奥巴马演讲视频：President Obama Speaks on Appointing Richard Cordray

 
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Ohio! (Applause.) Ah, it is good to be back in Ohio. (Applause.) It is good to be back in Shaker Heights -- (applause) -- home of the Red Raiders. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mr. President, I love you!
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. And I'm glad to be back. (Applause.) I'm glad to be here.
I want to thank your mayor, Earl Leiken, for hosting us today; -- (applause) -- your superintendent 1, Mark Freeman; -- (applause) -- the principal here, Mike Griffith. (Applause.) Well, and I know -- I'm pretty sure we've got a couple of congresspeople here, but I don't see them. Where are they? Okay, we've got Marcia Fudge. (Applause.) Marcy Kaptur is here. (Applause.) Dennis Kucinich. (Applause.) Betty Sutton in the house. (Applause.) Outstanding members of Congress, doing the right thing every day. So we thank them all for being here. (Applause.)
Now, I understand the folks here at this school have a pretty good basketball team. (Applause.) Boys and girls. (Applause.) Unfortunately, I have no eligibility 3 left. (Laughter.) So I can't play with you.
I want to wish everybody a happy New Year -- 2012 is going to be a good year. (Applause.) It's going to be a good year. And one of my New Year's resolutions is to make sure that I get out of Washington and spend time with folks like you. (Applause.) Because folks here in Ohio and all across the country -- I want you to know you’re the reason why I ran for this office in the first place. You remind me what we are still fighting for. You inspire me. (Laughter.) Okay, you do. You remind me that this country is all about folks who work hard and where responsibility pays off, an America where anybody who puts in the effort and plays by the rules can get ahead.
That’s the America you deserve. (Applause.) That’s the America we’re working to build. That’s why I told Congress before the New Year they couldn’t leave for vacation until we made sure 160 million working Americans wouldn’t get hit with a tax hike on January 1st. (Applause.)
Now, this wasn’t easy. It should have been easy, but it wasn’t. But in the end, we got members of both parties to come together and make sure that you could keep more money in your paychecks each month. And you’re keeping that extra $40 in every paycheck because we made sure that we didn’t stunt 4 the recovery. We made sure that families got the break that they need. And that means more security for your families. It also means a boost for our economy at a time when we've got to do everything we can to keep it growing. Because more money spent by more Americans means more businesses hiring more workers.
And so when I -- when Congress returns, I’m going to urge them to extend this tax cut all the way through 2012, with no drama, no delay. (Applause.) Do the right thing. It is a no-brainer. Let’s get it done. Let’s pass these tax cuts. (Applause.)
Now, we still have more to do. So today, we’re taking another important step -- one that will bring us closer to the economy that we need, an economy where everybody plays by the same rules.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: And to help us do that, I’m joined by somebody you might recognize -- Richard Cordray. (Applause.) Son of Ohio; a good, good man. (Applause.) Today I’m appointing Richard as America’s consumer watchdog. (Applause.) And that means he is going to be in charge of one thing: looking out for the best interests of American consumers. Looking out for you. (Applause.)
His job will be to protect families like yours from the abuses of the financial industry. His job will be to make sure that you’ve got all the information you need to make important financial decisions. Right away, he’ll start working to make sure millions of Americans are treated fairly by mortgage brokers 6 and payday lenders and debt collectors. In fact, just this week, his agency is opening up a simple 1-800 number that you can call to make sure you’re getting a fair deal on your mortgage, and hold banks and brokers accountable if you’re not. (Applause.)
Now, I nominated Richard for this job last summer, so you may be wondering why am I appointing him today. It would be a good question. (Laughter.) For almost half a year, Republicans in the Senate have blocked Richard’s confirmation 7.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: They refused to even give Richard and up or down vote. Now, this is not because Richard is not qualified 8. There's no question that Richard is the right person for the job. He’s got the support of Democrats 9 and Republicans around the country. A majority of attorney generals -- Richard is a former attorney general -- a majority of attorney generals from both parties across the country have called for Richard to be confirmed. Your local members of Congress who are here today -- they support him. He has the support of a majority in the Senate. Everyone agrees Richard is more than qualified.
So what’s the problem, you might ask. The only reason Republicans in the Senate have blocked Richard is because they don’t agree with the law that set up a consumer watchdog in the first place. They want to weaken the law. They want to water it down. And by the way, a lot of folks in the financial industry have poured millions of dollars to try to water it down.
That makes no sense. Does anybody think that the reason that we got in such a financial mess, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in a generation -- that the reason was because of too much oversight 10 of the financial industry?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Of course not. We shouldn’t be weakening oversight. We shouldn’t be weakening accountability. We should be strengthening it -- especially when it comes to looking out for families like yours. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: The financial firms have armies of lobbyists in Washington looking out for their interest. You need somebody looking out for your interest and fighting for you, and that's Richard Cordray. (Applause.)
Now, I have to say Richard is a really nice guy. (Laughter.) You know, you look at him and you think, this guy is not somebody who’s going around picking fights. And yet, this fight on behalf of consumers is something that Richard has been waging here in Ohio for the better part of two decades. (Applause.)
As your attorney general, he helped recover billions of dollars in things like pension funds on behalf of retirees. He protected consumers from dishonest lending practices. Before that, Richard was the state treasurer 11, where he earned a reputation for working with folks from across the spectrum 12 -- Democrats, Republicans, bankers, consumer advocates -- had a great reputation across the board doing the right thing.
And, Cleveland, you’ve seen the difference that Richard can make for consumers, and I have, too. And that’s why I want Richard to keep standing 2 up for you -- not just here in Ohio, but for consumers all across the country.
Now, every day that Richard waited to be confirmed -- and we were pretty patient. I mean, we kept on saying to Mitch McConnell and the other folks, let’s go ahead and confirm him. Why isn’t he being called up? Let’s go. Every day that we waited was another day when millions of Americans were left unprotected. Because without a director in place, the consumer watchdog agency that we’ve set up doesn’t have all the tools it needs to protect consumers against dishonest mortgage brokers or payday lenders and debt collectors who are taking advantage of consumers. And that’s inexcusable. It’s wrong. And I refuse to take no for an answer. (Applause.)
So I’ve said before that I want to look for every possible opportunity to work with Congress to move this country forward and create jobs. I’m going to look for every opportunity to try to bridge the partisan 13 divide and get things done -- because that’s what the American people need right now. And that means putting construction workers back on the jobs repairing our roads and our bridges. (Applause.) That means keeping our teachers in the classrooms. (Applause.) That means keeping our cops and firefighters doing what they do, protecting us every day. (Applause.) That means helping 14 small businesses get ahead. (Applause.) That means serving our veterans as well as they’ve served us, like this young man right in the front. We are grateful for him, for his service. (Applause.)
These are ideas that have support from Democrats; they have support from Republicans around the country, independents around the country. I want to work with Congress to get them done.
But when Congress refuses to act, and as a result, hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as President to do what I can without them. (Applause.) I’ve got an obligation to act on behalf of the American people. And I’m not going to stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology 15 ahead of the people that we were elected to serve. (Applause.) Not with so much at stake, not at this make-or-break moment for middle-class Americans. We’re not going to let that happen. (Applause.)
For way too long, we’ve had a financial system that was stacked against ordinary Americans. Banks on Wall Street played by different rules than businesses on Main Street. They played by different rules than a lot of community banks who were doing the right thing across the country -- hidden fees, fine print that led consumers to make financial decisions that they didn’t always understand.
Richard and I, before we came here, had an opportunity to visit with a wonderful elderly couple -- the Easons. And Mr. Eason is a former Marine 16, served in the Korean War. Ms. Eason makes a really good sweet potato pie. She gave me one. (Applause.) I’m going to eat it later, after. (Laughter.) I didn't want to eat it before because I didn't want to get sleepy having a big piece of pie right before. (Laughter.)
But their story was the story of a lot of folks in this region, where a mortgage broker 5 came to them, said that they could do some home repair for a few thousand dollars, and they ended up getting scammed; the loans got flipped 17. They ended up owing $80,000, almost losing their home, and the repairs were never made.
Those kinds of practices, that’s not who we are. We cannot allow people to be taken advantage of. And it’s not just because it’s bad for those individuals. All that risky 18 behavior led -- helped to contribute to the economic crisis that we’re all still digging ourselves out of. All those subprime loans, all those foreclosures, all the problems in the housing market -- that’s all contributing to an economy that’s not moving as fast as we want it.
And that’s why, last year, we put in place new rules -- new rules of the road to make sure that a few bad apples in the financial sector 19 can’t break the law, they can’t cheat consumers, they can’t put our entire economy in danger. And many of these provisions are already starting to make a difference. For the first time in history, we put in place a consumer watchdog -- someone whose only job is to look out for the interests of everyday Americans.
And we are so fortunate to have somebody like Richard who’s willing to do it, despite great sacrifice to his family. He’s the right man for the job. (Applause.)
So if you’re a student -- I see some young people out here -- (applause) -- his job will be to protect you from dishonest lending practices and to make sure that you’ve got the information you need on student loans. (Applause.) He has already started up an initiative called “Know Before You Owe.” (Laughter.) That’s a good slogan -- “Know Before You Owe.” You don’t want to owe and then know. (Laughter.)
If you’re a veteran, he’ll help make sure that you aren’t taken advantage of when you’re coming home from serving your country. And it turns out that military families are some of the folks who are most vulnerable to some of these financial abuses.
If you’re a senior, Richard is going to help make sure you don’t lose your home or your retirement 20 because somebody saw you as an easier target. And that’s what happened to the Easons. Endia, who I think is here -- Ms. Eason, are you here? You’re somewhere here. There’s -- Ms. Eason is down there. Ninety-one years old. (Applause.) And as I mentioned, Ms. Eason’s husband, William, is a former Marine -- also a former boxer 21. So don’t mess with him. (Laughter.)
And I just want to repeat, 10 years ago they were approached by a broker who offered them a loan to make needed repairs on their home; made everything sound easy. The Easons agreed. Broker ended up disappearing. They get left with $80,000 in debt, almost lose their home. They didn’t lose it because of the intervention 22 of some terrific non-for-profits that Richard, when he was treasurer here in Ohio, helped to support. (Applause.)
East Side -- that's right. (Applause.)
Now, the Easons are good people. They're what America is all about. They worked hard. They served their country. They saved their money. They didn't live high on the hog 23. It’s a modest house. They earned the right to retire with dignity and with respect, and they shouldn’t have to worry about being tricked by somebody who's out to make a quick buck 24. And they need somebody who is going to stand up for them, and millions of Americans need somebody who is going to look out for their interests. And that person is Richard Cordray. (Applause.)
And we know what would happen if Republicans in Congress were allowed to keep holding Richard’s nomination 25 hostage. More of our loved ones would be tricked into making bad financial decisions. More dishonest lenders could take advantage of some of the most vulnerable families. And the vast majority of financial firms who do the right thing would be undercut by those who don't.
See, most people in the financial services industry do the right thing, but they're at a disadvantage if nobody is enforcing the rules. We can't let that happen. Now is not the time to play politics while people’s livelihoods 26 are at stake. Now is the time to do everything we can to protect consumers, prevent financial crises like the one that we’ve been through from ever happening again. That starts with letting Richard do his job.
So I know -- let me just close by saying this. I know that you're hearing a lot of promises from a lot of politicians lately. Today you’re only going to hear one from me. As long as I have the privilege of serving as your President, I promise to do everything I can every day, every minute, every second, to make sure this is a country where hard work and responsibility mean something and everybody can get ahead. Not just those at the very top, not just those who know how to work the system, but everybody.
That's what America has always been about. (Applause.) That's what America is going to be about today and tomorrow and 10 years from now and 20 years from now. And with the help of people like Richard Cordray, that's the country that we will always be.
Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)




点击收听单词发音  






1
superintendent

  
 


n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长


参考例句：





He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。












2
standing

  
 


n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的


参考例句：





After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。












3
eligibility

  
 


n.合格，资格


参考例句：





What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。












4
stunt

  
 


n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长


参考例句：





Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。












5
broker

  
 


n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排


参考例句：





He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。












6
brokers

  
 


n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…


参考例句：





The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分












7
confirmation

  
 


n.证实，确认，批准


参考例句：





We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。












8
qualified

  
 


adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的


参考例句：





He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。












9
democrats

  
 


n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )


参考例句：





The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》












10
oversight

  
 


n.勘漏，失察，疏忽


参考例句：





I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。












11
treasurer

  
 


n.司库，财务主管


参考例句：





Mr. Smith was succeeded by Mrs.Jones as treasurer.琼斯夫人继史密斯先生任会计。
The treasurer was arrested for trying to manipulate the company's financial records.财务主管由于试图窜改公司财政帐目而被拘留。












12
spectrum

  
 


n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列


参考例句：





This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。












13
partisan

  
 


adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒


参考例句：





In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。












14
helping

  
 


n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的


参考例句：





The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。












15
ideology

  
 


n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识


参考例句：





The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。












16
marine

  
 


adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵


参考例句：





Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。












17
flipped

  
 


轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥


参考例句：





The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。












18
risky

  
 


adj.有风险的，冒险的


参考例句：





It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。












19
sector

  
 


n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形


参考例句：





The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。












20
retirement

  
 


n.退休，退职


参考例句：





She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。












21
boxer

  
 


n.制箱者，拳击手


参考例句：





The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。












22
intervention

  
 


n.介入，干涉，干预


参考例句：





The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。












23
hog

  
 


n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占


参考例句：





He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。












24
buck

  
 


n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃


参考例句：





The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。












25
nomination

  
 


n.提名，任命，提名权


参考例句：





John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。












26
livelihoods

  
 


生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )


参考例句：





First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。