Full text of Obama's speech to Congress and the nation

Here is the text of President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress, as released by the White House moments ago:

Madame speaker, Mr. vice president, members of Congress, and the first lady of the United States:

I’ve come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here. I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so.  If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has –- a friend; a neighbor; a member of your family. 

You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights.  It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere.

But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.

The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. 

Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.

Now, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that for too long, we have not always met these responsibilities -– as a government or as a people.  I say this not to....

...lay blame or look backwards, but because it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament.

The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank.  We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy.  Yet we import more oil today than ever before. The cost of healthcare eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform. Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for.  And though all these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before.

In other words, we have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election.  A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future.  Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market.  People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway.  And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day. 

Well, that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.

Now is the time to act boldly and wisely –- to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jump-start job creation, restart lending, and invest in areas like energy, healthcare, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about tonight. 

It’s an agenda that begins with jobs. 

As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by President’s Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government –- I don’t. Not because I’m not mindful of the massive debt we’ve inherited -– I am. I called for action because the failure to do so would have cost more jobs and caused more hardships. 

In fact, a failure to act would have worsened our long-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years.  That’s why I pushed for quick action.  And tonight, I am grateful that this Congress delivered, and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law.   

Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90% of these jobs will be in the private sector –- jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind turbines and solar panels; laying broadband and expanding mass transit.

Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids.  Healthcare professionals can continue caring for our sick.  There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of Minneapolis tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make. 

Because of this plan, 95% of the working households in America will receive a tax cut –- a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1.

Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college. And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued healthcare coverage to help them weather this storm. 

I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work.  I understand that skepticism.  Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending.  And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.

That is why I have asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort -– because nobody messes with Joe. I have told each member of my Cabinet as well as mayors and governors across the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend.  I have appointed a proven and aggressive inspector general to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud.  And we have created a new website called recovery.gov so that every American can find out how and where their money is being spent. 

So the recovery plan we passed is the first step in getting our economy back on track.  But it is just the first step.  Because even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean up the credit crisis that has severely weakened our financial system.

I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue tonight, because every American should know that it directly affects you and your family’s well-being.  You should also know that the money you’ve deposited in banks across the country is safe; your insurance is secure; and you can rely on the continued operation of our financial system.  That is not the source of concern.

The concern is that if we do not restart lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins. 

You see, the flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy. The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a car to a college education; how stores stock their shelves, farms buy equipment, and businesses make payroll.

But credit has stopped flowing the way it should. Too many bad loans from the housing crisis have made their way onto the books of too many banks. With so much debt and so little confidence, these banks are now fearful of lending out any more money to households, to businesses, or to each other. When there is no lending, families can’t afford to buy homes or cars.  So businesses are forced to make layoffs. Our economy suffers even more, and credit dries up even further. 

That is why this administration is moving swiftly and aggressively to break this destructive cycle, restore confidence, and restart lending.

We will do so in several ways. First, we are creating a new lending fund that represents the largest effort ever to help provide auto loans, college loans, and small-business loans to the consumers and entrepreneurs who keep this economy running.   

Second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and refinance their mortgages. It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values -– Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped bring about.  In fact, the average family who refinances today can save nearly $2,000 per year on their mortgage.   

Third, we will act with the full force of the federal government to ensure that the major banks that Americans depend on have enough confidence and enough money to lend even in more difficult times.  And when we learn that a major bank has serious problems, we will hold accountable those responsible, force the necessary adjustments, provide the support to clean up their balance sheets, and assure the continuity of a strong, viable institution that can serve our people and our economy.

I understand that on any given day, Wall Street may be more comforted by an approach that gives banks bailouts with no strings attached, and that holds nobody accountable for their reckless decisions.  But such an approach won’t solve the problem. And our goal is to quicken the day when we restart lending to the American people and American business and end this crisis once and for all.

I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time, they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer.  This time, CEOs won’t be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over. 

Still, this plan will require significant resources from the federal government –- and yes, probably more than we’ve already set aside.  But while the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy that sputters along for not months or years, but perhaps a decade. That would be worse for our deficit, worse for business, worse for you, and worse for the next generation.  And I refuse to let that happen.    

I understand that when the last administration asked this Congress to provide assistance for struggling banks, Democrats and Republicans alike were infuriated by the mismanagement and results that followed.  So were the American taxpayers. So was I. 

So I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part from their bad decisions. I promise you –- I get it. 

But I also know that in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment.  My job -– our job -– is to solve the problem. Our job is to govern with a sense of responsibility. I will not spend a single penny for the purpose of rewarding a single Wall Street executive, but I will do whatever it takes to help the small business that can’t pay its workers or the family that has saved and still can’t get a mortgage. 

That’s what this is about.  It’s not about helping banks –- it’s about helping people. Because when credit is available again, that young family can finally buy a new home. And then some company will hire workers to build it.  And then those workers will have money to spend, and if they can get a loan too, maybe they’ll finally buy that car, or open their own business. Investors will return to the market, and American families will see their retirement secured once more. Slowly, but surely, confidence will return, and our economy will recover.    

So I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary.  Because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession.  And to ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system.  It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation, and punishes shortcuts and abuse. 

The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short term. But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of healthcare; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our responsibility.

In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs.  I see this document differently.  I see it as a vision for America as a blueprint for our future.

My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited –- a trillion-dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession. 

Given these realities, everyone in this chamber –- Democrats and Republicans -– will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars.  And that includes me. 

But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges. I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity.

For history tells a different story. History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age.  In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world. 

In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive. 

We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal.  Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on the programs we don’t need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future:  energy, healthcare, and education. 

It begins with energy. We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century.  And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy-efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like
Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea. 

Well, I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders -- and I know you don’t either.  It is time for America to lead again. 

Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history -– an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology. 

We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills. 

But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.  So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America.

As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink.  We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices.  But we are committed to the goal of a retooled, reimagined auto industry that can compete and win.  Millions of jobs depend on it.  Scores of communities depend on it.  And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it. None of this will come without cost, nor will it be easy.  But this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. We do what is necessary to move this country forward.

For that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of healthcare.   

This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes.  In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages.  And in each of these years, 1 million more Americans have lost their health insurance.  It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas.  And it’s one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget. 

Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put healthcare reform on hold.

Already, we have done more to advance the cause of healthcare reform in the last 30 days than we have in the last decade.  When it was days old, this Congress passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for 11 million American children whose parents work full time. Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives.

It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American by seeking a cure for cancer in our time.  And it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that is one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control. 

This budget builds on these reforms.  It includes an historic commitment to comprehensive healthcare reform –- a down payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable healthcare for every American. It’s a commitment that’s paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue.  And it’s a step we must take if we hope to bring down our deficit in the years to come. 

Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve reform, and that is why I’m bringing together businesses and workers, doctors and healthcare providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on this issue next week. 

I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. It will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our healthcare has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough. So let there be no doubt: healthcare reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.    

The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America. In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity –- it is a prerequisite.   

Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma.  And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation.  And half of the students who begin college never finish. 

This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education –- from the day they are born to the day they begin a career. 

Already, we have made an historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan.  We have dramatically expanded early-childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life.  We have made college affordable for nearly 7 million more students. And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children’s progress. 

But we know that our schools don’t just need more resources. They need more reform. That is why this budget creates new incentives for teacher performance; pathways for advancement, and rewards for success.  We’ll invest in innovative programs that are already helping schools meet high standards and close achievement gaps.  And we will expand our commitment to charter schools.   

It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work.  But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it.  And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship.  But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.  And dropping out of high school is no longer an option.  It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country –- and this country needs and values the talents of every American.  That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal:  By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.   

I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Sen. Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country -– Sen. Edward Kennedy. 

These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children.  But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them.  In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a president but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home. 

There is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children.  And that is the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay.  With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has never been more important to ensure that as our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this deficit down.

I’m proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities. 

Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office.  My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs.  As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time.  But we’re starting with the biggest lines.  We have already identified $2 trillion in savings over the next decade.

In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them.  We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use.  We will root out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas. 

In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans.  But let me be perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people:  If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime.  In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut -– that’s right, a tax cut -– for 95% of working families.  And these checks are on the way.   

To preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security.  Comprehensive healthcare reform is the best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come.  And we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans.

Finally, because we’re also suffering from a deficit of trust, I am committed to restoring a sense of honesty and accountability to our budget.  That is why this budget looks ahead 10 years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules –- and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For seven years, we have been a nation at war.  No longer will we hide its price. We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war. 

And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat Al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. 

As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: We honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support.  To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded healthcare and benefits that they have earned. 

To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend -– because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists -– because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger.  And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture.

In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new era of engagement has begun.  For we know that America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, but the world cannot meet them without
America. We cannot shun the negotiating table, nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm.  We are instead called to move forward with the sense of confidence and candor that serious times demand.

To seek progress toward a secure and lasting peace between Israel and her neighbors, we have appointed an envoy to sustain our effort.  To meet the challenges of the 21st century –- from terrorism to nuclear proliferation; from pandemic disease to cyber-threats to crushing poverty -– we will strengthen old alliances, forge new ones, and use all elements of our national power. 

And to respond to an economic crisis that is global in scope, we are working with the nations of the G-20 to restore confidence in our financial system, avoid the possibility of escalating protectionism, and spur demand for American goods in markets across the globe. For the world depends on us to have a strong economy, just as our economy depends on the strength of the world’s. 

As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us -- watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead.    

Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times.  It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege –- one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans.  For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill. 

I know that it is easy to lose sight of this truth – to become cynical and doubtful; consumed with the petty and the trivial. 

But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary. I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60-million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ''I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn't feel right getting the money myself.”

I think about Greensburg, Kan., a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community -– how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay.  “The tragedy was terrible,” said one of the men who helped them rebuild.  “But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity.”    

And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, S.C. -– a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp.  The letter asks us for help, and says, “We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters.”  We are not quitters. 

These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here.  They tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.

Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause.  And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us. 

I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.

And if we do -– if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, “something worthy to be remembered.”  Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America."    

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Photo credit: Top photo Mark Wilson/Getty Images, middle photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Comments

[Bill McCarthy]

Who are these Republicans....sitting there stone faced and not clapping.....we want our country back folks, and we're here to put you on notice. The Republicans are on their way out. The death knell has sounded.

[mixplix]

I'm listening to the speech as I'm writing this and it's funnier than the emmy awards which is a club of actors giving themselves awards they voted on. The club in Washington is no different. I'm still laughing.

[Jordan]

Americans did not invent the automobile. The French and Germans did!

[Nicholas Surprenant]

I did not get to hear the speech, but after reading it, my hair was standing up on my arms. I served 9 months in Pakistan as a firefighter in the Air Force. I was newly married and only supposed to be deployed for 90 days. My deployment was extended twice, because of the war in Iraq. The first was for 90 more days. The second was indefinite, which I recieved notice of a week prior to the end of the first extension. I didn't understand why we were fighting two wars, and couldn't tell my family when I was going to come home. After returning home, my marriage fell apart, I separated from the Air Force, and I cant find a job. I had lost faith in my government and had no idea of what to do. With all that being said, Obama gives me strength, inspiration, and hope every time he speaks that a positive change is coming. I just want to thank him for helping me believe that I can and will succeed again.

[Dale Wilson II]

I think he is a good motivational speaker. I hope it work's. Alot of American people are lazy.

[Ahmed Shariff]

Obama is the kind of change Agent the world needs to survive the many challenge of today and tomorrow.. I hope his leadership setforth a standard/framework model for other nations hungery for change.... I am just happy that in my life time.. a hopeful leader emerge .... for the first time in my life i wish i was born american.
From the bottom of my heart, i pray that you succeed... for your success will positively change the life of millions around the world... our children needs the change morethan we do... God bless you - my men.

[RobertBrink]

"People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway."
Mind-boggling. Obama actually had the courage to tell the truth about the housing crisis. He's still going to punish me with future inflation and taxes to bail out no-money-down landlords but hey, at least I have the comfort of knowing that he "feels my pain".

And, as another poster mentioned, Nicolaus Otto will be happy to hear that Germany won't be turning its back on the automobile.

[Mauri Yambo]

"Bold action and big ideas" -- that's the way. But I'm still waiting for some really, really, really biiig ideas. As big as America. About the inclusive future of mankind. Truly consequential and convergent ideas. Universal!. Something too big for naysayers to trivialize and to scuttle -- even if, in the myopia of their vision, they try.

And now for something more domestic (a matter strictly for the kraal): Obama, who is one of us, is the standard by which we judge our leaders now, here in Africa. It's not so easy for them now. Political fortunes are beginning to fray now. Old comfort zones are turning to discomfort now. The age of innocence is on a fast fade now!

[Michael]

Jordan while it is true that Americans did not invent the automobile we did invent Factory mass production. That is why it was percieved that we made the automobile, because we made one of the earliest known vehicles and we mass produced it. the Ford Model-T

[Joshua]

I feel renewed and hopeful after listening to the speech. I feel saddened and hopeless after reading the message boards. If we Indeed need every last citizen for this recovery to work, we are doomed. The half that never went past highschool are weighing us down with pettiness and stupidity as they miss the message completely.

[yane]

omg, this man is great!

[Jerromy Payne]

I'm ready to vote for the first time to re-elect him now. The immense pressure he's under to save the ship Bush blew full of holes, and he's out there with boards helping to patch those holes. Without inspiration like his this country would be doomed.

[Maureen Sharib]

“...something worthy to be remembered.”

Watching President Obama's speech to the nation last night (February 24, 2009) I was struck by many lyricisms but this one stood out for me as he closed his address with an exhortation:

'...this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, 'something worthy to be remembered.'”

The phrase stayed with me thoroughout the night and this morning I did some research on it. The words, now carved in stone in the area behind the Speakers Rostrum of the House of Representatives, were first uttered by the great orator Daniel Webster on June 17, 1825 in his Bunker Hill Monument speech that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, when he vividly said:

"Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered."

For the life of me I cannot see why these things cannot be done. I wonder if the man whom Emerson called, "the great cannon loaded to the lips," and who so longed for the presidency of the United States throughout his lifetime is now well-pleased.

[Pam]

hahaha promises, promises and more promises he's
making and WON'T be able to keep. He's all mouth and
he needs to shut up or GET OUT. He's one of the reasons
this country in the shape it's in now, before he became
president.

[HENRY OKOLLA SIGAR]

President Barack Obama is leading Americans to the promissed land and this should be alesson to African leaders who are hungry of power and can only go for the top seat for personal benefit.

From Henry Okolla Sigar
Nairobi Kenya

[Jean]

It always seems like the republicans have to play the bully or the bad guys. They are so controlling and because of it, so many Americans have suffered. They should be ashamed of themselvelves. I have watched Bush for 8 years and I couldnt wait to see him go. Its time are country go back to a more comfortable era. Obama is definatley that. People need to learn to love other people again. I beleve President Obama really cares about you and me. The republicans are on the down and OUT!!!!! I hope they' will learn from the presidents example and change their controlling behavior. Its hasn't worked and never will.!!!!

[Bill Luginbuhl]

To Bill McCarthy:

If the Republicans are on their way out that means we'll be a one-party government. If that's the case we then become Fascist or Communist. Which would you prefer? I think you should think before you write.

Your leader came to the White House with a message of bi-partisanship and hope for all Americans. Your words only show that either you don't believe your leader or his words are meaningless. Which is it?

They sat stone-faced probably because they disagreed with something that was said. This is their right. It took you a lot of guile to try to deny them that right. The same rights you exercised in writing you ill-advised words, the same rights I'm exercising now.

You, like every other American, need to look inside yourself and change the darkness you find there to light. If you don't this country is doomed to fail in everything it attempts from now on.

To Mixplix:

Shame on you. Either you voted for this group of comedians, as you inferred, which makes you culpable, or you didn't vote at all, which means you've gotten what you've voted for. Either way you have no right to complain.

To Jordan:

You and the President are both right. The French and Germans invented the horseless carriage. The Americans, with Henry Ford leading the way, first invented and introduced the features that make it the automobile as we know it today and secondly, found the way to mass produce it and therefore deliver it to the average citizen cheaply.

[Kumar Satyaketu]

After reading this address, I am yet to understand what and how are we to get out of this mess, I am willing to submit ideas and plans that can help, once I am in contact with the person who will work towards implementing plans that will work after careful considerations by the experts.

[ENERGY GURU]

Obama made a big commitment to green energy last night. However the question is where will the money be spent.Obama will have a fight on his hands the GOP and the oil companies who line their pockets will do anything to stop anything that hurts big oil. We need to get behind the President and get behind new ideas not just mainstream alternative energy programs. I just read an article about creating star power here on earth. Plus I recently discovered a company called Energetics Technologies. They have a process called SuperWaveFusion, which could be a possible breakthrough in cold fusion. I recently read that 2 independent labs have replicated this process, this is the type of new thinking we need! It was also nice to here the words health care and education again, it has been a long tIme coming!

[Chuck Dubis]

I have been a lifelong Republican but President Obama has shown a sensitivity all Americans need to hear. He has given us a chance to catch our breath. Most Americans have accumulated more and more debt over the last few years, and it is not fair to just pull the rug from under them. When banks stop all lending overnight and expect people to continue life as normal is a recipe for disaster. No one wants to burden future generations with massive debt but if our government sat idly by while large corporations went bankrupt, our country would go into a panic mode and the results would be devastating. Many of these companies would never recover. I fully support his wise leadership.

[Brenda Fisher]

This is one of the most magnificent addresses I have heard/read in a long time. Time will only tell if we will survive this detriment and corruptness we have brought upon ourselves, but it seems at this moment that our leaders are doing everything humanly possible for all Americans' benefits. We are, after all, only human.

I love and believe in capitalism, but that word has been replaced with the word greed and has been acted upon with little regard for any human life who gets in the way. We have been living in an I and me state for the last generation and this is not capitalism at its finest.

What other meanings are there to life but to teach, to learn, to help the weaker. Has this all been forgotten? Let us all, as Americans, get behind our current administration, read their allocations of costs on the internet, help with good logical ideas of thoughts to our Senators and Congressman and get on with the business of being American.

[Daniel Repko NZ]

How much bigger does the economic crisis and the resulting social impact needs to become for republican legislators also put their shoulders under the changes needed? Watching Obama halve a world away very aware that what happens in the US effects most of us as well. God bless Obama and his team.

[Michael]

Very inspiring words, I sincerely hope that he sticks by those same principles that got him elected. I first thought that President Obama was all talk and no walk, but his first weeks in office he's already rallied up a nation behind him....

Makes me feel kinda bad that I had voted for McCain....... But not that bad....

[ZZMike]

I'll give Obama the mulligan on the "invented the automobile".

After all, Al Gore invented the internet.

Hey McCarthy: "Who are these Republicans....sitting there stone faced and not clapping."

As opposed to all the Democrats who sat there stone-faced during Bush's speech.

At least we have good reason not to applaud the guy who's going to send us down the primrose path to socialism.

[Lillian Hackett]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Mr. Obama. Your grandmother is watching from Heaven and is very proud of you! As an average American middleclass person I see hope in the future for my family. My daughter and my son are now trying their hardest to make it through SUNY colleges and every day I pray that they make it. Their student loans and cosigned loans are adding up as well as their living expenses. I continue to do anything that I can to help them maintain a normal life. My children and I have faith in you and your judgements. Thru all of this we all remember that God helps those who help themselves! Thank you again for everything you are doing for others. God bless You and your family also!.