Democratic Party of Georgia

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DPG Statement on President Obama’s Final State of the Union Address

Release:  Tuesday, January 12, 2016                                                                                              

 

Democratic Party of Georgia Statement on President Barack Obama’s Final State of the Union Address

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Today, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement on President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address.

 

“Tonight, we heard that the State of our Union is strong, due in large part to the leadership of President Barack Obama. Since the President took office in 2009, our country has seen 70 consecutive months of job growth—an extraordinary accomplishment for an administration that inherited a financial crisis of apocalyptic proportions.

 

“The Obama Administration has given our country record economic growth, the lowest uninsured rate in history, taken commonsense action on immigration that keeps families together—the accomplishments are countless.

 

“As the President said, there’s still much to be done. Our country must commit to building an economy that truly works for everyone, guided by our values of hope and opportunity for the middle class and those aspiring to join it. We need to do more as a community to ensure that every single American has a fair shot—a guiding principle that the President and our Party fight for every single day. A principle that the Georgia Republican Party has neglected and rejected.

 

“Georgia Democrats continue to support the ambitious and forward-thinking agenda President Obama laid out tonight. Looking ahead, our nation cannot afford what the GOP is offering—the same failed policies that got us in a mess in the first place. Georgia Democrats are more committed than ever to sending another Democrat to the White House to build on this administration’s extraordinary progress and continue to pursue the immeasurable promise of our shared future.

 

“This is President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address and we are grateful for his service and his leadership. He has lit a path forward, and together we will elect a Democratic President later this year who will honor his legacy while building one of her or his own.”

President Obama on Opportunity for All

 

From the White House:

 

Today, the President spoke at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse, reflecting on the great strides America has made in the past six years in economic reform. With over 64 months of private sector job growth and the lowest uninsured rate ever, the United States had made great progress in helping middle class families, but our work isn’t done.

 

President Obama’s Remarks on ACA Ruling

“We’re making progress.  We’re going to keep working to get more people covered.  I’m going to work as hard as I can to convince more governors and state legislatures to take advantage of the law, put politics aside, and expand Medicaid and cover their citizens.  We’ve still got states out there that, for political reasons, are not covering millions of people that they could be covering, despite the fact that the federal government is picking up the tab.”

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DPG Chair Issues Statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address

Release:  Tuesday, January 20, 2015                     

 

Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Issues Statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address

  

Dublin, GA – Today, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s State of the Union Address.

 

“Tonight’s address served as an excellent reminder as to why President Obama was twice chosen by the American people to lead this great country. From day one, his administration has put forth policies that grow the middle class, shrink deficits, fight poverty, and expand opportunity for all Americans. And in his own words, ‘the verdict is clear.’ These policies have worked.

 

“The GOP has been rooting for President Obama’s failure ever since he took office. And Republicans have been dead-wrong about this administration from the get go. We were told that if President Obama were reelected, unemployment would skyrocket. Yet, the national unemployment rate is at its lowest in six years. We were told the economy would worsen, yet 2014 was the best year for job growth since 1999 and the country has added 11.2 million jobs over the last 58 straight months. We were told we would see gas priced at $6.60 per gallon, yet the average price today is $2.14.

 

“While Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed budget robs 11,500 Georgia school workers of much needed health insurance, President Obama has expanded access to health care to millions of Americans and has now called for an extension of sick leave and family leave for families, reducing the hardship that can be caused by a sick child or a newborn.

 

“For our state’s sake, I pray that Nathan Deal and Georgia’s Republican leaders were listening to America’s President. Georgia Democrats support the President’s accomplishments and agenda. Middle class economics work, expanding opportunity works, and we are all better off when everyone has a fair shot.”

 

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DPG Chair Issues Statement on President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration

Release:  Friday, November 21, 2014         

 

Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Issues Statement on President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s address to the nation announcing his immigration executive action.

 

“Last night, the President—acting within legal authority—laid out decisive, commonsense measures to fix what we all know is a broken immigration system. Over the last half-century, each of his predecessors—Democrat and Republican—have used this legal authority to act on immigration.

 

“Congress has sat on its hands for too long, and it’s up to them to pass a comprehensive bi-partisan bill. But, we commend President Obama, who had the vision and fortitude to act for the betterment of us all—allowing those with a dream to hope again.

 

“President Obama’s actions are designed to ensure that everyone in this country plays by the same rules, stops tearing families apart, and brings hard-working people out of the shadows and into our workforce—allowing them to contribute to our economy and support their families.

 

“This isn’t a radical notion—the idea that if you come to America with your hopes and dreams, abide by our laws, and work as hard as you can, the possibilities are limitless. This notion is how our country has been shaped for hundreds of years, and this notion is why most of us live in this great nation today.

 

“For our country’s and state’s sake, I urge Republicans in Congress to work with the President to continue to make America the paragon of progress in the world once again.”

 

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BACKGROUND

 

The White House – Immigration Action

 

Three critical elements of the President’s executive actions are:

 

  • Cracking Down on Illegal Immigration at the Border: The President’s actions increase the chances that anyone attempting to cross the border illegally will be caught and sent back.  Continuing the surge of resources that effectively reduced the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border illegally this summer, the President’s actions will also centralize border security command-and-control to continue to crack down on illegal immigration. 

 

  • Deporting Felons, Not Families: The President’s actions focus on the deportation of people who threaten national security and public safety. He has directed immigration enforcement to place anyone suspected of terrorism, violent criminals, gang members, and recent border crossers at the top of the deportation priority list.

 

  • Accountability – Criminal Background Checks and Taxes: The President is also acting to hold accountable those undocumented immigrants who have lived in the US for more than five years and are parents of U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents.  By registering and passing criminal and national security background checks, millions of undocumented immigrants will start paying their fair share of taxes and temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation for three years at a time.