that passes for politics these days and you want to send a message about what is possible, then you can’t back down.  Not now. 

We won’t give up.  Not now.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  You’ve got to send a message.  We are going to keep pushing and fighting for the change that we believe in. 

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ve said before, I’m not a perfect man.  I’m not a perfect President.  But I’ve promised you this, and I’ve kept this promise:  I will always tell you what I believe, I will always tell you where I stand.  I will wake up every single day thinking about how I can make this country better, and I will spend every ounce of energy that I have fighting for you.

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  So if you’ve still got that energy, if you’re still fired up -- (applause) -- if you are not weary, if you’re ready to put on your walking shoes and get to work, and knock on some doors, and make some phone calls, and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors, and push through all the obstacles, and keep reaching for that vision that you hold in your hearts, I promise you change will come.  (Applause.) 

If you’re willing to work even harder in this election than you did in that last election, I promise you change will come.  If you stick with me, we’re going to finish what we started in 2008.  (Applause.)  We will remind this country and we will remind the world just why we are the greatest nation on Earth. 

God bless you, Chicago.  I love you.  (Applause.)  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Thank you.  Thank you.

END  
6:15 P.M. CST

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
January 11, 2012

Remarks by the First Lady at Joining Forces Medical College Event

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia

3:00 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you all so much.  Thank you so much.  You all, please be seated.  Good afternoon.  And again, thank you.  I want to thank John for that very kind introduction. 

And a very special thanks to Specialist Cedric Holland.  That was I know a very difficult thing to share, but that’s what this is all about.  And we thank Specialist Holland for your service to this nation and for showing strength by standing up today and sharing that story.  It is truly admirable.

I’d also like to thank Virginia’s First Lady, Maureen McDonnell, who is here with her daughter Rachel.  Thank you for being here.  (Applause.)  There they are.  And I want to thank you for your work, your efforts; you’ve been doing it on the ground for years.  And I’m grateful for your support.  I’d also like to recognize Congressman Scott, who is here, as well as -- Congressman.  (Applause.)  As well as Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, who is here today.  (Applause.)  Thank you all for joining us.

I also want to thank Jerry Strauss and everyone here at VCU not only for hosting us today, but for all that you do every day to advance our understanding of the signature injuries of our 9/11 generation of troops -– post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

And finally, I want to thank everyone here -- our active duty troops, our veterans, the deans and administrators from medical schools across the country, and of course the VCU medical students.  Thank you all for coming together to support the health and welfare of our veterans and their families.

Now, as many of you know, I have devoted much of my time as First Lady to military family issues, because quite frankly, these families truly inspire me.  It’s as simple as that. 

I have traveled to bases all across the country.  We have held barbeques.  We visited hospitals.  I’ve sat with our courageous wounded warriors, spoken with the survivors of our fallen.  I have been especially moved by the strength of our military spouses and our military children. 

I am awed by the sacrifices they make -- enduring long deployments; uprooting their lives; moving from base to base, year after year; running households and raising kids all alone while a loved one is overseas. 

I’m amazed by the young people who manage to stay so strong while adjusting to new schools every few years; children who pick up extra chores around the house, take on new responsibilities, all while shouldering the emotions of a parent’s deployment.

These are the men, women and children who inspired me and Jill Biden to start our Joining Forces initiative.  We wanted to honor, to recognize, and to support these magnificent military families. 

And the idea is very simple:  In a time of war, when our troops and their families are sacrificing so much, we all should be doing everything we can to serve them as well as they’re serving this country.

And it’s an obligation that extends to every single American.  And it’s an obligation that does not end when wars draw to a close and troops return home.  In many ways, that’s when the real work begins. 

And that was never more clear to me than last month, when I joined my husband to welcome home some of our troops from Iraq.  We were in Fort Bragg, in a huge hangar packed full of soldiers.  And it was a proud, historic day; an extraordinary achievement nearly nine years in the making. 

Every single soldier there had done their duty and they had done it well.  And as the President said, their service now belonged to the ages.  But I couldn’t shake the feeling that even though we were marking the end of a war, even though so many of our troops were coming home, this was not an ending for them. 

See, we all must remember in this country that, for our troops, the end of war marks the beginning of a very long period of transition.  For some, it means a transition from combat to duty in a base, or perhaps even a future deployment. 

For those whose military service is over, those who will enter our newest generation of veterans, it means a transition home -- a transition to our cities and our towns to our classrooms and offices, to finally just being Dad or Mom, a husband, wife, neighbor or friend once again. 

And the truth is, those transitions are not always easy.  In some cases, they bring with them the hardest moments our troops and their families will ever face.  For some of our men and women, coping with the realities of war long after they’ve faded is the most difficult struggle they will face yet. 

And that’s what we’re here to address today -- the mental health challenges that so many of our troops face once they return home. 

Now, first, it’s important to emphasize that the majority of our troops return home with few or no mental health issues at all.  And they are continuing to give back.  They are continuing to do so much for this country, even when they’re out of uniform. 

They’re in our communities leading our businesses and jumpstarting new careers.  They’re volunteering everywhere, serving on school boards, getting active in our faith communities.  And they do it all with such grace that most of the time, the rest of us don’t even notice the enormous transitions they’ve gone through. 

The military has a number of programs to help troops decompress and make these transitions, but the fact remains that they make these sharp physical and emotional shifts in unimaginably short periods of time.  I mean, just think about it -- when they’re deployed, they have a clear, urgent, and all-consuming mission.  They’re surrounded by colleagues and friends who completely understand exactly what they’re going through.  But when these young men and women get back to their home communities, so much of that vanishes. 

Their combat buddies gone, spread out all over the country.  And while they cherish the love and support of those closest to them -- spouses, children, parents, siblings -- often their loved ones can’t begin to fathom what they’ve been through. 

And for so many of our returning troops and veterans, that’s when the memories, the images, the emotional wounds that they learned to cope with overseas come flooding back. It might be the aching loss over a fallen friend.  It might be the memories of shock from an explosion that rocked their vehicle, or a flashback to the chaos of a firefight. 

For some, it could be anything that triggers a traumatic episode:  an engine backfiring, a passing ambulance, a rock hitting the windshield.

And some can’t sleep at night.  Others suffer nightmares that keep coming back, or they’re overwhelmed by deep despair that just won’t go away, or fits of rage that seem to come from nowhere. 

Now, the rest of us can try, on an intellectual level, to understand PTSD or TBI, or post-combat depression.  We can learn terms, and we can certainly listen compassionately to stories.  But mere words and anecdotes don’t do any of this justice.  Just doesn’t. 

Those of us who have never experienced war will never be able to fully understand the true emotional costs.  And as a result, many of us often misinterpret what our troops and vets and military families go through. 

Even today, as we continue to educate the public and learn more and more, there is a certain stigma that still remains.  So I want to be very clear today.  These mental health challenges are not a sign of weakness.  They are not a sign of weakness.  PTSD, TBI, depression, and any other combat-related mental health issue should never again be a source of shame.  Never. 

These emotional waves, these traumatic incidents are natural, human responses to the brutality of war.  And it’s been that way throughout the ages -- and today’s wars are no different. 

Fortunately, we are developing a better understanding of these issues.  Studies show that as many as one in six veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have reported symptoms of PTSD.  Similar numbers have reported signs of post-deployment depression.  Our National Guardsmen and Army Reservists are affected by higher rates of both.  And since the year 2000, more than 44,000 of our service members have suffered at least a moderate-grade traumatic brain injury.
And those are the invisible wounds of war.

To cope, some turn to substances.  Some contemplate suicide.  And many of our troops just don’t ask for help because, as one of our troops said, and this is a quote, “You don’t want people to think you’re weird, so you bury it.”  You bury it.  But at home, you can’t always bury it.  It affects the whole family.  Kids notice that Dad or Mom is acting differently.  Spouses, parents, friends notice that something’s changed.  And sometimes, the effects can’t be ignored. 

Gina Hill, a military wife from Kansas, wrote me a letter about how her PTSD-stricken husband would lapse into full combat mode right in their own home.  And she wrote -- and this is what she said -- she said, “We are struggling here.  It shouldn’t be this hard.  We shouldn’t have to fight the war once our spouses come home.  But the reality is, we do.”

Now, this is a feeling that’s shared by military families all across this country.  Our heroic military spouses, for all of their strength, you could see how they might begin to feel a sense of personal isolation, or perhaps a strain in their marriage, or that they lack the knowledge or the skills to properly care and help the ones they love.

Those incredible, resilient military kids and teenagers can sometimes end up shutting down, maybe acting out in school, or maybe they become distant, even scared of a parent suffering from PTSD or TBI.  And many of these veterans and families, they don’t live in military communities.  If they seek help, they rely on family doctors, local clinics, or public or private hospitals throughout the country. 

And we’ve seen from prior wars that as many as 60 percent of veterans with PTSD sought help outside of the VA system.  And of our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have returned home, only about half have sought any type of care through the VA system at all. 

So what this tells us is that we have to meet our veterans and military families where they live.  We have to engage all of this country’s doctors, nurses, health care providers on the variety of health issues these families face, especially on issues of mental health. 

And that’s why I am so proud to be with all of you today, because we are taking a big step forward to achieving that goal -- now and for years to come. 

Today, the nation’s medical colleges are committing to create a new generation of doctors, medical schools, and research facilities that will make sure that our heroes receive care that is worthy of their service.

It is an effort that’s led by the Association of American Medical Colleges, or the AAMC, and 105 of its member institutions.  It also includes the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and 25 of its schools.

Together, these organizations are committing to train their medical students, as well as their current physicians, faculty, and staff to better diagnose and treat our veterans and military families.  They’re going to develop new research and clinical trials on PTSD and TBI so that we can better understand and treat those conditions. 

They’re going to share their information and best practices with one another through a collaborative web forum created by the AAMC.  And they will continue to work with the VA and the Department of Defense to make sure that everyone in this country is providing the best care available.  So that’s their pledge. 

And I want to emphasize that these commitments are coming from schools all across the country:  Harvard, Stanford, Wake Forest, UCLA, Michigan, and so many more.  Everyone is stepping up.  And we’ve seen that so many of these institutions are already making strides on these issues.

For example, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are developing a new imaging tool that allows us to see the wiring of the brain in vivid high definition, which could lead to some wonderful new breakthroughs in the diagnosis of TBI. 

At the University of South Florida, they’re working with the Department of Defense and the VA to create a first-of-its-kind Center for Veterans Reintegration, which will mean a single, cohesive, research, treatment and education facility for veterans and families. 

And right here at VCU, they’re leading a groundbreaking project to provide resources and training to health care providers, to volunteers, to community members throughout the state of Virginia who can help ease the transition home for veterans with TBI and PTSD.

So there is already a lot of wonderful work going on, so just imagine how much more will be achieved when 130 of some of the best schools in the country are better connected with one another, when they’re sharing their best practices, when they’re communicating more quickly and more effectively.  So this is a big deal. 

From what I understand, you guys don’t collaborate a lot on stuff, right?  (Laughter.)  And it comes on top of the unprecedented steps that this administration has taken on behalf of our veterans and their families. 

By husband is strengthening the VA and its ability to treat PTSD and TBI.  And he’s hiring and training more mental health counselors.  He’s improving suicide prevention.  And he signed legislation that allows caregivers to receive the skills and stipends they need to care for their loved ones.
 
And just yesterday at the White House, we hosted representatives from many of the nation’s largest health care organizations for our Joining Forces roundtable discussion with America’s medical associations.  And in the coming weeks, we’re going to be announcing commitments from these groups that we hope will begin to take effect immediately. 

So we are making some magnificent progress here.  And I know that if we continue to engage government, military, and the entire health community, we will continue to make progress.  But it will mean real work.  It will mean every single one of us doing our part. 

And with that in mind, I just want to take a moment to speak directly to the medical students who are here today. 
To all of you young people, I just want to emphasize the power in your chosen profession.  And I couldn’t do it.  That’s why I went to law school.  (Laughter.)  It’s too hard.  And I know you hear this a lot from your professors and alumni, but you will be there for some of your patients’ most powerful life moments. 

It is the essence of true service.  And when that patient is one of our veterans or one of their family members, you will a have a unique opportunity and responsibility to make an impact on their lives.  You will single-handedly be able to show these heroes that this country is there for them, no matter what they’re going through. 

So this country is counting on you -- no pressure --counting on all of you to do exactly that for our veterans and military families.  We’re counting on you to be medical professionals who understand their unique challenges; professionals who make these heroes feel comfortable, who will give them a level of care that honors their service and sacrifice.  And again, those are big responsibilities, but I know you can do it. 

I know how much talent, commitment and discipline that it takes to succeed in medical school.  And I know that when you direct all of your skills and passions toward helping our veterans and military families, you will make a world of difference on these issues.  You will change these heroes’ lives for the better forever.  You’ll uphold our nation’s sacred trust with our veterans and their families. 

And to all of the troops and veterans we have here, I want you to know one thing:  that no matter where you are, no matter what you’re going through, please know that America will be there for you and your families.  So if you are struggling, please don’t be afraid to speak up.  If you know someone else who is struggling, encourage them to seek help.  Don’t bury it. 

Asking for support is a sign of strength.  We’re already proud of you.  It can also set an example for those who have served alongside you.  It can help fight the stigma that surrounds PTSD, depression, and other mental health issues, and not just in the military, but for Americans of all kinds who struggle with these issues.  Because if others see that the strongest, most courageous among us are sure enough to step up and speak out, then maybe, just maybe they might be more likely to find the strength within themselves to do the same thing. 

And once you do reach out, I am confident that you will feel America’s unmatched capacity for compassion.  You will find doctors and people throughout the health care system who understand these issues and can give you the care you need.  You will see how much goodwill there is out there for you and your families.  And that’s what I see every day through Joining Forces.  That is the beauty of this initiative and my role in it.

We are seeing America step up on issues of all kinds -- when asked.  It’s happening all across the country, and it’s going to keep happening.  There is no shortage of people who want to help because America is here for the long haul -- not just today when the lights are bright and the cameras are on.  Not just at a rally at Fort Bragg.  Not just on Veterans Day or September 11th, but every day. 

And I’m not going to stop.  The President is not going to stop, and all the people here are not going to stop until you feel the full force of this country’s love and admiration.  That should be our pledge to you.  

So I want to thank you for your unparalleled service and incredible sacrifice.  I want to thank the medical school students.  I want to thank the deans, the administrators for helping us fulfill this country’s commitment to our troops, veterans, and military families. 

And I truly look forward to working with all of you in the months and years ahead.

God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)

END                    
3:23 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
January 11, 2012

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event in Richmond

Richmond Marriott
Richmond, Virginia

12:19 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you all so much.  Richmond, it’s good to be here!  (Applause.)  You all, thank you.  You all rest yourselves because I want you all ready to work.  So I don’t want you to run your energy out clapping and standing up.  (Laughter.)  But thank you all so much.  It is such a pleasure to be here.  This is my first official event campaigning of the year.  (Applause.)  Yes!  It’s a great way to kick it off.

And I want to start by thanking your former governor, Tim Kaine, for that very kind introduction, but more importantly for his outstanding leadership.  One of my favorite people.  He’s got good judgment, too, because his wife Anne is amazing.  Love her to death.  So let’s give them both another round of applause.  (Applause.)

I also want to thank Congressman Scott, who is here, Mayor Jones, also, for their dedicated service.  (Applause.)  Thank you all for joining us here today. 

And I want to recognize all of the Richmond Women for Obama who are here -- (applause) -- along with the Host Committee that I know have worked very hard to make this event such a success. 

And finally, I want to thank all of you for joining us here today, this afternoon.  It is afternoon, right?  See, when I do this -- is it morning, it’s afternoon?

And I know that all you are here for a couple of reasons.  And it’s not just because there’s a good luncheon, and you’re not just here to see me.  Right?  (Laughter.)  There’s a reason why all of us are here, why all of you are here today. 

You’re here because you know that we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country.  You’re here because you know that in less than a year from now, we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come.  And you’re here because you know that that choice won’t just affect all of us, but it’s going to affect our children and our grandchildren and the world that we leave for them long after we’re gone.

And that is why I’m here today as well.  You see, as First Lady, I have the privilege of traveling all across the country, meeting folks from all different backgrounds and hearing what’s going on in their lives.  And every day, I hear about folks’ struggles -– the bills they’re trying to pay, the businesses they’re trying to keep afloat. 

I hear about how they’re taking the extra shift, or working the extra job.  How so many people are saving and sacrificing, never spending a dime on themselves because they desperately want something better for their kids. 

And make no mistake about it, these struggles are not new.  For decades now, middle-class folks have been squeezed from all sides.  The cost for things like gas and groceries, tuition, have been steadily rising, but people’s paychecks just haven’t kept up.

So when this economy fell apart, the crisis hit, for far too many families, the bottom just fell out.

Now, fortunately, over the past three years, we’ve worked very hard to dig ourselves out of this mess.  Your President has worked very hard.  And there’s been a lot of wonderful progress made.  (Applause.)  

We have had 22 straight months of private sector job growth -- (applause) -- and unemployment is now the lowest it’s been in nearly three years.  (Applause.)  So there’s a lot of work happening, but we know that we still have a very long way to go.  But your President has been working hard to rebuild our economy based on a vision that we all share -- the belief, as my husband says, that hard work should pay off, that responsibility should be rewarded, and that everyone should get a fair shot, and everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules. 

See, these are basic American values.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.

As you know, my father was a blue-collar worker at the city water plant.  My family lived in a little bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  And my parents, neither of them were able to go to school -- to college, that is.  But they worked very hard, and they saved, and they sacrificed, because they wanted something better for me and my brother. 

And more than anything else, that is what’s at stake -- that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, that if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.

And on just about every issue -- from health care to education to the economy -- that is the choice we face.

For example, when you hear talk about tax cuts for middle-class families, or unemployment insurance for folks out of work, understand that that’s about whether people can heat their homes.  That’s about whether folks can put a hot meal on their table or put gas in their car so that they can look for work.  It’s about whether folks can afford to own a home, send their kids to college, retire with dignity and security.

This talk about whether people will have more money in their pockets, which means more money in the economy, which means more jobs.  That’s what’s at stake here.  That is the choice that we face.

And just think for a minute about what this administration has done to stand up for American consumers.  I’m talking about families getting hit with those hidden credit card fees.  I’m talking about our students drowning in debt, our seniors losing their home and their savings because they’ve been tricked into loans they couldn’t afford.

That’s why my husband created a new consumer watchdog with just one simple mission -- and that is to protect folks from exactly these kinds of abuses.  (Applause.)  Because he believes that when you’ve worked hard and you’ve saved and you’ve followed the rules, you shouldn’t lose it all to someone who’s looking to make some easy money.  That’s not right.  That’s not fair.  (Applause.)  And your President, all of us, we are working hard to do something about that.

And what about all that we’ve done together for our small businesses?  These are the companies that create two-thirds of all new jobs each year.  That’s two-thirds.  I’m talking about that mom who opens up the dry-cleaning store on the corner to provide for her kids, or that family that’s been running the neighborhood diner for generations, or the veteran who launches a startup and pursues that American Dream he fought so hard for.

See, these are the folks who work themselves to the bone during the day, then they head home, pore over the books late into the night, determined to make the numbers add up.

For these folks, the small business tax cuts this administration has passed, for these folks it means the difference between hiring new employees in those businesses or handing out pink slips; between keeping the doors open or closing up shop for good.  That is the choice that we face.

And how about the very first bill my husband signed into law, the very first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work?  (Applause.)

He did this because he knows what it means when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He watched his own grandmother -- woman with a high school education -- work her way up from being a vice president at a little community bank.  She worked hard and she was good at her job.  But like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling, and she watched men no more qualified than she, men she had actually trained, be promoted up that ladder ahead of her.

So believe me, for Barack, this issue isn’t abstract.  This isn’t some hypothetical situation.  And he signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 for each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets for gas or groceries, school clothes for their kids.

He did it because when nearly two-thirds of women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, your President knows that women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)

And he did it because, as he put it, we believe that here in America, there should be no second-class citizens in our workplaces.  That is what’s at stake.

And let’s just talk for a minute about health care.  Last year, we made history together by finally passing health reform.  (Applause.)  It’s wonderful.  But now, there are some folks actually talking about repealing this reform -- repealing it.  And today, we need to ask ourselves, are we going to stand by and let that happen? 

Are we going to let insurance companies refuse to cover things like cancer screenings and prenatal care that don’t just save money, but save lives?  Or will we stand up for our lives and for the lives of the people that we love?  

Are we going to go back to the days when insurance companies could deny our children coverage because they have preexisting conditions like cancer or diabetes, even asthma?  Or will we stand up and say that in this country, no one -- no one should ever have to choose between going bankrupt or watching their child suffer because they can’t afford a doctor.  (Applause.)  

And when our children get older and graduate from school, we know how hard it is for them to find jobs, and jobs that provide insurance.  That’s why, as part of health reform, our children can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  (Applause.)  And so today, that’s how about 2.5 million of our young people are getting their coverage.  So will we take that insurance away from those kids?  Or will we say that we don’t want our sons and daughters going without health care when they’re just starting out, just trying to build their own families and build their own careers?  Because that is the choice that we face.  That is the choice.

And think again for a moment about what’s been done on education.  Think about all those investments to raise standards and reform our public schools.  We all know this is about improving the circumstances for millions of children in this country -- kids we know who are sitting in crumbling classrooms, kids with so much promise, kids who could be anything they wanted if we just gave them the chance.  That’s what this is about.

And think about how this President has tripled investments for job training at community colleges.  This is about hundreds of thousands of hardworking folks who are determined to get the skills they need for a better job and for better wages.  I mean, these are the folks who are doing it all.  They’re doing what they’re supposed to do.  They’re working full-time, they’re raising their kids, but they’re still finding time to go to night classes and study late into the evening because they desperately want to do something better for their families.

Make no mistake -- this investment in our students and our workers will determine nothing less than the future of our economy.  I mean, this kind of stuff will determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will let us compete with any country anywhere in the world.  And that’s what’s at stake. 
    
And let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices, and for the first time in history, our daughters –- and our sons –- (applause) -- watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court.  Let’s not forget the impact their decisions will have on our lives for decades to come -- on our privacy and security, on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and love whomever we choose.  That’s what’s at stake.  That is the choice we’re facing.  (Applause.)

And finally, let’s not forget all this administration has done to keep our country safe and restore our standing in the world.  Thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts of terror.  (Applause.)  Yes, my husband ended the war in Iraq and brought our troops home for the holidays.  (Applause.)

And as Tim said, we are working hard to give our veterans and their families the education, the employment and the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.)  And because my husband ended “don’t ask, don’t tell,” our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)  That is what’s at stake.  That is what’s at stake.

So Richmond, make no mistake about it.  Whether it’s health care or the economy, whether it’s education or foreign policy, the choice we make will determine nothing less than who we are as a country, but, more importantly, who do we want to be.  Who are we?

Will we be a country where opportunity is limited to the few at the top?  Or will we be a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead, no matter who you are or how you started out?  Who are we?

Will we tell folks who’ve done everything right, but are still struggling just a little to get by, tough luck, you’re on your own?   Who are we?  Or will we honor the fundamental American belief that this country is strongest when we’re all better off?  Who are we?  (Applause.)  

Will we continue all the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything we’ve fought for to just slip away?  That is the choice we face.  Those are the stakes. 

And believe me, Barack knows this.  He understands these issues, because he’s lived them.  He was raised by a single mother who struggled to put herself through school, pay the bills.  And when she needed help his grandmother stepped up -- getting up every morning, getting on that bus, going to that job at the bank, even though she was passed over for all those promotions.  She never complained.  She just kept showing up and doing her best.  Sounds familiar, right?

So Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man -- but more importantly, the President -- he is today.  And we are blessed to have him.  (Applause.)   

And that is what I hear in his voice when he returns home after a long day traveling around the country and he tells me about the people he’s met.  That’s what I see in those quiet moments late at night after the girls have gone to bed and he’s poring over the letters people have sent him -- the letter from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care; the letter from the father struggling to pay the bills for his family; the letter from the young person, too many young people with so much promise but so few opportunities. 

And I hear the passion and determination in his voice.  You won’t believe what folks are going through -- that’s what he tells me.  He says, Michelle, it’s not right.  And we’ve got to fix it.  We have way too much work to do.

See, what I’m trying to remind people about my husband is that when it comes to the people he meets, Barack has a memory like a steel trap.  He might not remember your name, but if he has had just a few minutes and a decent conversation with you, he will never forget your story.  It becomes imprinted on his heart. 

And that is what he carries with him every single day.  It is our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams.  And that is where your President gets his passion.  That is where your President gets his toughness and his fight. 

And that’s why even in some of the hardest moments, when it seems like all is lost and we’re sweating it and we’re sweating him, Barack Obama never loses sight of the end goal.  (Applause.)  He never -- never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. 

See, your President just keeps moving forward, because so importantly he has a vision for this country.  And it’s a vision that we all share.  This is our vision.  This is the country we want to live in.  But I have said this before and I will say it again:  He cannot do this alone.  Never could.  He needs your help. 

He needs you to make those phone calls.  He needs you to get up, be ready to work, get those voters registered.  He needs you to take those “I’m in” cards, which I hope you have.  Use them.  Sign yourself up.  Sign your friends, sign your neighbors, your colleagues up.  Convince them to join in giving just a little part of your life and their lives each week to this campaign, because we all know that this isn’t just about one extraordinary man -- never was.  Though I’ll admit, I’m a little biased.  (Laughter.)  I think he’s wonderful.

But this is really about us -- about all of us -- about all of us coming together for the values we believe in and for the country that we want to be.  Now, again, I’m not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long and it is going to be hard.  And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way -- always love drama. 

But the truth is, that is how change always happens in this country.  The reality is that change is slow, real change, and it never happens all at once.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight doing what we know is right, then we eventually get there.  We always do.  We always do -- maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, our grandchildren’s lifetimes, because in the end, that’s what this is all about. 

In the end, we’re not fighting these battles for ourselves.  We’re fighting these battles for our sons and our daughters.  We’re fighting these battles for our grandsons and our granddaughters.  We’re fighting for the world we want to leave for them.  It’s about our children.  (Applause.) 

And I’m in this fight not just as a mother who wants to leave a legacy for my children.  I’m in this as a citizen who knows what we can do together to change this country for the better.  See, because if I’m honest, the truth is no matter what happens, my girls will be okay.  See, my girls are blessed.  They will still have plenty of advantages and opportunities in their lives, and that’s probably true for many of your kids as well, right?

But I think the last few years have shown us the truth of what Barack has always said, that if any child in this country is left behind, then that matters to all of us, even if she is not our daughter, even if he is not our son.  If any family in this country struggles, then we cannot be fully content with our own family’s good fortune.  That is not who we are.  (Applause.)  

In the end, we cannot separate our own story from the broader American story, because we know that in the end this country, in this country of America we rise and fall together.  And we know that if we make the right choices, if we have the right priorities, we can ensure that everyone gets a fair shake and everyone has a chance to get ahead.  That’s what’s at stake.  So Richmond, it is time for us to get moving.  It is time for us to get to work. 

So I have one last question to ask you all -- you’ve been listening so politely.  (Laughter.)  Are you in?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  See, because I’m in.  I am in.  I need to hear that.  Are you in? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Tell me:  I am in!

AUDIENCE:  I am in!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  So I hope you all are fired up.  I hope you all are ready to go.  We need each and every one of you.  You need to reach out.  You need to talk to people.  You can influence your neighbors, get this done.  There’s a lot at stake. 

God bless you all.  I will be working right alongside of you.  Thank you all.  God bless.  (Applause.) 

END
12:45 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 11, 2012

Remarks by the President on Insourcing American Jobs

East Room

12:51 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  Please, please have a seat.  Thank you.  Well, welcome to the White House, everybody.  And Tim, thank you for that introduction.

I could not have enjoyed more the meeting that I had this morning, because what these companies represent is a source of optimism and enormous potential for the future of America.  What they have in common is that they’re part of a hopeful trend:  They are bringing jobs back to America.

You’ve heard of outsourcing.  Well, these companies are insourcing.  These companies are choosing to invest in the one country with the most productive workers, the best universities, and the most creative and innovative entrepreneurs in the world, and that is the United States of America.  (Applause.)  That’s worth applause.

That’s exactly the kind of commitment to country that we need -- especially right now, when we’re in a make-or-break moment for the middle class and those aspiring to get in the middle class here in the United States.

All across this country, I meet folks who grew up with a faith that in America, hard work paid off and responsibility was rewarded, and anybody could make it if they tried -- no matter where you came from, no matter what you looked like, no matter how you started out.  Those are the values that my grandparents and my mother taught me.  Those are the values that built the best products and the strongest economy and the largest middle class that the world has ever known.

I think we understand that over the last few decades, that bargain has eroded for too many Americans.  The economy has changed rapidly.  And for many, that change has been painful.  Factories where people thought they would retire packed up and went overseas, where labor costs were cheaper.

At the same time, we live in a global economy, and as other countries grow and develop middle classes of their own, of course global companies are going to pursue those markets and employ workers and make investments all over the world.

But right now, we’re at a unique moment, a inflection point, a period where we’ve got the opportunity for those jobs to come back.  And the business leaders in this room, they’re ahead of the curve, they recognize it.  I’ll give you just a few examples.  After shedding jobs for more than a decade, American manufacturers have now added jobs for two years in a row.  That’s good news.  But when a lot of folks are still looking for work, now is the time for us to step on the gas. 

So that’s why I pushed Congress to extend the payroll tax cut this year, so that 160 million working Americans weren’t hit with a tax hike.  Now is the time to extend that middle class tax hike for -- tax cut for all of this year.  It’s the right thing to do, and we need to get that done.

But we’re going to have to do more.  And that’s why, in the next few weeks, we’re also going to put forward new tax proposals that reward companies that choose to bring jobs home and invest in America.  And we’re going to eliminate tax breaks for companies that are moving jobs overseas.

Because there is an opportunity to be had right here and right now.  There are workers ready to work, right now.  That’s why I set a goal of doubling our exports of goods and services by 2014 –- and it’s a goal, by the way, that we’re on track to meet; in fact, we’re a little ahead of schedule in meeting that goal. 

That’s why, with the help of our outstanding USTR, I was able to sign trade agreements with Korea and Colombia and Panama so our businesses can sell more goods to those markets.  That’s why I’ve fought for investments in schools and community colleges, so that our workers remain the best you’ll find anywhere, and investments in our transportation and communication networks, so that your businesses have more opportunities to take root and grow. 

I don’t want America to be a nation that’s primarily known for financial speculation and racking up debt buying stuff from other nations.  I want us to be known for making and selling products all over the world stamped with three proud words:  “Made in America.”  And we can make that happen.  (Applause.)

I don’t want the next generation of manufacturing jobs taking root in countries like China or Germany.  I want them taking root in places like Michigan and Ohio and Virginia and North Carolina.  And that’s a race that America can win.  That’s the race businesses like these will help us win.

These are CEOs who take pride in hiring people here in America, not just because it’s increasingly the right thing to do for their bottom line, but also because it’s the right thing to do for their workers and for our communities and for our country.  And they’re leading by example.  I’m proud of that, as an American.  But as President, I also want to make sure they get some credit for it.

Just three years ago, for example, we almost lost the American auto industry.  Today, the Big Three automakers are turning a profit and manufacturing the next generation of fuel-efficient cars that the rest of the world wants to buy.  (Applause.)  Ford Motor Company -- that’s represented by workers and management on this stage -- has committed to investing $16 billion in the United States by 2015, $16 billion.  (Applause.)  And that includes bringing back about 2,000 jobs and shifting production from countries like Japan, Mexico and China to states like Michigan and Ohio and Missouri.

Master Lock -- iconic company.  When Master Lock looked at their numbers, they saw that union workers in America could do the same job at competitive costs as non-union workers in China.  In fact, Master Lock is now exporting their products from the United States to China and Europe.  (Applause.)  And today, for the first time in 15 years -- today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock’s Milwaukee complex is running at full capacity.

But you don’t have be a big manufacturer to insource jobs.  Bruce Cochrane’s family had manufactured furniture in North Carolina for five generations.  But in 1966 -- 1996, rather, as jobs began shifting to Asia, the family sold their business and Bruce spent time in China and Vietnam as a consultant for American furniture makers who had shifted their production.  While he was there, though, he noticed something he didn’t expect:  Their customers actually wanted to buy things made in America.  So he came home and started a new company, Lincolnton Furniture, which operates out of the old family factories that had been shut down.  He’s even re-hired many of the former workers from his family business.

You also don’t have to be a manufacturer to insource jobs.  You just heard Tim, CEO of a health care IT company in New Jersey called GalaxE Solutions.  They’ve already hired 150 workers with their “Outsource to Detroit” program, and they plan on hiring up to 500.  And Tim was quoted as saying, “There are some really talented people in Detroit, and we’re putting them back to work.”

Whether you’re a small business that are -- some of which are represented here -- or a large manufacturing corporation, or a technology company; whether you’re a historic brand or a brand-new startup, insourcing jobs is a smart strategy right now.  We live in a global economy with opportunities for global investment.  But we heard from several experts this morning and business leaders that we’re at this point in time where factors like incredibly rising American productivity and increasingly competitive costs mean the economic case to invest in America and bring jobs back home is strong -- and it’s getting stronger.

Labor costs are going up in places like China.  We have become much more productive.  We continue to be the largest market in the world.  And so we have this outstanding opportunity if everybody is partnering and getting together.  That’s the economic case.

I believe there’s also a moral case.  Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, said it well.  He said, “Those of us in business have two obligations.  One that’s undebatable is that we have a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders who put us in our place.”  But he also said, “There’s another obligation that I feel personally, given that everything I’ve achieved in my career and a lot of what Intel has achieved in its career were made possible by a climate of democracy, an economic climate and investment climate provided by our domicile –- the United States.”

All these folks onstage, they are businesspeople first, and they’re looking at the bottom line.  But they also feel good about the fact that they’re restoring hope and creating jobs here in the United States.  And that’s part of the responsibility that comes with being a leader in America –- a responsibility not just to the shareholders or the stakeholders, but to the country that made all this incredible wealth and opportunity possible.  That’s a responsibility that we all have to live up to –- whether we’re in the private sector or the public sector; whether we’re in Washington or we’re on Wall Street.  Because the more Americans who succeed, the more America succeeds.

So my message to business leaders today is simple:  Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to the country that made our success possible.  And I’m going to do everything in my power to help you do it.  We’re going to have to seize this moment.  American workers are the most productive and competitive in the world right now.  When you factor in all the costs, we have a outstanding market; we have the most innovative entrepreneurs, the best research universities.  And part of what our session this morning was all about was just helping people to take a look at what this moment is and where we’re going to be five years from now.  Because when people take a second look, it turns out that the potential for job growth and American manufacturing and the service industry is incredible.

I said in a speech a while back, this moment is perfectly suited for our advantages.  It’s perfectly suited for who we are.  The global marketplace is becoming more innovative, more creative, more transparent, faster, more adaptable -- that’s who we are.  That’s our strength.  We’ve got to take advantage of it. 

And if we’ve got leadership of the sort that we’re seeing on this stage, I’m absolutely confident that not only can it make a difference for our middle class and folks who are working their way into the middle class, it also gives us an incredible opportunity to assure the future for our children and our grandchildren.  And that’s my central goal and focus as President.  That should be our central goal as a country -- how we rebuild an economy where hard work pays off, responsibility is rewarded -- a nation where those values continue for generations to come.

So thanks to all the people on this stage for being such a great example.  For all the press who are here, I hope you get a chance to hear their stories, because it’s exciting, and it gives you a sense of why I’m incredibly optimistic about our prospects. 

Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)

END               
1:05 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 10, 2012

Remarks by the President to EPA staff

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium
Washington, D.C.

2:51 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  Thank you, EPA!  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you so much.  It is wonderful to see you.  It is great to see you.  Thank you, thank you. 

Now, everybody can have a seat.  I know Lisa is making you guys all stand up.  (Laughter.)  But you can all relax.

It is wonderful to be here with all of you.  Thank you so much for all the great work you do.  I want to first acknowledge your outstanding Administrator, Lisa Jackson.  (Applause.)  She has done an extraordinary job leading this agency.  But here’s what I want all of you to know:  Not only is she good on policy, not only is she tough and able to present the EPA’s mission so effectively to the public, but she also has your back.  (Applause.)  She is an advocate on behalf of all the people who work so hard here at the EPA.  And so you should know that your boss loves you, even if she doesn’t always show it, I don’t know.  (Laughter.)

The main reason I’m here is simple:  I just want to say thank you.  I want to say thank you to each and every one of you, because the EPA touches on the lives of every single American every single day.  You help make sure that the air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat are safe.  You protect the environment not just for our children but their children.  And you keep us moving towards energy independence. 

And it is a vital mission.  Over the past three years, because of your hard work, we’ve made historic progress on all these fronts.  Just a few weeks ago, thanks to the hard work of so many of you, Lisa and I was able to announce new common-sense standards to better protect the air we breathe from mercury and other harmful air pollution.  And that was a big deal.  (Applause.)  And part of the reason it was a big deal was because, for over 20 years, special interest groups had successfully delayed implementing these standards when it came to our nation’s power plants.  And what we said was:  “Enough.”  It’s time to get this done.  

And because we acted, we’re going to prevent thousands of premature deaths, thousands of heart attacks and cases of childhood asthma.

There are families that are going to be directly impacted in a positive way because of the work that you do.  Because you kept fighting -- and some of you have been fighting this fight for a long time, long before I was here and long before Lisa was here.  And so your tenacity and stick-to-itness is making a difference. 

Because of you, across the board, we’re cutting down on acid rain and air pollution.  We’re making our drinking water cleaner and safer.  We’re creating healthier communities.  But that’s not all.  Safeguarding our environment is also about strengthening our economy.  I do not buy the notion that we have to make a choice between having clean air and clean water and growing this economy in a robust way.  I think that is a false debate.  (Applause.)

Think about it:  We established new fuel economy standards, a historic accomplishment that is going to slash oil consumption by about 12 billion barrels, dramatically reduces pollution that contributes to climate change, and saves consumers thousands of dollars at the pump, which they can then go spend on something else.

As part of the Recovery Act, you cleaned up contaminated sites across the country, which helped to rid neighborhoods of environmental blight while putting Americans back to work.

We don’t have to choose between dirty air and dirty water or a growing economy.  We can make sure that we are doing right by our environment and, in fact, putting people back to work all across America.  That’s part of our mission.

When we put in place new common-sense rules to reduce air pollution, we create new jobs building and installing all sorts of pollution-control technology.  When we put in place new emissions standards for our vehicles, we make sure that the cars of tomorrow are going to be built right here in the United States of America, that we’re going to win that race.

When we clean up our nation’s waterways, we generate more tourists for our local communities.  So what’s good for the environment can also be good for our economy. 

Now, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be some tensions.  That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be legitimate debates that take place.  That doesn’t mean that it’s not important for every single one of us to think about how can we make sure that we are achieving our goals in the smartest way possible, in the most efficient ways possible, in the least bureaucratic ways possible, in the clearest ways possible.  That’s also part of our mission.

There’s not a federal agency that can’t get better and be smarter in accomplishing our mission, and we have an obligation every single day to think about how can we do our business a little bit better.  How can we make sure the taxpayers are getting every dime’s worth that they’re paying in order to achieve these important common goals that we have? 

But I believe we can do it, and you’ve shown me that we can do it over these last three years.  So I could not be prouder of the work that you all do every single day as federal employees.  I know the hours can be long.  I know that sometimes spending time getting these policies right means less time at home than you’d like, and you’re missing birthday parties, or you’re missing a soccer game, and the spouse is not happy with you.  I know a little bit about that sometimes.  (Laughter.)  I know these jobs are demanding.

But I also know what compelled you to enter public service in the first place -- and that’s the idea that you could make a difference; that you could leave behind a planet that is a little cleaner, a little safer than the one we inherited.

And I have to tell you that part of why I get excited when I see some of the work that you’re doing is because our next generation is so much more attuned to these issues than I was when I was growing up.  I can tell you when I sit down and I talk to my kids, probably the area where they have the most sophisticated understanding of policy is when it comes to the environment.  They understand that the decisions we make now are going to have an impact on their lives for many years to come.  And their instincts are right.  So your mission is vital. 

And just think of what this agency has been able to do over the last four decades.  There’s so many things we now take for granted.  When I hear folks grumbling about environmental policy, you almost want to do a Back to the Future -- (laughter) -- kind of reminder of folks of what happens when we didn’t have a strong EPA.  The year before President Nixon created the EPA, the Cuyahoga River was so dirty from industrial pollution and oil slicks that it literally caught on fire.  In my hometown, the Chicago River -- you probably could not find anything alive in there -- (laughter) -- four decades ago.  Now it’s thriving -- to the benefit of the city.  Today, because of your work, 92 percent of Americans have access to clean water that meets our national health standards.

Before the EPA was created, our cars were spewing harmful lead pollution into the air, with all sorts of impacts, especially on children.  Today, because of your work, air pollution is down by more than half, and lead pollution is down more than 90 percent from a generation ago.

So all of you, and all of those who served before you, have made a difference.  Our environment is safer because of you.  Our country is stronger because of you.  Our future is brighter because of you.  And I want you to know that you’ve got a President who is grateful for your work and will stand with you every inch of the way as you carry out your mission to make sure that we’ve got a cleaner world.  (Applause.)

So, thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END 
3:02 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 09, 2012

Remarks by the President at Campaign Event

Capital Hilton
Washington, D.C.


 8:16 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello!  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Happy New Year, everybody.  It looks like Gaspard got you all fired up.  (Applause.) 

A few acknowledgements that I want to make.  First of all, the OFA Virginia state director, Lise Clavel is here.  And we just want to thank our directors in the state because they do such hard work every day.  Give them a big round of applause.  The chair of our event this evening, Spencer Overton, thank you. (Applause.)  One of my favorite singers, but more importantly, one of Michelle's favorite singers -- Sara Bareilles, thank you for doing -- (applause) -- and her band.  We are grateful to them.

And I am grateful to you. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

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

But I'm here, not just to say I love you -- (laughter) -- I'm here because I need your help.  (Applause.)  And more importantly, I’m here because the country needs your help.  There were a lot of reasons that many of you got involved in our campaign, worked your hearts out back in 2008.  And it wasn’t because you thought it was going to be easy.  It wasn’t because you thought it was a sure thing.  You decided to support a candidate named Barack Hussein Obama.  (Applause.)  You didn’t need a poll to know that that might be an uphill struggle.  (Laughter.)  

But what evolved during the course of that campaign -- I think people more and more became aware of the fact that the campaign wasn’t about me.  It was about us.  It was about our shared vision of America.  It was about a vision of America that wasn’t narrow, it wasn’t cramped, it wasn’t an idea that in America everybody goes out and fends for themselves and plays by their own rules and an America that's built on "what's in it for me."  It was a vision of a big, bold, ambitious, compassionate, just America where everybody who works hard has a chance to get ahead -- not just those at the very top, but everybody.  And it was a vision that said we're greater together than we are on our own.  It was a vision that says everybody deserves a fair shot and everybody needs to do their fair share and everybody has to play by the same set of rules, and that when that happens, we all advance together.

That’s the vision we shared.  That’s the change we believed in.  You helped me believe in that change.  It wasn’t just me; it was you.  And we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.  We knew the change we wanted wasn’t going to come quickly.

I was just talking to a group -- they were reminiscing about the 2008 campaign.  I said you guys are engaging in some selective memory here.  (Laughter.)  First of all, 2008 wasn’t easy at all.  There were all kinds of setbacks and all kinds of miscues and there were times where I screwed up.  But just over three years later, because of what you did in 2008, because you had faith, because you had confidence in the possibilities of this country, we’ve begun to see what change looks like. 
Think about it.  Think about what’s happened over the last three years. 

Change is the first bill I signed into law -- a bill that says an equal day’s work should mean an equal day’s pay, because our daughters should have the same opportunities as our sons.  (Applause.)  

Change is the decision we made to rescue an auto industry that was on the brink of collapse -- (applause) -- even when some politicians said we should let them all go bankrupt.  And one million jobs were saved, and the local businesses are picking up again, and now we’ve got the Big Three making money and rehiring workers, and fuel-efficient cars are rolling off the assembly line stamped with three proud words:  Made in America.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)

Change is the decision we made to stop waiting for Congress to do something about our oil addiction and go ahead and finally raise fuel efficiency standards on cars.  And now, by the next decade we are going to be driving cars that get 55 miles to a gallon.  And that is going to help our environment.  That will help our economy.  That’s going to help consumers.  That’s because of you.  That’s what change is.   

Change is the fight we won to stop handing $60 billion of subsidies to banks to manage the student loan program and go ahead and give it directly to students, and as a consequence millions of young people have greater access to college than ever before.  (Applause.)

Change is the health care reform that we passed after a century of trying that will ensure that in America nobody goes bankrupt because they get sick.  Already, 2.5 million young people have health insurance today because that law let them stay on their parent's plan.  (Applause.)  Seniors are already seeing discounts on their prescription drugs, preventive care available to everybody, folks with preexisting conditions in a position to finally get insurance instead of being left out in the cold.  That’s what change is -- because of you.  That’s what we were fighting for.  (Applause.)  Millions of Americans who can no longer be denied or dropped by their insurance companies when they need it most.  That’s what change is.

Change is the fact that for the first time in our history, you don’t have to hide who you love in order to serve the country you love -- (applause) -- because "don't ask, don't tell" is history.  It is over.  (Applause.)   

And change is keeping one of the first promises I made in 2008 -- ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home.  (Applause.)  The war is over and our troops are home.  And instead, we refocused our efforts on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11.  And thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, al Qaeda is weaker than it’s ever been, and Osama bin Laden will never again walk the face of this Earth.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)

And now, a lot of these changes weren’t easy.  A lot of these changes weren’t easy and some of them were risky.  They all came in the face of tough opposition, powerful lobbyists, special interests spending millions to keep things the way they were.  And it’s no secret I haven't always taken the politically popular course, certainly not with the crowd in Washington.  But this progress has been possible nevertheless because of you, because you guys didn't stop believing.  You stood up.  You made your voices heard.  You were out there knocking on doors.  You made phone calls.  You kept up the fight for change long after the election was over. 

And that should make you proud, but it should also make you hopeful.  It shouldn’t make you satisfied.  It shouldn’t make us complacent.  We have so much more work to do.  And everything we fought for during the last election is at stake in this election. The very core of what this country stands for is on the line -- the basic promise that no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, this is a place where you could make it if you try.  The notion that we're all in this together, that we look out for one another -- that's at stake in this election.  Don't take my word for it.  Watch some of these debates that have been going on up in New Hampshire.        

The crisis that struck in the months before I took office put more Americans out of work than any time since the Great Depression.  But it was the culmination of a decade where the middle class had been losing ground.  More good jobs and manufacturing left our shores.  More of our prosperity was built on risky financial deals and homes that we couldn’t afford.  And we racked up greater debt, and incomes fell and wages flat-lined. And the cost of everything from college to groceries went through the roof. 

Now, these problems didn’t happen overnight.  And the truth is they're not going to be solved overnight.  It is going to take us a few more years to meet all the challenges that have been decades in the making.  And the American people understand that. What the American people don’t understand are leaders who refuse to take action.  They're sick and tired of watching people who are supposed to represent them put party ahead of country and the next election ahead of the next generation.  That's what they don't understand.  That's what they don't understand.  (Applause.) 

You know, President Kennedy used to say after he took office what surprised him most about Washington was that things were just as bad as he had been saying they were.  (Laughter.)  And I understand what he meant.  (Laughter.)  When you’ve got the top Republican in the Senate saying his party’s number-one priority is not to create jobs, not to fix the economy, but to beat me -- that gives you a sense of the mentality here.  Things aren't on the level.  That’s how you end up with Republicans in Congress voting against all kinds of proposals that they supported in the past.  Tax cuts for workers and small businesses, rebuilding roads and bridges, putting cops and teachers back to work used to be bipartisan ideas.   

Now, I’ve said I will continue to look for every opportunity during the course of this year to work with Congress to move this country forward and create jobs. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We can't wait!

THE PRESIDENT:  But we can’t wait.  (Laughter and applause.) When Congress -- whenever this Congress refuses to act in a way that hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, I’ve got an obligation as President to do what we can without them.  (Applause.)  I’ve got an obligation to work on behalf of you and the American people.  (Applause.)  I’m not going to let members of Congress put party ideology ahead of the people that they were elected to serve -- not when there's this much at stake. 

This is a make-or-break moment for this country, for the middle class in this country and folks who want to get into the middle class.  So, for example, that’s why last week I appointed Richard Cordray as America’s consumer watchdog.  (Applause.)  Now, this is a man whose sole job is to look out for the best interests of American consumers -- to protect families from the kinds of unfair or deceptive, abusive financial practices that helped to bring the economy to its knees.  That shouldn’t be controversial.  Why would somebody be against that?  (Laughter.) 
And yet, for almost half a year, Republicans in the Senate blocked his appointment.  They wouldn’t even vote on it, not because they said he wasn’t qualified, because they couldn’t say that.  Former attorney general -- you had Democrats and Republicans across the country, including his home state of Ohio, saying he was qualified.  They just wanted to weaken Wall Street reforms.  They thought, well, this might be too tough on these financial firms.

Now, does anybody here think that the reason we got into this financial mess was because we had too much oversight? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Too much accountability? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  We shouldn’t be weakening these rules, we should be strengthening these rules.  (Applause.)  When it comes to American workers and American families, we should be looking to protect them more, not less.  And that’s what we’ve been doing, and that’s what we’re going to keep on doing.  (Applause.)

That’s also why I fought so hard last month to make sure that Congress didn’t go home without preventing a tax increase on 160 million working Americans.  (Applause.)  And I’m glad -- I’m glad Republicans finally came around and agreed to extend the payroll tax cut for working families into this year.  But they’ve got to now extend it for the entire year.  A lot of Republicans they’ve sworn an oath:  I will never raise taxes on anybody as long as I live.  (Laughter.)  Well, don’t make an exception for ordinary folks.  It can’t just apply to the wealthiest.  Now is the time to prove you’ll fight at least as hard for middle-class folks and folks trying to get into the middle class as you do for the wealthiest Americans. 

So we’ve got a clear choice this year.  People are hurting out there.  They’re going through a tough time.  Everybody understands that the economy is not where it needs to be.  It’s growing -- we’ve had 22 consecutive months of job growth in the private sector.  (Applause.)  But everybody understands we still got more work to do.  Of course it’s got to move faster.  Of course the economy still has a long way to go.  Everybody understands that. 

The question is what are we going to do about it.  The debate we’re going to have in this election is about where do we go from here.  Because the Republicans in Congress and the candidates who are running for President, they’ve got a very specific idea of where they want to take this country.  They say they want to reduce the deficit, but they’re going to do it by gutting our investments in education and research and technology, and infrastructure -- our roads and our bridges and our airports. 
Look, I’ve already signed a trillion dollars’ worth of spending cuts, but it’s time to reduce the deficit by asking the wealthiest people in our society to pay their fair share.  (Applause.)  There’s nothing wrong with that.  People like me can afford it.   

Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail, they want to make Medicare a form of private insurance that seniors have to shop for with a voucher, but the voucher might not cover all the costs.  I think we can lower the cost of Medicare with reforms that still guarantee the dignified retirement of seniors, because they’ve earned it.
 
Republicans in Congress and these candidates, they think that the best way for America to compete for new jobs and businesses is to follow other countries in a race to the bottom. They figure, well, China pays low wages, we should pay low wages. Let's roll back the minimum wage.  Let's prevent folks from organizing for collective bargaining in this country.  Since other countries allow corporations to pollute as much as they want, why not get rid of the protections that ensure our air is clean and our water is clean.
 
I don’t think we should have any more regulation than the health and the safety of the American people require.  I’ve already made reforms that will save businesses billions of dollars.  We are creating a smart government.  We've issued fewer regulations than the Bush administration. 

But I don’t believe a race to the bottom is one that we should be trying to win.  We should be trying to win the race to the top.  (Applause.)  We should be competing to make sure that we've got the best schools in the world, and our workers have the best training and skills in the world, and we've got a college education within reach of everybody who wants to go.  That's the race we should be trying to win.  (Applause.)  

We should be in a race to give our businesses the best roads and airports and railroads and best Internet access.  We should be in a race to support the best scientists and researchers who are trying to make the next breakthrough in clean energy and medicine.  And those should happen right here in the United States of America.  That's the race we should be trying to win.  (Applause.) 

We should be in a race to make sure that the next generation of manufacturing -- the new products, the new services -- that they're not created in Asia, they're not created in Europe, they're created here.  They're created in America -- in Detroit and Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Baltimore, Virginia.  (Applause.)  I don’t want us to just be known for buying stuff from other places.  I want us to be known for building stuff and selling stuff all around the world -- Made in America.  That's what I want us to win.  (Applause.)  

This competition for new jobs and new businesses and middle-class security -- that's a race we can win.  But we can't win it if we just go back to the same things that got us into this mess in the first place.  The same old tune:  hand out more tax cuts to folks who don’t need them and let companies play by their own rules, and hope that everything eventually trickles down to the rest of us.  (Laughter.)   

That doesn’t work.  It’s never worked.  We tried it.  It didn’t work in the Great Depression.  It’s not what led to the incredible postwar boom of the '50s and '60s.  It didn’t work when we tried it between 2000 and 2008.  It won’t work now.

We can't go back to this brand of you’re-on-your-own economics.  We are not a country that was built on the idea of survival of the fittest.  We were built on the idea that we survive as a nation.  We thrive when we work together, all of us. (Applause.)  Every race, every creed.  (Applause.)

We believe we've got a stake in each other’s success -- that if we attract outstanding teachers into a profession, give her the pay she deserves, the support she deserves, she's going to teach the next Steve Jobs.  And we'll all end up benefiting.  (Applause.)  If we provide a faster Internet out into some rural community, that owner is going to be selling goods around the world, and he's going to be able to hire more workers.  And that's going to be good for all of us.

If we build that new bridge and it saves the shipping company some time and money, workers and customers all over the country will do better.  That's our idea. 

And that idea has never been Democratic or Republican; that's an American idea.  It was a Republican President, Abraham Lincoln launched the Transcontinental Railroad, the National Academy of Sciences, the first land grant colleges.  It was a Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, who called for a progressive income tax.  Republican Dwight Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System.  There were Republicans who voted with FDR to give millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, a chance to go to college under the G.I. Bill.  (Applause.)  This is an American idea.  

And you know what, here's the good news.  Here's the good news.  That same common purpose, that still exists today.  Maybe it doesn't exist here in Washington and maybe not on the presidential debate stage up in New Hampshire.  (Laughter.)  But out in America, it’s there.  It’s there when you talk to folks on Main Streets, in barbershops, in town halls.  Our political parties may be divided, but most Americans they still understand that we are greater together.  No matter where we come from, we rise or fall as one nation and one people.  And that’s what’s at stake right now.  That’s what this election is about. 

I know this has been a tough three years.  I know that the change we fought for in 2008, we have had to grind it out to make it happen.  And after all that’s been going on in Washington, all the nonsense that takes place here sometimes, it’s tempting to believe, well, maybe it’s not possible to do everything we wanted.  But I want to remind everybody what I said in the last campaign -- real change, big change is hard.  It's always been hard.  It takes more than a single term.  It may take more than a single president.  It takes you, ordinary citizens committed to fighting and pushing, inching this country forward bit by bit so we get closer to our highest ideals. 

That’s how this country was built.  That's how we freed ourselves from an empire.  That’s how the Greatest Generation was able to overcome more than a decade of war and depression and end up building the largest middle class in history.  That’s how young people beat back the billy clubs and the dogs and the fire hoses to make sure that race was no longer a barrier to what you can become in this country. 

Change is hard, but it's possible.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve lived it.  And if you want to end the cynicism and the game-playing and the point-scoring here in Washington, then this is the election to send a message that you refuse to back down, you will not give up.  (Applause.)  You intend to keep hoping.  You intend to keep fighting for the change that we talked about, the change that we believe in. 

I said in 2008 -- I warned you all.  I said -- I said I'm not a perfect man; I said I won't be a perfect President.  But I promised you -- I promised you this.  I made a commitment to you and I've kept this commitment.  I will always tell you what I think.  I always will tell you where I stand.  And I wake up every single day thinking about you and fighting for you, and trying to figure out how can we make sure that everybody has access to the American Dream. 

And if you stick with us, if you keep pushing, if we just keep on going through the setbacks, through the tough times, if you keep reaching for a vision of America that I know you still hold in your hearts, then change will continue to come.  (Applause.)  And this election may be harder than the last one, but I promise you we will finish what we started in 2008.  We're going to keep on.  We will press forward.  We will remind the world once more why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.

Let's get to work.  Thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
8:48 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 09, 2012

Remarks by the President on the Resignation of Chief of Staff Bill Daley

State Dining Room

3:02 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Hope you all had a good weekend.

Last week, my Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, informed me that after spending time reflecting with his family over the holidays, he decided it was time to leave Washington and return to our beloved hometown of Chicago.

Obviously this was not easy news to hear. And I didn’t accept Bill’s decision right away. In fact, I asked him to take a couple of days to make sure that he was sure about this. But in the end, the pull of the hometown we both love -- a city that’s been synonymous with the Daley family for generations -- was too great. Bill told me that he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and he felt it was the right decision.

One of the things that made it easier was the extraordinary work that he has done for me during what has been an extraordinary year. Bill has been an outstanding Chief of Staff during one of the busiest and most consequential years of my administration.

We were thinking back, just a year ago this weekend, before he was even named for the job, Bill was in the Situation Room getting updates on the shooting in Tucson. On his very first day, Bill took part in a meeting where we discussed Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad. This was all before he even had time to unpack his office.

Over the last year, he’s been intimately involved in every decision surrounding the end of the war in Iraq and our support of the people of Libya as they fought for their freedom. He was instrumental in developing the American Jobs Act and making sure taxes didn’t go up on middle-class families. He helped us reach an agreement to reduce the deficit by over $2 trillion. And he played a central role in passing historic trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. Given his past record of service as Secretary of Commerce, he was invaluable in all these negotiations.

So no one in my administration has had to make more important decisions more quickly than Bill. And that’s why I think this decision was difficult for me. Naturally, when Bill told me his plans to go back to Chicago, I asked him who I thought could fill his shoes. He told me that there was one clear choice, and I believe he’s right. So today I’m pleased to announce that Jack Lew has agreed to serve as my next Chief of Staff.

Let me begin, first of all, by thanking Ruth for allowing Jack to serve in what I know is one of the most difficult jobs in Washington. But Jack has had one of the other most difficult jobs in Washington. For more than a year, Jack has served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. As anyone who’s been following the news lately can tell you, this is not an easy job.

During his first tour at OMB under President Clinton, Jack was the only budget director in history to preside over budget surpluses for three consecutive years. And over the last year, he has helped strengthen our economy and streamline the government at a time when we need to do everything we can to keep our recovery going.

Jack’s economic advice has been invaluable and he has my complete trust, both because of his mastery of the numbers, but because of the values behind those numbers. Ever since he began his career in public as a top aide to Speaker Tip O’Neill, Jack has fought for an America where hard work and responsibility pay off, a place where everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, and everybody plays by the same rules. And that belief is reflected in every decision that Jack makes.

Jack also has my confidence on matters outside the borders. Before he served at OMB for me, Jack spent two years running the extremely complex and challenging budget and operations process for Secretary Clinton at the State Department, where his portfolio also included managing the civilian operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. And over the last year, he has weighed in on many of the major foreign policy decisions that we’ve made.

So there is no question that I’m going to deeply miss having Bill by my side here at the White House. But as he will soon find out, Chicago is only a phone call away and I’m going to be using that phone number quite a bit. I plan to continue to seek Bill’s advice and counsel on a whole range of issues in the months and years to come. And here in Washington, I have every confidence that Jack will make sure that we don’t miss a beat and continue to do everything we can to strengthen our economy and the middle class and keep the American people safe.

So I want to thank, once again, Bill for his extraordinary service, but also his extraordinary friendship and loyalty to me. It’s meant a lot. And I want to congratulate Jack on his new role. I know he is going to do an outstanding job, so thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

END
3:07 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 09, 2012

Remarks by the President Honoring the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks

East Room

12:09 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  Everybody please have a seat, have a seat.  Welcome to the White House, and congratulations to the world champion Dallas Mavericks.  (Applause.)  Obviously we got some Texas people here.  (Applause.)

This was the Mavericks’ first title, so I want to start by recognizing everybody who stuck with the team through good times and through bad -- from Don Carter, the original owner, to the arena staff, to all the fans back home.

We’ve got some members of Congress who’ve waited a long time for this -- (laughter) -- as well as my Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, who happens to be a former mayor of Dallas.  (Applause.)

Of course, none of this would be possible if it hadn’t been for the shy and retiring owner -- (laughter) -- of the Dallas Mavericks, Mr. Mark Cuban.  (Applause.)  So not only did Mark help put together an outstanding group of players and coaches, he was also responsible for making this event happen today.  And so we are thrilled to have you guys here. 

It turns out that because of the lockout, Dallas wasn’t scheduled to play in Washington this season.  That did not sit well with Mark.  (Laughter.)  He knew this team had worked hard.  He wanted them to get all the perks of a world championship, including a visit to the White House.  It is tough to say no to Mark Cuban.  And so they made a separate trip, and here we are. 

And I’m glad it worked out, because this is a special group.  Last season, they called themselves the “Bad News Bears,” because from the very beginning, nobody gave them much of a chance.  People said that Jason Kidd was too old.  And I will say that this is the first time I’ve been with some world champions who are my contemporaries.  (Laughter and applause.)  They said JJ Barea was too small; that Dirk Nowitzki was too slow.  They did say that, Dirk, I’m sorry.  (Laughter.)  That’s what they said -- they said you had a great jump shot, but --(laughter.)  They said Deshawn Stevenson was too crazy.  (Laughter.)  They said “The Jet” was terrific but they weren’t sure whether that tattoo was such a good idea.  (Laughter.) 

But these players got it done because they know how good teams win -- not just by jumping higher or running faster, but by finding the open man, working together, staying mentally tough, being supportive of each other, playing smarter.

And that’s how the Mavericks took down some of the league’s best teams -- including the Miami Heat, who got a little bit of attention last year.  This was especially sweet for Dirk and Jason who were around the first time that the Mavericks and the Heat met in the finals and lost five years ago.

In fact, the Mavericks played -- before the Mavericks played a single game last season, when Jason got his tattoo, he said, “When you do something as crazy as I did, you’ve got to back it up.”  And he did, by the way, score 27 points to help win the deciding Game Six.  (Applause.)

Dirk joined the Mavericks 13 years ago as a skinny kid from Germany with what he describes as a “goofy” haircut.  (Laughter.)  Last year he became the second European player ever to be named Finals MVP.  And it wasn’t easy.  He bent a finger so badly in Game Two that he had to shoot left-handed.  In Game Four, he played through a 101-degree fever.  But every time, he came through when it counted.  And I think it’s fair to say that we have very rarely seen a better playoff run than Dirk Nowitzki had last year.  It was remarkable.  (Applause.) 

So clearly Dirk is a tough guy.  Although the most painful thing may have been his rendition of “We Are the Champions” -- (laughter) -- during the victory celebration.  That was -- (laughter) -- you said you worked on that?  (Laughter.)  Seriously?  Okay. 

Now, none of these players would have gotten so far without the rest of the folks on this stage.  Obviously Jason Kidd now has the second most assists and third most steals in NBA history.  (Applause.)  It wouldn’t have worked without an outstanding coach.  And Coach Rick Carlisle has now won a player as -- or won a title as a player, with Larry Bird in the 80s, has a title as a coach, and then he just informed me that he had also won -- what was it?  The Pantoons?  What were they called?

COACH CARLISLE:  The Patroons, the Albany Patroons.

THE PRESIDENT:  The Albany Patroons.  Many of you did not know that Rick Carlisle had also won one of those.  (Laughter and applause.)

COACH CARLISLE:  Minor league.

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s a minor league team.  (Laughter.)

So these players and coaches will always share a bond that comes with being the best.  And it’s a bond they share with the Dallas community, where they do everything from setting up scholarships to helping military families get back on their feet.  Today, in fact, they met with some wounded warriors here at the White House.  I want to really thank them for taking the time to do that.  That means so much to people.  (Applause.)

So this team really does have a heart that’s the size of Texas.  This was a remarkable run, a great victory, a great vindication for all the effort Mark Cuban put into building this team, and for long-time players like Dirk Nowitzki and long-suffering fans like all of you.  (Laughter.) 

And so I just want to give a heartfelt congratulations to all of you.  I told them that it’s too bad that next year it will be the Chicago Bulls here, -- (laughter) -- but they said I shouldn’t be so confident.  So congratulations, everybody.  Give it up for the Dallas Mavericks.  (Applause.) 

Dirk, you got something for me?

MR. NOWITZKI:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s it.  That’s what I’m talking about.

MR. NOWITZKI:  That’s it.  I heard you’re a big, big fan of Michael Jordan.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so -- well, you know, I was actually -- I was 23 before Jordan.

MR. NOWITZKI:  Oh, you were?

THE PRESIDENT:  I was.  (Laughter.)  So he got the number from me, I think.  (Laughter.)  He stole it.

MR. NOWITZKI:  Yes.  I got you.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s what happened, that’s beautiful.

END
12:21 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 06, 2012

Remarks by the President at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Washington, D.C.

12:02 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it is wonderful to see all of you.  I thought I would just drop by to help your new director move in.  (Laughter.)  He’s been a little busy.  So I thought maybe some boxes, a little plant.  (Laughter.) 

I also just wanted to say hello to all of you who have just been doing extraordinary work in standing up what I think is going to be one of the most important agencies for people that there is.  And I know that all of you have devoted enormous amounts of time and energy, and many of you are here making significant sacrifices with your families to make sure that this agency gets up and running really well.  And so I just wanted to say thank you to all of you.

Let me begin by saying a few words about the latest economic news.  This morning, we learned that American businesses added another 212,000 jobs last month.  Altogether, more private sector jobs were created in 2011 than any year since 2005.  And there are a lot of people that are still -- (applause) -- there are a lot of people that are still hurting out there.  After losing more than 8 million jobs in the recession, obviously we have a lot more work to do.  But it is important for the American people to recognize that we’ve now added 3.2 million new private sector jobs over the last 22 months -- nearly 2 million jobs last year alone.  So after shedding jobs for more than a decade, our manufacturing sector is also adding jobs two years in a row now.  So we’re making progress.  We’re moving in the right direction. 

And one of the reasons for this is the tax cut for working Americans that we put in place last year.  And when Congress returns, they should extend the middle-class tax cut for all of this year, to make sure that we keep this recovery going.  It’s the right thing to do.  There should not be delay.  There should not be a lot of drama.  We should get it done.

And the American people I think rightly understand that there are still a lot of struggles that people are going through out there.  A lot of families are still having a tough time.  A lot of small businesses are still having a tough time.  But we’re starting to rebound.  We’re moving in the right direction.  We have made real progress.  Now is not the time to stop.  So I would urge Congress to make sure that they stay on top of their jobs to make sure that everybody else is able to enjoy hopefully an even more robust recovery in 2012.

So the economy is moving in the right direction.  We’re creating jobs on a consistent basis.  We’re not going to let up -- not until everybody who wants to find a good job can find one.  But we have a responsibility to do even more than just try to recover from this devastating recession and financial crisis.  We have a responsibility to make sure that the economy that we’re rebuilding is one where middle-class families feel like they can get ahead again.  A lot of the problems that we’re dealing with are problems that existed even before the recession, even before the financial crisis.  For a decade or more, middle-class families felt like they were treading water, that they were losing ground. 

And what we want to do is make sure not just that we’re getting back to the status quo, we want to make sure that we’re dealing with those underlining problems -- getting to a point where middle-class families feel like they can get ahead again.  Where hard work pays off again.  Where everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody does their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.

And that’s where all of you come in.  Every one of you here has a critical role to play in making sure that everybody plays by the same rules.  To make sure that the big banks on Wall Street play by the same rules as community banks on Main Street.  To make sure that the rules of the road are enforced, and that a few bad actors in the financial sector can’t break the law, can’t cheat working families, can’t threaten our entire economy all over again. 

That’s your mission –- to make sure that the American people have somebody in their corner.  That American consumer have somebody who’s got their back.  And you finally got a great director who was tailor made to lead this agency in Richard Cordray.  (Applause.) 

You’ve also got an extraordinary team that is lined up behind me here, who did a great job in getting this agency up and running, and are going to continue to show extraordinary leadership in all the various issues that you’re going to be addressing.  And I also want to give a special shout-out to the woman who dreamt up this agency and spent so much time turning it into a reality -- our friend, Elizabeth Warren.  (Applause.)

Just to be a little more specific, millions of working Americans use financial products like credit cards and student loans and mortgages -- and that’s a good thing.  These products have a tremendous potential to make people’s lives better –- to buy products, to earn an education, to afford a home, to raise a family.  And we all use them.  But when they’re sold in an irresponsible fashion they can also make life brutally hard on people.  They can turn the dreams of a family into a nightmare.  Things like hidden fees and traps on credit cards and student loans cost working American billions of dollars.  Things like subprime loans and skyrocketing interest that you can’t escape cannot only bring families to their knees but the entire economy to its knees.

And Richard just mentioned the example of this elderly couple that we met when we were in Ohio yesterday.  These are folks -- the gentleman was a Marine who served in Korea.  They had been married for 42 years.  He had worked all his life; they had poured their savings into this home. 

Because of a code violation -- obviously, they’re on a fixed income.  They don’t have a lot of money.  They thought, well, maybe we can get a loan to make some modest repairs.  And what initially was promised as an $8,000 line of credit to make these repairs ended up being an $80,000 debt with no repairs that threatened them going into foreclosure.

And those kinds of stories are replicated all across the country.  And it not only hurts those individuals, it hurts the entire economy.  That shouldn’t happen, not in America.  And that’s why we’re here.  We’re here to put an end to stories like these. 

And already, your work is making a difference.  The “Know Before You Owe” campaign you’ve been working on for months is doing three big things.  It’s making home loan applications more transparent, so that families will know what they owe on their mortgages.  It’s making it easier for students to compare financial aid packages and know what they owe each month when they graduate.  I could have used that.  (Laughter.)  It’s making -- in fact, I’ve got a law school classmate here who probably went through the same thing I did.  (Laughter.)  It’s making credit card agreements shorter and simpler, so that credit card holders will know what they owe and what they’re getting into.  And I know that folks all across America have been sending in their stories to help shape these new initiatives.

This is not something where it’s just a Washington top-down process.  You are gathering the experiences of individual families, seeing how they got hurt, how they might have gotten cheated.  And that’s helping to define how you enforce these rules.  And that’s vitally important. 

And now that Richard is your director, you can finally exercise the full power that this agency has been given to protect consumers under the law.  Now that he’s here, irresponsible debt collectors and payday lenders and independent mortgage servicers and loan providers, they’re all bound by the same rules as everybody else.  No longer are consumers left alone to face the risk of unfair or deceptive or abusive practices -- not anymore.

So we can make sure that folks don’t lose their homes or their life savings just because somebody saw them as an easy target.  We can make sure that students don’t start out in life saddled with debt that they can never pay back just because of a lousy deal.  We can safeguard families and seniors and veterans from toxic financial products.  We can help give everybody the clear and transparent information that they need to make informed financial decisions and have companies compete for their business in an open and honest way.
 
That’s Richard’s commitment.  That’s my commitment.  That’s the commitment of everybody standing on this stage.  And that’s your commitment.  That’s why this agency is so important. 

So I want to thank all of you for choosing to serve your country in these challenging times.  Your mission is extraordinarily important.  It’s vital to the strength of our economy.  It’s really important to the security of working families.  And I know that it might be personal for some of you.  You may know a friend or a family member whose life was turned upside down because of some of these unsavory practices that this agency is designed to root out, and maybe you were then determined to prevent that from happening to somebody else. Now you can.  And we’re not going to let those folks down all across the country. 

When I meet Americans all across the country or I read letters that I get every night, they really don’t ask for much; they’re not looking for a handout, they’re not looking for special treatment.  They just want a fair shake; they just want a fair deal.  And we have a chance to give it to them. 

So let’s do everything that we can to make sure that middle-class families can regain some of the security that they’ve lost over the last decade.  Let’s help to protect what they’ve worked so hard for, and give them the chance to hand it down to their kids.  I know you guys are ready to go to work.  I am too.  I couldn’t be prouder of you. 

So congratulations.  (Applause.)

END
12:14 P.M. EST