Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
BARACK OBAMA, National Address to America’s Schoolchildren, Sep. 8, 2009
“Although mostly it’s about paychecks & benefits for incompetent, unfirable teachers.”
I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable.
BARACK OBAMA, speech to joint session of Congress, Sep. 9, 2009
“… by making sure they don’t operate at a profit if they DO stay in business.”
It’s not the powerful weapons that make our military the strongest in the world. It’s not the sophisticated systems that make us the most advanced. The true strength of our military lies in the spirit and skill of our men and women in uniform.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Aug. 17, 2009
“Too bad they no longer have a Commander-in-Chief worthy of them.”
Now as we begin to put an end to this recession, we have to consider what comes next — because we can’t afford to return to an economy based on inflated profits and maxed out credit cards; an economy where we depend on dirty and outdated sources of energy; an economy where we’re burdened by soaring health care costs that serve only the special interests. This won’t create sustainable growth, it won’t shrink our deficit, and it won’t create jobs.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Aug. 7, 2009
“And neither will the over-regulated wasteland I replace that old economy with. MUAHAHAHA!”
If we want this country to succeed in the 21st century, we’ve got to lay a new foundation for lasting prosperity.
BARACK OBAMA, town hall meeting, Aug. 15, 2009
“So obviously I need to tear down the existing structure first.”
We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.
BARACK OBAMA, speech to joint session of Congress, Sep. 9, 2009
“I’m shooting for it looking like that eyeball-tower thing from that one ‘Wizard of the Rings’ movie.”
Discrimination cannot stand — not on account of color or gender; how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jul. 17, 2009
“Except against bitter-clinging Tea Party terrorists that threaten my… uh… OUR way of life.”
I don’t believe that government can or should run health care. But I also don’t think insurance companies should have free reign to do as they please.
BARACK OBAMA, weekly address, Jul. 18, 2009
“So, we’ll just compromise and have government run the insurance companies.”
Opponents of health reform warn that this is all some big plot for socialized medicine or government-run health care with long lines and rationed care. That’s not true either.
BARACK OBAMA, weekly address, Jul. 18, 2009
“You’ll get long lines, higher prices, and rationed care.”
There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America’s strongest currency in the world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, May 21, 2009
“Unlike our Islamic brethren, who are world-famous for respecting the rule of law.”
I know some have argued that brutal methods like water-boarding were necessary to keep us safe. I could not disagree more. As Commander-in-Chief, I see the intelligence, I bear responsibility for keeping this country safe, and I reject the assertion that these are the most effective means of interrogation. What’s more, they undermine the rule of law. They alienate us in the world. They serve as a recruitment tool for terrorists, and increase the will of our enemies to fight us, while decreasing the will of others to work with America. They risk the lives of our troops by making it less likely that others will surrender to them in battle, and more likely that Americans will be mistreated if they are captured. In short, they did not advance our war and counter-terrorism efforts – they undermined them, and that is why I ended them once and for all.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, May 21, 2009
“But if you people don’t stop mocking Obamacare, I’m bringing it back!”
We need to adhere to the basic principle that new tax or entitlement policies should be paid for. This principle – known as PAYGO – helped transform large deficits into surpluses in the 1990s. Now, we must restore that sense of fiscal discipline … so that government acts the same way any responsible family does in setting its budget.
BARACK OBAMA, weekly address, Apr. 25, 2009
“By stealing stuff from its rich neighbors.”
Whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2009
“Yes, I know I said ‘if you like your past, you can keep your past’, but…”
America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal. And we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words, within our borders and around the world. We are shaped by every culture. Drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2009
“Yes, one. One neck ready for one leash”
The United States won the Cold War not simply because it outgunned the Soviet Union but because American values held sway in the court of international opinion, which included those who lived within communist regimes. Even more than was true during the Cold War, the struggle against Islamic-based terrorism will be not simply a military campaign but a battle for public opinion in the Islamic world, among our allies, and in the United States.
BARACK OBAMA, The Audacity of Hope
“And as long as we do what they want, their opinion will be on our side. We win!”
