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The Examiner: When historians look back on the presidency of Barack Obama, one would hope that they view his legacy as more then just being the first African American President who succeeded despite having to overcome some of the worst treatment a President could withstand; or as more than the President responsible for the establishment of an affordable health care act ensuring healthcare coverage for all Americans; or responsible for having saved the U.S economy from a second depression; or for killing the number one mastermind terrorist in the world.
Indeed one would hope that that historians recognize that President Obama’s legacy is that of a true warrior for social justice ….. A steadfast true leader, who even when faced with obstruction from hostile political extremists on the right, is still ensuring that all Americans get a fair shake at the American dream….
Full article here
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NYT: With 2013 bringing tax increases on the incomes of a small sliver of the richest Americans, the country’s top earners now face a heavier tax burden than at any time since Jimmy Carter was president.
The last-minute deal struck by the departing 112th Congress raised taxes on a handful of the highest-earning Americans, with about 99.3 percent of households experiencing no change in their income taxes. But the Tax Policy Center estimates that the average family in the top 1 percent will pay a federal tax rate of more than 36 percent this year, up from 28 percent in 2008. That is the highest rate since 1979, at least.
By some measures, the tax code might now be the most progressive in a generation, tax economists said, while noting that every American is paying a lower burden currently than they did then….
Full article here
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@elizabethforma: “It’s official!”
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TPM: The White House and gun control supporters are gearing up for a whirlwind month, with plans to pass reform legislation before outrage over the Sandy Hook massacre has a chance to fade.
While the fiscal cliff has dominated Washington’s attention in recent weeks, lawmakers and activists are laying the groundwork for their big push. Vice President Joe Biden, tasked with heading a commission to investigate gun violence, has been quietly meeting with experts, interest groups, and public officials and is expected to release a set of recommendations within weeks. Boston mayor Thomas Menino, co-chair of Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told the Boston Herald this week that an optimistic Biden had assured him that Obama would sign legislation “by the end of January.”
More here
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MoooOOoooOOOooorning everyone. Eh, it is still morning, isn’t it?
Morning!
Just beat me to it.
Morning Mary, morning everyone 😉
GM blog tyrant. See if you can post this pic in the FP.
Morning Amk! 😳 What’s FP?
Really?
Ah, sorry, front page? 😳 I’m sleepy today. Ssssh.
bender night, eh?
🙂 If it was a bender night I’d be asleep til tomorrow!
Danke for the FP.
You do be very, very willkommen – great story.
The ending just floored me.
Do you know if it’s a true story?
I really don’t know. If it’s true, hats off to the airlines, flight attendant and the captain.
It’s lovely, a heart-warmer.
Tee Hee very, very, funny amk4obama. I’ve got one too. A white woman sitting on the bus told a Black Man he had to move. The Black Man started laughing. When the white woman asked why was she laughing, he said the next one will be bigger and blacker. 😆
Congrats on 1st maryl1
Everyone in Todville & Chips have a nice day. 🙂
Bigger AND blacker? Now that sounds really scary. :-).
Morning!
Mooooooooooooorning GB!
1st Goal of 2013 complete? Making the top 20 on TOD RnS…YAY!!! Me
Good Afternoon Mayor Chips (bows)…waves to Amk and Mary…yells for VC…
Run and return to lurkdom
Hiya CJ. One of these days we are gonna keep you under house arrest here.
Ya, CJ! It’s hours later and you are exactly at #20, CJ. Way to achieve your goal!!
Great read. Especially the know-nothing knoller’s obsessions are blown away.
So, at the bottom of this article, there’s this piece about the author:
“Paul Brandus is an award-winning member of the White House press corps who founded West Wing Report in 2009. Follow him on Twitter: @WestWingReport.”
We were just talking about this the other day.
Amk, that was a great read. I usually don’t read the comments but these were among the best I have ever read. Thank you
I agree, good read! Thanks for posting it!
Hello. Everybodyyyyyyyyyyyy
Hi, Sweetpeg good to see you back.
Good morning everyone. Awesome June and July Chips. Loved the music.
Thank you Alma – and good morning!!
Shore Patrol couldn’t find you again last night. Hmmmm!
🙂 I’ve mastered the art of hiding from them Yardarm, don’t want them spoiling my fun!
Not to worry. They’re lining up the CI’s to help get it done the next time you go AOL! 😀
I’m being hunted down Yardarm!!! If they just promised to stop me getting in to trouble that would be fine, but I fear they’ll make me behave waaaaay too well. Help!
Sooorrrrry!
Videos for the ages Chips! Outstanding!!!
Duuuuuuuudette, hellooooooooo! A president for the ages, so the videos are easy! 🙂
“A president for the ages…” – Most Definitely!
“the videos are easy…” – perhaps for a skilled video editor such as yourself. If it was me trying to put the videos together, you’d very likely get some useless crap like this 😀
Oh. My. God. 😯
…. back soon, just running to the bathroom.
LOL! Guess you didn’t see UT’s story about the subject of that video in the previous post 🙂
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/01/05/2012-an-image-or-two-july/#comment-607324
G’day! (found a typo in that first paragraph from the Examiner: ‘then’ should be ‘than’! Sorry, but I’m astonished it got past the proof readers. Chipsticks, you have moved at Warp 10 with the 12 months of 2012 project, and are now LIGHT YEARS beyond all attempts to praise your stellar work! Genius much? Thank you, dear one!
Ah, good spot eagled-eyed Pamela! I fixed it for them!
Mooooooorning!
Your Grace! 🙂
Ladies, this is guaranteed to wake you up. You’re welcome.
p.s. HUBBA! HUBBA! 😉
https://twitter.com/ThundarKitteh/status/287591702351458305
Wow.
Yikes!
Good morning Chips and TOD family! We are on the road heading for wine countryCA. I have finally caught up on some of the past posts. I can’t believe the Repubs who voted against the Sandy relief. I believe my new representative voted against it. Where can I find a list of them.
Love the round up. I agree PBO will be listed as one of the greatest presidents. No other President has been treated as badly and still accomplished what he has.
Have a great day everyone. We are hitting the hot tub, breakfast and then the road.
My husband and I are going to wine country up there (Napa this time, Russian River Valley last time) last week of March. If you are near Sonoma, check out Buena Vista Winery. It is the oldest winery in Sonoma, and is beautiful. The wine is fabulous and not too expensive.
Bella Vineyards is a fun place in Napa.
That is good to know, thanks. 🙂
Their wine is good and the grounds are beautiful. There are caves to walk through and on weekends, they serve a little food with their tasting. My nephew is in their wine club so I’ve been there a couple of times with him to pick up his wine. The people are really sweet.
Have fun! It’s a great time to be up there.
Thanks for the tips.
Which one? Napa & points north? Santa Barbara and the Central Coast? Temecula? Monterey?
Santa Rosa for 7 days.
NICE!
I can’t believe the Repubs who voted against the Sandy relief. I believe my new representative voted against it. Where can I find a list of them.
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/113/house/1/7
This was a nice segment from The Last Word last night. They paid wonderful tribute to the genius that is Pete Souza with a slideshow of his 2012 year in pictures.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755883/ns/msnbc-the_last_word/#50369897
So that’s Ezra Klein’s on air persona? ACK, he’s ridiculous!
Ezra is getting worse, not better. (Do you remember – wasn’t it “Vero” from OFA who was crazy about “Ezra,” when he first hit the scene and appeared to be somebody new and fresh? Not sure why I just thought of that, but wonder if she’s disappointed, too!)
I don’t remember that but I do remember Ezra was fairly useful during the early health care debates. Now he’s just another wannabe pundit who has become more conservative as his appearances on teevee become more frequent. UGH.
That’s it – early health care debates. Couldn’t remember the topic he latched onto. (I just try not to catch Ezra anymore. His knowledge is not layers deep. Cringeworthy to watch.)
Morning Chips! I Love Your Month By Month Review Of 2012 In Pics…They Are Beautifully Done And The Music You Choose It’s Great Too. (I Don’t Know Why My Caps Are Stuck On!)
Okay, let me know this. Is there a chance that any of us who are going to Washington for the inauguration can get together and meet and celebrate? Maybe you all have a plan and I missed it. I am going to visit my daughter on 16th through the 23rd. Would anyone like to meet and have a drink? I don’t know DC. Does anyone want to get together. We could all carry a copy of “Dreams From My Father” so we can recognize each other. Someone let me know yes or no. This is just an idea.
Good idea Cindy. I won’t be able to go. 😦 Maybe Chipsticks can post a thread that is just for Inauguration plans for people to share. ?
I would love to meet other TOD people – maybe on the Mall at the Day of Service Fair on Saturday the 19th. Our hands will be full, so how about wearing an OBAMA button with TOD attached?
I would love to meet everyone…..
I plan to be at the inauguration. Coming up from Georgia on the 19th. Leaving after the inauguration on the 21st. Staying at Homewood Suites in Baltimore. Sure would be great to meet whoever is there from TOD.
I am going to be there, also. Leaving for DC on Sat. 19th. Would live to meet up with every TOD member.
Do not drink, but I will hug the hell out of you. You will recognize me because I will be smiling a lot! I wish that we all had shirts, hats with TOD on to sit one another. Will be wearing OBAMA earrings that my daughter-in-law ordered for me. They are very huge so my right ear lobe will be red and swollen.
🙂
That’s a great idea. I don’t know Washington to well. I have to pick up my ticket at my congressman’s office. I plan to take the Amtrak train from Philly. It’s supposed to get in D.C. at 7:00 in the morning. I have an Obama hat from 2008, I’m thinking I could put TOD in big letters on it.
Catching up to MHP on my DVR, this morning (tuned in a little late). So glad she’s having a discussion on immigration, along with a new Dem congresswoman from AZ! U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is a little nerdy, but dedicated, intelligent, spirited, and willing. Works for me.
“Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is a little nerdy…”
Cmon, jac, the show IS “nerdland” afterall. Nerds Rule! 🙂
Uh, okay. (Ha! – I know; but I’m just an onlooker to nerdland myself. An observer. Okay, I’m not a nerd AT ALL!)
🙂
P.S. But I like most nerds I know and wanna say to them, for the record: You be you, and I’ll be me!
This why I love you! 🙂
🙂 🙂
In Computer Heaven:
The management is from Intel,
The design and construction is done by Apple,
The marketing is done by Microsoft,
IBM provides the support,
Gateway determines the pricing.
In Computer Hell:
The management is from Apple,
Microsoft does design and construction,
IBM handles the marketing,
The support is from Gateway,
Intel sets the price.
Gunnite folks.
🙂 Nite you!!!
Oy.. another killing in Aurora, CO. This time,just 4 people (including gunman) allegedly dead, from reports so far.
// Three people were found dead inside a home in Aurora, Colo., after a gunman took them hostage early Saturday morning, police told NBC affiliate KUSA. The gunman was also shot and killed by police after hours of failed negotiation attempts.
Another person who had been inside the house was able to escape and alert authorities, KUSA reported.
Officers were called to a town home around 3 a.m. after reports of shots fired. Several nearby homes were evacuated for safety reasons and police sent out emergency notifications for the other residents in the area. //
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/05/16367150-police-4-dead-including-gunman-in-aurora-colo-hostage-situation?lite
Oy indeed. We’ve gotta fix the gun regulations. This MUST be done!
Geez…is there no end to this? Oh wait, yes..WE must be the end!
over 300 people (27 children) nationwide have been killed by gun violence…
so far this year
Baltimore City’s report
And while total gun crime, including shootings, -robberies and carjackings, has declined more than 6% when compared to 2011’s historic lows, the lethality of 2012’s gun violence pushed the city’s homicide total to 217 as of December 31st.
Somethings wrong with the arithematics??
Hello everyone; happy weekend.
Good Morning all You O’s!!! What a great getting up day today here in TODdytown. Wanted to pop in to say howdy before starting the Saturday chores. Y’all take care now, you hear?
Morning TOD. Catching up on some new music I missed from last year.
Last night, I rediscovered a new artist I meant to hear more from last year, but got sidetracked. So you’re in for a treat. If you like Alicia Keyes, Beyonce’ and Adele all rolled into one little package, then you’ll love Emeli Sande’. She’s Britain’s Best New Artist of 2012. I just bought her CD and I love it already. Check out this youtube playlist to see how fantastic she is. It took awhile for some people to get on the Adele bandwagon (not me though, unlike some peole I didn’t join the bandwagon, I’d already discovered her from her debut album, so hey, I have a good track record…lol) so here’s hoping the same can be done for Emeli Sande’, who’s BTW real name is Adele…lol.
So check out this playlist and give a Scottish born sista some love:
tell me this song doesn’t sound like Beyonce, I fully expect Sasha Fierce to be stealing it soon like she did “If I Were A Boy”…lol http://youtu.be/nmhGZR04JCA
Thank you for the recommendation Lamh, will check her out!
you might remember this song from the Summer Olympics Chips.
Emelie sang it for the opening ceremony I believe. It’s on her album and the Olympics album.
emeli sandé olympics closing ceremony performance http://youtu.be/FsVIzK1VLdo
thx, her voice is absolutely fabulous. She sings this version of “Abide With Me” that will seriously make you cry even if you are not especially spiritual.
Gorgeous! Song, singer, and rendition
Goodness, what sacred sweetness……….
Oh I do remember that Lamh, but I never knew who sang it! What an absolutely stunning voice – okay, you’ve convinced me to listen to everything by her!
Yessss, I remember this and the Next to Me piece from last year. Love her voice. I didn’t notice it at the time, but, you’re right, she does sound a bit like Beyonce’.
Scottish born Sista…..love it. She does have a Beyonce quality to her voice with lots of power.
just seeing the “ThatChicken” and @ReignOfApril link from the last thread. hilarious. although maybe we should give crystal wright a break…perhaps she’s just a big fan of 50 Shades of Grey, hence the hue of her cooking?
man, that chicken was GREEN!!! For no apparent reason, it was green! That was seriously a hot mess.
Morning! Maybe some people need to be REMINDED!!
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/14/158424/republican-leaders-debt-limit-hypocrisy/
while the four Republicans in Congressional leadership positions are attempting to hold the increase hostage now, they combined to vote for a debt limit increase 19 times during the presidency of George W. Bush. In doing so, they increased the debt limit by nearly $4 trillion.
At the beginning of the Bush presidency, the United States debt limit was $5.95 trillion. Despite promises that he would pay off the debt in 10 years, Bush increased the debt to $9.815 trillion by the end of his term, with plenty of help from the four Republicans currently holding Congressional leadership positions: Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl. ThinkProgress compiled a breakdown of the five debt limit increases that took place during the Bush presidency and how the four Republican leaders voted:
June 2002: Congress approves a $450 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $6.4 trillion. McConnell, Boehner, and Cantor vote “yea”, Kyl votes “nay.”
May 2003: Congress approves a $900 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $7.384 trillion. All four approve.
November 2004: Congress approves an $800 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $8.1 trillion. All four approve.
March 2006: Congress approves a $781 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $8.965 trillion. All four approve.
September 2007: Congress approves an $850 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $9.815 trillion. All four approve.
Booman has a great post up that I’m sure we all can agree with, just the title alone is true!
Boehner Needs to Sober Up or Go Home
by BooMan
Boehner third in line for the Presidency…now THAT is scary…on so many levels….
No….Boehner is SECOND in line…..just after VP Biden. Now that is a BFD…..scary.
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks & TOD family.
I’m just popping in to say Howdy and now I’m off to read what I’ve missed in yesterday’s threads 🙂
Chipsticks – your 2012 Monthly videos are simply BEAUTIFUL! Keep up the good work 😀
Hellooooooooooooooo GGail, thank you so much, you bundle of loveliness!
So, when are you going to start on 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008… 😉
I know there are a lot of soccor/futbol fans, this is my favorite all time song celebrating sporting events or anything nationalistic. K’naan…
Love this! Soccer/futbol really is the world’s game, like no other. Truly universal – across income levels, skills, station. There’s some really fancy foot and head work in that video – just lovely.
Hope this shows up…a wacky but funny idea….
Fixed it for you Carol, it’s a cheesy hoot!! 🙂
Cheesehenge! 🙂
Makes me miss the Mayans, somehow. (P.S. Got any wine with all of that cheese??)
Someday when God grants me enough time and patience, i WILL actually build one of those-with a fence of grapes surrounding the whole thing-and yes, there will be wine with all of that cheeze…or a whine you hear while I’m building it…
Sounds delightful! I get the “patience” part!
Senator Brian Nieves on gun control…
http://eureka-wildwood.patch.com/blog_posts/senator-brian-nieves-on-gun-laws?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D253197
Rain, this Senator needs to have his head examined. What a bunch of bull…. makes my blood boil to read it. At least there were a couple of sane comments afterwards, although most were based on terrifying ignorance. UGH!!
I agree…it smacks of the paranoia that is so deeply ingrained in the gun culture. These people are so obsessed with their fantasies about what *might* happen that they ignore what IS happening!
Here’s another one: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/joshua-boston-marine-gun-control-senator-dianne-feinstein-letter_n_2410076.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D253209
Sorry to post huffpo, but that’s where I saw it…the other dominant paranoia seems to involve the “they’re coming to take our guns” way of thinking, when no one has said that or even hinted at it.
Okay, for any fellow original baby boomers out there in TODland (or nerdland), here’s what we played to start our weekends, when I was in (gulp) high school:
Good stuff, jac! Brings to mind “American Graffitti”.
This was my Living for the Weekend!…WoooooooooooooT!!!!
Classic!!
This group is one of my all time favourites. They have never sung a bad song.
Oh, I love it! Thanks!
Oh, JOB, you really bring it back–love the old phonograph and the vinyl. You must be a young boomer. ’62 to ’63’ was my first year
in college!!
I’m an original boomer – born in the first year they started counting the boom after The Big One – and was a senior in high school from ’63-’64, so not that far behind ya! I actually have this song on a 45 rpm record, one of only two I still have!
—————-
Carnegie Hall concert for music education to honor Prince
http://thegrio.com/2013/01/04/carnegie-hall-concert-for-music-education-to-honor-prince/
This year, legendary singer-songwriter Prince will be honored at Carnegie Hall’s annual concert to raise money for music education.
Michael Dorf, founder of City Winery, puts on the benefit concert each year to help support education programs in poor communities. The beneficiaries this year include the American Symphony Orchestra’s Music Notes, Little Kids Rock and the Center for Arts Education, reports the New York Times.
Dorf said in a statement, “Prince is one of the most prolific songwriters in my collection, and he makes my Top 10 when I think about the artists who have truly shaped modern music.”
Prince will be honored on March 7th at the ninth annual benefit concert. The Roots, Talib Kweli, and the Blind Boys of Alabama are a few of the acts that will perform, paying tribute to the songs of Prince.
Past artists to be honored include Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John.
I love the Blind Boys of Alabama!
This is way cool !
The afro? He’s bringing it full circle. ‘xcept this time, he has clothes on. (ol’ heads KNOW what I’m talkin’ about… 😎 )
Ah yes, the cheekless pants are seered in my memory.
Prince certainly deserves to be honored – what a talented individual. My sister was obsessed with him at one stage.
good hawaii morning chips and tods!
chips, you were up mighty late last night! hope you get a nice long nap this afternoon–thanks for making these month-of-tod videos for us. what a year it was!
Howdy susanne. Y’all taking good care of our First Family out there? 🙂
good morning dudette!
i have no idea where the first family is! they don’t tell us nuthin! i troll the sites, but no pix, no hints. i think the washington press corps is not as interested as we are in seeing pbo in sandals! eating shave ice! playing in the surf! come on, guys! but probably the family has requested not to be photographed. they certainly deserve a break from all the peering eyes and lenses. still…. i want to see! 🙂
Actually the Washington press corps is just as – if not more interested, than everyone else, but I believe the First Family has specifically requested privacy. What little bit the press corps could glean, they reported. That’s why we have a few pics of PBO getting the shave ice, shaking hands with folks, etc.
yes, and some have come from folks’ cell phones and so on, just people posting their pbo sightings. i hope they can just laze around the pool in their slouchy old shorts and floppy sunhats today. flotus and the girls can relax in bikinis without worrying it will be on the front pages. etc.
MSNBC reporting PBO returns to Washington tonight
Just saw this at GOPolitico, Dudette:
The first family is scheduled to depart Honolulu Saturday night and arrive in Washington on Sunday at midday.
I figured as much – if the girls are back at school, and the President back at work, on Monday. It’s such a long flight, plus the jet lag. Makes sense.
Alan Grayson about to come on MSNBC. Grabbing the popcorn!
My favorite part was when Alan was asked a more or less leading question by Craig, and responded something like, “Well, to be specific, President Obama has not said he’s in favor of cutting Social Security and Medicare; he said he’s in favor of strengthening the programs and so am I and so are Democrats.” I was so happy to hear that.
Grayson seemed a little tamer, but give him time!
I’m glad he’s back in Congress.
Ed Schultz and Sen. Bernie Sanders made me sick Friday night talking as if POTUS were going to put Social Security on the table and cut it. I got so fed up with Ed that I turn the channel. I have never heard POTUS say he was going to cut S.S. either, but doing whatever they could to strengthen it. Ed trying to push his same old story you can’t trust POTUS when it comes to S.S., Medicare.
I saw that too and changed the channel….I am done with Ed forever…..I think I will take a bath at 8 PM every night now.
I popped over to Elliot Spitzer ( who sometimes is critical too ) but he was beating up Oliver Stone for 3 segments about Stone complaining about the President.. Elliot did good.
Ed and Bernie have their place, sometimes, but – other times – I switch the channel, too.
So if Alan Grayson could hear what the president actually said about Social Security and Medicare and translate it correctly, how come no one in the media or the left can? President Obama has said for years that his goal is to strengthen these two programs–make sure they’re viable for a very long time and NOT cut benefits. Yet he’s never quoted accurately or even given the benefit of the doubt.
This is a good start for Grayson. I hope he continues in this vein. None of that sensational nonsense that doesn’t drive the ball any further down the field. I don’t mind sensationalism, as long as it serves a purpose other than getting someone on TV.
The media seems to try to egg him on. I think he is more serious than the media presents him.
That’s so very true. Without the sensationalism it would never have gotten his remarks covered by C-Span, it would never have gotten anyone outside of his district to know who he is, and probably would not have gotten him elected the second time he ran. It’s our pop culture, which sometimes works out in the long run – and, sometimes, not.
Not only does he speak his mind but he seems to hear what people actually say and reframe it properly.
Mitch McConell is on all the Sunday shows. Do they actually think that is a big draw?
LOL!
Correction- Boner is 4th in line to the Presidency- 3rd is Pay Leahy!!
Pat Leahy is Pro Tempore of the Senate
From the wiki thingie…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_line_of_succession
This is a list of the current presidential line of succession,[1] as specified by the United States Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947[2] as subsequently amended to include newly created cabinet offices.
1 Vice President of the United States Joe Biden (D)
2 Speaker of the House John Boehner (R)
3 President pro tempore of the Senate Patrick Leahy (D)
4 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
5 Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (I)[3]
He is not 3rd in line, Joe B is 2nd, then Speaker of the House, then see below:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101032.html
Sorry meant to reply to Jovie.
How President Obama’s vacation time stacks up [article includes video]
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/20509217/how-president-obamas-vacation-time-stacks-up
—————
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) –
President Barack Obama and his family still have one more day of vacation in Hawaii, and while we call it a “vacation”, political experts say modern Presidents are never totally on a holiday. Nope, the Commander-in-Chief still does plenty of work behind-the-scenes.
We all need a little R&R – even the leader of the Free World. Since assuming office in January 2009, President Obama has taken all or part of 83 vacation days, according to CBS News White House correspondent, Mark Knoller. At that rate, Mr. Obama will be on par to take about 168 vacation days during his eight-year tenure.
Like many of his predecessors, the President has been criticized for taking extended time off – and for spending millions on, among other things, transportation, staffing, and security. Political experts say criticism comes with the territory.
“There are some people, who are not supporters of the President, who resent him going to such a beautiful place, in part, at taxpayer expense,” explains Knoller, who’s been covering the White House for almost 40 years. “And so, that’s part of the reason why there is resentment but, you know, it’s not really fair to begrudge a President some time off.”
It’s nothing new. Franklin Roosevelt was judged for spending too much time aboard his Presidential yacht, the USS Potomac. Theodore Roosevelt was said to have left Washington, DC for months at a time, and our fourth President, James Madison, took a four month vacation back in 1816.
Here’s how Mr. Obama stacks up against more recent Presidents, if he keeps pace with 168 vacation days over eight years. President George W. Bush took all or part of 297 days at his Texas ranch. Bill Clinton took 174 days at Martha’s Vineyard and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Ronald Reagan vacationed 349 days at his California ranch over eight years.
President Obama is also not the first to cut a vacation short. Reagan did it in 1983, Clinton in 1993 and 1998, and Bush, in 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. To be fair, no President really takes a vacation. “The job is there in the golf cart with him. It never really leaves him,” says Knoller.
Their days off are still filled with briefings and other executive decisions, but maybe, they get to sleep in a little.
Copyright 2013 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
thanks dudette. i like the hawaii reporter’s manner in talking about the president.
I don’t see Hawaii as an exotic vacation spot. It is his home after all. He’s just going home. That is happens to be Hawaii is coincidental. If his Grandma was still alive, there would be no question about it.
Amen. Great article
PET PEEVE:
Sorry whoever you are, blocking your number so the caller ID says “UNKNOWN” DOES NOT make me wanna pick up the phone anymore than usual. if u really wanted to talk to me, you’d at least make ur number known, even if I do google it to see if it’s a creditor…lol.
We got a call today from some guy claiming we had an outstanding tax bill (we don’t) and I looked up the number and he was calling from somewhere in the Bahamas! There are so many scams out there these days. I just quit answering the phone unless I know who it is.
http://t.co/ozTUiCpR
MHP- on the Emancipation Proclamation…worth viewing
Make it so Joe!
he has the Com!
🙂
🙂 It’s only logical….
Logical yes, but also FASCINATING [eyebrow raised]
Indeed, Captain.
Um hmm. All I was saying since the decision came down was if I knew I was innocent and had the money like Armstron, then fight like hell to prove it to your damn dying death if you have to, IMHO.
Lance Armstrong Said to Be Weighing Admission of Doping
Everyone who is going to DC from TOD MUST MEET UP!!!
Those of us who don’t have the $ should try to too.
I’m off that day since it’s thankfully a Fed holiday – YAY! Maybe we should designate a SoCali viewing party?
Wish I could, butI’m not gonna make it to DC for the inaug. 😦 Will be there with y’all in spirit mos def.
If there’s a meet up later in the year, maybe the summer, I’ll try to move heaven and earth to get there.
I definitely wanted to go the the inauguration, but I’ll be starting my new job the week before and I figured it’d be bad form …lol
PBO would want you to keep your new job! So do I! 🙂
Congrats again!
I am off that day too Tally, would love to go to a TOD viewing party!!
Let’s figure it out!
Tally!!!! How are you? Did you get over the plague??
My fever broke about an hour ago, but I’m still coughing shit up. Baby steps. 😛
Tat would be fun.
Conservatives Open New Congress With Unconstitutional Bill To End Birthright Citizenship
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/01/05/1402821/rep-steve-king-opens-new-congress-with-unconstitutional-bill-to-end-birthright-citizenship/
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution expressly provides that nearly anyone born in the United States is a citizen, regardless of the immigration status of their parents. Yet, despite the Constitution’s clear command, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) wants to ignore our founding document and prevent the children of undocumented immigrants from becoming citizens:
Ugh! I couldn’t despise these GOP slugs with a greater white heat. Dammit, I wish they would just go away. Start their own country on an island in the middle of the ocean, better yet take up Newts idea and go to the moon. But we have to endure some of their shit so the less informed electorate can see for themselves who these people are and what they stand for. I swear the President really must have the patience of Job.
Pf, I wonder if the House gets even basic training about how the government works. Otherwise why come to work to waste your time on stupid, senseless things that go nowhere. They might as well sit and doodle or do pushups in the aisles. We are paying a whole lot of US House members to act like ill behaved children or little monkeys (capuchins?) who run around in cages screeching at each other. They don’t believe in government but they run for office to collect the money and “prove” how useless government is. There must be some weird subset of the population that thinks these antics are okay. Otherwise, who’s their audience?
their audience are the voters who voted for them
that is so wrong PrettyFoot grrr
yes it is….but this is what we are up against
There was alot of discussion in 2011 about whether PBO can use the 14th Amendment to raise the Debt Ceiling…i do not remember whether he can do so on Constitutional grounds or not….can someone point me where i can find info on this….
‘Senator Michael Crapo Says He Was Not Doing Vodka Shots Before His DUI Arrest–
He was drinking vodka tonics, like a civilized Mormon ‘
in this short piece, the senator is quoted as saying he’s sorry for upsetting his family and mormon friends. apparently, he feels his constituents are perfectly okay with him driving while drunk.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/01/crapo-was-drinking-vodka-tonics-not-shots.html
Last name should’ve told ’em.
He said he had been under stress, though he had often claimed he was a non-drinker was drinking vodka and tonics by himself in his Capitol Hill apartment, could not sleep, got into his car to relax, drove across the Potomac River to Alexandria, VA, and ran a red light. Likely story.
There is a Freshman Congressman, Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), age 35, being interviewed on MSNBC who may be dumber than Louis Gohmert. Something I thought impossible.
I saw that guy. Had to mute him, cause the stupid was oozing out of the TV.
He said he ran for Congress because the paperwork for his plumbing and heating business was too much, and he wanted to do something about it.
Pefect tea party member — empty shell with nothing but self-interest
He’s lying. Most likely a majority of the paper work was required by his state and local government, and if his business is fairly successful, he has an accountant that does his federal taxes. He would also have employees who would take care of payroll and other paperwork. He reminds me of the guy in AL who blames PBO for his topless car wash going out of business. The tool still hasn’t learned that it was his STATE that has a law against nudity and forced him to shutdown his business!
At what point will the Professional Left, the Emoproggs, and the Republicans realize that President Obama has them all by the short hairs?
Maybe they already realize it, Don, but they have to carry on as though they still have a say in what is going to happen. 24 hour news cycles and personal egos demand a continued fight.
On the subject of President Obama being in Hawaii, I believe he will return refreshed and ready once again to go into battle. There is something about that place. You step off the plane and the air smells and feels like nowhere else. I imagine, having grown up there, the lure of the place would be even more pronounced for him then it was for me, since I only was lucky enough to be there a couple of times. Every day that he has been there gives his body and soul relaxation. God bless him and keep him safe.
This!
I wanna hug the guy who wrote this…
https://twitter.com/Dudette9t9/status/287663734250409985
Fixed it
I think we’ve seen most, if not all, of these Obama fam Hawaii vacay photos. I think this is all there is. Hope they had a great escape and that the pres managed to have some relaxing fun during his few days at the beginning and end of the stay.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/slideshow?widgetid=69862
Rep Luis Guittierez on MSNBC talking about PBO’s advances toward immigration reform
Gutierrez, sorry
MSNBC reporting Nancy Smash will appear on the series finale of Thirty Rock on Jan 31.
Reports Pelosi has said “I’ll do anything Tina Fey asks!” 🙂
Haha…… lovely…..
I also would do anything Tina Fey asks.
Funny one, Bill!
Jeff Flake is not a lawyer, went to South Africa as a Mormon missionary, and opposed economic sanctions on South Africa in the1980’s. Cruz, a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law, is a true rwnj looking for the limelight. Both will be big problems when there is a confirmation for the Supreme Court.
To all the wonderful TOD peeps who raved about Les Mis….thank you!!! It was awesome, and I was duly prepared with tissues.
White House Plans To Overwhelm NRA With Rapid Victory
// The White House and gun control supporters are gearing up for a whirlwind month, with plans to pass reform legislation before outrage over the Sandy Hook massacre has a chance to fade.
While the fiscal cliff has dominated Washington’s attention in recent weeks, lawmakers and activists are laying the groundwork for their big push. Vice President Joe Biden, tasked with heading a commission to investigate gun violence, has been quietly meeting with experts, interest groups, and public officials and is expected to release a set of recommendations within weeks. Boston mayor Thomas Menino, co-chair of Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told the Boston Herald this week that an optimistic Biden had assured him that Obama would sign legislation “by the end of January.”
“We had been led to believe their report would come by end of January, but we’re hearing they may want to have something out by January 15, even quicker than expected,” Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told TPM. //
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/white-house-nra-gun-victory.php
Wooohoooo.
I see PBO persevered thru wind and driving rain yesterday on the golf course. I think the last couple of days have not been ideal, weather-wise——they delayed the pro golf tourney there until tomorrow, was cancelled the last 2 days. Went out to din last night with friends. Should be boarding soon for return flight.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20130104_Obama_set_to_return_to_Washington_Saturday.html?id=185728991
Thanks for that Dotster. Crikey, Knoller’s voice is …. rough.
Chat away!
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/01/05/chat-away-97/
Great video.
The Obama Method—Smartypants
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-obama-method.html?showComment=1357430131663#c6141716443106521625
It does not presuppose that his adversaries are people of goodwill who can be reasoned with. Rather, it assumes that, by demonstrating his own goodwill and interest in accord, Obama can win over a portion of his adversaries’ constituents as well as third parties.
I think smartypants is one of the most astute bloggers! Her analyses of how President Obama operates are compelling.
yes they are,,,,
Yes Indeed! Prettyfoot, please forgive me for failing to thank you for sharing this piece with us because I would have otherwise missed it. I also enjoy and learn from many of your commentaries at TOD.
Thank you,,,I appreciate your comments… 🙂