The President speaks to Congress

After 8 long years it's great to able to utter the phrase "The President" instead of the present occupant of the White House. I took off early from work to hear him tell us things are tough but we will emerge better than ever ala saint Ronny. In the response Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal sounded down right stupid when he cited the response to Hurricane Katrina as a highlight.

Some of my favorite lines:

"Dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country."

"There is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father."

"For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price."

"Living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture."

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Some reaction.

From Congressman Chris Carney

“Tonight the President laid out his comprehensive approach to addressing the economic crisis facing our country. I appreciated his optimism and his candor—the President was honest about the challenges we face as a nation—but it is critical at this juncture that we remain disciplined and responsible when spending the taxpayers’ hard earned money.

“I met with the President at the White House two weeks ago to talk about the importance of fiscal responsibility and a budget that adheres to those principles.

Tonight, the President outlined his bold vision for a Financial Stability Plan with oversight and accountability. This plan is designed not to help banks, but to help people. It creates a guarantee that taxpayer money is safe, that our banks start lending and that if they do receive taxpayer funds, they will not be allowed to use them for their own perks. The oversight is a strong step in the right direction, but our spending must be curtailed so we do not continue passing debt onto our grandchildren.

“I remain concerned with the President’s housing plan. I represent a district where over 98% of people pay their mortgages on time. Northeast and central Pennsylvania is made up of hardworking, responsible people who did not fall prey to the greed and corruption we have seen dismantling our financial institutions on Wall Street.

Congressman Paul Kanjorski

“I applaud President Obama for speaking candidly to the American public about the difficult economic situation we now face. He has set significant goals for himself, the Congress, and the American people as he addressed new policies in dealing with the economy, the national budget, and our actions abroad. These are not light topics and the President has stated that he intends to deal with all of them simultaneously. But, it is this type of thoughtful and assertive thinking that will help move this country forward and take us out of the troubled situation in which we find ourselves.

“As the President stressed, we must come together for the sake of every American. Partisanship is not an option. While we may disagree, we must try to move past these obstacles. Our primary responsibility is helping every American recover from the economic crisis, and as a result boosting our nation’s economy.

Just since President Obama was sworn into office, we have already taken momentous steps towards such progress. While there is certainly room for improvement, President Obama has shown a distinct willingness to turn this country around.

“As we work to turn the tide on our economic problems, we must also work to ensure that a financial crisis of this magnitude does not happen again. The President stressed the need to pursue regulatory reforms of the financial services industry, and I strongly support this idea. I have long stressed the need for comprehensive regulatory reform, and I have already held two hearings this year to highlight why the Congress must expeditiously address this issue in the 111th Congress. I applaud President Obama for also recognizing the importance of this issue.

“As I have continued to stress, fixing our economy will not happen overnight, but I have faith that we will emerge from these tough times stronger than ever.”