President Obama visits Washington on first official trip out to the Evergreen State
A year and a half after taking office, President Barack Obama has finally made his first official visit to the great State of Washington.
Air Force One touched down at Boeing Field at eleven o'clock this morning, making two turns before coming to a halt on the tarmac.
Moments after the Lift-a-Loft was wheeled over to the door, the President himself appeared, to cheers and whistling, accompanied by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, also our immediate past governor. The President and Secretary Locke were greeted by Senator Murray, Congressmen McDermott and Dicks, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.
Before getting into his armored Chevrolet Suburban, the President walked over to the viewing area and shook hands over the barrier, taking his time to greet everybody. He was upbeat and cheery, to the delight of the fifty or so people gathered to welcome him to the Emerald City. A few minutes later, the motorcade was ready to leave, and sped away from Boeing Field to Pioneer Square.
There, the President stopped for lunch and held a roundtable with Gillian Allen-White of Grand Central Bakery, Tiffany and Brady Turner of the Inn at Discovery Coast, and Joe Fugere of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria. He bought a turkey sandwich and a locally-grown salad with a sweet treat for the road, after assuring the cashiers (Andrea and Rachel) that it would not be appropriate for him not to pay.
"You gotta ring me up," he said with a laugh.
After meeting privately for the better part of an hour, the President addressed national and local reporters. He took aim at Republicans for obstructing the progress of the small business aid bill, and praised the business owners he'd met with for pursuing their dreams in the face of adversity, particularly a tough economy.
"When you listen to these three business owners and you talk to small business owners across the country, it’s clear that we’ve got to do more," the President said, after reflecting on some of the benefits provided by ARRA.
"And that’s why I’m urging the Senate once again to approve a jobs bill that will do two big things for small businesses: cut more taxes and make available more loans. That’s what folks like the three people standing behind me say would be helpful. That’s what I’ve heard from small business owners across America."
"The bottom line is this: America’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our communities," the President declared. "The folks who own them work hard, meet their responsibilities — as Gillian pointed out, nobody here is getting too fat and happy; everybody here is operating on very lean margins, and they are constantly thinking about their employees and their obligations and responsibilities to them. So in the same way that they’re looking out for their employees, we need to be looking out for these small businesses."
The President did not take questions after concluding his remarks due to his tight schedule. He left Pioneer Square not long after noon, arriving at The Westin at 12:40 PM, to address a packed fundraising luncheon for Patty Murray, attend mostly by state's Democratic establishment. The cheapest tickets were sold for $500, and many wealthy Democrats paid much more.
"It is good to be in Washington!" the President declared after stepping to the podium. "Seattle just looks terrific. I just want to go take a stroll. But Secret Service said no," he said to laughter.
"As I look out on the crowd, I see a lot of people who helped so much during the course of the campaign," he continued. "You were with us when we were up and you were with us when we were down. But you always were there, understanding that we were at a critical point in our history and we needed to make some fundamental changes in order to deliver that promise to the next generation."
"And so, to everybody here who supported me during my campaign and helped me become the President, thank you so much for your outstanding efforts."
Turning his attention to our senior senator, the President reflected, "When I was in the Senate, I sat next to Patty on the Veterans Affairs Committee. And I can tell you there is no fiercer advocate for our veterans than Patty Murray. Nobody. Whether it was keeping three VA hospitals open here in Washington, or helping a World War II veteran break through the bureaucracy so he could receive his Purple Heart, no problem is too big, no problem is too small for Patty to fight for you."
Demonstrating his respect for the Democratic Party's nominating process, the President added, "I want everybody to understand I’m asking you to cast a primary vote today — I know she is unopposed, but it doesn’t hurt to practice."
(Murray, of course, does have token opposition on the actual ballot, but the President is correct in that she has no rival within the Democratic Party).
Later on, mocking Republicans, Obama joked, "You remember our slogan during the campaign, Yes, we can? Their slogan is, No, we can’t.No, we can’t. That’s really inspiring. This vision they have for the future... gives you a little pep in your step when you hear it."
Obama referred to Dino Rossi only once during his speech, and not by name. It was towards the end, after the President had did his standard bits about refusing to make decisions based on polling, and using the analogy of a car stuck in a ditch to describe America during the Bush error.
Sounding amazed (and repulsed at the same time), the President said, "They voted en masse against Wall Street reform — and now Patty Murray’s opponent has earned the distinction of being the first candidate in the country to call for repeal of Wall Street reform. Think about this. He wants to go back to the old rules and the lack of oversight that caused the worst crisis since the Great Depression. That is — don't you think that's strange?" Laughter filled the room.
After concluding his remarks at 1:34 PM, the President headed back out to his motorcade, which swept up Olive Way, guarded by an army of police motorcycles. Obama arrived at RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser's home in Madrona at about 1:40 PM. He stayed for approximately an hour and twenty minutes, speaking to a group of about sixty people with Lake Washington as his backdrop.
He covered a lot of ground, repeating much of what he said at The Westin.
But he also sounded some different notes.
"It’s an unbelievable privilege to be President," Obama said. "In fact, this is the time when you want to be President, because we are at one of these inflection points in our history, where, after for decades putting off tough challenges, for decades not addressing problems that were structural in our economy, in how we are training our young people for the 21st century economy, we now have the necessity to step up and do right not just for the next election, but for the next generation."
The President cited Patty's leadership in securing fiscal aid for states to avert teacher layoffs and protect Medicaid coverage.
"If it hadn’t been for Patty, states like Washington would have had to lay off tens of thousands of teachers and firefighters and police officers. Because of Patty, we were able to get help that states and local governments needed."
"I’m also always sympathetic to Patty because she was always trying to catch the plane back home and when the votes went late, she’d be looking at her watch and thinking, 'Well, that one just left, and there’s one more, and I've got ten minutes, and [Republican Senator] Jim DeMint is talking.'"
He concluded his remarks by saying, "If you stay with us, if you’re willing to see this thing through, I’m confident that we’re going to be able to look back, despite all the ups and all the downs, we’re going to be able to look back and say that what we did mattered; that this was a moment that counted; and that you were standing there to be counted at that critical moment in this country’s history."
Initial estimates are that Murray's campaign and the state party raised a combined $1.3 million. A good percentage of that will doubtless be spent on consultants, cycling the money back through the state's Democratic establishment.
The President departed Madrona at three o'clock in the afternoon for an uneventful trip back to Boeing Field, arriving exactly a half hour later.
Air Force One took off at 3:40 PM for Columbus, Ohio, ending the Commander in Chief's first official visit to the Evergreen State.
Air Force One touched down at Boeing Field at eleven o'clock this morning, making two turns before coming to a halt on the tarmac.
Moments after the Lift-a-Loft was wheeled over to the door, the President himself appeared, to cheers and whistling, accompanied by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, also our immediate past governor. The President and Secretary Locke were greeted by Senator Murray, Congressmen McDermott and Dicks, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.
Before getting into his armored Chevrolet Suburban, the President walked over to the viewing area and shook hands over the barrier, taking his time to greet everybody. He was upbeat and cheery, to the delight of the fifty or so people gathered to welcome him to the Emerald City. A few minutes later, the motorcade was ready to leave, and sped away from Boeing Field to Pioneer Square.
There, the President stopped for lunch and held a roundtable with Gillian Allen-White of Grand Central Bakery, Tiffany and Brady Turner of the Inn at Discovery Coast, and Joe Fugere of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria. He bought a turkey sandwich and a locally-grown salad with a sweet treat for the road, after assuring the cashiers (Andrea and Rachel) that it would not be appropriate for him not to pay.
"You gotta ring me up," he said with a laugh.
After meeting privately for the better part of an hour, the President addressed national and local reporters. He took aim at Republicans for obstructing the progress of the small business aid bill, and praised the business owners he'd met with for pursuing their dreams in the face of adversity, particularly a tough economy.
"When you listen to these three business owners and you talk to small business owners across the country, it’s clear that we’ve got to do more," the President said, after reflecting on some of the benefits provided by ARRA.
"And that’s why I’m urging the Senate once again to approve a jobs bill that will do two big things for small businesses: cut more taxes and make available more loans. That’s what folks like the three people standing behind me say would be helpful. That’s what I’ve heard from small business owners across America."
"The bottom line is this: America’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our communities," the President declared. "The folks who own them work hard, meet their responsibilities — as Gillian pointed out, nobody here is getting too fat and happy; everybody here is operating on very lean margins, and they are constantly thinking about their employees and their obligations and responsibilities to them. So in the same way that they’re looking out for their employees, we need to be looking out for these small businesses."
The President did not take questions after concluding his remarks due to his tight schedule. He left Pioneer Square not long after noon, arriving at The Westin at 12:40 PM, to address a packed fundraising luncheon for Patty Murray, attend mostly by state's Democratic establishment. The cheapest tickets were sold for $500, and many wealthy Democrats paid much more.
"It is good to be in Washington!" the President declared after stepping to the podium. "Seattle just looks terrific. I just want to go take a stroll. But Secret Service said no," he said to laughter.
"As I look out on the crowd, I see a lot of people who helped so much during the course of the campaign," he continued. "You were with us when we were up and you were with us when we were down. But you always were there, understanding that we were at a critical point in our history and we needed to make some fundamental changes in order to deliver that promise to the next generation."
"And so, to everybody here who supported me during my campaign and helped me become the President, thank you so much for your outstanding efforts."
Turning his attention to our senior senator, the President reflected, "When I was in the Senate, I sat next to Patty on the Veterans Affairs Committee. And I can tell you there is no fiercer advocate for our veterans than Patty Murray. Nobody. Whether it was keeping three VA hospitals open here in Washington, or helping a World War II veteran break through the bureaucracy so he could receive his Purple Heart, no problem is too big, no problem is too small for Patty to fight for you."
Demonstrating his respect for the Democratic Party's nominating process, the President added, "I want everybody to understand I’m asking you to cast a primary vote today — I know she is unopposed, but it doesn’t hurt to practice."
(Murray, of course, does have token opposition on the actual ballot, but the President is correct in that she has no rival within the Democratic Party).
Later on, mocking Republicans, Obama joked, "You remember our slogan during the campaign, Yes, we can? Their slogan is, No, we can’t.No, we can’t. That’s really inspiring. This vision they have for the future... gives you a little pep in your step when you hear it."
Obama referred to Dino Rossi only once during his speech, and not by name. It was towards the end, after the President had did his standard bits about refusing to make decisions based on polling, and using the analogy of a car stuck in a ditch to describe America during the Bush error.
Sounding amazed (and repulsed at the same time), the President said, "They voted en masse against Wall Street reform — and now Patty Murray’s opponent has earned the distinction of being the first candidate in the country to call for repeal of Wall Street reform. Think about this. He wants to go back to the old rules and the lack of oversight that caused the worst crisis since the Great Depression. That is — don't you think that's strange?" Laughter filled the room.
After concluding his remarks at 1:34 PM, the President headed back out to his motorcade, which swept up Olive Way, guarded by an army of police motorcycles. Obama arrived at RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser's home in Madrona at about 1:40 PM. He stayed for approximately an hour and twenty minutes, speaking to a group of about sixty people with Lake Washington as his backdrop.
He covered a lot of ground, repeating much of what he said at The Westin.
But he also sounded some different notes.
"It’s an unbelievable privilege to be President," Obama said. "In fact, this is the time when you want to be President, because we are at one of these inflection points in our history, where, after for decades putting off tough challenges, for decades not addressing problems that were structural in our economy, in how we are training our young people for the 21st century economy, we now have the necessity to step up and do right not just for the next election, but for the next generation."
The President cited Patty's leadership in securing fiscal aid for states to avert teacher layoffs and protect Medicaid coverage.
"If it hadn’t been for Patty, states like Washington would have had to lay off tens of thousands of teachers and firefighters and police officers. Because of Patty, we were able to get help that states and local governments needed."
"I’m also always sympathetic to Patty because she was always trying to catch the plane back home and when the votes went late, she’d be looking at her watch and thinking, 'Well, that one just left, and there’s one more, and I've got ten minutes, and [Republican Senator] Jim DeMint is talking.'"
He concluded his remarks by saying, "If you stay with us, if you’re willing to see this thing through, I’m confident that we’re going to be able to look back, despite all the ups and all the downs, we’re going to be able to look back and say that what we did mattered; that this was a moment that counted; and that you were standing there to be counted at that critical moment in this country’s history."
Initial estimates are that Murray's campaign and the state party raised a combined $1.3 million. A good percentage of that will doubtless be spent on consultants, cycling the money back through the state's Democratic establishment.
The President departed Madrona at three o'clock in the afternoon for an uneventful trip back to Boeing Field, arriving exactly a half hour later.
Air Force One took off at 3:40 PM for Columbus, Ohio, ending the Commander in Chief's first official visit to the Evergreen State.
# Posted by Andrew : 3:26 PM
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