President Barack Obama signs letters from children backstage after signing executive orders and unveiling new gun control proposals as part of the Administration’s response to the Newtown, Conn., shootings, and other tragedies, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Jan. 16, 2013. The children wrote the President letters in the wake of the Newtown tragedy expressing their concerns about gun violence and school safety (Photo by Pete Souza)
Lots more new White House photos here
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Heads up:
10:45 President Obama will call on Congress to avert the automatic spending cuts coming next week
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The Obama Diary 
Howdy
Morning!
Did I make it?
Congrats on 1st! Which WH Press person was the loudest on the “no pictures while golfing”?
Axelrod, you sly dog you, it all makes perfect sense. The Obama era will be televised.
GIbbs joined last week as well, his debut was the SOTU.
Good morning everyone..congtrs to Carol..Great choice..
https://twitter.com/theonlyadult/status/303887947348979713
Completely iconic, beautiful.
The detail in the large format you posted is simply gorgeous.
Citizens United 2.0
“In a move that could signal the end of a key restriction on political giving, the Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will consider a case challenging the limit on how much individuals can donate directly to federal candidates and political parties
The case, brought by an Alabama businessman and the Republican National Committee, seeks to do away with the aggregate limit on how much an individual can donate directly to candidates and parties. Currently, an individual cannot donate more than $123,200 to all federal candidates, parties and traditional political action committees during a two-year-election cycle.
Lawyers for Shaun McCutcheon, the Alabama businessman and GOP activist, argue those limits violate donors’ free-speech rights and severely restrict the ability of candidates and parties to compete in an age of free-for-all spending by super PACs and political nonprofit groups.
Groups that favor restrictions on political giving, say ending the cap on aggregate donations could allow a single individual to pump millions into the campaign bank accounts of parties and candidates’ and give a wealthy few undue influence over government policymakers and their decisions.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/02/19/supreme-court-contribution-limits/1922883/
Yeah, let’s just make it a complete free-for-all so only the wealthiest take over all our choices of who can lead our country.
One ray of hope…money couldn’t buy the last election.
Money overwhelms down ticket races, judicial races. The reason we’re in such a mess now is Bush packing the Courts and McConnell seeing to it that PBO can’t get judges confirmed.
It’s a very bad sign and we have no reason to believe that all restrictions on campaign financing will be thrown out by this Supreme Court.
Now this is freaking gorgeous.
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/303889920496394240
I recognize just about all of them, but who are the two women directly to Malia’s left?
The one in the gray jacket next to the one wearing white is Auma Obama; Pres. Obama’s sister. The one wearing the white might be her daughter I guess.
Yes, I have just finished the book And Then Life Happens, Auma Obama’s daughter is named Akinyi (Manners). G’day y’all!
Thank you, UT and Pamela! 🙂
Hey, all – For all those still annoyed with Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats who did not go for scorching the filibuster rules, important reads from the NY Times:
Harry Reid might have been looking ahead to 2014 when we defend 21 seats in the Senate, with I think it is 6 in states that the President lost. I don’t really understand Senate procedures that well, but Reid, et al. might have been thinking to protect the filibuster if, God forbid, we end up in the minority.
In any event, we’re going to have to work hard to protect our Senate majority in 2014. We need to keep every seat.
Jennifer, I understand the stated concern, but do you really believe that the GOP want change the filibuster rules to favor them if they come back in power?
The GOP operates too much in lock step to have that concern. But then again, Tea Party senators could throw a wrench in that.
Sorry, Jennifer, but I loathe this argument. If, God forbid, Repubs regain control of the Senate, there will be filibuster reform, completely neutering minority rights.
Good morning everyone! Been a little under the weather, got that stomach virus
I missed it and I can’t get it to work now. I hope you post it again later. Does anyone have the high points. This whole sequester thing is getting ridiculous.
Does anyone know how much a pundit is paid to come on MSNBC and give their opinion on Hillary running or not? It seems to be an easy job.
🙂 If it’s only a dollar, it’s still too much Bill!
Does Ed Rendell get a buck or two extra for doing all he can to damage the CURRENT Democratic President?
Ed Rendell…Hillary Clinton supporter
BWD is killing it on twitter, give them hell for the media’s double standard:
https://twitter.com/theonlyadult/status/303769046917197824
Go BWD!!!!
https://twitter.com/theonlyadult/status/303880622525538304
Come on guys it was just a golf game. You were told he would be working on his golf game, you were told he and Tiger would play a round of golf. Because you weren’t allow access to that game, you are having a dam fit.
Just when I thought the media couldn’t get any low… Now today the meme du jour is “Obama the puppet-master”. Every President has a communication strategy. Pres. Bush had it, Pres. Clinton had it. But now there needs to be a discussion about President Obama and the media. And all that comes from what happened last night, when President Obama, knowing that the press was pissed and wanting to smooth things up a little, went to the back of the plane to have an off the record chat with the press. Someone made an article about him and used the term “puppet master”, and this morning of course all the sheep that is the DC press corps are repeating the same words. It’s always like this. Someone picks up a theme, and like clockwork they all follow and sing the same tune before the end of the day. No originality, no analysis, no real facts, just lazy “opinion” writing that doesn’t take too much thinking, too much work. And we end up being submitted to a great deal of garbage.
Of course President Obama and his team have a strategic view of how to deal with the press. Every politician has it. But “puppet master” ? Come on… What’s pissing them off is the fact that President Obama refuses to play the classical “media game” in Washington. But that’s not because he wants to control the media. What President Obama wants is JOURNALISM in Washington. He wants SERIOUSNESS. And he does his best to make the press corps talk about WHAT’S IMPORTANT, to make the press corps INFORM the people. THAT’S his goal.
All hail, you. Yardarm has come about and preparing to board the good ship T.O.D. 🙂
Moooooooooooooooorning shipmate!
Ahoy Admiral. The USS PBO just delivered a broadside to the congress, eh?
He certainly did Yardarm – and he’s seriously pissed. Love him.
Hello Yardarm, didn’t recognize you. Yes, I know I’m a day behind.
Good morning Chips and TOD family. That was a powerful show last night. It really got my blood boiling again. I even hit my tweet limit, which I didn’t know they had. We must keep the pressure on this msm. They really don’t care about real news, only what they want to talk about. What a bunch of A$$es.
When did the FLOTUS and first daughters get back from Colorado? Glad they are all home safe.
If you’re on Twitter, go check out @JohnJCook’s twitter feed right now. Mike Allen whined that Pres. Obama avoids Politico’s “Tough Questions” so John (editor at Gawker) decided to tweet questions from a 2008 interview Mike Allen did with GWB and just destroyed Mike Allen’s BS. Mike sure loved carrying water for Bush.
It’s freaking hilarious.
Good for John. Loved it! Has Mike Allen responded?
I haven’t checked Allen’s twitter feed yet.
Utterly brilliant, Allen skewered – fantastic work!
what….who……did this Allen guy get his ass handed to him? I’m still trying to process President Obama’s beat down of the Republicans.
President Obama is laying the hammer down on the Republicans.
I said it earlier this morning and I’ll say it again. Our media is the worst.
Good on Weigel for calling out Josh’s crap.
Somebody please give the Republicans a pacifier!
Ask Josh Kraushaar how many times have he ever heard POTUS say that he hate the Republicans, now how many times have Republicans come right out and said they don’t like this President, they don’t want to compromise with him, we are only in this position because of the Republicans unwillingness to compromise. For four years this President reach out to the Republicans, where did it get him? I just Josh wanted the President to get up there and praise the Republicans and beg them. I don’t think so.
Take this rethugs
Now we wait for the smoke to clear.
http://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/303900798658691072
http://twitter.com/amk4obama/status/303904152101195776
Reagan only did 15 news conferences in 8 years
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/newsconferences.php#
Nancy couldn’t get to her psychic any more often than that.
The Democrats Reagen had to deal with, wasn’t the radical, extreme, racists haters POTUS has to deal with.
California authorities say at least 3 dead after shooting http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/california-authorities-say-at-least-3-dead-after-shooting-spree-spread-in-orange-county/2013/02/19/0e5da3b8-7aac-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html
” A chaotic 25-minute shooting spree through Orange County early Tuesday left a trail of dead and injured victims before the shooter stopped and killed himself, police said.
There were at least six crime scenes, Orange County sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino told KNBC-TV.”
wow- it never stops.almost makes a person afraid to leave your house..
http://twitter.com/NJedwina/status/303903780397789184
The time is now to sign on and in, I’d agree. Morning, or howdy, every.body!
Well good morning to you young lady. So happy to have you finally join us. Let night, hmmmm?
More like
agingmaturing body, Cookem. I can’t for the life of me figure out why I feel so tired. At least, not if I discount ripping up the carpet in my bedroom yesterday by myself, rolling and tying it into bundles to store outside until I rent a dumpster. Oh, and waking up three different times before 7am, after going to bed about 1am. There’s just no explaining this excessive tiredness!Lawd lady, take a hot bath in Epsom salt, then liberally smlather yourself up with the Ben-Gay, then place the Icy Hot pads strategically all over your body, then make yourself a hot toddy and go straight back to bed!!
Thanks, Gurl, but that there looks like way too much work. Plus, I can’t sleep in daylight AND the contractor is laying the new flooring in my room even as I sit here yawning. Each piece of work he completes looks really, really good, but the process is tiring, I must say.
Are you getting a new hardwood floor? We wanted that, but double what we’d set aside. Yes, I know, I’m behind.
I wanted that too but because I chose to gut one bathroom completely and remodel another, have settled for 12mm laminate with ‘textured’ surface. So far it’s looking good though I confess my feet haven’t adjusted to the feel yet.
I’m sure it looks nice. We have that in our family room.
OH. MY. GOD.!!!!
Good morning folks. I have been AWOL for a few days but am hopefully back for awhile. Catching up at one of the very few places where one can get the facts.
Also, I broke down and started a twitter account. Once I get the hang of it I will try sending out a few twits. I actually have one follower, a charming young lady in Scotland. O am afraid she is going to find my twits terribly boring.
“I actually have one follower, a charming young lady in Scotland.”
😆 Welcome to Twitter, Japa! What name do you use?
@deaconmill Although, actually, other than a couple tweets back and forth to said charming young lady, I haven’t done anything with it. I have to figure out how to send a tweet to someone without the whole world knowing about it. And no need to get jealous, Chips, you are still first in line.
And I am slowly building up a list of people to follow. One of them is a regular contributer here and I have to say, whenever I chekc my twitter page, almost the enitre page is filled up by her tweets,. She is a regular “Tweet machine.”
NerdyWonka!! 🙂
Would you mind sharing your Twitter handle with us?
Post your twitter handle so we can follow you.
“I will try sending out a few twits” I know the feeling japa. I sent out a few ‘twits’ too. When I didn’t receive any ‘twits’ back, I realized, that those ‘twits’ should be ‘tweets’. Then you can graduate to real Twitter speak, to answer in 140 characters or less, those basic questions of twho, twhat, twhen , twhere and twhy.
brevity is the hallmark of wisdom.
That was a little too long. Shoudl be “brevity hallmark wisdom” Who needs verbs and prepositions.
or, even more succinctly: stfu 🙂
Hey Japan, I am following you now. I am @bbkenn92
Twitter is fun, you will see.
https://twitter.com/johnjcook/status/303881619817766912
Is it because they ask stupid annoying questions and when they don’t get the answer they want, they keep asking the question over and over again? As if his answer is going to change?
That’s one part of it.
That would have been great.
remember what pbo said after the first debate with rmoney? he hates aggressive banter, trading insults, and pointless posturing. he is not good at it, because he finds it valueless and damaging. and that’s what the reports want to do with him–badger, attack, parry, thrust. it’s not about information with them, it’s about dominating the interaction. so of course pbo puts up a shield, and avoids this as much as possible.
http://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/303907978359214080
add this twit’s twitter handle @mikeallen.
*smacks forehead* You have GOT to be kidding me! smh
https://twitter.com/amk4obama/status/303908876766568448
NASA has lost communication with ISS, last contact with ISS Commander says they are not in danger.
😦
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/303910008154906624
https://twitter.com/DaRiverZkind/status/303909297799172096
Do you guys think a meteor hit the ISS?
apparently they can make contact when over Russian ground stations, so sounds like a communications problem, not a problem with the station itself – I wonder if the Chinese hacked the communications
See if I did this right I have storified Mike Allens hard hitting interview w/ GWB via @johnjcook
https://twitter.com/DaRiverZkind/status/303909815539871744
https://twitter.com/DaRiverZkind/status/303909815539871744
GOP and media act as if President Obama has to do all the outreach. He did that his first term and what did it get him.?
In fact, if he had stretched any more or any further, he might look like Mr. Fantastic or Elastic Man.
Chips, this deserves FP mention. Eat that, nut n yahoo.
https://twitter.com/cheyannebiancab/status/303907284499718144
CNN) – When President Barack Obama visits Israel next month, he’ll be awarded the Presidential Medal of Distinction, Israeli President Shimon Peres’ office announced Monday.
Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to receive the recognition, will be awarded the medal for making “a unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens,” according to a release announcing the news.
He’ll receive the award at a dinner at Peres’ residence in Jerusalem, slated to be attended by senior figures from Israeli public life and the Obama administration. The award is given to “private” individuals and organizations that have made “outstanding contributions to bettering the world.”
Previous winners of the award include former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, the Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Attorney Uri Slonim, and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/02/19/greg-mitchell-when-crybaby-interviewed-the-president/
https://twitter.com/BenLaBolt/statuses/303853242608148480
https://twitter.com/BenLaBolt/statuses/303853402947997696
woot!!!