13
Feb
12

national medal of arts and humanities

Rita Dove

Cathy Gorn, the executive director of National History Day

Al Pacino

Teofilo Ruiz

Will Barnet

Andrew Delbanco

Emily Rauh Pulitzer

Full list of winners here


184 Responses to “national medal of arts and humanities”


  1. February 13, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    Rejecting GOP criticism, the White House on Monday said its budget doesn’t take a pass on exploding entitlement spending. 

    “I don’t think we take a pass,” Acting Budget Director Jeff Zients told reporters.

    National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling said that President Obama “is putting out entitlement changes I’ve never seen before in a presidential budget.”Rejecting GOP criticism, the White House on Monday said its budget doesn’t take a pass on exploding entitlement spending. 

    “I don’t think we take a pass,” Acting Budget Director Jeff Zients told reporters.

    National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling said that President Obama “is putting out entitlement changes I’ve never seen before in a presidential budget.”

    http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/210331-white-house-budget-isnt-pass-on-entitlements

    • 9 anniebella
      February 13, 2012 at 4:37 pm

      President Obama could put out the cure for cancer and these sorry ass Republicans will fine some reason to complain and be against it.

  2. 10 hopefruit2
    February 13, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    I don’t mean to be shallow here but Will I ever see another President with such a beautiful smile?

  3. 16 Linda
    February 13, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    Stay classy, Sony. According to the Guardian, after Whitney Houston’s death, her label raised the price of at least one of her albums to take advantage of the immediate spike in sales:

    The music giant is understood to have lifted the wholesale price of Houston’s greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection, at about 4am California time on Sunday. This meant that the iTunes retail price of the album automatically increased from £4.99 to £7.99. Houston’s The Ultimate Collection, originally released in 1997, was the second top-selling album on iTunes on Monday morning. Apple returned the album to its original price late on Sunday.

    It seems like it ought to have been enough for Sony to privately enjoy the revitalization of an album from its back catalogue: Houston was years away from her peak selling potential at the time of her death, which sent The Ultimate Collection to the top of the iTunes charts. A move like this may be strategic from a business perspective, but it looks impressively greedy. Given how hard the content industry is pushing to sell the public on the idea that they’re only acting in the best interests of creators in pushing for stronger copyright protections, profiting off a dead artist is decidedly off-message.

    How tacky…

  4. February 13, 2012 at 4:16 pm

    Just got an email asking me to sign a petition of support for President Obamas budget

    http://dccc.org/pages/budget

    Help us reach 100,000 signatures in the next 24 hours supporting President Obama’s budget that would ensure millionaires pay their fair share >>

    click away

  5. 32 SUE DUVALL SMITH
    February 13, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    PBO LOOKS VERY HAPPY BECAUSE HIS ‘FIRST LADY’ IS HOME! DATE NIGHT SOON! PUT THE SS IN THE TRUNK..BTW..DOES HE HAVE A TRUNK?..LOLLLLLLLLLLLL! THAT PROBABLY HAS A CAMERA IN IT TOO!

  6. February 13, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    What a gorgeous, gorgeous couple. I’m in a totaal swoon mode over these two.

    • 43 SUE DUVALL SMITH
      February 13, 2012 at 4:20 pm

      NOW…IF THEY WOULD JUST PAY ATTENTION TO MY REQUEST FOR A ‘SON!’ NOBODY LISTENS TO ME!…:( I’VE ASKED FOR HOW MANY YEARS NOW?

      • 44 LadyTNT
        February 13, 2012 at 4:43 pm

        LOL, Sue!! You and Gayle King will not give up on that baby boy, but it looked like Mrs. O was very admant when she said IT”S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!

        P.S. I wish they would too 🙂

      • 45 hopefruit2
        February 13, 2012 at 4:48 pm

        I think PBO is very happy to the only (human) male in the family. He likes the attention.

  7. 48 Dudette
    February 13, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    How is it possible that FLOTUS looks YOUNGER and MORE BEAUTIFUL everyday? So unfair!

  8. 56 hopefruit2
    February 13, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    • 57 utaustinliberal
      February 13, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Hell Yes! Tonight we have FLOTUS at the BET Honors and Feb. 27th we have In Performance at the White House. How lucky are we? The Obamas show that the arts really do matter.

  9. 58 SUE DUVALL SMITH
    February 13, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    WE SHOULD ALL HAVE LICENSE PLATES WITH THAT BIG OBAMA SMILE ON THEM…COULD YOU JUST IMAGINE THE ‘FENDER BENDERS’ THE REPUGS. WOULD HAVE?…:))))))) PBO STARING AT THEM ON THE HIGHWAY!!!!!!

  10. February 13, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    oh dang I love FLOTUS’ outfit today.. very nice.

  11. 60 SUE DUVALL SMITH
    February 13, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    BBL…I HEAR A BUBBLEBATH CALLING AND I MUST ANSWER!..:)

  12. February 13, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    One of the more in=depth interviews I have seen about Lets Move donte at PBS, Jim Leher asks a few pointed questions, but FLOTUS handles them with ease.

    Michelle Obama’s Anti-Obesity Push Turns 2

    http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/02/michelle-obamas-anti-obesity-push-turns.html

    • 62 LadyTNT
      February 13, 2012 at 5:01 pm

      Not sure if it’s just my computer, but the video was just a black screen.

    • 63 anniebella
      February 13, 2012 at 5:23 pm

      I don’t understand why some people seem to have a problem with Let’s Move. When we have young kids suffering from adult health issue , I think it is a good idea to get kids moving, and eating alittle better. I remember when I was in school, we use to go outside and play all kinds of sports, run around. What happen to physical education in our schools.?

      • February 13, 2012 at 5:46 pm

        And not only that anniebella, what happened to recess? I just about cried when my children started to school and I found out that recess no longer existed. Our teachers used to line us up mid-morning and we would walk outside to the playground and the grounds, and then run free for 15-20 minutes or so. Just playing and being and talking. We were supervised, but not organized and we could just run and jump and play on the playground equipment or just walk around the grounds. Then back inside to the classroom for about another hour of work before lunch (which recess sharpened our appetites for I am sure)! It was a different time I guess?

      • 65 nathkatun7
        February 14, 2012 at 2:03 am

        I am 100% with you anniebella! In both my High School and College, PE was one of the requirements for graduation. I distinctly remember when I was in HS, the saying that was constantly drummed into our heads whenever we slacked in PE was: “A healthy body = A healthy mind.” How in the world can any one have any problem with the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” project aimed at making our children physically fit? How can any one object to the idea that we (and especially young people who are the future of this country) should strive to eat healthy meals in order to prevent future diseases?

        I personally think the issue for the people who have a problem with the First Lady is not about what she is advocating. The issue, as far as I can deduce, is all about who She is. People who think she should not be the First Lady don’t want to listen to anything she says. Instead of coming out and saying exactly what they feel, they hide behind claims that the government should have no say so on what their children eat or how much exercise they should get. Never mind the fact that the First Lady’s “Let’s Move”project is not a government mandated policy. Does any one remember right wingers objecting to First Lady Nancy Reagan’s campaign of “Just Say No” to drugs as a government interference in family matters and a violation of individual liberties? Does any one remember right wingers objecting to First Lady Laura Bush’s push for literacy?

        Look, Right Wingers can have all their “freedoms” to teach their children to eat unhealthy foods and do no exercises. For me, I feel blessed that we have a First Lady who is trying to inspire young people (and old people too) to live healthy lives by exercising and eating good food. I know I’ve been slacking on both, but my New Year’s resolution is to eat better and exercise more.

  13. 66 LDS
    February 13, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    My, my, my. What a beautiful couple. He is just like a junior high school boy in love for the first time.
    They are not just holding hands they are holding on to each other, supporting each other, I got your back I am glad you are back home.I MISSED YOU……after all these years. To me that is the most sexiest gesture a couple can show in public. And oh the way he looks at her. Holding hands just does it for me…..the older in age the couple is the better. I literally stop in my tracks when I see a mature couple holding hands.

    I really love them so much together. They are so beautiful when they are together, especially when they have been a part from each other. It is so nice to know that you were truly missed. Every day is Valentines’s Day when your love is appreciated.
    Take it from someone who knows……l

  14. 69 hopefruit2
    February 13, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    No wonder the GOP candidates are losing supporters. When they run their mouths saying they’re going to repeal Obamacare, little do they know. If repealing Obamacare was the #1 priority for GOP voters, then Michelle Bachman would be the frontrunner.

  15. 71 LadyTNT
    February 13, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    Just got off the conference call with the First Lady and she was gratious, passionate, and very inspiring. We definitely have to work hard to keep FLOTUS and POTUS in the White House.

    4 more for 44!

    OBAMA/ BIDEN 2012

    Press On!

  16. 72 LDS
    February 13, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    Hopeful, I am a sucker for genuine love. And that is what keeps me going……..love. That’s all……love.

  17. February 13, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday offered President Barack Obama’s condolences to Whitney Houston’s family, following the singer’s death over the weekend.

    “I know that his thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially her daughter,” Carney said, referring to 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown. “It’s a tragedy to lose somebody so talented at such a young age.”

    Carney said he wasn’t sure whether Houston and Obama had ever met face to face, but that the president appreciates her work. “I think it would be hard not to be an admirer of her immense talent.”

    • 75 hopefruit2
      February 13, 2012 at 4:45 pm

      Was Carney specifically asked about this by the jackals, or did he volunteer this info?

      • 76 Ladyhawke
        February 13, 2012 at 4:59 pm

        He was specifically asked by Ann Compton. She’s the same “reporter” who asked Jay Caryney why President Obama referenced taking off “bedroom slippers” and putting on marching boots during his speech to the CBC. She wanted to know if President Obama had ever met Whitney Houston.

  18. 81 hopefruit2
    February 13, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    Cornel West is at it again. This time he lashes out at Melissa Harris-Perry.

    // Dr. West appears to have held onto some angst from that dust up and in this recent interview with Diverse, called Dr. Harris-Perry a “liar” saying that, “[s]he’s become the momentary darling of liberals, but I pray for her because she’s in over her head. She’s a fake and a fraud. I was so surprised how treacherous the sister was.” Dr. Harris-Perry is a newly minted host on MSNBC.

    In defense of Dr. Harris-Perry, her MSNBC colleague Rev. Al Sharpton told TheGrio.com, West’s comments were “arrogant” and “disingenuous,” saying that “[w]e are not arguing about issues here, we’re arguing about personality.” //

    http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/13/opinion-cornel-wests-petty-potshots-are-beneath-him/

    • 83 Dudette
      February 13, 2012 at 5:07 pm

      Hate destroys brain cells.

    • February 13, 2012 at 5:08 pm

      Has anyone seen her show?

      Where do we write to compliment Melissa Harris Perry on her show.

    • February 13, 2012 at 5:13 pm

      This is simply a despicable thing to say about someone of Dr. Harris-Perry’s background and presence. West’s comments reflect more on his own complete lack of class and manners than anyone else. Who does he think he is to pass judgment like this? i

    • 91 anniebella
      February 13, 2012 at 5:45 pm

      Corny West has some issues.

    • 92 gn
      February 13, 2012 at 8:50 pm

      Those are some pretty vicious remarks, wow. All said “in love” of course.

    • 93 nathkatun7
      February 14, 2012 at 2:58 am

      I am just so fed up with Cornel West! His narcissism shines through all his utterances! The so called “Doctor, Professor, Prophet” is increasingly coming across as a jealous, vindictive, small man, who cannot take criticism from his peers! Dr. West can call Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry all the ugly names he chooses. The fact remains that Dr. Harris-Perry is a much classy and thoughtful scholar who handles herself with dignity and professionalism, compared to the pompous and self absorbed Cornel West.

      Here are some of the questions that I wish some one would pose to the “Doctor, Professor, Prophet” Cornel West: What exactly have you done to improve the condition of Black people? What exactly have you done, by way of National organization, to promote the teaching of Black experience? Previous Great Ivy League Black Scholars like W.E.B. DuBois, Charles H. Hamilton, and Carter G. Woodson, linked their scholarship with organizing and participating in improving the lives of ordinary Black people. What exactly have you done concretely, other than your Smiley-West Poverty Bus Tour focused on bashing the historic first African American President, to improve the condition of Black people? Why are you taught at Princeton and Harvard and not at one of the historic Black Colleges and Universities where you are more likely to come into contact with the majority of Black students who come from a variety of classes within the African American community? Finally, Dr. West, since you claim that President Obama is not an authentic Black man, what exactly qualifies you as an authentic Black man? Surely not your teaching experience which has all been with the Ivy league Universities? Contrast that to the experience of your fellow Ivy leaguers: W. E.B. Dubois (who taught at Wilberforce and Atlanta University) and Charles Hamilton who taught at Howard University.

  19. February 13, 2012 at 5:07 pm

    Just got an email from my local planned parenthood. They made this video about Romney and Valentines Day.

    Love the chocolates

  20. 97 Linda
    February 13, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    A new bill in Arizona is seeking to impose harsh restrictions on teachers’ conduct, even in their own homes. The bill, SB 1467, states that educators at the state’s public schools and universities can be fined, suspended and ultimately fired if they “engage in speech or conduct that would violate the standards adopted by the Federal Communications Commission concerning obscenity, indecency and profanity if that speech or conduct were broadcast on television or radio.”

    That does a great deal to limit what can be taught in classrooms. Banning books is certainly not a new practice, but this law would cover far more than controversial books.

    Worse, as Angus Johnston notes, the bill is so ineptly drafted that it could intrude deeply into teacher’s private lives. SB 1467 doesn’t just ban public speech or conduct, but all speech and conduct. That means public school teachers in Arizona will be forbidden from engaging in any FCC-regulated activities no matter where they are. That means no sex, no going to the bathroom, no cursing and no showering. Ever.

    One of the bill’s five sponsors, State Senator Lori Klein (R-AZ), has some experience in the national spotlight. Last summer she raised eyebrows when, during an interview with a reporter from the Arizona Republic, she took out a loaded handgun and pointed it at the reporter’s chest. And in the middle of Herman Cain’s sexual harassment scandal, Klein dismissed the allegations against Cain because he had “never been anything but a gentlemen” to her, “and I am not an unattractive woman.”

    • February 13, 2012 at 5:17 pm

      There is no way that this proposed bill meets any constitutional test. The teacher’s union should sue if it ever becomes Arizona law.

      • 99 Linda
        February 13, 2012 at 5:22 pm

        I am 64 years old….and I do not recognize America anymore……

        • 100 nathkatun7
          February 14, 2012 at 3:44 am

          Indeed, Linda! I am 66 years old, and I too “do not recognize America any more….” But I also happen to be a student of history. What is coming out from the right wingers reminds me of the history I studied about the Post Reconstruction period, and the more intense Jim Crow period of 1880’s to 1930’s. I really never imagined that an issue like contraceptives for women, which I thought had been settled in the 1960s, would be a such a hot button issue, dominating the media in 2012! At this late hour, when I should be in bed, instead of writing comments, I don’t remember who said this: “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” Clearly, the right wing Republicans seem to be hell-bent on taking the country back to the 19th and early 20th century. And some, like Rick Santorum, want to take the country back to the Dark Ages when the Catholic Church was totally in charge of deciding what was moral and immoral.

    • February 13, 2012 at 6:04 pm

      State Senator Lori Klein: “and I am not an unattractive woman.”

      I wonder who told her that?

    • 102 desertflower
      February 13, 2012 at 7:27 pm

      I can’t say this any nicer than this. The woman is a fucking idiot. By the way, that wasn’t just ANY handgun she put in that reporter’s chest. It was a PINK one!

      http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/07/11/265846/arizona-state-rep-gun-journalist/

  21. February 13, 2012 at 5:10 pm

    Tweety going to bat against repug talking points from John Feeheri? Gene is ridiculous.

    • 104 Linda
      February 13, 2012 at 5:13 pm

      He did not call him out on his lie though. Feehery said S&P blamed the downgrade on the President……They clearing blamed the Republicans.

      Also….I will never look at Feehery without remembering his op-ed ripping the President for actually taking time to go to his daughters Parent -Teacher meeting just after they moved to the White House.

      And…..why does he always look like he is sniffing dog poo?

  22. 111 Melanie
    February 13, 2012 at 5:22 pm

    FLOTUS just tweeted to POTUS “I wonder how Al Green ended up on our playlist”. I wonder if he’s gonna answer her:))

  23. 114 Linda
    February 13, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    oh dear…..

    Alex Gagner thinks our President fumbled the BC issue last week.

    I am sure he is sad because of her analysis …..

    • 115 hopefruit2
      February 13, 2012 at 5:41 pm

      Yes I heard her say that and I just had to smh. That 12-yr old woman is so dense it hurts to hear her talk.

    • 116 anniebella
      February 13, 2012 at 5:42 pm

      This is just Alex ‘s opinion. Who is she? Why would her opinion matter anymore than yours or mines? Because she is on tv.

      • 117 hopefruit2
        February 13, 2012 at 5:45 pm

        Well, she’s supposedly a “political analyst” being paid 6 figure salary to express her “opinion.” Meanwhile we are paying hefty cable bills to support the outrageous salaries of fools like her who add nothing to the discourse, spread misinformation and enable the GOP and their propaganda, while endangering progress in this country.

        • 118 anniebella
          February 13, 2012 at 6:52 pm

          hopefruit2, Alex gets paid six figures. What a waste of money.

        • 119 nathkatun7
          February 14, 2012 at 4:23 am

          I know I need to cancel my cable because I rarely watch MSM news! I am absolutely tired of paying for “Group Think” idiots! How can Alex Wagner, and all the mainstream media anchors and pundits, arrive at the exact same conclusion, using the exact same words, that the President “fumbled the BC issue”?

          If the President “fumbled” the BC issue, who made the recovery of the fumble? Certainly not the Catholic Bishops and their GOP enablers! The President was clear and emphatic: All women, who so choose, will have total access to contraceptives, free of charge, through their health insurance companies. So, to continue using the MSM chosen metaphor, I think, in this case, the President picked up the so called “fumbled” ball and threw a winning touch down. Otherwise why are right wing Republicans, tripping over themselves, trying to introduce bills to counter what the President did? In all honesty, if I was the one using the football metaphor, I would have argued that the Catholic Bishops, along with their Republican self-serving politicians enabling them, were the ones who fumbled the ball. The President and his team recovered the ball, threw a touch down and brilliantly won the game on behalf of women’s rights.

  24. 120 Lightfoot
    February 13, 2012 at 5:28 pm

    The president looks like he is severely happy.

  25. February 13, 2012 at 5:29 pm

    OMG!!!! Just saw Adele’s ‘Newt’ performance……Wow!!! she’s got brass ones! I really liked it! 🙂

    • February 13, 2012 at 7:26 pm

      That’s not really Adele though. that footage is from her performance at the Brit awards over 1 year ago.

      I kinda torn about this video, because I’m an “Adele”-phile so I kinda hate that some dumb azz RW nutjob will think this is a “real” performance

  26. February 13, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    This makes me so happy. Dogs against Romney are holding a protest against Romney on Valentine’s day in front of the Westminster dog show, Obama pet lovers will also be there. This should generate a lot of publicity for the DAR.

    http://www.dogsagainstromney.com/2012/02/for-immediate-release-dogs-against.html

    • 128 Dudette
      February 13, 2012 at 6:03 pm

      Sent that link to a cat lover friend who said, “I should start a campaign for cats in solidarity with Dogs Against Romney.” 🙂

  27. February 13, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    Foster Friess sounds like a bad guy from a Marvel Comic.

  28. February 13, 2012 at 5:44 pm

    I want that dress that FLOTUS is wearing! I could wear that dress. It would look good on me. Most of what she wears I could not wear but that dress would totally be cool on me too. Okay, completely….I need a new wardrobe.

  29. February 13, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Mick Jagger will tread in the footsteps of Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan this month and play for US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at the White House.

    The Rolling Stones frontman will join artists including B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Keb Mo, and Buddy Guy for an evening celebrating the Blues in the latest in a string of soirees of different musical genres held by the White House.

    The event, directed by Booker T. Jones of Booker T and the MGs, on February 21, will be taped and televised by PBS public television in the United States six nights later.

    http://news.yahoo.com/jagger-white-house-red-white-blues-222742924.html

  30. 137 collegekay
    February 13, 2012 at 5:46 pm

  31. February 13, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) complained on Monday that Republican filibusters have gotten so common he suspects they would attempt to block confirmation of the Biblical figure Moses, who brought the Ten Commandments down from Sinai.

    In a dig at birthers, Leahy also suggested Republicans would demand to see Moses’s birth certificate to ensure he was not born in Kenya. 

    “If somebody like this man has to go through and overcome a filibuster to be confirmed, what are we talking about?,” asked Leahy. 

    http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/210389-leahy-gop-would-filibuster-biblical-character-moses-

    Ya think?

  32. February 13, 2012 at 6:00 pm

    Is it just me, or did each of these people told the president how much they love him? 🙂

    I do love these events so much. I can watch them all day.

  33. February 13, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    This cannot be helpful to Willard—-AP sending out story nationwide relating Willard to offshore tax havens:
    http://www.nwherald.com/2012/02/13/how-is-romney-like-007-both-have-money-offshore/a1jcx8d/?list-comments=1

  34. 147 Lorraine
    February 13, 2012 at 6:15 pm

    EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Al Pacino! 🙂

  35. February 13, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    On another topic: “Slavery By Another Name” on PBS tonite. Horribe story, difficult to watch but we should anyway & our kids too.
    Another slice of America’s incredible racial history.

  36. 149 Linda
    February 13, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    Just did a little research and believe it or not, other than President Clinton, President Obama has had the smallest rise in unemployme­nt in his first 3 years, than every president since and including Reagan.

    Reagan had a first 3 year increase of about .6%.
    Bush 1 had a first 3 year increase of about 1.8%.
    Clinton had a first 3 year decrease of about 1.5%.
    Bush 2 had a first 3 year increase of about 1.2%.
    Obama has has a first 3 year increase of about .5%.

    How is the poor economy PBO’s fault again?

  37. February 13, 2012 at 7:04 pm

    Just dropping in to say HELLOOOO!!!

    Wondering if that Republican “cave” on the payroll tax cut is really a cave or some dirty trick where they will attach the birth control reversal and Keystone pipeline.

  38. 154 itgurl_29
    February 13, 2012 at 7:04 pm

    I’ve been so heartbroken over Whitney that I almost forgot that FLOTUS will be on the BET Honors tonight.

    • 155 Dudette
      February 13, 2012 at 7:11 pm

      Me too. I keep playing this video. Can’t stop crying.

      • 156 itgurl_29
        February 13, 2012 at 7:16 pm

        I thought in the last year, with her making Sparkle, that she was really making a turn around.

      • 157 anniebella
        February 13, 2012 at 7:16 pm

        You guys may think I’m kidding but I just can’t take listening to Whitney right now. We know that death is a part of life, but it still is so hard. May prayer is that she is safe in the arms of Jesus. My heartfelt sympathy goes to Whitney’s Mom, daughter and rest of her family.

      • February 13, 2012 at 7:39 pm

        she sounds fantastic. I really like this song. had no clue she was working on a movie.

    • February 13, 2012 at 7:29 pm

      It’s amazing looking at videos of Whitney Houston singing and realizing how much of her live performances you missed. So this week, whenever I find beautiful live performances from Whitney Houston that we’ve never seen, I’m post it. Here’s one of her very first performances!

      Fans of “The Wiz” will love this performance.

  39. 161 criquet
    February 13, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    This needs to be emailed, facebooked, tweeted and talked about until November 4th 2012:

    “The most quoted speech at CPAC this year was Mitt Romney’s, but my vote for the most significant goes to Grover Norquist’s. In his charmingly blunt way, Norquist articulated out loud a case for Mitt Romney that you hear only whispered by other major conservative leaders.
    They have reconciled themselves to a Romney candidacy because they see Romney as essentially a weak and passive president who will concede leadership to congressional conservatives:
    All we have to do is replace Obama. … We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don’t need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. … We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don’t need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate.”

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/13/grover-norquist-speech-cpac.html

    • 162 desertflower
      February 13, 2012 at 8:01 pm

      Yes, I saw that earlier. They think they can have a Republican “body” in the seat that will just rubber stamp whatever little wet dreams they can conjure up for themselves…sick jerks that they are. People need to know this, is right!

    • 163 ChristiMTL
      February 13, 2012 at 8:01 pm

      I read this earlier…..
      so basically Norquist is saying that Romney will do what they want……and they want the Ryan’s plan, for start. They just need his signature…

      Didn’t he say a few weeks ago that they could impeach President Obama?

      This guy is a sick sociopath….

  40. 165 desertflower
    February 13, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    A Republican explains why he’s leaving his party and voting for President Obama 🙂

    http://jeffwartman.com/why-im-leaving-the-republican-party-and-endorsing-president-obama/

    • 166 ChristiMTL
      February 13, 2012 at 8:09 pm

      I just read the article and a few comments.

      I thought this one was funny:

      ”Dude, I don’t want to be too snarky, but if you are JUST NOW figuring this out, I can’t say I’m impressed with your intelligence.”

      Funny but wrong at the same time because it is not the time to insult Rep who are switching their votes…the more of them, the better it is…

      • 167 nospin
        February 13, 2012 at 8:54 pm

        I read that comment too ChristiMTL but didn’t see the value in that person writing the statement.

        He figured it out and wrote about it.

        Good for him. Just like you I don’t think this is the time to insult anyone who is finally removing the blinders and voting for what is the only choice.

        Obama/Biden 2012

    • February 13, 2012 at 8:33 pm

      More Repugs should b doing this.

  41. February 13, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    This is a wonderful article. It delineates the intersection between race and class. And it’s about basketball.

    White Star, Black School: Landon Clement Is The Face Of Upstart North Carolina Central.

  42. 171 desertflower
    February 13, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    Just so you know…Team Obama’s new Team efforts…have INDIVIDUAL websites to go to

    – KeepingHisWord.com, KeepingGOPHonest.com, and AttackWatch.com – serving as quick, comprehensive resources to help set the record straight. Designed to put responsibility for spreading the truth in the hands of the President’s supporters, the websites contain videos and information on the President’s record, and fact checks on Republican claims about the President and themselves. The sites also contain tools for sharing materials via Facebook, Twitter and email, and empowers supporters to take further action by volunteering, writing letters to the editor, sending postcards to undecided voters with information about the President’s record, and more. The goal is to ensure that when Republicans attack President Obama’s record, grassroots supporters can take ownership of the campaign and share the facts with the undecided voters in their lives.

    This is from BlogforArizona…

  43. February 13, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    I just got an email from a friend with this link, but it’s HuffPuffPoHo so I will post the full text. Hope you don’t mind, Chips!!

    Obama In San Francisco: President’s Major Fundraisers Feature Quince Dinner, Chris Cornell Show And Tobias Wolff Reading

    The smear campaigns. The satirical candidates. The protests. It’s officially 2012, and election season is in full swing.

    On Thursday evening, Barak Obama himself will pay a visit to San Francisco. And while he’s been here before, this time he’s serious.

    The President’s first stop: a small, private literary-themed (!) fundraiser at the home of author Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner, including a dinner by Quince’s own Chef Michael Tusk.

    “We are so excited for the opportunity to showcase our favorite Northern California farmers and purveyors through this dinner for President Obama,” said Tusk to The Huffington Post. “The Obamas’ support of healthy, sustainable food is reflected in the evening’s menu and we’re honored to be a part of it.”

    On the menu: tortelloni filled with Barinaga Ranch basseri cheese and wild nettle; roast chicken with black salsify, savory cabbage, chanterelle mushrooms, sweet dumping squash puree and marble potatoes; and a chocolate cemeux with Strauss Family Creamery milk jam and chocolate caramel dentelle.

    A ticket includes the aforementioned meal, a seat next to the President and in-person readings from Tobias Wolff, Michael Chabon, Anne Lamott, Tamim Ansary and Isabel Allende. And, according to Willie Brown, the Reverend Al Green will also be in attendance, sparking rumors of a duet.

    The price tag? A cool $38,500 a plate supporting the Obama Victory Fund. (Holy Occupy, Barack!) That makes Mitt Romney’s protested $2,500 per person dinner look like happy hour at El Rio. But, while such a price tag may raise eyebrows, the dinner is booked solid. And last time we checked, running a campaign isn’t cheap.

    After dinner, Obama will greet the 99 percent at the Nob Hill Masonic Center for a speech and a reception featuring a performance by Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, which sounds about 99 times cooler than any recent Republican fundraiser we’ve heard about yet. (Though even we will admit that the “A Day on the Road with Mitt” contest sounds a little tempting.)

    ###

    I’ve met the chef and he is fantastic, so the meal will certainly be outstanding. I hope there will be some press available to us on this.

  44. 176 Pamela
    February 13, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    Whew. For too many minutes I was refused the reply option, was beginning to get a wee bit nervous…. Refresh wasn’t working either. So closed the page, twice, and I repeat, Whew, here I am. 😉 but not for ling, stacks of paperwork, and working in taxes, the true joy of being self-employed! But I wouldn’t have it any other way now! Have a great evening. Am sighing with delight over that beautiful, loving couple above, and over that amazing dress…FLOTUS does it again! 😉

  45. 177 desertflower
    February 13, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    Mitt Romney’s friends?? WTH is THIS???????????

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/13/how-florida-polo-mogul-s-girlfriend-adoption-ploy-may-backfire.html

    As he awaits trial in a DUI-manslaughter case that could leave him jailed for up to 30 years and stripped of his fortune, it is possible that Tuesday could be the last Valentine’s Day in a while that Florida millionaire John Goodman gets to celebrate at liberty.

    Yet the day could also present him with something of a moral dilemma: should he buy his sweetheart roses and a romantic dinner, or take her for ice cream and a play date at the park?

    Since the revelation that the polo mogul has adopted his girlfriend, Heather Hutchins, 42, as his daughter, Goodman, 48, has not been short on public ridicule.

    Yet the stealth maneuver—which could make Hutchins a beneficiary of the $400 million trust set up for Goodman’s two biological children, effectively steering a slice of the funds to Goodman just as he faces the loss of his personal assets to legal action—has earned him more trouble than he perhaps bargained for and could ultimately backfire.

  46. 179 CTGirl
    February 13, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    Reminder- FLOTUS on BET at 9

  47. February 13, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    BET started!! Just spied Miche in the audience!

  48. 184 lovingandlaughing
    February 14, 2012 at 9:57 am

    oh my gosh, michelle looks (and is) amazing! this dress, hair style and boot combo completely rocks and she and PBO just look so completely in love in that pic at the top.


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