Declaraciones del Presidente sobre el informe laboral de octubre

Sala Roosevelt

9:36 A.M. EDT

EL PRESIDENTE: Buenos días a todos. Estamos en medio de una lucha reñida para hacer que nuestra economía crezca más rápido, de manera que se puedan abrir y expandir empresas en todo el país, para que la gente pueda encontrar buenos empleos y para que podamos subsanar el terrible daño causado por la peor recesión de nuestros tiempos. Hoy recibimos noticias alentadoras.

Conforme al informe laboral de hoy, hemos visto crecimiento laboral en el sector privado durante 10 meses consecutivos. Eso significa que desde enero, el sector privado ha agregado 1.1 millones de empleos. Permítanme repetirlo: en el transcurso de los últimos meses, hemos visto que se ha agregado más de 1 millón de empleos a la economía de Estados Unidos. En octubre, el sector privado agregó 159,000 trabajos. Y nos enteramos de que las empresas también agregaron más de 100,000 empleos tanto en agosto como septiembre. Entonces, hemos visto cuatro meses de crecimiento por encima de 100,000 [empleos] en el sector privado, que es la primera vez que hemos visto este tipo de aumento en más de cuatro años.

Ahora bien, eso no es suficiente. La tasa de desempleo aún es inaceptablemente alta, y tenemos mucho trabajo por hacer. Esta recesión causó muchas dificultades y dejó desempleadas a millones de personas. Entonces, para subsanar este daño, para generar empleos a fin de satisfacer la gran necesidad, debemos acelerar nuestro crecimiento económico para que produzcamos empleos más rápido.

Pues el hecho que éste sea un informe laboral alentador no significa mucho si uno aún está entre los millones de personas que están buscando trabajo. Y no me quedaré satisfecho hasta que todos aquéllos que están buscando trabajo pueden encontrarlo. Por lo tanto, debemos seguir luchando por cada empleo, por cada empresa nueva, por cada oportunidad para poner en marcha esta economía. Y así como aprobamos una ley de pequeñas empresas en base a ideas de ambos partidos y el sector privado, estoy abierto a cualquier idea, cualquier propuesta, cualquier manera en que podemos hacer que la economía crezca más rápido para que la gente que necesita empleo lo encuentre más rápido.

Esto incluye recortes tributarios para pequeñas empresas, como posponer impuestos sobre equipo nuevo, a fin de que tengan un incentivo para expandirse y contratar, como también recortes tributarios que hagan que sea más económico que los empresarios abran compañías. Esto incluye construir nueva infraestructura, desde trenes de alta velocidad hasta Internet de alta velocidad, para que nuestra economía pueda marchar de manera más rápida y sensata. Incluye promover la investigación e innovación, y crear incentivos en sectores de crecimiento como la economía basada en energía limpia. Y, de hecho, incluye mantener bajas las tasas tributarias de las familias de clase media y extender los beneficios por desempleo para ayudar a los más afectados por la desaceleración y, a la vez, generar más demanda en la economía.

También está totalmente claro que una de las claves para generar empleos es abrir mercados para productos estadounidenses hechos por trabajadores estadounidenses. Nuestra prosperidad depende no sólo de consumir artículos, sino también de fabricar productos. De hecho, por cada $1,000 millones en exportaciones que aumentemos, se respaldan miles de empleos aquí dentro del país. Y por eso he fijado un objetivo de aumentar al doble las exportaciones de Estados Unidos en los próximos cinco años. Y por eso, en el viaje que estoy a punto de emprender, hablaré sobre abrir mercados adicionales en lugares como la India, para que las empresas estadounidenses puedan vender productos en el extranjero a fin de generar más empleos aquí dentro del país.

Éste es un recordatorio también de que la contienda más importante que enfrentamos en este nuevo siglo no es entre demócratas y republicanos. Es la competencia con países de todo el mundo por el liderazgo de la economía mundial. Y nuestro éxito o fracaso en esta contienda depende de si nos unimos como nación. Nuestro futuro depende de poner de lado la política para resolver problemas, para preocuparnos sobre la próxima generación en vez de las próximas elecciones.

No podemos pasar los próximos dos años paralizados. Otros países, como China, no se están quedando cruzados de brazos. Por lo tanto nosotros tampoco nos podemos quedar cruzados de brazos. Debemos avanzar.

Estoy seguro de que si podemos hacer eso, si trabajamos juntos, entonces este país no sólo se recuperará sino que prosperará. Y durante el curso de este viaje, procuraré ayudar a hacer que se abran algunos mercados, ayudar a las empresas estadounidenses y hacer que la gente vuelva a trabajar aquí dentro del país.

Muchas gracias.

END                 9:40 A.M. EDT    

Declaraciones del Presidente tras una reunión de gabinete

Sala del Gabinete

9:40 A.M. EDT
                                   
     EL PRESIDENTE: Buenos días a todos. Sólo quiero hacer unos cuantos comentarios rápidos para ampliar algunas cosas que dije ayer. Obviamente, el martes hubo una elección importante. Felicité a los republicanos y consolé a algunos amigos demócratas por los resultados, y pienso que está claro que los votantes enviaron un mensaje, que es que quieren que nos concentremos en la economía y empleos, y en hacer que este país avance. Están preocupados por asegurarse de que no se despilfarre el dinero de los contribuyentes y quieren cambiar el tono aquí en Washington, para que los dos partidos se unan y se dediquen a los asuntos del pueblo en vez de apuntarse victorias políticas.

     Acabo de tener una reunión con mi gabinete y personal clave para dejarles saber que debemos tomar ese mensaje en serio y hacer un esfuerzo sincero y constante por cambiar la manera en que opera Washington. Y las personas alrededor de esta mesa han hecho una extraordinaria labor con sus agencias. Han cooperado constantemente con el Congreso. Pienso que están interesados en ideas que cuentan con el respaldo de ambos partidos. Y entonces, serán esenciales para ayudarme a eliminar el despilfarro en el gobierno, hacer que nuestras agencias sean más eficientes y generar más ideas para que podamos hacer que los estadounidenses vuelvan a trabajar.

     Ahora bien, al mismo tiempo, obviamente va a ser crucialmente importante en los próximos meses crear una mejor relación de trabajo entre esta Casa Blanca y los próximos líderes del Congreso, como también los líderes del Congreso previo que seguirán en funciones. Y entonces, quiero que todos sepan que ya he llamado a Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Harry Reid y Nancy Pelosi para invitarlos a una reunión aquí en la Casa Blanca la primera semana de la sesión del Congreso saliente, el 18 de noviembre. Será una reunión en la que deseo que hablemos seriamente sobre maneras de hacer que las prioridades del pueblo estadounidense avancen. No será simplemente una sesión fotográfica. Tengo la esperanza de que dure hasta la cena. Y la atención inmediata será lo que debemos lograr durante la sesión del Congreso saliente.

    Mencioné ayer que debemos tomar medidas para asegurar que las familias de clase media no vean un gran aumento de impuestos debido a la manera en que se han estructurado los recortes tributarios de Bush. Es importante que extendamos esas cláusulas tributarias para que no afecten a las familias de clase media.

     Pero hay toda una serie de asuntos económicos que deben abordarse: la asistencia por desempleo para las personas que todavía están buscando trabajo; extensiones para empresas, que esencialmente son cláusulas que alientan a los negocios a invertir aquí en Estados Unidos, y si no contamos con ellas, perderemos una muy importante herramienta para poder aumentar la inversión empresarial y aumentar la generación de empleo el próximo año. Debemos darles a las empresas un grado de certeza sobre cuál será el panorama tributario y debemos darles certeza a las familias. Eso es crucial para continuar nuestra recuperación.

     Debo mencionar que además de esos asuntos económicos, hay ciertos asuntos relacionados con la política exterior que es importante que abordemos durante la sesión saliente del Congreso, y haré mención de uno en particular, y ése es el tratado START. Hemos negociado con los rusos reducciones significativas de nuestras armas nucleares. Eso es algo que tradicionalmente ha recibido firme respaldo de ambos partidos. Contamos con personas que se han pronunciado enérgicamente a favor de esto, como George Shultz, quien ayudó a organizar tratados de control de armas con los rusos cuando era la Unión Soviética.

     Éste no es un asunto tradicionalmente demócrata o republicano, sino más bien un asunto de seguridad nacional para Estados Unidos. Y tengo la esperanza de que podamos lograr esto antes de partir y enviar una firme señal a Rusia de que tomamos en serio la reducción de arsenales nucleares, y también enviarle una señal al mundo de que tomamos en serio la no proliferación. Hemos alcanzado muchos logros en lo que respecta a enviar un mensaje a Irán de que están aislados internacionalmente en parte porque la gente ha notado que tomamos en serio nuestras responsabilidades cuando se trata de la no proliferación, y eso debe continuar.

    Entonces, habrá toda una variedad de trabajo que se debe realizar en un periodo relativamente corto, y estoy deseoso de tener una conversación con los líderes sobre algunos de estos asuntos a tratar que puede que les preocupen.

     Lo último que quiero decir es que el 2 diciembre también he invitado aquí a la Casa Blanca a los gobernadores demócratas y republicanos recientemente elegidos, porque pienso que es una oportunidad fabulosa para escuchar a las personas que están trabajando a nivel estatal y local sobre lo que están viendo, las ideas a las que consideran que Washington debe prestarle más atención.

     Muchas veces las cosas se tornan un poco menos ideológicas cuando se reúne a los gobernadores porque tienen problemas muy prácticos que deben solucionar en términos de cómo asegurarse de que las carreteras y puentes estén financiados y cómo asegurarse de que las escuelas permanezcan abiertas y los maestros sigan trabajando. Pienso que ese tipo de asunto práctico, a menudo, produce el tipo de estrategia de sentido común que creo que el pueblo estadounidense está buscando en este momento.

     Entonces, en resumen, tenemos mucho trabajo por hacer. La gente está recuperando el aliento tras las elecciones. El polvo se está asentando. Pero algo de lo que estoy totalmente seguro es que el pueblo estadounidense no quiere que simplemente nos quedemos cruzados de brazos y no quiere una paralización. Quieren que nos ocupemos de los asuntos del pueblo, en parte porque comprenden que el mundo no se queda inmóvil.

     Mañana parto para la India, y el propósito principal es llevar a un grupo de empresas estadounidenses y abrir mercados para que podamos vender en Asia, en algunos de los mercados de más rápido crecimiento en el mundo, y podamos generar empleos aquí en Estados Unidos. Y tengo la esperanza de tener ciertos anuncios específicos que muestren la conexión entre lo que estamos haciendo en el extranjero y lo que sucede aquí dentro del país en lo que respecta a la generación de empleo y el crecimiento económico.

     Pero lo más importante es que en todo el mundo los países están avanzando. Realmente quieren competir. Realmente quieren competir con nosotros no sólo en producción industrial sino también en servicios. Están compitiendo con nosotros en lo que respecta a logros académicos, en lo que respecta a descubrimientos científicos.

     Y entonces, no nos podemos dar el lujo de simplemente reñir durante dos años. Lo que necesitamos hacer es asegurarnos de que todos nos esforcemos juntos, demócratas y republicanos e independientes, la gente a nivel federal y a nivel estatal, el sector privado con el sector público, para asegurarnos de que Estados Unidos siga siendo competitivo, retenga su liderazgo en el mundo. Y eso es algo en lo que estoy muy deseoso de contribuir y de participar.

     Así que muchas gracias a todos.

FIN           9:48 A.M. EDT

Press Conference by the President

East Room

1:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody.  Last night I had a chance to speak to the leaders of the House and the Senate and reached out to those who had both won and lost in both parties.  I told John Boehner and Mitch McConnell that I look forward to working with them.  And I thanked Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid for their extraordinary leadership over the last two years.

After what I'm sure was a long night for a lot of you -- and needless to say it was for me -- I can tell you that some election nights are more fun than others.  Some are exhilarating; some are humbling.  But every election, regardless of who wins and who loses, is a reminder that in our democracy, power rests not with those of us in elected office, but with the people we have the privilege to serve.

Over the last few months I've had the opportunity to travel around the country and meet people where they live and where they work, from backyards to factory floors.  I did some talking, but mostly I did a lot of listening.  And yesterday’s vote confirmed what I've heard from folks all across America:  People are frustrated -- they’re deeply frustrated -- with the pace of our economic recovery and the opportunities that they hope for their children and their grandchildren.  They want jobs to come back faster, they want paychecks to go further, and they want the ability to give their children the same chances and opportunities as they’ve had in life.

The men and women who sent us here don't expect Washington to solve all their problems.  But they do expect Washington to work for them, not against them.  They want to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely, not wasted, and that we're not going to leave our children a legacy of debt.  They want to know that their voices aren’t being drowned out by a sea of lobbyists and special interests and partisan bickering.  They want business to be done here openly and honestly.

Now, I ran for this office to tackle these challenges and give voice to the concerns of everyday people.  Over the last two years, we’ve made progress.  But, clearly, too many Americans haven’t felt that progress yet, and they told us that yesterday. And as President, I take responsibility for that.

What yesterday also told us is that no one party will be able to dictate where we go from here, that we must find common ground in order to set -- in order to make progress on some uncommonly difficult challenges.  And I told John Boehner and Mitch McConnell last night I am very eager to sit down with members of both parties and figure out how we can move forward together.

I’m not suggesting this will be easy.  I won’t pretend that we will be able to bridge every difference or solve every disagreement.  There’s a reason we have two parties in this country, and both Democrats and Republicans have certain beliefs and certain principles that each feels cannot be compromised.  But what I think the American people are expecting, and what we owe them, is to focus on those issues that affect their jobs, their security, and their future:  reducing our deficit, promoting a clean energy economy, making sure that our children are the best educated in the world, making sure that we’re making the investments in technology that will allow us to keep our competitive edge in the global economy.  

Because the most important contest we face is not the contest between Democrats and Republicans.  In this century, the most important competition we face is between America and our economic competitors around the world.  To win that competition, and to continue our economic leadership, we’re going to need to be strong and we’re going to need to be united.

None of the challenges we face lend themselves to simple solutions or bumper-sticker slogans.  Nor are the answers found in any one particular philosophy or ideology.  As I’ve said before, no person, no party, has a monopoly on wisdom.  And that’s why I’m eager to hear good ideas wherever they come from, whoever proposes them. And that’s why I believe it’s important to have an honest and civil debate about the choices that we face.  That’s why I want to engage both Democrats and Republicans in serious conversations about where we’re going as a nation.

And with so much at stake, what the American people don’t want from us, especially here in Washington, is to spend the next two years refighting the political battles of the last two.  We just had a tough election.  We will have another in 2012.  I’m not so naïve as to think that everybody will put politics aside until then, but I do hope to make progress on the very serious problems facing us right now. And that’s going to require all of us, including me, to work harder at building consensus.

You know, a little over a month ago, we held a town hall meeting in Richmond, Virginia.  And one of the most telling questions came from a small business owner who runs a tree care firm.  He told me how hard he works and how busy he was; how he doesn’t have time to pay attention to all the back-and-forth in Washington.  And he asked, is there hope for us returning to civility in our discourse, to a healthy legislative process, so as I strap on the boots again tomorrow, I know that you guys got it under control?  It’s hard to have a faith in that right now, he said.

I do believe there is hope for civility.  I do believe there’s hope for progress.  And that’s because I believe in the resiliency of a nation that’s bounced back from much worse than what we’re going through right now -- a nation that's overcome war and depression, that has been made more perfect in our struggle for individual rights and individual freedoms.  

Each time progress has come slowly and even painfully, but progress has always come -- because we’ve worked at it and because we’ve believed in it, and most of all, because we remembered that our first allegiance as citizens is not to party or region or faction, but to country -- because while we may be proud Democrats or proud Republicans, we are prouder to be Americans.  

And that's something that we all need to remember right now and in the coming months.  And if we do, I have no doubt that we will continue this nation’s long journey towards a better future.

So with that, let me take some questions.  I’m going to start off with Ben Feller at AP.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Are you willing to concede at all that what happened last night was not just an expression of frustration about the economy, but a fundamental rejection of your agenda?  And given the results, who do you think speaks to the true voice of the American people right now:  you or John Boehner?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think that there is no doubt that people’s number-one concern is the economy.  And what they were expressing great frustration about is the fact that we haven’t made enough progress on the economy.  We’ve stabilized the economy. We’ve got job growth in the private sectors.  But people all across America aren’t feeling that progress.  They don't see it.  And they understand that I’m the President of the United States, and that my core responsibility is making sure that we’ve got an economy that's growing, a middle class that feels secure, that jobs are being created.  And so I think I've got to take direct responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make.

Now, moving forward, I think the question is going to be can Democrats and Republicans sit down together and come up with a set of ideas that address those core concerns.  I'm confident that we can.  

I think that there are some areas where it’s going to be very difficult for us to agree on, but I think there are going to be a whole bunch of areas where we can agree on.  I don’t think there’s anybody in America who thinks that we’ve got an energy policy that works the way it needs to; that thinks that we shouldn’t be working on energy independence.  And that gives opportunities for Democrats and Republicans to come together and think about, whether it’s natural gas or energy efficiency or how we can build electric cars in this country, how do we move forward on that agenda.

I think everybody in this country thinks that we’ve got to make sure our kids are equipped in terms of their education, their science background, their math backgrounds, to compete in this new global economy.  And that’s going to be an area where I think there’s potential common ground.

So on a whole range of issues, there are going to be areas where we disagree.  I think the overwhelming message that I hear from the voters is that we want everybody to act responsibly in Washington.  We want you to work harder to arrive at consensus.  We want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy and growing it, so that we’re ensuring a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

And I think that there’s no doubt that as I reflect on the results of the election, it underscores for me that I've got to do a better job, just like everybody else in Washington does.
Q    (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think John Boehner and I and Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are going to have to sit down and work together -- because I suspect that if you talk to any individual voter yesterday, they’d say, there are some things I agree with Democrats on, there are some things I agree with Republicans on.  I don’t think people carry around with them a fixed ideology.  I think the majority of people, they’re going about their business, going about their lives.  They just want to make sure that we’re making progress.  And that’s going to be my top priority over the next couple of years.

Savannah Guthrie.

Q    Just following up on what Ben just talked about, you don’t seem to be reflecting or second-guessing any of the policy decisions you’ve made, instead saying the message the voters were sending was about frustration with the economy or maybe even chalking it up to a failure on your part to communicate effectively. If you’re not reflecting on your policy agenda, is it possible voters can conclude you’re still not getting it?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, Savannah, that was just the first question, so we’re going to have a few more here.  I’m doing a whole lot of reflecting and I think that there are going to be areas in policy where we’re going to have to do a better job. I think that over the last two years, we have made a series of very tough decisions, but decisions that were right in terms of moving the country forward in an emergency situation where we had the risk of slipping into a second Great Depression.

But what is absolutely true is that with all that stuff coming at folks fast and furious -- a recovery package, what we had to do with respect to the banks, what we had to do with respect to the auto companies -- I think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people’s lives than they were accustomed to.  

Now, the reason was it was an emergency situation.  But I think it’s understandable that folks said to themselves, you know, maybe this is the agenda, as opposed to a response to an emergency.  And that’s something that I think everybody in the White House understood was a danger.  We thought it was necessary, but I’m sympathetic to folks who looked at it and said this is looking like potential overreach.  

In addition, there were a bunch of price tags that went with that.  And so, even though these were emergency situations, people rightly said, gosh, we already have all this debt, we already have these big deficits; this is potentially going to compound it, and at what point are we going to get back to a situation where we’re doing what families all around the country do, which is make sure that if you spend something you know how to pay for it -- as opposed to racking up the credit card for the next generation.

And I think that the other thing that happened is that when I won election in 2008, one of the reasons I think that people were excited about the campaign was the prospect that we would change how business is done in Washington.  And we were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn’t change how things got done.  And I think that frustrated people.

I’m a strong believer that the earmarking process in Congress isn’t what the American people really want to see when it comes to making tough decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent.  And I, in the rush to get things done, had to sign a bunch of bills that had earmarks in them, which was contrary to what I had talked about.  And I think folks look at that and they said, gosh, this feels like the same partisan squabbling, this seems like the same ways of doing business as happened before.

And so one of the things that I’ve got to take responsibility for is not having moved enough on those fronts.  And I think there is an opportunity to move forward on some of those issues.  My understanding is Eric Cantor today said that he wanted to see a moratorium on earmarks continuing.  That’s something I think we can -- we can work on together.

Q    Would you still resist the notion that voters rejected the policy choices you made?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, Savannah, I think that what I think is absolutely true is voters are not satisfied with the outcomes.  If right now we had 5 percent unemployment instead of 9.6 percent unemployment, then people would have more confidence in those policy choices.  The fact is, is that for most folks, proof of whether they work or not is has the economy gotten back to where it needs to be.  And it hasn’t.

And so my job is to make sure that I’m looking at all ideas that are on the table.  When it comes to job creation, if Republicans have good ideas for job growth that can drive down the unemployment rate, and we haven’t thought of them, we haven’t looked at them but we think they have a chance of working, we want to try some.

So on the policy front, I think the most important thing is to say that we’re not going to rule out ideas because they’re Democrat or Republican; we want to just see what works.  And ultimately, I’ll be judged as President as to the bottom line, results.

Mike Emanuel.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Health care -- as you’re well aware, obviously, a lot of Republicans ran against your health care law.  Some have called for repealing the law.  I’m wondering, sir, if you believe that health care reform that you worked so hard on is in danger at this point, and whether there’s a threat, as a result of this election.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I know that there’s some Republican candidates who won last night who feel very strongly about it.  I’m sure that this will be an issue that comes up in discussions with the Republican leadership.  As I said before, though, I think we’d be misreading the election if we thought that the American people want to see us for the next two years relitigate arguments that we had over the last two years.

With respect to the health care law, generally -- and this may go to some of the questions that Savannah was raising -- you know, when I talk to a woman from New Hampshire who doesn’t have to mortgage her house because she got cancer and is seeking treatment but now is able to get health insurance, when I talk to parents who are relieved that their child with a preexisting condition can now stay on their policy until they’re 26 years old and give them time to transition to find a job that will give them health insurance, or the small businesses that are now taking advantage of the tax credits that are provided -- then I say to myself, this was the right thing to do.

Now, if the Republicans have ideas for how to improve our health care system, if they want to suggest modifications that would deliver faster and more effective reform to a health care system that has been wildly expensive for too many families and businesses and certainly for our federal government, I’m happy to consider some of those ideas.  

You know, for example, I know one of the things that’s come up is that the 1099 provision in the health care bill appears to be too burdensome for small businesses.  It just involves too much paperwork, too much filing.  It’s probably counterproductive. It was designed to make sure that revenue was raised to help pay for some of the other provisions, but if it ends up just being so much trouble that small businesses find it difficult to manage, that's something that we should take a look at.

So there are going to be examples where I think we can tweak and make improvements on the progress that we’ve made.  That's true for any significant piece of legislation.  

But I don't think that if you ask the American people, should we stop trying to close the doughnut hole that will help senior citizens get prescription drugs, should we go back to a situation where people with preexisting conditions can’t get health insurance, should we allow insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick even though you’ve been paying premiums -- I don't think that you’d have a strong vote for people saying those are provisions I want to eliminate.

Q    According to some exit polls, sir, about one out of two voters apparently said that they would like to either see it overturned or repealed.  Are you concerned that that may embolden voters who are from the other party perhaps?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it also means one out of two voters think it was the right thing to do.  And obviously this is an issue that has been contentious.  But as I said, I think what's going to be useful is for us to go through the issues that Republicans have issues on -- not sort of talking generally, but let’s talk specifics.  Does this particular provision -- when it comes to preexisting conditions, is this something you’re for or you’re against?  Helping seniors get their prescription drugs -- does that make sense or not?

And if we take that approach -- which is different from campaigning -- I mean, this is now governing -- then I think that we can continue to make some progress and find some common ground.

Chip Reid.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Republicans say more than anything else what this election was about was spending.  And they say it will be when hell freezes over that they will accept anything remotely like a stimulus bill or any kind of a proposal you have out there to stimulate job growth through spending.  Do you accept the fact that any kind of spending to create jobs is dead at this point?  And if so, what else can government do to create jobs, which is the number one issue?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think this is going to be an important question for Democrats and Republicans. I think the American people are absolutely concerned about spending and debt -- and deficits.  And I’m going to have a deficit commission that is putting forward its ideas.  It’s a bipartisan group that includes Republican and Democratic members of Congress.  Hopefully they were able to arrive at some consensus on some areas where we can eliminate programs that don’t work, cut back on government spending that is inefficient, can streamline government, but isn’t cutting into the core investments that are going to make sure that we are a competitive economy that is growing and providing opportunity for years to come.

So the question I think that my Republican friends and me and Democratic leaders are going to have answer is, what are our priorities?  What do we care about?  And that’s going to be a tough debate, because there are some tough choices here.  

We already had a big deficit that I inherited, and that has been made worse because of the recession.  As we bring it down, I want to make sure that we’re not cutting into education that is going to help define whether or not we can compete around the world.  I don’t think we should be cutting back on research and development, because if we can develop new technologies in areas like clean energy, that could make all the difference in terms of job creation here at home.

I think the proposal that I put forward with respect to infrastructure is one that historically we’ve had bipartisan agreement about.  And we should be able to agree now that it makes no sense for China to have better rail systems than us, and Singapore having better airports than us.  And we just learned that China now has the fastest supercomputer on Earth -- that used to be us.  They’re making investments because they know those investments will pay off over the long term.

And so in these budget discussions, the key is to be able to distinguish between stuff that isn’t adding to our growth, isn’t an investment in our future, and those things that are absolutely necessary for us to be able to increase job growth in the future as well.

Now, the single most important thing I think we need to do economically -- and this is something that has to be done during the lame duck session -- is making sure that taxes don’t go up on middle-class families next year.  And so we’ve got some work to do on that front to make sure that families not only aren't seeing a higher tax burden -- which will automatically happen if Congress doesn’t act -- but also making sure that business provisions that historically we have extended each year that, for example, provide tax breaks for companies that are investing here in the United States in research and development, that those are extended.  I think it makes sense for us to extend unemployment insurance because there are still a lot of folks out there hurting.

So there are some things that we can do right now that will help sustain the recovery and advance it, even as we’re also sitting down and figuring out, okay, over the next several years what kinds of budget cuts can we make that are intelligent, that are smart, that won’t be undermining our recovery but, in fact, will be encouraging job growth.

Q    But most of those things that you just called investments they call wasteful spending and they say it’s dead on arrival.  It sounds like -- without their support, you can’t get any of it through.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, what is absolutely true is, is that without any Republican support on anything, then it’s going to be hard to get things done.  But I’m not going to anticipate that they’re not going to support anything.  I think that part of the message sent to Republicans was we want to see stronger job growth in this country.  And if there are good ideas about putting people to work that traditionally have garnered Republican support and that don’t add to the deficit, then my hope is and expectation is, is that that’s something they’re willing to have a serious conversation about.

When it comes to, for example, the proposal we put forward to accelerate depreciation for business, so that if they’re building a plant or investing in new equipment next year, that they can take a complete write-off next year, get a huge tax break next year, and that would then encourage a lot of businesses to get off the sidelines -- that's not historically considered a liberal idea.  That's actually an idea that business groups and Republicans I think have supported for a very long time.

So again, the question is going to be do we all come to the table with an open mind and say to ourselves, what do we think is actually going to make a difference for the American people? That's how we’re going to be judged over the next couple of years.

Peter Baker.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  After your election two years ago, when you met with Republicans you said that, in discussing what policies might go forward, that elections have consequences, and that you pointed out that you had won.  I wonder what consequences you think this election should have then, in terms of your policies.  Are there areas that you’re willing -- can you name today areas that you would be willing to compromise on that you might not have been willing to compromise on in the past?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think I’ve been willing to compromise in the past and I'm going to be willing to compromise going forward on a whole range of issues.  Let me give you an example -- the issue of energy that I just mentioned.  

I think there are a lot of Republicans that ran against the energy bill that passed in the House last year.  And so it’s doubtful that you could get the votes to pass that through the House this year or next year or the year after.  But that doesn't mean there isn't agreement that we should have a better energy policy.  And so let’s find those areas where we can agree.

We’ve got, I think, broad agreement that we’ve got terrific natural gas resources in this country.  Are we doing everything we can to develop those?  There's a lot of agreement around the need to make sure that electric cars are developed here in the United States, that we don't fall behind other countries.  Are there things that we can do to encourage that?  And there's already been bipartisan interest on those issues.

There's been discussion about how we can restart our nuclear industry as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing greenhouse gases.  Is that an area where we can move forward?

We were able, over the last two years, to increase for the first time in 30 years fuel-efficiency standards on cars and trucks.  We didn’t even need legislation.  We just needed the cooperation of automakers and autoworkers and investors and other shareholders.  And that's going to move us forward in a serious way.

So I think when it comes to something like energy, what we’re probably going to have to do is say here are some areas where there's just too much disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, we can’t get this done right now, but let’s not wait.  Let’s go ahead and start making some progress on the things that we do agree on, and we can continue to have a strong and healthy debate about those areas where we don’t.

Q    Is there anything in the “Pledge to America” that you think you can support?

THE PRESIDENT:  You know, I’m sure there are going to be areas, particularly around, for example, reforming how Washington works, that I’ll be interested in.  I think the American people want to see more transparency, more openness.  As I said, in the midst of economic crisis, I think one of the things I take responsibility for is not having pushed harder on some of those issues.  And I think if you take Republicans and Democrats at their word this is an area that they want to deliver on for the American people, I want to be supportive of that effort.

Jake Tapper.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  I have a policy question and a personal one.  The policy question is, you talked about how the immediate goal is the Bush tax cuts and making sure that they don’t expire for those who earn under $200,000, $250,000.  Republicans disagree with that strongly.  They want all of the Bush tax cuts extended.  Are you willing to compromise on that? Are you willing to negotiate at all, for instance, allow them to expire for everyone over $1 million?  Where are you willing to budge on that?

And the second one is, President Bush when he went through a similar thing came out and he said this was a “thumpin’.”  You talked about how it was humbling, or you alluded to it perhaps being humbling.  And I’m wondering, when you call your friends, like Congressman Perriello or Governor Strickland, and you see 19 state legislatures go to the other side, governorships in swing states, the Democratic Party set back, what does it feel like?

THE PRESIDENT:  It feels bad.  (Laughter.)  You know, the toughest thing over the last couple of days is seeing really terrific public servants not have the opportunity to serve anymore, at least in the short term.  And you mentioned -- there are just some terrific members of Congress who took really tough votes because they thought it was the right thing, even though they knew this could cause them political problems, and even though a lot of them came from really tough swing districts or majority-Republican districts.  And the amount of courage that they showed and conviction that they showed is something that I admire so much.  I can’t overstate it.

And so there is a not only sadness about seeing them go, but there’s also a lot of questioning on my part in terms of could I have done something differently or done something more so that those folks would still be here.  

It’s hard.  And I take responsibility for it in a lot of ways.  

I will tell you, they’ve been incredibly gracious when I have conversations with them.  And what they’ve told me is, you know, we don’t have regrets because I feel like we were doing the right thing.  And they may be just saying that to make me feel better, which, again, is a sign of their character and their class.  And I hope a lot of them continue to pursue public service because I think they’re terrific public servants.

With respect to the tax cut issue, my goal is to make sure that we don’t have a huge spike in taxes for middle-class families.  Not only would that be a terrible burden on families who are already going through tough times, it would be bad for our economy.  It is very important that we’re not taking a whole bunch of money out of the system from people who are most likely to spend that money on goods, services, groceries, buying a new winter coat for the kids.

That’s also why I think unemployment insurance is important. Not only is it the right thing to do for folks who are still looking for work and struggling in this really tough economy, but it’s the right thing to do for the economy as a whole.

So my goal is to sit down with Speaker-elect Boehner and Mitch McConnell and Harry and Nancy sometime in the next few weeks and see where we can move forward in a way that, first of all, does no harm; that extends those tax cuts that are very important for middle-class families; also extends those provisions that are important to encourage businesses to invest, and provide businesses some certainty over the next year or two.

And how that negotiation works itself out I think is too early to say.  But this is going to be one of my top priorities, and my hope is, is that given we all have an interest in growing the economy and encouraging job growth, that we’re not going to play brinksmanship but instead we’re going to act responsibly.

Q    So you’re willing to negotiate?

THE PRESIDENT:  Absolutely.

Laura Meckler.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  You said earlier that it was clear that Congress was rejecting the idea of a cap-and-trade program, and that you wouldn’t be able to move forward with that. Looking ahead, do you feel the same way about EPA regulating carbon emissions?  Would you be open to them doing essentially the same thing through an administrative action, or is that off the table, as well?  

And secondly, just to follow up on what you said about changing the way Washington works, do you think that -- you said you didn’t do enough to change the way things were handled in this city.  Some of -- in order to get your health care bill passed you needed to make some of those deals.  Do you wish, in retrospect, you had not made those deals even if it meant the collapse of the program?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think that making sure that families had security and were on a trajectory to lower health care costs was absolutely critical for this country.  But you are absolutely right that when you are navigating through a House and a Senate in this kind of pretty partisan environment that it’s a ugly mess when it comes to process.  And I think that is something that really affected how people viewed the outcome.  That is something that I regret -- that we couldn’t have made the process more -- healthier than it ended up being.  But I think the outcome was a good one.  

With respect to the EPA, I think the smartest thing for us to do is to see if we can get Democrats and Republicans in a room who are serious about energy independence and are serious about keeping our air clean and our water clean and dealing with the issue of greenhouse gases -- and seeing are there ways that we can make progress in the short term and invest in technologies in the long term that start giving us the tools to reduce greenhouse gases and solve this problem.

The EPA is under a court order that says greenhouse gases are a pollutant that fall under their jurisdiction. And I think one of the things that's very important for me is not to have us ignore the science, but rather to find ways that we can solve these problems that don’t hurt the economy, that encourage the development of clean energy in this country, that, in fact, may give us opportunities to create entire new industries and create jobs that -- and that put us in a competitive posture around the world.

So I think it’s too early to say whether or not we can make some progress on that front.  I think we can.  Cap and trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way.  It was a means, not an end.  And I’m going to be looking for other means to address this problem.

And I think EPA wants help from the legislature on this.  I don’t think that the desire is to somehow be protective of their powers here.  I think what they want to do is make sure that the issue is being dealt with.

Ed Henry.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  I wanted to do a personal and policy one as well.  On personal, you had a lot of fun on the campaign trail by saying that the Republicans were drinking a Slurpee and sitting on the sidelines while you were trying to pull the car out of the ditch.  But the point of the story was that you said if you want to go forward, you put the car in “D”; if you want to go backwards, you put it in “R.”  Now that there are least 60 House districts that seem to have rejected that message, is it possible that there are a majority of Americans who think your policies are taking us in reverse?  And what specific changes will you make to your approach to try to fix that and better connect with the American people?

And just on a policy front, “don’t ask, don’t tell” is something that you promised to end.  And when you had 60 votes and 59 votes in the Senate -- it’s a tough issue -- you haven’t been able to do it.  Do you now have to tell your liberal base that with maybe 52 or 53 votes in the Senate, you’re just not going to be able to get it done in the next two years?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, let me take the second issue first.  I’ve been a strong believer in the notion that if somebody is willing to serve in our military, in uniform, putting their lives on the line for our security, that they should not be prevented from doing so because of their sexual orientation.  And since there’s been a lot of discussion about polls over the last 48 hours, I think it’s worth noting that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same way.  It’s the right thing to do.

Now, as Commander-in-Chief, I’ve said that making this change needs to be done in an orderly fashion.  I’ve worked with the Pentagon, worked with Secretary Gates, worked with Admiral Mullen to make sure that we are looking at this in a systemic way that maintains good order and discipline, but that we need to change this policy.  

There’s going to be a review that comes out at the beginning of the month that will have surveyed attitudes and opinions within the armed forces.  I will expect that Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen will have something to say about that review.  I will look at it very carefully.  But that will give us time to act in -- potentially during the lame duck session to change this policy.  

Keep in mind we’ve got a bunch of court cases that are out there as well.  And something that would be very disruptive to good order and discipline and unit cohesion is if we’ve got this issue bouncing around in the courts, as it already has over the last several weeks, where the Pentagon and the chain of command doesn’t know at any given time what rules they’re working under.  
We need to provide certainty and it’s time for us to move this policy forward.  And this should not be a partisan issue.  This is an issue, as I said, where you’ve got a sizable portion of the American people squarely behind the notion that folks who are willing to serve on our behalf should be treated fairly and equally.

Now, in terms of how we move forward, I think that the American people understand that we’re still digging our way out of a pretty big mess.  So I don’t think anybody denies they think we’re in a ditch.  I just don’t think they feel like we’ve gotten all the way out of the ditch yet.  And to move the analogy forward that I used in the campaign, I think what they want right now is the Democrats and the Republicans both pushing some more to get the car on level ground.  And we haven’t done that.  

If you think I was engaging in too much campaign rhetoric, saying the Republicans were just sitting on the side of the road, watching us get that car out of the ditch, at the very least we were pushing in opposite directions.  And so --

Q    -- the idea that your policies are taking the country in reverse.  You just reject that idea altogether that your policies could be going in reverse?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  And I think, look, here’s the bottom line.  When I came into office, this economy was in a freefall, and the economy has stabilized.  The economy is growing.  We’ve seen nine months of private sector job growth.  So I think it would be hard to argue that we’re going backwards.  I think what you can argue is we’re stuck in neutral.  We are not moving the way we need to, to make sure that folks have the jobs, have the opportunity, are seeing economic growth in their communities the way they need to.  And that's going to require Democrats and Republicans to come together and look for the best ideas to move things forward.

It will not be easy, not just because Democrats and Republicans may have different priorities, as we were just discussing when it came to how we structure tax cuts, but because these issues are hard.  

The Republicans throughout the campaign said they’re very concerned about debt and deficits.  Well, one of the most important things we can do for debt and deficits is economic growth.  So what other proposals do they have to grow the economy? If, in fact, they’re rejecting some of the proposals I’ve made, I want to hear from them what affirmative policies can make a difference in terms of encouraging job growth and promoting the economy -- because I don't think that tax cuts alone are going to be a recipe for the kind of expansion that we need.

From 2001 to 2009, we cut taxes pretty significantly, and we just didn’t see the kind of expansion that is going to be necessary in terms of driving the unemployment rate down significantly.

So I think what we’re going to need to do and what the American people want is for us to mix and match ideas, figure out those areas where we can agree on, move forward on those, disagree without being disagreeable on those areas that we can’t agree on.  If we accomplish that, then there will be time for politics later, but over the next year I think we can solidify this recovery and give people a little more confidence out there.

Hans Nichols.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  I want to ask if you’re going to have John Boehner over for a Slurpee, but I actually have a serious question.

THE PRESIDENT:  I might serve -- they’re delicious drinks.  (Laughter.)  

Q    The Slurpee Summit.

THE PRESIDENT:  The Slurpee Summit -- that’s good, Chuck.  I like that.  (Laughter.)  

Q    Since you seem to be in a reflective mood, do you think you need to hit the reset button with business?  How do you plan to set that reset button with business? Would that -- would you include anything beyond your Cleveland speech, those proposals, to get them off the sidelines, get them off the cash they’re hoarding and start hiring again?  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, I think this is an important question that we’ve been asking ourselves for several months now.  You’re right, as I reflect on what’s happened over the last two years, one of the things that I think has not been managed by me as well as it needed to be was finding the right balance in making sure that businesses have rules of the road and are treating customers fairly and -- whether it’s their credit cards or insurance or their mortgages -- but also making absolutely clear that the only way America succeeds is if businesses are succeeding.  

The reason we’ve got a unparalleled standard of living in the history of the world is because we’ve got a free market that is dynamic and entrepreneurial, and that free market has to be nurtured and cultivated.  And there’s no doubt that when you had the financial crisis on Wall Street, the bonus controversies, the battle around health care, the battle around financial reform, and then you had BP -- you just had a successive set of issues in which I think business took the message that, well, gosh, it seems like we may be always painted at the bad guy.

And so I’ve got to take responsibility in terms of making sure that I make clear to the business community as well as to the country that the most important thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector and make sure that they’re hiring. And so we do have specific plans in terms of how we can structure that outreach.

Now, keep in mind over the last two years, we’ve been talking to CEOs constantly.  And as I plan for my trip later this week to Asia, the whole focus is on how are we going to open up markets so that American businesses can prosper, and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the United States.  And a whole bunch of corporate executives are going to be joining us so that I can help them open up those markets and allow them to sell their products.

So there’s been a lot of strong interaction behind the scenes.  But I think setting the right tone publicly is going to be important and could end up making a difference at the margins in terms of how businesses make investment decisions.

Q    But do you have new specific proposals to get them off the sidelines and start hiring?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I already discussed a couple with Chip that haven’t been acted on yet. You’re right that I made these proposals two months ago, but -- or three months ago -- but it was in the midst of a campaign season where it was doubtful that they were going to get a full hearing, just because there was so much political noise going on.

I think as we move forward, sitting down and talking to businesses, figuring out what exactly would help you make more investments that could create more jobs here in the United States, and listening hard to them -- in a context where maybe Democrats and Republicans are together so we’re receiving the same message at the same time -- and then acting on that agenda could make a big difference.

Matt Spetalnick of Reuters.  

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  How do you respond to those who say the election outcome, at least in part, was voters saying that they see you as out of touch with their personal economic pain?  And are you willing to make any changes in your leadership style?

THE PRESIDENT:  There is a inherent danger in being in the White House and being in the bubble.  I mean, folks didn’t have any complaints about my leadership style when I was running around Iowa for a year.  And they got a pretty good look at me up close and personal, and they were able to lift the hood and kick the tires, and I think they understood that my story was theirs. I might have a funny name, I might have lived in some different places, but the values of hard work and responsibility and honesty and looking out for one another that had been instilled in them by their parents, those were the same values that I took from my mom and my grandparents.

And so the track record has been that when I’m out of this place, that's not an issue.  When you’re in this place, it is hard not to seem removed.  And one of the challenges that we’ve got to think about is how do I meet my responsibilities here in the White House, which require a lot of hours and a lot of work, but still have that opportunity to engage with the American people on a day-to-day basis, and know -- give them confidence that I’m listening to them.

Those letters that I read every night, some of them just break my heart.  Some of them provide me encouragement and inspiration.  But nobody is filming me reading those letters.  And so it’s hard, I think, for people to get a sense of, well, how is he taking in all this information?

So I think there are more things that we can do to make sure that I’m getting out of here.  But, I mean, I think it’s important to point out as well that a couple of great communicators, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, were standing at this podium two years into their presidency getting very similar questions because the economy wasn’t working the way it needed to be and there were a whole range of factors that made people concerned that maybe the party in power wasn’t listening to them.  
This is something that I think every President needs to go through because the responsibilities of this office are so enormous and so many people are depending on what we do, and in the rush of activity, sometimes we lose track of the ways that we connected with folks that got us here in the first place.  

And that’s something that -- now, I’m not recommending for every future President that they take a shellacking like they -- like I did last night.  (Laughter.)  I’m sure there are easier ways to learn these lessons.  But I do think that this is a growth process and an evolution.  And the relationship that I’ve had with the American people is one that built slowly, peaked at this incredible high, and then during the course of the last two years, as we’ve, together, gone through some very difficult times, has gotten rockier and tougher.  And it’s going to, I’m sure, have some more ups and downs during the course of me being in this office.

But the one thing that I just want to end on is getting out of here is good for me, too, because when I travel around the country, even in the toughest of these debates -- in the midst of health care last year during the summer when there were protesters about, and when I’m meeting families who’ve lost loved ones in Afghanistan or Iraq -- I always come away from those interactions just feeling so much more optimistic about this country.  

We have such good and decent people who, on a day-to-day basis, are finding all kinds of ways to live together and educate kids and grow their communities and improve their communities and create businesses and work together to create great new products and services.  The American people always make me optimistic.  

And that’s why, during the course of the last two years, as tough as it’s been, as many sometimes scary moments as we’ve gone through, I’ve never doubted that we’re going to emerge stronger than we were before.  And I think that remains true, and I’m just going to be looking forward to playing my part in helping that journey along.

All right?  Thank you very much, everybody.

END
1:58 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President and the Vice President at DNC "Moving America Forward" Rally in Cleveland, Ohio

Wolstein Center, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio

2:15 P.M. EDT

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Cleveland!  (Applause.)  Hello, folks.  How you doing, ladies?  It’s great to see you all.  Man, I want to look like you when I grow up, man, you're looking awful good.  (Applause.) Good to see you.  Hey, folks, it’s great to be with you. (Applause.)  It’s really good to be back in Ohio with the best governor in the United States of America, Ted Strickland. (Applause.)  

     Ted and I were raised the same way -- a simple proposition, real easy:  You stick with them that brung you to the dance.  (Laughter.)  And Ted and Lee, they brought us to this dance, the President and me.  And, Ted and Lee, we're here for both of you.

     Let me tell you something, Ohio.  Back where I come from Cleveland is the kind of place -- on a much smaller scale where I come from -- like where I came from.  Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the kind of people who are the backbone of this country, the kind of people who are just straightforward, work hard, play by the rules, and expect the other guy to play by the rules.  (Applause.)  

     It’s a state that because of Governor Strickland’s leadership in Columbus is a state that's on the march again.  (Applause.)  A state that's reestablished itself as a global hub for research, innovation and manufacturing -- like it used to be before these Republicans took hold.  (Applause.)  

All we need now is to keep this momentum going.  And there’s only one way to do that -- and that's all of you that are here, you're the same folks that made sure Barack and I get to be on this stage today  -- (applause) -- so we're asking you to do the same thing you did for us.  Go out there to your neighbors, send emails, make phone calls, knock on doors, make sure you're there to give folks a ride to the polls on Tuesday -- because I'll tell you one thing.  If John Kasich were to win this, I promise you the Governor’s Mansion is going to be a very different place and this momentum that Ted has got going is going to come to a screeching halt.  And that's no exaggeration.

Kasich and Rob Portman, they want to do what they’ve always done.  They’re not bad guys, they just have a whole different view of how real folks live.  Ladies and gentlemen, these guys want to continue to give tax breaks to companies who send their jobs to China.  They don't think --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  This is real, though.  This is not just political theater.  They don't think we should be giving tax credits for renewable energy so that you can make the windmills and solar panels and lithium ion batteries right here in Ohio, and hire thousands and thousands of Ohioans.  (Applause.)  They don't think we should provide the tax breaks to middle-class families to help send their kids to this great university.  They don't think that's -- literally, that's what we're doing.  But they don't think we should. And as a matter of fact, they don't even want to make the middle-class tax cuts permanent -- unless  -- unless we provide $700 billion in tax cuts to their wealthy friends, increasing the burdens of the debt $700 billion.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Folks, these guys have a different view. 

Mr. President, a lot of folks here have been knocked down.  They’ve been knocked down pretty hard by the economic policies supported by John and Rob and their Republican friends. A lot of folks have been hurt.  But let me tell you something, Mr. President.  These folks in here you're going to talk to in a second and you know from being here -- they’re tough.  These folks don't stay down.  (Applause.)

I believe you all believe like I do and like I was raised.  My dad used to say, when you get knocked down, there’s only one thing to do -- get up!  (Applause.)  Get up!  And, folks, when you get up, make sure the same thing doesn’t knock you down again.  (Applause.)  

And, folks, we're getting up. And we're going to make sure the bankrupt policies of the Republican Party don't knock us down again.  We're getting up and we're staying up -- thanks to the leadership of President Obama and because of this great governor, Ted Strickland.  (Applause.)  

We're starting to get out of this god-awful mess the Republican Party left us with.  We're creating jobs.  We're making college affordable to the middle class again. We're revving up America’s research engine, finding new energy technologies, cures for diseases.  We're working -- we're working to uphold that distinctly American promise that the next generation will have it better than we had it; that we'll leave our children and our grandchildren better off than what we inherited.

And, Mr. President, it’s because of you.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my partner, the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama!  (Applause.)

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Cleveland!  (Applause.)  Thank you!  Are you fired up? (Applause.)  It is good to be back in Cleveland, good to be back in Ohio.  (Applause.)  And it’s great to be with a crowd that looks like it’s fired up and ready to go. (Applause.)

     A few people I want to just thank because they are doing outstanding work each and every day:  The Cleveland mayor, Frank Johnson -- Frank Jackson.  Thank you so much. (Applause.)  Thank you, Frank.

     My dear friend, Attorney General Rich Cordray.  (Applause.) State Treasurer Kevin Boyce. (Applause.)  Some of the finest members of Congress that we have -- Senator Sherrod Brown is in the house.  (Applause.)  Congressman Dennis Kucinich.  (Applause.)  Congresswoman Betty Sutton. (Applause.)  One of my favorite members of Congress who couldn’t be here because he just had a baby yesterday -- his wife had a baby. (Laughter.)  He is an outstanding young man and we expect to send him back to Congress -- John Boccieri.  (Applause.)  New baby girl is named Emma, by the way.

     I want to thank President Ronald Berkman here at Cleveland State University.  (Applause.)  I want to thank Common for his wonderful performance.  (Applause.)  I want to thank -- Congresswoman Betty Sutton is in the house, I believe. (Applause.)  Is she here?  Where is Betty?  Hey, Betty. (Laughter.)  And most of all, folks who are going to be leading Ohio for many years to come -- Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, who’s going to be going to Washington, and one of the finest governors in this country, Ted Strickland, and First Lady Frances Strickland.  (Applause.)  

     We are here for Ted and we’re here for Lee and all the members of the congressional delegation.  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Marcia Fudge!

     THE PRESIDENT:  Marcia Fudge -- Marcia Fudge, of course.  (Applause.)  For some reason, Marcia wasn’t on the list.  Is Marcia here?  Where is Marcia?  We love Marcia -- it’s just she wasn’t here, that’s all.  I love Marcia.  That’s my girl.  (Laughter.)  We were acknowledging those folks who were in the crowd, but we love Marcia.  And Marcia is going to do a great job.

     Look, Joe Biden and I -- Joe Biden and I have been traveling all across the country and there are a lot of places where we’re doing a lot of great work.  But there are very few places where we are doing as much good work as we were doing right here in Ohio.  (Applause.)  And, Cleveland, in just two days -- in just two days, you’ve got the chance --

     AUDIENCE INTERRUPTION: (Inaudible.)

     AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!

     THE PRESIDENT:  I can’t hear you.  Did you say, yes, we can?

     AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can! Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!

     THE PRESIDENT:  In two days, you have the chance to set the direction of this country and this state for many years to come. Just like you did in 2008, you can defy the conventional wisdom  -– the kind of conventional wisdom, the stale wisdom that says you can’t overcome cynicism in our politics; that says, no, you can’t overcome all the special interests and the special interest money; that says, no, you can’t tackle the biggest challenges in this country.
 
In two days, you’ve got the chance to once again say, “Yes, we can.”  (Applause.)  
 
Now, Cleveland, there is no doubt that this is a difficult election.  And that’s because we’ve gone through an incredibly difficult time as a nation.  And nobody knows that more than the folks in Cleveland and the folks in Ohio.  
 
For most of the last decade, middle-class families have been struggling.  This didn’t just start a year ago, it didn’t just start two years ago.  Between 2001 and 2009, the average middle-class family saw their incomes across the country go down by 5 percent, when the other side was in charge.  Between 2001 and 2009, job growth was slower than any time since World War II.  Meanwhile, the costs of everything, from health care to sending a child to college, kept on going up and up and up.  Too many families couldn’t send their kids to college.  Too many families couldn’t visit a doctor when somebody got sick.  Americans, too many of them were working two, three jobs and still couldn’t make ends meet.  And a whole lot of folks couldn’t find a job at all.
 
 And these problems were then compounded by the worst economic crisis, the worst financial crisis, since the Great Depression.  I mean, think about it, we had a recession that was so bad we lost 4 million jobs before Joe and I were even sworn into office.  Then we had another 750,000 jobs lost the month we took office; 600,000 the month after; 600,000 the month after that.  We lost almost 8 million jobs before our economic policies could even be put into place.
 
Now, when Joe and I got to Washington, our hope was that both parties would put politics aside to meet this once-in-a-generation challenge.  Because although we are proud to be Democrats, Cleveland, we are prouder to be Americans.  (Applause.) And we had confidence and continue to have confidence that there are Republicans out there who feel the same way.
 
But the Republican leaders in Washington, they had a different calculation.  Their basic theory was, you know what, the economy is so bad, we made such a mess of things, that rather than cooperate, we’ll be better off just saying no to everything. We’ll be better off not even trying to fix the economy.  And people will get angry and they will get frustrated and maybe two years from now they will have forgotten that we were the ones who caused the mess in the first place.
 
In other words, their basic political strategy has been to count on you having amnesia. (Laughter.)  They’re betting all of you forgot how we got here.   
 
Well, Cleveland, it’s up to you to let them know we have not forgotten.  (Applause.)  It’s up to you to remember that this election is a choice -– between the policies that got us into this mess and the policies that are leading us out of this mess.  
If they win this election, the chair of a Republican campaign committee promised to pursue the “exact same agenda” as they did before I came into office.  Now, think about that.  We know what that agenda is -- it does have the virtue of simplicity.  You can describe it very quickly.  You basically cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires; you cut rules for special interests; and then you cut middle-class families loose to fend for themselves.  You don’t have a job?  Tough luck, you’re on your own.  You don’t have health care?  Too bad, you’re on your own. You’re a young person who can’t afford to go to college?  Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, you’re on your own.  
 
This is an idea, this notion of theirs, that turned a record surplus into record deficits.  You hear them talking down about how they are going to cut debt and deficits?  These are the folks who ran up the deficit.  These are the folks that allowed Wall Street to run wild.  These are the folks that nearly destroyed our economy.  (Applause.)  
 
Now, I bring this up not to re-argue the past.  I bring it up because I don’t want to re-live the past.  (Applause.)  We’ve been there before, we’ve tried what they’re selling, and we are not going back.  We are not going back.  (Applause.)  
 
     Cleveland, imagine the Republicans were driving the economy like a car, and they drove it into the ditch. And this is a very deep, steep ditch.  And Joe and I and Ted, we had to put on our boots, we had to rappel down.  (Laughter.)  And it’s muddy down there and dusty and hot.  Somehow the Republicans, they fled the scene.  And now they’re up on the street and they’re looking down, and we call them down to help and they say, no, that’s all right.  (Laughter.)  They’re sipping Slurpees -- (laughter) -- they’re fanning themselves.  They’re saying, you’re not pushing hard enough.  Sometimes they’re kicking dirt down into the ditch -- (laughter) -- making it a little harder for us.
 
     But that’s okay.  We kept on pushing.  We kept on pushing.  We kept on pushing. (Applause.)  And finally -- finally we got that car back on level ground.  It’s moving -- it’s pointing in the right direction.  It’s a little banged up.  It needs to go to the body shop.  It needs a tune-up.  But it’s pointing in the right direction.  (Applause.)  
 
     And just as we’re about to go, suddenly we get a tap on our shoulders.  And we look back, who is it?  It’s the Republicans.  And they’re saying, we want the keys back.
 
     AUDIENCE:  Nooo --
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Cleveland, we can’t give them the keys back. They don’t know how to drive. (Applause.)  You can’t give them the keys back.  They can ride with us, but we don’t want to go back in the ditch.  
 
Have you noticed when you want to go forward, what do you do with your car?
 
     AUDIENCE:  D!
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  You put it in D.  When you want to go backwards, what do you do?
 
     AUDIENCE:  R!
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  You put it in R.  That’s not a coincidence.  (Applause.)  I don’t know about you, but I want to move forward.  (Applause.)  
 
     Look, because of the steps we’ve taken, we no longer face the possibility of a second depression.  The economy is growing again.  The private sector has created jobs nine months in a row.  And you heard Ted describe his track record here in the state of Ohio -- massively expanding access to education, seeing job growth month after month, building infrastructure to put people back to word.  That is Ted’s record.  That’s Lee’s record. (Applause.)
 
     So at the federal level and the state level, we have been working hard.  But, look, we understand we’ve got a long way to go.  We’ve got a lot of work to do.  I know there are a lot of people out there who are still hurting.  I know there are families some of them still hanging by a thread.  It keeps me up at night.  It keeps Joe up at night.  It keeps Ted up at night.  That’s what we’re fighting to fix.  
 
     But, you know what, the way to fix it is not to go back to what got us here.  It’s to move forward with the policies that are getting us out.  (Applause.)  See, Ted and Lee and Joe and I, we’ve got a different idea about what the next few years should look like.  And it’s an idea rooted in our belief about how this country was built.  We didn’t come from wealth.  We didn’t come from fame.  But our families understood, in America if you work hard, if you’re responsible, if you do the right thing, you’ve got a chance.  
 
And our families taught us that government doesn’t have all the answers to our problems.  Government should be lean and efficient.  We can’t waste taxpayer dollars, especially at a time as tough as time.  But in the words of the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, we also believe that government should do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves. (Applause.)  
 
We believe in an America that rewards hard work and responsibility and individual initiative; that believes in the free market.  But we also believe in a country where we look after one another -- where I am my brother’s keeper, where I am my sister’s keeper.  (Applause.)    That’s the America I know.  That’s the America Joe knows.  That’s the America Ted knows.  That’s the America you know -- an America that invests in its future and in its people; an America that’s built to compete in the 21st century.  
 
We know the jobs and businesses of tomorrow will end up in countries that educate their workers best, that build the best infrastructure, that have the strongest commitment to research and technology.  I want that nation to be the United States of America. (Applause.)  I want that taking place right here in Ohio, right here in Cleveland.  That’s how we’re going to rebuild. (Applause.)   
 
There is absolutely no reason that China should have faster railroads, that Singapore should have newer airports.  We’re the nation that built the transcontinental railroad.  We’re the nation that built the Interstate Highway System.  Right now, we are seeing thousands of people working to rebuild our roads and our railways and our runways, right here in Ohio and all across the country, trying to start to rebuild an infrastructure for the 21st century, putting people to work doing the work that America needs done.
 
We see an America where we invest in homegrown innovation and ingenuity; where we export more than we import; where we make it easier to start a business or patent an invention.  We don’t want to keep giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  I want companies getting tax breaks that are investing in Cleveland and in Dayton and in Toledo and in Ohio and in the United States of America.  (Applause.)  In small businesses and American manufacturing -- which is coming back -- and in clean energy companies.  I don’t want solar panels and wind turbines built in Asia or Europe.  I want them made right here in the U.S. of A. with American workers. (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election.  
 
We see an America where every citizen has the skills, the training to compete with any worker in the world.  We can’t allow other countries to outpace us when it comes to education.  We used to be number one in the rate of college graduation rates.  We used to be at the top in math and science.  Now we’re ninth in the proportion of college graduates, 21st and 25th in math and science.  That’s unacceptable.  
 
And so we made historic investments in education, just like Ted has done here in Ohio.  We set a goal that by 2020 we’re going to be number one again in the proportion of college graduates.  (Applause.)   
 
Now, remember I said it is a choice this election.  The other side, their main economic idea -- this is their main idea  -- is to provide $700 billion worth of tax cuts to the top 2 percent of earners --
 
AUDIENCE:  Nooo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  -- the 2 percent of wealthiest Americans, an average of $100,000 for millionaires and billionaires.  Now, look, I want people to succeed.  I think it’s wonderful if folks get rich.  I want everybody to have a chance to get rich.  You do, too -- this guy is raising his hand.  (Applause.) I think that’s great.  That’s part of the American Dream.  But the way they want to pay for these tax cuts is to cut education by 20 percent and to borrow the rest from other countries.  
 
AUDIENCE:  Nooo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Let me tell you, do you think China is cutting education spending by 20 percent?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Is Germany cutting education by 20 percent?
 
AUDIENCE:  No!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  They’re not because they’re not playing for second place.  They’re playing for first place.  And you know what, the United States of America, we don’t play for second place, we don’t play for ninth place or 21st place or 25th place -- we play for number one.  (Applause.)  And that’s what we’ve got to do in education.
 
     And that’s why we committed tens of billions of dollars that had been going in unwarranted subsidies to big banks and we steered that money to where it needed to be going -- to students right here at Cleveland State and all across the country -- (applause) -- increasing access to Pell Grants, increasing college scholarships. (Applause.)  
 

     That's why we want to make permanent our new college tax credit, a tax credit worth $10,000 in tuition relief for each young person who is going to college.  That's the choice in this election.  That's what America is about.  That's what we believe in.  (Applause.)  

 

     We see an America where corporations are thriving and profitable but where they’re also living up to their responsibilities -- to treat consumers fairly, to play by the same rules as everybody else.  That's why we made sure insurance companies couldn’t jack up your premiums for no reason, or deny you coverage just because you’re sick.  That’s why we made sure credit companies can't hit you with hidden fees or penalties.  (Applause.) That’s why we made sure taxpayers are never again on the hook for the irresponsibility of Wall Street banks.  (Applause.)    

 
And you know, we see an America where we don’t pass on a mountain of debt to the next generation. We’ve got to go after this trillion-dollar deficit that I inherited when I took office -– but we’re going to do it in a responsible way.  Not by cutting education by 20 percent.  Not by burdening our children or our seniors or our veterans or middle-class families.  We won't do it by borrowing another $700 billion to give tax cuts to folks who don't need them.  We'll do it by asking for shared sacrifice of all Americans. That's the choice in this election.  That’s the America that we believe in.  
 
So, look, we've got a lot of work to do over the next few years.  Ted has got a lot of work to do here in Ohio.  Lee has got a lot of work to do in Washington.  And we’re going to need to work together -– Democrats and Republicans and independents -– to get it all done.  But, you know what, so far we're not seeing that from the other party.  I guess they’re feeling cocky, maybe. The Republican leader of the House says “this is not a time for compromise.”  That's a quote.  The Republican leader of the Senate said his main goal for the next two years –- his top priority –- is to win the next election and to beat me.
 
AUDIENCE:  Nooo --
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Think about this.  His priority is not to get the economy moving.  It’s not to create jobs.  It’s not to reduce the deficit.  His top priority is to win the next election.  We haven’t even finished this election.  (Applause.)  
 
But you know, that’s the mentality that we’re fighting against, Cleveland.  That’s the kind of politics that we’ve got to change.  It’s a politics that always puts scoring points ahead of solving problems.  And that’s where all of you come in -- each and every one of you here. The only way to fight that kind of politics -– the only way to match the millions of dollars of negative ads that have been pouring down, using these phony front groups  -- millions of dollars of ads -- the only way to fight that is millions of voices who are ready to finish what we started in 2008.  (Applause.)  
 
We’ve got to get Cleveland out to vote.  We've got to get everybody in Ohio out to vote.  And in Ohio you can vote early.  There is early voting just a few blocks from here, so you can go right after this rally if you haven’t voted. (Applause.)  Because if everyone who fought for change in 2008 shows up to vote in 2010, we will win this election.  I am confident of that. (Applause.)    
 
A lot of you got involved in 2008 because you believed we were at a defining moment in our history.  That's what Joe believed.  That's what I believed.  You believed that we were in a time where the decisions we make won't just affect us; they’ll affect our children, they’ll affect our grandchildren for decades to come.  That’s the reason so many of you knocked on doors, made phone calls, and some cast your vote for the very first time.  
 
And it turns out, as I said at the time, change isn’t easy. Power concedes nothing without a fight. And so throughout the past 20 months we have been pushing and working, and I've had a great partner in Joe Biden.  Couldn't have a better Vice President.  (Applause.)  And I've had a great partner in Ted Strickland.  Couldn't have a better governor than Ted. (Applause.)  And we've made progress.  But I know that sometimes, as we're grinding out this change, and there’s all the negative ads and the pundits on TV and there’s still a lot of unemployment out here, and sometimes people feel discouraged.  
 
And I know that some of the excitement of Election Night and Inauguration Day starts to fade.  You know, Beyoncé was singing and Bono was up there.  (Applause.)  And I know people start to  -- oh, that was fun.  Now it’s just seems like work all the time. And then you guys see me on TV and, boy, he’s getting really gray.  Did you see that?  (Laughter.)  He’s starting to look old. (Laughter and applause.)  
 
But, look, Cleveland, I want you to remember this.  Don’t let anybody tell you this fight isn’t worth it.  Don’t let anybody tell you you’re not making a difference.  Because of you, there’s a woman somewhere in Ohio who no longer has to choose between losing her home and treating her cancer. (Applause.)    Because of you, somewhere in Ohio there’s a parent who can look their child in the eye and say, yes, you are going to college, we can afford it.  (Applause.)  Because of you, somewhere in Ohio there’s a small business owner who kept their doors open in the depths of recession.  Because of you, there are nearly 100,000 brave men and women who are no longer at war in Iraq -- because of you. (Applause.)  
 
So don’t let them tell you that change isn’t possible.  Because here’s what I know: It’s always been hard to bring about change in America.  Think about it.  This country was founded on hard.  I mean, we started off as 13 colonies having to battle the most powerful empire on Earth.  And a lot of people said, well, you can’t do that.  And then they decided we’re going to try a new form of government -- of and by and for the people.  And they said we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Applause.)  
 
That idea had not been tried before.  There was no certainty of success.  But they knew it was worth trying.  And over decades, they had to make that idea real -- had to abolish slavery, had to win women the right to vote, had to win workers the right to organize.  (Applause.)  
 
All that change was hard. Imagine if our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents, if they had said, ah, you know what, this is just too hard, I’m getting discouraged.  What if they had just given up?  What if people had been calling them names and worse and they had said, we can’t do this?  
 
They said, “Yes, we can.”
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  They understood that the only thing that prevents us here in America from achieving our dreams, the only thing that might prevent us is if we don’t try.  The only reason we are here is because past generations have been unafraid to push forward, even in the face of difficulty, even in the face of uncertainty.  That’s how we came through war.  That’s how we came through depression.  That’s why we have civil rights and workers’ rights and women’s rights, and that’s the spirit we need today.  (Applause.)  
 
Cleveland, the journey we began together was never about just putting a President in the White House.  It was about building a movement for change that endures.  It was about realizing that in the United States of America, if we are willing to fight for it, if we’re willing to work for it, if we believe in it, anything is possible.  (Applause.)  
 
So, Cleveland, I need you to keep on fighting.  I need you to keep on believing.  I need you to knock on some doors.  I need you to talk to your neighbors.  I need you to talk to your friends.  I need you to go early vote.  I need you to get your friends to vote.  Because if you are willing to step up to the plate, Ted will win this election; Lee will win this election.  We will restore our economy.  We will rebuild our middle class.  And we will reclaim the American Dream for future generations.
 
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
2:56 P.M. EDT