Source: CNN, 9-27-18 Prepared Written Testimony of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh Nomination Hearing to Serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court September 27, 2018 (submitted September 26, 2018) Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee: Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than […]
Source: CNN, 9-27-18 This morning, we continue our hearing on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. We will hear from two witnesses, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh. I’d like to thank Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh for accepting the […]
Source: CNN, 9-26-18 Written Testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford United States Senate Judiciary Committee September 26, 2018 Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, Members of the Committee. My name is Christine Blasey Ford. I am a Professor of Psychology at Palo Alto University and a Research Psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. I […]
Source: National Post, 9-26-18 The following is the full speech U.S. President Donald Trump gave at the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Annual General Debate in New York City on Tuesday. Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General, world leaders, ambassadors, and distinguished delegates: One year ago, I stood before you for the first time […]
Source: Vox, 9-7-18 Former President Barack Obama speaks to students at the University of Illinois, where he accepted the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on September 7, 2018. Scott Olson/Getty Images BARACK OBAMA: Hello, Illinois! I.L.L.! I.L.L.! Okay, okay. Just checking to see if you’re awake. Please have a seat, everybody. It is […]
Source: CNN, 9-1-18 Meghan McCain delivered a tribute to her father, the late Sen. John McCain, on Saturday at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Read the transcript: “The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for, and I hate very much to leave it.” When Ernest Hemingway’s Robert Jordan at the close […]
Source: Town & Country, 9-1-18 To John’s beloved family, Mrs. McCain, to Cindy and the McCain children, President and Mrs. Bush, President and Secretary Clinton, Vice President and Mrs. Biden, Vice President and Mrs. Cheney, Vice President Gore, and as John would say, my friends. We come to celebrate an extraordinary man. A statesman, a […]
Source: Town & Country, 8-30-18 “My name is Joe Biden. I’m a Democrat. And I loved John McCain. I have had the dubious honor over the years of giving some eulogies for fine women and men that I’ve admired. But, Lindsey, this one’s hard. The three men who spoke before me I think captured John, […]
Source: Time, 7-17-18 MR. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much. AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! ADVERTISEMENT MR. OBAMA: Thank you. To Mama Graça Machel, members of the Mandela family, the Machel family, to President Ramaphosa who you can see […]
Vice President-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump Speeches
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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan Speeches
Posted by bonniekgoodman on December 13, 2016
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/full-text-political-transcripts-december-13-2016-president-elect-donald-trump-thank-you-rally-in-west-allis-wisconsin-with-house-speaker-paul-ryan/
By Bonnie K. Goodman
US President-elect Donald Trump leaves after a meeting at the New York Times on November 22, 2016 in New York.
US President-elect Trump on Tuesday disavowed the white nationalist “alt-right” movement that has cheered his election, saying he did not want to “energize” them.”I condemn them. I disavow, and I condemn,” Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with The New York Times, when pressed to comment on a conference at which his victory was celebrated with rousing Nazi salutes.
/ AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
The harsh 2016 campaign is never ending. President-elect Donald Trump has a good reason to call his former opponent and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, a hypocrite. On Saturday evening, Nov. 26, 2016, and Sunday morning, Nov. 27, Trump went after Clinton supporting Green Party nominee Jill Stein’s filing for a recount in three battleground states. The president-elect criticized Clinton on Twitter for not wanting to accept the election results when she spent nearly two months attacking him that he would not concede and accept the election results.
On Saturday evening, Trump criticized just the Democratic Party, writing, “The Democrats, when they incorrectly thought they were going to win, asked that the election night tabulation be accepted. Not so anymore! Then Trump went after Clinton specifically, writing, “Hillary Clinton conceded the election when she called me just prior to the victory speech and after the results were in. Nothing will change.”
Clinton heavily criticized Trump for refusing to agree that he would accept the election results in a response to one of the questions during the third presidential debate. Trump repeatedly said the elections were rigged against him, because of the now proved bias against him and for Clinton by both the media and the polls.
On Sunday, Trump reminded Clinton of her response attacking him for his position on election concession. On Twitter, the president-elect posted Clinton’s comments from the campaign, “That is horrifying. That is not the way our democracy works. Been around for 240 years. We’ve had free and fair elections. We’ve accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them, and that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a – during a general election. I, for one, am appalled that somebody that is the nominee of one of our two major parties would take that kind of position.”
In another post, Trump wrote Clinton called his position, “a direct threat to our democracy.” Trump also reposted a quote from Clinton’s concession speech, where she declared, “We must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”
This was the first time Trump specifically blamed Clinton for the recount effort. On Saturday, Trump disparaged just Stein and the Green Party for their “scam,” before the Clinton campaign announced they supported Stein’s efforts. President-elect said in an official Trump Transition statement, “This recount is just a way for Jill Stein, who received less than one percent of the vote overall and wasn’t even on the ballot in many states, to fill her coffers with money, most of which she will never even spend on this ridiculous recount.”
Continuing, Trump condemned the recount, “This is a scam by the Green Party for an election that has already been conceded, and the results of this election should be respected instead of being challenged and abused, which is exactly what Jill Stein is doing.” On Saturday, Trump praised Clinton for her classy concession of the election, “The people have spoken and the election is over, and as Hillary Clinton herself said on election night, in addition to her conceding by congratulating me, ‘We must accept this result and then look to the future.'” Later when Trump found out about the Democratic support, he tweeted, “The Green Party scam to fill up their coffers by asking for impossible recounts is now being joined by the badly defeated & demoralized Dems.”
On Friday afternoon, Nov. 25, just before the 5 p.m. deadline Grenn Party nominee Stein raised $4 million, enough money to file in Wisconsin for a recount of the votes. In Wisconsin, she requested a “reconciliation of paper records.” Stein promised to the same in Michigan and Pennsylvania, three battleground states that Trump turned red but usually voted Democrat. Stein claimed the voting systems in those states were hacked.
Clinton campaign general counsel Marc Elias announced on Medium that the Clinton campaign would support the recount. Elias said they were doing this because of the “the heartbreak felt by so many who worked so hard to elect Hillary Clinton” And the “hundreds of messages, emails and calls” from supporters requesting an investigation. Elias admitted, the Clinton campaign “quietly taken a number of steps” to investigate the results. In contradiction, New York Magazine reported this weekend, that cyber security experts convinced the Clinton campaign they had “persuasive evidence” that the votes had “manipulated or hacked.”
Elias continued, “Because we had not uncovered any actionable evidence of hacking or outside attempts to alter the voting technology, we had not planned to exercise this option ourselves, but now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides.” Still, the Clinton campaign intends to support all the recounts, “If Jill Stein follows through as she has promised and pursues recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, we will take the same approach in those states as well.”
Stein maintains, she was not doing the recount to benefit, Clinton and even criticized her as a hypocrite as well on Twitter, “Why would Hillary Clinton-who conceded the election to Donald Trump-want #Recount2016? You cannot be on-again, off-again about democracy.”
The Obama White House does not believe any hacking occurred and dismissed the recount. A senior administration official told the press, “We stand behind our election results, which accurately reflect the will of the American people. The federal government did not observe any increased level of malicious cyber activity aimed at disrupting our electoral process on election day. We believe our elections were free and fair from a cybersecurity perspective.”
The recount needs to be completed by Dec. 13, while the deadlines to apply for recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania is this upcoming week. Clinton won the popular vote, but Trump beat her in the Electoral College, she would need all three states to flip back to beat him, and that is not going to happen. The margin of victory was close but in the double digit thousands. In total Trump won 107,000 more votes in those three states than Clinton, winning by a margin of 22,000 in Wisconsin alone, “Trump won 1.404 million votes to Clinton’s 1.382 million.”
Clinton has a lead of 2.2 million votes, “64,637,140 votes nationally, compared to Trump’s 62,408,908, according to a count curated by Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.” Elias touted those numbers in his post, writing, “And most importantly, we have monitored and staffed the post-election canvasses… During that process, we have seen Secretary Clinton’s vote total grow, so that, today, her national popular vote lead now exceeds more than 2 million votes.”
Clinton is not the first candidate to lose the election but win the popular vote. Again, there are calls to change the system from Electoral votes to a popular vote, and some electors are even trying to defect from voting for Trump. Looking at the electoral map, it hard not to notice that Trump won the most regions and states, and the map is red compared to Clinton’s blue in just some major cities.
Clinton is acting like a hypocrite; she could criticize Trump all she liked when she was positive she would win, Clinton never imagined how it would feel to lose and how much of a sore loser she would be. The American public should not be surprised, Clinton did not want to concede in the 2008 Democratic primary against now President Barack Obama, and even this year, she balked at conceding election night although Obama asked her to, Clintons just hate losing.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on November 27, 2016
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2016/11/27/politics-november-27-2016-election-2016-redux-trump-calls-clinton-a-hypocrite-for-recount-support/
Source: Time, 7-13-15
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker launched his presidential campaign Monday with a speech in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Here is a transcript for the full remarks.
I love America.
As kids, my brother David and I enjoyed going over to the home of a neighbor by the name of Claire Congdon. In our small town, Mr. Congdon was something of a legend. He served our country in both World War I and World War II.
Then, like so many other veterans, he returned home and continued to serve his community. Mr. Congdon helped out with the concession stand at Legion baseball, he was active in our church and he was one of the leaders of my Boy Scout troop.
Each year before Memorial Day, he would organize all of us Scouts as we put flags on the graves of the fallen. He loved America. It was impossible to be around him and not share his love for God and Country.
Thirty years ago, Mr. Congdon’s American Legion Post in our small town of Delavan, Wisconsin, helped me attend Badger Boys State. This is where I learned about state and local government. It was then my honor to be chosen to represent Wisconsin at a program called Boys Nation.
There I met a Vietnam veteran from Georgia by the name of Bob Turner. Bob and the other veterans who helped run the program did more than teach us about the federal government and national elections, they shared their love for our country, and instilled within me the importance of public service as we seek to protect our freedom.
These veterans remind me that America is a can-do kind of country. We just have a government in Washington that can’t seem to get the job done. Washington, or as I call it, 68 square miles surrounded by reality.
The good news is that there is still time left to turn things around.
To do this, we need new, fresh leadership; leadership with big, bold ideas from outside of Washington; the kind of leadership that can actually get things done – like we have here in Wisconsin.
Since I’ve been Governor, we took on the unions and won.
We reduced taxes by $2 billion and lowered taxes on individuals, employers and property. In fact, property taxes are lower today than they were in 2010. How many Governors can say that?
Since I’ve been Governor, we passed lawsuit reform and regulatory reform. We defunded Planned Parenthood and enacted pro-life legislation. We passed Castle Doctrine and concealed carry. And we now require a photo ID to vote in the State of Wisconsin.
If our reforms can work in a blue state like Wisconsin, they can work anywhere in America.
Traveling the country, I’ve heard people say that they are tired of politicians who only tell them what they’re against and why they should vote against someone.
Americans want to vote FOR something and FOR someone.
So let me tell you what I’m for: I’m for Reform. Growth. Safety.
I’m for transferring power from Washington to the hard-working taxpayers in states all across the country. That’s real reform.
I’m for building a better economy where everyone can live their piece of the American Dream. That’s pro-growth.
I’m for protecting our children and grandchildren from radical Islamic terrorism and other threats in the world. That’s true safety.
My record shows that I know how to fight and win. Now, more than ever, we need a President who will fight and win for America.
Real Reform
First, we need to be for real reform in Washington.
Our big, bold reforms in Wisconsin took the power from the big government special interests and put it firmly into the hands of the hard-working taxpayers.
Today, people elected by local taxpayers actually get to run the schools. Our reforms ended seniority and tenure. Now we can hire and fire based on merit and pay based on performance. We can put the best and the brightest in the classroom.
Four years later: our graduation rates are up, third grade reading scores are higher and Wisconsin’s ACT scores are now second best in the country.
Government that is closest to the people is usually the best. This is why we should move power and money out of Washington and send it back to our states and communities in key areas like Medicaid, transportation, workforce development and education.
Sadly though, Washington seems to measure success by how many people are dependent on the government. Instead, we should measure it by just the opposite: by how many people are no longer dependent on the government.
We understand that true freedom and prosperity don’t come from the mighty hand of the government, they come from empowering people to live their own lives and control their own destinies through the dignity that comes from work.
You see, my first job was washing dishes at the Countryside Restaurant. Then, I moved up to the big times and started flipping hamburgers in high school at McDonald’s to save up for college.
My dad was a small-town pastor and my mom worked as a part-time secretary and bookkeeper. My grandparents were farmers who didn’t have indoor plumbing until my mom went off to junior high school. My dad’s dad – my Grandpa Walker – was a machinist for 42 years at Barber-Coleman.
Looking back, I realize my brother David and I didn’t inherit fame and fortune from our family. What we got was the belief that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can do and be anything you want. That’s the American Dream. And that is worth fighting for.
Helping adults who are able to work transition from government dependence to true independence will help more people live that dream.
In Wisconsin, we enacted a program that says that adults who are able to work must be enrolled in one of our job training programs before they can get a welfare check. Now, as of the budget I just signed, we are also making sure they can take a drug test.
When I proposed this, the status quo defenders cried that we were making it harder to get government assistance. My response? No, we’re making it easier to get a job.
Strong families help too. We know that children who are raised in a household where both parents are involved are more likely to finish school, find a good job and live a life free of government dependence.
The federal government needs to support strong families by ending the marriage penalty and by reforming welfare programs that discourage fathers from being involved in the lives of their children.
I know how important both my parents were to my brother David and I when we were growing up.
That’s why Tonette and I try to be good role models for Matt and Alex and we are proud of the leaders that each have become today.
We want to ensure that they – and every other son and daughter – have the opportunity to grow up in a more free and prosperous country.
Pro-Growth
To ensure that prosperity, we need to be for a pro-growth economic plan that helps individuals and families earn, save and achieve their piece of the American Dream.
Instead of the top-down, government-knows-best approach we hear from politicians in Washington, we need to build the economy from the ground up in a way that is new and fresh, organic and dynamic.
As long as you don’t violate the health and safety of your neighbors – go out and start your own career, build your own business, live your own life.
That’s freedom – the freedom that serves as the cornerstone of the American Dream.
To help live that dream, we have a plan to help the people of this country create more jobs and higher wages.
First, we must repeal ObamaCare. That’s right, repeal the so-called Affordable Care Act entirely and put patients and families back in charge of their health care decisions – not the federal government.
As Governor, I approved Wisconsin joining the lawsuit against ObamaCare on my first day in office. We need a President who – on the first day in office – will call on Congress to pass a full repeal of ObamaCare.
Next, we need to rein in the federal government’s out-of-control regulations that are like a wet blanket on the economy. Yes, enforce common sense rules – but don’t add more bureaucratic red tape.
In Wisconsin, I called for an overhaul of Wisconsin’s regulatory process on my first day as Governor. We can do the same in Washington, then we can act to repeal Obama’s bad regulations.
Then, put into place an “all-of-the-above” energy policy that uses the abundance of what God has given us here in America and on this continent. We are now an energy-rich country and we can literally fuel our economic recovery.
We need a President who will approve the Keystone pipeline on the very first day in office and then seek to level the playing field for all sources of energy.
Next, we need to help people get the education and the skills they need to succeed. This will help people find careers that pay far more than the minimum wage.
In Wisconsin, we reformed our public schools and gave families as many quality choices as possible because I trust parents to make the right decision for their children. I believe that every child deserves access to a great education – be it in a traditional public, charter, choice, private, virtual or home school environment.
We want high standards, but we want them set at the local level. No Common Core. No nation-wide school board.
I will push to take the power and money out of Washington and send it to our states and our schools, where it is more effective, more efficient and more accountable to the people of America. Think about it: where would you rather spend your dollar – in Washington or at your child’s school?
And then, we need to lower the burden on hard-working taxpayers to improve take-home pay. And we need tax levels that are competitive for job creators to bring jobs back from overseas to put more of our fellow Americans back to work.
We can do it. We did it in Wisconsin and we can do it in Washington, too.
So, why do I focus so much attention on tax relief? Well, some of you know that Tonette and I like to shop at Kohl’s. Over the years, I’ve learned that if I’m going to buy a new shirt, I go to the rack that says that the shirt was $29.99 but now is $19.99. Then, I take the coupon from the Sunday paper up to the cashier or I take out the flyer that we get in the mail that gives us 15 or 20% off – or even 30% if we are really lucky.
Then, Tonette reaches into her purse and pulls out some Kohl’s cash. Next thing you know, they’re paying us to buy that shirt.
Well, not really. So how does a company like Kohl’s make money?
Volume. They make it off of volume.
You see, they could charge you $29.99 and a few of you could afford it or they can lower the price and broaden the base and make more money off of volume.
That’s what I think about your money – the taxpayers’ money. The government could charge the higher rates and a few of you could afford it. Or, we can lower the rates and broaden the base and increase the volume of people participating in our economy.
Years ago, we saw this kind of plan work well under President Ronald Reagan. Back then, it was called the Laffer Curve. Today, I call it the Kohl’s Curve because I believe that you can spend your own money far better than the government – and that will help grow the economy.
True Safety
To prosper, however, we need a safe and stable world. Let me tell you why I’m for true safety. To me, the commander in chief has a sacred duty to keep the people of America safe.
During my lifetime, the best president on national security and foreign policy was a Governor from California. Under his leadership, we rebuilt our military, stood up for our friends, stood up to our enemies and – without apology – stood for American values: this led to one of the most peaceful times in modern American history.
Today sadly, under the Obama/Clinton doctrine, America is leading from behind and we’re headed toward a disaster.
We have a President who drew a line in the sand and allowed it to be crossed. A President who called ISIS the JV squad, Yemen a success story and Iran a place we can do business with. Iran…think about that.
My brother David and I used to tie ribbons around the tree in front of our house during the 444 days that Iran held 52 Americans hostage. One of them was Kevin Hermening who grew up down the road in Oak Creek. He was the youngest hostage – a Marine working at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
Kevin Hermening is here today. He knows that Iran is not a place we should be doing business with. Iran hasn’t changed much since he and the other hostages were released on President Reagan’s first day in office.
Looking ahead, we need to terminate the bad deal with Iran on Day One, put in place crippling economic sanctions and convince our allies to do the same.
Earlier this year, the President proclaimed that climate change is the greatest threat to future generations. Well Mr. President, I respectfully disagree. The greatest threat to future generations is radical Islamic terrorism and we need to do something about it.
That means lifting the political restrictions on our military personnel in Iraq so they can help our Kurd and Sunni allies reclaim land taken by ISIS. On behalf of your children and mine, I’d rather take the fight to them than wait for them to bring the fight to us.
We need to acknowledge that Israel is our ally and start treating Israel like an ally. There should be absolutely no daylight between our two countries. That’s why I went to Israel earlier this year and met with both the Prime Minister and the opposition leader to express my wholehearted support for the unshakeable bonds between our two countries.
We need to stop the aggression of Russia into sovereign nations. Putin bases his policies on Lenin’s old principle: probe with bayonets, if you encounter mush, push; if you encounter steel, stop.
With Obama and Clinton, Putin has encountered years of mush. The United States needs a foreign policy that puts steel in front of our enemies.
We need to stop China’s cyber attacks, stop their territorial expansion into international waters and speak out about their abysmal human rights record.
We need to have the capacity to protect our national security interests – here and abroad – and those of our allies. That begins with rebuilding the Defense budget at least to the levels recommended by Secretary Gates.
We need to honor our men and women in uniform by giving them the resources they need to keep us safe – and then give them the quality and timely healthcare they deserve when they return home.
But I believe that the best way we can honor them is by fighting to win. This is important because our goal is peace, but there will be times when America must fight.
And if we must, Americans fight to win.
The world needs to know that there is no better friend and no worse enemy than the United States of America.
America is a great country. We just need to lead again.
It’s not too late. We can do it because we’ve done it before.
Veterans like Claire Congdon and Bob Turner remind me that what makes America great, what makes us exceptional, what makes us the greatest country in the world, is that all throughout our history during times of crisis – be it economic or fiscal, spiritual or military – what makes America amazing, is that there have been men and women of courage who thought more about future generations than they did about their own political futures.
This is one of those times in American history.
After a great deal of thought and a whole lot of prayer, we are proud to announce that I am officially running to serve as your President of the United States of America.
Tonette and I want our sons Matt and Alex – and all of the other sons and daughters like them – to grow up in a country that is at least as great as the one we inherited.
Americans deserve a President who will fight and win for them.
Someone who will stand up for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Someone who will stand up for our religious rights and all of our other Constitutional rights. Someone who will stand up for America.
You see, It doesn’t matter if you’re from a big city, a suburb or a small town, I will fight and win for you.
Healthy or sick, born or unborn, I will fight and win for you.
Young or old – or somewhere in between – I will fight and win for you.
Over the years, I’ve met some amazing people who came here from other places around the world. The people I’ve met tell me that they didn’t come here to become dependent on the government.
No, the reason they came was because America is one of the few places left in the world where it doesn’t matter what class you were born into or what your parents did for a living. In America, you can do and be anything you want.
Here, the opportunity is equal for all, but the outcome is up to each and every one of us.
You see, there is a reason we just took a day off to celebrate the 4th of July and not April 15th. Because in America, we celebrate our independence from the government and not our dependence on it.
That’s why I love America. That’s why we love America. That’s why – working together – we can fight and win for America.
God bless you. God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on July 13, 2015
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2015/07/13/full-text-campaign-buzz-2016-july-13-2015-full-text-of-gov-scott-walkers-campaign-launch-speech-transcript/
Posted by bonniekgoodman on July 12, 2015
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/university-musings-july-12-2015-the-end-of-tenure-scott-walker-wins-war-against-professors-and-why-he-is-right/
Source: ABC News Radio, 11-7-12
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
Paul Ryan knows he will be headed to Washington, D.C., again next year even though his presidential ticket failed to win election.
Ryan will begin serving his eighth term as a U.S. congressman representing the 1st District of Wisconsin in 2013….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on November 7, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/election-2012-november-7-2012-paul-ryan-hangs-onto-congress-seat-in-wisconsin/
Source: ABC News Radio, 11-1-12
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
President Obama is officially back on the campaign trail in full swing, delivering his closing argument at a chilly tarmac rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin — steps from Air Force One — after an unprecedented and unanticipated two-day pause in the home stretch thanks to Hurricane Sandy.
Obama invoked the super-storm, and the lessons he’s taken from it, to set the tone for his three-state, 16-hour swing with just five days of campaigning to Election Day….READ MORE
Source: WH, 11-1-12
Austin Straubel International Airport
Green Bay, Wisconsin
10:43 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Wisconsin! (Applause.) It is good to be back in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Applause.) I want to thank all of you for giving such a warm welcome to a Bears fan — (applause) — and I especially want to thank one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history for being here today — Charles Woodson. (Applause.) And I want to thank Charles because I understand he made an announcement about a gift to the Red Cross to help support everybody over on the East Coast, and that’s the kind of guy he is, so we’re grateful to him. Thank you, Charles. (Applause.)
Let’s also give it up for your next United States senator, Tammy Baldwin. (Applause.) She’s going to be following leaders like Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold in being fierce fighters for the people of Wisconsin. (Applause.)
Now, for the past few days, all of us have been focused on one of the worst storms in our lifetimes. And we’re awed and we’re humbled by nature’s destructive power. We mourn the loss of so many people. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their loved ones. We pledge to help those whose lives have been turned upside down. And I was out in New Jersey yesterday and saw the devastation, and you really get a sense of how difficult this is going to be for a lot, a lot of people.
But we’ve also been inspired these past few days — because when disaster strikes, we see America at its best. All the petty differences that consume us in normal times all seem to melt away. There are no Democrats or Republicans during a storm, there are just fellow Americans. (Applause.) Leaders of different parties working to fix what’s broken; neighbors helping neighbors cope with tragedy; communities rallying to rebuild; a spirit that says, in the end, we’re all in this together -– that we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. (Applause.)
That spirit has guided this country along its improbable journey for more than two centuries. It has carried us through the trials of the last four years. In 2008, we were in the middle of two wars and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Today, our businesses have created over 5 million new jobs. (Applause.) The American auto industry is back on top. American manufacturing is growing at the fastest pace in 15 years. Home values are on the rise. Thanks to the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform, the war in Iraq is over. (Applause.) The war in Afghanistan is winding down. Al Qaeda has been decimated. Osama bin Laden is dead. (Applause.)
So we’ve made real progress these past four years. But, Wisconsin, we know our work is not yet done. As long as there’s a single American who wants a job but can’t find one, our work isn’t done. As long as there are families who are working harder but falling behind, our work isn’t done. As long as there’s a child languishing in poverty, barred from opportunity, anywhere in this country, our work is not yet done. (Applause.)
Our fight goes on because we know this nation cannot succeed without a growing, thriving middle class; and strong, sturdy ladders into the middle class. Our fight goes on because America has always done its best when everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same rules. (Applause.) That’s what we believe. That’s why you elected me in 2008. And that’s why I’m running for a second term as President — because we’ve got more work to do. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Now, we knew from the beginning that our work would take more than one year, or even one term — because let’s face it, the middle class was getting hammered long before the financial crisis hit. Technology made us more productive, but it also made a lot of good jobs obsolete. Global trade brought us cheaper products, but it also allowed companies to hire in low-wage countries. American workers saw their paychecks squeezed, even as corporate profits rose and CEO salaries exploded, and the guaranteed security of pensions and health care slowly started disappearing.
And these fundamental changes in the economy –- the rise of technology and global competition –- they’re real. We can’t wish these challenges away. But here’s what I know, Wisconsin: We can meet them — because we’re Americans. We’ve got the world’s best workers and the best entrepreneurs. We’ve got the best scientists and the best researchers; the best colleges and universities. And we’ve got the most innovative spirit. We have everything we need to thrive in this new economy, in this new century, and there’s not a country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with the United States of America.
But we have a choice to make. In five days, we will choose our next President. (Applause.) And it’s more than just a choice between two candidates or two parties. You’ll be making a choice between two fundamentally different visions of America -– one where we return to the top-down policies that crashed our economy —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: Don’t boo, Wisconsin — vote. (Applause.)
Or a future that’s built on a strong and growing middle class. (Applause.) And, Wisconsin, we know what the choice needs to be. We’re here today because we believe that if this country invests in the skills and ideas of its people, then good jobs and businesses will follow.
We believe that America’s free market has been the engine of America’s progress, driven by risk-takers and innovators, and dreamers. But we also understand that in this country, people succeed when they’ve got a chance to get a good education and learn new skills –- and, by the way, so do the businesses that hire those people, or the companies that those folks start.
We believe that when we support research into medical breakthroughs or new technology, then entire new industries will start here and stay here and hire here.
We don’t believe government should poke its nose into everything we do. But do we believe this country is stronger when there are rules to protect our kids from toxic dumping and mercury pollution — (applause) — when there are rules to protect consumers and ordinary families from credit card companies that are engaging in deceptive practices, mortgage lenders that are unscrupulous. (Applause.)
We grow faster when our tax code rewards hard work and companies that create jobs here in America. (Applause.) And we believe that quality, affordable health care and a dignified retirement aren’t just achievable goals, they’re a measure of our values as a nation. (Applause.) That’s what we believe.
For eight years, we had a President who shared these beliefs; his name was Bill Clinton. (Applause.) When he was first elected, he asked the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more so we could reduce the deficit and still make investments in things like education and training, science and research. And guess what? Plenty of folks who were running for Congress at the time said it would hurt the economy; that it would kill jobs. And if that argument sounds familiar, one of those candidates back then happens to be running for President right now. (Laughter.) And it turns out their math was just as bad back then as it is today. (Applause.) Because by the end of Bill Clinton’s second term, America had created 23 million new jobs, and incomes were up, and poverty was down. And our deficit became the biggest surplus in our history.
So, Wisconsin, we know the ideas that work. We also know the ideas that don’t work. Because in the eight years after Bill Clinton left office, his policies were reversed. The wealthiest Americans got tax cuts they didn’t need and that we couldn’t afford. Companies enjoyed tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas. Insurance companies and oil companies and Wall Street were given free license to do what they pleased. Folks at the top got to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us.
And the result of this top-down economics was falling incomes, record deficits, the slowest job growth in half a century, and an economic crisis that we’ve been cleaning up for the last four years.
Now, in the closing weeks of this campaign, Governor Romney has been using all his talents as a salesman to dress up these very same policies that failed our country so badly, the very same policies we’ve been cleaning up after for the past four years. And he is offering them up as change. (Laughter.) He’s saying he’s the candidate of change.
Well, let me tell you, Wisconsin, we know what change looks like. (Applause.) And what the Governor is offering sure ain’t change. Giving more power back to the biggest banks isn’t change. Leaving millions without health insurance isn’t change. Another $5 trillion tax cut that favors the wealthy isn’t change. Turning Medicare into a voucher is change, but we don’t want that change. (Laughter.) Refusing to answer questions about the details of your policies isn’t change. Ruling out compromise by pledging to rubberstamp the tea party’s agenda as President -– that’s definitely not change. In fact, that’s exactly the attitude in Washington that needs to go.
Now, here’s the thing, Wisconsin. After four years as President, you know me by now. You may not agree with every decision I’ve made. You may be frustrated at the pace of change. But you know what I believe. You know where I stand. You know I’m willing to make tough decisions, even when they’re not politically convenient. (Applause.) And you know I’ll fight for you and your families every single day, as hard as I know how. You know that. (Applause.)
I know what change looks like, because I fought for it. You have, too. And after all we’ve been through together, we sure as heck can’t give up now.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Change is a country where Americans of every age have the skills and education that good jobs now require. And government can’t do this alone, but don’t tell me that hiring more teachers won’t help this economy grow, or help young people compete. (Applause.) Don’t tell me that students who can’t afford college should just borrow money from their parents. That wasn’t an option for me, and I’ll bet it wasn’t an option for a whole lot of you.
We shouldn’t be ending college tax credits to pay for millionaires’ tax cuts; we should be making college more affordable for everyone who’s willing to work for it. (Applause.) We should recruit 100,000 math and science teachers so that high-tech, high-wage jobs aren’t created in China, they’re created right here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Applause.)
We should work with community colleges to train another two million Americans with skills that businesses are looking for right now. That’s my plan for the future. That’s what change is. That’s the America we’re fighting for in this election.
Change comes when we live up to our legacy of innovation, and make America home to the next generation of manufacturing, scientific discovery, technological breakthroughs. I’m proud I bet on American workers and American ingenuity and the American auto industry. And today, we’re not just building cars again, we’re building better cars –- cars that by the middle of the next decade will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. (Applause.)
Today, there are thousands of workers building long-lasting batteries and wind turbines and solar panels all across the country –- jobs that weren’t there four years ago. And sure, not all technologies we bet on will pan out. Some of the businesses we encourage will fail. But I promise you this -– there is a future for manufacturing here in America. There is a future for clean energy here in America. (Applause.) And I refuse to cede that future to other countries.
I don’t want tax codes rewarding companies for creating jobs overseas; I want to reward companies that create jobs here in America. (Applause.) I don’t want a tax code that subsidizes oil company profits; I want to support the energy jobs of tomorrow and the new technologies that will cut our oil imports in half. That’s my plan for jobs and growth. That’s the future of America that I see.
Change is finally turning the page on a decade of war to do some nation-building here at home. So long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will pursue our enemies with the strongest military the world has ever known. But it’s time to use the savings from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to start paying down our debts here and rebuilding America. Right now, we can put people back to work fixing up roads and bridges. Right now, we can expand broadband into rural neighborhoods, and make sure our schools are state-of-the-art.
Let’s put Americans back to work doing the work that needs to be done. And let’s especially focus on our veterans — because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their heads, or the care that they need when they come home. (Applause.) That’s my plan to keep us strong. That’s my commitment to you. And that’s what’s at stake in this election.
Change is a future where we reduce our deficit in a way that’s balanced and responsible. I’ve signed a trillion dollars’ worth of spending cuts; I intend to do more. And I’ll work with both parties to streamline agencies and get rid of programs that don’t work.
But if we’re serious about the deficit, we’ve also got to ask the wealthiest Americans to go back to the tax rates that they paid when Bill Clinton was in office. (Applause.) Because as long as I’m President, I will never turn Medicare into a voucher just to pay for another millionaire’s tax cut. (Applause.) I will never allow this nation to be plunged into another battle over health care reform just so insurance companies can jump back in the driver’s seat. And I will never allow politicians in Washington to control health care choices that women should be making for themselves. (Applause.)
So, Wisconsin, we know what change is. We know what the future requires — we don’t need a big government agenda or a small government agenda. We need a middle-class agenda that rewards hard work and responsibility.
We don’t need a partisan agenda –- we need a common-sense agenda that says when we educate a poor child, we’ll all be better off; that says when we fund the research of a young scientist, her new discovery will benefit every American.
We need a vision that says we don’t just look out for ourselves –- we look out for one another other; we look out for future generations, and we meet those obligations by working together. That’s the change we believe in. That’s what this election is all about.
Now, let’s be clear, achieving this agenda won’t be easy. It’s never been easy. We always knew that. Back in 2008, when we talked about change, I told you I wasn’t just talking about changing Presidents. I wasn’t just talking about changing parties. I was talking about changing our politics. I ran because the voices of the American people –- your voices -– had been shut out of our democracy for way too long –- by lobbyists and special interests, and politicians who believe that compromise is somehow a dirty word; by folks who would say anything to win office, and do anything to stay there.
The protectors of the status quo are a powerful force in Washington. And over the last four years, every time we’ve tried to make a change, they’ve fought back with everything they’ve got. They spent millions to stop us from reforming health care and Wall Street and student loans. And their strategy from the start was to engineer pure gridlock in Congress, refusing to compromise on ideas that both Democrats and Republicans had supported in the past.
And what they’re counting on now, Wisconsin, is that the American people will be so worn down by all the squabbling, so tired of all the dysfunction, that you’ll actually reward obstruction, and put people back in charge who advocate the very policies that got us into this mess.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: In other words, their bet is on cynicism. But, Wisconsin, my bet is on you. (Applause.) My bet is on the decency and good sense of the America people — because despite all the resistance, despite all the setbacks, we’ve won some great fights. And I’ve never lost sight of the vision we share that you would have a voice; that there would be somebody at the table fighting every single day for middle-class Americans who work hard. Sometimes, Republicans in Congress have worked with me to meet our goals –- to cut taxes for small businesses and families like yours, to open new markets for American goods, or finally repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” (Applause.)
And sometimes we’ve had big fights — fights that were worth having — like when we forced the banks to stop overcharging for student loans, and made college more affordable for millions. (Applause.) Like when we forced Wall Street to abide by the toughest rules since the 1930s. Like when we stopped insurance companies from discriminating against Americans with preexisting conditions like cancer or diabetes, so that nobody in America goes bankrupt just because they get sick. (Applause.)
I didn’t fight those fights for any partisan advantage. I’ve shown my willingness to work with anybody, of any party, to move this country forward. And if you want to break the gridlock in Congress, you’ll vote for leaders –- whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or independents –- who feel the same way.
But if the price of peace in Washington is cutting deals that will kick students off of financial aid, or get rid of funding for Planned Parenthood, or eliminate health care for millions on Medicaid who are poor, or elderly, or disabled, just to give a millionaire a tax cut, I’m not having it. That’s not a deal worth having. That’s not bipartisanship. That’s not change. That’s surrender to the same status quo that has hurt middle-class families for way too long. And I’m not ready to give up on that fight. (Applause.)
I hope you aren’t either, Wisconsin. (Applause.) I hope you aren’t either. See, the folks at the very top in this country don’t need another champion in Washington. They’ll always have a seat at the table. They’ll always have access and influence.
The people who need a champion are the Americans whose letters I read late at night; the men and women I meet on the campaign trail every day. The laid off furniture worker who is retraining at age 55 for a career in biotechnology -– she needs a champion.
The small restaurant owner who needs a loan to expand after the bank turned him down -– he needs a champion. The cooks and the waiters and the cleaning staff working overtime at a Vegas hotel, trying to save enough to buy a first home or send their kid to college -– they need a champion. (Applause.)
The autoworker who’s back on the job, filled with pride and dignity because he’s building a great car –- he needs a champion. (Applause.) The young teacher doing her best in an overcrowded classroom with outdated textbooks –- she needs a champion. (Applause.)
All those kids in inner cities and small farm towns, in the valleys of Ohio or rolling Virginia hills or right here in Green Bay; kids dreaming of becoming scientists or doctors, engineers or entrepreneurs, diplomats or even a president –- (applause) — they need a champion in Washington. (Applause.) They need a champion. They need a champion because the future will never have as many lobbyists as the past, but it’s the dreams of those children that will be our saving grace.
And that’s why I need you, Wisconsin — to make sure their voices are heard; to make sure your voices are heard. We’ve come too far to turn back now. We’ve come too far to let our hearts grow faint. Now is the time to keep pushing forward -– to educate all our kids, and train all our workers; to create new jobs, and rebuild our infrastructure; to discover new sources of energy, to broaden opportunity, to grow our middle class, to restore our democracy, and to make sure that no matter who you are, or where you come from, or how you started out, you can work to achieve your American Dream. (Applause.)
In the midst of the Great Depression, FDR reminded the country that “failure is not an American habit; and in the strength of great hope we must [all] shoulder our common load.” That’s the strength we need today. That’s the hope I’m asking you to share. That’s the future in our sights. That’s why I’m asking for your vote. (Applause.)
And if you’re willing to work with me again, and knock on some doors with me, and make some phone calls for me, and turn out for me, we’ll win Brown County again. (Applause.) We’ll win Wisconsin again. We’ll win this election. And together, we’ll renew those bonds, and reaffirm that spirit that makes the United States of America the greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you, Wisconsin. Get out there and vote! Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America. (Applause.)
END
11:08 A.M. CDT
Posted by bonniekgoodman on November 1, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/full-text-campaign-buzz-november-1-2012-president-barack-obamas-speech-at-a-campaign-event-in-green-bay-wisconsin-obama-kicks-off-closing-argument-tour-in-wisconsin/
Source: Mitt Romney Press, 10-21-12
Paul Ryan made the following statement on today’s shooting in Brookfield, Wisconsin:
“Janna and I were shocked and saddened by the news from Brookfield today. As our community continues to heal from August’s tragic violence, our thoughts and prayers are with today’s victims and their loved ones. Our gratitude also goes to the first responders who rushed to save lives and secure the scene. We will not allow the evil responsible for this heartbreaking event to triumph over the spirit of the people of Wisconsin. I ask all Americans to keep those affected by this event in their hearts, minds, and prayers today.”
Posted by bonniekgoodman on October 21, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/full-text-campaign-buzz-october-21-2012-paul-ryans-statement-on-todays-shooting-tragedy-in-brookfield-wisconsin/
Source: Mitt Romney Press, 10-15-12
“We have never knowingly given our kids an inferior standard of living, a diminished future, but that is exactly what we are doing by piling up this mountain of debt, by giving these deficits. And it takes leadership to confront this. That’s what Mitt Romney and I are offering. We are not going to run away from these problems; we’re going to run at these problems to solve these problems before they get out of our control.” – Paul Ryan
Remarks
Waukesha, Wisconsin
October 15, 2012
Click Here To Watch Paul Ryan
PAUL RYAN: “Look at that debt clock over there. Look at how fast those numbers are running. When President Obama came into office, it was more than $5 trillion lower. The president came into office saying he would cut the deficit in half in his first term. He’s given us four years of trillion-dollar deficits. He has added almost more public debt than almost all previous presidents combined. Not only do we have a string of broken promises, not only do we have a string of a lack of leadership, this debt is not only hurting our economy today, it is guaranteeing that these young kids who are getting their Halloween costumes, who are going to go out trick-or- treating, have a diminished future. We have never done that in this country before. We have never knowingly given our kids an inferior standard of living, a diminished future, but that is exactly what we are doing by piling up this mountain of debt, by giving these deficits. And it takes leadership to confront this. That’s what Mitt Romney and I are offering. We are not going to run away from these problems; we’re going to run at these problems to solve these problems before they get out of our control. That’s what leaders do.”
Posted by bonniekgoodman on October 15, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/full-text-campaign-buzz-october-15-2012-paul-ryans-speech-at-a-campaign-event-in-waukesha-wisconsin-mitt-romney-will-confront-our-debt-crisis/
Source: ABC News Radio, 10-4-12
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
Following last night’s first presidential debate of the 2012 voting season, President Obama headlines a rally Thursday in Madison, Wis., while Republican candidate Mitt Romney heads to Virginia.
This morning, the Republican National Committee seized on the president’s body language during the first showdown between the two candidates, releasing a web video called, “Smirk,” a compendium of the president’s facial contortions during the debate….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on October 4, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/campaign-headlines-october-4-2012-obama-heads-to-wisconsin-romney-looks-to-build-on-momentum/
Source: ABC News Radio, 5-19-12
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin delivers this week’s Republican address, marking this week’s Senate vote of 99-0 against a budget amendment represented as President Obama’s budget request….
Sen. Johnson lays in to Senate Democrats placing blame on the lawmakers for the Senate’s failure to pass a budget in three years….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 19, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/political-headlines-may-19-2012-gop-weekly-address-sen-ron-johnson-republicans-dispappointed-by-president-obamas-economic-policies/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in 2011.
Voters said yes to Wisconsin’s Tom Barrett, no to gay marriage and Sen. Dick Lugar. | AP Photo
Primary results: 5 takeaways: Conservatives claimed two major victories, and Scott Walker’s main event finally arrived Tuesday night after a tandem set of state-based elections that will have a ripple effect in the fall.
Votes in the Indiana Republican Senate primary, Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary for the June recall election and North Carolina’s vote on an amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions are now over, but they’re leaving an indelible mark on the shape of the 2012 contests…. – Politico, 5-8-12
3 Big Elections: Indiana, North Carolina, and Wisconsin: A titan of the Senate faces defeat, a gay-marriage ban looks set to pass, and Democrats nominate a candidate for the recall of Scott Walker. The presidential primaries are finally over, but across the country, the real political … The Atlantic, 5-8-12
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 8, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/campaign-buzz-may-8-2012-primary-night-results-mitt-romney-wins-3-primaries-gop-sen-richard-lugar-loses-indiana-primary/
Rick Santorum delivered his election-night speech from Mars, Penn., on Tuesday night as the results from the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin primaries were coming in. Unfortunately for Santorum, he was defeated in all three primaries by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
SANTORUM: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. It is great to be home. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
I’m here with Karen and the kids and the people behind us, that’s just — that’s not all of Karen’s family but most of it. Karen is — Karen and her — Karen’s parents had 11 children and umpteen nieces and nephews that we have and it’s — it’s just great to be here with — with friends and family. And we have now reached the point where it’s halftime. Half the delegates in this process have been — have been selected. And who’s ready to charge out of the locker room in Pennsylvania for a strong second half?
(APPLAUSE)
It is — it is great to be here in Southwestern Pennsylvania where — where I grew up in a — in a steel town about 20 miles north — northeast of here in this same county, Butler, Pennsylvania. How about a shout out for Butler?
(APPLAUSE)
And this area — this area like that town and like the people in it, forged steel to build this country, to help win world wars and not just have we built the country and forged steel to win wars, we’ve forged people with strong values and a strong commitment to what made America great. OK you can applaud that too.
(APPLAUSE)
I can always be interrupted for applause, don’t worry about that. This is — this why we came here. This is why we wanted to come back to west — Southwestern Pennsylvania to — to kick off the second half. This is a — a part of the country, Pennsylvania that well, it’s where America started. Not only did we forge steel in this state, we forged liberty in this state.
(APPLAUSE)
The symbol of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, where that document that those who have been following me about on the campaign trail have been seeing, this document both the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence forged right here in Pennsylvania. And there’s no place where those values are more instilled than in this great commonwealth. Ladies and gentleman…
(APPLAUSE)
This great commonwealth has given a tremendous amount to our country. If you look at just the history of our — of our great state, not only the Declaration and the Constitution created here, but we won key battles. Washington’s crossing — Washington crossing the Delaware to save the revolution. That plan was hatched up here in Pennsylvania. Some in the other camps in this race have said that all of the significant people have spoken in this race so far. See, General Washington knew that in fact not all the significant are those elites in society. Those who are the generals and the ranked officers, but in fact what General Washington understood, some of the best ideas, some of the best plans, in fact what has made this country great is that we have listened to real significant voices of every day Americans. And he did. And that’s why he crossed the Delaware, surprised the Hessian’s and turned the tide of the revolution. Ladies and gentleman, Pennsylvania and half the other people in this country have yet to be heard and we’re going to to out and campaign here and across this nation to make sure that their voices are heard in the next few months.
(APPLAUSE)
We know who we are here in Pennsylvania. We know who we are. We know the stock that we are made of. We’ve contributed a lot. Great deeds have occurred here. Great Pennsylvanians have contributed. I know, I had the privilege of representing this state in the Senate for 12 years and this community here in Southwestern Pennsylvania for four.
(APPLAUSE)
I went to every one of those counties every year, all 67 and I understand the greatness of the people of this state. And I understand how important this race is here in Pennsylvania. This is called the Keystone State for a reason. We are in fact the keystone. We’re the — we’re the place upon which our country was built and great things continue to happen here. Great things like in manufacturing and oil and gas production here in Pennsylvania that is turning our economy around and creating opportunities for us to grow our economy. Not just here in Pennsylvania, but because of lower natural gas prices we’re seeing manufacturing and other businesses come back in spite of the crushing burden that Barack Obama and his administration has put on our economy.
SANTORUM: We need someone who understands what liberty is all about. Someone who’s going to go out and fight to make sure that the biggest and most crushing burden that this administration has put on us, one that was debated just last week in the United States Supreme Court about government taking control of your health and of course as a result, of your very life. And dictating to you – dictating to you what you will do, how much you will pay, what insurance you will get. And even what the practice of your faith will be dictated by the federal government.
We need someone in this race who can go out and make the clarion call for liberty. Someone who has stood tall and opposed government run health care at any level, state or federal. Who can go out and make the case of what Barack Obama is doing, which even Justice Stevens, which is what ObamaCare does and what his agenda of government control of health care and his attempt to get Cap and Trade, where he’s going dictate how you — energy — how much energy, not just health care, but how much energy you’re going to use.
That this is a fundamental change in the relationship between the people and their government. Ladies and gentleman if we’re going to win this race, we can’t have little differences between our nominee and President Obama. We have to have clear contrasting colors. In the last 120 years…
(APPLAUSE)
In the last 120 years, we’ve had one time where the Republican Party has defeated an incumbent Democrat for president. One time. Time and time again the Republican establishment and aristocracy have shoved down the throats of the Republican Party and people across this country, moderate Republicans. Because of course we have to win by getting people in the middle. There’s one person who understood, we don’t win by moving to the middle. We win by getting people in the middle to move to us and move this country forward.
(APPLAUSE)
Not only do we know who we are here in Pennsylvania and what we stand for, but you know who I am. You’re going to hear a lot of things being thrown as has happened in all the other states where we’ve seen a whole bunch of negative campaigning. We’ve gone out across this country. And with the most improbable of odds, and with limited resources except one in which we’ve had incredible resources, and that’s human resources. The people of this country have stood up and followed because they’ve seen someone who has a clear positive vision. Someone whose convictions are also forged in steel, not on an Etch-A-Sketch.
(APPLAUSE)
So you’ll be seeing the negative ads and you’ll be here getting the robo-calls and all the other things thrown at us. But you know me. You know how hard I work. You know how strongly I believe the things that — the values of Southwestern Pennsylvania have instilled in me. You know that I come from a steel town from immigrant parents. Grandfather worked in the mines. Someone who lived in government housing on a V.A. grounds and saw the great sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, serving them as they served our country. You know me. They’ll say all the things, that I’m someone who doesn’t stand up for what I believe in. You know me.
(APPLAUSE)
And so I ask you over the next three weeks, this isn’t halftime, no marching bands. We’re hitting the field. The clock starts tonight. We’ve got three weeks to go out here in Pennsylvania and win this state and after winning this state, the field looks a little different in May. I remind everybody the one time that we did win in the last 120 years, the Republican Party had the courage to go out and nominate someone who all the experts and all the pundits and all the media — all the Republican establishment said couldn’t win. He was too conservative.
He lost almost every early primary. He only won one until May. One primary till May. Everybody told him to get out of the race. This was back in 1976. They said, get out of the race, we need a moderate. In 1976, Ronald Reagan didn’t get out of the race. He was able to stand tall in May, win the state of Texas, which we have every intention of doing.
(APPLAUSE)
He took that race the entire way to the convention and he fell short. And in the fall Republicans fell short because we nominated another moderate who couldn’t galvanize our party and bring those votes to our side to get the kind of change that we needed in America. And then four years later, they fought him again. We need another moderate. We have to defeat this Democratic incumbent. And this time the Republican establishment lost. Let’s not make the mistake of 1976 again. Let’s bypass that error and move straight to 1980. And let’s defeat a Democratic incumbent. And you can help me here in Pennsylvania. Thank you very much. God bless you. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 3, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/full-text-campaign-buzz-april-4-2012-rick-santorums-speech-in-pennsylvania-after-losing-all-3-primaries-in-maryland-washington-dc-wisconsin/
Source: Mitt Romney, 4-3-12
Thank you, Wisconsin! And Maryland! And Washington, DC!
We have won a great victory tonight in our campaign to restore the promise of America.
You won’t find Americans with bigger hearts than those here in our heartland. But as I’ve travelled across this beautiful state, I’ve visited with far too many whose hearts are filled with anxiety about the future. So many good and decent people seem to be running harder just to stay in place and, for many, no matter how hard they run, every day puts them just a little bit further behind.
It’s that way across so much of America.
Under this President’s watch, more Americans have lost their jobs than during any other period since the Depression. Millions have lost their homes, and a record number of Americans are living in poverty. And the most vulnerable have been hurt the most – over 30% of single moms are struggling in poverty. New business startups are at the lowest level in 30 years, and our national debt is at a record high. And when you drive home tonight and stop at a gas station, just take a look at the prices and ask yourself, “Four more years?”
And that’s why it is important to understand one astonishing fact about this election: President Obama thinks he’s doing a good job. No, I’m not kidding. He actually thinks he’s doing a great job. An historically great job. According to the President, only Lincoln, FDR and Lyndon Johnson have accomplished more. And no, he didn’t say that on Saturday Night Live.
It’s enough to make you think that years of flying around on Air Force One, surrounded by an adoring staff of True Believers telling you what a great job you are doing, well, that might be enough to make you a little out of touch.
This campaign will deal with many complicated issues but there is a basic choice before us:
The President has pledged to “transform America,” and he has spent the last four years laying the foundation for a new Government-Centered Society.
I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our Opportunity Society, led by free people and free enterprises.
Our different visions for America are the product of our values and our life experiences.
Barack Obama once said that his work as a community organizer motivated him to help “communities that had been ravaged by plant closings.” His desire to help others could not be more admirable but it’s clear that he saw free enterprise as the villain and not the solution.
He never seemed to grasp the basic point that a plant closes when a business loses money. So today when the President attacks business and when his policies make it more difficult for businesses to grow and prosper, he is also attacking the very communities he wanted to help. That’s how it works in America. Or at least that’s how it works when America is working.
But under Barack Obama, America hasn’t been working. The ironic tragedy is that the community organizer who wanted to help those hurt by a plant closing became the President on whose watch more jobs have been lost than any time since the Great Depression.
In Barack Obama’s Government-Centered Society, the government must do more because the economy is doomed to do less. When you attack business and vilify success, you will have less business and less success. And then, of course, the debate becomes about how much to extend unemployment insurance because you have guaranteed there will be millions more unemployed.
In Barack Obama’s Government-Centered Society, tax increases become not only a necessity, but also a desired tool for social justice. In that world of shrinking means, there’s a finite amount of money, and as someone once famously said, you need taxes to spread the wealth around.
In Barack Obama’s Government-Centered Society, government spending will always increase because…there’s no reason to stop it. There’s always someone who is entitled to something more, and who will vote for anyone who will give them something more.
We know where that transformation leads. There are other nations that have chosen that path. It leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages. Sound familiar?
I don’t want to transform America; I want to restore the values of economic freedom and opportunity and limited government that have made this nation the leader it is.
It is opportunity that has always driven America and defined us as Americans!
I’m not naïve enough to believe that free enterprise is the solution to all of our problems – nor am I naïve enough to doubt that it is one of the greatest forces of good this world has ever known.
Free enterprise has done more to lift people out of poverty, to help build a strong middle class, to help educate our kids, and to make our lives better, than all of the government programs put together.
If we become one of those societies that attack success, one outcome is certain – there will be a lot less success.
That’s not who we are. The promise of America has always been that if you worked hard, and took some risks, that there was the opportunity to build a better life for your family and for the next generation.
This means that government must be smaller and have strict limits placed on its power. Obamacare violates both principles. I will repeal it.
Taxes should be as low as possible, in line with those of competing nations, and designed to foster innovation and growth. That’s why I will cut marginal tax rates across the board.
Regulations are necessary, but they must be continuously updated, streamlined, and modernized. Regulators should see part of their job as protecting economic freedom, promoting enterprise, and fostering job creation.
Workers should have the right to form unions, but unions should not be forced upon them. And unions should not have the power to take money out of their members’ paychecks to buy the support of politicians favored by the union bosses.
Out-of-touch liberals like Barack Obama say they want a strong economy, but they really don’t like businesses very much. But the economy is simply the product of all the nation’s businesses added together. So it’s like saying you love omelets but don’t like eggs.
To build a strong economy that provides good jobs and rising wages and that reduces poverty, we need to build successful businesses of every kind imaginable. And President Obama has been attacking successful businesses of every kind imaginable.
We have always been the country where dreamers build dreams and where one dream helps launch another. And if those dreamers are rewarded with prosperity, we view that as a reason others would be encouraged to dream big as well.
These last few years have been difficult, made worse by mistakes and failures of leadership.
But if the hill before us is a little steeper we have always been a nation of big steppers.
In this last year, I have been all over this country, from student union cafeterias to kitchen tables, from factory break rooms to boardrooms, and I’ve heard frustration and anger but rarely hopelessness. Many Americans have given up on this President but they haven’t ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America.
We have a sacred duty to restore the promise of America. And we will do it. We will do it because we believe in America.
Tonight, I’m asking the good people of Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island to join me. Join me in the next step toward that destination of November 6th, when across America we can give a sigh of relief and know that the Promise of America has been kept. The dreamers can dream a little bigger, the help wanted signs can be dusted off, and we can start again.
And this time we’ll get it right. We’ll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for America abroad. Together we’ll build the greatest America we have ever known, where prosperity is grown and shared, not limited and divided, an America that guarantees that ours is the door that innovation and greatness always knocks on first.
There was a time – not so long ago – when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. We were Americans. That meant something different to each of us, but it meant something special to all of us. We knew it without question. And so did the world.
Those days are coming back. That’s our destiny. Join me. And take another step every day until November 6th.
We believe in America. We believe in ourselves. Our greatest days are still ahead. We are, after all, Americans!
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 3, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/full-text-campaign-buzz-april-3-2012-mitt-romney-speech-after-winning-wisconsin-maryland-washington-dc-primary-trio-transcript/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.
Live Coverage of the Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington Primaries: Mitt Romney won the Maryland and Washington primaries on Tuesday night, with a comfortable lead in Wisconsin, steadily adding to a comfortable delegate lead that he hopes will soon be formidable enough to drive his lagging rivals from the race for the Republican presidential nomination…. – NYT, 4-3-12
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 3, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/campaign-buzz-april-3-2012-mitt-romneys-clean-sweep-wins-all-3-primaries-deciscive-victories-in-wisconsin-maryland-washington-dc-primaries/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.
Live Coverage of the Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington Primaries: Follow along for live updates, analysis, exit polls and results from The New York Times political unit…. – NYT, 4-3-12
Wisconsin primary looms large for Romney, larger for Santorum: Forty-two delegates are up for grabs when Wisconsin holds its Republican presidential primary Tuesday. But for Rick Santorum, much more appears to be at stake…. – CNN, 4-3-12
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 3, 2012
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/campaign-buzz-april-3-2012-live-coverage-of-wisconsin-maryland-and-washington-dc-primaries-mitt-romney-set-to-win-all-3/
First Lady Michelle Obama is joined by Malia Obama and Sasha Obama for the presentation of the Official White House Christmas Tree at the North Portico of the White House, Nov. 25, 2011. The 19-foot-tall balsam fir came from Schroeder’s Forevergreens near Neshkoro, Wisconsin and will be displayed throughout the holiday season in the Blue Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Today, First Lady Michelle Obama received the official White House Christmas tree. The tree, a 19-foot balsam fir, arrived in a horse-drawn carriage and will be displayed in the Blue Room of the White House. It will be decorated in honor of military families.
This year’s tree came from Schroeder’s Forevergreens in Wisconsin, a member of the National Christmas Tree Association, and one of about 800 Christmas tree farms and lots around the country that donates free, full-grown trees to military families as part of the Trees for Troops program. This year, Trees for Troops hopes to deliver its 100,000th tree.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on November 25, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/full-text-november-25-2011-first-lady-michelle-obama-greets-white-house-christmas-tree-arrives/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
4 Wisconsin Republicans survive recall elections, GOP maintains control of state Senate: Four Republican state senators in Wisconsin survived recall challenges Tuesday, allowing the GOP to maintain its control of both houses of the state legislature as well as the governor’s mansion, the Associated Press projected. Two other Republican senators were recalled, losing to their challengers. The recall elections, orchestrated by labor leaders and their Democratic allies, followed Gov. Scott Walker’s move to strip public employee unions of most collective bargaining rights.
“I think setting aside me, if you went around and talk to the average voter, the best thing they like about today is the ads are gone. at least outside of these two remaining Senate districts,” Walker said. I’ve heard repeatedly from people who are just disgusted at all the ads, disgusted at all the money. They’re tired of seemingly year-round campaigning, and whether it’s a gubernatorial recall, any other recall, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of enthusiasm for having a whole ‘nother wave of ads and money come into the state of Wisconsin….. I think setting aside me, if you went around and talk to the average voter, the best thing they like about today is the ads are gone. at least outside of these two remaining Senate districts. I’ve heard repeatedly from people who are just disgusted at all the ads, disgusted at all the money. They’re tired of seemingly year-round campaigning, and whether it’s a gubernatorial recall, any other recall, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of enthusiasm for having a whole ‘nother wave of ads and money come into the state of Wisconsin.” — Gov. Scott Walker
“How can that be a win for Scott Walker when he loses two Republican seats?” — Mike Tate, chairman of the state Democratic Party.
Wisconsin Recall: GOP Retains Senate Control — ABC News, 8-10-11
Posted by bonniekgoodman on August 9, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/political-buzz-august-9-2011-wisconsin-recall-election-results-republicans-retain-4-senate-seats-lose-2-to-democrats/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker: “The Supreme Court’s ruling provides our state the opportunity to move forward together and focus on getting Wisconsin working again.”
Posted by bonniekgoodman on June 15, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/wisconsin-supreme-court-upholds-republican-governor-scott-walker-anti-union-bill/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
Protesters fill the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday night. (Michael P. King / Associated Press)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; file photo
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 10, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/political-highlights-3-10-2011-scott-walker-battles-unions-republicans-pass-bill-restricting-collective-bargaining/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
President Barack Obama addresses the situation in Libya at the start of a joint press conference with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico, left, in the East Room of the White House, March 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 7, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/political-highlights-3-7-2011-obama-congress-budget-showdown-chaos-libya-wisconsin-war-unions/
By Ashley Fantz
CNN
Eighty-one-year-old labor historian Ken Germanson watches the news from home in Milwaukee every night, mystified.
“All those people raising their signs, protesting,” he said. “Well, geez, what did our governor think was going to happen?”
Germanson ran the Wisconsin Labor History Society for nearly two decades, an organization that teaches students about the state’s union heritage.
This year, students will learn 2011 is the 100th anniversary of when Wisconsin became the first state to pass a law guaranteeing workers’ compensation. They’ll probably be taught that the state was a major fighter in the early 19th century for the radical idea of an eight-hour workday. It is the law, after all, in the land of cheese and Super Bowl champs, that school curriculums include Wisconsin’s organized labor history.
It’s also possible that some of those students and teachers are today among the thousands of demonstrators who have crowded the state Capitol in Madison for weeks. They are beating drums, holding hands, doing defiant yoga, all chanting, “Kill the bill!”
The bill, backed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker and many GOP lawmakers, would mostly end public unions’ rights to bargain collectively. The governor and his supporters say the legislation would help ease the state’s projected $3.6 billion budget deficit by, in part, increasing state worker contributions for pension and health benefits.
Workers view the bill as a way to quash their rights to negotiate for better work conditions and decent wages. Fourteen Democratic lawmakers have left the state in protest, refusing to vote on the measure, a move that got them slapped with $100 fines for every day they are gone.
Similar political and union battles are boiling in Indiana and Ohio, where bills would end or substantially weaken public unions…READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 4, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/ken-germanson-america-union-story-blood-struggle-bargaining/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
Ed Ou for The New York Times
Egyptian protesters taped a flag on the front doors of the Libyan Embassy in Cairo on Sunday.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on February 28, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/political-highlights-2-28-2011-governors-tea-party-meet-obama-congress-budget-wisconsin-walker-union-wars-unrest-middle-east-libya/
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
Raouf Mohseni/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Members of Iran’s Parliament clamored on Tuesday for two leaders of the opposition movement, Mir Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, to be hanged.
Posted by bonniekgoodman on February 21, 2011
https://historymusings.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/political-highlights-2-21-2011-obama-budget-wisconsin-budget-union-unrest-middle-east-erupts/
History Musings 