Obama's radio address: the economy (TRANSCRIPT and AUDIO)

[jefferson_dem]

Obama's radio address: the economy
Posted September 20, 2008 11:06 AM
The Swamp

by John McCormick

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Sen. Barack Obama will be on the radio nationwide today, delivering the weekly Democratic Radio Address for the second time since getting his party's nomination for president.

Not surprisingly, he will be talking about the economy, a central topic in his campaign much of the summer and especially this week, following the financial crisis on Wall Street.

The address is essentially the same as what Obama has been saying on the campaign trail all week. The text, as prepared for delivery, is below.

Good morning. This is Barack Obama.

This has been a difficult week for our economy. We are in the midst of the most serious economic challenge of our time. But we also know that the storm that's now shaking Wall Street didn't start there. It grew out of quiet storms you've been feeling in your own lives for years: ¬from all the mortgages you can't pay, from all the jobs that have been lost, and from the bills that keep piling up month after month after month.

And yet, earlier this week, at the moment a clear-eyed assessment of this crisis was needed, my opponent repeated a line that he's used again and again during this campaign ¬ quote ¬ "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." Not even George Bush's White House would agree with that statement when they were asked about it.

America, we cannot afford a President who's that out of touch. These are serious times and they demand serious leadership.

That's why yesterday, I laid out the principles for a plan that would establish a more stable and permanent solution to strengthen our financial system. And I fully support the efforts of Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke to find that solution. Those basic principles are clear.

First, it must be a plan not just for Wall Street, but for Main Street. We need to help people cope with rising gas and food prices, spark job creation by repairing our schools and our roads, help states avoid painful budget cuts and tax increases, and help homeowners stay in their homes. And we must also ensure that the solution we design doesn't reward particular companies, or irresponsible borrowers or lenders, or CEOs, some of whom helped cause this mess.

But if we're going to put our financial system on firmer footing, we're also going to have to take some additional steps to strengthen our economy from the bottom up.

Here's what I'll do: I'll stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I'll start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I'll cut taxes ¬cut taxes ¬ for 95% of all working families, and if you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increase one single dime.

And I will finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you already have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.

I'll create the jobs of the future by transforming our energy economy. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy ¬spurring the creation of new industries and five million jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced

And now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. So I'll recruit an army of new teachers, pay them more and give them more support, even as we ask for more accountability. And if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Times are hard. I won't pretend that the changes we need will come without a cost, though, I've proposed a way to make these changes in a fiscally responsible way. But I believe that if we're willing to overcome our doubts and divisions and the opposition of powerful special interests, we can truly reform our broken economy and advance opportunity for all Americans.

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/09/obamas_radio_address_the_econo.html

AUDIO HERE (AIF FILE) --- http://obama.3cdn.net/0fc0df67cbaf8069de_mlblaecqf.aif

[BumRushDaShow]

1. K&R

:kick:

[hasssan1]

2. God Bless him , He is our next president

[jefferson_dem]

3. Updated with AUDIO LINK.

n/t

[bigtree]

4. thanks for posting

:kick:

[jefferson_dem]

5. No probs, bigtree.

Nice to see you. :hi: