here’s to better days….

President Barack Obama toasts with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a State Dinner in the State Dinning Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 19

happy second anniversary, mr president and first lady

The song, ‘God damn you’re beautiful’, is by Chester See – you can see his own video here

I posted this video on YouTube in early 2009 … one of the comments read: “I am Chester See and I approve this message.” Yep, it was the singer of the song. Love him 😉

hosts

President Obama and First Lady Michelle greet Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House prior to hosting a State dinner. People opposed to President Hu’s visit can be heard protesting outside the White House

‘nbc/wsj poll: obama bouncing back’

MSNBC: What a difference a few weeks can make.

Last month, Republicans were celebrating their midterm victories; Democrats were licking their electoral wounds; and President Barack Obama’s approval rating was stuck in the mid-’40s.

But after a five-week stretch that included bipartisan legislative achievements in the lame-duck session of Congress, mostly positive economic news and Obama’s well-received speech honoring the victims of the tragic shootings in Arizona, the political world has taken an abrupt turn in direction.

According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama’s approval rating has surged above 50 percent; confidence in the economy also has spiked; and the Democratic Party — but not the GOP — now enjoys a net-positive rating from the American public.

“The last six weeks have been the best six weeks the president has had in his first two years in office,” says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.

…In the poll, Obama’s job-approval rating stands at 53 percent, which is an eight-point jump from last month and represents his highest rating in the survey since July 2009 … the improvement was across the board: Approval among independents moved from 35 percent in December to 46 percent now; among Democrats, it went from 76 percent to 86 percent; and among Republicans, it went from 11 percent to 15 percent.

….What is clear is that Obama will ride into his State of the Union address next week in a stronger position than many would have thought after November, when the Republican Party won control of the U.S. House and picked up seats in the U.S. Senate.

“This is a person who will walk in the hall with a great deal of confidence and with the wind at his back,” says Hart.

Read the full article here

😉

dinner time

The Blue Room is seen in preparation for President Barack Obama’s State Dinner for President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, at the White House in Washington on January 19

Guest list here

where’s the change? right here….

Wall Street Journal: U.S. manufacturing, viewed as a lost cause by many Americans, has begun creating more jobs than it eliminates for the first time in more than a decade.

As the economy recovered and big companies began upgrading old factories or building new ones, the number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. last year grew 1.2%, or 136,000, the first increase since 1997, government data show. That total will grow again this year, according to economists at IHS Global Insight and Moody’s Analytics.

Among others, major auto makers—both domestic and transplants—are hiring. Ford Motor Co. announced last week it planned to add 7,000 workers over the next two years.

The economists’ projections for this year—calling for a gain of about 2.5%, or 330,000 manufacturing jobs—won’t come close to making up for the nearly six million lost since 1997. But manufacturing should be at least a modest contributor to total U.S. employment in the next couple of years, these economists say.

After a steep slump during the recession, manufacturing is “the shining star of this recovery,” says Thomas Runiewicz, an economist at IHS. He expects total U.S. manufacturing jobs this year to rise to about 12 million….

Read the full article here

east meets west

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President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House, January 19

Earlier in the day:

CNN: The Chinese government has approved contracts worth a total of $45 billion with U.S. companies to export goods to China, the Obama administration said Wednesday.

The contracts will support an estimated 235,000 jobs for American workers … the deals cover a variety of exports, including agricultural products, computers, automobiles and auto parts, as well as industrial materials and technology.

….In preparation for the visit, China approved $19 billion in contracts with Boeing to provide 200 planes for Chinese airlines over the next three years, which will support an estimated 100,000 jobs.

The Chinese government has signed 70 contracts with U.S. exporters to provide goods for state-owned companies, the White House said. Those contracts total $25 billion and involve companies from 12 U.S. states.

The White House said 11 investment contracts worth $3.24 billion have been signed with China, and $13.1 billion worth of “other transactions” are being “announced or showcased.”

Read the full article here

huntsman 2012? :-)

Jon Huntsman with President Obama and China’s ambassador to the U.S., Zhou Wenzhong, in China, 2009

At the joint press conference with China’s President Hu, the AP’s Ben Feller asked President Obama to comment on the possible presidential candidacy of his ambassador to China, Republican Jon Hunstman (who hinted this month in an interview with Newsweek that he might challenge the President), who was standing in front of him.

“I think Ambassador Huntsman has done an outstanding job as ambassador for the United States to China. He is a Mandarin speaker. He has brought enormous skill, dedication and talent to the job. And, you know, the fact that he comes from a different party, I think, is a strength, not a weakness, because it indicates … partisanship ends at the water’s edge.”

“I couldn’t be happier with the ambassador’s service, and I’m sure he will be very successful in whatever endeavors he chooses in the future. And I’m sure that him having worked so well with me will be a great asset in any Republican primary.”

🙂

President Obama reacts as a reporter asks him about Jon Huntsman….

bear down

ABC: After the pool spray with President Hu Jintao in the Oval Office, a cameraman asked President Obama “If the Bears win, are you going to the Super Bowl?”

“Oh we’re going,” responded the President, “no doubt.”

On Sunday, the Chicago Bears will play the Green Bay Packers at Chicago’s Soldier Field for the NFC Championship.

As a freshman senator in December 2006, with the political world wondering about his plans for 2008, Mr. Obama appeared in a mock-commercial during Monday Night Football:

Thank you Brezzydee! 😉

a field trip …. home

The Hill: First daughter Sasha Obama went on a field trip Wednesday morning – to her own home. The nine-year-old attended the arrival ceremony at the White House that began Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit.

After the formal welcome, President Obama and the Chinese leader greeted those who came to the White House. The president paused when he reached Sasha and introduced her to Hu.

The first daughter stood out in the first row of school students … a Secret Service agent could be seen standing behind her as she waved the Chinese and American flags. Despite living in the White House, Sasha seemed visibly excited to be there, trading flags back and forth with her classmates standing near her…..

Washington Post: ….among the crowds of dignitaries and onlookers waving American and Chinese flags were about 150 students, including Obama’s younger daughter, Sasha, and several of her fourth-grade classmates from Sidwell Friends School. The youngsters are studying China in social studies, White House staffers said, and came to the welcoming ceremony as a field trip, of sorts.