English subtitles for clip: File:President Obama Pardons the National Turkey 2014.webm

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,040
The President:
Good afternoon,

2
00:00:02,035 --> 00:00:03,705
everybody.

3
00:00:03,703 --> 00:00:06,703
Please have a seat.

4
00:00:06,706 --> 00:00:07,976
Normally we do this outside.

5
00:00:07,974 --> 00:00:10,844
The weather is not
cooperating today.

6
00:00:10,844 --> 00:00:16,284
But I want to, first of all,
on behalf of Malia and Sasha,

7
00:00:16,282 --> 00:00:19,922
wish everybody an early
Happy Thanksgiving.

8
00:00:19,919 --> 00:00:22,359
I am here to announce what
I'm sure will be

9
00:00:22,355 --> 00:00:26,525
the most talked-about
executive action this month.

10
00:00:26,526 --> 00:00:28,296
(Laughter) Today,

11
00:00:28,294 --> 00:00:32,534
I'm taking an action fully
within my legal authority

12
00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:34,972
-- (Laughter) -- the
same kind of action taken

13
00:00:34,968 --> 00:00:39,038
by Democrats and Republican
presidents before me --

14
00:00:39,038 --> 00:00:46,078
to spare the lives of two
turkeys, Mac and Cheese,

15
00:00:46,079 --> 00:00:48,249
from a terrible
and delicious fate.

16
00:00:48,248 --> 00:00:50,388
(Laughter)

17
00:00:50,383 --> 00:00:53,253
I want to thank Joel Brandenberger,

18
00:00:53,253 --> 00:00:56,653
the President of the National
Turkey Federation; Gary Cooper,

19
00:00:56,656 --> 00:00:59,196
its chairman; and
his son Cole Cooper,

20
00:00:59,192 --> 00:01:01,362
who personally raised
Mac and Cheese.

21
00:01:01,361 --> 00:01:03,801
Give them a big
round of applause.

22
00:01:03,797 --> 00:01:04,867
(Applause) 

23
00:01:04,864 --> 00:01:12,444
Cole is keeping a
pretty careful eye

24
00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:13,339
there on Cheese.

25
00:01:13,339 --> 00:01:13,969
(Laughter)

26
00:01:13,973 --> 00:01:17,213
Uh-oh, he's getting
pretty excited about this.

27
00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:19,850
Thanks to all those who
voted online to pick

28
00:01:19,846 --> 00:01:22,946
the official National Thanksgiving Turkey.

29
00:01:22,949 --> 00:01:25,549
Cheese wants you to
know that he won.

30
00:01:25,552 --> 00:01:26,552
(Laughter)

31
00:01:26,553 --> 00:01:32,963
Mac, the alternate,
is not so badly off either.

32
00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,699
Let's face it --
if you're a turkey,

33
00:01:35,695 --> 00:01:37,835
and you're named after a side
dish

34
00:01:37,831 --> 00:01:39,301
-- (Laughter) --

35
00:01:39,299 --> 00:01:43,539
your chances of escaping
Thanksgiving dinner

36
00:01:43,536 --> 00:01:44,136
are pretty low.

37
00:01:44,137 --> 00:01:47,207
So these guys are well
ahead of the curve.

38
00:01:47,207 --> 00:01:50,807
They really beat the odds.

39
00:01:50,810 --> 00:01:51,510
It is important
to know

40
00:01:51,511 --> 00:01:54,911
that turkeys have always
had powerful allies.

41
00:01:54,914 --> 00:01:57,484
Many of you know that
Benjamin Franklin once wrote,

42
00:01:57,484 --> 00:01:59,724
"I wish the bald eagle
had not been chosen

43
00:01:59,719 --> 00:02:01,719
as the representative
of our country.

44
00:02:01,721 --> 00:02:05,561
He is a bird of bad moral
character...the turkey is,

45
00:02:05,558 --> 00:02:08,098
in comparison, a much
more respectable bird."

46
00:02:08,094 --> 00:02:09,334
(Laughter)

47
00:02:09,329 --> 00:02:10,429
I think these
two turkeys

48
00:02:10,430 --> 00:02:12,470
would agree with
Mr. Franklin.

49
00:02:12,465 --> 00:02:15,735
And they'll get to live out the
rest of their days, respectably,

50
00:02:15,735 --> 00:02:20,775
at a Virginia estate with 10,000
\{sic\} acres of roaming space.

51
00:02:20,773 --> 00:02:23,773
I know some will
call this amnesty

52
00:02:23,776 --> 00:02:26,246
-- (Laughter) --

53
00:02:26,246 --> 00:02:28,846
but don't worry, there's plenty
of turkey to go around.

54
00:02:28,848 --> 00:02:31,148
(Laughter)

55
00:02:31,150 --> 00:02:33,550
In fact, later
this afternoon, Michelle,

56
00:02:33,553 --> 00:02:36,453
Malia and Sasha and I will take
two turkeys that didn't make

57
00:02:36,456 --> 00:02:40,696
the cut to a local food pantry
that works hard year-round

58
00:02:40,693 --> 00:02:43,433
to make sure that folks in our
Nation's Capital

59
00:02:43,429 --> 00:02:47,029
have food to eat and
clothes to wear.

60
00:02:47,033 --> 00:02:51,103
I want to thank Jaindl Turkey
Farm in Pennsylvania for

61
00:02:51,104 --> 00:02:54,274
donating once again those
birds for -- it's, in fact,

62
00:02:54,274 --> 00:02:57,514
been six years in a row that
they've made these contributions

63
00:02:57,510 --> 00:03:00,580
-- and for making Thanksgiving
dinner possible for some of our

64
00:03:00,580 --> 00:03:02,680
fellow Americans.

65
00:03:02,682 --> 00:03:05,752
Finally, The Washington Post
recently questioned the wisdom

66
00:03:05,752 --> 00:03:09,892
of the whole turkey
pardon tradition.

67
00:03:09,889 --> 00:03:13,229
"Typically on the day before
Thanksgiving," the story went,

68
00:03:13,226 --> 00:03:16,496
"the man who makes decisions
about wars, virus outbreaks,

69
00:03:16,496 --> 00:03:19,296
terrorism cells and other
dire matters of state,

70
00:03:19,299 --> 00:03:23,999
chooses to pardon a single
turkey ... plus an alternate.

71
00:03:24,003 --> 00:03:25,773
" Tell me about it.

72
00:03:25,772 --> 00:03:32,642
It is a little puzzling
that I do this every year.

73
00:03:32,645 --> 00:03:39,215
(Laughter) But I will say that
I enjoy it because

74
00:03:39,218 --> 00:03:43,688
with all the tough stuff that
swirls around in this office,

75
00:03:43,690 --> 00:03:48,290
it's nice once in a while just
to say: Happy Thanksgiving.

76
00:03:48,294 --> 00:03:51,934
And this is a great
excuse to do it.

77
00:03:51,931 --> 00:03:54,831
Tomorrow is a pretty special
moment when we give thanks for

78
00:03:54,834 --> 00:03:59,204
the people we love, and where
we're mindful of the incredible

79
00:03:59,205 --> 00:04:01,475
blessings that we
have received.

80
00:04:01,474 --> 00:04:05,114
We remember the folks who can't
spend their holiday at home,

81
00:04:05,111 --> 00:04:07,381
especially the brave men and
women in uniform

82
00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:10,820
who help keep our
country secure.

83
00:04:10,817 --> 00:04:12,987
And we celebrate a
holiday that, at its best,

84
00:04:12,986 --> 00:04:16,156
is about what makes this
nation great -- and that's its

85
00:04:16,155 --> 00:04:18,825
generosity and
its openness, and,

86
00:04:18,825 --> 00:04:22,625
as President Franklin Roosevelt
once said, our commitment,

87
00:04:22,629 --> 00:04:26,929
"to make a country in
which no one is left out."

88
00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:30,103
Now, because I know everyone
wants to get out of town,

89
00:04:30,103 --> 00:04:31,973
Mac and Cheese included

90
00:04:31,971 --> 00:04:32,971
-- (Laughter) --

91
00:04:32,972 --> 00:04:35,772
it is time for me to engage in the official act.

92
00:04:35,775 --> 00:04:42,015
So let's see what we
can do here with Cheese.

93
00:04:42,015 --> 00:04:43,385
Come on, girls.

94
00:04:43,383 --> 00:04:47,923
(Laughter)

95
00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:55,500
All right, are we ready?

96
00:04:55,495 --> 00:05:00,095
Cheese, you are
hereby pardoned

97
00:05:00,099 --> 00:05:03,069
from the Thanksgiving
dinner table.

98
00:05:02,702 --> 00:05:03,672
(Laughter)

99
00:05:03,670 --> 00:05:04,240
Congratulations.

100
00:05:04,237 --> 00:05:12,177
(Applause)

101
00:05:12,178 --> 00:05:13,208
He looks pretty
happy about it.

102
00:05:13,212 --> 00:05:16,252
(Laughter)

103
00:05:16,249 --> 00:05:19,119
All right, if you
want to take Cheese down,

104
00:05:19,118 --> 00:05:19,388
that's okay.

105
00:05:19,385 --> 00:05:24,955
(Laughter)

106
00:05:24,957 --> 00:05:27,697
I will tell you, though,

107
00:05:27,694 --> 00:05:29,264
turkeys don't have the
best-looking heads.

108
00:05:29,262 --> 00:05:31,902
(Laughter)

109
00:05:31,898 --> 00:05:33,068
You know what I'm saying?

110
00:05:33,066 --> 00:05:35,006
You think they're beautiful?

111
00:05:35,001 --> 00:05:35,371
Mr. Cooper:
I think

112
00:05:35,368 --> 00:05:41,238
they're beautiful -- they're red, white and blue --

113
00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:42,910
The President:
There's a patriotism

114
00:05:42,909 --> 00:05:43,509
element to it.

115
00:05:43,509 --> 00:05:44,649
(Laughter)

116
00:05:44,644 --> 00:05:45,974
Absolutely.

117
00:05:45,978 --> 00:05:46,408
(To Malia and Sasha) --

118
00:05:46,412 --> 00:05:47,212
Do you want to pet him?

119
00:05:47,213 --> 00:05:47,843
Malia:
No.

120
00:05:47,847 --> 00:05:51,147
(Laughter)

121
00:05:51,150 --> 00:05:56,760
The President:
Thank you.

122
00:05:56,756 --> 00:05:57,226
Good to see you.

123
00:05:57,223 --> 00:05:58,493
Appreciate you.

124
00:05:58,491 --> 00:05:59,221
Thank you, everybody.

125
00:05:59,225 --> 00:06:00,025
Happy Thanksgiving.

126
00:06:00,026 --> 00:06:01,526
(Applause)