west wing week: “open for business” (april 15, 2011)

feeling bullish?

President Obama wears a Chicago Bulls cap after speaking at a DNC fundraiser April 14, at the Navy Pier

old pals

President Obama is introduced by Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel at a DNC fundraiser at Navy Pier in Chicago, April 14

“Yes, he is foul-mouthed, yes that finger thing is a little creepy, but I love him anyway,” Obama said of his ex-chief of staff.

a man of letters

St Petersburg Times: Charles Fuller … disillusioned by political bickering and the slowness of the economic recovery, decided he needed to make his voice heard. So the 41-year-old grocer …decided to write to the man in charge: President Barack Obama.

“I was concerned about the dire way, financially, the country was going. My concern was that we keep borrowing and borrowing and borrowing, and as a parent, my fear was that we were going to leave this country in far worse shape than we received it in,” he said…

In his letter, Fuller admitted he didn’t vote for Obama. “I didn’t believe in a million years that my letter would ever cross the president’s desk,” he said. “I really wrote the letter because I needed to vent.”

But several weeks ago .. Fuller was stunned to receive a handwritten response from the leader of the free world.

“The fact that the president read my letter and took it to heart, and that the words of somebody who admittedly didn’t vote for him would inspire him or make him take notice to another valid opinion … sort of restored my faith in the American government, in this administration – that a grocer from Florida could have the president take notice,” Fuller said.

And take notice he did. On Wednesday, Obama referenced Fuller’s letter at the end of his speech laying out his ideas for reducing the deficit and securing America’s fiscal future.

Obama read aloud part of Fuller’s letter … “It was quite a moment,” said Fuller, who watched the speech live ….In turn, Fuller said, he found optimism in Obama’s speech.

“I may not particularly agree with his entire plan for financial success for the country, but I believe it’s a step in the right direction,” he said.

Full article here

sweepin’ the clouds away….

First lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden are greeted by Sesame Street characters during a USO and Sesame Street event honoring National Guard members and their families, April 14, in Columbus, Ohio. Today’s event highlighted how several businesses have made commitments to ensure transferability to military members and their spouses.

open for questions: west wing week

iprez

President Obama holds an iPad as he prepares to climb into his car after landing in Chicago on Marine One, April 14

****

Time (November 2010): Potus turned to the Thai leader to his right.

“So you like your iPad?”

The Thai leader nodded and asked if Potus had one.

“You know, I bought one for my wife. But these days mostly I have someone carrying my books. So that’s my iPad.”

Life might be easier for Reggie now 🙂

home

President Barack Obama greets well wishers upon his arrival at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, April 14

(There’s no sound in this video)

President Obama reads a note given to him by a young girl upon arrival at O’Hare International Airport

Chicago Tribune: The president, accompanied by his chief of staff, Chicagoan William Daley, arrived shortly after 5 p.m. He is scheduled to attend two private fundraisers – at the N9NE and MK Chicago restaurants – before heading to the main event at Navy Pier.

Tickets range from $100 to the legal maximum of $35,800. Part of the money will go to the president’s 2012 re-election campaign and part to the Democratic National Committee.

The Navy Pier event is hosted by Gen44, a group of young Obama supporters. About 2,000 are expected to attend.

Notable attendees will include Bulls star Derrick Rose, Pittsburgh Steeler and former University of Illinois player Rashard Mendenhall and Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. Grammy Award-winner Colbie Caillat will perform. Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel also is scheduled to be there.

The restaurant fundraisers will each be attended by about 225 people.

Obama’s return to Chicago comes as his campaign staff is setting up his national campaign headquarters here on an entire 50,000-square-foot floor of One Prudential Plaza.

He will spend the night in Chicago and return to D.C. on Friday.

And he and first lady Michelle Obama will return in two weeks to tape one of the final episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on April 27. That show is set to air May 2. Winfrey is ending her show later in May after 25 years.

the stephanopoulos interview

George Stephanopoulos: I thought the president would take a pass when I asked him about Donald trump’s rise to the top of the Republican field in my exclusive interview today.

Far from it.

He grabbed at the chance with a big smile – saying he thinks the whole issue will be a problem for Republicans.

“I think that over the last two and a half years there’s been an effort to go at me in a way that is politically expedient in the short-term for Republicans.  But [it] creates, I think a problem for them when they want to actually run in a general election where most people feel pretty confident the President was born where he says he was, in Hawaii. (Laughs) He doesn’t have horns. We’re not really worrying about conspiracy theories or birth certificates,” President Obama told me.

And in all my talks with Obama I think it was the first time he was one the same page as Karl Rove who thinks the “birther” controversy is hurting the GOP.

“The truth of the matter is that I think that the vast majority of Americans across the country – Democratic or Republican – really want this election to be about growing the economy, getting control of the deficit, preparing the future for our kids. And my suspicion is that anybody who is not addressing those questions…Is going to be in trouble. I think they may get a quick pop in the news. They may get a lot of attention. But ultimately, the American people understand this is a serious, sober time,” he told me.

Full transcript of the interview here (part one) and here (part two)

a stunning blow to rusty’s leadership

TPM: With the help of 81 Democrats, the House passed legislation Thursday to fund the government through September and avoid a government shutdown. Fifty-nine Republicans defected from GOP leadership, leaving Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) woefully short of the necessary majority to pass the bill without Democratic help. The final vote was 260-167.

The fact that Boehner needed nearly 40 Democratic votes to pass the resolution and avoid a government shutdown was a stunning blow to his leadership, especially after he shut House Democrats out of budget negotiations and just a few days ago dismissed the need to secure any Democratic votes.

More here

Thank you Maji 😉

167? But as Maji said, Rusty promised this would be a ‘no-go’ if he couldn’t get 218 Republicans to vote for it. Oh dear.