Aug 09 2010
Remarks by the President at a DNC Finance Event in Austin, Texas
Four Seasons Hotel Austin, Texas 12:55 P.M. CDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! (Applause.) Hello, Austin! Thank you so much. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Please have a seat, have a seat, have a seat. Well, first of all, thank you, Linda, for that terrific introduction. I would have heard it again. (Laughter.) I would have been happy. A few other great friends — your own, somebody from Texas, but who is doing a great job internationally on behalf of all the American people as my Trade Representative, Ambassador Ron Kirk is here. (Applause.) More importantly, Ambassador Ron Kirk’s mom is here. (Applause.) A wonderful congressman who is battling day in, day out on behalf of the people of Texas and the folks in his district — Lloyd Doggett is here. (Applause.) I want to thank Mayor Lee Leffingwell for his hospitality. (Applause.) Texas Democratic Party chair Boyd Richie and his lovely wife Betty are here. (Applause.) And our DNC deputy national finance chair Kirk Rudy is here. (Applause.) It’s good to be back in Texas. And it’s really good to be back in Austin. (Applause.) I just love Austin, Texas. I do. Every time I come here I like the people, I like the food, I like the music. I like that there are a bunch of Democrats here. (Laughter.) I like that, too. (Applause.) It is wonderful. And as I look out throughout this crowd, there’s so many of you who did so much on behalf of our campaign, on behalf of my election. You were with us when we were up; you were with us when we were down — and you will recall we had some down days. And I know that if it weren’t for you I might not be standing here as President of the United States. So, to all my good friends here in Texas, thank you very much for everything that you’ve done. (Applause.) Of course, whenever I talk to my supporters I am reminded of a story Abraham Lincoln liked to tell: A man comes to the White House demanding to see the President — and this is at a time when things were a little more relaxed in terms of security — so he insists that he was a big supporter of President Lincoln. Finally he gets through reception, gets an audience with the President, and says, “If it weren’t for me you would not be President of the United States.” And President Lincoln says, “I forgive you.” (Laughter.) It is an extraordinary honor, obviously, to be your President. But I will also say that the last few years have been incredibly challenging for so many people throughout America. You know that here. It’s certainly true all across the country.
More here:
Remarks by the President at a DNC Finance Event in Austin, Texas