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Obama rallies Congressional Black Caucus

U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Phoenix Awards dinner in Washington, DC, September 24, 2011. UPI/Chris Kleponis/Pool
1 of 3 | U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Phoenix Awards dinner in Washington, DC, September 24, 2011. UPI/Chris Kleponis/Pool | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Ariz., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- President Obama gave the Congressional Black Caucus a pep talk in Saturday night as the political wrangling over spending on the economy drags on.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were greeted warmly at the CBC Foundation annual awards dinner in Washington, and the president vowed to continue fighting to help the poor and middle class.

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"The future rewards those who press on and I'm going to press on," Obama told the cheering crowd. "I don't have time to feel sorry for myself; I'm going to press on."

The speech pointed out what the president said was a difference in philosophies in which Democrats tried to maintain valuable education and public works projects while the Republicans were most concerned with coddling the wealthy and preventing them from paying their fair share of the nation's tax burden.

"Give me a break," Obama said. "If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor."

Obama specifically urged the lawmakers to get behind his latest economic-stimulus package. He countered concerns about the cost by accusing the Republicans of opposing a program that would create or preserve jobs for workers and improve the nation's schools and infrastructure while favoring tax breaks and subsidies for banks and the oil industry.

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"If we want to create new jobs and close the deficit and invest in our future, the money has got to come from somewhere," he said. "And so, should we keep tax loopholes for big oil companies? Or should we put construction workers and teachers back on the job?"

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