0 >> i noticed allison schwartz for pennsylvania running for governor right there in line. that's a prize position there along the aisle on the democratic side. as well as the republican side ironically given some of these remarks lately. >> oh, the president's the president. if you want to see him. michele bachmann is always right there. doesn't matter who the president is. remember with the kiss with george w. bush? >> yeah. >> yeah. i think the -- what you really want, what you're really looking for, people are really going for it, are people not just on the ooi aisle but on the aisle wearing a fluorescent color. >> that's engel from new york right there. >> my old congressman. >> sheila jackson lee is always hugging that rail. >> look at secretary hagel there. secretary of defense chuck hagel. former republican senator. it was an interesting choice to be defense secretary handling an interesting array of problems right now. i am -- the thing i am most interested in watching for tonight, there's the epa administrator me eor mccarthy. i'm interested in watching dealing with big structural scary problems like that and trying to wind down the war and managing the largest organizations on earth. the united states military. >> there's kathleen sebelius, of course, in blue and tom vilsack in the forefront, the agriculture secretary. he's been in there two terms. >> unusual choice that he stayed on for two terms. he was once of the designated survivors. now they go with the energy guys every time. >> there's peter king who may run for president on the still alive moderate wing of the republican party. he may be the last survive over there. >> steve schmidt, let me bring you into the conversation, in terms of what you're expecting, domestic versus foreign policy matters. do you expect the president to address that? and what you expect him to do differently tonight than previous state of the union addresses? >> he comes into the state of the union, sixth year of the presidency and in a lot of political trouble. his numbers are the only president whose numbers have been lower at this point in their presidency are harry truman and george w. bush. the country is pessimistic. they report the state of the union as being divided, being troubled. heading into the election year with the senate at stake, president has to rally the democratic base today. i think you'll see him focus on issues that appeal greatly to that democratic base trying to change the turnout mix as we get ready for these midterm elections in 2014. and we know that the president's team, the democrats, have been very effective at turning out their voters. can they do it in a way that protects that senate majority? and i think tonight is the start of that. to really a reset from the lost year of 2013. that's what the opportunity is tonight. i think he'll spend a lot of time talking about domestic policy issues, of course, income inequality which they've telegraphed well in advance. and i think that you will see him, of course, mention with the army sergeant first class up in the first lady's box, he'll essenti certainly be talking about the war in afghanistan in the context to the troubling comments made by president karzai over the last couple of days. as the american people continue to wonder why american soldiers are there being greeted with such hostility by the president of afghanistan. >> you think there will be spit bal bal balls from your side tonight? >> i certainly hope not. decorum has been an issue in these over the course of recent years and the breakdown in decorum is not -- is not rewarded with calls of resignation as a generation ago. now it raises you a million dollars. i hope decorum is held. we'll see. >> we've seen a few of the president's later nominees there, later confirmed cabinet members. jay johnson, secretary of homeland security. susan rice there as well. u.n. ambassador, samantha power. reverend al smaharpton, do you agree this is an effort to enthuse his base? >> i think he will address those tonight is an attempt for him to galvanize americans, past the congress, which i think is why he gave the executive order today in terms of federal contractors and in terms of their employees. because he's going to show that i'm willing to do some things this congress is not willing to match me in terms of minimum wage and other things to deal with income inequality. and in many ways, he can shame them in front of the american public in a very subtle way. i also think that you've already seen some balls thrown not necessarily spitballs verbally, but when you've got "duck dynasty" and others of the republicans, you're sending a very clear message to the american public. you have the first lady sitting with the colonel and a republican congressman bringing in "duck dynasty." need i say more? >> i mentioned we just saw joe manchin there and mark kirk of illinois. those are two senators of opposite parties who are friends. and who are attending state of the union together and sitting hour. and it's hard to not cheer that. >> the decision to announce in advance of tonight's speech that the president will say during his speech tonight that he is going to issue an executive order specifically on the minimum wage for people who work for federal contractors gave republicans a lot to think about today in terms of how they are going to respond. >> i think the politics are actually pretty similar on long-term unemployed insurance extension as well. i think it's less potent, harder to explain. if you ask people, people who have been out of work for a long time who can't find a job and you've read profiles on "the new york times," 47-year-old nurse out of work for 2 years. those people, cutting them off i don't think is something that's particularly popular with the american public right now. i think the republicans have gotten away with it. because they were able to table it and kick the can and it's kind of evaporated. that's also, i think, going to be in the speech tonight. again, that's going to be another moment of do you applaud or not? >> it will be interesting to see whether or not the dynamic between the republicans and the democrats on the issue of the minimum wage is hostile or whether republicans just don't want to talk about it. you saw john boehner today saying that the president should not be trying to do anything without going through congress, objecting almost on procedural grounds rather than sayi ining against this because i don't want to raise the minimum wage. i think that's an interesting -- >> i just saw eric cantor kissing sheila jackson lee. was that in the protocol tonight just everybody kisses everybody? is this the mood? >> this is secular christmas. i'm telling you. magic happens on site of the union. >> i'm from new york. a kiss doesn't mean affection sometimes. >> are you thinking of the mob? >> you said it. i didn't. >> you get the sense of why people crowd into the aisles. see people get their few words with the ft. president and people pitching him on things. the president looks energetic in this moment. big hug from ruth bader ginsburg. >> i think tonight, i guess we all agree, perk, spark. does he have -- does he still have the excitement of the office that he fought to get so hard? and will he be able to sustain it for three more years? tonight's the beginning of the next three years. >> minimum wage is the key. i'll go to the political bible. the book of rachel. minimum wage. minimum wage is going to be the key. how they react on the republican side. may be how a lot of americans are going to gauge who is the one speaking for them and who will not stand up for them when he walks out of there. there's no good way to say you don't want workers to make $10.10 an hour. >> i think he has to give -- that, too. i think he has to give his people, the 40-some percent still sticking with him a booster shot tonight. hopes. a booster shot. only he can do this tonight. >> the president conveying tonight not only his goals but also i think the idea has to be he has to convey he has the energy and enthusiasm for seeing out this term in a way that he still has ambition about -- >> so true. >> any president at this point in his term -- >> a time when the country is so pessimistic, can he show off foreign oil. a farmer prepared for the spring after the strongest five-year stretch of farm exports in our history. a rural doctor gave a young child the first prescription to treat asthma that his mother could afford. a man took the bus home from the graveyard shift, bone tired, but dreaming big dreams for his son. in a tight-knit communities all across america, fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put an arm around their spouse, remember fallen comrades, and give thanks for being home from a war that after 12 long years is finally coming to an end. [ applause ] tonight, this chamber speaks with one voice to the people we represent. it is you, our citizens, who make the state of our union strong. and here are the results of your efforts. the lowest unemployment rate in over five years, a rebounding housing market, a manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s. more oil produced, more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world. the first time that's happened in nearly 20 years. our deficits cut by more than half. and for the first time -- for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that china is no longer the world's number one place to invest. america is. [ applause ] that's why i believe this can be a breakthrough year for america. after five years of grit and determined effort, the united states is better positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on earth. the question for everyone in this chamber, running through every decision we make this year is whether we are going to help or hinder this progress. for several years now, this town has been consumed by a rancorous argument over the proper size of the federal government. it's an important debate. one that dates back to our very founding. when that debate prevents us from carrying out even the most basic functions of our democracy, when our differences shut down government, or threaten the full faith and credit of the united states, then we are not doing right by the american people. [ applause ] now, as president i'm committed to making washington work better and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here. i believe most of you are, too. last month thanks to the work of democrats and republicans, congress finally produced a budget that undoes some of the last year's severe cuts to priorities like education. nobody got everything they wanted. and we can still do more to invest in this country's future while bringing down our deficit in a balanced way. but the budget compromise should leave us freer to focus on creating new jobs. not creating new crises. and in the coming months -- in the coming months let's see where else we can make progress together. let's make this a year of action. that's what most americans want. for all of us, in this chamber, to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations. and what i believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple profound belief in opportunity for all. the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead in america. [ applause ] let's face it. that belief has suffered some serious blows. over more than three decades, even before the great recession hit, massive shifts in technology and global competition had eliminated a lot of good middle class jobs and weakened the economic foundations that familieies depd on. today after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better, but average wages have barely budged. inequality has deepened. upward mobility has stalled. the cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many americans are working more than ever just to get by. let alone to get ahead. and too many still aren't working at all. so our job is to reverse these trends. it won't happen right away, and we won't agree on everything. but what i offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. some require congressional action. and i'm eager to work with all of you. but america does not stand still and neither will i. so wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families, that's what i'm going to do. [ applause ] as usual, our first lady sets a good example. michelle's -- [ applause ] well. yeah. michelle's let's move partnership with schools, businesses, local leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in 30 years, and that's an achievement that will improve lives and reduce health care costs for decades to come. the joining forces alliance that michelle and jill biden launched as already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly 400,000 veterans and military spouses. taking a page from that playbook, the white house just organized a college opportunity summit, where already 150 universities, businesses, non-profits have made concrete commitments to reduce inequality and access to higher education. and to help every hardworking kid go to college and succeed when they get to campus. and across the country, we're partnering with mayors, governors and state legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality. the point is, there are millions of americans outside of washington who are tired of stale political arguments and are moving this country forward. they believe, and i believe, that here in america, our success should depend not on birth but the strength of our work ethic and scope of our dreams. that's what drew our fore bearers here. it's how the daughter of a factory worker is ceo of the largest automaker. how the son of a barkeep is speaker of the house. [ applause ] how the son of a single mom can be president of the greatest nation on earth. you know -- [ applause ] opportunity is who we are. and the defining project of our generation must be to restore that promise. we know where to start. the best measure of opportunity is access to a good job. with the economy picking up speed, companies say they intend to hire more people this year. and over half of big manufacturers say they're thinking of insourcing jobs from abroad. so let's make that decision easier for more companies. both democrats and republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here and reward companies that keep profits abroad. let's flip that equation. let's work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs overseas and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs right here at home. [ applause ] moreover, we can take the money we save from this transition to tax reform to create jobs, rebuilding our roads. upgrading our ports. unclogging our commutes. because in today's global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. we'll need congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation in waterways bills this summer. that can happen. but i'll act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects. so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible. we also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. in my administration's launched two hubs for high-tech, in raleigh, and youngstown, ohio, where we connected businesses to research universities that can help america lead the world in advanced technologies. tonight, i'm announcing we'll launch six more this year. bipartisan bills in both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they create. so get those bills to my desk. put more americans back to work. [ applause ] let's do more to help the entrepreneurs and small businessowners who create most new jobs in america. over the past five years, my administration has made more loans to small businessowners than any other, and when 98% of our exporters are small businesses, new trade partnerships with europe and the asia pacific will help them create even more jobs. we need to work together on tools like bipartisan trade promotion authority to protect our workers, protect our environment and open new markets to new goods stamped "made in the usa." listen. china and europe aren't standing on the sidelines. and neither should we. we know that the nation that goes all in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow. this is an edge america cannot surrender. federally funded research helped lead to the ideas and inventions behind google and smartphones, and that's why congress should undo the damage done by last year's cuts to basic research. so we can unleash the next great american discovery. plz there are entire industries to be built. based on vaccines that stay ahead of drug resistant bacteria or paper thin material that's stronger than steel. and let's pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly and needless litigation. now, one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to american energy. the all-the-above energy strategy i announced a few years ago is working and today america is closer to energy independence than we have been in decades. one of the reasons why is natural gas. if extracted safely, it's the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change. businesses plan to invest almost $100 billion in new factories that use natural gas. i'll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work. and this congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to american natural gas. meanwhile, my administration will keep working with the industry to sustain production and jobs growth while strengthening protection of our air, our water, our communities. and while we're at it, i'll use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations. it's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming. we're becoming a global leader in solar, too. every four minutes, another american home or business goes solar. every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job can not be outsourced. let's continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that don't need it so we can invest more in fuels of the future that do. and even as we've increased energy production, we partnered with businesses, builders and local communities to reduce the energy we consume. when we rescued our automakers, for example, we worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars. in the coming months i'll build on that success by setting new standards for our trucks. so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump. and taken together, our energy policy is creating jobs and leading to a cleaner, safer planet. over the past eight years, the united states has reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other nation on earth. but we have to act with more urgency because a changing climate is already harming western communities struggling with drought and coastal cities dealing with floods. that's why i directed my administration to work with states, utilities and others to set new standards on the amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into the air. the shift -- the shift to a cleaner energy economy won't ppen overnight, and it will require some tough choices along the way, but the debate is settled. climate change is a fact. and when our children's children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world with new sources of energy, i want us to be able to say, yes, we did. [ applause ] finally, if we're serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, law enforcement and fix our broken immigration system. [ applause ] republicans and democrats in the senate have acted, and i know that members of both parties in the house want to do the same. independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next 2 decades. and for good reason. when people come here to fulfill their dreams, to study, invest, contribute to our culture, they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everybody. so let's get immigration reform done this year. let's get it done. it's time. the ideas i've outlined so far can speed up growth and create more jobs, but in this rapidly changing economy, we have to make sure that every american has the skills to fill those jobs. the good news is, we know how to do it. two years ago, as the auto industry came roaring back, andra rush opened up a manufacturing firm in detroit. she knew that ford needed parts for the bestselling truck in america. and she knew how to make those parts. she just needed the workforce. so she dialed up what we call an american swrobs center. places where folks can walk in to get the help or training they need to find a new job or a better job. she was flooded with new workers. and today, detroit manufacturing systems has more than 700 employees. and what andra and her employees experienced is how it should be for every employer and every job seeker. tonight i asked vice president biden to lead an across-the-board reform of america's training programs to make sure they have one mission, train americas with the skills employers need and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right now. [ applause ] that means more on the job training and more apprenticeships that set a young worker on an upward trajectory for life. it means connecting companies to community colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs. if congress wants to help, you can concentrate funding on proven programs that connect more ready to work americans with ready to be filled jobs. i'm also convinced we can help americans return to the workforce faster by reforming unemployment insurance so that it's more effective in today's economy. but first, this congress needs to restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people. let me tell you why. misty demars is the mother of two young boys. she'd been steadily employed since she was a teenager. put herself through college. she never collected unemployment benefits, but she'd been paying taxes. in may, she and her husband used their life savings to buy their first home. a week later, budget cuts claimed the job she loved. last month, when their unemployment insurance was cut off, she sat down and wrote me a letter. the kind i get every day. we are the face of the unemployment crisis, she wrote. i'm not dependent on the government. our country depends on people like us who built careers, contribute to society, care about our neighbors. i'm confident that in time, i will find a job, i will pay my taxes and we will raise our children in their own home in the community we love. please give us this chance." congress, give these hardworking, responsible americans that chance. give them that chance. give them the chance. they need our help right now, but more important, this country needs them in the game. that's why i've been asking ceos to give more long-term unemployed workers a fair shot at new jobs. a new chance to support their families. and, in fact, this week, many will come to the white house to make that commitment real. tonight, i ask every business leader in america to join us and do the same because we are stronger when america fields a full team. of course, it's not enough to train today's workforce. we also have to prepare tomorrow's workforce by guaranteeing every child access to world class education. as steven rodriguez couldn't speak a word of english when he moved to new york city at age 9. last month, thanks to the support of great teachers and innovative tutoring program, he led a march of his classmates. through a crowd of cheering parents and neighbors from their high school to the post office where they mailed off their college applications. and this son of a factory worker just found out he's going to college this fall. five years ago, we set out to change the odds for all our kids. we worked with lenders to reform student loans and today more young people are earning college degrees than ever before. race to the top, with the help of governors from both parties, has helped states raise expectations and performance. teachers and principals in schools from tennessee, to washington, d.c., are making big strides in preparing students with the skills for the new economy. problem solving, critical thinking. science, technology. engineering. math. and some of this change is hard. it requires everything from more challenging curriculums and more demanding parents, to better support for teachers and new ways to measure how well our kids think, not how well they can fill in a bubble on a test. but it is worth it, and it is working. the problem is we're still not reaching enough kids. we're not reaching them in time, and that has to change. research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child's life is high quality early education. last year, i asked this congress to help states make high quality pre-k available to every 4-year-old, and as a parent as well as a president, i repeat that request tonight. in the meantime, 30 states have raised pre-k funding on their own. they know we can't wait. just as we worked with states to reform our schools, this year we'll invest in new partnerships with states and communities across the country in a race to the top for our youngest children, and as congress decides what it's going to do, i'm going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high quality pre-k that they need. it is right for america. we need to get this done. last year, i also pledged to connect 99% of our students to high speed broadband over the next four years. tonight, i can announce that with the support of the fcc and companies like apple, microsoft, sprint and verizon, we've got a down payment to start connecting more than 15,000 schools and 20 million students over the next 2 years without adding a dime to the deficit. we're working to redesign high schools and partner them with colleges and employers that offer the real world education and hands-on training that can lead directly to a job and career. we're shaking up our system of higher education to give parents more information and colleges more incentive to offer better value so no middle class kid is priced out of a college education. we're offering millions the opportunity to cap their monthly student loan payments to 10% of their income. and i want to work with congress to see how we can help even more americans who feel trapped by student loan debt. and i'm reaching out to some of america's leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing especially tough odds to stay on track and reach their full potential. the bottom line is, michelle and i want every child to have the same chance this country gave us. we know our opportunity agenda won't be complete and too many young people entering the workforce today will see the american dream as an empty promise unless we also do more to make sure our economy honors the dignity of work, and hard work pays off for every single american. today women make up about half our workforce, but they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. that is wrong, and in 2014, it's an embarrassment. women deserve equal pay for equal work. [ applause ] she deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. a mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or a sick parent without running into hardship. and you know what, a father does, too. it is time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a "mad men" episode. this year, let's all come together, congress, the white house, businesses from wall street to main street, to give every woman the opportunity she deserves because i believe when women succeed, america succeeds. now, women hold a majority of lower wage jobs. they're not the only ones stifled by stagnant wages. americans understand that some people will earn more moneys than others and we don't resent those by virtue of their efforts achieve incredible success. that's what america is all about. americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. [ applause ] in the years since i asked this congress to raise the minimum wage, five states have passed laws to raise theirs. many businesses have done it on their own. nick is here today with his boss, john cerono, owner of punch pizza in minneapolis. and nick helps make the dough. only now he makes more of it. john just gave his employees a raise to 10 bucks an hour and that's a decision that has eased their financial stress and boosted their morale. tonight i ask more of america's businessowners to follow john's lead. do what you can to raise your employees' wages. it's good for the economy. it's good for america. to every mayor, governor, state legislator in america, i say, you don't have to wait for congress to act. americans will support you if you take this on. and as a chief executive, i intend to lead by example. profitable corporations like costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost productivity and reduce turnover. we should, too. in the coming weeks i will issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour because if you cook our troops meals or wash their dishes, you should not have to live in poverty. of course, to reach millions more, congress does need to get on today the federal minimum wage is worth about 20% less than it was when ronald reagan first stood here. and tom harkin and george miller have a bill to fix that by lifting the minimum wage by $10.10. it's easy to remember, 10.10. this will help families. it will give businesses customers with more money to spend. it does not involve any new bureaucratic program. so join the rest of the country. say yes. give america a raise. give them a raise. there are other steps we can take to help families make ends meet. and few are more effective in reducing inequality and helping families pull themselves up through hard work than the earned income tax credit. right now, it helps about half of all parents at some point. think about that. it helps about half of all parents in america at some point in their lyes. but i agree with republicans like senator rubio that it doesn't do enough for single workers who don't have kids. so let's work together to strengthen the credit, reward work, help more americans get ahead. let's do more to help americans save for retirement. today most workers don't have a pinch. a social security check often isn't enough on its own. and while the stock market has doubled over the last five years, that doesn't help folks who don't have 401(k)'s. that's why tomorrow i will direct the treasury to create a new way for working americans to start their own retirement savings. my ra. it's a new savings that encourages folks to build a nest egg. it guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in. and if this congress wants to help, work with me to fix and upside down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little or nothing for middle class americans. offer every american access to an automatic ira on the job. so they can save at work just like everybody in this chamber can. and since the most important investment many families make is their home, send me legislation that protects taxpayers from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again and keeps the dream of homeownership alive for future generations. one last point on financial security. for decades, few things exposed hardworking families to economic hardship more than a broken health care system. and in case you haven't heard, we're in the process of fixing that. it used to mean that someone like amanda shelley, a physician's assistant and single mom from arizona couldn't get health insurance. but on january 1, she got covered. on january 3, she felt a sharp pain. on january 6, she had emergency surgery. just one week earlier, amanda said that surgery would have meant bankruptcy. that's what health insurance reform is all about. the piece of mind that if misfortune strikes, you don't have to lose everything. already because of the affordable care act, more than 3 million americans under age 26 have gained coverage under their parents' plan. more than 9 million americans have signed up for health insurance or medicaid coverage. 9 million. and here's another number -- zero. because of this law no american, none, zero, can ever again be dropped or denied coverage for a pre-existing condition like asthma or back pain or cancer. no woman can ever be charged more just because she's a woman. and we did all this while adding years to medicare's finances, keeping medicare premiums flat. now, i do not expect to convince my republican friends on the merits of this law. but i know that the american people are not interested in refighting old battles. so again, if you have specific plans to cut costs, cover more people, increase choice, tell america what you would do differently. let's see if the numbers a add up. but let's not have another 40-something votes to repeal a law that's already helping millions of americans like amanda. [ applause ] the first 40 were plenty. we all went to the american people to say what we're for, not just what we're against. and if you want to know the real impact this law is having, just talk to governor steve bahsheer of kentucky. he's here tonight. kentucky isn't the most uh liberal part of the country. that's not where i got my highest vote totals, but he's like a man possessed when it comes to covering his state's families. they're our neighbors, the people we shop and go to church with. farmers out on the tractor, grocery clerks. they're people who go to work every morning praying they don't get sick. no one deserves to live that way. steve is right. that's why tonight, i ask every american who knows someone without health insurance to help them get covered by march 31. moms, get on your kids to sign up. kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. it will give her peace of mind, plus she'll appreciate hearing from you. after all that, that's the spirit that has always moved this nation forward. it's the spirit of citizenship. the recognition that through hard work and responsibility, we can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one american family, to make sure the next generation can pursue its dreams as well. citizenship means standing up for everyone's right to vote. last year, part of the vote rights act was weakened, but conservative republicans and liberal democrats are working together to strengthen it. and the bipartisan commission i appointed, chaired by my campaign lawyer and governor romney's campaign lawyer came together and have offered reforms so that no one has to wait for more than half an hour to vote. let's support these efforts. it should be the power of our vote not the size of our bank accounts that drives our democracy. citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. i've seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, police officers, all over this country who say we are not afraid. and i intend to keep trying with or without congress to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent americans in our movie theatres and our shopping malls.