THE PRESIDENT AS CAMPAIGNER, TODAY
The President campaigned at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia today. Here is the full transcript of his speech, selected snippets are quoted below, and a video follows:
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Eighteen days. Eighteen days, Virginia. Eighteen days and you’re going to step into a voting booth. And you’re going to have a very big choice to make -- not just a choice between two candidates or two parties, but between two fundamentally different visions for this country that we love.
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When folks who don’t actually work for Governor Romney start crunching the numbers, it turns out the tax plan doesn’t add up, jobs plan doesn’t create jobs, deficit plan doesn’t reduce the deficit. An economist at the New York Times put it this morning, “There’s no jobs plan -- there’s just a snow job on the American people.” (Applause.) A snow job.
Virginia, you’ve heard of the New Deal, you’ve heard of the Square Deal, the Fair Deal. Mitt Romney is trying to give you a Sketchy Deal. (Laughter.) A sketchy deal.
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Now, I believe that the biggest issue in this election is how do we rebuild a strong middle class and provide ladders for opportunity -- all those who want to get into the middle class, who are willing to work hard, willing to take responsibility. Are we going to make sure that we're a country where everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same rules? (Applause.)
So the economy is the dominant issue. But I want everybody to understand that that's not the only place where Governor Romney is offering you a sketchy deal. It’s bad enough that my opponent wants to take us back to the failed economic policies of the past. But when it comes to issues critical to women -- the right to make your own decision about your health -- (applause) -- the right to be treated fairly and equally in the workplace. (Applause.) Governor Romney wants to take us to policies more suited to the 1950s. Even his own running mate said he’s “kind of a throwback to the ‘50s.” That’s one thing we agree on. (Laughter.)
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I mean, he’s changing up so much and backtracking and sidestepping -- (laughter) -- we’ve got to name this condition that he’s going through. I think it’s called “Romnesia.” (Laughter and applause.) That’s what it’s called. I think that’s what he’s going through.
Now, I’m not a medical doctor, but I do want to go over some of the symptoms with you -- because I want to make sure nobody else catches it. (Laughter and applause.) If you say you’re for equal pay for equal work, but you keep refusing to say whether or not you’d sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work -- you might have Romnesia. (Laughter and applause.)
If you say women should have access to contraceptive care, but you support legislation that would let your employer deny you contraceptive care –- you might have a case of Romnesia. (Applause.)
If you say you’ll protect a woman’s right to choose, but you stand up at a primary debate and said that you’d be delighted to sign a law outlying -- outlawing that right to choose in all cases -– man, you’ve definitely got Romnesia. (Applause.)
Now, this extends to other issues. If you say earlier in the year, I’m going to give a tax cut to the top 1 percent and then in a debate you say, I don’t know anything about giving tax cuts to rich folks -- you need to get a thermometer, take your temperature, because you’ve probably got Romnesia. (Applause.)
If you say that you’re a champion of the coal industry when, while you were governor you stood in front of a coal plant and said, this plant will kill you -- (laughter) --
AUDIENCE: Romnesia!
THE PRESIDENT: -- that’s some Romnesia. (Applause.)
Do you think the President looks like he's having fun in the following video? I do. Here's a snippet of the "Romnesia" portion of President Barack Obama's speech today in Fairfax, Virginia:
THE PRESIDENT AS PRESIDENT, TODAY
The President signed into law today a provision that will allow military men and women to obtain a commercial driver's license in the state of their duty station instead of forcing them to obtain one in the state of their domicile. The White House also issued a statement regarding the violence in Lebanon, condemning "in the strongest terms the terrorist attack today in Beirut that killed Lebanese Internal Security Forces Information Bureau Director Wissam al-Hassan and at least seven others, and wounded dozens more." The statement from the WH NSC spokesman noted that the stability and security of Lebanon "are vital both for the Lebanese people and their neighbors." Finally, the President signed a proclamation for "Character Counts Week," issuing a moving statement that can be found at this link:
"As parents, teachers, mentors, and neighbors, it is up to all of us to empower our children with a sense of excellence in everything they do -- from the classroom through careers and community involvement. We must instill in them the creativity and imagination it takes to envision a dream, and the drive and discipline it takes to realize one. We should also underscore the values of responsibility and service that have sustained our national life for generations. With these qualities, all of us can seek out new horizons and opportunities with confidence, secure in the knowledge that we can overcome the challenges and setbacks that confront us.
To ensure that each and every American has the chance to fulfill their promise, we must also teach our children to practice kindness and respect. Many students across our country have experienced bullying and harassment at school, online, or in their communities, eroding their ability to thrive and feel that they belong. This week, let us reaffirm our responsibility to make our schools and communities safe places that nurture not only our students' talents and intelligence, but also their sense of empathy and regard for one another."
THE FLOTUS, TODAY
First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to a crowd in Racine, Wisconsin today. In fact, the crowd was way too big, so the FLOTUS spoke to the over-flow crowd first! (Republicans will never understand why we love her!) Tammy Baldwin and Rob Zerban were present to soak in the aura as they get ready to finish what they've started against Tommy Thompson and Paul Ryan respectively. Here is a link to the full transcript, followed by a snippet:
And let’s talk a little bit about that America we’re working to build together. See, we believe in an America where every child -- you hear me -- every child, no matter where they’re born or how much money their parents have, every child in this country should have good schools to go to, the kind of schools that push them and inspire them, and prepare them for college and jobs of the future. (Applause.)
We believe in an America where no one goes broke because someone gets sick -- (applause) -- where no one loses their home because someone lost a job. (Applause.) We believe in an America where we all understand that none of us gets where we are on our own -- that there is always a community of people lifting us up; where we treat everyone with dignity and respect -- from the teachers who inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean. (Applause.)
And we all know that in this America, the America we’re working for, that when one of us stumbles -- because all of us have the potential of stumbling -- when one of us falls on hard times, we don’t turn our backs and tell them, “Tough luck, you’re on your own.” No, instead, we extend a helping hand until they can get back on their feet again. That’s the America we’re working for. (Applause.)
THE BOSS AS THE BOSS, YESTERDAY
Going to high school in a factory town in Illinois that was the late 1970s equivalent of Freeport or "Bainport" today, my prospects looked like a case of beer and driving around the "strip" at ten miles per hour and a job on the line. My relief was found slamming that meaty eight-track of "Born to Run" into my car's player and listening to Bruce Springsteen feel my pain. (Selecting CD #8 on your trunk's carousel by pushing a button is not the same).
Those men and women at the plants worked hard and earned a noble living, but a teacher told me one day that I was going to college. That teacher set up an interview and drove me 200 miles to the university. Without the Boss and the Teacher, I don't know.... To see Springsteen lighting up Ohio the way he lit a fire under me is a dream come true. Thanks, Bruuuuce! The Chicago Tribune reported:
"I remember President Obama's election night. It was an evening when you could feel the locked doors of the past finally being blown open," Springsteen said. "Then comes the hard daily struggle to make those possibilities real in a world that is brutally resistant to change."
IT AIN'T EASY ...
Link to Transcripts and Documents.