Showing posts with label President Barack H. Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Barack H. Obama. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The President to Release His Long Form Birth Certificate

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While I think it’s ridiculous, because if someone put a gun to my head, I couldn’t produce my long-form birth certificate. Have no idea what it look like, have no idea where to get it, because the hospital I was born at has since closed. The only birth certificate I have is one that has similar information to what the President has already released.

It’s an absolute crock of shyt, and it’s only because this President is BLACK.

BUT….politically, I think it’s brilliant of the President.

Because, guess what, folks?

The President knows what I know….

IT WON’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

There will be a poll taken next week, asking now, if the Republican Birthers are satisfied…

the answer to that poll will be NO.

A RESOUNDING NO.

Because it’s not about the Birth Certificate…it’s about him being a Black Man.

PERIOD.

And, once that poll is released that reveals that POTUS even releasing the Birth Certificate doesn’t make a DAMN BIT OF DIFFERENCE WITH THESE PEOPLE…

The albatross that is the Birthers will be hung around the GOP going into 2012 like an anvil.

PS-all I know is that I better be able to look up EVERY LAST GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE’S LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Dear GOP: You don't get to put the 'Crazy Uncle' in the Basement now that he's been running the neighborhood for the past 2 years ---the Birther Issue

When you let the Crazy Uncle run roughshod in your house, don't be shocked if he doesn't want to go back into the basement.

First, it was the likes of Karl Rove, telling Donald Trump to tone down on the birtherism.

What did he say?

Karl Rove: I Tried To Offer Trump A Way Out Of The Birther Talk

Karl Rove, among the big name conservatives who are openly hostile to Donald Trump's birther-centric sort of-presidential campaign, apparently tried to give Trump a rhetorical way out of his talk about President Obama's birth certificate.

On Fox News on Monday, Rove described how Trump apparently took the advice to heart -- and then immediately ignored it.

It's the latest round of the war of words between Trump and Rove, which kicked off when Rove told Fox that Trump was "joke candidate."


Then there was Michele Bachmann on Good Morning America being cornered on the birther issue, trying to be too cute by half, and George S did his job and cornered her.

From TPM.com:

Bachmann Gets Cornered On Birtherism: 'Move On, End Of Story' (VIDEO)

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) tried to hedge on the matter of birtherism -- using the line used by some Republicans who fall short of fully endorsing the conspiracy theory, while saying that Obama should just release his birth certificate (which he already did three years ago). To which George Stephanopoulos answered: Obama has released his birth certificate -- and here it is.

During the interview, Stephanopoulos asked Bachmann about how a prominent supporter of hers in Iowa has introduced a "birther bill" in the state legislature, which would require presidential candidates to supply their birth certificates to the state.

"Well, Governor Jan Brewer just vetoed that bill in Arizona," said Bachman, "because she felt that that was a bridge too far -- that it wouldn't be up to the authenticators in each state to do that, that that would be a federal issue. There is a federal piece of legislation that hasn't gone anywhere that would also require that candidates put forward their birth certificate. I have no problem giving my birth certificate, it wouldn't bother me at all. I've got one, its authenticated, take it."

"Well, but so does the president," Stephanopoulos replied.

"According to the bill a candidate for president or vice president shall attach to and file with the affidavit a copy of the candidate's birth certificate certified by the appropriate official in the candidate's state of birth.'

"That's right," said Bachmann.

"Well I have the president's certificate right here," Stephanopoulos replied. "It's certified, it's got a certification number, it's got the registrar of the state, signed. It's got a seal on it. And it says: 'This copy serves as prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding.'"

"Well, then that should settle it," said Bachmann. She added: "That's what should settle it. I take the president at his word and I think -- again I would have no problem and apparently the president wouldn't, either. Introduce that, we're done. Move on, end of story."



But, according to Lawrence O'Donnell, she was back to trying to be too cute by half about the Birther Issue, once she was on Fox Noise later on that day, as discussed in this video.

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So, why, if Bachmann is all big and bad, didn't she stick up for the Birthers on ' mainstream' tv?

Because, as the O'Donnell piece said....that birther mess doesn't play well, with the folks who consider themselves SANE in this country.

Simply put, it doesn't play well with INDEPENDENT VOTERS.

But, here's the thing...

After spending 2 years flaming the fans of this idiocy.

Of doing a ' wink wink, nudge nudge' to these folks..

Always doing to hairsplit, or the bullshyt ' I take the President at his word'...

NEVER being willing to call these lunatics out when given the chance in ' mainstream' press...

ALWAYS HEDGING around condemning them for what they are...

SUDDENLY, it's a Presidential Election Year, and you can't win elections with 'just the base'. You win elections with Independents....and they think this shyt is CRAZY.

But, NOW....they're tying to shove the Birthers into the basement...trying to say that it's just a 'fringe group'.

Not according to the polls.



From TPM.com:

Poll: Nearly Half Of Republicans Think Obama Wasn't Born In U.S.

The belief that President Obama was not born in America may seem like a fringe issue, but within the Republican party, the view is fairly mainstream.

In a New York Times/CBS poll released on Thursday, a 45% plurality of Republican adults said they believe Obama was not born in the U.S. Additionally, 33% said Obama was born in America, while 22% said they weren't sure.

That result is on par with a February PPP poll in which 51% of Republican voters thought Obama wasn't born in the U.S., while 28% said he was.


Since when is 45%, 51%...or the recent poll that showed 48% of Iowa Republicans were Births...

' SMALL NUMBERS'

45....48....51....

Out of 100?

Small numbers?

HELL NO.

The core of the Republican Party chooses to believe in the farce that the President wasn't born in the United States.

Now, you know I don't believe that these folks actually believe this nonsense.

They want to say....
I can't believe this NIGGER was elected President of the United States..

But, if they do, they will be seen in the same light as the woman who sent the monkey email this week.

That's what they want to say...

So, they hide behind the FRAUD that is the Birther issue. And, the 'ESTABLISHMENT' GOP, which had done nothing to discourage it from November 5, 20008 until now....sees that they look like they are being run by lunatics...and want to put a polite face on it, by trying to shove it under the carpet. You had the likes of Ann Coulter talking about ' of course, the President was born here'. They're trying to deflect what they have fomented, and I say HELL NO to them being able to disentangle themselves from the Birthers..

BIRTHERS=REPUBLICAN PARTY

to the CORE.

What worries the GOP in this election year?

Independents like this that I found on another site:

You were writing of how insidious the birther problem is for the Republicans, crawling and taking root across their membership like kudzu, in their attempts to deny legitimacy to Barack Obama. And all it's done for me (and I'd venture a good percentage of all Independents) is to deny legitimacy to the Republican party.

They played with this. They indulged it. They poured resources into the tawdry pols who would smile upon it, or insinuate it when they weren't downright trumpeting it from their podiums and microphones. They chose to do this and then realized that they might have a little problem with this parasitic thing that they seeded.

And it's their problem. To vote for them would make it mine. No thank you.

There is no policy idea or politician they can shine up that would appeal to me at this point, because they have taken their party right into the dirt with this birther business. Those who didn't participate also didn't make efforts to put a stop to it. Those would divest themselves of responsibility now are the worst culprits of all. If you dabble with racism - then you are a racist.

And last time I checked? You don't win elections without Independents. This Independent is done with them. You might as well ask me to vote for the Klan.


The GOP must live with the Crazy Uncle.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The First Family Finishes Up in El Salvador and Returns Home

The First Family cut their visit to El Salvador short, and have returned home.


President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wave prior to boarding Air Force prior to departing San Salvador, El Salvador, Wednesday, March 23, 2011.
-----AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais




Sasha (C) and Malia (2nd R), daughters of U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, paint a mural which reads "welcome" during a visit to a youth assistance program known as "Superate" in San Salvador March 22, 2011. ---REUTERS/Edgard Garrido


Sasha (C) and Malia (L), daughters of U.S. President Barack Obama, paint a mural during a visit to a youth assistance program known as "Superate" in San Salvador March 22, 2011.
----REUTERS/Edgard Garrido


U.S. President Barack Obama offers a toast as First Lady Michelle Obama raises a glass during an official dinner at the Casa Presidential in San Salvador March 22, 2011.
----REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque


US President Barack Obama attends an official dinner hosted by President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador at the National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011.
----SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images




First Lady Michelle Obama alongside US President Barack Obama (L) raises her glass during a toast by President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador at an official dinner at the National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011.
----SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images


First Lady Michelle Obama raises her glass during a toast by President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador at an official dinner at the National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011.
---- SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images


U.S. President Barack Obama offers a toast as First Lady Michelle Obama raises a glass to El Salvador First Lady Vanda Pignato (L) during an official dinner at the Casa Presidential in San Salvador March 22, 2011.
----REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque






U.S. President Barack Obama offers a toast as First Lady Michelle Obama raises a glass during an official dinner at the Casa Presidential in San Salvador March 22, 2011.
-----REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque


People wait to see the motorcade of the US President Barack Obama as he arrives to the US Embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador at the end of his visit to El Salvador on March 23, 2011. ---- Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images


US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha (2nd L) and Malia, walk to Air Force One in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 23, 2011. The Obamas are returning to Washington following a 5-day, 3-country trip that took the First Family to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador.
----SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images


President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia and Sasha, prior to departing San Salvador, El Salvador, Wednesday, March 23, 2011.
----AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais


A policeman passes a sign welcoming U.S. President Barack Obama to El Salvador March 23, 2011. Obama will depart El Salvador for Washington today.
----REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque






WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 23: Marian Robinson (L), mother-in-law of U.S. President Barack Obama, walks towards the residency with an unidentified woman after they returned to the White House March 23, 2011 in Washington, DC. The first family has returned from a visit to South America.
----Alex Wong/Getty Images


US First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia walk across the South Lawn March 23, 2011 upon return to the White House in Washington, DC. US President Barack Obama and his family returned to Washington after a 5-day Latin American visit.
---MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images


US President Barack Obama and daughter Sasha walk across the South Lawn March 23, 2011 upon return to the White House in Washington, DC. Obama returned to Washington after a 5-day Latin American visit.
---MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Friday, February 11, 2011

Mubarak out in Egypt

Hosni Mubarak is out as President of Egypt.

Here is President Obama's speech earlier today.

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

President Obama Honors the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height

On Wednesday, December 15, 2010, the President signed into law:
H.R. 6118, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Washington, D.C., as the
“Dorothy I. Height Post Office;”




President Barack Obama signs H.R. 6118, the “Dorothy Height Bill” in the Oval Office, Dec. 15, 2010. The bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Washington, D.C., as the “Dorothy I. Height Post Office.”
-----Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Background:

This bill designates the United States Postal Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC, as the Dorothy I. Height Post Office.

Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was a celebrated civil rights leader and Chair Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). While at NCNW, Dr. Height devoted her energies to advancing quality of life issues for African American women and their families, impacting health, education and economic empowerment.

Dr. Height dedicated her life to service and leadership. She was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. She passed away on April 20, 2010, in Washington, DC, and The President and the First Lady attended her funeral, with the President delivering her eulogy.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The President Is Just Cleaning up the Congressional Democrats Mess..



According to the U.S. Constitution, there are three different branches of government: Executive, Judicial, Legislative. Each branch has its own responsibilities.

If you listen to the howling from Congressional Democrats , one would think that the deal the President cut with the GOP just dropped out of the sky, and he just strolled on into negotiations with them, without any CONTEXT whatsoever.

Here's the thing.

The President might have gotten a better deal, hell, he might not have had to make a deal at all..

IF CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS HAD TAKEN CARE OF BUSINESS.

It was Congressional Democrats who didn't do squat about the 99ers. They've known about them for months...how do I know that? Because I heard rant upon rant from Ed Schultz about this topic.

The extension of unemployment benefits was no surprise either for Congressional Democrats. At any time, with a majority in the House, and Senate, they could have done unemployment benefit extensions.

Now, we get to the tax cuts.

Was the President the only person in Washington that knew that the tax cuts were going to expire and a vote needed to be taken on them?

Ummm......NOPE.

The Congressional Democrats were asked to vote on the tax cuts and make them an issue for the fall elections - by the President - in September.

They could have decoupled the tax issue between those making less than $250,000 and those making more than $250,000. They could have done an up or down vote on the tax issue BEFORE November 2010.

But, they didn't.

Not only did they not, but now, we're getting a list of Congresscritters who weaseled their way to the White House, begging off a vote on the tax issue.

So, the DEMOCRATS in Congress FAIL to live up to their legislative responsibilities. They chose NOT to vote on Unemployment Extensions. They chose NOT to add another tier to take care of the 99ers (which is the only part of the President's deal that I disagree with entirely). They chose NOT to vote on the tax cuts by decoupling them. They chose NOT to vote on them at the beginning of the lame duck session. They chose NOT to ram through their proposal on the Estate Tax that they've had on the table for at least a year.

So, they chose NOT to do all those things.

AND, now, they have the NERVE to be yelping like a beaten dog when the President steps in and tries to clean up their neglect. Their mess.



I've been listening to so-called pundits all over tv too, White and Black, and they've lost their minds too. Watched Roland Martin this past Sunday, and listening to his panel, and them talking about how the President folded, and how the Republicans were going to ' have to come around' when it came to unemployment extensions, my only thought was, as I restrained myself from throwing something at the tv:

Have those Negroes been watching the same GOP?

IN WHAT WORLD do they think that the GOP was going to 'come around' to unemployment benefits extension?

IN WHAT WORLD?

I am not part of the national media political complex whose livelihoods depend on perpetuating the DELUSION that there are two parties that genuinely want to work in Washington.

Simply put - that's a fucking lie.

You have the Democrats - with all their imperfections.

And, then you have a bunch of soulless, without a conscience, would sell their Mama for a buck, and would feed us all to Corporate America if it deposited a check in their bank accounts - Republicans.

THAT is who they are.

That family in Tennessee that lost their home because they didn't pay a $75 fee, and had the fire department stand there and watch their house BURN TO THE GROUND - THAT is the essence of the Republican 'Lord of the Flies' mentality.

The creation of DEATH PANELS IN Arizona, killing off Medicaid Transplant Patients, so as to fund a tax break for the rich -- THIS is who the GOP IS.

I am not part of those who think that the GOP has a point about ANYTHING. People have a point, when they are willing to express humanity towards their fellow man.

THAT is NOT the GOP.

When I hear DELUSIONISTS like Congressman Anthony Weiner get on Rev. Al's show and have the nerve to criticize the President and this deal, and when Rev. Al called him on the deal that Congressional Democrats would put together, he said he HOPED that they could do better.

HOPE?

2 MILLION PEOPLE would be without unemployment benefits and this man HOPED that the Congressional Dems could do better?

PRETENDING that the GOP would lose ANY sleep about cutting off unemployment benefits is a DELUSION that angers me. Playing chicken with people without a conscience is a losing proposition.

Here is what Senator Jim DeMint says about unemployment benefits:
Commentary: DeMint's attitude towards jobless is cruel
.................................
Yes, if there was ever a moment in this recession that underscored the growing “let them eat cake” attitude of some, it came during a radio interview Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina gave the other day.

Vowing to fight any attempt to deny the rich anything less than a permanent income tax cut, DeMint said he opposed extending jobless benefits to the long-term unemployed, especially if it added to the debt.

Even then, unemployment compensation ought to be turned into a loan program, he said.

“It then encourages people to go back to work,” DeMint said.

Yes, sir. If only those lazy bums collecting jobless benefits had to repay the government aid they’re squandering on food, gas and lodging, then maybe they’d get off their fat butts and find work.

I haven't heard JACK about anyone criticizing DeMint, and IMO, SILENCE=CONSENT.

Here's another one from Big Pharma himself:
The Daily Bile Of Limbaugh
14 Dec 2010 10:36 am

Sometimes the hackery is so blatant it's amusing. Here's a December 10 classic:


The unemployed are being treated as virtuous. They are being treated to further payments while not working, now up to three years. You're seeing more and more Democrats come out and actually wage war on the rich; wage war on working people; wage war on creative people; wage war on the people that provide jobs; wage war on the productive people of this country. You see it now. It's been a little bit more abstract, but now these guys lost the election, and the mask is off and you are seeing the genuine Marxists that they are, you're seeing it, and you're seeing the venom that's attached to 'em. I mean they look at what happened to Charlie Rangel as fair. You know, there's an all-out war against productive self-reliant people in this country by the Democrat Party. That's what you notice.



Shortly therafter he goes to a commercial break. And when he returns?



Ladies and gentlemen, if we were on the ball and if the Republicans were on the ball, the question being asked would be: Why are the Democrats trying to take away unemployment extensions here at Christmas? That's how this ought to be framed. If we were on offense, that would be the question: Why are the Democrats trying to take away unemployment benefits here at Christmastime? That would put them on defense. That's the question we should be asking.


Any criticisms of the racist junkie?

NOPE.

SILENCE=CONSENT

For those who STILL live under the DELUSION that the GOP could be SHAMED into anything, the GOP JUST DENIED BENEFITS TO 9/11 RESCUE WORKERS WHO HAVE BECOME ILL.

That's right....this bunch of soulless parasites, that people have the nerve to get on tv and talk about them that they could be ' SHAMED' into doing the right thing by the unemployed...

JUST DENIED BENEFITS TO 9/11 RESCUE WORKERS.



And, people STILL want to tell me that the President could have gotten a better deal?

Friday, December 10, 2010

The President and First Family light up the WH Christmas Tree.

hat tips-itgurl_29, Angelar

The President and First Family light up the WH Christmas Tree.




US President Barack Obama, joined by his family including First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, and mother-in-law Marian Robinson, react as they push a button to light the National Christmas Tree during a ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC, December 9, 2010.
----SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images



WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (R) reads story to children during the 2010 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony December 9, 2010 at the Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC. The first family participated in the annual ceremony to kick off the 2010 National Christmas Tree Festival.
----Alex Wong/Getty Images


U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama reads a Christmas book to children on stage during the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Washington December 9, 2010.
----REUTERS/Molly Riley


US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia take their seats at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC, December 9, 2010.
----SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images


Singer Jackie Evancho gets a hug from first lady Michelle Obama as Santa Claus is seen at right at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the Ellipse across from the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010.
----AP Photo/Charles Dharapak


President Barack Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9, smile as they push the button to light up the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, just south of the White House, in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010.
---AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite


WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: Singer B.B. King performs during the 2010 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony December 9, 2010 at the Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC. The first family participated in the annual ceremony to kick off the 2010 National Christmas Tree Festival.
----Alex Wong/Getty Images


Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs after President Barack Obama lit the National Christmas Tree at the Ellipse across from the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010.
----AP Photo/Charles Dharapak


US President Barack Obama laughs with his daughter Sasha as they attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC, December 9, 2010.
---- SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Just an All-American Family.


U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama stand with their daughters Sasha (2nd R) and Malia (L) during the National Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington December 9, 2010. Marian Robinson, the president's mother-in-law, stands behind Sasha.
-----REUTERS/Molly Riley


US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC, December 9, 2010.
---SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Sunday, November 28, 2010

The First Couple on 20/20

The Full Interview with President and Mrs. Obama on 20/20 Friday.

















Saturday, November 20, 2010

President Obama’s Weekly Address

President to Senate: Ratify New START Treaty

This week, President Obama made another push for ratification of the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) that he signed with President Medvedev back in April 8th of this year.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The 2010 Midterms

I haven't felt this bad since 2004. I seriously had the blues for about a year after that election.

No other way to put it- the Democrats got shellacked, plain and simple.

For those of you who got out to vote, thank you. You can complain for the next 2 years. Those of you who sat on your behinds and had better things to do because you don't think voting is important - STFU for the next 2 years.

Now, the GOP has to govern. They actually have to do something, outside of saying no. I went through a really vengeful mood for the past 48 hours, and couldn't post until I calmed down. That said, I gotta say this:

For all you teabaggers running around talking about 'socialized medicine' and ' Obamacare', when the GOP brings up giving you a voucher for your Medicare services, STFU.



For all you in Kentucky, when the next mining disaster happens and a group of folks winds up dead, when Senator Paul tells you that it's ok for a few peasants to die in order to maximize the profits of the Mining companites, STFU.

For all you 'recently unemployed' folks who don't seem to be able to find a job, and are receiving unemployment, when that runs out on the 'good American' that you are, and you realize that the GOP says, ' too bad' and won't extend unemployment benefits, STFU.

For all of you in Michigan who had your asses saved because the Government wouldn't let the American auto industry die in this country - whatever the GOP does to you, too bad.

For all you parents who have a child with a pre-existing condition, and thought your worries were over because healthcare had passed and still voted for the GOP, STFU.

When you don't have a pot to piss in, and you voted for mofos who basically want you to live as 3rd World Serfs, whatever happens to you - STFU.

Not angry at the Black or Brown voters across this country. The Latino vote deserves a salute for saving Harry Reid's behind and figuring out that Angle WAS WHO SHE SAID SHE WAS. Never would have been close for Sestak at all in PA or Strickland without the Black vote. Alexi G only had the chance he had because of Cook County- he lost everywhere else in the state.

No, so, don't want to hear anything slamming Black or Brown voters. You can bring this down to the fickle White voter, who gave George W. Bush 8 years to destroy the country, but have a temper tantrum that Barack Obama can't clean it up in 2 years? So, you're going to turn the House of Representatives back over to the SOB's who have gone against everything that has remotely helped this country get back on its feet over the past 2 years.


You honestly think they're going to GOVERN?
G-T-F-O-H

They're not interested in governing. They are only interested in serving their corporate overlords, and their extremist positions.

WHEN they attempt to impeach this President for the crime of BEING PRESIDENT WHILE BLACK, don't open your mouths:
1. YOU put them there.
2. THIS is who they've always been.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The White House Remembers 9/11

hat tip-blackwaterdog

The President was at the Pentagon.





The First Lady was in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where she appeared with former First Lady Laura Bush.





Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden were in New York.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The President gives a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee:




FULL TRANSCRIPT




It is good to be back in Milwaukee. Of course, this isn't my first time at Laborfest. I stood right here with you two years ago, when I was still a candidate for this office. During that campaign, we talked about how, for years, the values of hard work and responsibility that built this country had been given short shrift, and how that was slowly hollowing out our middle class. About how some on Wall Street took reckless risks and cut corners to turn huge profits, while working Americans were fighting harder and harder just to stay afloat. And about how the decks were too often stacked in favor of the special interests and against working Americans. What we knew, even then, was that these years would be some of the most difficult in our history. And then, two weeks later, the bottom fell out of the economy. Middle-class families suddenly found themselves swept up in the worst recession in our lifetimes. So the problems facing working families are nothing new. But they are more serious than ever. And that makes our cause more urgent than ever.

For generations, it was the great American middle class that made our economy the envy of the world. It's got to be that way again. It was folks like you, after all, who forged that middle class. It was working men and women who made the twentieth century the American century. It was the labor movement that helped secure so much of what we take for granted today - the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, family leave, health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, retirement plans, those cornerstones of middle class security that all bear the union label. And it was that greatest of generations that built America into the greatest force for prosperity, opportunity and freedom the world has ever known. Americans like my grandfather, who went off to war just boys, returned home men, and traded one uniform and set of responsibilities for another. Americans like my grandmother, who rolled up their sleeves and worked in factories on the home front. When the war was over, they studied under the GI Bill; bought homes under the FHA; raised families buttressed by good jobs that paid good wages with good benefits. It was through my grandparents' experience that I was brought up to believe that anything is possible in America.

But they also knew the feeling when that opportunity is pulled out from under you. They would tell me about seeing their fathers or uncles losing jobs during the depression; how it wasn't just the loss of a paycheck that stung. It was the blow to their dignity; their sense of self-worth. I'll bet a lot of us have seen people changed after a long bout of unemployment; how it can wear down even the strongest spirits. So my grandparents taught me early on that a job is about more than a paycheck, as important as that is. A job is about waking up every day with a sense of purpose, and going to bed each night fulfilled. A job is about meeting your responsibilities to yourself, to your family, to your community. I carried that lesson with me all those years ago when I got my start fighting for men and women on the South Side of Chicago after their local steel plant shut down. I carried that lesson with me through my time as a state senator and a U.S. Senator. I carry that lesson with me today. And I know that there are folks right here in Milwaukee and all across America who are going through these kinds of struggles.

Eight million Americans lost their jobs in this recession. And while we've had eight straight months of private sector job growth, the new jobs haven't been coming fast enough. Now, the plain truth is, there's no silver bullet or quick fix to the problem. Even when I was running for this office, we knew it would take time to reverse the damage of a decade's worth of policies that saw a few folks prosper while the middle class kept falling behind - and it will take more time than any of us wants to dig out of the hole created by this economic crisis. But on this Labor Day, there are two things I want you to know, Milwaukee. Number one: I'm going to keep fighting, every single day, to turn this economy around; to put our people back to work; to renew the American Dream for your families and for future generations.

Number two - and this I believe with every fiber of my being: America cannot have a strong, growing economy without a strong, growing middle class, and the chance for everybody, no matter how humble their beginnings, to join that middle class. A middle class built on the idea that if you work hard and live up to your responsibilities, you can get ahead - and enjoy some basic guarantees in life. A good job that pays a good wage. Health care that'll be there when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you're not rich. An education that'll give our kids a better life than we had. These are simple ideas. American ideas.

I was thinking about this last week. On the day I announced the end to our combat mission in Iraq, I spent some time, as I often do, with our soldiers and veterans. This new generation of troops coming home from Iraq has earned its place alongside that greatest generation. Like them, they have the skills and training and drive to move America's economy forward once more. And from the time I took office, we've been investing in new care, new opportunity, and a new commitment to their service that's worthy of their sacrifice. But they're coming home to an economy hit by recession deeper than any we've seen. And the question is, how do we create the same kind of middle class opportunity my grandparents' generation came home to? How do we build our economy on the same kind of strong, stable foundation for growth? Well, anyone who thinks we can move this economy forward with a few doing well at the top, hoping it'll trickle down to working folks running faster and faster just to keep up - they just haven't studied our history. We didn't become the most prosperous country in the world by rewarding greed and recklessness. We didn't come this far by letting special interests run wild. We didn't do it by just gambling and chasing paper profits on Wall Street. We did it by producing goods we could sell; we did it with sweat and effort and innovation. We did it by investing in the people who built this country from the ground up - workers, and middle-class families, and small business owners. We did it by out-working, out-educating, and out-competing everyone else. Milwaukee, that's what we're going to do again.

That's what's been at the heart of all our efforts: building our economy on a new foundation so that our middle class doesn't just survive this crisis - but thrives once we emerge. And over the last two years, that's meant taking on some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for too long. That's why we passed financial reform that provides new accountability and tough oversight of Wall Street; reform that will stop credit card companies from gouging you with hidden fees and unfair rate hikes; reform that ends the era of taxpayer bailouts for Wall Street once and for all. That's why we eliminated tens of billions of dollars in wasteful taxpayer subsidies to big banks that provide student loans. We're using those savings to put a college education within reach for working families. That's why we passed health insurance reform that will make coverage affordable; reform that ends the indignity of insurance companies jacking up your premiums at will or denying you coverage just because you get sick; reform that shifts control from them to you. That's why we're making it easier for workers to save for retirement, with new ways of saving your tax refunds, a simpler system for enrolling in plans like 401(k)s, and fighting to strengthen Social Security for the future. And to those who may still run for office planning to privatize Social Security, let me be clear: as long as I'm President, I'll fight every effort to take the retirement savings of a generation of Americans and hand it over to Wall Street. Not on my watch.

That's why we've given tax cuts to small business owners. Tax cuts to clean energy companies. A tax cut to 95 percent of working Americans, just like I promised you on the campaign. And instead of giving tax breaks to corporations to create jobs overseas, we're cutting taxes for companies that put our people to work here at home. That's why we're investing in growth industries like clean energy and manufacturing. And you've got leaders here like Tom Barrett and Jim Doyle who have been fighting to bring those jobs to Milwaukee and to Wisconsin. Because we want to see the solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars of tomorrow manufactured here. We don't just want to buy stuff made elsewhere; we want to grow our exports so the world buys products that say "Made in America." Because there are no better workers than American workers, and I'll place my bet on you any day of the week.

When the naysayers said we should just let the American auto industry vanish and take hundreds of thousands of jobs down with it, we said we'd stand by them if they made the tough choices necessary to compete once again - and today, that industry is on the way back. Now, another thing we've done is make sound and long-overdue investments in upgrading our outdated and inefficient national infrastructure. We're not just talking new roads, bridges, dams and levees; but also a smart electric grid and the broadband internet and high-speed rail lines required to compete in the 21st century economy. We're talking investments in tomorrow that are creating hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs today. It was because of these investments, and the tens of thousands of projects they spurred all over the country, that the battered construction sector actually grew last month for the first time in a long time. Still, nearly one in five construction workers are unemployed. And it doesn't do anybody any good when so many American workers have been idled for months, even years, at a time when there is so much of America to rebuild. That's why, today, I am announcing a new plan for rebuilding and modernizing America's roads, rails and runways for the long-term. Over the next six years, we are going to rebuild 150,000 miles of our roads - enough to circle the world six times. We're going to lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways - enough to stretch coast-to-coast. We're going to restore 150 miles of runways and advance a next generation air-traffic control system to reduce travel time and delays for American travelers - something I think folks across the political spectrum could agree on. This is a plan that will be fully paid for and will not add to the deficit over time - we're going to work with Congress to see to that. It sets up an Infrastructure Bank to leverage federal dollars and focus on the smartest investments. It will continue our strategy to build a national high-speed rail network that reduces congestion, travel times, and harmful emissions. It will cut waste and bureaucracy by consolidating and collapsing more than 100 different, often duplicative programs.

And it will change the way Washington spends your tax dollars; reforming the haphazard and patchwork way we fund and maintain our infrastructure to focus less on wasteful earmarks and outdated formulas, and more on competition and innovation that gives us the best bang for the buck. All of this will not only create jobs now, but will make our economy run better over the long haul. It's a plan that history tells us can and should attract bipartisan support. It's a plan that says even in the still-smoldering aftermath of the worst recession in our lifetimes, America can act to shape our own destiny, to move this country forward, to leave our children something better - something lasting.

So these are the things we've been working for. These are some of the victories that you helped us achieve. And we're not done. We've got a lot more progress to make. And I believe we will.

But there are some folks in Washington who see things differently. When it comes to just about everything we've done to strengthen the middle class and rebuild our economy, almost every Republican in Congress said no. Even where we usually agree, they say no. They think it's better to score political points before an election than actually solve problems. So they said no to help for small businesses. No to middle-class tax cuts. No to unemployment insurance. No to clean energy jobs. No to making college affordable. No to reforming Wall Street. Even as we speak, these guys are saying no to cutting more taxes for small business owners. I mean, come on! Remember when our campaign slogan was "Yes We Can?" These guys are running on "No, We Can't," and proud of it.

Really inspiring, huh? To steal a line from our old friend, Ted Kennedy: what is it about working men and women that they find so offensive? When we passed a bill earlier this summer to help states save the jobs of hundreds of thousands of teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters that were about to be laid off, they said "no" to that, too. In fact, the Republican who's already planning to take over as Speaker of the House dismissed them as "government jobs" that weren't worth saving. Not worth saving? These are the people who teach our kids. Who keep our streets safe. Who put their lives on the line for our own. I don't know about you, but I think those jobs are worth saving. We made sure that bill wouldn't add to the deficit, either. We paid for it by finally closing a ridiculous tax loophole that actually rewarded corporations for shipping jobs and profits overseas. It let them write off the taxes they pay foreign governments - even when they don't pay taxes here. How do you like that - middle class families footing tax breaks for corporations that create jobs somewhere else! Even a lot of America's biggest corporations agreed the loophole should be closed, that it wasn't fair - but the man with the plan to be Speaker is already aiming to open it up again.

Bottom line is, these guys refuse to give up on the economic philosophy they peddled for most of the last decade. You know that philosophy: you cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires; you cut rules for special interests; you cut working folks like you loose to fend for yourselves. They called it the ownership society. What it really boiled down to was: if you couldn't find a job, or afford college, or got dropped by your insurance company - you're on your own. Well, that philosophy didn't work out so well for working folks. It didn't work out so well for our country. All it did was rack up record deficits and result in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

I'm not bringing this up to re-litigate the past; I'm bringing it up because I don't want to re-live the past. It would be one thing if Republicans in Washington had new ideas or policies to offer; if they said, you know, we've learned from our mistakes. We'll do things differently this time. But that's not what they're doing. When the leader of their campaign committee was asked on national television what Republicans would do if they took over Congress, he actually said they'd follow "the exact same agenda" as they did before I took office. The exact same agenda. So basically, they're betting that between now and November, you'll come down with a case of amnesia. They think you'll forget what their agenda did to this country. They think you'll just believe that they've changed. These are the folks whose policies helped devastate our middle class and drive our economy into a ditch. And now they're asking you for the keys back. Do you want to give them the keys back? Me neither. And do you know why? Because they don't know how to drive! At a time when we're just getting out of the ditch, they'd pop it in reverse, let the special interests ride shotgun, and hit the gas, careening right back into that ditch.

Well, I refuse to go backwards, Milwaukee. And that's the choice America faces this fall. Do we go back to the policies of the past? Or do we move forward? I say we move forward. America always moves forward. And we are going to keep moving forward today. Let me just close by saying this. I know these are difficult times. I know folks are worried, and there's still a lot of hurt out here. I hear about it when I spend time in towns like this; I read about it in your letters at night. And when times are tough, it can be easy to give in to cynicism and fear; doubt and division - to set our sights lower and settle for something less. But that is not who we are. That is not the country I know.

We do not give up. We do not quit. We are a people that faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats; and lit the way for the rest of the world. Whenever times have seemed at their worst, Americans have been at their best. Because it is in those times when we roll up our sleeves and remember that we will rise or fall together - as one nation, and one people. That's the spirit that started the labor movement. The idea that alone, we are weak. Divided, we fall. But united, we are strong. That's why we call them unions. That's why we call this the United States of America. Milwaukee, that's the case I am going to make across the country this fall - yours. And I am asking for your help. If you are willing to join me, and Tom Barrett, and Gwen Moore, and Russ Feingold, we can strengthen our middle class and make our economy work for working Americans again. We can restore the American Dream and deliver it safely to our children. That's how we built the last American century. That's how we'll build the next. We don't believe in the words "No, we can't." We are Americans, and in times of great challenge, we push forward with an unyielding faith that we can. Yes, we can. Thank you, God Bless You and the work you do, and God Bless the United States of America.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

The President on the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

President Obama Speaks on the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
Xavier University, New Orleans, Louisiana
August 29, 2010 3:00 PM EDT

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy





Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy









President Barack Obama, with daughters Malia and Sasha and First Lady Michelle Obama, arrive in New Orleans to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010.
----AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber


U.S. President Barack Obama is greeted by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (2nd R) after stepping off Air Force One with First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha (C) and Malia in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2010.
---FREUTERS/Jim Young


New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu greets President Barack Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia as First Lady Michelle Obama talks to Rep. Joseph Cao and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal after arriving in New Orleans to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010.
----AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber


U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2010. ----REUTERS/Jim Young


US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the crowd at Xavier University as they arrive to attend a ceremony on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 29, 2010. Obama arrived in still-struggling New Orleans to join residents marking five years since flood waters driven by Hurricane Katrina inundated the famous jazz capital. ----JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images


US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the crowd at Xavier University during a ceronomy on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on August 29, 2010. Obama arrived in still-struggling New Orleans to join residents marking five years since flood waters driven by Hurricane Katrina inundated the famous jazz capital.
----JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images


U.S. President Barack Obama (C), First Lady Michelle Obama (L) and their daughters Sasha (3rd L) and Malia (2nd L) place a food order at Parkway Bakery and Tavern in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2010.
----REUTERS/Jim Young


US President Barack Obama speaks at Xavier University on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on August 29, 2010. Obama arrived in still-struggling New Orleans to join residents marking five years since flood waters driven by Hurricane Katrina inundated the famous jazz capital.
----JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images


US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visit Columbia Parc Housing complex in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 29, 2010. Obama arrived in still-struggling New Orleans to join residents marking five years since flood waters driven by Hurricane Katrina inundated the famous jazz capital.
----JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images


US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are greeted by Maude Smith to her house as they visit Columbia Parc Housing complex in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 29, 2010. Obama arrived in still-struggling New Orleans to join residents marking five years since flood waters driven by Hurricane Katrina inundated the famous jazz capital.
----JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Image


US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visit Maude Smith's house at Columbia Parc Housing complex in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 29, 2010. Obama arrived in still-struggling New Orleans to join residents marking five years since flood waters driven by Hurricane Katrina inundated the famous jazz capital.
----JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images