What we should be asking is not whether we need a big government or small government, but how we can create a smarter and better government.
Abraham Lincoln and Millard Fillmore had the same title. They were both presidents of the United States, but their tenure in office and their legacy could not be more different.
You can question somebody’s views and their judgment without questioning their motives or patriotism.
In this new, hyper competitive age, none of us, none of us can afford to be complacent.
The elevation of appearance over substance, of celebrity over character, of short term gains over lasting achievement displays a poverty of ambition. It distracts you from what’s truly important.
We cannot meet 21st Century challenges with a 20th Century bureaucracy.
We can’t expect to solve problems if all we do is tear each other down. You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it.
Climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security, and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country.
And I want to work with this Congress, to make sure Americans already burdened with student loans can reduce their monthly payments, so that student debt doesn’t derail anyone’s dreams.
My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.
What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all – the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.
A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship – and you know what, a father does, too. It’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a ‘Mad Men’ episode.
No other country in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might – but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them.
The terrorists do not speak for over a billion Muslims who reject their hateful ideology.
Nations are more successful when their women are successful.
The nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy.
Climate change poses a direct threat to the infrastructure of America that we need to stay competitive in this 21st-century economy.
The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it.
As long as countries like China keep going all in on clean energy, so must we.
We are not a nation that says ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ We are a nation that says ‘out of many, we are one.’