Blog

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. As Democrats, we know that our most important investments are the ones we make in our kids. That's why, for years, we've been on the cutting edge of education reform. From FDR signing the G.I. Bill to President Obama overhauling student loans, Democrats have consistently invested to provide our kids with a first-rate education and the tools necessary to drive our economy forward with more job creation and opportunity. We also recognize that funding and programs alone won't solve all of our problems. Democrats understand that in order to create world-class institutions of learning, we have to reward, retain, and attract world-class teachers — teachers like my favorite teach growing up, Francine Botton. Ms. Botton was my fifth and sixth grade teacher at Magnolia Open Elementary School in Long Beach, New York, and like so many teachers across our country, she inspired me and all of my classmates to study hard and dream big. She was part mom, part educator, helping her students realize that anything was possible for us. She picked us up when we were down and pushed us when she knew we could do better.

This afternoon, President Obama visited Johnson Controls, a lithium-ion battery manufacturing company that capitalized on Recovery Act grants, to talk about his administration’s efforts to invest in innovation and create jobs. But just like so many Americans, the President is frustrated by the political posturing and gridlock in Washington – and today, he called on Congress to “put country ahead of party” and get to work.

On Tuesday, President Obama announced a historic fuel-efficiency program that will save American families $1.7 trillion in gas prices and reduce consumption by 12 billion barrels by 2025. But this announcement wasn’t just about efficiency and cost savings; it is part of the President’s effort to spur investment in innovation and technology to create jobs.

When the shuttle Atlantis returned safely to the Kennedy Space Center this morning, it marked the close to an era in America’s shuttle program. While docked at the International Space Station, Atlantis’ crew spoke with President Obama, who praised NASA and the space program’s unique place in history as an inspiration and embodiment of America’s “sense of adventure, exploration and courage."

There's not a single policy alone that will repair our country and replenish the jobs lost during the worst of the recession. But the best way to create jobs is to draw on every economic instrument and lever to accelerate the pace of growth. And that’s exactly what President Obama is doing.

Earlier today, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke at the Netroots Nation annual conference, held this year in Minneapolis. Discussing themes familiar to many attendees, Wasserman Schultz spoke about the power of online organizing and the fundamental role technology plays in effective campaigns.

Fifty years after that famous "moon shot" speech, Vice President Biden asked an audience at the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library in Boston to imagine America's potential as a 21st-century innovator.

President Obama has been holding town hall conversations this week to discuss the future of our country. It has been clear from both the President’s remarks and the questions asked that Americans are following the current debate on our country’s budget and fiscal situation and are concerned about the need for continued economic progress.