Se mi ricordo bene, avevo accennato qualche post fa al fatto che, nonostante il problema delle armi, la mancanza di un sistema sanitario per tutti, e nonostante gli altri problemi che ci affliggono come paese, sono felice che i miei figli crescano qui invece che in Italia.
Tra le tante ragioni, non ne esiste una piu' attuale di questa: voglio che i miei figli crescano in un paese che non sia totalmente permeato dal "machismo ammuffito" che giustifica il continuo svilimento delle donne ad oggetto e "stimolatore sessuale" e lo dichiara "normale"; voglio che crescano in un paese dove oltrepassare i confini del rispetto di una donna e calpestarne la dignita', con la scusa che si tratta solo di "battute bonarie", non sia considerato un complimento; voglio che crescano in un paese dove il dichiararsi imbarazzate, umiliate e persino, mioddio, offese per le mortificanti "battute" (mortificanti per chiunque, a meno di non essere in un film di Pierino) fatte da un uomo in evidente posizione di "superiorità" (politica, finanziaria, psicologica, etc.) non sia deriso e svalutato della sua gravita', o etichettato "neo-fem" o politicamente in altro modo, ma sia applaudito come gesto di coraggio da tutti, donne e uomini.
Voglio soprattutto che i miei figli, in particolare le mie figlie, crescano in un paese dove vengano ancora valutate per i loro talenti, la loro professionalita', la loro creativita', la loro capacita' di portare a termine il lavoro assegnato, e non per la loro taglia di reggiseno o per il fatto che indossino minigonna o tacchi o meno. Evidentemente, questo paese NON e' l'Italia.
Perche' se e' vero che "gli uomini saranno sempre uomini", intesi come sempre a caccia, e' anche vero che non e' necessario che esprimano sempre questo loro chiamiamolo "apprezzamento per l'altro sesso", soprattutto quando ci si trova in un ambito professionale, in un posto di lavoro e non al bancone di una bar o nella pista di una discoteca. E invece in Italia e' normale.
E vigliacchi, invece di fare doppi sensi che pensate siano astuti, cosi' da da potervi "parare il culo", volete portarvi la donna che viene a fare un colloquio a letto? Invece di allusioni, diteglielo, almeno le date la soddisfazione di scegliere se tirarvi un calcio negli zebedei subito e poi denunciarvi, o dire no, salutare e chiamare un avvocato, o no? Invece così, vi nascondete dietro il solito "era solo una battuta! Volevo solo farle un complimento!" e le fesse, cornute e mazziate siamo sempre noi. Ah, i codardi!
E non venitemi a dire che noi donne "ci marciamo" in questa situazione, come se fosse colpa nostra, come se fossimo noi donne ad aver creato il problema o a perpetuarlo, quando invece si tratta semplicemente di un meccanismo di sopravvivenza che abbiamo sviluppato nel corso degli ultimi...secoli; si tratta della legge economica della "domanda e offerta": se non ci fosse domanda, non ci sarebbe nemmeno offerta, o sarebbe almeno limitata a certi contesti!
Ecco perche' preferisco crescere i miei figli qui: perche' fosse stata mia figlia su quel palco a Mirano, avrei voluto sentire, invece delle sghignazzate di un pubblico costituito principalmente da omuncoli immaturi, i fischi di un'audience che non accetta il maschilismo come norma, ne' il cattivo gusto come comicità, o almeno il silenzio sbalordito di centinaia di persone che non si sanno capacitare del bassissimo livello raggiunto da un uomo che per decenni ha rappresentato (una cosa da ridere!) il proprio paese nel mondo. Sarebbe stato bello vedere se avrebbero riso ugualmente, se invece della giovane impiegata, ad essere interrogata sulla natura e la quantità dei propri orgasmi fosse stata la madre o la sorella o la figlia di uno dei coglioncelli sul palco con Il Nonno Maniaco.
Perche' vi garantisco che una scena cosi' non sarebbe mai successa qui, o meglio le domandine da 12enne arrapato fatte in una simile circostanza avrebbero avuto un ben diverso finale. (leggasi: "I'm gonna shoot your testicles off, you asshole!")
So, I’m going to continue to talk to the speaker and the other leaders up in Congress, but ultimately they’ve got to do their job. Right now, their job is to make sure that middle-class taxes do not go up and that we have a balanced, responsible package of deficit reduction. It is there for all to see. It is a deal that can get done, but it is not going to be -- it cannot be done if every side wants 100 percent. And part of what voters were looking for is some compromise up here. That’s what -- that’s what folks want.
OBAMA: They understand that they’re not going to get 100 percent of what they want. And for some reason, that message has not yet taken up on Capitol Hill. And when you think about what we’ve gone through over the last couple of months -- a devastating hurricane, and now one of the worst tragedies in our memory, the country deserves folks to be willing to compromise on behalf of the greater good and not tangle themselves up in a whole bunch of ideological positions that don’t make much sense. So I remain, not only open to conversations, but I remain eager to get something done. I’d like to get it done before Christmas. There’s been a lot of posturing up on Capitol Hill instead of just going ahead and getting stuff done. We’ve been wasting a lot of time. It is the right thing to do. I’m prepared to get it done, but they’re going to have to go ahead and make -- make some adjustments.
And -- and I’ll just give you one other example. The speaker is now proposing what he calls Plan B. So he says, “Well, this would raise taxes only on folks making $1 million or more.” What that means is, an average of a $50,000 tax break for every millionaire out there. At the same time as we’re not providing unemployment insurance for 2 million people who are still out there looking for work. It actually means a tax increase for millions of working families across the country, at the same time as folks like me would be getting a tax break. That violates the core principles that were debated during the course of this election and that the American people determined was -- was the wrong way to go.
And so my hope is, is that the speaker and his caucus, in conjunction with the other legislative leaders out there, can find a way to make sure that middle-class families don’t see their taxes go up on January 1st, that we make sure that those things that middle- class families count on like tax credits for college or making sure that they’re getting some help when it comes to raising their kids, through things like the Child Tax Credit, that that gets done, and that we have a balanced package for deficit reduction, which is exactly what I’ve put forward.
QUESTION: Will you give more ground if you need to or (inaudible)
OBAMA: The if -- if you look at the package that I’ve put forward, it is a balanced package by any definition. And the -- we have put forward real cuts in spending that are hard to do in every category. And by any measure, by any traditional calculation, by the measures that Republicans themselves have used in the past, this would be a -- as large a piece of deficit reduction as we’ve seen in the last 20 years. And if you combine that with the increased revenue from the wealthy paying a little bit more, then you actually have something that would stabilize our deficit and debt for a decade, for 10 years.
Now, the notion that we would not do that, but instead the speaker would run a play (ph) that cut -- keeps tax cuts for folks making $500,000 or $700,000 or $800,000 or $900,000 a year and gives more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and raises taxes on middle-class families and then has no cuts in it, which is what he says he wants, doesn’t make much sense.
OBAMA: Let’s -- let’s just think about the logic for a second. The -- the thinking about voting for raising taxes, at least on folks over a million, which they say they don’t want to do, but they’re going to reject spending cuts that they say they do want to do. That defies logic. There’s no explanation for that.
I think that any objective person out there looking would say that, you know, we put forward a very balanced plan, and it’s time for us to go ahead and get it done. That’s what the country needs right now. Because I think folks have been through some -- some wrenching times. We’re still recovering from a very tough recession. And what they’re hoping for is a sense of stability, focus, compromise, common sense over the next -- next couple of years. And I think that we can provide it, but this is a good test for it, OK.
Carol Lee (ph)? (inaudible)
QUESTION: Thank you. Just a follow on Ben’s question. What is your next move? Are we in a position now where you’re just waiting for the speaker to make a move...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: I’m going to reach out to all the leaders involved over the next couple of days and -- and find out what is it that’s holding this thing up. What is holding it up? If -- if the argument from Republicans is we haven’t done enough spending cuts, that argument is not going to fly because we’ve got close to a trillion dollars of spending cuts. And when you add interest then it’s more than a trillion dollars in spending cuts.
If the argument is that they can’t do -- they can’t increase tax rates on folks making $700,000 or $800,000 a year, that’s not a persuasive argument to me and it’s certainly not a persuasive argument to the American people.
You know, it may be that members of their caucus haven’t looked at exactly what we’ve proposed. It may be that if we provide more information or there’s greater specificity, or we’ve worked through some of their concerns that we can get some movement there.
But, you know, the fact of the matter is, is that -- what would violate my commitment to voters is if I ended up agreeing to a plan that put more of the burden on the middle-class families and less of a burden on the wealthy in an effort to reduce our deficit. That’s not something I’m going to do. What would violate my commitment to voters would be to put forward a plan that makes it harder for young people to go to college, that makes it harder for a family with a disabled kid to care for that kid. And there’s a threshold where -- that you reach where the balance tips even in making compromises that are required to get something done in this town where you are hurting people in order to give another advantage to folks who don’t need help.
And we had an extensive debate about this for a year. And not only does the majority of the American people agree with me, about half of Republican voters agree with me on it this.
So, you know, at some point there’s got to be I think a recognition on the part of my Republican friends that, you know, take the deal. You know, they will be able to claim that they have worked with me over the last two years to reduce the deficit more than any other deficit reduction package; that we will have stabilized it for 10 years. That is a significant achievement for them. They should be proud of it. But they keep on finding ways to say no as opposed to finding ways to say yes.
OBAMA: And I don’t know how much of that just has to do with, you know, it is very hard for them to say yes to me.
But, you know, at some point, you know, they’ve got to take me out of it and think about their voters and think about what’s best for the country.
And -- and if they do that -- if they’re not worried about who’s winning and who’s losing; you know, did they score a point on the president; did they extract that last little concession; did they, you know, you know, force him to do something he really doesn’t want to do just for the heck of it; and they focus on actually what’s good for the country, I actually think we can get this done.
QUESTION: You mentioned the $700,000, $800,000 -- are you willing to move on income level? And are there specific things that you would do...
OBAMA: You know, I’m not going to get into specific negotiations here. My point is simply, Carol (ph), that if you look at Speaker Boehner’s proposal and you look at my proposal, they’re actually pretty close. They keep on saying that somehow we haven’t put forward real spending cuts. Actually, you know, there was I think a graph in the New York Times today that showed. They’re the same categories, right? There’s a little bit of tweaks here and there. There are a few differences, but, you know, we’re right there.
And on the revenue side, there’s a difference in terms of them wanting to preserve tax breaks for folks between $250,000 and $1 million that we just can’t afford. I mean, keep in mind, I’m in that income category. I’d love to, you know, not -- not pay as much in taxes, but I also think it’s the right thing to do for us to make sure that people who have less, people who are working, people who are striving, people who, you know, are hoping for their kids, that they have opportunity.
That’s what we campaigned about. It’s what we talked about. And this is not a situation where I’m, you know -- I’m willing to compromise. This is not a situation where I’m trying to, you know, rub their face in anything. And I think anybody who looks at this objectively would say that coming off my election, I have met them at least halfway in order to get something done for the country.
And so, I noticed that there were a couple of headlines out there saying, you know, “Oh, you know, we’re now in the land of political posturing.” And, you know, it’s the usual he said/he said atmosphere. But look at the facts. Look at where we started. Look at where they started. My proposal is right there in the middle. We should be able to get this done. Let’s get it done. We don’t have a lot of time.
Carrie (ph)? Where’s -- there you are.
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.
OBAMA: Yeah.
QUESTION: What is your level of confidence that if you are able to reach a comprehensive deal with the speaker, that he will be able to bring his members on board to get it passed? Essentially, do you still trust Speaker Boehner in this process?
OBAMA: There is no doubt that, you know, the speaker has challenges in his caucus, and I recognize that. I’m often reminded when I speak to the Republican leadership that the majority of their caucus’s membership come from districts that I lost. And so, sometimes they may not see an incentive in cooperating with me in part because they’re more concerned about challenges from a tea party candidate or challenges from the right. And, you know, cooperating with me may make them vulnerable.
You know, I recognize that. But, goodness, if -- if this past week has done anything, it should just give us some perspective. If there’s one thing we should have after this week, it should be a sense of perspective about what’s important.
And, you know, I would like to think that members of that -- that caucus would say to themselves, “You know what? We disagree with the president on a whole bunch of things. We wish the other guy had won. We’re going to fight him on a whole range of issues over the next four years. We think his philosophy is all screwed up.”
But, right now what the country needs is for us to compromise, get a deficit reduction deal in place, make sure middle class taxes don’t go up, make sure that we’re laying the foundations for growth, give certainty to businesses large and small, not put ourselves through some sort of self-inflicted crisis every six months. Allow ourselves time to focus on things like preventing the tragedy in Newtown from happening again. Focus on issues like energy, and immigration reform and, you know, all the things that will really make a determination as to whether or not our country grows over -- over the next four years, 10 years, 40 years.
And -- and, if you just pull back from the immediate, you know, political battles, if you kind of peel off the partisan war paint, then we should be able to get something done.
And -- and, you know, I think -- I think the Speaker would like to get that done. I think an environment needs to be created within not just the House Republican caucus but also among Senate Republicans that say the campaign is over, and let’s see if we can do what’s right for the country. At least for the next month. And then, you know, we can reengage in all the other battles that they’ll want to fight.
QUESTION: If you don’t get it done, Republicans say they would try to use the debt limit as the next pressure point. Will you negotiate with them in that context?
OBAMA: No. And, I’ve been very clear about this.
This is the United States of America. The greatest country on Earth, the world’s economic superpower. And, the idea that we lurch from crisis to crisis, and every six months, or every nine months that we threaten not to pay our bills on stuff we’ve already bought, and default and ruin the full faith and credit of the United States of America, that’s not how you run a great country.
OBAMA: So I’ve put forward a very clear principle. I will not negotiate around the debt ceiling. You know, we’re not going to play the same game that we saw happen -- saw happen in 2011, which was hugely destructive. It hurt our economy. It provided more uncertainty to the business community than anything else that happened. And, you know, I’m not alone in this. You know, if you go to Wall Street, including talking to a whole bunch of folks who spent a lot of money trying to beat me, they would say it would be disastrous for us to use the debt ceiling as a cudgel to try to win political points on Capitol Hill.
So we’re not going to do that. And -- and -- which is why I think that, you know, part of what I hope over the next couple of days we see is a recognition that there is a way to go ahead and get what it is you’ve been fighting for, these guys have been fighting for spending cuts. They can get some very meaningful spending cuts. This would amount to $2 trillion, $2 trillion spending cuts over the last couple of years.
And in exchange, they’re getting a little over a trillion dollars in revenue. And that meets the pledge that I made during the campaign, which was two to -- two dollars and fifty cents of spending cuts for every revenue increase. And that’s an approach that I think most Americans think is appropriate. But I will not negotiate around the debt ceiling. We’re not going to do that again.
QUESTION: (inaudible)
OBAMA: Yes, I’ve got David Jackson (ph).
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.
Getting back to the gun issue.
OBAMA: Yeah.
QUESTION: You alluded to the fact that Washington commission doesn’t have the greatest reputation in the world.
OBAMA: Right.
QUESTION: What makes you think this was going to be the difference given the passage of time and the political power of gun rights movements like the National Rifle Association?
OBAMA: Well, this is not -- this is not going to be a commission. Joe is going to gather up some key Cabinet members who have an interest in this issue. We’re going to reach out to a bunch of stakeholders. We’re going to be reaching out to members of Congress who have an interest in this issue. It’s not as if we have to start from scratch. There are a whole bunch of proposals that have been thought about, debated, but, hopefully, also some new ideas in terms of how we deal with this issue.
But their task is gonna be to sift through every good idea that’s out there and even take a look at some bad ideas before disposing of them, and come up with a concrete set of recommendations in about a month.
And I would hope that our memories aren’t so short that what we saw in Newtown isn’t lingering with us, that we don’t remain passionate about it only a month later.
And as soon as we get that, those recommendations, I will be putting forward very specific proposals. I will be talking about them in my State of the Union, and we will be working with interested members of Congress to try to get something done.
And -- the idea that we should say, “This is terrible. This is a tragedy. Never again,” and we don’t have the sustained attention span to be able to get this done over the next several months doesn’t make sense.
I -- I have more confidence in the American people than that. I have more confidence in the parents, the mothers and fathers that I’ve been meeting over the last several days all across the country from all political persuasions, including a lot of gun owners who say, “You know what, this time we’ve got to do things differently.”
QUESTION: What about the NRA?
OBAMA: Well, the NRA is -- is an organization who has members who are mothers and fathers, and I would expect that they’ve been impacted by this, as well. And, hopefully, they’ll do some self- reflection.
And -- and here’s what we know, that any single gun law can’t solve all these problems. We’re gonna have to look at mental health issues. We’re gonna have to look at schools. There’re gonna be a whole range of things that Joe’s group looks at. We know that issues of gun safety will be an element of it, and, you know, what we’ve seen over the last 20 years, 15 years is the sense that anything related to guns is somehow an encroachment on the Second Amendment. What we’re looking for here is a thoughtful approach that says we can preserve our Second Amendment, we can make sure that responsible gun owners are able to carry out their activities, but that we’re gonna actually be serious about the safety side of this, that we’re gonna be serious about making sure that something like Newtown or Aurora doesn’t happen again.
And there is a big chunk of space between what, you know, the Second Amendment means and having no rules at all. And that space is what Joe’s gonna be working on to try to identify where we can find some common ground.
So I’ve got...
(UNKNOWN): (OFF-MIKE)
OBAMA: I’m gonna take one last question.
OBAMA: Go ahead. Jake (ph)?
QUESTION: It seems to a lot of political observers that you made the political calculation in 2008, in your first term, and in 2012 not to talk about gun violence. You had your position on renewing the ban on semi-automatic rifles that then-Senator Biden put into place. But you didn’t do much about it. This is not the first issue -- the first incident of horrific gun violence of your four years.
Where have you been?
OBAMA: Well, here’s where I’ve been, Jake.
I’ve been president of the United States dealing with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, an auto industry on the verge of collapse, two wars. I don’t think I’ve been on vacation. And -- So, you know, I think all of us have to do some reflection on how we prioritize what we do here in Washington.
And, as I said on Sunday, you know, this should be a wake-up call for all of us. To say that if we are not getting right the need to keep our children safe, then nothing else matters. And, it’s my commitment on to make sure we do everything we can to keep our children safe. A lot of things going -- are involved in that, Jake, so making sure they have decent health care and a good education, making sure that their parents have jobs. Those are all relevant as well.
Those aren’t just sort of side issues. But, there’s no doubt that this has to be a central issue. And, that’s exactly why I’m confident that Joe is going to take this so seriously over the next couple months.
All right? Thank you, everybody.
