President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have dinner with three winners of “Dinner with Barack and Michelle” fundraising contest at Mintwood Place in Washington, D.C.
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The Obama Diary 
Hi
Hello Dudette, and congratulations on # 1
Howdy hf! Thanks!! đ
Hello Dudette – and thank you for reminding me earlier of Manchester United’s rubbish night. đŚ
Hi Chips! Thank you for the lovely prize!
I totally blame amk for that lapse in judgment. I think he made me do that subliminally or something. I don’t know what came over me. I’m disappointed in myself .Please forgive me. [head hung low]
Congrats on both counts, Dudette (first place and the GOP-type apology). In the interest of research, did the latter work?
Dunno. We’ll see. đ
Waiting and watching /though not sure what for/.
I have got to get a copy of that picture for my OBAMAS Book. I love how they are looking at one another, that look of love.
Love just oozes out of their pores.
I like the look on their faces too. These two sure are adept at putting ‘thoughts’ into my (innocent) mind. đ đ I tell you truly, Annieb, there have been a few times when I’ve felt like whispering to them ‘Cut it out! You’re making me jealous.’
Come to think of it. She must not be too mad at me — she did give me my prize afterall. Guess I’m in the clear. đ
Forget guessing, do you FEEL exonerated, or are you still looking over your shoulder? The answer here will settle the matter. đ OTH, the hinting on her part, the guessing on yours, the uncertainty, may just be CC’s subtle way to retaliate – our mayoress is smart after all. I don’t know, D. I don’t know.
/smh.
đ
My smh was at man u. It sux.
first?
A tie works for me, Upstater! Congrats! đ
Dangit!
Congrats, dudette!
Thanks Partner! đ
Off-topic: For the sake of real journalists everywhere, Soledad risks being turned into a frog by “not-a-witch” Christine O’Donnell
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Soledad OâBrien tries to get Christine OâDonnell to define the word âMarxistâ [CNN Video accompanies the article]
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/20/soledad-obrien-tries-to-get-christine-odonnell-to-define-the-word-marxist/
CNN host Soledad OâBrien finally had an Inigo Montoya moment on Monday, and all it took was former Republican Senate candidate Christine OâDonnell misusing the word âMarxist.â Granted, itâs not the first time OâDonnell, a longtime anti-abortion activist, has called the president or Democrats âMarxist.â She even used the term to describe her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, drawing exclamation points across the conservative blogosphere. But when she rolled it out on OâBrienâs show Monday, describing the presidentâs public statements as âMarxist sound bites,â it was little more than a nonstarter.
âWhy do you think theyâre Marxist?â OâBrien asked. âI mean, you kind of throw the words socialist and Marxist around that are not necessarily, I think, anchored in definitions of socialism and Marxism. So give me the definition.â âWell, they absolutely are,â OâDonnell replied. âThey absolutely are. But let me, Iâll get to thatâŚâ
OâDonnell instead began speaking about an upcoming tea party event where a staged debate between tea partiers and occupy supporters is planned. She finally added: âAnd I would say that theyâre Marxist because of the things that you hear coming from him about share the wealth, economic equality. And these soundbites might sound good and noble on the surface, but the problem is thereâs quantifiable data that prove that they simply donât work, and weâre a free market economy thatâs supposed to empower the individual, let each person use their gifts, use the rewards to create a better life for themselves instead of what Barack Obama is posing â a tax code that punishes hard work, a tax code that reduces everybody to exactly the same.â [Snip]
…One mistake she probably wonât make again is calling herself a âpolicy wonkâ in front of OâBrien. Earlier in the segment sheâd mentioned that âpolicy wonks like meâ read a lot of statistics and figures that apathetic youth donât. âYouâre a policy wonk now? When did that happen?â OâBrien asked a moment later, prompting OâDonnell to change the term, then change the subject.
âWell, Iâve been involved in politics for 20 years,â she tried to explain. âI mean, thatâs what⌠Policy junkie. Political junkie. You know, I mean⌠We read these reports. We read when people say, that person is gonna destroy Medicare or, you know, worse than the other. But most donât. Especially the young people. Thatâs why theyâre so apathetic. Thatâs why those statistics are so so alarming.â
This woman is really on a roll! I wish she were moderating one of the debates!
John Sununu, the OPSEC guy and now Christine O’Donnell. Soledad O’Brien is on fire. She is demonstrating how it’s done. Why don’t more of her colleagues join in on this crazy new fad called professional journalism.
well, why does she even bring these nutcases on in the first place though. soledad o.brien has a many year track record now, and i see no reason to cut her much slack. sure, she’s not completely obvious with her propaganda like so many of the others, but there are few moments available on tv, and she choses to let christwitch o’donnell fill the time?!? why in the world would any “newsperson” feel she is a worthwhile viewpoint to put on national tv…again and again…there are so many interesting and smart commentators out there who also happen to “make good television,” yet it’s the same morons 95% of the time. sigh…
I doubt she has full decision-making authority over all the stories that get covered. Afterall… This is TeaNN!
That senile old racists cuban John Sununu.
‘Especially the young people. Thatâs why theyâre so apathetic’ Sat what?
O’Donnell better be glad UTAL wasn’t around to hear her and put her in her place with facts, figures, AND reasoned arguments! Or in fact any of our other young people here who are far from apathetic. Christine is another grifter at the public trough, trying to portray herself as knowledgeable. I am embarrassed by her each time I see her puffing off her ignorance while historically leeching from the public.
Good for Soledad – again!
Oooh, a tie! Works for me. Thank you, dudette, and thank God for photo review!
Just to be clear:
Parody video uses Romneyâs own voice to mock his candidacy đ
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/20/parody-video-uses-romneys-own-voice-to-mock-his-candidacy/
That’s funny. I watched, knew it wasn’t legit because Mitt wouldn’t be so honest but couldn’t catch the video-shop moments, so had to wait for the disclaimer at the end for absolute confirmation. Then I shared it with the musician in the family who doesn’t really follow American politics, stopped it before the disclaimer, only to be told that it’s funny but not legit. Asked what made him think so as it was in Mitt’s voice, he pointed out that you could HEAR the connections at the places where the chopping occurred. Well, apart from one or two places where the voice level changed I couldn’t, of course, but I guess that’s why he’s the musician and I am not. ;lol:
Congrats u two! My daughter just told me of a post at xojane.com, a letter to Rep. akin from a rape victim. I do nt have luck posting links, but if one of you all could check out the article, if you could post the link, I would appreciate it. It was moving to me. Thanks to all here who help those like me to be better informed, and for keeping me on an even keel here in rural Texas. Sorry for typos!
Here ya go!
———————-
An Open Letter to Rep. Akin From a Woman Who Got Pregnant From Rape
I’m Shauna Prewitt. I got pregnant from rape at 21. Legitimately.
http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/dear-representative-todd-akin-i-got-pregnant-from-rape
Thanks so much Dudette! My daughter asked me to share it far and wide and I know this is the best place for that!
Thanks for sharing it Sandee.
Aside from the deep, deep empathy I feel for this young lady’s pain, I was profoundly struck by this line:
“In the vast majority of states, a rapist has the same custody and visitation rights to a child born through his crime as other fathers enjoy.”
What kind of society are we that we force rape victims into this kinf of lifelong hell?
Incredibly insane…moreso every day. We really MUST take our country back by going Forward! GOTV is critical.
LMAO!! CBS’ Entertainment Tonight intends to milk that POTUS/FLOTUS interview for as long as it can be stretched out. I though tonight was the conclusion, but no, there’s still more..but we’ll have to wait until tomorrow…
They like those ratings. EXTRA does the same thing. I learned my lesson when they interviewed FLOTUS: just wait for the whole interview to be posted online so you’re not disappointed lol. đ
Yep!
hopefruit2, how much do you bet, that the interview will be on tomorrow? I say Wednesday, maybe Thursday.
I think they will have something tomorrow – even if it’s just a 1-minute segment and they drag out the remaining 4 minutes across the remaining days of the week. .Perhaps they will air one sentence each from POTUS and FLOTUS each day until Friday!
White House hopeful Jill Stein: Time to empty prisons of non-violent marijuana users
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/20/white-house-hopeful-jill-stein-time-to-empty-prisons-of-non-violent-marijuana-users/
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Speaking at Seattleâs Hempfest last week, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein voiced her support for marijuana legislation. Stein, a long-time physician and teacher, said the first thing she would do as president would be to direct the Drug Enforcement Administration to declassify marijuana as a Schedule I substance, the most restrictive classification reserved for dangerous, addictive drugs with no medical value… [more in the article]
I got a call today asking me if my company would endorse Jill (we work on women’s issues). I said first that our company had to be non-partisan. Then he asked, what about me personally. I said I’d made my decision to support POTUS for his second term. Proudly.
That’s the FIRST thing she would do? How out of touch are some of these people?! We’re so lucky that President Obama stepped up to the plate, and is willing to stay there!
Chips, you may be able to find the segment, but @Reince was evidently lying with hair and pants on fire – yet again – on @CNN …
Washington Post:
“The Obama campaign is set to release seven radio ads that escalate its attacks on Paul Ryan, his Medicare plan, and the fiscal priorities that are at the heart of his vision.
According to the campaign, the message in each ad will be tailored to individual swing states, pointing out how each one would fare under the Romney/Ryan vision. A few samples:
* The ad in Florida will emphasize Ryanâs plan to quasi-voucherize Medicare.
* The ad in Iowa will emphasize cuts in Ryanâs budget to clean energy investments, which are meant to remind voters of the GOP stance on wind energy, an important issue in the state.
* The ad in Virginia will emphasize the Ryan budgetâs cuts to infrastructure investments.
* The ads in Ohio and New Hampshire emphasize the Ryan budgetâs cuts to Pell grants, making it harder for kids in those states to go to college.
And so on; all of the ads, meanwhile, will also stress that the Ryan plan would result in deep tax cuts for the wealthiest among us.”
http://bit.ly/OsP87R
Good. Can’t anybody say the Obama campaign isn’t pushing back.
Forward is their official slogan but We Got This has been their operational philosophy since the handwringing days of the 2008 primaries.
I like this!
Those are gorgeous pictures. Can’t wait for the video OFA puts together.
Anyone see this? Stunning. And stupid.
* And Newsweek confirmed today that it made no effort to fact-check Niall Ferguson’s stunningly wrong piece on the president. A spokesperson for the magazine said it relies on writers “to submit factually accurate material.”
Got this from Steve Benen
We are witnessing the end of Newsweek magazine.
Yes we are. And Tina Brown played a HUGE part.
I have not read Niall Ferguson’s piece, but I have seen at least four pieces debunking it, sometimes line by line. So a few right wingers will latch on to it was a gigantic fail, from it’s flippant first name disrespect of the President to it’s numerous factual errors.
Guess this will hasten the end of Newsweek’s print magazine.
Too bad, the weeklies (Time and Newsweek) used to sit on middle class American’s coffee tables. But unfortunately for them, that era is gone, never to return.
I looked for Newsweek today at my local grocery store…..it’s not even stocked. I was going to buy all the issues and shred them so no one else would buy it.
Don’t buy ’em — it’ll make the store think people want them, so they’ll stock more.
Okay…..they aren’t stocked anyway. I don’t think Newsweek has nearly as wide a circulation as it used to have. If it weren’t for the internet, no one would know about it.
It’s a shame they kill a lot trees to print this no good crap. I guess they figure what do you expect for $20 yrs for 52 weeks?
OK, so you don’t bother to fact check your COVER STORY? It’s all about sensationalism, truth be damned. What a bunch of idiots. I hope their rag goes down in flames.
I think it already has, meta. They just haven’t had the full burial services yet.
Methinks the MSM is starting to feel the heat. They’ve been caught with the pants down to the ankles and must now bend over to pick them up. What a sight if you’re behind them and a terrible odor if you’re close,eh?
Well said, Yardarm. They are just that crude.
I cancelled my subscription to Newsweek and told the phone operator in no uncertain terms why. When he tried to convince me to continue I told him calmly and politely that I preferred to read facts and not articles that were pure fabrication.
All I can say is what a wanker that Niall Ferguson is, he is an embarrassment to his profession.
Brilliant Sam, that’s the only way to fight back against this crap. How are you doing? I hope all’s well.
Send this out all over the place….
Yes, TOD Twitter Brigade, please tweet the hell out of it!
Could this guy be any more obtuse? How politically and socially dumb do you have to be to say something like this given the current campaign dynamics
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Romney wishes to live in New Hampshire and âsave some tax dollarsâ
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/20/romney-wishes-to-live-in-new-hampshire-and-save-some-tax-dollars/
[Watch the video if you can stomach it; skip Eddie Munster and go to 2:20]
Mitt Romney may have a lower effective tax rate than many middle-class Americans, but heâs still dreaming of ways to pay even less. At a town hall-style event in Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee told supporters that he could âsave me some tax dollarsâ if he became a resident of the state, which doesnât have a tax on W-2 reported wages.
âSo many friends here in New Hampshire,â Romney said at the beginning of his remarks. âI feel like Iâm almost a New Hampshire resident. ⌠It would save me some tax dollars, I think.â
Ann and Mitt Romney own a $10 million lake house in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where the couple has been spending part of their summers for 15 years. While New Hampshire does not have a tax on W-2 reported wages, the state does tax income from interest and dividends… [more in the article]
Greedy S.O.B!
Anyone notice that they are even aping VPJoe and PBO’s speech template. The Munster was quoting stuff his dad used to say to him, while the leader- liar was trying to thank the helpers but couldn’t even bother to get their names, lumping them all together by first names. Their enthusiastic chant was quite riveting too – Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Ugh!
I see Soledad Obrien finally woke up from that trance She was in.
Bravo.
She has a lot of talent, All She needs is confidence and to feel comfortable.
I sure hope CNN does not stop Her from Being Soledad.
Didn’t a CNN head honcho just left weeks ago? TeaNN still has one Former Fox executive running CNN and the Former NSMBC/Newsweeks Guy. Now if CNN can just get rid of their pundits….use real experts and vigorously do News….report and investigate, they will come back and restore their Old self.
I would watch that network in a heartbeat if it were to do so.
Like a real-life “Newsroom” ACN – wouldn’t that be glorious?
Someone sane at CNN has to have come to the conclusion that being a Fox-lite is actually driving viewers away, not attracting them. If they keep going down this path then soon Current TV will beat them in the ratings.
Did anybody notice beside me that PBO slapped the Msm across the chops during his presser today?
Bitch slap heard all across the country đ
WORD!
Yes, and I enjoyed every last minute of it.
Glad I wasn’t alone.
I love when he came out and said “Jay tells me that you guys have been missing me.. before I take some questions, let me just mention, since Medicare’s been in the news latel,y I thought it’d be useful to start with some ACTUAL FACTS…”
Ha! I was howling!! đ
Purrfect. It was a slap to the mittbot an his media shills.
We were holding hands for sure. đ
Yes, PBO should speak to the media every day! Just to figuratively hit ’em upside the head, once or twice. You know – so we all could chuckle. Every day!
He probably doesn’t want that much stink up his nose every day, j. Once week oughta do it. đ
Then Jay Carney wouldn’t get his turn anymore. đ
..and random, alternating days, so they won’t ever know for sure when he’s coming. đ
True. I definitely see your point. Once a week, it is! đ
PBO started out doing press conferences quite regularly maybe once a week , but the journalists turned everything unimportant into sound bites that were criticized and were on the news over and over skipping the point of the press conference message so he went to the local media instead.
Shit. Those weren’t timid slaps.They were left hooks to the belly.
Bet he enjoyed it big time. Probably went back to the oval office for a brandy and cigar! or, if FLOTUS were around, a V-8 and a carrot stick. Or however he celebrates. Dunno. đ
Naw, She ain”t no prude. Southside of Chi-town baby.
I’m thinking he picked up some of that Southside from her, too! Likin’ that.
For sure. He did hs organizing in her ‘hood.
Bringing over edwina3’s post from the last thread — great reference material! Thanks edwina!!
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“The next time someone in the media or a Republican claims how divisive and mean PBO is, this Baltimore Sun reporter has made a good inventory of all the RW nut job politicians. How dare they lecture our classy and respectful President when they are positively bonkers.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-schaller-akin-20120821,0,3822974.column
hilarious column, except it makes you want to scream and tear out your hair. honestly, pbo’s sincere faith in the american people’s intelligence and goodness must be sorely tested every time he looks at the rethug congress.
Paul Ryan to Headline Todd Akin Love Fest Next Month
Mon, 08/20/2012 – 5:55pm â Josh Glasstetter
Earlier today, Mitt Romney described Rep. Todd Akinâs comments on âlegitimate rapeâ as âinsulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong.â In a separate interview, Romney said, âI can’t defend what he said, I can’t defend him.â Romney may not be able to defend Akin, but his running mate Paul Ryan knows some people who can. Heâs set to headline next monthâs Values Voter Summit alongside a whoâs who of Akin defenders and endorsers.
The real question is whether the Romney campaign will have Ryan go ahead and headline the event. Ryan, who has previously sought to redefine rape and ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest, would definitely fit in. But the problem is that he might fit in too well.
http://www.pfaw.org/content/paul-ryan-headline-todd-akin-love-fest-next-month
thanks Bobfr – you have a great way of getting the point across
Happy to help đ
This was posted at the end of the last thread by susanne. I love the seven questions – especially No 6
“6. You and your colleagues have called on Akin to withdraw from the Senate race against Claire McCaskill. Why? Do you think that he is unfit to serve, or do you just think that he will lose?”
susanne
August 20, 2012 at 7:47 pm
the new yorker mag offers a list of questions for candidates (since the msm canât seem to ask anything but softy-sweety questions).
âSo hereâs a test: Are you a Republican politician who would desperately like to distance yourself from Akin? Answer these seven simple questions first.â
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2012/08/seven-questions-for-gopers-abandoning-akin.html#ixzz248KDyzYP
Yes, 99ts and susanne! GREAT QUESTIONS in that article!!!
thanks for bringing it forward, 99ts–i’m always finding myself alone at the end of a post!
Always great tweets Bob – so sincere and perfectly directed.
Thank you, 99. Your support is heartening.
I totally second you, 99ts! Bobfr is doing a magnificent job on twitter. I am in awe of his ability to go to the heart of the issue using few words. On top of that, he is also fearless and relentless.
Venting-
That E-Book from Politico has me Steaming.
Granted, it’s all gossip, hit piece, Rove style.
But, they take shots at what I see as the Presidents strength.
They said, that internal polls say DWS is the least effective surrogate and the WH is displeased with Her.
Bullshit!!! Rovian Politics. I dont like them taking shits at Debbie like that, trying to drive wedges. And that Mike Allen is an asshole.
But, don’t worry, the last tine I emailed Byron Tau, I told Him Ryan was a Partisan and I asked Him how the Wedding was at MTP. LOL. Yup. All of Politico has now blocked me. LOL.
Anyways…
How have you day been jovie141? Your birthday.
Saw this earlier today, Tweety even talked about it, I ignored it. It’s from Politico, that says it all.
Jovie, heard from someone at OFA today that DWS was one of their most sought after surrogates and was extremely effective in energizing crowds. You’re right,the Politico thing is opposite world. They would rejoice if DWS were ineffective and never mention it. She’s great so they try to undermine her. They’re so obvious a small child can get their game.
Tell it Reverend Dyson!!!! Pray for them.
Just so they know, we know ….
Where will POTUS be campaigning at tomorrow?
Columbus, Oh. and somewhere in Nevada—–I think.
How many fundamentalists does it take to change a light bulb?
Who cares? They’re in the dark whether they change the bulb or not.
///
A CEO throwing a party takes his executives on a tour of his opulent mansion. In the back of the property, the CEO has the largest swimming pool any of them has ever seen. The huge pool, however, is filled with hungry alligators. The CEO says to his executives “I think an executive should be measured by courage. Courage is what made me CEO. So this is my challenge to each of you: if anyone has enough courage to dive into the pool, swim through those alligators, and make it to the other side, I will give that person anything they desire. My job, my money, my house, anything!”
Everyone laughs at the outrageous offer and proceeds to follow the CEO on the tour of the estate. Suddenly, they hear a loud splash. Everyone turns around and sees a guy in the pool, swimming for his life. He dodges the alligators left and right and makes it to the edge of the pool with seconds to spare. He pulls himself out just as a huge alligator snaps at his shoes.
The flabbergasted CEO approaches the guy and says, “You are amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. You are brave beyond measure and anything I own is yours. Tell me what I can do for you.”
The guy, panting for breath, splutters and says, “You can tell me who is the motherf***** who pushed me into the pool!!”
LOL!!! HA! HA!
I see Akin is a no show for interview with Piers Morgan.
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/08/20/this-and-that-29/
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9:15 AM
Obama departs the White House en route Joint Base Andrews.
9:30 AM
Obama departs Joint Base Andrews en route Columbus, Ohio.
10:40 AM
Obama arrives in Columbus, Ohio.
1:00 PM
Obama delivers remarks at a campaign event at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
1:30 PM
Biden travels to Minneapolis, Minn., to deliver remarks at a campaign event at The Depot.
2:50 PM
Obama departs Columbus, Ohio, en route Reno, Nev.
5:15 PM
Biden travels to Rochester, Minn., to deliver remarks at a campaign event at the Olmstead County Fairgrounds.
6:55 PM
Obama arrives in Reno, Nev.
7:45 PM
Obama arrives in Las Vegas, Nev.
8:00 PM
Obama delivers remarks at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev.
9:40 PM
Obama departs Reno, Nev., en route Las Vegas, Nev.
Bobfr – you were featured in Chirpstory
http://chirpstory.com/li/17741
Aww, nice pictures đ i trust there will be a video sometime soon, too?