President Obama's Remarks on the Economy

To begin the New Year, the President made some remarks about the economy. Mr. Obama pointed out the progress he believes the country has made while addressing what still needs to be achieved. One thing yet to be achieved is the extension of unemployment insurance, and a rally on behalf of this very issue is where these remarks were delivered. Here are 14 words from the President's address. Transcript available here The Washington Post, January 7, 2014.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. deficit
    an excess of liabilities over assets
    And since I've took office, we've cut our deficits by more than half.
  2. indiscriminate
    failing to make or recognize distinctions
    Now, before the holidays both parties compromised on a budget that lifts some of the drag that's been on the economy from these indiscriminate cuts we call sequester.
  3. sequester
    set apart from others
    Now, before the holidays both parties compromised on a budget that lifts some of the drag that's been on the economy from these indiscriminate cuts we call sequester.
    This is a politically-charged use of "sequester." You can read all about the history of this particular usage in a Ben Zimmer column here.
  4. partisan
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
    And I think I'm not alone in saying that we are all grateful in the new year that we won't have another partisan shutdown, hopefully, going forward.
  5. vital
    performing an essential function in the living body
    For the Americans who join me at the White House today and millions like them who were laid off in the recession through no fault of their own, unemployment insurance has been a vital economic lifeline.
  6. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    She's far more eloquent than I could ever be.
  7. avail
    be of use to, be useful to
    Katherine went on to say, I've applied to everything for which I'm possibly qualified, to no avail.
  8. grace
    a disposition to kindness and compassion
    And we know, there but the grace of God go I. (Applause.)
  9. ideology
    an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group
    That's why in the past both parties have repeatedly put partisanship and ideology aside to offer some security for job-seekers with no strings attached.
  10. respective
    considered individually
    The people living in those respective states may be working equally hard to find a job, but it's going to be harder in some places than others.
  11. provision
    a stipulated condition
    And this morning a bipartisan majority of senators agreed to allow this common-sense provision to at least move forward in the process.
  12. obstruction
    any structure that makes progress difficult
    So we've got to get this across the finish line without obstruction or delay.
  13. mobility
    the quality of moving freely
    We're going to have to -- we're going to have to see action, though, on the part of Congress -- and I'll -- I'll be willing to work with them every step of the way -- action to help our businesses to create more of the good jobs that our growing middle class requires, action to restore economic mobility and reduce inequality, action to open more doors of opportunity for everybody who's willing to work hard and walk through those doors.
  14. rally
    gather or bring together
    And they just want to feel as if -- (applause) -- they just want to feel as if, you know, as a part of this country -- as a part of their communities that if misfortune strikes, all the things that they've done in the past -- all the hard work they've done raising children and paying taxes and working hard -- you know, that that counts for something, and that folks aren't suddenly just going to dismiss their concerns, but are going to rally behind them.
Created on Tue Jan 07 22:29:55 EST 2014 (updated Wed Jan 08 16:59:47 EST 2014)

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