Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
The White House
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Hello, everybody.
In the State of the Union, I laid out three areas we need to focus on if we’re going to build an economy that lasts: new American manufacturing, new skills and education for American workers, and new sources of American-made energy.
These days, we’re getting another painful reminder why developing new energy is so important to our future. Just like they did last year, gas prices are s tarting to climb. Only this time, it’s happening earlier. And that hurts everyone – everyone who owns a car; everyone who owns a business. It means you have to stretch your paycheck even further. Some folks have no choice but to drive a long way to work, and high gas prices are like a tax straight out of their paychecks.
Now, some politicians always see this as a political opportunity. And since it’s an election year, they’re already dusting off their three-point plans for $2 gas. I’ll save you the suspense: Step one is drill, step two is drill, and step three is keep drilling. We hear the same thing every year.
Well the American people aren’t stupid. You know that’s not a plan –especially since we’re already drilling. It’s a bumper sticker. It’s not a strategy to solve our energy challenge. It’s a strategy to get politicians through an election.
You know there are no quick fixes to this problem, and you know we can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices. If we’re going to take control of our energy future and avoid these gas price spikes down the line, then we need a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels, and more. We need to keep developing the technology that allows us to use less oil in our cars and trucks; in our buildings and plants. That’s the strategy we’re pursuing, and that’s the only real solution to this challenge.
Now, we absolutely need safe, responsible oil production here in America. That’s why under my Administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. In 2010, our dependence on foreign oil was under 50% for the first time in more than a decade. And while there are no short-term s ilver bullets when it comes to gas prices, I’ve directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an impact and help consumers in the months ahead, from permitting to delivery bottlenecks to what’s going on in the oil markets.
But over the long term, an all-of-the-above energy strategy means we have to do more. It means we have to make some choices.
Here’s one example. Right now, four billion of your tax dollars subsidize the oil industry every year. Four billion dollars.
Imagine that. Maybe some of you are listening to this in your car right now, pulling into a gas station to fill up. As you watch those numbers rise, know that oil company profits have never been higher. Yet somehow, Congress is still giving those same companies another four billion dollars of your money. That’s outrageous. It’s inexcusable. And it has to stop.
A century of subsidies to the oil companies is long enough. It’s time to end taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s never been more profitable,and use that money to reduce our deficit and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Because of the investments we’ve already made, the use of wind and solar energy in this country has nearly doubled – and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it. And because we put in place the toughest fuel economy standards in history, our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade –something that, over time, will save the typical family more than $8,000 at the pump. Now Congress needs to keep that momentum going by renewing the clean energy tax credits that will lead to more jobs and less dependence on foreign oil.
Look, we know there’s no silver bullet that will bring down gas prices or redu ce our dependence on foreign oil overnight. But what we can do is get our priorities straight, and make a sustained, serious effort to tackle this problem. That’s the commitment we need right now. And with your help, it’s a commitment we can make. Than k you.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Honolulu, HI
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Hello, everybody. As 2011 comes to an end and we look ahead to 2012, I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.
The last year has been a time of great challenge and great progress for our country. We ended one war and began to wind down another. We dealt a crippling blow to al-Qaeda and made
America more secure. We stood by our friends and allies around the world through natural disasters and revolutions. And we began to see signs of economic recovery here at home, even as too many Americans are still struggling to get ahead.
There’s no doubt that 2012 will bring even more change. And as we head into the New Year, I’m hopeful that we have what it takes to face that change and come out even stronger – to grow our economy, create more jobs, and strengthen the middle class.
I’m hopeful because of what we saw right before Christmas, when Members of Congress came together to prevent a tax hike for 160 million Americans – saving a typical family about $40 in every paycheck. They also made sure Americans looking for work won’t see their unemployment insurance cut off. And I expect Congress to finish the job by extending these provisions through the end of 2012.
It was good to see Members of Congress do the right thing for millions of working Americans. But it was only possible because you added your voices to the debate. Through email and Twitter and over the phone, you let your representatives know what was at stake. Your lives. Your families. Your well-being. You had the courage to believe that your voices could make a difference. And at the end of the day, they made all the difference.
More than anything else, you are the ones who make me hopeful about 2012. Because we’ve got some difficult debates and some tough fights to come. As I’ve said before, we are at a make-or-break moment for the middle class. And in many ways, the actions we take in the months ahead will help determine what kind of country we want to be, and what kind of world we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in.
As President, I promise to do everything I can to make America a place where hard work and responsibility are rewarded – one where everyone has a fair shot and everyone does their fair share. That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America we’ve always known. And I’m confident that if we work together, and if you keep reminding folks in Washington what’s at stake, then we will move this country forward and guarantee every American the opportunities they deserve.
Thanks for watching, and from Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo and myself, Happy New Year. President Barack Obama has officially begun his campaign to win a second term in the White
House, six months before Election Day. The president kicked off the campaign Saturday on college campuses in two key states.
Mr. Obama’s first campaign rally was at Ohio State University in Columbus. He urged those who supported him four y ears ago to do so again. “We will finish what we started. We are still fired up. We are still ready to go," he said.
Next, a similar rally at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Ohio and Virginia are two of the states where analysts believe t his year’s election may be decided.
The U.S. economy could be the deciding issue, especially in manufacturing-heavy states like Ohio, where the president defended his record. “Exports surged. And over four million jobs were created in the last two years, more of one million of those in the last six months alone," he said.
Mr. Obama repeatedly accused his likely Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, of favoring policies that benefit the rich and hurt the middle class. “Republicans in Congress have found a no minee for president who has promised to rubber-stamp (endorse entirely) this agenda if he gets the chance," he said.
Romney says the president is to blame for the sluggish economic recovery. The former Massachusetts governor says the Obama administration is over-regulating business and hampering efforts to turn the economy around.
He has also been sharply critical of Mr. Obama’s 2010 health care law.
At a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday, Romney said the program must be repealed. “Fi rst of all, I would take away one of the things that frightens entrepreneurs and innovators and businesses of all kinds from hiring. I will get rid of Obamacare," he said.
The president defended his policy and accused Romney of wanting to move the country backward. “America does not need to re-fight the battles we just had over Wall Street reform and health care reform," he said.
The Obama campaign slogan is “Forward,” and the president portrayed himself as someone who understands the struggles of middle-class Americans.
In Columbus, Michelle Obama introduced her husband, as she is expected to do frequently during the campaign. Polls show that the First Lady is more popular than the president. “I will admit, I am a little biased, because I think our president is awesome," she said.
The two rallies on college campuses Saturday are expected to be the first of many for the Obama campaign.
Young voters were an essential part of the coalition that helped elect Mr. Obama in 2008, and he will need their help again this year.