Remarks at a Rally for Senatorial Candidate Robin Carnahan in Kansas City July 8, 2010
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July 8 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2010 So here’s the bottom line: These are incredi- But there are no powerful interests to lobby bly challenging times, there’s no doubt about it. for the clean energy company that may start for And as I said every day during the campaign, a few—hiring folks a few years from now or the change is hard. Change takes time. The prob- research that may lead to a lifesaving medical lems we face have been building up for de- breakthrough or the student who may not be cades; they’re not going to go away overnight. able to afford a college education, but if they Not in 1 year, not in 4 years. No President, no got that education, their dreams would not just politician has the power to snap their fingers carry them, but carry other people with them. and fix everything. A lot of folks will tell you that It’s our job as a nation to advocate on behalf the closer you get to election day, that they can, of the America that we hope for, even when it’s but you can’t believe them. not popular, even if we can’t always see benefits Here’s what we can do, though. We can in the short term, because we know it will pay make choices about which direction we want to off in the long term. It’s our job to fight not just take this country. We can stop putting off the for the next election but for the next generation, things that have been holding us back and going for our children and our children’s children. And that’s what I’ve tried to do every day as ahead and tackling them and fixing them. We President. That’s what Robin Carnahan will do can do what we’ve always done, whether it was when she is the next great Senator from the on a farm or dealing with a crisis overseas: We State of Missouri. I need all of you to join us on shape our own destiny as a nation. We decide this journey. And if you’re willing to make that what we’re going to bequeath to our children investment, I guarantee you our better days are and our grandchildren. not behind us, they are in front of us. The interests of the status quo, they’ll always Thank you very much, everybody. God bless have the most influential and vocal defenders. you. There will always be lobbyists for the powerful industries that don’t want more regulation or NOTE: The President spoke at 1:36 p.m. at the would rather see tax breaks instead of more in- Kansas City Marriott Downtown hotel. In his vestments in education and infrastructure. And remarks, he referred to former Sen. Jean Car- let’s face it: The prospect of change is scary, nahan; Rep. J. Russell Carnahan; Missouri sena- even when we know the status quo isn’t work- torial candidate Rep. Roy D. Blunt; and Gov. ing. Jeremiah W. “Jay” Nixon of Missouri. Remarks at a Rally for Senatorial Candidate Robin Carnahan in Kansas City July 8, 2010 The President. Hello, Kansas City! Thank got some old friends who are here—not old in you. It’s a nice-looking crowd. Thank you so years, but have been just terrific working along- much, everybody. Thank you, everybody. Ev- side me—Congressman and former mayor erybody, have a seat. Everybody, have a seat. Emanuel Cleaver is in the house. Congressman I’m going to take off my jacket; it’s a little warm Dennis Moore is here. Attorney General Chris in here. Hello, everybody! It is good to be back Koster is here. One of my earliest supporters in in Kansas City. Good to be back. Missouri, State Auditor Susan Montee is here. I’ve got some wonderful friends here in Kan- And Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders is sas City—— here. And all of you are here. Audience member. Yes, we can! And the next Senator from the great State of The President. Yes, we can. Missouri is here, Robin Carnahan. And the Some of you know, my mom was from Kan- Royals have won a few games. [Laughter] sas. Just met a cousin I’d never met before. Now, Missouri is the “Show Me” State. It has [Laughter] I did. Nice person, nice family. I’ve a long tradition of no-nonsense, independent 1038 Administration of Barack Obama, 2010 / July 8 leaders going to Washington: Harry Truman, Eighteen months ago when I took office, we my great friend Claire McCaskill, and some had already gone through a decade of economic wonderful Missourians who go by the name of policies that had resulted in stagnant incomes, Carnahan. and the average wage of the average worker in Robin is cut from this mold. She’s not going America actually went down when you adjusted to Washington to look good and—although she it for inflation during the previous 10 years be- does look good—[laughter]—to be on a bunch fore I had gotten elected. So falling or stagnant of cable shows and represent the oil industry or incomes, sluggish job growth, record deficits, the insurance industry or the big banks on Wall that’s what we had been going through. And Street. That’s not why she wants to go. She’s not they culminated—these policies culminated in even going there to represent Democrats, al- the worst crisis we’ve had since the Great De- though she’s a strong Democrat. She’s not going pression. there to represent me, although she’s a great Think about that. The Great Depression hap- friend. She’s going to Washington for only one pened a long time ago, 1930s; haven’t seen any- reason: to represent one constituency, and that thing this bad as a consequence of economic is the people of Missouri. She will call them like policies that had been put in place. Three mil- she sees them, and she sees them the way you lion Americans lost their jobs in the last 6 do and the way most Missourians do. months of 2008. The month I got sworn in, in January, we lost 750,000 jobs that month. And Think about her background: small-business these aren’t just numbers. Those are real folks owner, still runs the family farm just outside of wondering if they can pay the mortgage, won- Rolla. That’s why, as your secretary of state, she dering if they can pay the bills, feeling desper- has been looking out for you, because she ate, some of them feeling embarrassed because knows what your lives are like—cut redtape for maybe they can’t look after their families the small businesses, saves small-business owners way they wanted to. Everybody in this room was millions of dollars so they could focus on grow- touched by this crisis. You definitely know ing their companies and adding to their payroll, somebody who was. creating jobs. When she got elected, she decid- Now, these policies were pretty straightfor- ed, I’m going to stand up for consumers; got ward. They were all spelled out. Sometimes $10 billion back for the people of Missouri who they put fancy names on them like the “owner- were being taken advantage of by big institu- ship society” or—you remember that? But we tions. That’s real money. That’s real money. She know what the policies were: You cut taxes for worked with Democrats and Republicans to the richest people, who don’t need tax cuts and pass one of the strictest laws to make sure that weren’t even asking for them—Warren Buffett seniors weren’t victimized by fraud. got real big tax cuts that whole time—then you She’s got a track record of looking out for the cut rules and regulations for the most powerful people of Missouri, and that’s why Missouri corporations, whether it’s big banks on Wall needs to send her to Washington so she can Street or big oil companies who are operating in fight for you, so she doesn’t forget you, so she’s the Gulf, and then you basically say to every- not wining and dining and going to the fancy body else, you’re on your own. cocktail parties and then coming back and act- Audience member. That’s bull! [Laughter] ing like she’s been here the whole time. The President. But that was the philosophy, [Laughter] right? You don’t have health insurance? Tough Robin’s tough. And you’ve got to have tough luck, you’re on your own. Can’t afford to send leaders in Washington because, first of all, the your kid to college? Tough luck, on your own. other folks call you a lot of names. [Laughter] Now, I think we all know these policies were They’ll just make up stuff about you. [Laughter] bad for the people of Missouri. They were bad Make it up. But you got to be tough because for workers. They were bad for responsible these are also tough times for America. businesses because it put those responsible 1039 July 8 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2010 businesses at a disadvantage. If you’re following That’s why stuff in Washington doesn’t get rules and other folks aren’t, if you’re a local done. It’s because people put their finger out to small-town banker and you’re doing what you’re the wind, and they say, well, I don’t know, supposed to be doing, lending for businesses, which way is the wind blowing? [Laughter] So helping people create jobs, and the next thing all these folks who were all getting a bunch of you know somebody has gone off some cocka- earmarks for everybody, spending all this mon- mamie scheme with derivatives, that’s not good ey, suddenly, “Oh, no, I’m for deficit cutting,” for you.