Democratic Party

October 16, 2009 -- Westin St. Francis Hotel -- San Francisco, California -- THE PRESIDENT: Nancy Pelosi! Hello, San Francisco! (Applause.) Hey! How are you? Hello. It’s good to see all of you. Thank you. Thank you. Just a couple of quick special thank yous. I love all of you. (Applause.) But there are a couple people I want to make sure to acknowledge.

First of all, thank you Tracy Chapman for performing tonight. (Applause.) Love Tracy Chapman. Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, who is running for the California 10 upcoming election –- everybody has got to go out there and work for John. (Applause.) There he is right –- stand up, John, so everybody can see you. (Applause.) Fantastic.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Westin St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, California -- THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat. Now, I am not going to spoil a good dinner with a long speech. (Laughter.) But there are some big thank yous that I've got to say.

First of all, I've got to say something about my introducer. We are doing some tough stuff in Washington, and Mark is absolutely right that everybody has a story about Nancy's kindness and her thoughtfulness, her intelligence, her passion. I just want to say a little bit about her toughness. (Laughter.)    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- Beverly Hills, California -- THE PRESIDENT: It’s good to be back in L.A. (Applause.) Everybody have a seat -- have a seat. Who knows the score? (Laughter.) Lakers by one -- what is it, third quarter? All right, well good luck. It’s not the Bulls. (Laughter.) Joe Baca is not the Bulls, man. (Laughter.) But the Lakers are pretty good, I got to admit. (Applause.)

I want to acknowledge the extraordinary performance this evening. First of all, Chicago’s own: Jennifer Hudson. (Applause.) The group I grew up with: Earth Wind & Fire. (Applause.) Roberto Granado. (Applause.) The Crenshaw High School Choir. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today issued the following statement by AWEA CEO Denise Bode regarding the agreement by House Energy & Commerce Committee Democrats on a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES):    » read more »

April 28, 2009 -- "It's clear to us that the right-wing conservatives in control of the leadership of the Republican party in Pennsylvania left Senator Specter long ago and we are pleased that he has decided to do the same.

"Just as he did with his leadership on the economic stimulus bill, Senator Specter has once again demonstrated the political courage it takes to put the interests of the working families of Pennsylvania ahead of partisanship. We have always had tremendous common ground with Senator Specter on issues important to working families including the need for reform to our nation's labor laws.

"We look forward to continuing our long history of working with Senator Specter to create positive change for the working families of Pennsylvania."

Source: SEIU

April 28, 2009 -- "I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation.

Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.    » read more »

March 30, 2009 -- After heralding what Democrats on Capitol Hill have already accomplished – including passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the President laid out in clear terms the stakes of the pending budget vote. Calling his budget "a distillation of core Democratic values," he urged members of Congress to pass his blueprint for sustained economic growth.

He then fielded questions for about a half-hour from members of Congress about his budget priorities.

The meeting ended with President Obama thanking Chairman John Spratt for his hard work and asking the assembled members for their support on the budget.    » read more »

Republican and Former Secretary of State Colin Powell formally announced his endorsement of Barack Obama for President this morning, during a widely-anticipated appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. Here's the interview video:

“As gifted as he is, he [McCain] is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda, with a new face and a maverick approach to it, and he’d be quite good at it,” Mr. Powell said. “But I think we need a generational change.”

September 28, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Statement of Barack Obama on Financial Plan Breakthrough:

"The breakthrough between Congress and the Administration is the culmination of a sorry period in our history, in which reckless speculation and greed on Wall Street and lax oversight from Washington led to a meltdown of our financial markets.

Barack Obama: Photo: Barack Obama campaign

But regardless of how we got here, a failure to deal with the current crisis would have devastating consequences for our economy, costing millions of Americans their jobs and retirement security.    » read more »

September 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, requesting that he release critical information and data relating to veterans health care, disability claims and Vet Center activity. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, veterans have faced unique challenges as they return to their families and communities, including health-related needs as well as community readjustment concerns.    » read more »

September 25, 2008 -- IL - Below is a Statement from Senator Barack Obama on Washington Mutual

"The government-brokered sale of Washington Mutual is the latest sign of the perilous situation facing our financial system and our economy. Although Americans with deposits at Washington Mutual should rest assured that they are safe under this arrangement, the failures of our financial institutions threaten economic instability, jobs, and the incomes of American families.

This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. This is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem - this is an American problem. Now, we must find an American solution," said Senator Barack Obama.

Source: Senator Barack Obama

September 01, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - "I welcome the results of today's emergency summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. The EU made clear, as I have repeatedly insisted, that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected, that Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states must be rejected, that the six-point peace plan of August 12 must be implemented in its entirety, and that Georgia must be given substantial humanitarian and economic assistance.    » read more »

September 01, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - "I understand that Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda has offered his resignation today. Japan is our leading ally in Asia and a vibrant democracy.

I want to express to the Prime Minister my appreciation, which I believe is shared by the American people, for his leadership on climate change and the support that Japan's Self Defense Forces have offered U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

Our alliance with Japan is based on common values and interests, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with Prime Minister Fukuda's successor in the months and years ahead to strengthen and deepen cooperation between our two nations and to create a truly global partnership."

Source: Barack Obama campaign

August 29, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Today, on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina devastating the Gulf Coast, Senator Obama released the following statement on the importance of following through with our commitment to the region.

Hurricane Katrina storm surge, Mobile, Alabama: Photo by Mel Silvers (CC)    » read more »

August 26, 2008 -- Chicago, IL -- "I condemn Russia's decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and call upon all countries of the world not to accord any legitimacy to this action.

"The United States should call for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to condemn Russia's decision in coordination with our European allies. The U.S. should lead within the UN and other international forums to cast a clear and unrelenting light on the decision, and to further isolate Russia internationally because of its actions. The OSCE must also send a serious monitoring group to Georgia.    » read more »