Washington is a beautiful city. It’s very nice ‘living above the store’; you can’t beat the commute. It’s just sometimes all you hear in Washington is the clamor of politics. And all that noise can drown out the voices of the people who sent you there.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks at University of Michigan, May 1, 2010
“Which makes it a lot easier for me to get stuff done.”
Ultimately, there is no dividing line between Main Street and Wall Street. We will rise or we will fall together as one nation.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 22, 2010
“Guess which one I’m rooting for…”
The role of government has never been to plan every detail or dictate every outcome. At its best, government has simply knocked away barriers to opportunity and laid the foundation for a better future. Our people — with all their drive and ingenuity — always end up building the rest. And if we can do that again — if we can continue building that foundation and making those hard decisions on behalf of the next generation — I have no doubt that we will leave our children the America that we all hope for.
BARACK OBAMA, speech at Carnegie Mellon University, Jun. 2, 2010
“One where government finally CAN plan every detail and dictate every outcome.”
There has always been a tension between the desire to allow markets to function without interference and the absolute necessity of rules to prevent markets from falling out of kilter. But managing that tension, one that we’ve debated since the founding of this nation, is what has allowed our country to keep up with a changing world.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 22, 2010
“Yes, by continuing to stifle freedom and innovation, we guarantee that we’ll stay right up there with every other second- and third-world rat-hole nation.”
Government is the police officers who are protecting our communities, and the servicemen and women who are defending us abroad. Government is the roads you drove in on and the speed limits that kept you safe. Government is what ensures that mines adhere to safety standards and that oil spills are cleaned up by the companies that caused them.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks at University of Michigan, May 1, 2010
“Government is the bureaucrat kicking over your daughters ‘unlicensed’ lemonade stand.”
We’ve been fighting about the proper size and role of government since the day the Framers gathered in Philadelphia…. But what troubles me is when I hear people say that all of government is inherently bad…. When our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy, government is us.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks at University of Michigan, May 1, 2010
“Although, with me as President, technically government IS a menacing, threatening, foreign entity.”
So instead of competing to offer confusing products, companies will compete the old-fashioned way, by offering better products. And that will mean more choices for consumers, more opportunities for businesses, and more stability in our financial system. And unless your business model depends on bilking people, there is little to fear from these new rules.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 22, 2010
“Fortunately, these rules don’t apply to government agencies (whose business IS bilking people), so, again – no fear.”
We need to give consumers more protection and more power in our financial system. This is not about stifling competition, stifling innovation; it’s just the opposite. With a dedicated agency setting ground rules and looking out for ordinary people in our financial system, we will empower consumers with clear and concise information when they’re making financial decisions.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 22, 2010
“My theory is that if we regulate all the banks out of business, that will maximize choice for the consumer, because the easiest decision to make is the one where there’s nothing to decide between.”
Politics has never been for the thin-skinned or the faint-of-heart, and if you enter the arena, you should expect to get roughed up.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks at University of Michigan, May 1, 2010
“And I mean physically. By SEIU goons is purple shirts. Seriously, don’t cross me.”
Some — and let me be clear, not all — but some on Wall Street forgot that behind every dollar traded or leveraged there’s a family looking to buy a house, or pay for an education, open a business, save for retirement.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 22, 2010
“You know… all that stuff they can’t do because their Obamacare premiums are too high.”
I believe in a strong financial sector that helps people to raise capital and get loans and invest their savings. That’s part of what has made America what it is. But a free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 22, 2010
“That’s the government’s job.
Bipartisanship — not for its own sake but to solve problems — that’s what our constituents, the American people, need from us right now. All of us then have a choice to make. We have to choose whether we’re going to be politicians first or partners for progress; whether we’re going to put success at the polls ahead of the lasting success we can achieve together for America.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks to GOP House Issues Conference, Jan. 29, 2010
“Two words – polls, baby!”
When we don’t pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders, when we fail to educate ourselves about the major issues of the day, when we choose not to make our voices and opinions heard, that’s when democracy breaks down. That’s when power is abused. That’s when the most extreme voices in our society fill the void that we leave. That’s when powerful interests and their lobbyists are most able to buy access and influence in the corridors of power –- because none of us are there to speak up and stop them.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks at University of Michigan, May 1, 2010
“Now… RELEASE THE SQUIRRELS!”
We can’t afford to stand pat while the world races by. The United States of America did not become the most prosperous nation on Earth by sheer luck or happenstance. We got here because each time a generation of Americans has faced a changing world, we have changed with it. We have not feared our future; we have shaped it.
BARACK OBAMA, speech at Carnegie Mellon University, Jun. 2, 2010
“And under my leadership, we WILL win the global race to total economic collapse.”
What frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day. We can’t wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about the other side -– a belief that if you lose, I win.
BARACK OBAMA, State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010
“Oh, wait… I’m winning the embarrassing headline battle… nevermind.”
