Obama salutes veterans in weekly address

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday November 12, 2016 · 7:00 AM PST

2016/11/12 · 07:00

Our veterans don’t always go around telling stories of their heroism. So it is up to us to ask, to listen, to tell those stories for them, and to live in our own lives the values for which they were prepared to give theirs. It’s up to us to summon some of the courage and humility our veterans show, and to acknowledge that we can never serve them in quite the same they serve us.

President Obama saluted veterans in his weekly address this morning, lauding their sacrifice and service, and reminding listeners of what Americans owe them.

We need to keep working to make sure they always get the care and benefits they’ve earned. We can practice kindness. We can volunteer, serve, and respect one another. We can always get each other’s backs. And we can show how much we love our country by loving our neighbors as ourselves.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday November 05, 2016 · 7:00 AM PDT

2016/11/05 · 07:00

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Americans have been fighting for the idea that health care is a right and not a privilege since the second-to-last time the Cubs won the World Series. I’m not talking about the 2016 Cubs – I’m talking about the 1908 Cubs.

President Obama stands wholheartedly behind his signature healthcare legislation, as evidenced by his spirited defense of the Affordable Care Act in this morning’s weekly address. And he has plenty to boast about: 20 million-plus more adults insured, 3 million more children insured, the lowest uninsured rate in American history.

He also reminded listeners that open enrollment has begun, and pointed to the easiests ways to sign up—while also pointing to the principles that make insurance (and America) function:

Enrollment is open right now, but only until January 31. If you sign up by December 15, you’ll be covered by the beginning of the year. So go check out HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596, and someone will personally help you find a plan that’s right for you.

Insurance is based on the idea that we’re all in it together. That’s what makes it work. And it’s the same idea that’s always made America great.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday October 29, 2016 · 8:31 AM PDT

2016/10/29 · 08:31

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I delivered a report to President Obama laying out how far we’ve come since he put me in charge of the Cancer Moonshot back in January—and a real vision of where we need to go in the immediate future to: do in five years what would otherwise take ten; inject a sense of urgency into the fight against cancer; and change the culture and reimagine our system to win.

Vice President Joe Biden took over the slot of the weekly address this morning to discuss an issue close to his heart, and an effort he has been spearheading since January: the so-called Cancer Moonshot, a coordinated effort across public agencies and private sectors to tackle cancer.

When President Nixon declared war on cancer in 1971, he had no army, no resources, and no clear strategy to win. But after 45 years of progress, funding research, training scientists and physicians, and treating millions of patients—we now have the army. We now have powerful new tools. And with this Moonshot, we now have a clear strategy for the road ahead. It matters because there’s a consensus that we’re at an inflection point—with science, medicine, and technology advancing faster than ever and offering real promise. But we can’t play by the rules of 1971—in 2016.

With help from entities like NASA and IBM, from Amazon to Microsoft, the task force that Biden is heading is finding innovatove and coordinated ways to track, treat, and experiment with novel solutions, and his report on progress and future plans is inspiring.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday October 22, 2016 · 7:01 AM PDT

2016/10/22 · 07:01

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Now, our airlines employ a lot of hardworking folks – from pilots and flight attendants to ticket agents and baggage handlers – who take pride in getting us to our destinations safely, and on time. They do good work, and we’re proud of them. But I think we all know that the system can work a little better for everybody.

President Obama outlined new protections for airline customers in his weekly address, putting himself square on the side of consumers in his last months in office.

Among the changes he announced are: baggage refunds when luggage is delayed; airlines will be required to make public statistics on lost luggage and arrival times; protections for passengers with disabilities; and transparency in online ticket purchasing platforms.

And he closed with an observation we don’t hear often enough: government is a force for good:

It’s another example of how government can be a force for good – standing up for consumers; ensuring businesses compete fairly to give you the best services at the best prices; and making sure everyday Americans have a voice in the conversation – not just corporate shareholders. That’s what this is all about – taking steps, big and small, that can make your life a little bit better.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday October 15, 2016 · 7:01 AM PDT

2016/10/15 · 07:01

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Innovation is in our DNA. And today, we need it more than ever to solve the challenges we face. Only through science can we cure diseases, and save the only planet we've got, and ensure that America keeps its competitive advantages as the world's most innovative economy.

As President Obama’s term winds down, it’s clear he’s summing up and looking to the future in his weekly addresses, and this morning he discussed the importance of science and technology to our future. In the process, he gave a rousing defense of science—yes, sad that we even need that these days, but we do—and took aim at those holding back research:

That's why it's so backward when some folks choose to stick their heads in the sand about basic scientific facts. It's not just that they're saying that climate change a hoax or trotting out a snowball on the Senate floor. It's that they're also doing everything they can to gut funding for research and development, the kinds of investments that brought us breakthroughs like GPS, and MRIs, and put Siri on our smartphones.

He celebrated America’s past achievements in the space race, and declared that investment in research and education is the way forward to a cleaner and more innovative world.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday October 08, 2016 · 8:31 PM PDT

2016/10/08 · 20:31

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Last year, folks’ typical household income rose by $2,800. That’s the single biggest increase on record. And across every race and age group in America, incomes rose and poverty rates fell. We lifted 3.5 million people out of poverty – the largest one-year drop in the poverty rate since 1968.

What’s more, lower- and middle-income families saw the biggest boost in incomes – in part because 18 states and the District, as well as more than 50 communities, have given millions of Americans a raise by raising the minimum wage.

President Obama used this morning’s weekly address to point out the gains—slow but sure—that the middle class has made in the past year.

He focused on the specific strategies that are shoring up Americans across the board, as well as ones we still need to work on: extending paid family and sick leave, more minimum wage hikes, equal pay for women, and closing tax loopholes that enable the rich to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. But of course, there are the usual obstructionists to take into account:

Now we just need a Congress that cares about these issues – one that will finally put politics aside and act on these commonsense ideas. That’s how we’ll build on the progress we’ve made over these past eight years, and achieve one thing we should all agree on – securing a brighter future for all our children.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Friday October 07, 2016 · 5:31 PM PDT

2016/10/07 · 17:31

Talk about fast turnaround!

Hillary Clinton has waited her whole career to take on assholes like Donald Trump on behalf of women in this country.

And it shows. This ad below was just released.

Bravo.

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Obama proclaims paid sick leave 'is not a side issue' in weekly address

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday October 01, 2016 · 7:01 AM PDT

2016/10/01 · 07:01

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… too much of our wealth is still taken by the top – and that leaves too many families still working paycheck to paycheck, without a lot of breathing room.

There are two things we can do about this. We can prey on people’s worries for political gain. Or we can actually do something to help working families feel more secure in today’s economy.

President Obama focused on the importance of paid sick leave for workers in this morning’s weekly address, pointing out that although the economy has improved under his stewardship, we still have a long ways to go to help the working and middle classes. And while he’s been stymied at every turn by the Republicans in Congress, he’s doing what he can to help—including requiring new federal contractors to provide seven days of sick leave each year to employees.

He’s closing out his presidency strong, and he closed out the weekly address strong too:

Paid sick leave isn’t a side issue, or a women’s issue, or something that’s just nice to have. It’s a must-have. By the way, so are economic priorities like child care, paid family leave, equal pay, and a higher minimum wage. We need a Congress that will act on all these issues, too, because they’d make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of Americans who are working hard every day. It’s more than talk – it’s action. And that’s what you should demand of every politician who wants the privilege to serve you.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday September 24, 2016 · 7:01 AM PDT

2016/09/24 · 07:01

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But this museum chooses to tell a fuller story. It doesn’t gauze up some bygone era or avoid uncomfortable truths. Rather, it embraces the patriotic recognition that America is a constant work in progress; that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is within our collective power to align this nation with the high ideals of our founding.

President Obama devoted this morning’s weekly address to celebrating the opening of a new museum on the National Mall, a museum devoted to highlighting the overlooked part of U.S. history, as the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens its doors.

From enslavement to Colin Powell’s uniform, from Emmett Till’s casket to the Tuskegee Airplane, the triumphs, sorrows, patriotism, and “fuller story,” as the president called it, of African Americans in our country will be on display.

All of that isn’t simply the African-American story; it’s part of the American story. And so it is entirely fitting that we tell this story on our National Mall, the same place we tell the stories of Washington and Jefferson and our independence; the story of Lincoln who saved our union and the GIs who defended it; the story of King who summoned us all toward the mountaintop.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday September 20, 2016 · 12:51 PM PDT

2016/09/20 · 12:51

Think of it as a prodigal daughter story: She starts as a lurker here, begins commenting, gets caught up in the heat and passions of this platform and takes a break, launching into the wide, wide world of social media, where she becomes a Twitter star—so much so that many here sit up and take notice without realizing she has posted here in the past.

And now she comes home.

Welcome Propane Jane, whose amazing Twitter-based essays have won her universal acclaim from progressives and have fired up the liberal base with knowledge and energy for years. She’ll be joining us as a contributing editor this coming week. Here’s the brief autobiography she’s supplied for our masthead:

Propane Jane is a pseudonymous social commentator and prominent Twitter activist focused on issues of racial and socioeconomic justice. When she isn't starting metaphorical fires online, she serves the nation's largest uninsured population in Houston, Texas, as an emergency and addiction psychiatrist. She is a devoted wife, mother, daughter, friend, and physician, with a passion for seeking truth and purveying light.

In other contributing editor news—truly bittersweet—our own Chauncey DeVega has taken a full-time writing position with Salon and can no longer commit to regular postings here, so he’ll be moving out of the regular Sunday rotation as Propane Jane moves in. He will, however, continue to drop in here from time to time, for comments and occasional posts. ”Daily Kos,” he explained in an email, “is a great community so I certainly want to stay engaged.”

Do-nothing Congress gets an earful from a fed-up Obama in weekly address

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday September 17, 2016 · 7:01 AM PDT

2016/09/17 · 07:01

YouTube Video

I’ve delivered a few hundred of these weekly addresses over the years. And you may have noticed a theme that pops up pretty often:

The Republicans who run this Congress aren’t doing their jobs.

Well, guess what? Congress recently returned from a seven-week vacation. They’ve only got two weeks left until their next one.

President Obama let loose with some sarcasm and a laundry list of issues that need to be addressed at the Republican do-nothing Congress in this morning’s weekly address, leading off with Zika funding, resources for Louisiana after its devastating flooding, and approving Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court. But that was just the beginning.

There are plenty other bipartisan priorities they should finish this year, too. Passing criminal justice reform. Attacking the opioids epidemic. Funding Joe Biden’s cancer moonshot. Finishing a Trans-Pacific trade agreement that will support American jobs and boost American wages. And passing a budget that will make sure all of America’s priorities are funded without resorting to shutdown threats and last-minute gimmicks

“By the way,” he said, “it’s been almost a decade since Congress voted to raise the minimum wage. I’m just saying.”

He closed by telling listeners to contact their congressional representatives to get them moving on these issues. “And if they still refuse to do their jobs,” he said, “well, you know what to do in November.”

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

Susan Gardner for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday September 10, 2016 · 7:01 AM PDT

2016/09/10 · 07:01

YouTube Video

Fifteen years ago, a September day that began like any other became one of the darkest in our nation’s history. The Twin Towers were reduced to rubble. The Pentagon was in flames. A Pennsylvania field burned with the wreckage of an airplane. And nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost. Sons and daughters, husbands and wives, neighbors and colleagues and friends. They were from all walks of life, all races and religions, all colors and creeds, from across America and around the world.

Unsurprisingly, President Obama’s weekly address this morning focused on the solemn occasion of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attack. While looking back, the president also took stock of the present, and reminded us of what foundational values will keep us strong in the future:

As we reflect on these past 15 years, it’s also important to remember what has not changed—the core values that define us as Americans. The resilience that sustains us. After all, terrorists will never be able to defeat the United States. Their only hope is to terrorize us into changing who we are or our way of life. That’s why we Americans will never give in to fear….

In the face of terrorism, how we respond matters. We cannot give in to those who would divide us. We cannot react in ways that erode the fabric of our society. Because it’s our diversity, our welcoming of all talent, our treating of everybody fairly—no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, or faith—that’s part of what makes our country great. It’s what makes us resilient.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

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