Obama Speech to Congress Part 6/6

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama struck a balance between grim economic reality and a more hopeful outlook on Tuesday to try to reassure worried Americans their country will emerge from crisis "stronger than before."

Riding high in opinion polls, Obama was careful to include a sober assessment of the economic emergency in his first speech to Congress, seeking to temper expectations that his administration's rescue efforts would yield quick fixes.

But the politician whose memoir was called "The Audacity of Hope" and who won the White House in last November's election amid chants of "yes, we can" was also back in stride, telling recession-weary Americans to expect better days ahead.

"While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover," Obama said in the televised speech.

"And the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," he told a chamber packed with lawmakers, cabinet members and invited guests.

The Democratic president also leveled a barrage of indirect criticism at his Republican predecessor George W. Bush for the country's economic plight and bloated debt, warning that the "day of reckoning" had arrived.

Five weeks after taking office, Obama pressed the case for his economic plans while laying out a broad agenda, including a much-anticipated push for a healthcare overhaul and energy independence, to help build momentum for his young presidency.

The primetime State of the Union-style address to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives came against a backdrop of growing anxiety across the country in the face of the worst financial meltdown in decades.

While his public support is strong, Wall Street remains skeptical of his economic remedies.

Jittery investors sent U.S. stocks to a 12-year low on Monday, but the markets rallied on Tuesday on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's assurances that the country's troubled banks should be able to weather the downturn without being nationalized.

Trying to show he would make good on his promise of fiscal responsibility, Obama said he had identified $2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade.

Obama, who rolls out his first budget proposal on Thursday, has vowed to halve the annual deficit by the end of his term.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• OBAMA
• ECONOMY
• SPEECH
• CONGRESS
• BUDGET

[Yensid98]

Wow. He literally brought tears to my eyes. Tears of joy and hope. I believe not only is his heart in the right place, but he's taking the right steps to make America better.

I can't wait for next year's State of the Union Address.

[mortina94]

If any of you want people to take your comments seriously, you must first learn how to spell. This speaks alot to your education and level of intelligence.

[RickU5711]

@kevin1493 Ron Paul knows all about it. From 9/11 to bilderberg, bohemian grove, Rockefeller, Rothschild and on and on. Vote Ron Paul and join the fight.

[kevin1493]

Obama might be a good guy. he might be a morally focused democrat. But it doesn't matter. The control of the government isnt even in government. It's about the money, and the ones that have the most of it. Try looking up bildergerg, CFR, Free masons.

[megaman12521]

i wonder what would hilary would do if she was president?

[xleax]

Are you forgetting 7 July 2005, since you're an UK guy? That was a perfect example of terrorism.

I feel sorry for you UK guys. Your lax immigration policy and 'human rights' socialism was just inviting a lot of Islamic radicals to enter the UK.

There's nothing more free-speechy than let islamic radicals demonstrate on UK streets and call for deaths of people and bombings of countries they hate, and not do anything about it, because of a.) being afraid of them b.) hiding under human rights

[drseanelius]

@xleax Lol. Terrorists who either don't exist or else were trained by Bush's daddy. wise up. The companies who got the government contracts for Iraq were doing jack shit to combat terrorism, they were making billions profit & charging the pentagon for it whilst getting american truck drivers killed travelling dangerous roads carrying empty loads just so they could invoice the govt for the trip. In Halliburton's case not bothering to sanitise soldiers water properly & ridding them with pathogens

[xleax]

Because Obama didn't bail out Wall-Street?

He did.

The 'agenda' is to defeat terrorism, if you haven't heard. Same thing as Obama.

Wise up.

[drseanelius]

@xleax The contrary, i didn't contradict myself. Bush spent money to primarily aid his business buddies and further right wing militaristic agendas. Obama is attempting to spend money to regenerate the economy, give free health care and kickstart america's ability to become producers again. Bush was more into getting his daddy's dick hard with oil.

[xleax]

Americans are supposed to be patient with Obama, after he spends a lot more money in his first year than Bush? At worst it could be said that Bush was spending like a Democrat and Obama is, at best, spending at least 3 times as much.

So you seem to be applying patience kind of selectively - you contradict yourself. Scolding Bush for his spending but looking the other way when Obama does it (even more).

One of the rules of logic is to not contradict yourself. You might learn about that.

[drseanelius]

@xleax I meant patient not impatient lol. It's late here