Apr. 27 / Administration of , 2013

The President’s Weekly Address April 27, 2013

Hi, everybody. Our top priority as a nation There is only one way to truly fix the sequester: must be growing the economy, creating good by replacing it before it causes further damage. jobs, and rebuilding opportunity for the middle A couple of weeks ago, I put forward a bud- class. get that replaces the next several years of these But 2 months ago, Congress allowed a series dumb cuts with smarter cuts, reforms our Tax of automatic budget cuts to fall across the Fed- Code to close wasteful special interest loop- eral Government that would do the opposite. holes, and invests in things like education, re- In Washington-speak, these cuts were called search, and manufacturing that will create new the sequester. It was a bad idea then. And as jobs right now. the country saw this week, it’s a bad idea now. So I hope Members of Congress will find Because of these reckless cuts, there are the same sense of urgency and bipartisan coop- parents whose kids just got kicked out of Head eration to help the families still in the cross- Start programs who right now are scrambling hairs of these cuts. Members of Congress may for a solution. There are seniors who depend not feel the pain felt by kids kicked off Head on programs like Meals on Wheels to live inde- Start or the 750,000 Americans projected to pendently looking for help. There are military lose their jobs because of these cuts or the communities—families that have obviously al- long-term unemployed who will be further ready sacrificed enough—coping under new strains. All because of these cuts. hurt by them. But that pain is real. This week, the sequester hurt travelers, who The American people worked too hard, for were stuck for hours in airports and on planes too long, rebuilding from one economic crisis and rightly frustrated by it. And maybe be- just to see your elected officials keep causing cause they fly home each weekend, the Mem- more. Our economy is growing. And our defi- bers of Congress who insisted on these cuts fi- cits are shrinking. We’re creating jobs on a nally realized that they actually apply to them consistent basis. But we need to do more to too. help middle class families get ahead, and give Republicans claimed victory when the se- more folks a chance to earn their way into the quester first took effect, and now they’ve de- middle class. We can do that, if we work to- cided it was a bad idea all along. Well, first, gether. That’s what you expect. And that’s what they should look at their own budget. If the I’m going to keep on working on every single cuts they proposed were applied across the day to help deliver. Thanks so much. board, the FAA would suffer cuts three times deeper. NOTE: The address was recorded at approxi- So Congress passed a temporary fix, a ban- mately 4:40 p.m. on April 26 in the Dwight D. daid. But these cuts are scheduled to keep fall- Eisenhower Executive Office Building for ing across other parts of the Government that broadcast on April 27. The transcript was made provide vital services for the American people. available by the Office of the Press Secretary And we can’t just keep putting bandaids on ev- on April 26, but was embargoed for release un- ery cut. It’s not a responsible way to govern. til 6 a.m. on April 27.

Remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner April 27, 2013

White House Correspondents’ Association I’d like to introduce the President of the Unit- President Ed Henry. And without further ado, ed States.

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[At this point “Hail to the Chief” began to play. kids. I go out on the basketball court, took 22 The music then changed to “All I Do Is Win” shots, made 2 of them. [Laughter] That’s right: by rap artist DJ Khaled.] 2 hits, 20 misses. The executives at NBC asked, “What’s your secret?” [Laughter] The President. Thank you. Thank you, ev- So yes, maybe I have lost a step. But some erybody. [Laughter] How do you like my new things are beyond my control. For example, entrance music? Rush Limbaugh warned you this whole controversy about Jay-Z going to about this. Second term, baby. [Laughter] Cuba, it’s unbelievable. I’ve got 99 problems, We’re changing things around here a little bit. and now Jay-Z is one. [Laughter] That’s anoth- [Laughter] er rap reference, Bill. [Laughter] I wanted to Actually, my advisers were a little worried let you know. about the new rap entrance music. [Laughter] Of course, everybody has got plenty of ad- They are a little more traditional. They sug- vice. Maureen Dowd said I could solve all my gested that I should start with some jokes at problems if I were just more like Michael my own expense, just take myself down a peg. I Douglas in “.” [Laugh- was like, guys, after 4½ years, how many pegs ter] And I know Michael is here tonight. Mi- are there left? [Laughter] chael, what’s your secret, man? [Laughter] I want to thank the White House correspon- Could it be that you were an actor in an Aaron dents. Ed, you’re doing an outstanding job. We Sorkin liberal fantasy? [Laughter] Might that are grateful for the great work you’ve done. To have something to do with it? I don’t know. all the dignitaries who are here, everybody on Check in with me. Maybe it’s something else. the dais; I especially want to say thank you to [Laughter] Ray Odierno, who does outstanding service on Anyway, I recognize that this job can take a behalf of our country, and all our men and toll on you. I understand, second term, you women in uniform every single day. need a burst of new energy, try some new And of course, our extraordinary First Lady, things. And my team and I talked about it. We . Everybody loves Michelle. were willing to try anything. So we borrowed [Laughter] She’s on the cover of Vogue, high one of Michelle’s tricks. [Laughter] poll numbers. But don’t worry, I recently got my own magazine cover. [Laughter] [Several images of the President with a bangs hairstyle were shown.] [An image of a magazine titled “Senior Lei- sure” with a photo of the President and Vice I thought this looked pretty good, but no President playing golf was shown.] bounce. [Laughter] Anyway—— I want to give a shout-out to our headliner, Now, look, I get it. These days, I look in the Conan O’Brien. I was just talking to Ed, and I mirror and I have to admit, I’m not the strap- understand that when the Correspondents’ As- ping young Muslim Socialist that I used to be. sociation was considering Conan for this gig, [Laughter] Time passes. You get a little gray. they were faced with that age-old dilemma: Do [Laughter] you offer it to him now or wait for 5 years and And yet, even after all this time, I still make then give it to Jimmy Fallon? [Laughter] That rookie mistakes. Like, I’m out in California, was a little harsh. [Laughter] I love Conan. we’re at a fundraiser, we’re having a nice time. And of course, the White House press corps I happen to mention that Kamala Harris is the is here. I know CNN has taken some knocks best looking attorney general in the country. lately, but the fact is, I admire their commit- [Laughter] As you might imagine, I got trouble ment to cover all sides of a story, just in case one when I got back home. [Laughter] Who knew of them happens to be accurate. [Laughter] Eric Holder was so sensitive? [Laughter] Some of my former advisers have switched And then, there’s the Easter egg roll, which over to the dark side. For example, David Axel- is supposed to be just a nice, fun event with the rod now works for MSNBC, which is a nice

339 Apr. 27 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2013 change of pace since MSNBC used to work for sky, and a giant kitten shooting laser beams out David Axelrod. [Laughter] of its eyes at a monster truck in the background The History Channel is not here. I guess was shown.] they were embarrassed about the whole Obama-is-a-devil thing. [Laughter] We were just trying to tone it down a little bit. [Laughter] That was an awesome day. [An image of Satan, played by actor Mohamen [Laughter] Mehdi Ouazanni, from the History Channel’s There are other new players in the media miniseries “The Bible” was shown.] landscape as well, like super PACs. Did you know that Sheldon Adelson spent $100 million Of course, that never kept Fox News from of his own money last year on negative ads? showing up. [Laughter] They actually thought You’ve got to really dislike me—[laughter]—to the comparison was not fair—to Satan. spend that kind of money. I mean, that’s Oprah [Laughter] money. [Laughter] You could buy an island But the problem is, is that the media land- and call it “Nobama” for that kind of money. scape is changing so rapidly. You can’t keep up [Laughter] Sheldon would have been better off with it. I mean, I remember when BuzzFeed offering me $100 million to drop out of the was just something I did in college around 2 race. [Laughter] I probably wouldn’t have tak- a.m. [Laughter] It’s true. [Laughter] en it, but I’d have thought about it. [Laughter] Recently, though, I found a new favorite Michelle would have taken it. [Laughter] You source for political news. These guys are great. think I’m joking? [Laughter] I think everybody here should check it out; I know Republicans are still sorting out what they tell it like it is. It’s called whitehouse.gov. happened in 2012, but one thing they all agree [Laughter] I cannot get enough of it. on is they need to do a better job reaching out The fact is, I really do respect the press. I to minorities. And look, call me self-centered, recognize that the press and I have different but I can think of one minority they could start jobs to do. My job is to be President; your job with. [Laughter] is to keep me humble. Frankly, I think I’m do- ing my job better. [Laughter] [The President raised his hand.] But part of the problem is, everybody is so cynical. I mean, we’re constantly feeding cyni- Hello. [Laughter] Think of me as a trial run, cism, suspicion, conspiracies. You remember a you know? [Laughter] See how it goes. few months ago, my administration put out a [Laughter] photograph of me going skeet shooting at If they won’t come to me, I will come to Camp David? You remember that? And quite them. Recently, I had dinner—it’s been well a number of people insisted that this had been publicized—I had dinner with a number of the Photoshopped. Republican Senators. And I’ll admit it wasn’t [An image of the President skeet shooting was easy. I proposed a toast; it died in committee. shown.] [Laughter] Of course, even after I’ve done all this, some But tonight I have something to confess: folks still don’t think I spend enough time with You were right. Guys, can we show them the Congress. Why don’t you get a drink with actual photo? [Laughter] Mitch, they ask. Really? [Laughter] Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell? [An image of the President skeet shooting, with [Laughter] I’m sorry. I get frustrated some- a bald eagle perched on his shoulder, kneeling times. on the roof of a racecar driven by Vice Presi- I am not giving up. In fact, I’m taking my dent Biden in a barren, rocky landscape with a charm offensive on the road: a Texas barbeque rainbow, lightning, and a large full moon in the with Ted Cruz, a Kentucky bluegrass concert

340 Administration of Barack Obama, 2013 / Apr. 27 with Rand Paul, and a book-burning with Mi- [A video about a mock film project by director chele Bachmann. [Laughter] Steven Spielberg titled “Obama” was shown.] My charm offensive has helped me learn some interesting things about what’s going on It’s a remarkable transformation. Do I really in Congress: It turns out, absolutely nothing. sound like that, though, honey? [Laughter] [Laughter] But the point of my charm offen- Wow. sive is simple: We need to make progress on Groucho Marx once said—and, Senator some important issues. Take the sequester. Re- Cruz, that’s Groucho Marx, not Karl. That’s publicans fell in love with this thing, and now the other guy. [Laughter] Groucho Marx once they can’t stop talking about how much they told an audience, “Before I speak, I have some- hate it. It’s like we’re trapped in a Taylor Swift thing important to say.” [Laughter] And along album. [Laughter] those same lines, I want to close on a more se- One Senator who has reached across the rious note. aisle recently is Marco Rubio, but I don’t know Obviously, there has been no shortage of about 2016. I mean, the guy has not even fin- news to cover over these past few weeks. And ished a single term in the Senate and he thinks these have been some very hard days for too he’s ready to be President. [Laughter] Kids many of our citizens. Even as we gather here these days. tonight, our thoughts are not far from the peo- I, on the other hand, have run my last cam- ple of Boston and the people of West, Texas. paign. On Thursday, as Ed mentioned, I went There are families in the Midwest who are to the opening of the Bush Presidential Library coping with some terrible floods. So we’ve had in Dallas. It was a wonderful event, and that in- some difficult days. spired me to get started on my own legacy, But even when the days seemed darkest, we which will actually begin by building another have seen humanity shine at its brightest. edifice right next to the Bush Library. Can we We’ve seen first responders and National show that, please? [Laughter] Guardsmen who have dashed into danger, law enforcement officers who lived their oath to [An image of the Bush Library was shown. A serve and to protect, and everyday Americans billboard atop an adjacent building displayed who are opening their homes and their hearts the words “His Fault,” with an arrow pointing to perfect strangers. toward the Bush Library. The adjacent build- ing was labeled “The Blame Bush Library.”] And we also saw journalists at their best, es- pecially those who took the time to wade up- I’m also hard at work on plans for the stream through the torrent of digital rumors to Obama Library. And some have suggested that chase down leads and verify facts and painstak- we put it in my birthplace, but I’d rather keep ingly put the pieces together to inform and to it in the United States. [Laughter] Did any- educate and to tell stories that demanded to be body not see that joke coming? [Laughter] told. Show of hands. Only Gallup? Maybe Dick If anyone wonders, for example, whether Morris? [Laughter] newspapers are a thing of the past, all you Now, speaking of Presidents and their lega- needed to do was to pick up or log on to papers cies, I want to acknowledge a wonderful friend, like the Boston Globe. When their communi- Steven Spielberg, and Daniel Day-Lewis, who ties and the wider world needed them most, are here tonight. We had a screening of their they were there making sense of events that most recent film, “Lincoln,” which was an ex- might at first blush seem beyond our compre- traordinary film. I am a little nervous, though, hension. And that’s what great journalism is, about Steven’s next project. I saw a behind- and that’s what great journalists do. And that’s the-scenes look on HBO. Well, let’s just check why, for example, Pete Williams’s new nick- it out. Roll the tape. name around the NBC newsroom is “Big Papi.”

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And in these past few weeks, as I’ve gotten a do in the first place: because we believed in chance to meet many of the first responders something that was true and we believed in and the police officers and volunteers who service and the idea that we can have a lasting, raced to help when hardship hits, I was re- positive impact on the lives of the people minded, as I’m always reminded when I meet around us. our men and women in uniform—whether And that’s our obligation. That’s a task we they’re in war theater or here back home or at should gladly embrace on behalf of all of those Walter Reed in Bethesda—I’m reminded that folks who are counting on us, on behalf of this all these folks, they don’t do it to be honored, country that’s given us so much. they don’t do it to be celebrated. They do it be- So thank you all, to the White House corre- cause they love their families and they love spondents for the great work you do. God bless their neighborhoods and they love their coun- you all. May God bless the United States of try. America. And so these men and women should in- spire all of us in this room to live up to those NOTE: The President spoke at 10:14 p.m. at same standards, to be worthy of their trust, to the Washington Hilton hotel. In his remarks, do our jobs with the same fidelity and the same he referred to radio show hosts Rush Lim- integrity and the same sense of purpose and baugh and Dick Morris; musician Shawn C. the same love of country. Because if we’re only “Jay-Z” Carter; Bill O’Reilly, host, Fox News focused on profits or ratings or polls, then Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” program; we’re contributing to the cynicism that so Maureen B. Dowd, columnist, New York many people feel right now. Times; screenwriter ; Conan C. And so those of us in this room tonight, we O’Brien, host, TBS’s “Conan” program; James are incredibly lucky. And the fact is, we can do T. Fallon, Jr., host, NBC’s “Late Night With better, all of us. Those of us in public office, Jimmy Fallon” program; former White House those of us in the press, those who produce en- Senior Adviser David M. Axelrod; Sheldon G. tertainment for our kids, those with power, Adelson, chairman and chief executive officer, those with influence—all of us, including my- Las Vegas Sands Corp.; talk show host Oprah self—we can strive to value those things that I Winfrey; actor Daniel Day-Lewis; and Pete suspect led most of us to do the work that we Williams, correspondent, NBC News.

Remarks at the National Academy of Sciences April 29, 2013

Thank you so much. Please, everybody, have Sciences. And since I did not do well enough in a seat. chemistry or physics to impress you much on Well, it’s good to be back. Good morning, those topics, let me instead tell a story. everybody, and thank you, Dr. Cicerone, for One hundred and fifty years ago, the Na- the kind introduction and the great work that tion, as all of you know, was in the midst of the you do. The good doctor was reminding me Civil War, and the Union had recently suffered that the first time I came here, he—apparently a devastating defeat at Fredericksburg. The joking, I warned him and John Holdren not to road ahead seemed long and uncertain. Con- age too much in their jobs. And it turns out, federate advances in weapons technology cast I’m the guy who’s aged. [Laughter] They look a dark shadow on the Union. great. The previous spring, in the waters outside of But as always, it’s an honor to join our Na- Hampton Roads, the ironclad Confederate tion’s preeminent scholars, including my own battleship Virginia had sunk two wooden science adviser, John Holdren, to celebrate the Union ships and advanced on a third, and this 150th anniversary of the National Academy of endangered the Union blockade of Virginia

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