English subtitles for clip: File:West Wing Week- 12-23-11 or "-40dollars".webm

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Speaker:
It's West Wing Week!

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Narrator:
Welcome to the West Wing Week,
your guide to everything that's

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happening at 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue.

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With the holidays in full swing
and the countdown clock ticking

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away, the President continued
to press for the extension of

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the payroll tax cut for 160
million working Americans,

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and unemployment insurance
benefits for millions of

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others looking for work.

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The President urged House
Republicans to put aside their

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political games and pass
the bill that's garnered

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overwhelming bipartisan support
in the United States Senate.

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That's December 16th to
December 22nd, or "#40dollars."

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On Friday, the President
traveled to National Harbor,

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in Maryland, to address the 71st
general assembly of the Union

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for Reform Judaism, and spoke
of his vision of economic

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prosperity at this make
or break moment for the

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American middle class.

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President Obama:
This is not just
a political debate.

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It's a moral debate.

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It's an ethical debate.

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It's a values debate.

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It's the defining
issue of our time.

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It is a make or break moment for
the middle class and for all

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those who are fighting to
get into the middle class.

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Narrator:
On Saturday, the President spoke
to the White House Press Corps

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about the need for the
immediate passage of the

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proposed two-month extension of
the payroll tax cut to avoid a

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devastating tax hike on 160
million working Americans

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on January 1st.

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President Obama:
At a time when so many Americans
are working harder and harder

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just to keep up, the extra
thousand dollars or so that

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the average family would get
from this tax cut makes a real

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difference when you're trying to
buy groceries or pay the bills,

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make a mortgage,
or make a repair.

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Narrator:
On Monday, with the countdown
clock ticking on WhiteHouse.gov,

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the President and his
administration continued

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to press for the immediate
passage of the extension of

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the payroll tax cut that
would stop a tax increase

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on 160 million Americans.

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Press Secretary Jay Carney:
Let's not forget here what
the substantive consequence

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of a failure to act would mean.

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There are economists out there
who say that if we do not extend

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the payroll tax cut, if we
do not extend unemployment

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insurance, it increases the
possibility of a recession

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or increases the possibility
of very slow economic growth.

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Narrator:
On Tuesday, the President and
the Vice President welcomed the

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last troops home from Iraq
with a historic ceremony at

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Joint Base Andrews, and the
return of the United States

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forces Iraq colors.

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♪♪ (Star-Spangled Banner) ♪♪

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With the last of the
troops coming home,

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the President marks his promise
kept of ending the war in Iraq.

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Military Family Member:
Long time, no see.

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Military Family Member:
That's the one I want; a hug.

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Narrator:
The President then once again
urged House Republicans not to

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allow taxes to go up on
160 million Americans.

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President Obama:
I saw today that one of the
House Republicans referred

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to what they're doing as,
quote, high stakes poker.

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He's right about the stakes,
but this is not poker.

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This is not a game.

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This shouldn't be
politics as usual.

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Narrator:
On Wednesday, WhiteHouse.gov
was flooded with more than

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30,000 submissions,
and counting,

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answering the question posed by
the White House Twitter account

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on Tuesday afternoon, "what
does $40 mean to you"?

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#40dollars has trended worldwide
and a random selection of 100

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people who submitted their
stories were invited to a

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conference call with
Brian Deese from the

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National Economic Council.

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The President also got out of
the house for some holiday

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shopping that day, with stops
at Best Buy for gifts for his

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daughters, and Pet Smart where
Bo didn't seem to notice that

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the gifts might be for him.

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So many aromas, so little time.

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President Obama:
Alrighty. All right. I'm ready.

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This is his holiday bone.

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These are my friends. We
were shopping together.

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Cheese!

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Where's my pizza at?

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Narrator:
Then the President stopped
in at Del Ray Pizzeria to

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pick up some pies
on the way home.

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On Thursday, the President once
again spoke to White House

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reporters urging House
Republicans to support a

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bipartisan plan to keep
taxes from going up.

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The President stood alongside
people who said a tax increase

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would have a tangible impact
on their family budget.

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(applause)

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To find out more information
on any of these topics or to

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see complete videos of these
events, go to WhiteHouse.gov,

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and thanks again for checking
out your West Wing Week.

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Toddler:
Bye-bye.

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President Obama:
Bye-bye.

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Mother:
Do you know who that is?

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Toddler:
President.

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President Obama:
That's right.