"Republicans in Congress need to stop trying to refight the battles of the past few years, and finally start doing something to actually help the middle class get ahead."—President Barack Obama
For the third weekly address in a row, President Obama called out Republican obstructionists in Congress and urged voters to ask them why they're holding the President’s plan to keep taxes low for 98% of Americans hostage to give more budget-busting tax cuts to the wealthiest 2%, why Republicans won't let Congress vote on his refinancing plan to cut red tape so responsible homeowners can save about $3,000 a year on their mortgages, and why Republicans in the Senate voted down his plan to create a veterans jobs corps:
[T]wo years ago, we put in place tougher, commonsense rules of the road for Wall Street to make sure that the kind of crisis we’ve been fighting back from never happens again.
These rules mean that big banks are no longer going to be able to make risky bets with your deposits. And if a big bank does make a bad decision, they pay for it – not taxpayers.
And we also put in place the strongest consumer protections in our history to crack down on the worst practices of credit card companies and mortgage lenders.
But for some reason, some Republicans in Congress are still waging an all-out battle to delay, defund and dismantle these commonsense new rules.
Why? Do they think undoing rules that protect families from the worst practices of credit card companies and mortgage lenders will make the middle class stronger? Do they think getting rid of rules to prevent another crisis on Wall Street will make Main Street any safer?
Republicans in Congress need to stop trying to refight the battles of the past few years, and finally start doing something to actually help the middle class get ahead.
And here are three things they can do right now:
First, Congress needs to step up and guarantee that 98% of Americans and 97% of small business owners won’t see their taxes go up next year. This is something that everyone says they agree on. It should have gotten done months ago. But Republicans in Congress are standing in the way. They’re holding tax cuts for 98% of Americans hostage until we pass tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Ask them how that helps the middle class.
Second, Congress needs to step up and provide every responsible homeowner a chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at lower rates. I gave them a plan to do that - back in February. It’s a plan that has the support of independent, nonpartisan economists and leaders across the housing industry. But Republicans won’t even let that plan come to a vote. Ask them how that helps homeowners.
Third, Congress needs to step up and pass my plan to create a veterans jobs corps to help our returning heroes find work as cops, firefighters and park rangers in communities across the country. A few weeks ago, Republicans in the Senate voted that plan down. Ask them why someone who fights for this country abroad should have to fight for a job when they come home.
Ask them to get back to work and get these things done. If we’re going to keep this economy moving forward, there’s no time for political games. Even in a political season. Everyone needs to do their part. If you agree with me, let your Representative know where you stand. Tell them that if they want your vote, then they need to stand with you and not in the way of our recovery.
See also Susan Gardner's diary
Obama trumpets jobs data, challenges Congress to get back to work in weekly address.
"Dishonest" - Obama for America TV Ad
Today, OFA release its newest TV ad calling out Mitt Romney's and his campaign's lies regarding taxes. An article in The Washington Post pointed out today that
Romney’s plan calls for cutting income tax rates by 20 percent for people at all income levels, repealing the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax and wiping out capital gains taxes for middle-class families. Budget analysts say the cuts would reduce tax revenue by nearly $5 trillion during the next decade. Obama has attacked the plan for the past two months, citing a study by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center saying that to avoid increasing deficits, Romney would have to generate an equal sum by cutting various tax breaks that benefit the middle class.
This ad will air in 8 battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia.
Voiceover: "This was dishonest:"
Mitt Romney: "I'm not in favor of a $5 trillion tax cut."
Voiceover: "Romney's being dishonest here too:"
Voiceover from Romney ad: "According to an Independent, non-partisan study, Barack Obama and the liberals will raise taxes on the middle class..."
Voiceover: "The Chairman of that so-called independent group is from Romney's former company. Dick Cheney's on its board. Newt Gingrich was there too. It's not independent. It's just not true."
~O~O~O~O~
The Road to November 6th - 31 Days Until Election Day
Today, OFA also released a video featuring excerpts from speeches by our President, Vice President, and First Lady:
Here are some excerpts:
Vice President Joe Biden: Romney describes nearly half the American people as seeing themselves as victims. Unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives.
When he said, "It's not my job to worry about these people," well whose job is it? Ladies and gentleman, we are our brother's keeper. We are one nation under God. We are all in this together. And if the 47% doesn't make it, the country doesn't make it!
President Barack Obama: We don't think government can solve all our problems, but we don't think it's the source of all our problems either. Just like we don't think that folks who are having a tough time are our problem, or welfare recipients are our problem, or corporations are our problem, or unions are our problem, or immigrants or gays, or all the other groups that we're told to blame for our troubles. Because here in America, we believe we're in this thing together. We believe that all of us have responsibilities. [snip]
It's time for a new economic patriotism. An economic patriotism rooted in the belief that growing our economy begins with a strong and thriving middle class. And if we rally around a new economic patriotism together, we can rebuild this economy together. We will grow the middle class together. We will move forward together. You can make that happen...with your vote.
First Lady Michelle Obama in IA: Here, in this state, it is already election day. Today is election day. See, the beauty of where you are is that early voting started yesterday. So right after I'm done speaking, I want you all to walk out that main door, follow the volunteers, and do your part to move this country forward.
You can be one of the first people here in 2012 to cast your ballot for Barack Obama. So let me ask you one last thing, are you ready for this? Are you ready to work for this? Are you fired up? Are you ready to vote? Are you gonna go vote right now? Early vote!
I wish I could vote early right now! Today I attended Voter Empowerment Training in Houston, and the speaker urged us all to vote on the first day of early voting so that we could report any problems and get them fixed right away. In addition to that, our voting early will help to keep the lines shorter for those folks who wait until Election Day. So as I contact folks in my precinct during the next few weeks, I will be urging all of them to vote early on October 22nd. Let's GOTV!!!