Posted on 10/22/2013 2:43:43 PM PDT by edwinland
Transcript: President Obama’s remarks on problems related to the recent White Star Line launch
Published: October 21
President Obama delivered the following remarks on the launch of the latest White Star Line ship, the R.M.S Titanic, on Oct. 21 at the White House.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Well, thank you, Rose. And thanks to everybody here for coming on this beautiful day. Welcome to the White House.
About a week ago, as the federal government shut down, the R.M.S. Titanic left Southampton for its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Well, we've now gotten the government back open for the American people, and today I want to talk about how we're going to get the Titanic up and running at full steam as well. And I'm joined today by folks who've either taken the voyage already, or who are helping their fellow citizens learn about this exciting new travel opportunity.
Of course, you've probably heard that the maiden voyage hasn't worked as smoothly as it was supposed to, and the number of people who were on the voyage aggravated some of these underlying problems. Despite all that, hundreds of people arrived safely in the new world and are enjoying New York as we speak.
So today I want to speak to every American who's looking to get tickets for the return journey. I want you to know what the ship has to offer and why it may be such a good deal for you, you’d want to take advantage of it even if it weren’t mandatory.
And for those who've have concerns about the lifeboats, I want to tell you what we're doing to make them more attractive and more comfortable, and how you can use other means such as life preservers to get the floatation you need.
Because the idea behind the Titanic is simple. By putting several ships worth of people all together into one very large and unsinkable ship, you become part of a big group voyage, and you benefit from the old adage that “there’s safety in numbers”. We created these big groups of travelers, and now, cruise lines are really interested in getting your business. And so shipbuilders have created giant new ships with more routes and better music on board.
And as a result of this choice and this competition, prices, especially in our Bronze steerage plan, are coming down fast. One study shows that nearly 6 in 10 Americans will find that they can cross the Atlantic, or at least most of it, for less than a hundred dollars. (Applause.)
So the fact is, the Titanic puts Europe almost in reach of people who have never travelled before at a price that's affordable. And that product, Europe, is working. It's really good. It has all kinds of great monuments and a welfare state that just has to be seen to be believed. And there's a massive demand to go there.
And those who've already had a chance to travel on the Titanic are thrilled with the result. Women who were stuck with abusive husbands because of pre-arranged marriages are finding out, like Rose, how great it can be to be a single woman in New York: she’s visiting the Statue of Liberty, she’s shopping at Macy’s, she’s taking in a show on Broadway.
And Rose is not alone in being alone. You know, I recently received a letter from a woman named Jane Smith in Wyoming, and here's what she wrote.
“I am a single mom and I haven't been to Europe for 15 years because it's too expensive, especially with the so-called “single supplement” cruise lines charge. Yesterday I went on your website and made reservations for a three-week trip to England aboard the Titanic for only $89. I was so excited when I signed up. I have full faith in you and full faith in the Titanic. I’m sure you’ll have the ship pumped out and running smoothly by the time I need to travel.”
Now that is not untypical for a lot of folks who have been struggling without reservations. That's what the Titanic is all about.
The essence of our plan, that Europe is a great place to travel to, is working just fine. In some countries like France, it's exceeding expectations. But the problem has been that the ship that's supposed to get us there is not working the way it should for everybody. There's no sugarcoating it. The ship is currently resting at a depth that is, frankly, unacceptable. Some people got stuck during the evacuation process. And I think it's fair to say that nobody is more frustrated than me with the gap between the bow and the stern. So these problems are going to get fixed. (Laughter, applause)
But while we're working out some of the excess water in the hull, I want everybody to understand the nature of the problem.
First of all, even with all the problems on the ship, the voyage still worked out just fine for over 700 people, maybe not as convenient as they had expected. Although some folks had to pay a separate deductible for the rescue component of their trip, they were very happy with the amenities onboard the Carpathia and with the cheerful, knowledgeable crew.
Second, I want everybody to remember that we're only one week into the thirty-year expected life of the ship. (Applause.) Keep in mind the return voyage doesn't even commence until January 1st. And no one who reserves now has to pay for their trip until December 15th. (Applause.)
Third, we are doing everything we can possibly do to get the ship to the surface better, faster, sooner. We got people working overtime, 24/7, to identify the source of the leak. Experts from some of America's top private-sector waterproofing companies, who've, by the way, have seen things like this happen before, they want it to work.
Number four, while the Titanic will ultimately be the easiest way to travel to Europe, it isn't the only way. Now, I want to emphasize this. Even as we redouble our efforts to get ship seaworthy, we're also redoubling our efforts to make sure you can get to Europe the old-fashioned way: by swimming.
And by the way, there are a lot of people who want to travel who are more comfortable swimming anyway, or they just prefer not to travel on a ship that’s currently experiencing a pre-existing condition.
Let me close by addressing the whirlpool of politics that has swirled around Titanic. I recognize that the signature policy idea of the Republican Party these days is to mock our claim that the Titanic is unsinkable. And I'm sure that given the problems with the lighting in some of the exit stairwells, they're going to be looking to go after it even harder. And let's admit it, with the ship a bit short of port, that makes a lot of supporters nervous because they know how it's been subject to so much criticism.
Now I've said many times and I’ll say it again: I am willing to work with anyone on any idea to make this ship better and even more unsinkable than it already is. But it's time for folks to stop rooting for it to stay on the bottom, because hardworking middle-class families are rooting for it to sail again. (Applause.) And if the ship is as luxurious as they say, they're willing to be patient while we dry out the carpets.
I got a letter last week from a self-employed man named Jack Smith in Florida. He used our new online reservation system to get himself and his wife a trip to England for next May and he saved a lot of money. And -- and here's what he said, because it pretty much sums up my message today: “Yes, reservations were nearly impossible to get a week ago. (Laughter.) But suddenly this week, even peak times became available … at significant discounts! (Applause).
John added that when he saw what they'd be paying, he turned to his wife and told her: “we can afford to buy extra life vests!”
And the ship works. That's why we fought so hard to launch the Titanic, to save folks like John money, to give people who don't have reservations the chance to go to Europe for the first time, to briefly lift the crushing burden of unequal life in America, to show Americans how much better everything works in England and Italy.
But that's always our goal, to free families from the pervasive fear that one tiny navigational error can spoil this whole journey called life. Our goal has always been to declare that in this country, catastrophic failure is not a privilege for the few, it's a right for all Americans to enjoy. (Applause.) That's what R.M.S Titanic is all about. That's its promise. And I intend to deliver on that promise. Thank you very much; thank you everybody. (Applause.) God bless you, God bless the survivors, and God Bless the United States of America.
Transcript courtesy of Federal News Service.
The Titanic was a wonderfully advanced ship for its time, but it famously had a fatal design flaw. Obamacare’s props have sheared off, water is up to the deck, and everyone is being forced to buy a ticket for the transoceanic voyage.
And as the Titanic sank gracefully into the sea---passengers
sang along as the ship's orchestra played, "Hail to The Chief."
Well done. Good piece.
Outstanding satire!
They ran into a little glitch.
Brilliant. :-)
Wow! Look at that glitch! Reminds me of the two glitches that happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Obama: “What you must remember is that the Titanic is no longer sinking. It can only go up from here.”
excellent!
LOL
Just....wow! Nailed it!
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