SAN JOSE, Calif. -- President Obama is not here for Netroots Nation, the largest gathering of liberal activists in the country, but he did address the some 3,000-plus activists in a video Thursday night.
“We won’t always agree on everything, and I know you’ll tell me when we don’t,” Obama says in the 4-minute, 47-second video, “but if we work together, then I’m confident we’ll keep moving this country forward, so thanks.”
The video begins with Obama harkening back to the campaign.
“Around this time last year, we were laying out a very important choice for the American people,” Obama says. “A choice about what direction we should take as a country. And thanks to your hard work, we’re seeing the results of that choice.”
He goes on to tout:
- Elements of the economy that have improved
- Home prices
- Getting Republicans to vote for a tax increase for the first time since 1990
- Green energy subsidies in the fiscal-cliff deal
- Renewal of Violence Against Women’s Act despite Republican opposition, and
- Supporting same-sex marriage in California.
“We’ve done all these things together, but we’ve got more work to do,” Obama says, “because for all the progress we’ve made, too many middle class families still aren’t seeing their hard work rewarded. That’s why our goal has to be rebuilding the true engine of America’s economic growth – a rising, thriving Middle Class. We need to help businesses create more jobs and put people back to work. We need to give every child in America access to high quality preschool, protect them from gun violence and make sure our classrooms have access to the fastest internet and most cutting-edge tools. “
He pushes for immigration reform.
“We need to reform our immigration system,” he says, “in a way that strengthens our borders, rewards those who play by the rules, penalizes those who don’t, and allows us to continue to attract the best and the brightest from around the world, and we need to make sure hard work pays off with wages you can live on and raise a family on.”
He notes that the health-care law has to be implemented, boasts that Republicans will regret not voting for it the way some do for Social Security and Medicare, and he asks for help in messaging on it from the activists.
“We also need to implement the Affordable Care Act as effectively as possible,” the president says. “Already we’ve seen Republicans try almost 40 times to repeal the law so many of you worked so hard to pass. But if we stay focused, by next year, tens of millions of Americans will have access to better, more affordable health care. And decades from now, Republicans will regret opposing the Affordable Care Act just like some did for Social Security and Medicare.
“And that’s why we need to you to help more Americans understand what this law means for them, to push back against the lies and misinformation and to tell people why it’s important to sign up if they don’t have health insurance. On all these issues, I’ll do everything in my power to keep making progress. But I can’t do it alone. I need you to put pressure on members of Congress and make your voices heard just like you’ve always done.”