Pamlico County Democrats

In the last days of the 2008 election, Barack Obama visited Cleveland for one of the final rallies of his presidential campaign. Today he returned for a major address on his plans for moving the economy forward. While much has changed since 2008, some things remain the same as we stand faced with another important election:

“A lot has changed since I came here in those final days of the last election, but what hasn’t is the choice facing this country.  It’s still fear versus hope; the past versus the future.  It’s still a choice between sliding backward and moving forward.  That’s what this election is about.  That’s the choice you’ll face in November.”

The President used his address to lay out three major new initiatives to create jobs and grow our economy. First is a new effort to rebuild America’s transportation infrastructure—our roads, bridges, and airport runways. The second is expanding, simplifying, and permanently extending the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit. And the third is to allow companies to deduct investments in their business through the end of 2011, speeding up job creation and private investment. These big investments will help the families and workers who are struggling while building a strong infrastructure for our country’s economic growth.

As the President said today, his own family benefited from a country that invested in its middle class, which is what we need to do again:

"Michelle and I are where we are today because even though our families didn’t have much, they worked tirelessly – without complaint – so that we might have a better life.  My grandfather marched off to Europe in World War II and my grandmother worked in factories on the home front.  I had a single mom who put herself through school, and would wake before dawn to make sure I got a decent education.  Michelle can still remember her father heading out to his job as a city worker long after Multiple Sclerosis had made it impossible for him to walk without crutches....

“That’s the America I believe in.  That’s what led me to work in the shadow of a shuttered steel plant on the South Side of Chicago when I was a community organizer.  It’s what led me to fight for factory workers at manufacturing plants that were closing across Illinois when I was a Senator.  It’s what led me to run for President – because I don’t believe we can have a strong and growing economy without a strong and growing middle-class.”

But as the President pushes for jobs and laying a strong economic foundation, Republicans like John Boehner are saying ‘no’ to progress while offering no new ideas:

“A few weeks ago, the Republican leader of the House came here to Cleveland and offered his party’s answer to our economic challenges.  Now, it would be one thing if he admitted his party’s mistakes during the eight years they were in power, and was offering a credible new approach to solving our country’s problems.

“But that’s not what happened.  There were no new policies from Mr. Boehner.  There were no new ideas.  There was just the same philosophy we already tried for the last decade – the same philosophy that led to this mess in the first place:  cut more taxes for millionaires and cut more rules for corporations.  Instead of coming together like past generations did to build a better country for our children and grandchildren, their argument is that we should let insurance companies go back to denying care to folks who are sick, and let credit card companies go back to raising rates without any reason.  Instead of setting our sights higher, they’re asking us to settle for a status quo of stagnant growth, eroding competitiveness, and a shrinking middle class.”

Voters face a choice this November, and it boils down to whether we continue moving forward to create jobs and build a strong economy, or go back to the failed policies of the past. As the President said, if we are again able to "choose hope over fear; to choose the future over the past; to come together once more around the great project of national renewal, then we will restore our economy; rebuild our middle-class; and reclaim the American Dream for the next generation.”

Today, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine traveled to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he was joined by Governor Ed Rendell for an event kicking off the Democratic Party’s fall campaign. In front of a cheering crowd of University of Pennsylvania students and energized Democrats, Kaine delivered a major address outlining the choice voters face this fall: a choice between Democrats who are moving America forward and Republicans who want to take America back to the failed policies of the past. Said Chairman Kaine:

"On Election Day, it will be Americans’ turn to choose. They can choose Republicans who drove our country into a ditch. Who have not offered a helping hand to the millions of middle class Americans they left stranded at the bottom. And who have not presented a single idea for how to get America growing again.

"Or they can choose Democrats who are helping us climb out of that ditch. Who have taken the bold actions necessary to repair the damage caused by nearly a decade of failed Republican leadership. And who are committed to doing everything within their power to help American families, workers, and businesses succeed."

Chairman Kaine also talked about the economic progress made by President Obama and Congressional Democrats to date despite the Republican Party’s politically motivated opposition to these efforts, and highlighted the important contrast between Democratic and Republican leadership. He said:

"Our President and Congress enacted tax cuts for 95% of working families and millions of small businesses...They passed legislation guaranteeing women equal pay for equal work. And...they passed the Recovery Act...

"Up to 3.3 million people employed in June owed their jobs to the Recovery Act. And an economy that was shrinking in 2008 is growing again.

"Instead of sitting at home, those 3.3 million workers are helping to lay a new foundation for American growth and prosperity. They are rebuilding the roads, rails and runways that will help American businesses grow and add jobs. They’re building the solar panels, wind turbines, electric car batteries, and other critical 21st century goods here in the United States instead of overseas in China and India. They’re back at work making American cars – including the cars of tomorrow – vehicles with better gas mileage and reduced emissions...

"Instead of working with Democrats to help to rebuild our economy and the middle class, Republicans have opposed every effort to undo the economic damage that their polices created…Republicans are more interested in positioning themselves for the next election than they are in supporting the American people for the next generation.

"When President Obama fought for health insurance reform, Republicans chose to stand with big insurance and against reform…

"When President Obama fought for the people of the Gulf Coast, promising to hold BP accountable and to see to it that Gulf Coast residents were compensated for their losses, Republicans stood with big oil and fought for BP…

"And when President Obama fought for Wall Street reform, fought to put an end to the bailouts, and fought to finally hold big financial institutions accountable, Republicans stood with the very same special interests that helped to cause the financial crisis that has hurt millions of Americans and fought against that reform too…

"On each of these issues and more, President Obama and Democrats chose to stand with the American people so we could move America forward. The Republican Party chose to stand with the special interests."

Chairman Kaine closed by speaking about how Democrats are ready to step up and get tough when it comes to this November's elections:

"Tough is what Democrats do. We campaign tough, we win tough, we govern tough...We love a tough battle because the nation is counting on us at a challenging time and we know that, while change is never easy, we can't make progress without fighting for it."

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine sent the following message to supporters on our Vote 2010 campaign:

From the day President Obama took office, Democrats have worked to rebuild our country's economy, put into place the basic financial reforms needed to empower and protect consumers, and lay down a new foundation for growth.

Republicans made a different choice: They locked arms with the special interests and voted to protect the insurance companies, credit card lenders, and bankers on Wall Street.

The GOP embraced a singular goal: opposition to the President's agenda.

Now Republicans are scheming to win back Congress. With a majority, they'll do everything they can to reverse the progress Democrats have made. They'll turn back the clock on behalf of their special interest friends, their big donors, and the extreme right-wing elements that have taken over their party.

But we have a plan to beat the GOP.

Since May, we've been focused on an unprecedented push to elect Democrats who will fight alongside President Obama. With the help of supporters like you, we've launched the strongest, most sophisticated effort this party has ever put together for an election like this.

The special interests don't fund it -- our Vote 2010 campaign relies entirely on supporters like you.

Can you chip in $5 or more to power this work?

Republicans have promised to repeal health insurance reform and roll back new consumer protections -- but it won't stop there. Across the country, the GOP has nominated a set of right-wing ideologues who are vowing to undo the victories won by our parents and grandparents -- the promises those generations made to the future.

Republicans are supporting candidates like Nevada Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle who believe the United States should leave the United Nations and that we should shut down the Department of Education.

They're working to elect conservatives like Alaska Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller who argue that unemployment benefits are "not constitutionally authorized" and that we should end Social Security.

They're fighting for people like Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul who believe that civil rights should be up for debate in this country because they think that businesses should have the right to discriminate based on race, gender, disability, or any other factor.

We all understand the consequences of this election.

That's why grassroots Democrats are knocking on thousands of doors every week. That's why we have a goal of reaching out to 15 million voters by November 2nd.

Americans have a choice to make with this election, but from now until November, we're going to work to make our case.

Can you help out? Donate today:

http://my.democrats.org/OurCase

Thanks,

Governor Tim Kaine
Chairman

Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine will deliver a major address today to highlight the choice voters face this year and what’s at stake in November’s elections.

Watch Chairman Kaine’s speech at the University Pennsylvania live here at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Kicking off the Democratic Party's fall push, Chairman Kaine will lay out the choice between Democrats who are moving America forward, and Republicans who want to take us back to the policies that led our economy to the brink of collapse.

The Hill previewed today's speech:

Republican leadership in Congress would reverse generations of progress in the U.S., DNC Chairman Tim Kaine will charge Wednesday in a speech.

Kaine, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) leader, will sharpen his rhetoric against Republicans in what's being billed as a "major national address" this afternoon in Philadelphia.

In that speech, Kaine will warn of even sharper changes for the country, if Republicans were to take control of Congress in this fall's elections.

"The Republican Party doesn’t just want to go back to the “exact same agenda” they pursued during the Bush years. They don’t just want to repeal the legislation President Obama and Democrats have enacted," Kaine will say. "They don’t just want to take away the changes you worked so hard to bring about. They want to take away the changes that your parents and grandparents and generations of Americans worked so hard to enact."

The former Virginia governor's stark warning comes as President Obama will also amp up his rhetoric against the GOP during a speech on the economy in Cleveland. The speech is specifically meant to target House Minority Leader John Beohner (R-Ohio), who blasted the administration's handling of the economy in Cleveland just weeks earlier.

Kaine's speech also serves to underscore a message that Democrats have sought to drive home as the election season begins in earnest: that Republicans would move the country backward, while Democrats would push forward with progress.

Watch the speech live here at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

President Obama visited Milwaukee yesterday, where he spoke to some of the hard-working men and women of the labor movement, folks who helped build "America into the greatest force of prosperity and opportunity and freedom that the world has ever known," as the President said.

Working men and women secured so much of what we take for granted today, the President explained—the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, family leave, health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, retirement plans.

And while these folks are no strangers to a fight, today working families are facing a number of serious challenges and have had to work even harder to stay above board.

The President told the crowd that he is more committed than ever to turning our economy around and putting folks back to work.

“I am going to keep fighting every single day, every single hour, every single minute, to turn this economy around and put people back to work and renew the American Dream, not just for your family, not just for all our families, but for future generations.  That I can guarantee you.”

The President also used his speech to announce a new plan to create jobs by rebuilding America’s roads, rails, and airport runways:

“Over the next six years, we are going to rebuild 150,000 miles of our roads -– that’s enough to circle the world six times.  That’s a lot of road.  We’re going to lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways –- enough to stretch coast to coast. We’re going to restore 150 miles of runways....

This will not only create jobs immediately, it’s also going to make our economy hum over the long haul.  It’s a plan that history tells us can and should attract bipartisan support.  It’s a plan that says even in the aftermath of the worst recession in our lifetimes, America can still shape our own destiny.  We can still move this country forward.  We can still leave our children something better.  We can still leave them something that lasts.

So these are the things we’ve been working for.  These are some of the victories you guys have helped us achieve.  And we’re not finished.  We’ve got a lot more progress to make.  And I’m confident we will.

But even as the President and Democrats in Congress fight to create jobs, some Republicans in Washington have said ‘no’ at every turn:

“When it comes to just about everything we’ve done to strengthen our middle class, to rebuild our economy, almost every Republican in Congress says no.   Even on things we usually agree on, they say no. If I said the sky was blue, they say no.  If I said fish live in the sea, they’d say no. They just think it’s better to score political points before an election than to solve problems.  So they said no to help for small businesses, even when the small businesses said we desperately need this.  This used to be their key constituency, they said.  They said no.  No to middle-class tax cuts.  They say they’re for tax cuts; I say, okay, let’s give tax cuts to the middle class.  No. No to clean energy jobs.  No to making college more affordable.  No to reforming Wall Street.  They’re saying right now, no to cutting more taxes for small business owners and helping them get financing.

You know, I heard -- somebody out here was yelling “Yes we can.” Remember that was our slogan?  Their slogan is “No we can’t.”   No, no, no, no.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can!  Yes we can!  Yes we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, I personally think “Yes we can” is more inspiring than “No we can’t.”  To steal a line from our old friend Ted Kennedy:  What is it about working men and women that they find so offensive?

President Obama closed by letting everyone know that from now until November, he is going to continue making the case that we need to keep working together to keep making progress: In Milwaukee, that means supporting candidates like Tom Barrett, Gwen Moore, Russ Feingold, and Herb Kohl—or around the country, local Democrats fighting to make sure the economy works for all Americans. Connect with Organizing for America in your state to find out how to get involved in the next two months before Election Day.

This Labor Day, as we spend time with family and friends and enjoy barbeques and a day off of work, it’s important to remember the holiday we are commemorating.

Labor Day grew out of the 1800s labor movement and is dedicated to honoring the achievements of America’s working men and women.

First organized by the Central Labor Union and comprised of a demonstration and picnic, the original Labor Day was celebrated in New York on Tuesday, September 5, 1882.  By 1884 the first Monday in September had been designated the holiday, and the Central Labor Union encouraged similar organizations across the country to join New York in celebrating a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers in the United States.

Within 10 years, more than 20 states had adopted the holiday to honor workers, and on June 28, 1894, Congress made the first Monday in September a holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

This year, 128 years after the first Labor Day, let’s take a moment to consider a few of the recent steps that President Obama and Democrats in Congress have taken on behalf of America’s workers—and for those who are currently out of work:

• The administration took important steps to fight gender discrimination in the workplace by signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.
• According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, once the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented, 95 percent of American workers will have health insurance through their jobs—an increase of 10 percent from current rates.
• President Obama created the cabinet-level White House Task Force on Middle Class—chaired by the Vice President—to improve the living standards of those families. (You can learn more about the task force and administration proposals and achievements here (PDF).
• The Recovery Act included tax relief for working people and invested in job creation, education, health care, and infrastructure across the country.

In his Labor Day presidential proclamation, President Obama highlighted the progress made by and on behalf of American workers—even in the face of economic challenges:

“To rebuild our economy, my administration is focusing on job training and investing in industries that cannot be outsourced. By focusing on recovery at home, we are saving or creating millions of jobs in America and supporting the working men and women who will drive our 21st-century economy. More remains to be done, but we have taken important steps forward toward recovery.

“American workers have always been ready to roll up their sleeves, clock in, and earn an honest living. That steady determination is why I have confidence in the American economy and confidence that we can overcome the challenges we face. There is no greater example of our country's resolve and resilience than that of our workers. As we celebrate Labor Day, we honor those who have advanced our nation's strength and prosperity—American workers.”

"This piece of legislation is good for workers, it's good for small business people, it's good for our economy. And yet, Republicans in the Senate have blocked this bill -- a needless delay that has led small business owners across the country to put off hiring, put off expanding and put off plans that will make our economy stronger." – President Obama

Today the President called on members of Congress to immediately pass a small business bill that has been held up by Senate Republicans.

New jobs numbers released this morning show that while we’re continuing to make progress on the economy—adding 67,000 private sector jobs in the 8th consecutive month of growth—businesses and workers are still hurting.

Loans for small businesses under the Recovery Act have successfully helped create jobs, but funds ran out in May. The Small Business Jobs Act would mean that more than 1,000 small businesses waiting for loans would be able to receive them.

Small Business Administrator Karen Mills explained on the White House blog:

Not only will the bill immediately help thousands of small business owners get access to capital, but it will also raise the limit on SBA loans from $2 million to $5 million, helping high-growth small firms who are ready to expand, franchisees who want to open a new location, and exporters who need to ramp up to meet a big order from abroad.

And on top of that, the bill has $12 billion in tax cuts for small businesses, including accelerated depreciation, eliminating capital gains on small business investments, and doubling the deduction for start-ups.  It’s fully paid for and both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses have praised the legislation.

In other words, this is a strong bill.  It has broad support.  It will give taxpayers a big bang for their buck.  And, it will benefit thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country, including the more than 1,000 who are right now waiting to get an SBA Recovery loan.

I’m an iPhone developer. It can be an exciting job: there are always puzzles to solve, you meet a lot of clever people, you’re always working late and shipping yesterday—but it can quickly start to feel like a grind. How many interactive corporate brochures can a person make before starting to wonder whether technology really has the power to change the world?

That’s why I’m so excited about the project I just finished working on: today’s update to the Organizing for America iPhone app, which gives volunteers everything they need to go door to door talking with people about what’s important to them.

The app takes the usual unwieldy accouterments of canvassing—the pen and paper, clipboards, and lists of voters—and puts them all on your mobile phone. It lets you connect with real people wherever you are and whenever you want. It gets rid of the time-consuming process of assembling lists of houses and entering data, and makes it easier for people on the ground to focus on the things that matter: the one-on-one conversations with your neighbors. (And it makes for a pretty exciting video, too.)

For me, this is exciting in a way software seldom is: it’s technology that affects the real world, that can change the lives of the people who use it and those around them. This is why I’m a programmer.

Most importantly, I think it could have the ability to bring a little spark back to the lives of those who have become jaded by the current political scene. Too many people have become disenchanted with the idea that politics can change the world for the better. In a time when moving forward can seem too difficult to bother, this old-fashioned activity—talking to neighbors about their hopes and concerns—might help remind us that change and connection can still happen. OFA volunteers are already out there knocking on doors—more than 200,000 just last weekend—and now it’s easier than ever to join in.

My favorite Obama slogan was always “We are the change we have been waiting for.” We all still are. Get out there. Talk to your friends, to your neighbors, to strangers. That change and energy is still all around us, even if it can be sometimes a little hard to see. But you’ll never find it if you don’t look.

If a simple iPhone app can help even one person to realize that, it’s worth all the e-brochures in the world.

Download the OFA iPhone app, get today’s canvassing update, or learn more here.

With millions of Americans still struggling to find work, the pace of our country’s economic recovery has been slower than anyone would like. But there are some bright spots as the Obama Administration works each day to get the economy back on track—like yesterday’s good news that agriculture is thriving thanks to increased exports.

The New York Times highlighted new estimates out yesterday that represent good news for farmers and other rural Americans:

Even as the broader economy falters amid signs of a weakening recovery, the nation’s agriculture sector is going strong, bolstered in part by a surge in exports, according to federal estimates of farm trade and income released on Tuesday.

The estimates confirm what economists have been saying for months: agriculture, which was generally not hit as hard by the recession as many other segments of the economy, remains a small bright spot going forward.

“We’re just having a robust rebound in the agricultural sector and promises of more growth,” Jason R. Henderson, vice president and economist at the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, said in a recent interview.

The estimates show that American farmers will ship $107.5 billion in agricultural products abroad in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. That is the second-highest amount ever, behind the record $115.3 billion in exports logged in 2008, when commodity prices soared as the global demand for agricultural products was helped by fast-growing economies in the developing world....

“The better the demand, the higher the price, and it’s going to put another 10, 15, possibly 20 cents in the price of a bushel of corn,” said Bill Horan, a corn farmer in Iowa. Corn is about $4 a bushel, which is about 50 cents higher than last year. “It means my wife can go out and buy a new sofa, and I can put new tires on the pickup.”

Read the full article here.

“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.” — President Barack Obama

In 2008, many volunteers were first drawn to Barack Obama as a candidate for President because of his firm promise to end the was in Iraq.

Last night, the President made good on that campaign pledge, and spoke to the nation to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq.

In just his second Oval Office address, President Obama thanked the millions of Americans who put their lives on the line, including the 4,400 who gave their lives in this war.

We’ve now been through nearly a decade of war.  We’ve endured a long and painful recession.  And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the future that we’re trying to build for our nation -- a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity -- may seem beyond our reach.

But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment.  It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.

From this desk, seven and a half years ago, President Bush announced the beginning of military operations in Iraq.  Much has changed since that night.  A war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency.  Terrorism and sectarian warfare threatened to tear Iraq apart.  Thousands of Americans gave their lives; tens of thousands have been wounded.  Our relations abroad were strained.  Our unity at home was tested.

These are the rough waters encountered during the course of one of America’s longest wars.  Yet there has been one constant amidst these shifting tides.  At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve.  As Commander-in-Chief, I am incredibly proud of their service.  And like all Americans, I’m awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.

The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given.  They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people.  Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future.  They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people, trained Iraqi Security Forces, and took out terrorist leaders.  Because of our troops and civilians -- and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people -- Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.  Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.

This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.

The President also emphasized his steadfast commitment to taking care of our troops once they return home as veterans:

Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor.  As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and we will do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.  This is a sacred trust.  That’s why we’ve already made one of the largest increases in funding for veterans in decades.  We’re treating the signature wounds of today’s wars -- post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury -- while providing the health care and benefits that all of our veterans have earned.  And we’re funding a Post-9/11 GI Bill that helps our veterans and their families pursue the dream of a college education.  Just as the GI Bill helped those who fought World War II -- including my grandfather -- become the backbone of our middle class, so today’s servicemen and women must have the chance to apply their gifts to expand the American economy.  Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it.

Last night we witnessed a historic milestone in our nation’s history. You can join in and mark this moment by welcoming our troops home—send our men and women in uniform your personal message of thanks.