Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Location:
East Room
6:00 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! (Applause.) Welcome to the White House. (Applause.)
Nothing ruins a good party like a long speech from a politician. (Laughter.) So I'm going to make a short set of remarks here. I appreciate all of you being here. I have learned a lesson: Don't follow Potomac Fever -- (laughter) -- because they sounded pretty good.
We’ve got community leaders here. We've got grassroots organizers. We've got some incredible young people who are just doing great work all across the country -– folks who are standing up against discrimination, and for the rights of parents and children and partners and students --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: And spouses.
THE PRESIDENT: -- and spouses. (Applause.) You’re fighting for the idea that everyone ought to be treated equally and everybody deserves to be able to live and love as they see fit. (Applause.)
Now, I don’t have to tell the people in this room we've got a ways to go in the struggle, how many people are still denied their basic rights as Americans, who are still in particular circumstances treated as second-class citizens, or still fearful when they walk down the street or down the hall at school. Many of you have devoted your lives to the cause of equality. So you all know that we've got more work to do.
But I think it's important for us to note the progress that's been made just in the last two and a half years. I just want everybody to think about this. (Applause.) It was here, in the East Room, at our first Pride reception, on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a few months after I took office, that I made a pledge, I made a commitment. I said that I would never counsel patience; it wasn’t right for me to tell you to be patient any more than it was right for folks to tell African Americans to be patient in terms of their freedoms. I said it might take time to get everything we wanted done. But I also expected to be judged not by the promises I made, but the promises I kept.
Now, let's just think about it. I met with Judy Shepard. I promised her we'd pass an inclusive hate crimes law, named after her son, Matthew. And with the help of Ted Kennedy and others, we got it done and I signed the bill. (Applause.)
I met Janice Lang-ben, who was barred from the bedside of the woman she loved as she lay dying, and I told her we were going to put a stop to that discrimination. And I issued an order so that any hospital in America that accepts Medicare or Medicaid –- and that means just about every hospital in America -– has to treat gay partners just as they have to treat straight partners. Nobody in America should have to produce a legal contract. (Applause.)
I said we'd lift the HIV travel ban. We got that done. (Applause.) We put in place the first national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS. (Applause.)
A lot of people said we weren’t going to be able to get "don't ask, don't tell" done, including a bunch of people in this room. (Laughter.) And I just met Sue Fulton, who was part of the first class of women at West Point, and is an outstanding advocate for gay service members. It took two years through Congress -– working with Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates and the Pentagon. We had to hold together a fragile coalition. We had to keep up the pressure. But the bottom line is we got it done. And in a matter of weeks, not months, I expect to certify the change in policy –- and we will end "don't ask, don't tell" once and for all. (Applause.)
I told you I was against the Defense -- so-called Defense of Marriage Act. I've long supported efforts to pass a repeal through Congress. And until we reach that day, my administration is no longer defending DOMA in the courts. The law is discriminatory. It violates the Constitution. It’s time for us to bring it to an end. (Applause.)
So bottom line is, I’ve met my commitments to the LGBT community. I have delivered on what I promised. Now, that doesn’t mean our work is done. There are going to be times where you’re still frustrated with me. (Laughter.) I know there are going to be times where you’re still frustrated at the pace of change. I understand that. I know I can count on you to let me know. (Laughter and applause.) This is not a shy group. (Laughter.)
But what I also know is that I will continue to fight alongside you. And I don’t just mean as an advocate. You are moms and dads who care about the schools that your children go to. You’re students who are trying to figure out how to pay for going to college. You’re folks who are looking for good jobs to pay the bills. You’re Americans who want this country to prosper. So those are your fights, too. And the fact is these are hard days for America. So we’ve got a lot of work to do to, not only on ending discrimination; we’ve got a lot of work to do to live up to the ideals on which we were founded, and to preserve the American Dream in our time -– for everybody, whether they're gay or straight or lesbian or transgender.
But the bottom line is, I am hopeful. I’m hopeful because of the changes we’ve achieved just in these past two years. Think about it. It’s astonishing. Progress that just a few years ago people would have thought were impossible. And more than that, what gives me hope is the deeper shift that we’re seeing that’s a transformation not just in our laws but in the hearts and minds of people -- the progress led not by Washington but by ordinary citizens.
It’s propelled not by politics but by love and friendship and a sense of mutual regard and mutual respect. It’s playing out in legislatures like New York. (Applause.) It’s playing out in courtrooms. It’s playing out in the ballot box, as people argue and debate over how to bring about the changes where we are creating a more perfect union. But it’s also happening around water coolers. It’s happening at Thanksgiving tables. It’s happening on Facebook and Twitter, and at PTA meetings and potluck dinners, and church halls and VFW Halls.
It happens when a father realizes he doesn’t just love his daughter, but also her partner. (Applause.) It happens when a soldier tells his unit that he’s gay, and they say, well, yeah, we knew that –- (laughter) -- but, you know, you’re a good soldier. It happens when a video sparks a movement to let every single young person out there know that they’re not alone. (Applause.) It happens when people look past their differences to understand our common humanity.
And that’s not just the story of the gay rights movement. It is the story of America, and the slow, inexorable march towards a more perfect union.
I want thank you for your contribution to that story. I’m confident we’re going to keep on writing more chapters.
Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)
END 6:10 P.M. EDT
Thursday, June 30, 2011
GOP Presidential Candidates Are Inconsistent in their Religious Values
Representative Michele Bachmann officially joined the crowded field of GOP presidential candidates on Monday. Like many in the race, she identifies herself as a Christian. In fact, in her kick-off speech in Waterloo, Iowa, she described how she gave her heart to Jesus Christ at the age of 16, and how she uses prayer to guide her decision-making.�
But there is one area in which Bachmann departs dramatically from her own tradition and that of most Christian denominations in the nation: environmental values. �Bachmann calls climate change ?nonsense? and she routinely refers to the EPA as ?the job-killing organization of America.? And yet the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, to which Bachmann was until recently connected, asserts that caring for the world is ?a moral issue.?
Bachmann isn?t alone: In a great new post, Eleni Towns of the Center for America Progress outlines how nearly every GOP presidential candidate follows their church teachings when it comes to abortion and gay marriage, but not when it comes to climate change and environmental protection.
As a Christian myself, I know what it is like to have disagreements with the Church. I don?t concur with every teaching that comes from the pulpit, and I believe that questioning is a vital part of faith. But I am still suspicious about the timing of this GOP heterodoxy.
Over the past several years, most Christian denominations have officially embraced environmental values broadly and the moral imperative to confront climate change specifically. The Vatican, the National Association of Evangelicals, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, and other churches have called for on the faithful to help solve the climate crisis.
Several GOP candidates agreed with these church teachings ? until the Tea Party became the new religion in Washington, that is.
Ever since the Koch Brothers (who made their money in oil refining and other fossil fuel operations) started pouring funds into the Tea Party, it has taken on decidedly polluter-friendly positions: climate change does not exist, we should rollback public safeguards that help prevent business from harming communities, and companies should not be required to reduce their dirty emissions.
And seemingly, once GOP campaigns realized that the Tea Party might bring more voters to the polls than churches could, they too started following the gospel according to the Koch Brothers. They began siding with the guys behind the curtain instead of the guys in the pulpit.� Almost every candidate has flip-flopped from their previous positions on climate change in the last year, even as their churches? positions have become stronger.
Back in 2008, for instance, Newt Gingrich sat down with Nancy Pelosi and made a video saying the only issue they agreed upon was the need to fight climate change. Today, Gingrich doubts climate science and questions the need for action.
When Tim Pawlenty was governor of Minnesota, he signed a climate law designed to reduce Minnesota?s carbon emissions and helped launch a regional climate initiative within the Midwest. Today, however, he wonders�how much of climate change is caused by humans and accuses the scientific community of ?data manipulation.? Pawlenty, who is an evangelical, must have missed the 2006 ?Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action? that 86 leaders signed, including the pastor of Pawlenty?s church.
I too hold positions that are at times out of sync with the Methodist Church, even though the church plays an enormous role in my life. It isn?t easy, and it makes me uncomfortable, and I only do it if my heart, my conscience, and my prayer guide me in that direction. I don?t do it to win primaries.� When the GOP candidates chose to follow the polluting Koch brothers instead of their own clergy, that?s pandering, not principle.
But there is one area in which Bachmann departs dramatically from her own tradition and that of most Christian denominations in the nation: environmental values. �Bachmann calls climate change ?nonsense? and she routinely refers to the EPA as ?the job-killing organization of America.? And yet the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, to which Bachmann was until recently connected, asserts that caring for the world is ?a moral issue.?
Bachmann isn?t alone: In a great new post, Eleni Towns of the Center for America Progress outlines how nearly every GOP presidential candidate follows their church teachings when it comes to abortion and gay marriage, but not when it comes to climate change and environmental protection.
As a Christian myself, I know what it is like to have disagreements with the Church. I don?t concur with every teaching that comes from the pulpit, and I believe that questioning is a vital part of faith. But I am still suspicious about the timing of this GOP heterodoxy.
Over the past several years, most Christian denominations have officially embraced environmental values broadly and the moral imperative to confront climate change specifically. The Vatican, the National Association of Evangelicals, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, and other churches have called for on the faithful to help solve the climate crisis.
Several GOP candidates agreed with these church teachings ? until the Tea Party became the new religion in Washington, that is.
Ever since the Koch Brothers (who made their money in oil refining and other fossil fuel operations) started pouring funds into the Tea Party, it has taken on decidedly polluter-friendly positions: climate change does not exist, we should rollback public safeguards that help prevent business from harming communities, and companies should not be required to reduce their dirty emissions.
And seemingly, once GOP campaigns realized that the Tea Party might bring more voters to the polls than churches could, they too started following the gospel according to the Koch Brothers. They began siding with the guys behind the curtain instead of the guys in the pulpit.� Almost every candidate has flip-flopped from their previous positions on climate change in the last year, even as their churches? positions have become stronger.
Back in 2008, for instance, Newt Gingrich sat down with Nancy Pelosi and made a video saying the only issue they agreed upon was the need to fight climate change. Today, Gingrich doubts climate science and questions the need for action.
When Tim Pawlenty was governor of Minnesota, he signed a climate law designed to reduce Minnesota?s carbon emissions and helped launch a regional climate initiative within the Midwest. Today, however, he wonders�how much of climate change is caused by humans and accuses the scientific community of ?data manipulation.? Pawlenty, who is an evangelical, must have missed the 2006 ?Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action? that 86 leaders signed, including the pastor of Pawlenty?s church.
I too hold positions that are at times out of sync with the Methodist Church, even though the church plays an enormous role in my life. It isn?t easy, and it makes me uncomfortable, and I only do it if my heart, my conscience, and my prayer guide me in that direction. I don?t do it to win primaries.� When the GOP candidates chose to follow the polluting Koch brothers instead of their own clergy, that?s pandering, not principle.
nancy pelosi harry reid barney franks obamacare socialized medicine
Statement by President Obama on Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey?s Retirement
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
“A fierce advocate for children, families and the people of the North Bay, Lynn Woolsey has never forgotten the people who sent her to Congress for nearly two decades. She is a leader on progressive causes and a fighter for working families, and we will miss her passionate voice in Congress. Michelle and I wish her well and join the people of California in thanking her for her many years of service.”
For Immediate Release
“A fierce advocate for children, families and the people of the North Bay, Lynn Woolsey has never forgotten the people who sent her to Congress for nearly two decades. She is a leader on progressive causes and a fighter for working families, and we will miss her passionate voice in Congress. Michelle and I wish her well and join the people of California in thanking her for her many years of service.”
Chelsa Clinton Michelle Obama Sean Hannity Glenn Beck Rush Limbaugh
Blue Dog Coalition to Face Post-Election Shake-up
The Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democratic House members is likely to face a major upheaval after the election. That?s because the drubbing that Democrats might receive should send some Blue Dogs back home, Roll Call reports. In addition, one of the group?s main founders, Rep. John Tanner of Tennessee, is retiring.
?We don?t know what the leadership positions will be like, because we don?t know the outcome of the election,? says Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., a senior blue dog who said the group may well lose half of its 54 members in a Republican blowout.
With Tanner out, Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida may be elevated to a leadership role. The blue dogs respect him for his policy and fundraising skills. And he?s close to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who consistently has sought good relations with the group. Moderate Democrats formed the coalition after Republicans seized control of Congress in the 1994 elections.
� Newsmax. All rights reserved.
DCCC Throws in Towel on 4 Races It Thought It Could Win
Democrats are starting to pull their money from congressional races they once saw as winnable. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has canceled TV ads in four hotly contested races, Politico reports.� This is yet another indication that Republicans are headed for a landslide victory.
The ads are being pulled for two freshmen, Florida Rep. Suzanne Kosmas and Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus and for two Democrat-held open seats in conservative districts: Indiana?s 8th and Tennessee?s 8th, a Democratic insider tells Politico.
The DCCC also cut its ad spending for Arizona Rep. Harry Mitchell and Wisconsin Rep. Steve Kagen, who look like they?re going down, too.
� Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Pakistani The View gubernatorial candidate Howard Dean ethics charges
California?s Brown Leads Whitman Among Female Voters
Jerry Brown, the Democrat running for governor of California, is drawing more support from women than Republican Meg Whitman even as a recording of an aide calling her a ?whore? hangs over their final scheduled debate.
Brown led Whitman among likely women voters 47 percent to 37 percent in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll Oct. 3, up from a virtual tie, 45 percent-44 percent, on Sept. 20. The results came after Whitman was accused of employing an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper, though before the Los Angeles Times published the ?whore? recording Oct. 8.
Whitman, 54, the former EBay Inc. chief executive officer, has spent $119 million of her own fortune, a U.S. record by a self-funded candidate, as she battles Brown, 72, to run the state with the most people and the biggest economy in the nation. The two are to appear in a debate tonight moderated by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
?Brown supporters will stay with Brown, Whitman supporters will be somewhat outraged and continue supporting Whitman,? said Ann Crigler, a professor of politics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Brown spent $10.7 million on his campaign from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 and had a fund balance of $22.6 million, according to the California secretary of state?s office. Whitman spent $120.6 million in that period, with $9.2 million remaining.
?An Insult?
The recorded slur won?t change Brown?s standing with women voters since Brown himself didn?t say it, Crigler said in a telephone interview.
Brown, California?s governor for two terms, from 1975 to 1983, and now attorney general, was inadvertently recorded by voicemail after leaving a message for a Los Angeles police union official. In a conversation about a potential advertisement over pension issues, an aide says, ?What about saying she?s a whore?? according to the Times.
?The use of the term ?whore? is an insult to both Meg Whitman and to the women of California,? Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said in an Oct. 7 statement. ?This is an appalling and unforgivable smear.? The release of the recording prompted an apology from the Brown campaign.
Sterling Clifford, a Brown spokesman, said the candidate didn?t make the comment.
?As to who it was, it?s not the best recording in the world,? Clifford said in an interview. ?It?s hard to say.?
Regret Expressed
If the comment is raised at tonight?s debate at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, he said, the campaign has already expressed regret ?and I don?t think we?ll go much beyond that.?
Darrel Ng, a Whitman spokesman, declined to comment when asked whether the remark would sway female voters and declined to say whether Whitman would raise the issue.
?I certainly expect Whitman to press it hard as a way of communicating to female voters and emphasizing her status as the potential first female governor of California,? Jack Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College politics professor, said in a telephone interview. Claremont is located east of Los Angeles.
?It?s hard to say that this is going to be a decisive issue,? Pitney said. ?Voters know that politicians and political operatives use bad language in private. That?s not a revelation.?
?Anti-Women Candidates?
The controversy didn?t stop the California chapter of the National Organization for Women from endorsing Brown the day after the tape was made public.
Patty Bellasalma, the group?s president, called Whitman one of ?the most anti-women candidates to run in California in decades? and cited Brown?s record for hiring women.
?When you are armed with the facts and record of these two candidates, the choice is very easy, the choice is Jerry Brown,? Bellasalma said in a telephone interview.
Bruce Cain, a professor of politics at the University of California, Berkeley, said Whitman may use the remark to distance herself from her former housekeeper?s claim that Whitman kept her on while aware that she was in the U.S. illegally -- an issue that dominated the last debate.
Whitman accused Brown of engineering the housekeeper?s Sept. 29 news conference as a political stunt. She said she dismissed Nicky Diaz Santillan immediately after the woman admitted falsifying immigration documents.
?I?m sure she?ll ask for an apology or something,? Cain said. Still, the aide?s remark isn?t likely to gain as much traction as the immigration flap, he said.
?There?s so much going wrong in California right now, it doesn?t really tie into the pressing issues,? Cain said. ?The undocumented issue ties into a major issue, which is: What are we going to do about immigration reform? I?m not sure how you tie this one in, in a way that helps Meg Whitman.?
� Copyright 2010 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
NM-1: PCCC Endorses Eric Griego
In their first endorsement for 2012, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is backing state Senator Eric Griego in New Mexico's first district. Watch Griego's announcement.
PCCC:
"The last thing we need to send to Washington is a Democrat who is a kinder, gentler version of the Republicans."
New Mexico state senator Eric Griego said these words when announcing his candidacy for Congress.
And today, Eric Griego is the first House challenger of 2012 that we're officially endorsing!
Click here to see Eric Greigo's announcement -- and chip in $3 to his campaign before the closely-watched June 30 fundraising deadline.
Eric is one of the most progressive members of the New Mexico Senate. He won his seat after running a grassroots primary against an incumbent conservative Democrat.
He passed green jobs legislation and campaign finance reform into law. In Congress, Eric wants to create jobs through massive investment in our nation's infrastructure.
NM-1 opens up as Rep. Martin Henreich launchs a bid for retiring Senator Jeff Bingaham's seat. It's expected a few conservative Democrats are eyeing this one up, and all but confirmed that Terry Brunner, Obama USDA appointee, is in. Griego, though, sounds ready for a fight:
We need whoever goes to Washington to represent this district to be willing to roll up their sleeves and take on this conservative right wing that wants to gut everything that we hold dear... We need someone who can stand their ground!
June 30 is a key fundraising deadline and everyone will be watching the numbers. Give Griego a boost.
PCCC:
"The last thing we need to send to Washington is a Democrat who is a kinder, gentler version of the Republicans."
New Mexico state senator Eric Griego said these words when announcing his candidacy for Congress.
And today, Eric Griego is the first House challenger of 2012 that we're officially endorsing!
Click here to see Eric Greigo's announcement -- and chip in $3 to his campaign before the closely-watched June 30 fundraising deadline.
Eric is one of the most progressive members of the New Mexico Senate. He won his seat after running a grassroots primary against an incumbent conservative Democrat.
He passed green jobs legislation and campaign finance reform into law. In Congress, Eric wants to create jobs through massive investment in our nation's infrastructure.
NM-1 opens up as Rep. Martin Henreich launchs a bid for retiring Senator Jeff Bingaham's seat. It's expected a few conservative Democrats are eyeing this one up, and all but confirmed that Terry Brunner, Obama USDA appointee, is in. Griego, though, sounds ready for a fight:
We need whoever goes to Washington to represent this district to be willing to roll up their sleeves and take on this conservative right wing that wants to gut everything that we hold dear... We need someone who can stand their ground!
June 30 is a key fundraising deadline and everyone will be watching the numbers. Give Griego a boost.
Chelsa Clinton Michelle Obama Sean Hannity Glenn Beck Rush Limbaugh
JPMorgan Chase Screws Alabama County
JPMorgan Chase exploded an Alabama county's budget along with corrupt politicians. MSNBC host Cenk Uygur explains how the bankers suffered no consequences.
�
Lt Choi: Obama Inaction On LGBT Issues 'Grave Insult'
MSNBC host Cenk Uygur speaks with Lt. Dan Choi (fired over DADT) and Brian Ellner of Human Rights Campaign on if President Obama has done enough to fight for gay right. They also discuss gay marriage rights possibly coming to New York.
�
Remarks by the First Lady at Women's Leadership Luncheon, Gaborone, Botswana
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Sanitas Tea Garden
Gaborone, Botswana
12:27 P.M. (Local)
MRS. OBAMA: Well, hello everyone. It is such a pleasure to be with all of you today. It’s a beautiful sunny day. A little chilly. It’s okay, I’m from Chicago, I can handle it. (Laughter.) It’s cold in my hometown.
But it is a pleasure to be in this beautiful country that embodies what my husband has called “a vision of Africa on the move.” That is Botswana, a thriving democracy, a vital society, a fast-growing economy, and more importantly a kind and generous people who have, in this short amount of time, given me and my family such a warm welcome. (Applause.)
I want to start by thanking Mpho for that wonderful introduction. Very kind, very brilliant. Let’s give her a hand. (Applause.)
And I also have to thank Ambassador Gavin for her remarks and for taking the time, for her leadership. She is going to be a magnificent ambassador. We are excited about her being here. She is among our best. So let’s give her a round of applause. (Applause.)
But I also want to more importantly recognize our guests of honor. We have 23 young women who we are celebrating today. Some of these young women are the very first in their families to attend university. Others have overcome tremendous odds to do so. And all of them are working hard every day at their universities and at their secondary schools. And we’re here today because we are so proud of you all and we are very impressed by everything that you’ve achieved to this point. So let’s give them a round of applause, too. (Applause.)
Finally, I want to thank the 10 remarkable women leaders who have come here today, who have taken time from their busy lives to join us and to help us celebrate these young women. Each of these leaders has carved out an extraordinary path in this world. And along the way, they have broken all kinds of barriers and reached heights in their careers.
But I want the students here to remember about these leaders is that it wasn’t so long ago that these women were sitting just where all of you are sitting. They, believe it or not, including me, we were once young, too. (Laughter.) They were filled with hopes and dreams, but also worries, fears and doubts.
It’s important to remember that these women were not born attorney general, the Dean of a Medical School, the paramount chief of a tribe. It wasn’t just luck that made them the first woman on this country’s highest court or the first woman to serve as FIFA football referee.
Each of these women earned these honors. They spent thousands of hours studying, and practicing, and working. And in the end, their stories were possible because along the way, each of them had someone in their lives who encouraged them and inspired them. They each had someone who told them, “You’re special, you’re talented, you have so much to offer.”
And today, I’m reminded that here in Botswana, you have a proverb that says: “We are people because of other people.”
In other words, all of our journeys are shaped, in part, by people in our lives who love us, who believe in us, and who invest in us.
And that is why we didn’t just invite these remarkable young leaders here today. We also invited their mothers, their grandmothers, their aunts, and uncles, caregivers, mentors and others who have made them who they are today.
And we did this purposefully because we know that education is a family affair. It’s a community affair, particularly when it comes to educating young women.
It’s about fathers who ask, “Why should my son go to school, and not my daughter?” It’s about the grandmother who makes sure her granddaughter is dressed, fed, hair-braided, and out the door in time for school. It’s about the mother who works long hours, maybe an extra job, so that her daughter can attend university and have opportunities that she never dreamed of.
So to all of the family members and the loved ones who are here today, please make no mistake about it, that these young women are here today because of you, and who they will become in the future is because of you. So today is your day too.
And I know this from firsthand experience the power of the love and support that family provides, because I have been blessed with so much of that in my life.
I came from a modest background. Neither of my parents attended university themselves. But they were determined that my brother and I would have that chance. So they worked hard to provide for us. They sacrificed for us. More importantly, they set high standards. They pushed us to meet those high standards.
And when it came time for me to apply to university, I applied to some of the most elite universities in my country. And as I’ve shared so often, before, when I applied, there were people that didn’t think that someone with my background could succeed at such elite institutions. And when I ended up getting accepted to one of those universities, truthfully I had plenty of doubts about my own abilities.
But once I started attending classes, I soon realized that I could do just as well, if not better, than many of my classmates. I realized that success is not about where you come from or how much money your family has. Success is about how passionately you believe in your own potential and more importantly how hard you’re willing to work to achieve it.
And what I have said to so many young people and young women is that if ever you start to doubt yourself -- because I did this -- I would remember all of that faith, all that love, all that hard work that my parents poured into me.
And by doing that, for me, that would light my path. That would guide me on my journey.
So today, I want to conclude with a simple toast. To these extraordinary women -- we can pretend to raise our glasses -- (laughter) -- we are all so proud of. To these remarkable women leaders, whose achievements inspire us. And to all of those in our lives whose love guides us, sustains us, and makes us who we are.
So thank you all. God bless. Keep it up. Work very hard. This is the beginning of a very high bar for all of you. But you can do it. You already are doing it.
And the last message to the family members, something my mother taught me, is that you don't have to have achieved what your children have achieved to push them to be successful. All they need is your constant love and support. That is it.
So keep being what they say -- that “wind beneath their wings” -- and they will be brilliant. So thank you all so much. (Applause.)
END
12:35 P.M. (Local)
For Immediate Release
Sanitas Tea Garden
Gaborone, Botswana
12:27 P.M. (Local)
MRS. OBAMA: Well, hello everyone. It is such a pleasure to be with all of you today. It’s a beautiful sunny day. A little chilly. It’s okay, I’m from Chicago, I can handle it. (Laughter.) It’s cold in my hometown.
But it is a pleasure to be in this beautiful country that embodies what my husband has called “a vision of Africa on the move.” That is Botswana, a thriving democracy, a vital society, a fast-growing economy, and more importantly a kind and generous people who have, in this short amount of time, given me and my family such a warm welcome. (Applause.)
I want to start by thanking Mpho for that wonderful introduction. Very kind, very brilliant. Let’s give her a hand. (Applause.)
And I also have to thank Ambassador Gavin for her remarks and for taking the time, for her leadership. She is going to be a magnificent ambassador. We are excited about her being here. She is among our best. So let’s give her a round of applause. (Applause.)
But I also want to more importantly recognize our guests of honor. We have 23 young women who we are celebrating today. Some of these young women are the very first in their families to attend university. Others have overcome tremendous odds to do so. And all of them are working hard every day at their universities and at their secondary schools. And we’re here today because we are so proud of you all and we are very impressed by everything that you’ve achieved to this point. So let’s give them a round of applause, too. (Applause.)
Finally, I want to thank the 10 remarkable women leaders who have come here today, who have taken time from their busy lives to join us and to help us celebrate these young women. Each of these leaders has carved out an extraordinary path in this world. And along the way, they have broken all kinds of barriers and reached heights in their careers.
But I want the students here to remember about these leaders is that it wasn’t so long ago that these women were sitting just where all of you are sitting. They, believe it or not, including me, we were once young, too. (Laughter.) They were filled with hopes and dreams, but also worries, fears and doubts.
It’s important to remember that these women were not born attorney general, the Dean of a Medical School, the paramount chief of a tribe. It wasn’t just luck that made them the first woman on this country’s highest court or the first woman to serve as FIFA football referee.
Each of these women earned these honors. They spent thousands of hours studying, and practicing, and working. And in the end, their stories were possible because along the way, each of them had someone in their lives who encouraged them and inspired them. They each had someone who told them, “You’re special, you’re talented, you have so much to offer.”
And today, I’m reminded that here in Botswana, you have a proverb that says: “We are people because of other people.”
In other words, all of our journeys are shaped, in part, by people in our lives who love us, who believe in us, and who invest in us.
And that is why we didn’t just invite these remarkable young leaders here today. We also invited their mothers, their grandmothers, their aunts, and uncles, caregivers, mentors and others who have made them who they are today.
And we did this purposefully because we know that education is a family affair. It’s a community affair, particularly when it comes to educating young women.
It’s about fathers who ask, “Why should my son go to school, and not my daughter?” It’s about the grandmother who makes sure her granddaughter is dressed, fed, hair-braided, and out the door in time for school. It’s about the mother who works long hours, maybe an extra job, so that her daughter can attend university and have opportunities that she never dreamed of.
So to all of the family members and the loved ones who are here today, please make no mistake about it, that these young women are here today because of you, and who they will become in the future is because of you. So today is your day too.
And I know this from firsthand experience the power of the love and support that family provides, because I have been blessed with so much of that in my life.
I came from a modest background. Neither of my parents attended university themselves. But they were determined that my brother and I would have that chance. So they worked hard to provide for us. They sacrificed for us. More importantly, they set high standards. They pushed us to meet those high standards.
And when it came time for me to apply to university, I applied to some of the most elite universities in my country. And as I’ve shared so often, before, when I applied, there were people that didn’t think that someone with my background could succeed at such elite institutions. And when I ended up getting accepted to one of those universities, truthfully I had plenty of doubts about my own abilities.
But once I started attending classes, I soon realized that I could do just as well, if not better, than many of my classmates. I realized that success is not about where you come from or how much money your family has. Success is about how passionately you believe in your own potential and more importantly how hard you’re willing to work to achieve it.
And what I have said to so many young people and young women is that if ever you start to doubt yourself -- because I did this -- I would remember all of that faith, all that love, all that hard work that my parents poured into me.
And by doing that, for me, that would light my path. That would guide me on my journey.
So today, I want to conclude with a simple toast. To these extraordinary women -- we can pretend to raise our glasses -- (laughter) -- we are all so proud of. To these remarkable women leaders, whose achievements inspire us. And to all of those in our lives whose love guides us, sustains us, and makes us who we are.
So thank you all. God bless. Keep it up. Work very hard. This is the beginning of a very high bar for all of you. But you can do it. You already are doing it.
And the last message to the family members, something my mother taught me, is that you don't have to have achieved what your children have achieved to push them to be successful. All they need is your constant love and support. That is it.
So keep being what they say -- that “wind beneath their wings” -- and they will be brilliant. So thank you all so much. (Applause.)
END
12:35 P.M. (Local)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
California?s Brown Leads Whitman Among Female Voters
Jerry Brown, the Democrat running for governor of California, is drawing more support from women than Republican Meg Whitman even as a recording of an aide calling her a ?whore? hangs over their final scheduled debate.
Brown led Whitman among likely women voters 47 percent to 37 percent in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll Oct. 3, up from a virtual tie, 45 percent-44 percent, on Sept. 20. The results came after Whitman was accused of employing an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper, though before the Los Angeles Times published the ?whore? recording Oct. 8.
Whitman, 54, the former EBay Inc. chief executive officer, has spent $119 million of her own fortune, a U.S. record by a self-funded candidate, as she battles Brown, 72, to run the state with the most people and the biggest economy in the nation. The two are to appear in a debate tonight moderated by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
?Brown supporters will stay with Brown, Whitman supporters will be somewhat outraged and continue supporting Whitman,? said Ann Crigler, a professor of politics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Brown spent $10.7 million on his campaign from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 and had a fund balance of $22.6 million, according to the California secretary of state?s office. Whitman spent $120.6 million in that period, with $9.2 million remaining.
?An Insult?
The recorded slur won?t change Brown?s standing with women voters since Brown himself didn?t say it, Crigler said in a telephone interview.
Brown, California?s governor for two terms, from 1975 to 1983, and now attorney general, was inadvertently recorded by voicemail after leaving a message for a Los Angeles police union official. In a conversation about a potential advertisement over pension issues, an aide says, ?What about saying she?s a whore?? according to the Times.
?The use of the term ?whore? is an insult to both Meg Whitman and to the women of California,? Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said in an Oct. 7 statement. ?This is an appalling and unforgivable smear.? The release of the recording prompted an apology from the Brown campaign.
Sterling Clifford, a Brown spokesman, said the candidate didn?t make the comment.
?As to who it was, it?s not the best recording in the world,? Clifford said in an interview. ?It?s hard to say.?
Regret Expressed
If the comment is raised at tonight?s debate at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, he said, the campaign has already expressed regret ?and I don?t think we?ll go much beyond that.?
Darrel Ng, a Whitman spokesman, declined to comment when asked whether the remark would sway female voters and declined to say whether Whitman would raise the issue.
?I certainly expect Whitman to press it hard as a way of communicating to female voters and emphasizing her status as the potential first female governor of California,? Jack Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College politics professor, said in a telephone interview. Claremont is located east of Los Angeles.
?It?s hard to say that this is going to be a decisive issue,? Pitney said. ?Voters know that politicians and political operatives use bad language in private. That?s not a revelation.?
?Anti-Women Candidates?
The controversy didn?t stop the California chapter of the National Organization for Women from endorsing Brown the day after the tape was made public.
Patty Bellasalma, the group?s president, called Whitman one of ?the most anti-women candidates to run in California in decades? and cited Brown?s record for hiring women.
?When you are armed with the facts and record of these two candidates, the choice is very easy, the choice is Jerry Brown,? Bellasalma said in a telephone interview.
Bruce Cain, a professor of politics at the University of California, Berkeley, said Whitman may use the remark to distance herself from her former housekeeper?s claim that Whitman kept her on while aware that she was in the U.S. illegally -- an issue that dominated the last debate.
Whitman accused Brown of engineering the housekeeper?s Sept. 29 news conference as a political stunt. She said she dismissed Nicky Diaz Santillan immediately after the woman admitted falsifying immigration documents.
?I?m sure she?ll ask for an apology or something,? Cain said. Still, the aide?s remark isn?t likely to gain as much traction as the immigration flap, he said.
?There?s so much going wrong in California right now, it doesn?t really tie into the pressing issues,? Cain said. ?The undocumented issue ties into a major issue, which is: What are we going to do about immigration reform? I?m not sure how you tie this one in, in a way that helps Meg Whitman.?
� Copyright 2010 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.
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From Rand Paul to Barbara Boxer: The Cliches of Campaign Debates
Round-Up of Senate, Governor Races in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin14 days ago
Hillary Clinton Tea Party Black Panthers Bristol Palin Newt Gingrich
Statement by the Press Secretary on New Rules on Sensitive Nuclear Trade Approved by the Nuclear Suppliers Group
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
The United States welcomes the decision of the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to approve new guidelines covering transfers of sensitive nuclear technologies used for the enrichment of uranium or the processing of spent nuclear fuel. This decision establishes agreed criteria that limit allowed transfers only to those nations in compliance with their nonproliferation obligations and that meet agreed standards for nuclear safeguards, safety and security. This Administration remains committed to ensuring that nations in good standing can have access to peaceful nuclear energy without increasing the risks of nuclear weapons proliferation. This latest step, coupled with the agreement last December to establish an International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear fuel bank, advances the President's nuclear agenda laid out in Prague in 2009. It further demonstrates the clear determination of nations to strengthen the international nonproliferation regime and build new frameworks for civil nuclear cooperation.
For Immediate Release
The United States welcomes the decision of the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to approve new guidelines covering transfers of sensitive nuclear technologies used for the enrichment of uranium or the processing of spent nuclear fuel. This decision establishes agreed criteria that limit allowed transfers only to those nations in compliance with their nonproliferation obligations and that meet agreed standards for nuclear safeguards, safety and security. This Administration remains committed to ensuring that nations in good standing can have access to peaceful nuclear energy without increasing the risks of nuclear weapons proliferation. This latest step, coupled with the agreement last December to establish an International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear fuel bank, advances the President's nuclear agenda laid out in Prague in 2009. It further demonstrates the clear determination of nations to strengthen the international nonproliferation regime and build new frameworks for civil nuclear cooperation.
President Obama Signs Kansas Emergency Declaration
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Yesterday, the President declared an emergency exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on June 1, 2011, and continuing.
The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Atchison, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Bradley Harris as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-3272.
For Immediate Release
Yesterday, the President declared an emergency exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on June 1, 2011, and continuing.
The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Atchison, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Bradley Harris as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-3272.
Statement by the Press Secretary on Gilad Shalit
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Nearly five years have now passed since Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel and abducted Gilad Shalit. During this time, Hamas has held him hostage without access by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in violation of the standards of basic decency and international humanitarian demands. As the anniversary of his capture approaches, the United States condemns in the strongest possible terms his continued detention, and joins other governments and international organizations around the world in calling on Hamas to release him immediately.
For Immediate Release
Nearly five years have now passed since Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel and abducted Gilad Shalit. During this time, Hamas has held him hostage without access by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in violation of the standards of basic decency and international humanitarian demands. As the anniversary of his capture approaches, the United States condemns in the strongest possible terms his continued detention, and joins other governments and international organizations around the world in calling on Hamas to release him immediately.
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A Message from Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann, the much-anticipated week-nightly commentary show featuring the return of one of journalism’s most outspoken voices, will return on independently-owned Current TV on Monday, June 20 at 8/7c. For the Countdown interactive experience, visit Current.com/Countdown
Monday, June 27, 2011
President Obama Signs Iowa Disaster Declaration
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Iowa and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on May 25, 2011, and continuing.
Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis in the counties of Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael R. Scott as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-3272.
For Immediate Release
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Iowa and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on May 25, 2011, and continuing.
Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis in the counties of Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael R. Scott as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-3272.
Palin Sarah Palin Chelsa Clinton Michelle Obama Sean Hannity
Murkowski Lauds Democrats
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who is running as a write-in candidate for re-election after losing in the Republican primary, lists two Democrat senators among those she admires the most. Murkowski was asked the question by the Anchorage Daily News, The Hill reports.
"The [senators] that immediately come to mind are those that are on the other side of the aisle and I have a good working relationship with," she says. Murkowski then listed Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who like Murkowski sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Murkowski has lost her leadership position in the Senate Republican Conference for running against Joe Miller, who beat her in the primary. She says he is too extreme.
Murkowski has said she would remain a Republican if she is re-elected, but she repeatedly makes overtures to Democrats, obviously hoping for more votes.
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Pakistani The View gubernatorial candidate Howard Dean ethics charges
President Obama Signs Kansas Emergency Declaration
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Yesterday, the President declared an emergency exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on June 1, 2011, and continuing.
The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Atchison, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Bradley Harris as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-3272.
For Immediate Release
Yesterday, the President declared an emergency exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on June 1, 2011, and continuing.
The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Atchison, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Bradley Harris as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-3272.
John Boehner Speaker Pelosi stimulus bill recession Rick Santorum
The Two Jon Huntsmans
Paul Blumenthal writes up the buzz around Jon Huntsman Jr.'s "pre-announcement" announcement ads and fundraisers. The strategy is positioning himself as "cut from a different cloth," unorthodox, and moderate.
Today the Utah State Democratic Party, who found common ground with Huntsman as Governor on climate change -- a position Huntsman has recently reversed -- and civil unions, responded with an announcement of their own: Jon Huntsman "In 1 Day."
Huntsman's launching point might get him somewhere in a general election as a moderate, but I don't see how "unorthodox" and "cut from a different cloth" plays well to the ears of the average GOP primary voter.
And as the state Democrats point out, in the end there's nothing really new here. Just another chameleon ready to do and say anything to win.
Today the Utah State Democratic Party, who found common ground with Huntsman as Governor on climate change -- a position Huntsman has recently reversed -- and civil unions, responded with an announcement of their own: Jon Huntsman "In 1 Day."
Huntsman's launching point might get him somewhere in a general election as a moderate, but I don't see how "unorthodox" and "cut from a different cloth" plays well to the ears of the average GOP primary voter.
And as the state Democrats point out, in the end there's nothing really new here. Just another chameleon ready to do and say anything to win.
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Sunday, June 26, 2011
California?s Brown Leads Whitman Among Female Voters
Jerry Brown, the Democrat running for governor of California, is drawing more support from women than Republican Meg Whitman even as a recording of an aide calling her a ?whore? hangs over their final scheduled debate.
Brown led Whitman among likely women voters 47 percent to 37 percent in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll Oct. 3, up from a virtual tie, 45 percent-44 percent, on Sept. 20. The results came after Whitman was accused of employing an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper, though before the Los Angeles Times published the ?whore? recording Oct. 8.
Whitman, 54, the former EBay Inc. chief executive officer, has spent $119 million of her own fortune, a U.S. record by a self-funded candidate, as she battles Brown, 72, to run the state with the most people and the biggest economy in the nation. The two are to appear in a debate tonight moderated by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
?Brown supporters will stay with Brown, Whitman supporters will be somewhat outraged and continue supporting Whitman,? said Ann Crigler, a professor of politics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Brown spent $10.7 million on his campaign from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 and had a fund balance of $22.6 million, according to the California secretary of state?s office. Whitman spent $120.6 million in that period, with $9.2 million remaining.
?An Insult?
The recorded slur won?t change Brown?s standing with women voters since Brown himself didn?t say it, Crigler said in a telephone interview.
Brown, California?s governor for two terms, from 1975 to 1983, and now attorney general, was inadvertently recorded by voicemail after leaving a message for a Los Angeles police union official. In a conversation about a potential advertisement over pension issues, an aide says, ?What about saying she?s a whore?? according to the Times.
?The use of the term ?whore? is an insult to both Meg Whitman and to the women of California,? Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said in an Oct. 7 statement. ?This is an appalling and unforgivable smear.? The release of the recording prompted an apology from the Brown campaign.
Sterling Clifford, a Brown spokesman, said the candidate didn?t make the comment.
?As to who it was, it?s not the best recording in the world,? Clifford said in an interview. ?It?s hard to say.?
Regret Expressed
If the comment is raised at tonight?s debate at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, he said, the campaign has already expressed regret ?and I don?t think we?ll go much beyond that.?
Darrel Ng, a Whitman spokesman, declined to comment when asked whether the remark would sway female voters and declined to say whether Whitman would raise the issue.
?I certainly expect Whitman to press it hard as a way of communicating to female voters and emphasizing her status as the potential first female governor of California,? Jack Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College politics professor, said in a telephone interview. Claremont is located east of Los Angeles.
?It?s hard to say that this is going to be a decisive issue,? Pitney said. ?Voters know that politicians and political operatives use bad language in private. That?s not a revelation.?
?Anti-Women Candidates?
The controversy didn?t stop the California chapter of the National Organization for Women from endorsing Brown the day after the tape was made public.
Patty Bellasalma, the group?s president, called Whitman one of ?the most anti-women candidates to run in California in decades? and cited Brown?s record for hiring women.
?When you are armed with the facts and record of these two candidates, the choice is very easy, the choice is Jerry Brown,? Bellasalma said in a telephone interview.
Bruce Cain, a professor of politics at the University of California, Berkeley, said Whitman may use the remark to distance herself from her former housekeeper?s claim that Whitman kept her on while aware that she was in the U.S. illegally -- an issue that dominated the last debate.
Whitman accused Brown of engineering the housekeeper?s Sept. 29 news conference as a political stunt. She said she dismissed Nicky Diaz Santillan immediately after the woman admitted falsifying immigration documents.
?I?m sure she?ll ask for an apology or something,? Cain said. Still, the aide?s remark isn?t likely to gain as much traction as the immigration flap, he said.
?There?s so much going wrong in California right now, it doesn?t really tie into the pressing issues,? Cain said. ?The undocumented issue ties into a major issue, which is: What are we going to do about immigration reform? I?m not sure how you tie this one in, in a way that helps Meg Whitman.?
� Copyright 2010 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.
Koch Brothers Attack Social Security
MSNBC host Cenk Uygur speaks with Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films on Republicans trying to destroy social security (and how the billionaire Koch Brothers are paying to make it happen).
�
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Remarks by the President at a DNC Event
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Sheraton Hotel and Towers
New York, New York
6:59 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, hello, hello! (Applause.) Thank you! Thank you so much. Hello, New York! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Everybody please have a seat. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Thank you, Jonathan, for your service to this country and for continuing to fight for what this country stands for, even after you had to take off the uniform.
I also want to recognize the extraordinary performance of Audra McDonald. I like hearing her sing. (Applause.) I want to thank our MC for this evening, Neil Patrick Harris. (Applause.) Everybody knows that Neil is openly terrific. (Laughter.)
A couple of other acknowledgments -- Christine Quinn, the New York City Council Speaker, is here. (Applause.) A great friend of mine who helped move the process forward to make sure that “don’t ask, don’t tell” got done -- Patrick Murphy is in the house. (Applause.) The DNC treasurer, Andy Tobias, is here. (Applause.) I think they like you, Andy. (Applause.) And I want to thank the co-chairs of the LGBT Leadership Council. Thank you so much. This is just an extraordinary event.
It is wonderful to be back in New York. I see a lot of new faces but also a lot of friends who I have known for a very long time. Many of you knew me before I had gray hair. (Laughter.) Malia and Sasha says it makes me look distinguished. Michelle says it makes me look old. (Laughter.)
Now, being here with all of you, I can’t help but think back to election night two and a half years ago. We were in Grant Park -- some of you were there. Beautiful night. Culmination of an extraordinary journey; a campaign that had drawn on the hard work and support of people all across the country –- men and women who believed that change was possible, who believed that we didn’t have to accept politics as usual, who believed that we could once again be a country that lived up to our highest aspirations, not our lowest common denominators. And it was a perfect night, and we were feeling pretty good, I got to admit.
But what I said then at Grant Park was that this was not the end of the road; it was just the beginning. And I said that the journey was going to be long and it was going to be difficult and there were going to be times where we stumble, that the climb was going to be steep. Now, we didn’t know exactly how steep it was going to be. (Laughter.) But we knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to rebuild the middle class after a decade of stagnant incomes and rising costs -– a decade where a lot of Americans felt like that dream was slipping away.
We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to end two wars and restore America’s leadership around the world. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to fix our immigration system; to reform our health care system; to transform our energy policy; to educate our young people for the demands of a global economy. We did not think it was going to be easy.
And I said that night I did not run for President to do easy things. I ran because I believed that as a nation it was time for us to do the hard things. It was time for us to do the big things -- even if it took time, even if sometimes it was going to be frustrating. I said I was not going to let politics or the typical Washington games stand in our way because it had held us back for too long. That's what led to the mess that we were dealing with in the first place.
So over these past two and a half years, I’ve had some tough calls to make. I had some tough calls as soon as I took office. We had to prevent a financial system from falling apart and dragging the economy into depression. We had to pass reforms to stop abuses in the financial system and prevent future crises. We had to rescue the auto industry. I did not think it was going to be an auto CEO. (Laughter.) Even though there were a lot of people who said, let them go, let more than a million jobs vanish, allow two of America’s iconic companies to be liquidated and sold off for parts, we said no, we’re going to have to step up, we’re going to have to deal with it.
But even as we took these emergency steps, we started tackling all the challenges that we had talked about during the campaign, all the things that were standing in the way of the American Dream. Because that’s why I ran. That’s what the campaign was about. That's why you supported me. Because we believed in an economy that didn’t just work for those at the top, but worked for everybody -– where prosperity was shared. (Applause.) Where prosperity was shared from the machinist on the line to the manager on the floor, to the CEO in the boardroom.
We worked so hard in 2008 because we believed that we have to define our success not just by stock prices or corporate profits, but whether ordinary folks can find a good work, whether they can afford a middle-class life, whether they can pay the mortgage and take care of their kids and save some money for their child’s college education or their own retirement, and maybe have a little left over to go to a movie or dinner or even a play. (Laughter.) Since we're in New York. (Laughter.)
That’s why we cut taxes for middle-class families, and ended subsidies to the banks for student loans to make college more affordable. That’s why I was proud to sign a bill to make sure women earn equal pay for equal work -- a basic principle. (Applause.) That’s why we’re promoting manufacturing and homegrown American energy -– because that’s what will lead to jobs that pay a decent salary. That's why we’re standing up a new consumer bureau with just one responsibility -- looking out for ordinary folks in the financial system so they're not cheated. That's why we passed health reform, so that no one in the richest nation on Earth ever has to go bankrupt because they or somebody in their family get sick. (Applause.) That was the right thing to do. (Applause.)
We waged that long campaign in 2008 because we believed it was time to end the war in Iraq. And that is what we are doing -- ending the war in Iraq. (Applause.) We removed 100,000 troops from Iraq already, ended combat missions there. We’re on track to bring the rest of our troops home by the end of this year.
I ran for President because I believed we needed to refocus our efforts in Afghanistan -- and we’re doing this, too. We pummeled al Qaeda. We took out bin Laden. (Applause.) And because of our progress and the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops -- because of the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops, we’re now fulfilling the commitment I made to start reducing our troops this month so that Afghans can take responsibility for their own security. (Applause.)
I also ran because we now live in a world where America is facing stiff competition for good jobs. There are rapidly growing nations like China and India -- they're hungry; they're on the move. And for a long time we were told that the best way to win this competition was to undermine consumer protections, undermine clean air and clean water laws, hand out tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, and everything would work out just fine. It did not work out well. In fact, if you look at our history, you'll see that philosophy has never worked our very well.
America was built on the hard work of people and the ingenuity of our businesses. But we also built a system of free public high schools and sent a generation to college on the G.I. Bill. We constructed railroads and highways that spanned a continent. We invested in research and technology, and we sent a man to the moon, and we discovered lifesaving medicine. We launched the Information Age -– creating millions of jobs along the way. That’s how you build a nation. That's how you build a strong middle class. And that’s what we need to do today.
There is an important debate in Washington right now about cutting the deficit. And it is absolutely critical that we cut the deficit. Like families all across America, government has to live within its means. And I’m prepared to bring down our deficit by trillions of dollars –- that’s "trillions" with a "t."
But I won't reduce our deficit by sacrificing the education of our young people. (Applause.)
We can’t stop medical research being done by our scientists. (Applause.) We can’t stop building the infrastructure that made this country great. I’m not going to sacrifice clean energy at a time when our dependence on foreign oil has caused Americans so much pain at the pump. (Applause.) That doesn't make any sense. In other words, I will not sacrifice America’s future.
What makes America great is not just the scale of our skyscrapers, or our military might, or the size of our GDP. What makes us great is the character of our people. Yes, we are rugged individualists and we are self-reliant, and that’s part of what makes us Americans. We don't like being told what to do.
But what also makes us who we are is we’ve got faith in the future and we recognize that that future is shared -- the notion that I'm my brother’s keeper, I'm my sister’s keeper. My life is richer and stronger when everybody in the country has some measure of security; everybody has got a fair shot at the American Dream. That's what makes us great. That’s our vision for America.
It’s not a vision of a small America. It’s a vision of a big America; a compassionate America; and a bold and optimistic America. And it’s a vision where we’re living within our means, but we’re still investing in our future. And everybody is making sacrifices, but nobody bears all the burden. An America where we live up to the idea that no matter who we are, no matter what we look like, we are connected to one another.
That's what led many of us to fight so hard, to knock on so many doors and maybe harangue some of our friends -- this belief that it was up to each of us to perfect this union. It was our work to make sure that we were living up to a simple American value: We're all created equal. We’re all created equal.
Ever since I entered into public life, ever since I have a memory about what my mother taught me, and my grandparents taught me, I believed that discriminating against people was wrong. I had no choice. I was born that way. (Laughter and applause.) In Hawaii. (Applause.) And I believed that discrimination because of somebody’s sexual orientation or gender identity ran counter to who we are as a people, and it’s a violation of the basic tenets on which this nation was founded. I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country. (Applause.)
Now, there was such a good recitation earlier by Neil that I feel bad repeating it, but let me just -- it bears repeating. (Laughter.) This is why we’re making sure that hospitals extended visitation rights to gay couples, because nobody should be barred from their bedside their partner -- the beside of their partner in a moment of pain, or a moment of need. Nobody should have to produce a legal contract to hold the hand of the person that they love.
It’s why we launched the first comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy, providing a road map not only to providing treatment and reducing infections -- (applause) -- but also embracing the potential of new, groundbreaking research that will help us bring an end to this pandemic.
That’s why I ordered federal agencies to extend the same benefits to gay couples that go to straight couples wherever possible. That's why we’re going to keep fighting until the law no longer -–
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage. Marriage. Marriage.
THE PRESIDENT: I heard you guys. (Laughter.) Believe it or not, I anticipated that somebody might -- (Laughter and applause.)
Where was I? (Laughter.) That's why we’re going to keep on fighting until the law no longer treats committed partners who’ve been together for decades like they’re strangers.
That’s why I have long believed that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ought to be repealed. It was wrong. It was unfair. (Applause.) And since I taught constitutional law for a while, I felt like I was in a pretty good position to agree with courts that have ruled that Section 3 of DOMA violates the Constitution. And that's why we decided, with my attorney general, that we could no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts. (Applause.)
Now, part of the reason that DOMA doesn't make sense is that traditionally marriage has been decided by the states. And right now I understand there’s a little debate going on here in New York -- (laughter) -- about whether to join five other states and D.C. in allowing civil marriage for gay couples. And I want to -- I want to say that under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, New York is doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do. There’s a debate; there’s deliberation about what it means here in New York to treat people fairly in the eyes of the law.
And that is -- look, that’s the power of our democratic system. It’s not always pretty. There are setbacks. There are frustrations. But in grappling with tough and, at times, emotional issues in legislatures and in courts and at the ballot box, and, yes, around the dinner table and in the office hallways, and sometimes even in the Oval Office, slowly but surely we find the way forward. That’s how we will achieve change that is lasting -– change that just a few years ago would have seemed impossible.
Now, let me just say this. There were those who doubted that we’d be able to pass a hate crimes law. Occasionally I got hollered at about that. After a decades-long fight, we got it done -- bring us closer to the day when nobody is going to be afraid to walk down the street because they’re gay or transgender. (Applause.)
There were those said we couldn’t end “don’t ask, don’t tell.” And I remember having events where folks hollered out at events. (Laughter.) But we passed the repeal. We got it done. We’re now moving forward with implementing it. (Applause.) So we’re no longer going to demand brave and patriotic Americans live a lie to serve their country.
Folks like Captain Jonathan Hopkins, who led a platoon into northern Iraq during the initial invasion, and quelled an ethnic riot, and earned a Bronze Star with valor. He was discharged, only to receive emails and letters from his soldiers saying if they had known he was gay all along -- that they had known he was gay all along and they still thought he was the best commander they had ever had.
That’s how progress is being won -- here in New York, around the country. Day by day, it’s won by ordinary people who are striving and fighting and protesting for change, and who, yes, are keeping the pressure up, including pressure on me. And by men and women who are setting an example in their own lives -- raising their families, doing their jobs, joining the PTA, singing in church, serving and sacrificing for this country overseas, even as they are not always granted the full rights of citizenship they deserve here at home.
Last year, I received a letter from a teenager growing up in a small town, and he told me he was a senior in high school, and that he was proud to be the captain of a club at his school, and that he was gay. And he hadn't told his parents. He hadn’t come out. He was worried about being mocked or being bullied. He didn’t think it was safe to, in his words, “openly be myself.” But this 17-year-old also looked towards the day when he didn’t have to be afraid; when he didn’t have to worry about walking down the hallway. And he closed his letter by saying, “Everyone else is considered equal in this country. Why shouldn’t we be?” (Applause.)
So, yes, we have more work to do. Yes, we have more progress to make. Yes, I expect continued impatience with me on occasion. (Laughter.) But understand this -- look, I think of teenagers like the one who wrote me, and they remind me that there should be impatience when it comes to the fight for basic equality. We've made enormous advances just in these last two and a half years. But there are still young people out there looking for us to do more, to help build a world in which they never have to feel afraid or alone to be themselves. And we know how important that is to not only tell them that it’s going to get better, but to also do everything in our power to ensure that things actually are better.
I’m confident that we will achieve the equality that this young person deserves. I’m confident that the future is bright for that teenager and others like him, and that he can have the life that he wants and that he imagines.
There will be setbacks along the way. There will be times where things aren’t moving as fast as folks would like. But I know that he’ll look back on his struggles, and the struggles of many in this room, as part of what made change possible; part of what it took to reach the day when every single American, gay or straight or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, was free to live and love as they see fit. (Applause.)
And we can look at the progress we’ve made in the last two years, to the changes that were led not by Washington, but by folks standing up for themselves, or for their sons or for their daughters, fighting for what’s right. Not just change on behalf of gay Americans, but for everybody looking to fulfill their version of the American Dream -- whether it’s the students working their way through college, or the workers heading to factories to build American cars again, or the energy entrepreneurs testing bold ideas, the construction crews laying down roads, the small business owners and scientists and inventors and builders and all those Americans who faced hardship and setbacks but who never stopped believing in this country -– it’s capacity to change; who are helping each and every day to rebuild this nation so that we emerge from this period of struggle stronger and more unified than ever before.
And that’s the story of progress in America. That’s what all of you represent -- of the stubborn refusal to accept anything less than the best that this country can be. And with your help, if you keep up the fight, and if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story. And we are going to leave a new generation with a brighter future and a more hopeful future. And I’ll be standing there, right there with you.
Thank you. God bless you. (Applause.) God bless the United States of America. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
7:24 P.M. EDT
For Immediate Release
Sheraton Hotel and Towers
New York, New York
6:59 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, hello, hello! (Applause.) Thank you! Thank you so much. Hello, New York! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Everybody please have a seat. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Thank you, Jonathan, for your service to this country and for continuing to fight for what this country stands for, even after you had to take off the uniform.
I also want to recognize the extraordinary performance of Audra McDonald. I like hearing her sing. (Applause.) I want to thank our MC for this evening, Neil Patrick Harris. (Applause.) Everybody knows that Neil is openly terrific. (Laughter.)
A couple of other acknowledgments -- Christine Quinn, the New York City Council Speaker, is here. (Applause.) A great friend of mine who helped move the process forward to make sure that “don’t ask, don’t tell” got done -- Patrick Murphy is in the house. (Applause.) The DNC treasurer, Andy Tobias, is here. (Applause.) I think they like you, Andy. (Applause.) And I want to thank the co-chairs of the LGBT Leadership Council. Thank you so much. This is just an extraordinary event.
It is wonderful to be back in New York. I see a lot of new faces but also a lot of friends who I have known for a very long time. Many of you knew me before I had gray hair. (Laughter.) Malia and Sasha says it makes me look distinguished. Michelle says it makes me look old. (Laughter.)
Now, being here with all of you, I can’t help but think back to election night two and a half years ago. We were in Grant Park -- some of you were there. Beautiful night. Culmination of an extraordinary journey; a campaign that had drawn on the hard work and support of people all across the country –- men and women who believed that change was possible, who believed that we didn’t have to accept politics as usual, who believed that we could once again be a country that lived up to our highest aspirations, not our lowest common denominators. And it was a perfect night, and we were feeling pretty good, I got to admit.
But what I said then at Grant Park was that this was not the end of the road; it was just the beginning. And I said that the journey was going to be long and it was going to be difficult and there were going to be times where we stumble, that the climb was going to be steep. Now, we didn’t know exactly how steep it was going to be. (Laughter.) But we knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to rebuild the middle class after a decade of stagnant incomes and rising costs -– a decade where a lot of Americans felt like that dream was slipping away.
We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to end two wars and restore America’s leadership around the world. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to fix our immigration system; to reform our health care system; to transform our energy policy; to educate our young people for the demands of a global economy. We did not think it was going to be easy.
And I said that night I did not run for President to do easy things. I ran because I believed that as a nation it was time for us to do the hard things. It was time for us to do the big things -- even if it took time, even if sometimes it was going to be frustrating. I said I was not going to let politics or the typical Washington games stand in our way because it had held us back for too long. That's what led to the mess that we were dealing with in the first place.
So over these past two and a half years, I’ve had some tough calls to make. I had some tough calls as soon as I took office. We had to prevent a financial system from falling apart and dragging the economy into depression. We had to pass reforms to stop abuses in the financial system and prevent future crises. We had to rescue the auto industry. I did not think it was going to be an auto CEO. (Laughter.) Even though there were a lot of people who said, let them go, let more than a million jobs vanish, allow two of America’s iconic companies to be liquidated and sold off for parts, we said no, we’re going to have to step up, we’re going to have to deal with it.
But even as we took these emergency steps, we started tackling all the challenges that we had talked about during the campaign, all the things that were standing in the way of the American Dream. Because that’s why I ran. That’s what the campaign was about. That's why you supported me. Because we believed in an economy that didn’t just work for those at the top, but worked for everybody -– where prosperity was shared. (Applause.) Where prosperity was shared from the machinist on the line to the manager on the floor, to the CEO in the boardroom.
We worked so hard in 2008 because we believed that we have to define our success not just by stock prices or corporate profits, but whether ordinary folks can find a good work, whether they can afford a middle-class life, whether they can pay the mortgage and take care of their kids and save some money for their child’s college education or their own retirement, and maybe have a little left over to go to a movie or dinner or even a play. (Laughter.) Since we're in New York. (Laughter.)
That’s why we cut taxes for middle-class families, and ended subsidies to the banks for student loans to make college more affordable. That’s why I was proud to sign a bill to make sure women earn equal pay for equal work -- a basic principle. (Applause.) That’s why we’re promoting manufacturing and homegrown American energy -– because that’s what will lead to jobs that pay a decent salary. That's why we’re standing up a new consumer bureau with just one responsibility -- looking out for ordinary folks in the financial system so they're not cheated. That's why we passed health reform, so that no one in the richest nation on Earth ever has to go bankrupt because they or somebody in their family get sick. (Applause.) That was the right thing to do. (Applause.)
We waged that long campaign in 2008 because we believed it was time to end the war in Iraq. And that is what we are doing -- ending the war in Iraq. (Applause.) We removed 100,000 troops from Iraq already, ended combat missions there. We’re on track to bring the rest of our troops home by the end of this year.
I ran for President because I believed we needed to refocus our efforts in Afghanistan -- and we’re doing this, too. We pummeled al Qaeda. We took out bin Laden. (Applause.) And because of our progress and the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops -- because of the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops, we’re now fulfilling the commitment I made to start reducing our troops this month so that Afghans can take responsibility for their own security. (Applause.)
I also ran because we now live in a world where America is facing stiff competition for good jobs. There are rapidly growing nations like China and India -- they're hungry; they're on the move. And for a long time we were told that the best way to win this competition was to undermine consumer protections, undermine clean air and clean water laws, hand out tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, and everything would work out just fine. It did not work out well. In fact, if you look at our history, you'll see that philosophy has never worked our very well.
America was built on the hard work of people and the ingenuity of our businesses. But we also built a system of free public high schools and sent a generation to college on the G.I. Bill. We constructed railroads and highways that spanned a continent. We invested in research and technology, and we sent a man to the moon, and we discovered lifesaving medicine. We launched the Information Age -– creating millions of jobs along the way. That’s how you build a nation. That's how you build a strong middle class. And that’s what we need to do today.
There is an important debate in Washington right now about cutting the deficit. And it is absolutely critical that we cut the deficit. Like families all across America, government has to live within its means. And I’m prepared to bring down our deficit by trillions of dollars –- that’s "trillions" with a "t."
But I won't reduce our deficit by sacrificing the education of our young people. (Applause.)
We can’t stop medical research being done by our scientists. (Applause.) We can’t stop building the infrastructure that made this country great. I’m not going to sacrifice clean energy at a time when our dependence on foreign oil has caused Americans so much pain at the pump. (Applause.) That doesn't make any sense. In other words, I will not sacrifice America’s future.
What makes America great is not just the scale of our skyscrapers, or our military might, or the size of our GDP. What makes us great is the character of our people. Yes, we are rugged individualists and we are self-reliant, and that’s part of what makes us Americans. We don't like being told what to do.
But what also makes us who we are is we’ve got faith in the future and we recognize that that future is shared -- the notion that I'm my brother’s keeper, I'm my sister’s keeper. My life is richer and stronger when everybody in the country has some measure of security; everybody has got a fair shot at the American Dream. That's what makes us great. That’s our vision for America.
It’s not a vision of a small America. It’s a vision of a big America; a compassionate America; and a bold and optimistic America. And it’s a vision where we’re living within our means, but we’re still investing in our future. And everybody is making sacrifices, but nobody bears all the burden. An America where we live up to the idea that no matter who we are, no matter what we look like, we are connected to one another.
That's what led many of us to fight so hard, to knock on so many doors and maybe harangue some of our friends -- this belief that it was up to each of us to perfect this union. It was our work to make sure that we were living up to a simple American value: We're all created equal. We’re all created equal.
Ever since I entered into public life, ever since I have a memory about what my mother taught me, and my grandparents taught me, I believed that discriminating against people was wrong. I had no choice. I was born that way. (Laughter and applause.) In Hawaii. (Applause.) And I believed that discrimination because of somebody’s sexual orientation or gender identity ran counter to who we are as a people, and it’s a violation of the basic tenets on which this nation was founded. I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country. (Applause.)
Now, there was such a good recitation earlier by Neil that I feel bad repeating it, but let me just -- it bears repeating. (Laughter.) This is why we’re making sure that hospitals extended visitation rights to gay couples, because nobody should be barred from their bedside their partner -- the beside of their partner in a moment of pain, or a moment of need. Nobody should have to produce a legal contract to hold the hand of the person that they love.
It’s why we launched the first comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy, providing a road map not only to providing treatment and reducing infections -- (applause) -- but also embracing the potential of new, groundbreaking research that will help us bring an end to this pandemic.
That’s why I ordered federal agencies to extend the same benefits to gay couples that go to straight couples wherever possible. That's why we’re going to keep fighting until the law no longer -–
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage. Marriage. Marriage.
THE PRESIDENT: I heard you guys. (Laughter.) Believe it or not, I anticipated that somebody might -- (Laughter and applause.)
Where was I? (Laughter.) That's why we’re going to keep on fighting until the law no longer treats committed partners who’ve been together for decades like they’re strangers.
That’s why I have long believed that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ought to be repealed. It was wrong. It was unfair. (Applause.) And since I taught constitutional law for a while, I felt like I was in a pretty good position to agree with courts that have ruled that Section 3 of DOMA violates the Constitution. And that's why we decided, with my attorney general, that we could no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts. (Applause.)
Now, part of the reason that DOMA doesn't make sense is that traditionally marriage has been decided by the states. And right now I understand there’s a little debate going on here in New York -- (laughter) -- about whether to join five other states and D.C. in allowing civil marriage for gay couples. And I want to -- I want to say that under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, New York is doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do. There’s a debate; there’s deliberation about what it means here in New York to treat people fairly in the eyes of the law.
And that is -- look, that’s the power of our democratic system. It’s not always pretty. There are setbacks. There are frustrations. But in grappling with tough and, at times, emotional issues in legislatures and in courts and at the ballot box, and, yes, around the dinner table and in the office hallways, and sometimes even in the Oval Office, slowly but surely we find the way forward. That’s how we will achieve change that is lasting -– change that just a few years ago would have seemed impossible.
Now, let me just say this. There were those who doubted that we’d be able to pass a hate crimes law. Occasionally I got hollered at about that. After a decades-long fight, we got it done -- bring us closer to the day when nobody is going to be afraid to walk down the street because they’re gay or transgender. (Applause.)
There were those said we couldn’t end “don’t ask, don’t tell.” And I remember having events where folks hollered out at events. (Laughter.) But we passed the repeal. We got it done. We’re now moving forward with implementing it. (Applause.) So we’re no longer going to demand brave and patriotic Americans live a lie to serve their country.
Folks like Captain Jonathan Hopkins, who led a platoon into northern Iraq during the initial invasion, and quelled an ethnic riot, and earned a Bronze Star with valor. He was discharged, only to receive emails and letters from his soldiers saying if they had known he was gay all along -- that they had known he was gay all along and they still thought he was the best commander they had ever had.
That’s how progress is being won -- here in New York, around the country. Day by day, it’s won by ordinary people who are striving and fighting and protesting for change, and who, yes, are keeping the pressure up, including pressure on me. And by men and women who are setting an example in their own lives -- raising their families, doing their jobs, joining the PTA, singing in church, serving and sacrificing for this country overseas, even as they are not always granted the full rights of citizenship they deserve here at home.
Last year, I received a letter from a teenager growing up in a small town, and he told me he was a senior in high school, and that he was proud to be the captain of a club at his school, and that he was gay. And he hadn't told his parents. He hadn’t come out. He was worried about being mocked or being bullied. He didn’t think it was safe to, in his words, “openly be myself.” But this 17-year-old also looked towards the day when he didn’t have to be afraid; when he didn’t have to worry about walking down the hallway. And he closed his letter by saying, “Everyone else is considered equal in this country. Why shouldn’t we be?” (Applause.)
So, yes, we have more work to do. Yes, we have more progress to make. Yes, I expect continued impatience with me on occasion. (Laughter.) But understand this -- look, I think of teenagers like the one who wrote me, and they remind me that there should be impatience when it comes to the fight for basic equality. We've made enormous advances just in these last two and a half years. But there are still young people out there looking for us to do more, to help build a world in which they never have to feel afraid or alone to be themselves. And we know how important that is to not only tell them that it’s going to get better, but to also do everything in our power to ensure that things actually are better.
I’m confident that we will achieve the equality that this young person deserves. I’m confident that the future is bright for that teenager and others like him, and that he can have the life that he wants and that he imagines.
There will be setbacks along the way. There will be times where things aren’t moving as fast as folks would like. But I know that he’ll look back on his struggles, and the struggles of many in this room, as part of what made change possible; part of what it took to reach the day when every single American, gay or straight or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, was free to live and love as they see fit. (Applause.)
And we can look at the progress we’ve made in the last two years, to the changes that were led not by Washington, but by folks standing up for themselves, or for their sons or for their daughters, fighting for what’s right. Not just change on behalf of gay Americans, but for everybody looking to fulfill their version of the American Dream -- whether it’s the students working their way through college, or the workers heading to factories to build American cars again, or the energy entrepreneurs testing bold ideas, the construction crews laying down roads, the small business owners and scientists and inventors and builders and all those Americans who faced hardship and setbacks but who never stopped believing in this country -– it’s capacity to change; who are helping each and every day to rebuild this nation so that we emerge from this period of struggle stronger and more unified than ever before.
And that’s the story of progress in America. That’s what all of you represent -- of the stubborn refusal to accept anything less than the best that this country can be. And with your help, if you keep up the fight, and if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story. And we are going to leave a new generation with a brighter future and a more hopeful future. And I’ll be standing there, right there with you.
Thank you. God bless you. (Applause.) God bless the United States of America. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
7:24 P.M. EDT
Lt Choi: Obama Inaction On LGBT Issues 'Grave Insult'
MSNBC host Cenk Uygur speaks with Lt. Dan Choi (fired over DADT) and Brian Ellner of Human Rights Campaign on if President Obama has done enough to fight for gay right. They also discuss gay marriage rights possibly coming to New York.
�
Speaker Pelosi stimulus bill recession Rick Santorum Chris Dodd
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Press Gaggle by Jay Carney En Route Washington, D.C.
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Location:
Aboard Air Force One, En Route Washington, D.C.
12:52 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: I have a week ahead. Do you want me to read that, or do you want to go to questions --
Q Can you put it at the end?
MR. CARNEY: Let’s put it at the end, okay. As you know, the President will be meeting separately with the Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader on Monday. He’ll meet with Senator Reid in the morning, Senator McConnell in the early evening.
We believe the talks that were led -- have been led by the Vice President have made significant progress, and we are confident that we can continue to seek common ground and that we will achieve a balanced approach to deficit reduction -- if we continue to seek common ground, rather. And we remain confident that we can get that done.
The President is willing to make tough choices, but he cannot ask the middle class and seniors to bear all the burden for deficit reduction and to sacrifice while millionaires and billionaires and special interests get off the hook -- are let off the hook.
We won’t support an approach that gives millionaires and billionaires $200,000 in tax cuts annually while 33 seniors pay for that with a $6,000 per person increase in their Medicare costs. We just don’t believe that that’s a fair or balanced approach to solving this problem.
And it’s important to be clear about this. That is what is on the table when some folks talk about refusing to consider tax expenditures in the deficit reduction. It’s loopholes for oil and gas companies -- subsidies for oil and gas companies, loopholes for special interests, and sweeping tax cuts for the most fortunate Americans, which are then -- money which is then in part used to pay for -- paid for, rather, by seniors and others who should not be sharing -- should not be bearing the entire burden.
But we believe that we can move forward as long as no one in the talks takes a “my way or the highway” approach.
Q Well, Boehner put out a statement basically saying that. So, I mean, is your position going into the talks --
MR. CARNEY: There are a lot of statements that are put out. Our approach has been, from the beginning, that we believe the American people want us to take a balanced approach. The President has shown himself willing to make tough choices. In his framework, there are $480 billion dollars in savings over 12 years in Medicare and Medicaid. The President has demonstrated his willingness to compromise, to kind of find common ground, and he believes that we’re moving forward, that it is incumbent upon all sides to do what’s right by the American people, to achieve significant deficit reduction, and move our country forward.
Q Is a deal next weekend still possible? A deal next weekend, is that still possible?
MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to give any timing on it.
Q Were the Reid and McConnell meetings scheduled -- just scheduled? Or were they scheduled in advance?
MR. CARNEY: This morning.
Q Okay. And has the President reached out at all to the Speaker, and is there any plan to?
MR. CARNEY: The President hasn’t had any conversations with the Speaker since the Speaker visited the White House the other night. The Vice President has been in regular contact with Republicans and Democrats on the Hill regarding this.
Q Any weekend plans?
MR. CARNEY: None that I know of.
Q Jay, it seems like the irresistible force and the immovable object. I mean, the Republicans say no how, no way we agree to tax raise one dollar. And you just enunciated a policy where there’s no how, no way the President will agree to something that does not, at least as I understand it -- as I understand what you’re saying --
MR. CARNEY: We remain confident that we can continue the progress that we’ve made, and that there’s reason to believe that we’ll be able to find common ground to achieve significant deficit reduction.
Q What’s the reason that you have to believe that?
MR. CARNEY: Because the American people insist that we get it done.
Q Would you guys support a deal that included any continuation of tax cuts for those who make --
MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to negotiate from a few thousand feet above the ground.
Q Can we go back to the Speaker? Why isn’t the President reaching out to him? I mean, he’s the guy who’s saying --
MR. CARNEY: Carol, he spoke with the Speaker recently. We have -- we are in constant contact with leaders of Congress. I just told you that the Vice President of the United States has been in touch with both Republicans and Democrats on the Hill in the last 24 hours, and that continues.
Q But you also -- he also met with Senator McConnell this past week, privately. So why -- I just don’t understand why --
MR. CARNEY: We were in Pennsylvania. So, I’m sorry, what’s your --
Q Well, the President met with Senator McConnell earlier this week.
MR. CARNEY: What’s your question?
Q So why isn’t he meeting -- and you said he’s met with the Speaker this week. Well, he’s met with both of them. Why isn’t the Speaker getting a meeting next week to --
MR. CARNEY: I have no other meetings to announce at this time. I mean --
Q Do you guys have any reaction to the House vote on Libya that happened right before we left?
MR. CARNEY: Yes, we continue to welcome expressions of support for our mission with our NATO allies and others in Libya. We are disappointed by that vote. We think now is not the time to send the kind of mixed message that it sends when we are working with our allies to achieve the goals that we believe that are widely shared in Congress, that -- protecting civilians in Libya, enforcing a no-fly zone, enforcing an arms embargo and further putting pressure on Qaddafi. And the writing is on the wall for Colonel Qaddafi, and now is not the time to let up.
Q So that means that the U.S. continues with the mission even if you don’t get any of those votes of support?
MR. CARNEY: Well, I mean, this was one vote.
Q Can we -- really quick on the debt talk. Is the President going to give a statement on this -- on this situation?
MR. CARNEY: I don’t have any --
Q He’s not going to talk about it publicly at all?
MR. CARNEY: I don’t have any plans for that to --
Q Is it fair to say that we’re getting closer to a short-term extension of the debt ceiling? I mean, is that something --
MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to negotiate any particulars about it. I think it is important, since you raise the debt ceiling, to remember that it is extremely dangerous to play chicken with the full faith and credit of the United States government. We remain very confident that Congress will act responsibly and maintain the full faith and credit of the United States government by raising the debt ceiling.
And I remind you that this is not a vote -- raising the debt ceiling is not a vote for spending. It is a vote to meet our obligations and pay our bills.
Q Can you do the week ahead?
Q Week ahead?
MR. CARNEY: Week ahead. On Monday, the President -- well, I’ve said this -- the President and the Vice President will hold meetings at the White House with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss the status of the negotiations to find common ground on a balanced approach to the deficit reduction. The meeting with the Majority Leader will take place in the morning, and the meeting with the Minority Leader will take place in the early evening.
Also on Monday, the President will welcome Major League Soccer champions the Colorado Rapids to the White House to honor their 2010 season and their MLS Cup victory. In connection with the ceremony with the President at the White House, the Colorado Rapids will hold a soccer clinic for children of military families on the South Lawn.
On Tuesday, the President will visit Alcoa Davenport Works Factory in Bettendorf, Iowa, to tour the facility and discuss the critical role that the manufacturing sector plays in the American economy.
On Wednesday, the President will welcome the WNBA Champion Seattle Storm to the White House to honor the team’s 2010 championship season. In conjunction with this event, members of the team will hold a basketball clinic with local area youth during their visit.
Later, the President and the First Lady will hold a reception to observe LGBT Pride Month. In the evening, the President and the First Lady will host a farewell dinner for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the White House.
On Thursday, the President will attend a farewell ceremony for Secretary of Defense Gates at the Pentagon. Later, the President will travel -- this is on Thursday -- to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, the President will attend two DNC events.
On Friday, the President will attend meetings at the White House.
And that is your week ahead.
Q Thursday was the Gates farewell and the events are in Philadelphia?
MR. CARNEY: Yes, the DNC events are in Philadelphia. Farewell ceremony for Secretary Gates at the Pentagon, and then later the President will travel to Philly.
Q Thank you.
MR. CARNEY: All right. Thanks, guys.
END 1:00 P.M. EDT
For Immediate Release
Location:
Aboard Air Force One, En Route Washington, D.C.
12:52 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: I have a week ahead. Do you want me to read that, or do you want to go to questions --
Q Can you put it at the end?
MR. CARNEY: Let’s put it at the end, okay. As you know, the President will be meeting separately with the Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader on Monday. He’ll meet with Senator Reid in the morning, Senator McConnell in the early evening.
We believe the talks that were led -- have been led by the Vice President have made significant progress, and we are confident that we can continue to seek common ground and that we will achieve a balanced approach to deficit reduction -- if we continue to seek common ground, rather. And we remain confident that we can get that done.
The President is willing to make tough choices, but he cannot ask the middle class and seniors to bear all the burden for deficit reduction and to sacrifice while millionaires and billionaires and special interests get off the hook -- are let off the hook.
We won’t support an approach that gives millionaires and billionaires $200,000 in tax cuts annually while 33 seniors pay for that with a $6,000 per person increase in their Medicare costs. We just don’t believe that that’s a fair or balanced approach to solving this problem.
And it’s important to be clear about this. That is what is on the table when some folks talk about refusing to consider tax expenditures in the deficit reduction. It’s loopholes for oil and gas companies -- subsidies for oil and gas companies, loopholes for special interests, and sweeping tax cuts for the most fortunate Americans, which are then -- money which is then in part used to pay for -- paid for, rather, by seniors and others who should not be sharing -- should not be bearing the entire burden.
But we believe that we can move forward as long as no one in the talks takes a “my way or the highway” approach.
Q Well, Boehner put out a statement basically saying that. So, I mean, is your position going into the talks --
MR. CARNEY: There are a lot of statements that are put out. Our approach has been, from the beginning, that we believe the American people want us to take a balanced approach. The President has shown himself willing to make tough choices. In his framework, there are $480 billion dollars in savings over 12 years in Medicare and Medicaid. The President has demonstrated his willingness to compromise, to kind of find common ground, and he believes that we’re moving forward, that it is incumbent upon all sides to do what’s right by the American people, to achieve significant deficit reduction, and move our country forward.
Q Is a deal next weekend still possible? A deal next weekend, is that still possible?
MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to give any timing on it.
Q Were the Reid and McConnell meetings scheduled -- just scheduled? Or were they scheduled in advance?
MR. CARNEY: This morning.
Q Okay. And has the President reached out at all to the Speaker, and is there any plan to?
MR. CARNEY: The President hasn’t had any conversations with the Speaker since the Speaker visited the White House the other night. The Vice President has been in regular contact with Republicans and Democrats on the Hill regarding this.
Q Any weekend plans?
MR. CARNEY: None that I know of.
Q Jay, it seems like the irresistible force and the immovable object. I mean, the Republicans say no how, no way we agree to tax raise one dollar. And you just enunciated a policy where there’s no how, no way the President will agree to something that does not, at least as I understand it -- as I understand what you’re saying --
MR. CARNEY: We remain confident that we can continue the progress that we’ve made, and that there’s reason to believe that we’ll be able to find common ground to achieve significant deficit reduction.
Q What’s the reason that you have to believe that?
MR. CARNEY: Because the American people insist that we get it done.
Q Would you guys support a deal that included any continuation of tax cuts for those who make --
MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to negotiate from a few thousand feet above the ground.
Q Can we go back to the Speaker? Why isn’t the President reaching out to him? I mean, he’s the guy who’s saying --
MR. CARNEY: Carol, he spoke with the Speaker recently. We have -- we are in constant contact with leaders of Congress. I just told you that the Vice President of the United States has been in touch with both Republicans and Democrats on the Hill in the last 24 hours, and that continues.
Q But you also -- he also met with Senator McConnell this past week, privately. So why -- I just don’t understand why --
MR. CARNEY: We were in Pennsylvania. So, I’m sorry, what’s your --
Q Well, the President met with Senator McConnell earlier this week.
MR. CARNEY: What’s your question?
Q So why isn’t he meeting -- and you said he’s met with the Speaker this week. Well, he’s met with both of them. Why isn’t the Speaker getting a meeting next week to --
MR. CARNEY: I have no other meetings to announce at this time. I mean --
Q Do you guys have any reaction to the House vote on Libya that happened right before we left?
MR. CARNEY: Yes, we continue to welcome expressions of support for our mission with our NATO allies and others in Libya. We are disappointed by that vote. We think now is not the time to send the kind of mixed message that it sends when we are working with our allies to achieve the goals that we believe that are widely shared in Congress, that -- protecting civilians in Libya, enforcing a no-fly zone, enforcing an arms embargo and further putting pressure on Qaddafi. And the writing is on the wall for Colonel Qaddafi, and now is not the time to let up.
Q So that means that the U.S. continues with the mission even if you don’t get any of those votes of support?
MR. CARNEY: Well, I mean, this was one vote.
Q Can we -- really quick on the debt talk. Is the President going to give a statement on this -- on this situation?
MR. CARNEY: I don’t have any --
Q He’s not going to talk about it publicly at all?
MR. CARNEY: I don’t have any plans for that to --
Q Is it fair to say that we’re getting closer to a short-term extension of the debt ceiling? I mean, is that something --
MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to negotiate any particulars about it. I think it is important, since you raise the debt ceiling, to remember that it is extremely dangerous to play chicken with the full faith and credit of the United States government. We remain very confident that Congress will act responsibly and maintain the full faith and credit of the United States government by raising the debt ceiling.
And I remind you that this is not a vote -- raising the debt ceiling is not a vote for spending. It is a vote to meet our obligations and pay our bills.
Q Can you do the week ahead?
Q Week ahead?
MR. CARNEY: Week ahead. On Monday, the President -- well, I’ve said this -- the President and the Vice President will hold meetings at the White House with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss the status of the negotiations to find common ground on a balanced approach to the deficit reduction. The meeting with the Majority Leader will take place in the morning, and the meeting with the Minority Leader will take place in the early evening.
Also on Monday, the President will welcome Major League Soccer champions the Colorado Rapids to the White House to honor their 2010 season and their MLS Cup victory. In connection with the ceremony with the President at the White House, the Colorado Rapids will hold a soccer clinic for children of military families on the South Lawn.
On Tuesday, the President will visit Alcoa Davenport Works Factory in Bettendorf, Iowa, to tour the facility and discuss the critical role that the manufacturing sector plays in the American economy.
On Wednesday, the President will welcome the WNBA Champion Seattle Storm to the White House to honor the team’s 2010 championship season. In conjunction with this event, members of the team will hold a basketball clinic with local area youth during their visit.
Later, the President and the First Lady will hold a reception to observe LGBT Pride Month. In the evening, the President and the First Lady will host a farewell dinner for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the White House.
On Thursday, the President will attend a farewell ceremony for Secretary of Defense Gates at the Pentagon. Later, the President will travel -- this is on Thursday -- to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, the President will attend two DNC events.
On Friday, the President will attend meetings at the White House.
And that is your week ahead.
Q Thursday was the Gates farewell and the events are in Philadelphia?
MR. CARNEY: Yes, the DNC events are in Philadelphia. Farewell ceremony for Secretary Gates at the Pentagon, and then later the President will travel to Philly.
Q Thank you.
MR. CARNEY: All right. Thanks, guys.
END 1:00 P.M. EDT
Charlie Crist Scott Brown Congressional Budget Office Michael Steele John Boehner
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