2012 Presidential Election

On Friday, the President announced a new round of fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks representing the single largest step our country’s taken to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, cut pollution, and bring down costs for drivers.

Applying to new vehicles sold in the U.S. from 2017-2025, these standards build on aggressive standards the administration introduced for 2011-2016. As a result we’ll start seeing more electric and hybrid vehicles from manufacturers and more clean-diesel, efficient SUVs and sedans on our roads.

Take a look at the infographic below to see just how big an impact these standards will have on drivers’ wallets and on our environment. Then share it with your friends:

Click the image to see the full version.

And that’s not all these standards will do:

• They’ll save 12 billion barrels of oil by 2025.

• They’ll save American drivers nearly $2 trillion in fuel costs over the life of the program, all told.

• They’ll give automakers incentives to make cleaner, more innovative cars and trucks.

In short, they’re a big deal. Make sure to let your friends and family know what they will mean to them.

President Obama urges both Republicans and Democrats to take action to avoid defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history.

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WASHINGTON—In this week’s address, President Obama urged both Republicans and Democrats to take action to avoid defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history.  While the two parties are not far apart in their goals, they must resolve their differences quickly so that the United States can continue paying its Social Security checks, veterans’ benefits, and contracts with thousands of American businesses.  The time has come to stop endangering the Triple A bond rating of the United States, put aside partisan politics, and behave responsibly to ensure a balanced approach to reducing our nation’s deficit. 

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Washington, DC

Today, I’d like to speak with you about the ongoing and urgent efforts to avoid a first-ever default and get our fiscal house in order.

Republicans in the House of Representatives just spent precious days trying to pass a plan that a majority of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate had already said they wouldn’t vote for.  It’s a plan that wouldn’t solve our fiscal problems, but would force us to re-live this crisis in just a few short months.  It would hold our economy captive to Washington politics once again.  If anything, the past few weeks have demonstrated that’s unacceptable. 

Any solution to avoid default must be bipartisan.  It must have the support of both parties that were sent here to represent the American people – not just one faction of one party.  There are multiple ways to resolve this problem.  Congress must find common ground on a plan that can get support from both parties in the House.  And it’s got to be a plan that I can sign by Tuesday.

Look, the parties are not that far apart here.  We’re in rough agreement on how much spending we need to cut to reduce our deficit.  We agree on a process to tackle tax reform and entitlement reform.  There are plenty of ways out of this mess.  But there is very little time. 

We need to reach a compromise by Tuesday so that our country will have the ability to pay its bills on time – bills like Social Security checks, veterans’ benefits, and contracts we’ve signed with thousands of American businesses.  If we don’t, for the first time ever, we could lose our country’s Triple A credit rating.  Not because we didn’t have the capacity to pay our bills – we do – but because we didn’t have a Triple A political system to match it.  And make no mistake – for those who reflexively oppose tax increases on anyone, a lower credit rating would be a tax increase on everyone – we’d pay higher interest rates on mortgages, car loans, and credit cards.

That would be inexcusable, and entirely self-inflicted by Washington.  The power to solve this is in our hands.  All that’s needed is a simple vote that Democrats and Republicans have taken for decades, including all of the leaders in Congress today.  It was done 18 times under President Reagan.  7 times under George W. Bush.  And it must be done again now.  It’s not a vote that allows Congress to spend more money.  Raising the debt ceiling simply gives our country the ability to pay the bills Congress has already racked up.  It gives the United States of America the ability to keep its word.  And it will let businesses and our economy breathe a sigh of relief.

On Monday night, I asked you to make your voice heard in this debate.  And the response was overwhelming.  One of the emails we received was from a woman named Kelly Smith, who wanted to send this message to Washington:

“I keep my home clean, work hard at a full time job, give my parents any monies I can so they can afford their medications, I pay my bills and by all appearances I am a responsible person.  All I’m asking is that you be responsible.  I have my house in order and all I’m asking is that you get yours the same way.”

Here in Washington, we need to get our house in order.  And I have to say, Democrats in Congress and some Senate Republicans have been listening and have shown themselves willing to make compromises to solve this crisis.  Now all of us – including Republicans in the House of Representatives – need to demonstrate the same kind of responsibility that the American people show every day.  The time for putting party first is over.  The time for compromise on behalf of the American people is now.  Thank you.

The bill passed today in the House with exclusively Republican votes would have us face another debt ceiling crisis in just a few months by demanding the Constitution be amended or America defaults.  This bill has been declared dead on arrival in the Senate.  Now that yet another political exercise is behind us, with time dwindling, leaders need to start working together immediately to reach a compromise that avoids default and lays the basis for balanced deficit reduction. 

Senator Reid’s proposal is a basis for that compromise.  It not only achieves more deficit reduction than the bill passed in the House today and puts a process in place to achieve even more savings, it also removes the uncertainty surrounding the risk of default.  The President urges Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to find common ground on a plan that can get support from both parties in the House – a plan the President can sign by Tuesday.

President Barack Obama makes a statement to the press after meeting with democratically elected African heads of state, including, from left, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, President Boni Yayi of Benin, President Alpha Condé of Guinea, and President Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’Ivoire, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, July 29, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Today, President Obama welcomed President Yayi of Benin, President Conde of Guinea, President Issoufou of Niger, and President Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire to the White House. In the President's remarks he spoke about the four leaders' efforts to strengthen democracy in Africa:         

All these leaders were elected through free and fair elections.  They’ve shown extraordinary persistence in wanting to promote democracy in their countries despite significant risks to their own personal safety and despite enormous challenges, in some cases — most recently in Côte d’Ivoire — in actually implementing the results of these elections.

But because of their fortitude and because of the determination of their people to live in democratic, free societies, they have been able to arrive at a position of power that is supported by the legitimate will of their peoples.  And as such, they can serve as effective models for the continent.

These countries all underscore what I emphasized when I visited Ghana and gave a speech about Africa as a whole — this is a moment of great opportunity and significant progress in Africa.  Politically, the majority of Sub-Saharan African countries are now embracing democracy.  Economically, Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. 

 And we just had a very productive discussion where we discussed how we can build on both the political progress, the economic progress, and address the security challenges that can continue to confront Africa.  And I emphasized that the United States has been and will continue to be a stalwart partner with them in this process of democratization and development. 

• President Obama announced new car and truck fuel efficiency standards today. These new standards will save consumers money, reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, and protect the environment.

• Maryland summer organizers and volunteers took a road trip across the state to register voters and find new supporters. “The day went really well,” reports Michael, a summer organizer. “We found people were extremely excited about our campaign and about the upcoming election.”

• With your help the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is simplifying mortgage disclosure forms, helping customers understand the mortgage products they’ve applied for before signing on the dotted line.

• And finally, supporters in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire got together this week to plan for 2012. Folks “discussed winning strategies, like reaching out to neighbors and friends that they normally wouldn’t talk politics with,” writes Taylor, a summer organizer.

We’ve seen switchboards and websites overwhelmed by Americans urging members of Congress to compromise on the debt ceiling, and this morning, the President urged the American people to keep the pressure on, because the price of partisan divergence and defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history is much too high.

Governors, mayors and other state elected officials are joining the growing chorus urging Congress to compromise on behalf of the American people and to remove the cloud of uncertainty that currently hangs over our economy.  Democrats and Republicans agree on the problem, and the scope of the solution, and now our state and local leaders are urging Congress to do their job before August 2.           

Here is a sampling of what state and local officials are saying in letters to their congressional delegations, op-eds, and statements in support of compromise:

Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa, AZ:

"We've settled into a normalcy and we've worked to get through this crisis… And we're really a little bit tired that you guys at Washington and the state capitols can't get over the politics, and that the decisions or non-decisions that you make have a direct impact on our citizens… That's not good. It's bad."  [East Valley Tribune, 7/27/2011]

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A year ago today, I was proud to sign the Tribal Law and Order Act into law.   American Indians and Alaska Natives have long been victimized by violent crime at far higher rates than the rest of the country, and the Tribal Law and Order Act is already helping us better address the unique public safety challenges that confront tribal communities.  Over the past year, tribes have gained greater sentencing authority.  The rights of defendants are stronger.  Services for victims are better.  We’re working together to combat alcohol and drug abuse, and to help at-risk youth in more effective ways.  We’ve established new guidelines and training for officers handling domestic violence and sex crimes.  And we’ve expanded recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal officers, and given them better access to the criminal databases they need to keep people safe.  These are important steps in addressing serious issues.  And as long as I am President, we will continue to strengthen and fortify our government-to-government relationship with Indian Country.

Continuing White House Office Hours, Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, answered your questions on Twitter. Have a look at the Q&A on the ongoing debt debate below or on Storify.

There are two more sessions of White House Office Hours tomorrow — check out the full schedule at WhiteHouse.gov/officehours and follow @WhiteHouse for the latest updates.

Brian Deese Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, answers questions from the public on the ongoing deficit debate using the @WhiteHouse Twitter account as part of our new series, Office Hours

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We first checked in with Garrett Arwa, Michigan state director, back in April as this campaign was first launching. Three months in, we wanted to hear how things are going.

The support we’re seeing from people here in Michigan is very encouraging, and the work our summer organizers have done is just phenomenal.

Michigan has had a tough few years—there was a recession here even before 2008′s financial crisis. But the policies that the President has put in place—his investment in the auto industry and support for green jobs—are really helping the state get back on its feet.

This summer, our big focus has been registering voters, and our team of summer organizers have really done an outstanding job to help do it. They’ve been inquisitive, inventive and, above all, hard-working. We have a motto here—“leave no vote behind”—and the summer organizers have taken that to heart, registering voters from bus stops in Grand Rapids to gas stations in Detroit.

And it’s not just the summer organizers who have been busy registering voters and bringing new people into the campaign. Each time we’ve had a Day of Action, more and more folks have turned out to help.

One of our top volunteers, Ann, has recruited over 500 new supporters. She’s been reaching out to her friends and family, to people in her community, and to folks at her church and at work.

Something that’s struck me over the last few months is that wherever we go, people appreciate that we’re reaching out to them to get involved and value our willingness to sit down and hear their ideas and concerns. Folks have also said they like knowing that what they’re telling us is getting fed into our larger strategy to help shape the campaign. Even when people we talk to aren’t quite ready to jump in with both feet, they’re glad to see us being active and making a difference in our communities.

Over the next few months, new fall fellows will pick up where the summer organizers leave off—registering voters, bringing in new supporters, and growing this campaign. And everything else we accomplish is up to you. Sign up to become a volunteer or find an event near you, and you can be sure that your local organizer will call you and help find the best way for you to get involved.

Keep up to date with all the latest news from Garrett and the team in Michigan on their Facebook page or by following @OFA_MI on Twitter.