elections. so i guess those, i don't know if it was the first, but the idea that it wasn't going to be the party bosses who made the decision of who the nominees were in smoke-filled back rooms, but rather the people who were going to get a chance to vote in free and fair elections. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span "q&a." >> in his weekly address, president obama talks about the state of the u.s. economy. house speaker paul ryan has the republican response, in which he talks about the republican agenda. president obama: elkhart, indiana was the first 10 i visited as president. i was a few weeks on the job. we were in the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. elkhart was hit nearly the

worst. unemployment peaked at 20% shortly after my visit. nearly one in five people were out of work. this week, i returned to elkhart. unemployment there has now fallen to around 4%. more families are on sturdy ground. more are covered by health insurance. more kids are graduating from high school. it is no accident. it is because people worked hard and sacrificed and looked out for each other. but it's also because we made a series of smart decisions early in my presidency, to rescue the auto industry, to help families refinance their homes, to invest in things like high-tech manufacturing, clean energy, and the infrastructure that creates good new jobs. not to mention job training that helps folks learn new skills to fill those jobs. the results are clear. america's businesses have created 14.5 million new jobs over 75 straight months.

we have seen the first sustained manufacturing growth since the 1990's. we cut and employment by more than half. another 20 million americans have insurance. we have cut our deficit by nearly 75%. we haven't fixed everything. wages, while growing again, need to go up faster. the gap between the rich and everyone else is still too wide. republicans in congress have repeatedly blocked investment initiatives that would create jobs faster. but the middle class is not getting squeezed because of minorities or immigrants or moochers or anyone else we are told to blame for our problems. if we are going to fix what needs fixing, we can't divide ourselves. we need to come together across push forn economicals, a better deal for all working americans. that's a choice you will get to make this year, between policies that raise wages and policies that don't.

between strengthening social security and making it more generous, and making it harder for people to save and retire. between rules on wall street being strengthened to prevent another crisis or dismantling them. between helping families and wasteful tax cuts for the fortunate few at the very top. we have proven over the past seven years that progress is possible, but it is not inevitable. it depends on us. it depends on the choices we make. if we come together around our common values, and create economic opportunity for everyone who puts in the effort, we deliver on a brighter future for all of us. thanks, and have a great weekend. speaker ryan: let's face it. people know what republicans are against. now we are willing to give a plan that shows you what we are for. our ambition is a confident america, where everyone has a chance to go out and succeed. that is the american idea. right now, our country is on the

wrong path. so how do we get back on track? or wewe can get angry, can channel that into action. we can start to tackle our problems before they tackle us. this is what americans do. we don't accept decline. we don't get into division. we find the better way. take poverty. for years, decades now, washington has spent billions of dollars on dozens of programs to fight poverty. but the war on poverty is a stalemate at best. so we can keep doing the same things and getting the same results, or instead of trapping people in poverty, we can get them on the ladder of opportunity and broaden our economy so everyone can make the most of their lives. this is what our plan does. it takes are timeless

principles, liberty, free enterprise, consent of the governed, and applies them to the problems of our time. it makes it clear what needs to change. we had a choice on poverty, jobs, taxes, security, health care, and government itself. after decades of executive overreach, it is time we restore our constitution. frommeans we take control government bureaucrats entered back to the people, so that we are writing the laws we live under. that's what this is about. that's why this choice is so important. we can get caught up on all the but to setrth, things right, we need to go

bold. we have a chance to be part of something greater, more inclusive, a more inspiring, confident america. this is a better way. >> live coverage of the presidential race continues tuesday night with primaries in six states. california, montana, new jersey, new mexico, and north and south dakota. >> a different vision for our country than the one between our side, democrats, for progress, prosperity, for fairness, for opportunity, then the presumptive nominee on the republican side. >> we will win for ourvets. we will win for education. no more common core. bring it down. bring it down. we wanted local. we will win with health care. we will win at the border.

we will win with trade. >> we have got to redefine what politics means in america. we need people from coast-to-coast, standing up, fighting back, and demanding a government that represents all of us, not just the 1%. >> join us live at 9:00 p.m. eastern for election results, candidate speeches, and your reaction. and, we look ahead at the fall battleground states. taking you on the road to the white house on c-span, c-span radio, peter: what is ecpa