West Wing Week: 12/07/12 or "I Have To Pinch Myself"

Narrator: Welcome to the West Wing Week; your guide to everything that's
happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
This week, the President visited a toy factory;
hosted Kennedy Center Honorees; held the 2012 White House Tribal
Nations Conference; welcomed the Prime Minister of Bulgaria;
answered questions live on Twitter;
visited a family who urged leaders in Washington, D.C. to
join the President to prevent a middle class tax hike;
and lit the National Christmas Tree.
That's November 30th to December 6th or "I Have to Pinch Myself."
Dustin Hoffman: It's odd, because I make my living making movies.
And this is surreal enough to -- I have to pinch myself to make
sure I'm not just making another movie.
Narrator: On Friday, the President visited Hatfield, Pennsylvania,
to tour the Rodon Group manufacturing facility,
a third generation family business that depends on middle
class consumers during the holiday season.
They produce toys like Tinker Toys, K'Nex,
and Angry Bird building sets.
There, the President stressed the need for Congress to act now
and extend the middle class tax cuts to help businesses like
Rodon who depend on families having some shopping money this
holiday season.
The President: This is too important to our economy,
it's too important for our families to not get it done.
And it's not, it's not acceptable to me and I don't
think it's acceptable to you for just a handful of republicans in
Congress to hold middle class tax cuts hostage simply because
they don't want tax rates on upper income folks to go up.
Narrator: Back at the White House, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and
Senior Director of the National Security Council Gayle Smith,
held White House office hours on Twitter answering questions on
the Administration's efforts in the global fight against
HIV and AIDS.
¶ ¶ On Saturday, a commemorative red ribbon was displayed on the
North Portico of the White House to commemorate World AIDS Day.
On Sunday, the President and First Lady hosted legendary
entertainers at the White House for the Kennedy Center
Honors Reception.
The President recognized their extraordinary talents and
emphasized the importance of the arts in our nation's culture.
The President: And it speaks to something that has always made this
country great.
The idea that here in America, more than any other place on
Earth, we are free to follow our own passions,
explore our own gifts wherever they may lead us,
and people from all around the world come here to make sure
that they, too, can provide us the incredible gifts
that they have.
Narrator: After the President spoke, West Wing Week caught up with
Led Zeppelin lead guitarist and honoree Jimmy Page.
Jimmy Page: It's interesting the way that it comes full circle because it's
true the American players and the music that I learned myself
back in England, you see.
So I would never in my wildest dreams would I have expected
to have been here and to meet President Obama and Mrs. Obama
was just a thrill beyond belief.
Narrator: On Monday, the President took questions via Twitter about the
need to extend the middle class tax cuts.
You can continue to speak out about what a $2,000 tax hike
would mean to you and your family by using #My2K.
The President: There we go.
My tweet has been posted!
Narrator: Later, in the Oval Office, the President met with the Prime
Minister of Bulgaria.
Then the President went to the National Defense University in
Washington, D.C. to speak to the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat
Reduction Symposium.
The President: Missile by missile, warhead by warhead, shell by shell,
we're putting a bygone era behind us.
Inspired by Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar,
we're moving closer to the future that we seek.
A future where these weapons never threaten our
children again.
A future where we know the security and peace of a world
without nuclear weapons.
Narrator: On Tuesday, the President sat down with Bloomberg Television
in the Map Room to discuss extending tax cuts for the
middle class before dropping by a meeting of the National Black
Caucus of State Legislators in the Roosevelt Room.
On Wednesday morning, the President made a short trip down
Pennsylvania Avenue to the Business Roundtable where he
addressed a roomful of CEOs from major business institutions to
discuss his plan for a balanced approach to deficit reduction.
The President: I am passionately rooting for your success because if the
companies in this room are doing well,
then small businesses and medium size businesses up and down the
chain are doing well.
If the companies in this room are doing well,
then folks get jobs, consumers get confidence,
and we're going to be able to compete around the world.
Narrator: Later, the President addressed the 2012 White House Tribal
Nations Conference at the Department of Interior.
The President: Throughout Indian country, you've got a generation ready to
build on what generations before them have built.
They're out there stirring with hope and restless for change and
ready to take ownership of their future.
So let's make sure our work here is worthy of their efforts.
Let's do everything we can to get things in the best shape
possible for when they're in charge.
And over the next four years we're going to keep working
together to make sure that the promise of America is fully
realized for every Native American.
Narrator: On Thursday, the President visited the Santana family,
in Falls Church, Virginia.
Tiffany Santana wrote to the White House through the website
WhiteHouse.gov/My2K to share how a $2,000 tax hike on the middle
class would affect her family.
The President sat down with the Santanas to highlight just one
of the millions of middle class families who would have to make
significant sacrifices if Congress can't work together to
extend middle class tax cuts before the end of the year.
The President: The reason that we're here is because Tiffany is one of the
people who responded to My2K.
As many of you know, we asked folks all across the country to
talk a little bit about what would it mean if their income
taxes went up in 2013.
For them to be burdened unnecessarily because Democrats
and Republicans aren't coming together to solve this problem,
gives you the sense of the costs involved in very personal terms.
Obviously it would also have an impact on our economy because if
this family has a couple of thousand dollars less to spend,
that translates into $200 billion of less consumer
spending next year.
And that's bad for businesses large and small.
Narrator: Later that evening, the President and First Family
attended the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony where,
of course, they flipped the switch.
The President: 3, 2, 1...
Crowd: (cheering)
Narrator: To find out more information on any of these topics or to see
complete videos of these events, go to WhiteHouse.gov.
And thanks again for checking out your West Wing Week.
♪♪(Christmas music playing)♪♪
The President: We have a special guest.
(laughter)
Oh, that's nice.
Come on.
(laughter)
Maybe we'd better get another picture!
We've got to get another picture with Michelle in it.
Fantastic.