Evening all. A quick word: from here on in, this blog will only ever allow requests for donations to Obama/Biden 2012, and not to any other cause, politician or personal fundraiser, regardless of who posts the request. Any such requests appearing in the comments will be deleted, that’s just the way it is. Please accept they are the house rules – with absolutely zero exceptions. Thanks.
****
President Barack Obama signs H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act of 2012, in the Oval Office, July 30.
****
John F. Kennedy International Airport, July 30
New York tonight – President Obama: “…. This does also remind me of the season that we’re in. Jim Messina tells this story, my campaign manager — he was in some event, and this young couple who was there with their adorable four-year-old son, and I guess there was a picture of me somewhere, and so they were very excited. They said, “Sammy, who’s that?” And he said, “That’s Barack Obama.” “And what does Barack Obama do?” And the boy thinks for a second and he says, “He approves this message.” So that’s what I do. I approve this message.”
****
President Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey in the Oval Office, July 30
****
Charles Pierce: After all this time, after all that’s happened in the past year, even the cats ‘n’ kittens at Politico, even the ones who don’t realize that Willard Romney is more comfortable in groups of white people, because to realize that is to get fired by the poltroons in charge there, have finally noticed that the campaign of voter-suppression being undertaken all over the country by Republican governors and Republican legislatures are going to have the effect of, you know, suppressing Democratic voting blocs.
…. We can only expect Politico to go so far in admitting the obvious. After all, the entire publication is dedicated to the notion that all politics is a television game-show contested by celebrities who occasionally return their phone calls. That there are substantive effects to substantive policy decisions is best left to other sources …. There is no juicy linkage to be had in the stories of 86-year old women who suddenly discover they can’t vote.
The good news is that both the Department of Justice, and the courts, are finally getting into the game….
Full post here
****
****
Coming up:
Tuesday: The President will attend meetings at the White House.
Wednesday: Will travel to Mansfield, Ohio and Akron, Ohio for campaign events. He will return to Washington, DC at night.
Thursday: Will travel to Orlando, Florida and Leesburg, Virginia for campaign events. He will return to Washington, DC in the evening.
Friday: Will attend meetings at the White House.
****
Mediaite: …. the conservative group Emergency Committee for Israel, co-founded by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, released an ad criticizing President Obama for not visiting Israel during his presidency….
If presidential visits to Israel are the new yardsticks for a quality POTUS, perhaps Kristol’s group (and Politico, who reported on the ad rather uncritically) should see how Obama measures up to leading Republican presidents like Ronald Reagan and the Georges Bush.
… President George W. Bush didn’t get around to visiting Israel until January of 2008, near the end of his second term …. his father, President George H.W. Bush, was an even less frequent visitor, traveling to Israel as President in February of Never.
Surely President Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of Republicans, the exemplification of all that is good and conservative, was known to get his Israel on, right?
Wrong. Ronald Reagan never traveled to Israel as President….
…. In fact, when George W. Bush went to Israel in January of ’08, he was the first Republican president to do so since Richard Nixon….
The value of frequent flyer miles to Israel is debatable, but if anyone should be keeping quiet about such a blunt metric, it’s Republicans, who apparently have real trouble counting. And Googling.
Full post here
****
****
Charles Pierce: Willard Romney, America’s unofficial ambassador of stupid, has been working his magic in Israel for the past couple of days. This time, having learned his lesson in Great Britain, he’s picking on people who can’t fight back, and hauling “the hand of Providence” in as an accessory after the fact.
…. He’s also brought out Baghdad Dan Senor to rattle some sabers at Iran, pledged his love to Bibi Netanyahu, called Jerusalem the “capital” of Israel, and did everything he could to warm the withered cockles of the heart of Sheldon Adelson, the crooked casino mogul who went along because he apparently is going to run American foreign policy under the Romney administration. Stop this man before he diplomatizes again.
Full post here
****
President Obama returns to the White House on July 30 after delivering remarks at a campaign event in New York City
****
People trying to comment on the blog for the first time, please read here
****
One more reminder … if all you intend bringing to this blog is an effort to deflate the spirits of President Obama supporters, perhaps because the worthless piece of contemptible crap that is Willard sends a thrill up your leg, then please, go away. And if you don’t, I’ll block you – with considerable pleasure. I didn’t have too many chances to drop in today, but when I did my radar was buzzing. Just saying.
The Obama Diary 
You must be logged in to post a comment.