Pool Report/Transcript of Obama's NEA Speech

Pool report, Butte, Montana, July 5, 2008

Sen. Obama on Saturday morning spoke live via satellite to a National
Education Association convention in Washington D.C. He gave the speech
from a room on the ground floor of his hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in
Butte, Montana. Arrayed behind him were about 20 NEA members and
children, who nodded and applauded throughout.
Obama delivered a prepared speech, using a Teleprompter. Ms. Psaki says
you'll all be getting a copy, so I won't transcribe it.
He extemporized at the beginning about his trip to Montana.
"Thank you. Thank you everybody. Thank you. Well, thank you everybody.
Thank you. I am so sorry that I can't join all of you in D.C. in person
today, but I'm in Butte, Montana with some of my closest friends here in
Montana -- NEA members here in Montana. We decided this was the place to
spend the fourth of July -- and let me tell you this is a great place to
spend the fourth of July -- as well as my 10 year old daughter Malia's
birthday. Everybody has been so gracious here. And the reason we're
here and not D.C. is because we're hunting for votes here in formerly
red states here in Montana, and we're going to win Montana just like
we're going to win the general election.''

Before the speech, Obama greeted the NEA members with handshakes.
He took his seat in the center and made small talk with the group as he
waited for his cue.
"So did you have fun yesterday?'' he asked.
Yes.
"How about you?'' a woman asked.
"I had a great time, a wonderful time,'' he said.
A crew member asked one person to take out the gum.
Obama: "That happens to me all the time.''
He got a laugh, telling the crowd: "OK, now, no rabbit ears behind me.''
A woman countered: "I'll give you a massage.''
Obama: "That sounds good.'' He laughed.
A makeup person applied powder to his forehead.
Obama: "This is what's called taking the shine off.''
After a bit more banter, a woman said: "Thanks for coming to Montana.''
Obama: "We've had such a great time here. Everyone was so nice to my
daughter. She really appreciated it.''
[Malia turned 10 on July 4th]
Obama: "I've just got to learn fly fishing.''
He made a casting motion.
"10-to-2. You see? I've been learning. It's easier without the rod.''
The group laughed.

________

Speech to the 146th Annual Meeting and 87th Representative Assembly of
the NEA
Senator Barack Obama
July 5, 2008
As Delivered

Thank you everybody, thank you. I am so sorry that I can't join all of
you in D.C. in person today but I am in Butte, MT with some of my
closest friends here in MT. NEA members here in Montana. you know we
decided this was the place to spend the fourth of July and let me tell
you, this is a great place to spend the fourth of July as well as my 10
year old daughter Malia's birthday. Everyone has been so gracious here
and the reason why here and not D.C. is because we are hunting for votes
in formerly red state Montana. And we are going to win Montana just like
we are going to win the general election. But we are all there in spirit
and I want to thank you for letting me say a few words. First and
foremost I am honored to have your endorsement. I want to thank you all
for your support. Thank you. I want to thank you and I want to tell you
how much I appreciate the commitment you are making to help us win in
November. I also want to thank your president, my constituent and my
dear friend from Illinois Reg Weaver. Reg we are all grateful, Reg we
are all grateful for your steady leadership, your tireless efforts to
guarantee our students their fundamental right for quality education.
You are always welcome back home in Chicago and I want to thank my great
friend Ken Swanson, the president of Illinois education association and
all my allies from Illinois with whom I have worked so closely for so
long. And I also want to say congratulations to your incoming president
Dennis Vanrokel. I look forward to working with you and the national
education association in the years to come. Over the course of this
campaign I had the opportunity to visit schools all across the country.
I see the serious challenges facing our educators and our students. I
have also seen examples of what is possible in education. If we are
willing to break free from the tired thinking and political stalemate
that has doomed Washington in recent decades. To try new ideas and new
reforms based not on ideology but on what works to give our children the
best possible chance in life. That this defining moment in our history
they have never needed that chance more. In a world where good jobs can
be located anywhere there is an internet connection. Where a child in
Chicago competes with children in Beijing and Bangalore. The most
valuable skill you can sell lis your knowledge. In this kind of economy,
countries that out educate us today will out compete us tomorrow. By
twelth grade our children score lower on math and science tests than
most other children in the world. We have one of the highest high school
dropout rates of any industrial nation. But we don't have to accept this
future for America. We don't have to accept an America where we do
nothing about 6 million students who are reading below grade level. Or
only where 20% of our students are prepared to take college level
literature class and English, math and science. This kind of America is
morally unacceptable to our children, it is economically un(inaudible)
and it is not who we are as a nation. And I am running for president of
the United States to guarantee that every child has the best possible
chance in life. I am tired of hearing teachers blamed for our problems.
I want to lead a new era of mutual responsibility in education. One
where we all come together, parents and educators and the NEA and the
leaders in Washington, citizens all across America united for the sake
of our children's success. Bringing about that future begins with fixing
the broken promises of No Child Left Behind. I got some applause here on
that. Now I believe that the goals of this laws, or the rights, making
the promise to educate every child with an excellent teacher is right.
Closing the achievement gap that exists in too many cities and rural
areas is right. More accountability is right. Higher standards are
right. But forcing our educators, our principles and our schools to
accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong.
Promises high quality teachers in every classroom and then leaving the
support and the pay for those teachers behind is wrong. Forcing our
teachers to spend their time teaching to a tes at the expense of music
and art and the 21st century skills needed in order to compete in this
world, that's wrong. Labeling a school and it's students failures one
day and abandoning them the next, that's wrong. So we must fix the
failures of no child left behind. We must provide the funding that was
promised, give the staes the resources they need and finally fulfill our
commitment to special education. But let me be clear NEA opposing NCLB
alone is not an education policy, it is just a starting point. We have
more work to do, and John McCain is an honorable man and I respect his
service to this country. But the fact is he wont even get us to that
starting point. Someone who has been in Washington for 30 years he's got
a pretty slim record on education and when he has taken a stand it has
been the wrong one. He voted against increased funding for NCLB to
preserve billions in tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Tax breaks
he now wants to extend without saying how he will pay for it. He voted
against funding the hiring 100,000 new teacers, not once, not twice, but
four different times. He voted against increasing funds for head start
and Pell grants time and time again. He even applauded the idea of
abolishing the department of education. In fact the only proposal of his
seems to be recycling the tired rhetoric about vouchers and school
choice. Now I have been a proponent of public school choice throughout
my career, well designed public charter schools have a lot to offer and
I have actually helped passed legislation toexpand. But what I do oppose
is to use public money for private school vouchers. We need to work on
fixing and improving our public schools, not throwing our hands up and
walking away from them, that is my commitment when I am president of the
United States. And I believe that real change begins with the
understanding that from the moment our children step into the classroom
the single most important metric determining their achievement is not
the color of their skin or where they come from, It is not who their
parents are or how much money they have, it is who their teachers are.
It is the teachers and education support professionals in this room,
it's you. After all I am a parent of two young daughters, I know what
their teachers mean to them. My sister is a teacher, I know how hard she
works, you are the people who stay past the last bell, spend your own
money on books and supplies and go beyond the call of duty because you
believe that's what makes the extra difference and it does. That is why
we need to recruit a new generation of teachers and principles to
replace the generation that is retiring and those that are leaving. My
plan includes service scholarships to recruit top teachers and residency
programs to prepare them to serve in high needs schools. And because too
often undergraduate debt discourages our young people from choosing
education as a professional. I will make this pledge to all those who
sign up, if you commit your life to teaching, America will commit to
paying for your college education. And because students in education
professions shouldn't be forced to spend their time worrying about an
illness that might derail their dreams. My health care plan will
guarantee affordable health care to everybody who wants it. bring down
premiums for every family who needs it. Stop insurance companies from
discriminating and denying coverage for those who need it most. And when
our educators succeed I will not just talk about how great they are, I
will reward them for their greatness with better pay across the board
and more support. Under my plan districts will be able to design
programs to give educators who serve as mentors to new teachers the
salaries that they have earned. We will be able to reward those who
teach in under served areas, they take on that added responsibility. And
if teachers learn new skills that serve their students better or they
consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and
rewarded as well. In some places we have already seen that it is
possible to find new ways to increase teacher pay that are developed
with teachers, not imposed on teachers. Now I know this wasn't
necessarily the most popular part of my speech last year but I said it
then and I say it again today because that is what I believe, now I will
always be an honest partner to you in the white house. And finally we
all know there is no program and policy that can substitute for a parent
who is involved in their child's education from day one. To make sure
the child is in school on time. A parent who helps them with their
homework and attends those parent teachers conferences. Willing to turn
off the tv once in a while and put away the video games and read once in
a while. Responsibility for our childrens education has to start at
home. They have to set high standards for them and spend time with them
and love them. We have to hold ourselves accountable, not just our
schools, not just our teachers, but our parents, our community and our
president and that's the kind of leadership I want to provide when I am
in the white house. This is the commitment NEA that we have to make to
our children, this is the chance that they have to have. I will never
forget that the only reason I can address you today is because I was
given that same chance and so was my wife Michelle. Our parents were not
wealthy by any measure. My mother raised my sister and me on her own,
she had to go on food stamps at one point to make sure we were taken
care of. Michelle's father was a worker in a water filtration plant on
the southside of Chicago. He took care of his family on a single salary
even though he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at a young age. And
yet michelle and I both had the chance to receive a worldclass
education. My sister ended up becoming a teacher herself because she
understood the importance of education in our lives. That is the promise
of education in America that no matter what we look like or where we
come from or who our parents are each of us should have the opportunity
to live up to our God given potential. Each of us should have a chance
to achieve the American dream. that is why I am running for president
NEA, but I need your help to get there. I need all of you, every
teacher, every education professional who is putting in so much time, so
much effort, who's heart breaths for their kids, who is digging into
their own pockets to make sure they are getting the supplies that they
need, who is staying after hours and comparing lesson plans, and showing
up early. All of you who have devoted your lives to the next generation.
I need you and if you will stand with me over these next four months, if
you will march with me and knock on doors, and make phone calls and
register voters and talk to your friends and co-workers and neighbors
and if you vote for me then I promise you this, we will win here in
Montana, we will win the general election, we will change education in
this country and make you and I together we are going to bring about a
better future for our children and for this country we love. Thank you
so much NEA