PRESS
RELEASE from The White House
For Immediate Release
January 3, 2012
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT TO IOWA CAUCUS
ATTENDEES
Via Video
Teleconference
8:10 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Iowa! How are you guys? I miss you
all. And I
understand that it's actually warmer tonight than it was four years
ago, which means, I'm sure, great turnout at the caucuses.
You know, on the ride over here I was reminiscing with David
Plouffe.
He was showing me actually an old advertisement from Iowa -- in fact,
the last advertisement we did in the Iowa campaign. And other
than
pointing out how much more gray I am and how much older I look now than
I did then, we actually were just remembering the incredible energy and
excitement and the spirit of common purpose that those Iowa caucuses
represent. It was an example of how the campaign was not about
one
person, but it was about all of us coming together to try to deliver
the kind of change that had been talked about a long time in
Washington, but all too often hadn’t been delivered on.
And it's because of you that I had this extraordinary honor over the
last three years of working to try to deliver on that change. And
obviously we didn’t know at the time how severe the economic crisis was
going to be. We didn’t fully appreciate at the time the worldwide
magnitude of the financial crisis. But we knew even then that the
middle class had been taking it for a long time -- folks who had been
trying to get into the middle class had found that the ladders that
allowed for upward mobility had started to disintegrate for a lot of
people.
And
so we understood that what we were fighting for was an America where
everybody had a fair shot, everybody did their fair share; that
responsibility was rewarded and that the game wasn’t fixed, that it
wasn’t rigged, and that if people did the right thing and worked hard,
as so many families who in Iowa and throughout the country -- that they
were going to be able to live out a piece of the American Dream.
We've still got a lot of work to do. But think about the change
that
was accomplished because of those caucuses four years ago.
Because of
those caucuses four years ago, we ended the war in Iraq, as promised,
and our troops are now coming home.
Because
of the work that so many of you did even before the caucuses four years
ago, health care is a reality for millions of Americans, and seniors
have seen the price of prescription drugs lowered, and there are 2
million young Americans who are able to keep their insurance even if
they're not getting it through a job. And we're going to be able
to
say to every American out there who's got a preexisting condition or
has gotten a raw deal from an insurance company that they're going to
have some meaningful security, they're not going to be bankrupt if they
get sick.
Because
of you and the work that you did four years ago there are millions of
young people all across the country who are able to get more affordable
student loans and Pell Grants. They're able to afford college and
apply themselves so that they can achieve a meaningful career that pays
a good wage and provides good benefits.
Because
of you we've been able to end the policy of "don't ask, don't tell" so
that every American who wants to serve this country that they love have
that opportunity regardless of who they love.
So across the board, whether it’s doubling fuel efficiency standards on
cars, or making sure that we’ve got a more effective system to provide
job training for people who’ve lost their jobs -- across the board, you
have made a difference. But we all know we’ve got a lot more work
that
we have to do.
Although we’ve passed health care reform, we’ve passed Wall Street
reform, there are a lot of forces that want to push back against us and
want to undo some of those changes. And we’re battling millions
of
dollars of negative advertising and lobbyists and special interests who
don't want to see the change that you worked so hard to fully take
root. And that's why this time out is going to be in some ways
more
important than the first time out. Mitch is right. Change
is never
easy. The problems that we’ve been dealing with over the last
three
years, they didn't happen overnight and we’re not going to fix them
overnight. But we’ve been making steady progress as long as we
can
sustain it. And that's what this is going to be all about.
So the only way we’re going to be able to do that is if all of you
maintain the same determination, the same energy, the same drive, the
same hopefulness, the same optimism about this wonderful country of
ours as was on display four years ago. And I want you to know
that
because of you, because of all the memories I have of being in your
living rooms or meeting you in a diner or seeing you over at a campaign
office, I have never lost that same source of inspiration that drove me
to embark on this journey in the first place. You guys inspire me
every single day.
And I want us to remind each other that as much work as there may be
out there before us, there’s nothing we can't accomplish when
determined citizens come together to make a difference.
So thank you, everybody. I could not be prouder. And,
Mitch, I think
we’ve got a couple of -- time for a couple questions.
MR. STEWART: Yes, we do, sir. And
the first question comes out of Coralville. Coralville, can you
hear us?
AUDIENCE: (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER [
Roseann
Cook]: Good evening, Mr. President. I’m Roseann, and
I’m
here as you can see, at a full house in the beautiful Performing Arts
Center in Coralville, Iowa. How are you tonight?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m doing well. How
are you?
Q Well, Mr. President, I
think we’re having a little difficulty with audio, but I’m going to go
ahead with my question.
Thinking about the caucuses four years ago, and as you reflected, you
delivered your message of hope and change, but we didn’t know in 2008
the extent of the problems we were facing, and certainly progress has
been a challenge. So I’m wondering, now, in 2012, if you still
believe
in hope and change for America. And I’m also wondering how your
reelection campaign is going to help us better understand what we need
to do, both as individual citizens and as a country, to achieve the
fair society that you spoke about recently in Osawatomie, Kansas.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I want to make sure you can
hear my
answer. How’s the sound coming through now? In some ways,
I’m
actually more optimistic now than I was when I first ran, because we’ve
already seen change take place. And part of what 2012 is about is
both
reminding the American people of how far we’ve traveled and the
concrete effects that some of our work has had in terms of making sure
that people have health insurance, or making sure that our troops are
coming home, or making sure that young people are able to go to
college. But part of it is also framing this larger debate about
what
kind of country are we going to leave for our children and our
grandchildren.
There
is no problem that we face that we cannot solve. But in order to
solve
it, we’ve got to make sure that everybody gets a fair shot, and that
means that we’re investing in things like education, that we’re
investing in basic science and technology so we’re making things again
here in America and we’re revitalizing manufacturing and we’re not just
buying from other countries but we’re selling to other countries, and
we’re inventing things and encouraging entrepreneurship. It means
that
we’re rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads and our bridges, but
also our high-speed rail lines and high-speed Internet access in places
like rural Iowa, making sure that everybody who wants to reach a
worldwide market is able to do so because they’ve got the connection to
do it.
It
also means that those things are going to have to be paid for in a fair
way. And obviously a lot of the debate in Washington over the
last
several months and over the last year has revolved around how do we
create a government that is lean and efficient and effective. And
I’m
proud of some of the tough decisions that we’ve been willing to make in
terms of pruning back programs that don’t work. But if we’re
going to
make the investments that we need for our kids at the same time as
we’re controlling our deficit, then there’s nothing wrong with saying
to millionaires and billionaires that we’re going to let your tax cuts
expire. You can afford it. You’ve done very well in this
society.
And I know they want (inaudible) in America, but they have to be
asked. And the other party has a fundamentally different
philosophy.
The
same is true when it comes to the issue of fair play. We, through
Wall
Street reform, have rolled back policies that allowed credit card
companies to jack up your interest rates without alerting you to it, or
other financial practices that disadvantage consumers.
And
so we’ve said, you know what, we’re going to have a consumer watchdog
in place to look after you, to make sure that you’re not being cheated
on credit cards or mortgages. Because if you want to compete in a
free
market, then you should compete on the basis of price and service and
quality, not on the basis of somebody not being able to understand what
they’re buying.
These
basic principles are what’s going to be at stake in order for us to
succeed. And I think that they’re principles that most Americans
believe in, that everybody should act responsibly, everybody should do
their part, and everybody should be able to travel as far as their work
ethic and their dreams will carry them.
And
right now all we’re getting from the other side -- you guys have been
hearing it a lot more than I have. I know it’s -- you’ve been
bombarded -- I don’t know how you watch TV in Iowa these days -- with a
different theory that says, we’re going to cut taxes for the wealthiest
among us, and roll back regulations on things like clean air and health
care reform and Wall Street reform, and that somehow, automatically,
that assures that everybody is able to succeed. I don't believe
that.
And I don't think any of the people in that auditorium do either.
So it’s going to be a big battle, though. I hope you guys are
geared up. I’m excited.
MR.
STEWART: Great. Thank you very much, Coralville.
Next, we have Cedar
Rapids. Cedar Rapids, are you with us? Can you hear us,
Cedar
Rapids? Hello, Cedar Rapids, can you hear us?
THE PRESIDENT: Hold on one second.
MR. STEWART: Yes, hold on one second.
THE PRESIDENT: I can’t hear you yet.
MR. STEWART: We’ll give it five more seconds. Folks in
Cedar Rapids, can you hear us? (Applause.)
Q
[Carol White]
Good evening, Mr. President. This is Carol from Cedar Rapids, and
I’m
honored to be among your volunteers. On the cable talk shows
there is
talk about your administration not accomplishing anything.
However, I
am a breast cancer survivor and was a social worker for 33 years before
retiring, and know firsthand what a great accomplishment the Affordable
Care Act is among your other achievements. How do you respond to
people who say you have not done enough?
THE
PRESIDENT: I think the main message that we’re going to have in
2012
is that we’ve done a lot but we’ve got a lot more to do, and that’s why
we need another four years to get it all done. But you just mentioned
the Affordable Care Act. We know that somebody who’s had an
illness
like cancer, who’s a survivor, has trouble getting insurance.
Because
of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are not going to be
able to ban people with preexisting conditions. That makes a
direct
impact on your life and your family’s life.
We
know that there are 2 million young people who have insurance because
of the Affordable Care Act who didn't have it before. We know
that
seniors have seen discounts in their prescription drugs; they’re saving
billions of dollars all across the country. We know that
preventive
care, like mammograms, are now available through your insurance and
they can’t arbitrarily deny you coverage right when you need care.
So
that’s just on health care. And it’s making an impact on people’s
lives day to day. But here’s the thing. Frankly, not that
many people
watch cable TV. What they do is they listen to their friends,
their
neighbors, their co-workers. And that’s why what you guys are
doing
today at the caucus and what you will be doing every day from now until
November makes such a difference. Because nobody is a better messenger
for the kind of change we’re talking about than you. You can tell
a
story about the difference these policies make in your life in a way
that any politician in Washington -- including me -- can’t do.
And
one of the things that we learned four years ago was that when people
at grassroots level are getting involved and they’re getting engaged,
and they’re feeling empowered and they’re joining hands with each other
-- that’s a powerful force. It can’t be stopped. But,
unfortunately,
over the (inaudible) it’s not as focused and concentrated as an
election campaign. And so the forces of big money and special
interests and lobbyists, they all come to the fore and the pundits and
the cable TV dominates the political conversation.
Well,
you know what, fortunately in 2012 we’ve got a chance to respond.
And
I will put my money on you. I find you a lot more persuasive than
anybody on cable TV, and that’s why I know we’re going to win.
Thank you.
MR. STEWART: Great. Thank you very much, sir. We
appreciate your time.
We
appreciate Cedar Rapids. We’re going to let you get back to the
remainder of your caucuses, but before we go I'd be remiss if I didn't
encourage everybody to sign up and volunteer. I think shortly
after
we’re done with the Adobe Connect session here there will be volunteer
sign-up forms. This is a great opportunity, as the President
said, to
get out and engage your friends and neighbors what’s at stake and why
this election is so important.
So again, thank you all so much.
END
8:27 P.M. EST