Live Blogging Obama - Houston Tuesday night speech

Live blogging Obama speech with my comments thrown in at no additional charge. Comments indicated in parentheses and italics....

So, Obama (the great uniter) starts by stepping on the end of Hillary's speech....

The crowd is cheering wildly. Barack thanks them multiple times to try to get them to quiet down.

Y'all know how to do it in Texas.

Houston, I think we have achieved lift off here. (Hillary will definitely accuse him of plagiarism again .)

He thanks specific people for their contributions. Then he talks about how people can start voting today in Texas. I want you to start voting tomorrow. You have from February 19-29th to vote and you can also vote on Election Day March 4th (Eerily reminiscent of 'vote early, vote often', but apparently Texans can vote AND attend a caucus ).

Now he thanks the people of Wisconsin for voting and for his win in the primary.
When you vote in Wisconsin it is 5 degrees outside. (Yeah, but that's a heat wave. At least it wasn't hailing!.)

...

What we are trying to do is not easy and it won't happen overnight. Will take more than big rallys, rousing speeches, more than policy papers and positions and websites. Will require something more.

The problem that we face in America not the lack of good ideas, but Washington has become the place that good ideas go to die. Lobbyists crush them with their money and their influence. Politicians don't spend enough time bridging their differences. We need leaders that can inspire a higher purpose.

We know how difficult it will be. Why are we here tonight? We still believe change is possible. Never needed it more than we do right now.

Workers in Youngstown, Ohio watching job after job disappear, watching jobs disappear in bad trade deals like NAFTA. They have seen machines unbolted to be shipped to China. (Huh? NAFTA has nothing to do with China....) We need jobs in America that pay well, provide health insurance and a pension.

I met a mother today in San Antonio. She has two year old twins who are legally blind. Somehow she got into a predatory loan. (Somehow??? I hope the blogosphere looks into the background of this woman. Don't people bear some responsibility for understanding the terms of loans they are signing? ) She saw her mortgage payments double in two weeks. She is on the verge of packing. She doesn't know where she is going to go.

Struggling homeowners are being tricked out of owning their dream. (So, again -- do we expect them to read the fine print? Or just close their eyes and 'hope' that the government will bail them out if they overextend themselves??? )

I'm here because of a mother I met in Green Bay Wisconsin. She gave me this bracelet, enscribed with the name of her son Ryan. Twenty years old and killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. All gave some, but he gave all. It is time to ask ourselves as a nation if we are serving Ryan, and our young brave men and women. We need us to end this war and bring them home and give them the care and the benefits they deserve.

Year ago, I stood on the steps of the capital in Springfield, Illinois. Those who said, "Why are you running so soon? You're relatively young, you can afford to wait." I had to explain I'm not running because of some long-held ambition. not running because it is owed to me.

I'm running because of the words of Dr. King - the fierce urgency of now. (Note - he will be careful from now on to attribute any quotes!!!)

There is such a thing as being too late. Our nation is at war, our planet is at peril. Dream feels like it is slipping away. Everywhere I go, people are working harder for less. They have never paid more for college or at the pump.

There are 47 million people without health insurance.

Millions of children being left behind. Unable to compete in an international economy. Need to fix our schools, health care, bring an end to global warming, bring good jobs back to America and can't wait to end war in Iraq.

We cannot wait.

Size of our challenges have outstripped the capacity of a broken system to solve. Need politics that will lift the country up. People have grown weary of politics based on spin and PR. Want politics based on truthfulness and honesty to the American people.

Change doesn't happen from the top-down, but from the bottom up. (I don't understand this -- how is big government a bottom-up solution???)

I did volunteer work on the south side of Chicago. Best education I ever had. I know that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they are given the opportunity (So why do we need the government to do it for us???) Americans are decent and generous people -work hard and sacrifice.

Bridge the divides - black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor, Republican, Democrat, challenge the special interests, challenge ourselves to be better neighbors, citizens, Americans....no destiny we could not fulfill.

After a year of traveling across the country....my faith in the American people has been vindicated. We want to move forward into a better tomorrow. The American people (interrupted by people chanting "yes, we can") have spoken out and they are saying we need to move in a new direction.

As aware as i am of my imperfections....as aware as I am that I am not a perfect vessel. (Vessel? Whoa! This is the kind of comment that leads people to accuse Obama of a 'messianic' complex.)

I can't do it by myself. No president can. Change happens because of you. Question I have for you tonight, Houston, are you really ready for change?

Tell the lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda are over. They have not supported my campaign, will not run my White House, will not drown out the voices of the American people.

We have to stop talking about the 'outrage' of 47M people without health insurance (My quote marks. Outrage?). I will make sure that people have at least as good as the plan I have as a member of Congress. If you already have health insurance, will lower your premiums by $2500 per family per year. If you can't afford, we will subsidize you . Focus on prevention so we have a health care system, instead of a disease-care system...we will do it by the end of my first term as President of the United States of America.


Start restoring balance to our economy. I believe in the free market. We don't believe in government doing what we can do for ourselves. (Huh? So this is a direct contradiction to his entire platform.)

CEOs making more in 10 minutes than ordinary workers are making in one year. CEOs getting a tax break and ordinary workers are left with nothing (Left with nothing? Does he mean no tax break? Or nothing nothing?), something is wrong and has to change.

I want to take away those tax breaks to companies that are shifting jobs overseas. (Does this mean that all global companies who are based in the U.S. will have to pay higher taxes? That will be a GREAT incentive for them to create more jobs in the U.S. How is he going to accomplish this? Almost all large U.S. corporations employ people overseas in their operations.)

Give tax breaks to companies that invest right here in America. Roll back tax cuts that went to wealthy. (Okay. The top 5% of taxpayers already pay over 50%--53.8% to be exact--of all individual income tax. In fact, the Treasury Department says that Bush's tax cuts have shifted more tax to higher wagearners. See great post on this topic at about.com.)

I will give tax cuts to ordinary families that make less than $75K, we will offset your payroll tax. Seniors making less than $50K don't have to pay income tax. You're already having a hard enough time making ends meet.

I will promote trade & embrace globalization. (By taxing the bejeepers out of US-based companies that hire workers overseas.) But we will enforce work standards and safety standards so our children aren't playing with lead paint toys.

I will raise minimum wage, because if you work in America, you should not be poor. (Define poor. Minimum wage? What type of standard-of-living does he think that people who work in minimum-wage-type jobs should earn?)

Asssure that every child in America...has the best education that this country has to offer from the day that child is born to the day that child graduates from college. Not the lack of plans. Lack of political will & urgency.

Those children in the inner city...we think that is somebody else's problem...not our child. Young child in south Texas, rural east Texas, with a lower property tax base, is someone else's problem. (Wa-a-a-a-it a minute. I thought we were 'decent' and 'generous'. Now he makes us sound like a bunch of selfish slobs. hat happened to bottom-up problem solving?)

I am here to say that every child is our problem.

Invest in early childhood education to close the achievement gap....reward teachers for their greatness. By giving them higher salaries and giving them more support. (Teacher salaries are determined by local school boards. Is he suggesting that we 'federalize' teachers??? How will he accomplish this?) Highest standards of excellence. Don't want standards measured by a single standardized test - don't want teachers teaching to the test. (So... how ARE you going to measure it??? I know! Let's have the teachers report on it!!!)

Want students learning art and music and science and literature and social studies. (People cheer wildly. Is this new? I am missing something.)

About time we make college affordable for every young person in America.

We're going to provide a $4,000 tuition credit for every student every year. (Hmmm...even for those CEOs and evil wealthy people???) Students will have to participate in community service. Work in a homeless shelter, veterans' home, under-served school, or the Peace Corps. We invest in you and you invest in America. Together we will march this country forward. (Great idea, but how do we police it, since presumably the students will get their stipend while they are IN college and won't be expected to serve until after they are THROUGH with college??? )

Need an energy policy that makes sense. We send $1B to foreign nations every single day and we are melting the polar ice caps in the bargain. (Huh? Just us? Has he been to China lately?)

That has to change. I will cap emission of greenhouse gases. Generate billions of dollars from polluters to invest in solar, wind and biodiesel. Raise fuel efficiency standards on cars - only way we can actually bring gas prices down long term. (Can someone explain to me how raising efficiency standards on cars will reduce gas prices in a global economy?)

I talked about this in Detroit in front of the automakers. They have to change their ways. Nobody clapped. Room got very quiet.

What you need as President is someone will tell you not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. Will tell you the truth.

Stop using immigration as a political football and start solving the problem. Nation of laws and immigrants. We can get serious about our borders and crack down on employers who take advantage of undocumented workers and undermining US labor. Make a pathway for those who are here. Pay a fine, learn English, go to the back of the line....we have to give them an opportunity, too. We are a nation of immigrants.

Start reinvesting in the cities. Spending $9B a month in Iraq. Could invest that money in rebuilding roads, schools, hospitals, laying broadband lines, (whoa -- that one snuck in there--think he got a major contribution from a broadband company???), putting people back to work, employ young men and women. (but not in helping people in the Middle East).

We can create the kind of foreign policy that will make us safe and lead to renewed respect for America around the world. As your Commander-in-Chief, my job will be to keep you safe.

I will not hesitate to strike against any who would do us harm. I will do whatever is required. Part of keeping you safe - provide troops with proper equipment, training, proper rotations...no more homeless veterans. No more begging for disability payments, no more waiting in line for the VA. Solemn obligation to honor those who have served on our behalf.

Part of keeping you safe is deploying our military wisely. War in Iraq was unwise. Distracted us from the fight that needed to be fought in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda. They're the ones who killed 3,000 Americans. (This will be a BIG surprise to them, since they are fighting us in Iraq!) Fanned flame of anti-American sentinment. (As evidenced by the fact that Germany, Canada and France all voted for pro-American leaders since the outset of the war! ) Cost us dearly in blood and in treasure. I opposed this war in 2002, will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home.

End the mind-set that got us into war. End politics based on fear. Some use Uses 9/11 as a way to scare votes vs. bring our country together against a common enemy. (Reference to John McCain.)

Rediscover the power of our diplomacy. Will meet with our enemies. Folks in Washington said 'You can't do that" and I said "Yes i can". JFK said "should never negotiate out of fear, but should never fear to negotiate'. (Obama quotes that in every speech and has it on his website. But how do you negotiate with countries who refuse to cooperate? have no interest in negotiation? sponsor terrorism? call for the destruction of Israel?) Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their enemies and tell them where America stands. (I don't think that Iran, North Korea or Venezuela have any false impressions about where American stands -- at least, not with Bush in the White House. But I'm sure that a 'stern talking to' from Obama will set them straight immediately!)

Try to resolve differences without resort to war. World is waiting. Go to world community and say "America is back and we are ready to lead". But we will lead not just militarily - yes we will hunt down terrorists, yes we will lock down loose nuclear weapons.

Also going to lead on climate change. Lead on helping countries deal with HIV-AIDs. Lead on bringing an end to the Genocide in Darfur. Lead by example. Highest standards of civil liberties and human rights. I will close Guantanamo. Restore habeus corpus (for terrorists???) and say no to torture. If you are ready for change, you can elect a president who has taught, believes and will obey the Constitution.

All these things are possible if you are ready for change.


A lot of people don't want you to believe. Obama hasn't been in Washington long enough. We need to season and stew him a little bit more and boil all the hope out of him. Same old folks making the same old mistakes over and over again. Need new leadership.

Those who would say...be wary of inspiration because you may be disappointed. Obama may make a good speech, but...what will make a difference is how you work our government. My central premise, the only way we will bring real change...bring new people into the process. Attract new people, independents, stop fighting with Repblicans and bring Republicans over to our side. I want to reach out to everybody.

What about John McCain? I revere and honor his service to our country. But when he embraces George Bush's failed economic policies. Says he is willing to send our troops into 100 years in Iraq...he reps the policies of yesterday and we want to be the party of tomorrow....I am looking forward to having that debate with McCain.

(Still waiting to hear him 'reach out'....)

I talk about hope a lot. Not surprising. Odds of me standing here are very slim. (vs. getting shot on way to gas station, like most other black men -- see Michelle Obama interview ).

I was born to a teenage mother. My father left when I was two. Raised by single mom and grandparents. Didn't have money, didn't have fame. Gave me love, education & hope. I talk about hope. Speech, signs, I wrote a book.

Some suggesting I must be naive--peddling false hope -- you need a reality check. Don't realize how mean and tough the world can be.

That's not what hope is -- hope is not blind optimism. Not ignoring the challenges that stand between you & your dreams. I know how difficult it will be to provide health insurance to every American. Change our energy policy. The status quo serves many powerful people. Fix schools. Alleviate poverty that has built up over centuries. Changing schools will require work...parent better, turn off the TV set and put the video games away, instill a sense of excellence in our children. (I totally agree with him here... ) Will take time.

Easy for politicians to turn us on each other....use immigrants or gay people or folks who aren't like us as scapegoats for what they do. (Whoa - totally random 'gay people as victims' panderment! )

I have fought in the courts, fought on the streets.

Nothing in this country has happened, except someone somewhere was willing to hope.

How country was founded. Group of patriots founded our nation. They had hope. How slaves and abolitions resisted an evil system. How the greatest generation -- my grandpa fought in Patton's army. Grandma stayed home with a baby working on anassembly line. Defeated Hitler and fascism and lifted itself out of Great Depression. Pioneers, immigrants, women right to vote, young people in the sixties, marched, sat in, were beaten ....died for freedom's cause. That's what hope is.

Hope is imagining and then fighting for and then working for, struggling for what did not seem possible before. Moment in every generation when that spirit has to come through if we are to make our mark on history. Cast aside the fear and the doubt. Not willing to settle for what the cynics tells us to accept.

When we decide that the next generation deserves the same chances that somebody gave us. (I thought we were all screwed up. How did the broken system provide the chances that we got? )

We're going to keep the dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity and thirst for justice? (but not the Iraqis)

It will not be easy, but at some point in our lives...we all have to decide as hard as it is going to be, we are going to join together, lock arms and go about the difficult but noble task of remaking this nation, block by block, county by county, state by state.

Houston, this is our moment. This is our time. If youa re willing to vote for me, stand for me, caucus for me. We will not just win Texas, will win the general election.

(Long speech -- got interrupted by a couple of phone calls and ran out of DVR space - so a lot of paraphrasing, but I think I captured the 'essence'.)