In Obama's Words

Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Deliver Remarks on Tax Reform

Nobody likes paying taxes, particularly in times of economic stress. But most Americans meet their responsibilities because they understand that it's an obligation of citizenship, necessary to pay the costs of our common defense and our mutual well-being.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama holds a town hall meeting in Decorah, Iowa

I want you to help hold all of us accountable, me included. I am enlisting you in this fight, because if you are -- if you're making your voices heard, if you're letting people know that enough is enough, it is time to move forward, it is time for us to win the future -- if your voices are heard, then sooner or later these guys have to start paying attention. And if they don't start paying attention then they're not going to be in office and we will have a new Congress in there that will start paying attention to what is going on all across America.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama holds a news conference on his 2012 budget proposal

What we've done is we've taken a scalpel to the discretionary budget, rather than a machete.”

• Other issues:Economy, Foreign Policy, Government and Politics

Obama holds a news conference

This is a big, diverse country. Not everybody agrees with us. I know that shocks people. You know, the New York Times editorial page does not permeate across all of America. Neither does The Wall Street Journal editorial page.”

• Other issues:Economy, Government and Politics

Obama participates in CNBC town hall discussion on jobs

Well, I think it's premature to say that John Boehner is going to be speaker of the House.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama delivers remarks on jobs in Scranton, Pa.

Scranton, we've taken some punches these last few years. But there's one thing I know about people here in Scranton, people in Pennsylvania, and people all across America: We are tougher than the times. We are America. We get back up. We fight back. We move forward. We don't give up. We get back up.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama holds a news conference

There are a lot of folks out there who are still struggling with the effects of the recession. Many people are still looking for work or looking for a job that pays more. Families are wondering how they deal with a broken refrigerator or a busted transmission or how they're going to finance their kids' college education, and they're also worrying about the possibility of layoffs. The struggles of middle-class families were a big problem before the recession hit in 2007. They weren't created overnight, and the truth is our economic challenges are not going to be solved overnight.”

• Other issues:Defense, Economy, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security and Intelligence, Social Issues

Obama delivers speech on the national debt

...without even looking at a poll, my finely honed political instincts tell me that almost nobody believes they should be paying higher taxes.”

• Other issues:Government and Politics

Obama speaks at House Republican retreat in Baltimore

Now, I understand some of you had some philosophical differences, perhaps, on just the concept of government spending, but as I recall, opposition was declared before we had a chance to actually meet and exchange ideas. And I saw that as a missed opportunity.”

• Other issues:Defense, Economy, Education, Foreign Policy, Government and Politics, Health Care, National Security and Intelligence

Obama delivers remarks at Conveyor Engineering and Manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I know there's been a lot of excitement here over the past couple of months. It kind of made me nostalgic.I used to have a lot of fun here in Iowa. I remember a great backyard barbecue out in Marion way back in 2007. Good burgers. I did not have as much gray hair back then.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama delivers remarks on economy and makes economic personnel announcements

Gene [Sperling] has been an extraordinary asset to me and this administration over the past two years. He's been working with me. He led our efforts to pass the small-business jobs bill to help companies all across America. He also helped negotiate the tax compromise that we passed at the end of this year.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama makes a statement to the press on tax cuts and unemployment insurance

...sympathetic as I am to those who prefer a fight over compromise, as much as the political wisdom may dictate fighting over solving problems, it would be the wrong thing to do. The American people didn't send us here to wage symbolic battles or win symbolic victories. They would much rather have the comfort of knowing that when they open their first paycheck on January of 2011 it won't be smaller than it was before all because Washington decided they'd prefer to have a fight and fail to act. Make no mistake.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama meets with Des Moines family

All right, we're going way afield now. I mean, the -- so let me focus on your question...”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama Delivers Remarks on Tax Cuts

My administration has taken far-reaching action to give tax cuts to the Americans who need them, while jumpstarting growth and job creation in the process.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama delivers remarks on jobs in Manchester, N.H.

We are Americans. And our story has never been about doing things easy. It's been about rising to the moment when the moment is hard. It's about doing what's right. It's about making sure that everybody has a chance, not just a few.”

• Other issues:Economy

Obama delivers remarks on the American Jobs Act in Mesquite, Texas

My question to Congress is, what are you waiting for? The work is there to be done. There are workers ready to do it. Contractors, they're begging for work. They'll come in on time, under budget. Interest rates have never been lower. It is time for us to put those folks back to work. It's time for them to pass the American Jobs Act. Pass this bill.”

• Other issues:Economy, Government and Politics

Obama holds Twitter townhall meeting

We're not all tied together by ethnicity or a single religion. What ties us together is this idea that everybody has got a shot. As long as you carry out your responsibilities, you can make it. You can get into the middle class and beyond. And you can start a company and suddenly help bring the whole world together. That's what makes this country outstanding. But in order to do that, it requires us to both have a commitment to our individualism and our freedom and our creativity and our idiosyncrasies. But it also requires us to have a commitment to each other, and recognize that I would not be President if somebody hadn't helped provide some scholarships for my school, and you would not have Twitter if the Department of Defense, at some point, and a bunch of universities hadn't made some investments in something that ended up being the Internet. And those were public goods that were invested in.”

Obama delivers the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.

Think about the America within our reach: a country that leads the world in educating its people; an America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs; a future where we're in control of our own energy; and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded. We can do this. I know we can, because we've done it before.”

• Other issues:Government and Politics

Obama delivers remarks on deficit reduction

This is not class warfare. It's math. The money is going to have to come from someplace. And if we're -- if we're not willing to ask those who've done extraordinarily well to help America close the deficit, and we are trying to reach that same target of $4 trillion, then the logic, the math says everybody else has to do a whole lot more.”

• Other issues:Economy, Government and Politics

Obama addresses a joint session of Congress

The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we'll meet ours. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy. The question -- the question is whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning.”

• Other issues:Economy