In the News
September 30, 2008
In economic crisis, Obama offers Detroit a message of hope
in The Detroit Free Press
When Michigan is the stop, presidential candidates turn to the economy, and Sen. Barack Obama went straight to work in Detroit on Sunday, railing against Wall Street and Washington for the current financial crisis. Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment rate, at 8.9%; more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs have evaporated, and the mortgage foreclosure rate is among the highest in the nation. "We meet here at a time of great uncertainty in Detroit and all across America," Obama said. "The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has led us to a financial crisis as serious as any we have faced since the Great Depression.
September 23, 2008
Obama strikes back on economic reform
in The Green Bay Press Gazette
Obama’s 45-minute speech Monday on government and regulatory reform in front of about 7,000 people at the Resch Center came as Congress considers a $700 billion bailout of bad loans. Although the Illinois senator urged bipartisan support for the rescue proposal to fix the imminent crisis, he also said such a plan would need accountability.
September 22, 2008
Obama talks economy in N.C.
in The Charlotte Observer
About 20,000 people turned out Sunday to hear Barack Obama link John McCain and his party to an "era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington." "They said they wanted to let the market run free, but instead they let it run wild," Obama said. "And now we are facing a financial crisis as profound as any we have faced since the Great Depression."
September 18, 2008
'Unite the American people'
in USA Today
The only way to end the petty partisanship that has consumed Washington for so long and make a difference in the lives of ordinary Americans is by bringing Republicans and Democrats together to get things done. That's what I've done throughout over a decade in public office. In Illinois, I reached across the aisle to put a $100 million tax cuts into the pockets of hard-working families.
September 13, 2008
In Dover, Obama makes 'pledge' against tax hikes on most Americans
in The Union Leader
Obama, in his first visit to swing state New Hampshire since late June, also seized on a Granite State tradition by taking his own anti-tax pledge. At a town hall-style meeting in blue-collar Dover, he told about 325 supporters and independents, "I pledge to you that under my plan, no one making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not income tax, not capital gains taxes, not any kind of tax."
Press Releases
October 3, 2008
Statement of Senator Barack Obama on September Jobs Report
Today, Americans woke up to the sad news that 159,000 jobs were lost last month alone, making September the ninth straight month of job loss. With three-quarters of a million jobs lost this year, and millions of families struggling to pay the bills and stay in their homes, this country can't afford Senator McCain's plan to give America four more years of the same policies that have devastated our middle-class and our economy for the last eight.
October 1, 2008
Statement of Senator Barack Obama on Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Today, I'm proud to add my voice in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For me, the fight against cancer is deeply personal. My mother died of ovarian cancer in the prime of her life. And at a time when she should have been focused on getting well, she was lying in a hospital bed arguing with her insurance company because they refused to cover her treatment.
September 30, 2008
Statement of Senator Obama on Moving Financial Legislation Forward
Yesterday, within the course of a few hours, the failure to pass the economic rescue plan in Washington led to the single largest decline of the stock market in two decades. "While I, like others, am outraged that the reign of irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has created the current crisis, I also know that continued inaction in the face of the gathering storm in our financial markets would be catastrophic for our economy and our families.
September 28, 2008
Obama Statement on Financial Plan Breakthrough
The breakthrough between Congress and the Administration is the culmination of a sorry period in our history, in which reckless speculation and greed on Wall Street and lax oversight from Washington led to a meltdown of our financial markets. But regardless of how we got here, a failure to deal with the current crisis would have devastating consequences for our economy, costing millions of Americans their jobs and retirement security.
September 25, 2008
Statement from Senator Barack Obama on Washington Mutual
The government-brokered sale of Washington Mutual is the latest sign of the perilous situation facing our financial system and our economy. Although Americans with deposits at Washington Mutual should rest assured that they are safe under this arrangement, the failures of our financial institutions threaten economic instability, jobs, and the incomes of American families.
September 24, 2008
Joint Statement of Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain
The American people are facing a moment of economic crisis. No matter how this began, we all have a responsibility to work through it and restore confidence in our economy. The jobs, savings, and prosperity of the American people are at stake. "Now is a time to come together - Democrats and Republicans - in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail.
September 24, 2008
Obama-Biden Campaign Statement on the Rising Costs of Health Care
This morning's Kaiser Family Foundation report shows that premiums have risen 5 percent over the past year - more than doubling since George W. Bush took office - bringing the cost that an average family pays for a health care plan to $12,680. With so many Americans struggling to pay their medical bills, we can't afford the McCain plan that would make you pay taxes on your heath care for the first time, offers a tax credit of less than half the value of average family health insurance plans, and gives insurance companies an even freer hand over what they charge, who they cover, and what they'll cover.
