President Obama's Weekly Radio Address

President Obama's Weekly Radio Address

Video: Weekly Radio Address: Health Care Reform Cannot Wait

FRI, JULY 17, 11:59 PM EST

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President calls on Congress to seize this opportunity – one that may not come again for decades – and finally pass health care reform: "It’s about every family unable to keep up with soaring out of pocket costs and premiums rising three times faster than wages. Every worker afraid of losing health insurance if they lose their job, or change jobs. Everyone who’s worried that they may not be able to get insurance or change insurance if someone in their family has a pre-existing condition..."

read the transcript

President Obama's Weekly Radio Address

President's Weekly Radio Address

Your Weekly Radio Address

Your Weekly Radio Address

From The White House Blog:

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 at 5:30 am

Weekly Address: Efficiency and Innovation

With the process of going through the budget line by line in full swing, the President uses his Weekly Address to give some examples, big and small, of how the Administration is working to cut costs and eliminate waste. The President also announces two new key appointments, Jeffrey Zients as Chief Performance Officer and Aneesh Chopra as Chief Technology Officer, who will be invaluable in streamlining the way government functions through efficiency and innovation.

Jeffrey D. Zients - Chief Performance Officer
Zients has twenty years of business experience as a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur with a deep understanding of business strategy, process reengineering and financial management. He served as CEO and Chairman of the Advisory Board Company and Chairman of the Corporate Executive Board. These firms are leading providers of performance benchmarks and best practices across a wide range of industries. Currently, he is the Founder and Managing Partner of Portfolio Logic, an investment firm focused primarily on business and healthcare service companies.

Aneesh Paul Chopra - Chief Technology Officer

Chopra serves as Virginia’s Secretary of Technology. He leads the Commonwealth’s strategy to effectively leverage technology in government reform, to promote Virginia’s innovation agenda, and to foster technology-related economic development. Previously, he worked as Managing Director with the Advisory Board Company, leading the firm’s Financial Leadership Council and the Working Council for Health Plan Executives.

President Obama's Weekly Radio Address

From The White House Blog

Saturday, April 11th, 2009 at 5:30 am

Weekly Address: Passover & Easter

This week the President discusses the multitude of problems and opportunities before the world through the prism of Passover and Easter: "These are two very different holidays with their own very different traditions. But it seems fitting that we mark them both during the same week. For in a larger sense, they are both moments of reflection and renewal. They are both occasions to think more deeply about the obligations we have to ourselves and the obligations we have to one another, no matter who we are, where we come from, or what faith we practice.

The President's Weekly Radio Address

Let's do whatever it takes to keep the promise of America alive in our time. --President Barack Obama

From The White House Blog:

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 at 5:00 am

Compromise

There was bad news and then there was good news.

Yesterday we learned that in January, the country suffered its largest one-month job loss in 34 years.

But last night, the Senate struck a compromise on the economic recovery plan and put us on our way to giving the economy the short-term jolt and long-term investments it needs.

"Americans across this country are struggling, and they are watching to see if we're equal to the task before us," the President says in this morning's Weekly Address. "Let's show them that we are."

[snip]

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REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
WEEKLY ADDRESS
The White House
Saturday, February 7, 2009

Yesterday began with some devastating news with regard to our economic crisis. But I'm pleased to say it ended on a more positive note.

In the morning, we received yet another round of alarming employment figures – the worst in more than 30 years. Another 600,000 jobs were lost in January. We've now lost more than 3.6 million jobs since this recession began.

But by the evening, Democrats and Republicans came together in the Senate and responded appropriately to the urgency this moment demands.

In the midst of our greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the American people were hoping that Congress would begin to confront the great challenges we face. That was, after all, what last November's election was all about.

Legislation of such magnitude deserves the scrutiny that it's received over the last month, and it will receive more in the days to come. But we can't afford to make perfect the enemy of the absolutely necessary. The scale and scope of this plan is right. And the time for action is now.

Because if we don't move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe. Millions of Americans will lose their jobs, their homes, and their health care. Millions more will have to put their dreams on hold.

Let's be clear: We can't expect relief from the tired old theories that, in eight short years, doubled the national debt, threw our economy into a tailspin, and led us into this mess in the first place. We can't rely on a losing formula that offers only tax cuts as the answer to all our problems while ignoring our fundamental economic challenges – the crushing cost of health care or the inadequate state of so many schools; our addiction to foreign oil or our crumbling roads, bridges, and levees.

The American people know that our challenges are great. They don't expect Democratic solutions or Republican solutions – they expect American solutions.

From the beginning, this recovery plan has had at its core a simple idea: Let's put Americans to work doing the work America needs done. It will save or create more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, all across the country – 16,000 in Maine, nearly 80,000 in Indiana – almost all of them in the private sector, and all of them jobs that help us recover today, and prosper tomorrow.

Jobs that upgrade classrooms and laboratories in 10,000 schools nationwide – at least 485 in Florida alone – and train an army of teachers in math and science.

Jobs that modernize our health care system, not only saving us billions of dollars, but countless lives.

Jobs that construct a smart electric grid, connect every corner of the country to the information superhighway, double our capacity to generate renewable energy, and grow the economy of tomorrow.

Jobs that rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges and levees and dams, so that the tragedies of New Orleans and Minneapolis never happen again.

It includes immediate tax relief for our struggling middle class in places like Ohio, where 4.5 million workers will receive a tax cut of up to $1,000. It protects health insurance and provides unemployment insurance for those who've lost their jobs. And it helps our states and communities avoid painful tax hikes or layoffs for our teachers, nurses, and first responders.

That's what is at stake with this plan: putting Americans back to work, creating transformative economic change, and making a down payment on the American Dream that serves our children and our children's children for generations to come.

Americans across this country are struggling, and they are watching to see if we're equal to the task before us. Let's show them that we are. And let's do whatever it takes to keep the promise of America alive in our time.

Thank you.

President Obama's Weekly Radio Address video stimulates "raucous debate' in comments section on youtube

Negative responses of course. It's unreasonable to expect only positive comments.

It's good stuff. People are talking. In America, even nut jobs have a voice.

Obama weekly address sparks lively debate on YouTube

3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Barack Obama, as promised, put his first weekly address from the White House on YouTube on Saturday, sparking a raucous debate in the comments section of the video-sharing site.

The five-minute video, in which Obama promoted his economic stimulus plan, had drawn more than 210,000 views and 1,000 comments some 12 hours after it was released on the White House YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/whitehouse.

The video of Obama's first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday was also available on the official White House website, whitehouse.gov.

There was no comments option on whitehouse.gov but hundreds of people weighed in with their opinions on the YouTube version of the video.

"roberthehn" was the first writing "I am so glad that I voted for you President Obama."

"MichaelAwesome" was next saying "Obama's the man with the master plan."

"tuneiton" thought the YouTube videos were a great idea, saying "These White House vlogs are another milestone of the digital age. Obama is just too cool."

"BrettR4763" chipped in with: "Finally, the White House is on YouTube. Not sure how long they will allow comments on the office's official page, but thank you so much, Mr. President!"

read more: Google

President's Obama's First Weekly Radio Address

Source: whitehouse.gov

Saturday, January 24th, 2009 at 5:55 am

President Obama delivers Your Weekly Address

In his first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, President Barack Obama discusses how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will jump-start the economy.

"This is not just a short-term program to boost employment," he said. "It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century."

The Administration is still working with Congress to refine the plan, but in the address, President Obama lays out the key priorities. He goes into detail, noting that the plan will update our electric grid by laying more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines; weatherize 2.5 million homes; protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans in danger of losing their coverage; secure 90 major ports; renovate 10,000 schools; and triple the number of science fellowships.

Watch the President's weekly address and read the full remarks below.

Download video as high-quality .mp4

[UPDATE: Download the Recovery Plan Metrics Report (PDF)]

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Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

We begin this year and this Administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action. Just this week, we saw more people file for unemployment than at any time in the last twenty-six years, and experts agree that if nothing is done, the unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. And we could lose a generation of potential, as more young Americans are forced to forgo college dreams or the chance to train for the jobs of the future.

In short, if we do not act boldly and swiftly, a bad situation could become dramatically worse.

That is why I have proposed an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to immediately jumpstart job creation as well as long-term economic growth. I am pleased to say that both parties in Congress are already hard at work on this plan, and I hope to sign it into law in less than a month.

It’s a plan that will save or create three to four million jobs over the next few years, and one that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment - the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work even as, all around the country, there’s so much work to be done. That’s why this is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century.

Today I’d like to talk specifically about the progress we expect to make in each of these areas.

To accelerate the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels over the next three years. We’ll begin to build a new electricity grid that lay down more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines to convey this new energy from coast to coast. We’ll save taxpayers $2 billion a year by making 75% of federal buildings more energy efficient, and save the average working family $350 on their energy bills by weatherizing 2.5 million homes.

To lower health care cost, cut medical errors, and improve care, we’ll computerize the nation’s health record in five years, saving billions of dollars in health care costs and countless lives. And we’ll protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans who are in danger of losing their coverage during this economic downturn.

To ensure our children can compete and succeed in this new economy, we’ll renovate and modernize 10,000 schools, building state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries, and labs to improve learning for over five million students. We’ll invest more in Pell Grants to make college affordable for seven million more students, provide a $2,500 college tax credit to four million students, and triple the number of fellowships in science to help spur the next generation of innovation.

Finally, we will rebuild and retrofit America to meet the demands of the 21st century. That means repairing and modernizing thousands of miles of America’s roadways and providing new mass transit options for millions of Americans. It means protecting America by securing 90 major ports and creating a better communications network for local law enforcement and public safety officials in the event of an emergency. And it means expanding broadband access to millions of Americans, so business can compete on a level-playing field, wherever they’re located.

I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan. I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my Administration accountable for these results. We won’t just throw money at our problems - we’ll invest in what works. Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public, and informed by independent experts whenever possible. We’ll launch an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government, and every American will be able to see how and where we spend taxpayer dollars by going to a new website called recovery.gov.

No one policy or program will solve the challenges we face right now, nor will this crisis recede in a short period of time. But if we act now and act boldly; if we start rewarding hard work and responsibility once more; if we act as citizens and not partisans and begin again the work of remaking America, then I have faith that we will emerge from this trying time even stronger and more prosperous than we were before. Thanks for listening.

A Peaceful and Orderly Transfer of Power: President-Elect Obama's Weekly Address: "The promise of a new beginning"

Source: my.barackobama.com

by Christopher Hass - Saturday January 17 2009 06:29:24 AM

In his final weekly address before assuming office, President-elect Barack Obama speaks about the upcoming Inauguration activities, a tradition at the heart of our democracy.

This year’s inauguration will be the most open and accessible in history. Millions of people will come together—not just in the capital, but across the nation—to serve their communities and celebrate a new era of change in America:

On Tuesday, the world will be watching as America celebrates a rite that goes to the heart of our greatness as a nation. For the forty-third time, we will execute the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next.

... Here at home, transitions also remind us that what we hold in common as Americans far outweighs our political differences. Throughout the current transition, President Bush and his Administration have extended the hand of cooperation, and provided invaluable assistance to my team as we prepare to hit the ground running on January 20th.

There is much work to be done. But now, all Americans hold within our hands the promise of a new beginning.

President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden and their families will travel via train to the Inauguration today, holding events in Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore before arriving in Washington, D.C.

Change.gov: Remarks of President-elect Barack Obama - American Recovery and Reinvestment

American Recovery and Reinvestment

Saturday, January 3, 2009 06:00am EST / Posted by Dave Rochelson

In this week’s weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama lays out the challenges that face us in the new year, and his plan for taking them on.

“We need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term,” he says. “And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.”

Watch the full address or read the text below.

Also available on Vimeo.
Download high resolution .mp4 file (43 MB) here.
Audio mp3 available in here.

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Remarks of President-elect Barack Obama
Weekly Address
January 3, 2009

As the holiday season comes to end, we are thankful for family and friends and all the blessings that make life worth living. But as we mark the beginning of a new year, we also know that America faces great and growing challenges—challenges that threaten our nation’s economy and our dreams for the future. Nearly two million Americans have lost their jobs this past year—and millions more are working harder in jobs that pay less and come with fewer benefits. For too many families, this new year brings new unease and uncertainty as bills pile up, debts continue to mount and parents worry that their children won’t have the same opportunities they had.

However we got here, the problems we face today are not Democratic problems or Republican problems. The dreams of putting a child through college, or staying in your home, or retiring with dignity and security know no boundaries of party or ideology.

These are America’s problems, and we must come together as Americans to meet them with the urgency this moment demands. Economists from across the political spectrum agree that if we don’t act swiftly and boldly, we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double digit unemployment and the American Dream slipping further and further out of reach.

That’s why we need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term. And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.

To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we will double renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient. To build a 21st century economy, we must engage contractors across the nation to create jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools. To save not only jobs, but money and lives, we will update and computerize our health care system to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help reduce health care costs by billions of dollars each year. To make America, and our children, a success in this new global economy, we will build 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries. And to put more money into the pockets of hardworking families, we will provide direct tax relief to 95 percent of American workers.

I look forward to meeting next week in Washington with leaders from both parties to discuss this plan. I am optimistic that if we come together to seek solutions that advance not the interests of any party, or the agenda of any one group, but the aspirations of all Americans, then we will meet the challenges of our time just as previous generations have met the challenges of theirs.

There is no reason we can’t do this. We are a people of boundless industry and ingenuity. We are innovators and entrepreneurs and have the most dedicated and productive workers in the world. And we have always triumphed in moments of trial by drawing on that great American spirit—that perseverance, determination and unyielding commitment to opportunity on which our nation was founded. And in this new year, let us resolve to do so once again. Thank you

Weekly Radio Address: "I know that Americans can rise to the moment once again" We are awaiting our instructions from the President-elect.

Actually we have instructions from the President-elect. He takes us back to community organizing.

There are house parties sprouting up around the nation where citizens are gathering to discuss ideas to take us along in a new direction from the challenges of transforming our health care system, to ways in which we can create job, but fundamentally ways in which we can engage in the process to accelerate the pace of change to lead our nation in a new, prosperous and smart direction.

Another new innovation is taking place at Change.gov. This Administration is moving towards becoming interactive with the American public. Former Senator Tom Daschle, who is the lead on health care in the Obama Transition Team as well as the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services is actually reading and responding to comments and stories being shared on Change.gov.

Ideas, feedback, validation. Americans are being heard and then being validated. Leadership is staying connected, listening and being inspired to think outside the box. We are about to enter a new era and a change in relationship with OUR government. Check out what is going on at Change.gov and by all means, stay tuned.

Your Weekly Address from the President-Elect

Don't forget to stop by and visit
The Political Carnival

Remarks of President-elect Barack Obama
Radio Address on the Economy
Saturday, December 6, 2008

Good morning.

Yesterday, we received another painful reminder of the serious economic challenge our country is facing when we learned that 533,000 jobs were lost in November alone, the single worst month of job loss in over three decades. That puts the total number of jobs lost in this recession at nearly 2 million.

But this isn’t about numbers. It’s about each of the families those numbers represent. It’s about the rising unease and frustration that so many of you are feeling during this holiday season. Will you be able to put your kids through college? Will you be able to afford health care? Will you be able to retire with dignity and security? Will your job or your husband’s job or your daughter’s or son's job be the next one cut?

These are the questions that keep so many Americans awake at night. But it is not the first time these questions have been asked. We have faced difficult times before, times when our economic destiny seemed to be slipping out of our hands. And at each moment, we have risen to meet the challenge, as one people united by a sense of common purpose. And I know that Americans can rise to the moment once again.

But we need action – and action now. That is why I have asked my economic team to develop an economic recovery plan for both Wall Street and Main Street that will help save or create at least two and a half million jobs, while rebuilding our infrastructure, improving our schools, reducing our dependence on oil, and saving billions of dollars.

We won’t do it the old Washington way. We won’t just throw money at the problem. We’ll measure progress by the reforms we make and the results we achieve -- by the jobs we create, by the energy we save, by whether America is more competitive in the world.

Today, I am announcing a few key parts of my plan. First, we will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won’t just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work.

Second, we will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. We’ll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we’ll set a simple rule – use it or lose it. If a state doesn’t act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they’ll lose the money.

Third, my economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen. We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them to 21st century schools.

As we renew our schools and highways, we’ll also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they’ll get that chance when I’m President – because that’s how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world.

In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the internet. That is why the economic recovery plan I’m proposing will help modernize our health care system – and that won’t just save jobs, it will save lives. We will make sure that every doctor’s office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year.

These are a few parts of the economic recovery plan that I will be rolling out in the coming weeks. When Congress reconvenes in January, I look forward to working with them to pass a plan immediately. We need to act with the urgency this moment demands to save or create at least two and a half million jobs so that the nearly two million Americans who’ve lost them know that they have a future. And that’s exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States.

Thanks for listening.

Change.gov: President-elect Barack Obama's weekly radio address

2.5 million jobs

Friday, November 21, 2008 09:48pm EST /

President-elect Barack Obama today announced a bold initiative to save or create 2.5 million jobs in the next two years.

In his weekly address, President-elect Obama announced that he has directed his economic team to formulate an Economic Recovery Plan -- a two-year, nationwide initiative that will strengthen our economy and put millions of Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing our schools, and securing our clean energy future.

Watch Your Weekly Address now -- then send us your questions or ideas about how to fix the economy:

Also available on MSN.
High-resolution, Quicktime format (44 MB .mov file) available here.

Click to submit your ideas, or watch last week's address.

Your Weekly Address from the President-elect

Saturday, November 15, 2008 06:00am EST /

For the first time, the weekly Democratic address has been released as a web video. It will also continue to air on the radio.

President-elect Obama plans to to publish these weekly updates through the Transition and then from the White House.

Today's address from the President-elect concerns the current economic crisis:

Also available on AOL, Yahoo, and MSN
High-resolution, Quicktime format: (106MB .mov file).

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Remarks of President-elect Barack Obama

November 15, 2008

Today, the leaders of the G-20 countries -- a group that includes the world's largest economies -- are gathering in Washington to seek solutions to the ongoing turmoil in our financial markets. I'm glad President Bush has initiated this process -- because our global economic crisis requires a coordinated global response.

And yet, as we act in concert with other nations, we must also act immediately here at home to address America's own economic crisis. This week, amid continued volatility in our markets, we learned that unemployment insurance claims rose to their highest levels since September 11, 2001. We've lost jobs for ten straight months -- nearly 1.2 million jobs this year, many of them in our struggling auto industry. And millions of our fellow citizens lie awake each night wondering how they're going to pay their bills, stay in their homes, and save for retirement.

Make no mistake: this is the greatest economic challenge of our time. And while the road ahead will be long, and the work will be hard, I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis -- because here in America we always rise to the moment, no matter how hard. And I am more hopeful than ever before that America will rise once again.

But we must act right now. Next week, Congress will meet to address the spreading impact of the economic crisis. I urge them to pass at least a down-payment on a rescue plan that will create jobs, relieve the squeeze on families, and help get the economy growing again. In particular, we cannot afford to delay providing help for the more than one million Americans who will have exhausted their unemployment insurance by the end of this year. If Congress does not pass an immediate plan that gives the economy the boost it needs, I will make it my first order of business as President.

Even as we dig ourselves out of this recession, we must also recognize that out of this economic crisis comes an opportunity to create new jobs, strengthen our middle class, and keep our economy competitive in the 21st century.

That starts with the kinds of long-term investments that we've neglected for too long. That means putting two million Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools. It means investing $150 billion to build an American green energy economy that will create five million new jobs, while freeing our nation from the tyranny of foreign oil, and saving our planet for our children. It means making health care affordable for anyone who has it, accessible for anyone who wants it, and reducing costs for small businesses. And it also means giving every child the world-class education they need to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world.

Doing all this will require not just new policies, but a new spirit of service and sacrifice, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. If this financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers -- in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people. And that is how we will meet the challenges of our time -- together. Thank you.

Democratic Radio Address: Senator Obama on the Current Financial Crisis

By Christopher Hass - Sep 20th, 2008 at 1:19 pm EDT

This morning, Senator Barack Obama delivered the weekly Democratic Radio Address. Over the past few days, Senator Obama has been working closely with his top economic advisors to discuss how best to protect the well-being and lifesavings of American families and help our financial markets avoid collapse. Senator Obama has offered his support for the proposal put forward by the Fed and the Treasury and presented a sound framework for addressing the economic crisis, protecting homeowners and creating jobs.

In his radio address today, Senator Obama praised the efforts of Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson and urged them to follow basic economic principles to restore prosperity to not just Wall Street, but Main Street as well. Senator Obama called for a bottom up strengthening of the economy to put our financial system on firmer footing. In addition to the current economic crisis, Senator Obama also addressed taxes, healthcare, energy and educations in his second Democratic Radio Address since becoming the Democratic nominee for president.

You can listen to Senator Obama's radio address below:

Read the full text of the address . . .

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama

(as prepared for delivery)

Democratic Radio Address

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Good morning. This is Barack Obama.

This has been a difficult week for our economy. We are in the midst of the most serious economic challenge of our time. But we also know that the storm that's now shaking Wall Street didn't start there. It grew out of quiet storms you've been feeling in your own lives for years: ­from all the mortgages you can't pay, from all the jobs that have been lost, and from the bills that keep piling up month after month after month.

And yet, earlier this week, at the moment a clear-eyed assessment of this crisis was needed, my opponent repeated a line that he's used again and again during this campaign ­ quote ­ "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." Not even George Bush's White House would agree with that statement when they were asked about it.

America, we cannot afford a President who's that out of touch. These are serious times and they demand serious leadership.

That's why yesterday, I laid out the principles for a plan that would establish a more stable and permanent solution to strengthen our financial system. And I fully support the efforts of Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke to find that solution. Those basic principles are clear.

First, it must be a plan not just for Wall Street, but for Main Street. We need to help people cope with rising gas and food prices, spark job creation by repairing our schools and our roads, help states avoid painful budget cuts and tax increases, and help homeowners stay in their homes. And we must also ensure that the solution we design doesn't reward particular companies, or irresponsible borrowers or lenders, or CEOs, some of whom helped cause this mess.

But if we're going to put our financial system on firmer footing, we're also going to have to take some additional steps to strengthen our economy from the bottom up.

Here's what I'll do: I'll stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I'll start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I'll cut taxes ­cut taxes ­ for 95% of all working families, and if you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increase one single dime.

And I will finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you already have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.

I'll create the jobs of the future by transforming our energy economy. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy ­spurring the creation of new industries and five million jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced

And now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. So I'll recruit an army of new teachers, pay them more and give them more support, even as we ask for more accountability. And if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Times are hard. I won't pretend that the changes we need will come without a cost, though, I've proposed a way to make these changes in a fiscally responsible way. But I believe that if we're willing to overcome our doubts and divisions and the opposition of powerful special interests, we can truly reform our broken economy and advance opportunity for all Americans.