American Election News

Here’s the full video of Barack’s opening remarks at the Women’s Economic Town Hall yesterday in Fairfax, Virginia:

During his speech, Barack referred to working women as "the backbone of the middle class" and outlined his long-standing efforts to address economic opportunity and economic fairness for women:

This isn’t just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families. It’s a question of who we are as a country – of whether we’re going to live up to our values as a nation.

That’s why I stood up for equal pay in the Illinois State Senate, and helped pass a law to give 330,000 more women protection from paycheck discrimination. That’s why I’ve been fighting to pass legislation in the Senate, so that employers don’t get away with shortchanging hardworking women. 

Barack also pointed to some of the key differences between himself and John McCain on economic issues — not just on women’s issues but on the state of the economy as a whole, the reality of the hardships facing the middle class and the need for true leadership:

Now Senator McCain is an honorable man, and we all deeply respect his service to our country. But when you look at our records and plans on the economic issues that matter most for women, it becomes very clear that he won’t bring the change we need – while I will.  

That starts with acknowledging the economic difficulties so many women are facing right now.  Senator McCain, however, has said that we’ve made "great progress" on the economy. And Senator Phil Gramm, a top economic advisor to Senator McCain, just recently said that this is merely "a mental recession." Senator Gramm then deemed the United States – and I quote – "a nation of whiners." This comes after Senator McCain recently admitted that his energy proposals will have mainly "psychological" benefits. 

Well, you know, America already has one Dr. Phil. When it comes to the economy, we don’t need another. 

Let’s be clear, when people are struggling with the rising costs of everything from gas to groceries, when we’ve lost 438,000 jobs over the past six months, when typical families have seen their incomes fall nearly $1,000 since 2000, this economic downturn isn’t in our heads. It isn’t whining to ask for more than just psychological relief. 

And I think it’s time we had a President who doesn’t deny our problems – or blame the American people for them – but takes responsibility and provides the leadership to solve them.

Yesterday’s Town Hall was part of Barack’s ongoing focus on the economic issues that effect us all, with a special emphasis this week on economic issues that are especially important to women. 

At 1:00 PM CST today, three of Barack’s policy advisers will be online to answer your questions about woman’s economic security. Domestic Policy Director Neera Tanden, Deputy National Policy Director Danielle Gray, and adviser on economic policy Brian Deese will be on hand to read and respond in the comments of the HQ blog. This is a unique opportunity to share your thoughts and ask your questions about some of the most important economic issues facing women today.

Subscribe To Site:

Full Post Feed | Summary Feed | Comments Feed