English subtitles for clip: File:2013-03-09 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv

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The President:
Hi, everybody.

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As I've said before, my top
priority as President is making

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sure we do everything we can
to reignite the true engine of

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America's economic growth -- a
rising, thriving middle class.

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Yesterday, we received some
welcome news on that front.

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We learned that our businesses
added nearly 250,000 new

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jobs last month.

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The unemployment
rate fell to 7.7% --

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still too high, but now lower
than it was when I took office.

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Our businesses have created
jobs every month for three years

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straight -- nearly 6.4
million new jobs in all.

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Our manufacturers are
bringing jobs back to America.

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Our stock market has rebounded.

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New homes are being built
and sold at a faster pace.

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And we need to do everything we
can to keep that momentum going.

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That means asking ourselves
three questions every day:

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How do we make America
a magnet for new jobs?

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How do we equip more of our
people with the skills those

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jobs require?

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And how do we make sure that
your hard work leads to a

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decent living?

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That has to be our driving
focus -- our North Star.

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And at a time when our
businesses are gaining a little

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more traction, the last thing
we should do is allow Washington

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politics to get in the way.

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You deserve better than the same
political gridlock and refusal

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to compromise that has too often
passed for serious debate over

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the last few years.

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That's why I've been reaching
out to Republicans and Democrats

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to see if we can untangle
some of the gridlock.

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Earlier this week, for example,
I met with some Republican

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Senators to see if there were
smarter ways to grow our economy

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and reduce our deficits than the
arbitrary cuts and the so-called

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"sequester" that
recently went into place.

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We had an open and honest
conversation about critical

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issues like immigration
reform and gun violence,

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and other areas where we can
work together to move this

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country forward.

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And next week, I'll attend both
the Democratic and Republican

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party meetings in the Capitol
to continue those discussions.

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The fact is, America is a
nation of different beliefs and

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different points of view.

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That's part of what makes
us strong, and frankly,

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makes our democratic debates
sometimes messy and a lot of

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times, pretty frustrating.

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But ultimately what makes us
special is when we summon the

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ability to see past
those differences,

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and come together around the
belief that what binds us

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together will always be more
powerful than what drives

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us apart.

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As Democrats and Republicans, we
may disagree on the best way to

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achieve our goals, but I'm
confident we can agree on what

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those goals should be.

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A strong and vibrant
middle class.

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An economy that allows
businesses to grow and thrive.

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An education system that gives
more Americans the skills they

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need to compete for
the jobs of the future.

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An immigration system that
actually works for families

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and businesses.

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Stronger communities and safer
streets for our children.

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Making progress on these
issues won't be easy.

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In the months ahead, there will
be more contentious debate and

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honest disagreement between
principled people who want

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what's best for this country.

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But I still believe that
compromise is possible.

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I still believe we can come
together to do big things.

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And I know there are leaders on
the other side of the aisle who

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share that belief.

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So I'll keep fighting to solve
the real challenges facing

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middle-class families.

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And I'll enlist anyone
who is willing to help.

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That's what this
country needs now --

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and that's what you deserve.

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Thanks so much.