Obama: 'Change we can believe in'
Guest Opinion
Issue date: 12/14/07 Section: Opinions
This is a defining moment for America and for your generation.
I've met students in Iowa and across this country who are wondering whether the college education they're receiving will lead to good jobs that can pay off all those loans. I've met others who are tired of watching our planet polluted and our climate changed forever, and still others who've bravely gone to fight in a war that should never have been authorized and never been waged.
It is because of these failures that all Americans - not just Democrats - are listening to what we say in this election. This is our chance to forge a new majority to tackle problems that grew worse under George Bush but that have festered long before he took office.
And that's why we can't afford the same old politics this year. We can't tell people what we think they want to hear - we have to tell people what they need to hear.
The Democratic Party has made the most difference in people's lives when we've led not by polls but by principle; not by triangulation and calculation but by conviction; when we've had leaders who could summon the entire nation to a common purpose.
That's why I'm running for president.
I'm running to make college more affordable for any American who wants to go. I've proposed a $4,000 a year refundable tax credit that will cover two-thirds of the tuition at the average public college or university. And I'll strengthen our community colleges by offering new degrees for emerging fields and rewarding schools that graduate more students.
I'm running to reform health care, as I did in Illinois - by reaching across party lines and taking on the insurance industry. That's how I'll sign a universal health-care plan by the end of my first term as president. Under my plan, if you graduate and don't find a job that provides health insurance right away, you can stay on your parents' insurance until you're 25.
I'm running to save our generation from global catastrophe by putting a cap on carbon emissions and creating a low-carbon fuel standard that will take 50 million cars' worth of pollution off the road. And I'll raise the fuel-efficiency standards for our cars and trucks because we know we have the technology to do it, and it's time we did.
I've met students in Iowa and across this country who are wondering whether the college education they're receiving will lead to good jobs that can pay off all those loans. I've met others who are tired of watching our planet polluted and our climate changed forever, and still others who've bravely gone to fight in a war that should never have been authorized and never been waged.
It is because of these failures that all Americans - not just Democrats - are listening to what we say in this election. This is our chance to forge a new majority to tackle problems that grew worse under George Bush but that have festered long before he took office.
And that's why we can't afford the same old politics this year. We can't tell people what we think they want to hear - we have to tell people what they need to hear.
The Democratic Party has made the most difference in people's lives when we've led not by polls but by principle; not by triangulation and calculation but by conviction; when we've had leaders who could summon the entire nation to a common purpose.
That's why I'm running for president.
I'm running to make college more affordable for any American who wants to go. I've proposed a $4,000 a year refundable tax credit that will cover two-thirds of the tuition at the average public college or university. And I'll strengthen our community colleges by offering new degrees for emerging fields and rewarding schools that graduate more students.
I'm running to reform health care, as I did in Illinois - by reaching across party lines and taking on the insurance industry. That's how I'll sign a universal health-care plan by the end of my first term as president. Under my plan, if you graduate and don't find a job that provides health insurance right away, you can stay on your parents' insurance until you're 25.
I'm running to save our generation from global catastrophe by putting a cap on carbon emissions and creating a low-carbon fuel standard that will take 50 million cars' worth of pollution off the road. And I'll raise the fuel-efficiency standards for our cars and trucks because we know we have the technology to do it, and it's time we did.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 9
Miketh
posted 12/14/07 @ 2:00 PM CST
You also opposed the "Born-Alive Infants Protection Act", something NARAL didn't even have a problem with. You actually opposed giving medical treatment to babies that are the result of failed abortions. (Continued…)
youngvoterpac
posted 12/14/07 @ 2:33 PM CST
If you are a student in Iowa and need a ride or a hotel room, visit www.youngvoterpac.org. We want to help you get to your caucus.
ObamaPwnsHillary
posted 12/15/07 @ 12:26 PM CST
Must see before the Iowa Caucus: http://www.ObamaPwnsHillary.com
Matt
posted 12/15/07 @ 12:29 PM CST
"That's how I'll sign a universal health-care plan by the end of my first term as president. Under my plan, if you graduate and don't find a job that provides health insurance right away, you can stay on your parents' insurance until you're 25. (Continued…)
anna
posted 12/15/07 @ 2:25 PM CST
"Under my plan, if you graduate and don't find a job that provides health insurance right away, you can stay on your parents' insurance until you're 25. (Continued…)
Jeremy
posted 12/15/07 @ 2:46 PM CST
I must admit that the $4,000 tax credit for education is mighty appealing. It's time for change in this country, real change. We are going to make it in 2008. (Continued…)
Matt
posted 12/15/07 @ 3:18 PM CST
Biden/Obama 08!
kgotthardt
posted 1/03/08 @ 8:00 AM CST
Kucinich/Obama in 08!
David O.
posted 3/10/08 @ 4:41 PM CST
Hey Barack Obama: are you really for "change", or are you just a "new boss, same as the old boss"? We remember Eliot Spitzer making the exact same claims as being a Democrat for change who would clean things up. (Continued…)
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