President Obama rips into Republicans while speaking in Austin, Texas. Key quote: So when folks say they're frustrated with Congress, let's be clear about what the problem is. (Applause.) I'm just telling the truth now. I don't have to run for office again, so I can just let her rip. (Applause.) And I want to assure you, I'm really not that partisan of a guy. My favorite President is the first Republican President, a guy named Abraham Lincoln. You look at our history, and we had great Republican Presidents who -- like Teddy Roosevelt started the National Park System, and Dwight Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System, and Richard Nixon started the EPA. The statement I'm making is not a partisan statement, it is a statement of fact. (Applause.) So far this year, Republicans in Congress have blocked or voted down every serious idea to strengthen the middle class. They have said no -- AUDIENCE: Booo! THE PRESIDENT: Don't boo now, because what I want you to do is vote. (Applause.) They've said no to raising the minimum wage. They've said no to fair pay. They said no to unemployment insurance for hardworking folks like Kinsey's parents who have paid taxes all their lives and never depended on anything and just needed a little help to get over a hump. They said no to fixing our broken immigration system that we know would strengthen our borders and our businesses and help families. (Applause.) Instead of investing in education that helps working families, they voted to give another massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans. Instead of creating jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, our ports that help every business, they've decided to protect tax loopholes for companies that are shifting jobs overseas and profits overseas. The best thing you can say about this Congress -- the Republicans in Congress, and particularly the House of Representatives -- the best you can say for them this year is that so far they have not shut down the government -- (laughter) -- or threatened to have America welch on our obligations and ruin our credit rating. That's the best you can say. But of course, it's only July -- (laughter) -- so who knows what they may cook up in the next few months. So even as they're blocking policies that would help middle-class families, they keep on offering these theories of the economy that have failed over and over again. They say, well, if we give more tax breaks to folks at the top that's going to be good. If we make fewer investments in things like education, everything will work out. If we loosen the rules for big banks and credit card companies and polluters and insurers, somehow that's going to make the economy better. If we shrink the safety net and cut Medicaid and cut food stamps, and make sure that folks who are vulnerable and trying to get back on their suffer more hardship, somehow that's going to improve the economy. Now, they believe these things -- sincerely, I assume -- that if they -- if we do these things, if we just take care of folks at the top, or at least if we don't empower our government to be able to help anybody, that somehow jobs and prosperity will trickle down and we'll all be better off.

• published: 11 Jul 2014
• views: 35545