Obama in Dunedin: "We are at a defining moment in our history"

[bigtree]

September 24, 2008





DUNEDIN, Fla. — Wednesday, Obama filled Knology Park with about 11,000 people to deliver a speech heavy on assurances for a reversal in the nation's economic fortunes.

"We meet here at a time of great uncertainty for America. The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has led us to a financial crisis as serious as any we have faced since the Great Depression," Obama said.

"The clock is ticking on this crisis," continued Obama, who was repeatedly interrupted by chants of "Yes we can!" "We have to act swiftly, but we also have to get it right. And that means everyone — Republicans and Democrats and the White House and Congress — must work together to come up with a solution that protects American taxpayers and our economy without rewarding those whose greed helped get us into this problem in the first place."





"We are at a defining moment in our history," Obama declared. "Our nation is not only involved in a war that we must win in Afghanistan, but is also involved in a war that I believe should have never been authorized and should have never been waged that has cost us hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives and has not made us more safe."

"It's going to be harder now because of all the irresponsibilities taking place on Wall Street. So we're going to have to work hard, we're going to have to make good choices, we're going to have to prioritize how we spend our money," Obama told the crowd in Dunedin Wednesday. "We're going to have to go through the federal budget line by line and if programs don't work we should cut them."

read: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article826096.ece





"Now, in the last few days, my opponent has decided to start talking tough about CEO pay. He's suddenly a hard-charging populist. And that's all well and good. But I sure wish he was talking the same way over a year ago, when I introduced a bill that would've helped stop some of the multimillion-dollar bonus packages that CEOs grab on their way out the door. Because he opposed that idea," Obama said.

"I sure wish he felt the same outrage about CEO pay when his top economic adviser -- who he calls a 'role model' -- walked away with a $42 million package after being fired from Hewlett Packard," Obama continued. He was talking about Carly Fiorina, one of McCain's chief economic advisers, although she hasn't been seen much in recent days.

"You see, the John McCain you've heard from over the last few days is a lot different than the John McCain who's been in Washington for the last twenty-six years," the Democratic nominee asserted, before a raucous crowd of 11,000 at the Toronto Blue Jays spring training stadium. "He talks about getting tough on Wall Street now, but he's been against the common sense rules and regulations that could've stopped this mess for decades. He says he'll take on the corporate lobbyists, but he put seven of the biggest lobbyists in Washington in charge of his campaign. And if you think those lobbyists are working day and night to elect my opponent just to put themselves out of business, well I've got a bridge to sell you up in Alaska."

read: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/24/obama_needles_mccain_over_wall.html





The truth is, when my opponent first reacted to this crisis by saying that the fundamentals of our economy are strong, he didn't just make a mistake. He revealed an out-of-touch philosophy he's followed for decades in Washington -- the idea that if we give more and more to those with the most, prosperity will trickle down to everyone else; the idea that no harm will be done if we let lobbyists shred consumer protections and fight against every regulation as unwise or unnecessary.

Well what we have seen over the last few weeks is nothing less than the final verdict on this failed philosophy. And I am running for President of the United States because the dreams of the American people cannot be endangered anymore."

We have a different way of measuring the fundamentals of our economy. We know that the fundamentals that we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great --that America is a place where you can make it if you try; that everyone should have the chance to live their dreams.

I know I wouldn't be standing here today without that promise. And I know that's the promise we must keep once more.

read: http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/6145





Times are hard. I will not pretend that the change we need will come without cost -- though I have presented how we can achieve these changes in a fiscally responsible way. I know that we'll have to overcome our doubts and divisions and the determined opposition of powerful special interests before we can truly reform a broken economy and advance opportunity.

But I am running for President because we simply cannot afford four more years of an economic philosophy that works for Wall Street instead of Main Street, and ends up devastating both. I don't want to wake up in four years to find that more Americans fell out of the middle-class, and more families lost their savings. I don't want to see that our country failed to invest in our ability to compete, our children's future was mortgaged on another mountain of debt, and our financial markets failed to find a firmer footing.

At this defining moment, we have the chance to finally stand up and say: enough is enough!





We can do this because Americans have done this before. Time and again, we've battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success. That's why our economy hasn't just been the world's greatest wealth generator -- it's bound America together, it's created jobs, and it's made the dream of opportunity a reality for generation after generation of Americans.

Now it falls to us. And I need you to make it happen. If you want the next four years looking just like the last eight, then I am not your candidate. But if you want real change -- if you want an economy that rewards work, and that works for Main Street and Wall Street; if you want tax relief for the middle class and millions of new jobs; if you want health care you can afford and education that helps your kids compete; then I ask you to knock on some doors, make some calls, talk to your neighbors, and give me your vote on November 4th. And if you do, I promise you -- we will win Florida, we will win this election, and we will change America together.

read: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/24/AR2008092402076_pf.html






full text of speech: http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/6145


photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel -- Douglas R. Clifford/Times -- REUTERS/Jason Reed -- AP/Chris Carlson

[madfloridian]

1. People need to know that Dunedin is small town, not especially liberal

This is just amazing. Thanks for the great post.

[bigtree]

3. right there

. . . with that wonderful Florida perspective, madfloridian :hi:

[damonm]

2. Love that 6th pic...

See that cloud behind Barack?

That's God giving him the thumbs-up.

I feel a LOT better about this election now.

[bigtree]

4. it really helps to cut through the media bull

. . . and take a look at what our candidate is actually doing

[Undercurrent]

5. Thank you for the wonderful post,

and the gorgeous photos!

[bigtree]

6. you're welcome, Undercurrent

my pleasure, of course :hi:

[madfloridian]

7. Kick for this great post

And for a Florida that may be waking up.