This and That

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Tuesday (all times Eastern):

10:10 AM: President Obama departs the White House

1:40 PM: Arrives in Phoenix

2:10: Tours Erickson Construction

3:05: Delivers remarks

4:10: Departs Phoenix

6:25: Arrives in Los Angeles

7:30: Tapes an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

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Fantastic article by @IgorVolsky. Don’t believe the hysteria about #ObamaCare premium spikes. http://t.co/Sk3FZaoX02

— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) August 5, 2013

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BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. This is the ObamaCare subsidy calculator. It should be your best friend for the next six months. http://t.co/HUyVlfeZey

— YeaYouRite (@YeaYouRite) August 5, 2013

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By now, you may have heard of the campaign to undermine Obamacare that the conservative group FreedomWorks is running. If not, read Sarah Kliff’s article on it in the Washington Post. The article will take you inside the “Obamacare resistance,” as she calls it, where leaders are printing up fake Obamacare cards and urging young people to burn them in protest. The idea is to undermine the law: If only older and sicker people sign up for coverage in large numbers, then insurers will have to raise premiums, increasing costs for the govenrment and for those who buy without subsidies.

More here

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For President Obama’s birthday, @OFA spent the day spreading the facts about #Obamacare: http://t.co/Z4n3tqOyYV

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 6, 2013

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President Obama walks with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on the South Grounds of the White House, Aug. 5 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Congress needs to #StandWithOurFuture and pass comprehensive immigration reform. Show your support: http://t.co/E4ethHTSfJ

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 5, 2013

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USA Today: President Obama, who has addressed VFW and American Legion conventions over the years, will speak this week to an extra-special group of veterans: The disabled.

Organizers of the Disabled American Veterans National Convention in Orlando announced Monday that Obama will address their group on Saturday.

First lady Michelle Obama will introduce her husband.

More here

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More than 10,000 at Moral Monday today in NC. Folks are mad as hell and are standing up for their rights. pic.twitter.com/SX3gs1oGXX

— Donna NoShock (@NoShock) August 5, 2013

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Zillow

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@AmbassadorRice @AmbassadorPower @UN @twitter You two ladies inspire me. Thank you for your service to our great President Obama.

— LiberalPhenom (@LiberalPhenom) August 5, 2013

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NYT: Someone Tell Cantor: The Deficit Is Shrinking

On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace asked Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, for a preview of what will happen the next time Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling. It was a remarkable exchange, in part because Mr. Cantor made a remarkable error.

…. For your convenience, we’ve highlighted the mistake. Mr. Cantor appeared to be defending his party’s shenanigans by arguing that the “ultimate problem” is the “growing deficit.” The thing is, the deficit is not growing. It is shrinking.

More here

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Better RNC debate plan. Held in hermetically sealed Fox studio. Avoid exposing swing voters to Crazy S*#t My Nominee Says.

— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: Florida’s Scott readies second ‘disgusting’ voter purge

The voting process in Florida last year was a national disgrace, which was unfortunately the result of a deliberate scheme – state Republican policymakers closed the early-voting window, cracked down on voter-registration drives, and created painfully long voting lines, especially for minorities and the poor.

But that’s not all they did.

Last summer, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) launched an aggressive voter purge, which he claimed was necessary to remove non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls. As we discussed at the time, this too was a fiasco …. in an unfortunate twist, Rick Scott apparently enjoys this disaster so much, he’s ready to do it again.

More here

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@WhiteHouse

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Charles Pierce: The Rugged Rhetoric Of Reince Priebus

Obvious anagram Reince Priebus, figurehead high priest of the Silly Party, has decided to butch himself up again.

…. Reince is never more adorable than when he pretends he is an Important Person Of Influence. Really. It’s like watching a toddler in a Mark Hanna suit.

Read here

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Peter King worries Rand Paul presidential run would “set Rs back 50 yrs.” Wrong. There’s no indication Paul would improve the GOP that much.

— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: The wrong message for the wrong issue

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1 yr today a white supremacist killed 6 Sikhs at a temple in WI. That incident should be remembered w other massacres like Newtown & Aurora

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: Can a president be a radical socialist and a Wall Street shill?

….. Republicans can tell Americans that President Obama is a radical socialist who hates free-enterprise capitalism, or they can tell us he’s a Wall Street shill, but when they make both arguments at the same time, it’s awfully difficult to take them seriously. Indeed, it reinforces the thesis that, even now, the right still doesn’t know how it wants to criticize the president.

But I also believe there’s another angle to this to keep in mind.

For good or ill, Obama has gone to extraordinary lengths to try to reach compromises with congressional Republicans, frequently offering to accept GOP policy goals that congressional Democrats find abhorrent.

But because so many congressional Republicans have become post-policy nihilists, GOP officials not only reject attempts at compromise, they often announce their opposition to whatever it was they urged Obama to do in the first place.

More here

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I’ll Stop Writing About Glenn Greenwald’s NSA Coverage When He Stops Lying http://t.co/A9eGXuB3O3

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) August 5, 2013

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Random pic from the last few days because, well, because:

President Obama boards Marine One to fly to Camp David on August 3 at Andrews Air Force Base

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As requested, my Storify: “Breaking [at]breakobama the Unmasking of a Twitter Thug” http://t.co/vSoQ6r8hc2

— Wieland (@lawscribe) August 5, 2013

I think I’ll have to marry @lawscribe. Well, just because…

— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 5, 2013

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I completely missed this …. Jim Messina will be working for David Cameron? Seriously? (Michael Tomasky)

This is almost as awful as the prospect of Wayne Rooney playing for Chelsea.

Oh, I need a brandy.

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Woah……

WP: The Washington Post Co. agreed Monday to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four generations.

Bezos, whose entrepreneurship has made him one of the world’s richest men, will pay $250 million in cash for The Post and affiliated publications to The Washington Post Co., which owns the newspaper and other businesses.

More here

James Fallows: Why the Sale of the Washington Post Seems So Significant – A moment that will define an era’s upheaval in journalism.

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Another exclusive™ from my break in the rain: I now know for certain that I am blood-related to my dog-nephew – he knows bay leaves are evil too. The leftovers from his dinner:

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A huuuuuuuuuuge PS:

Happy Birthday to the inspirational and very, very, very wonderful @GoBrooklyn – we love ya GB!

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) August 6, 2013

Random Irish Car Sticker

Snapped in a random Irish town this evening. Honest!

Okay, back in a bit with a newsie round-up.

Chat Away

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Rise and Shine

Four years ago – Pete Souza: “I was sitting in the reception area outside the Oval Office when Sasha walked by and headed to the Oval. I suspected something was up, so I followed her. Sasha then crawled into the office, hiding behind the sofa, and when she reached the far end, jumped up and yelled trying spook her dad.” Aug. 5, 2009

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Today (all times Eastern):

12:45: Press Briefing by Jay Carney

6:0: The President meets with former Negro League baseball players

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The Week Ahead:

Tuesday: The President will travel to the Phoenix, Arizona area to continue talking with Americans about his better bargain for the middle class

That afternoon, the President will travel to Burbank, California, to tape an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Wednesday: The President will travel to Camp Pendleton to visit with troops and their families

Thursday: The President will welcome Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of Greece to the White House

Friday: The President will attend meetings at the White House

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Happy birthday, Barack! Your hair’s a little grayer, but I love you more than ever. –mo pic.twitter.com/xxYTA9cMK7

— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) August 4, 2013

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USA Today: President Obama has a string of meetings on his schedule Monday, one of them with a group of legends.

Early this evening, Obama meets with former Negro League baseball players at the White House.

The president will honor the players’ “contributions to our nation’s history, civil rights, and professional baseball,” says the White House schedule.

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WCHB: Minnie Forbes Owner of the 1956 Detroit Stars Honored by President Obama

The Michigan Chapter of Negro League Baseball Players celebrate one of their members, Minnie Forbes. She is the former owner of the 1956 Detroit Stars Baseball Team. Forbes is credited with being the third woman in the United States to own a team in the Negro Leagues. After 1958, Forbes went on to be the fourth woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues. She was the third basemen for the Kansas City Monarchs.

Louis Manley, Jr is a well-known Detroit historian and the president of The Michigan Chapter of Negro League Baseball. He is excited to be recognized nationally as a leader in Negro League Baseball. As he prepares to meet and greet President Obama on Monday August 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm in the White House, he is delighted to accompany Minnie Forbes.

More here

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The Grio: Obama turns 52: 52 things that the president has accomplished so far

More here

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Dallas News: Obama order in wake of West blast a ‘game-changer’ in chemical safety, senator says

Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the U.S. Senate’s environment and public works committee, sat visibly frustrated in a June congressional hearing. She finally told the Environmental Protection Agency official that “lives are being lost” while the agency failed to better safeguard the fertilizer chemical that blew up West.

Weeks later, Boxer wrote to the nation’s governors. She implored them to do what they could to improve the security of ammonium nitrate. Finally, the California Democrat turned to the White House. The results of her efforts became public last week when President Barack Obama issued an executive order directing the federal government to improve safety at chemical facilities.

“For me, it’s a game-changer,” Boxer said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “I saw the intransigence of some of the agencies. I saw them arguing and not committing. … We asked the president to help make sure this [type of disaster] never happens again.”….

More here

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@BarackObama

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Greg Sargent: Be very afraid of a government shutdown

Eric Cantor’s lengthy interview yesterday on Fox News Sunday is really worth reading in full and pondering at some length. It perfectly captures why it’s looking more and more likely that we are genuinely headed for a government shutdown this fall.

In the interview, Fox host Chris Wallace practically begs Cantor to have a reality-based conversation about the coming shutdown fight, the sequester, and Obamacare. Again and again, Cantor steers the conversation back into pure fantasy….

More here

And see Steve Benen: The wrong way to play the shutdown blame game

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Paul Krugman: Republicans Against Reality

Last week House Republicans voted for the 40th time to repeal Obamacare. Like the previous 39 votes, this action will have no effect whatsoever. But it was a stand-in for what Republicans really want to do: repeal reality, and the laws of arithmetic in particular. The sad truth is that the modern G.O.P. is lost in fantasy, unable to participate in actual governing.

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about policy substance. I may believe that Republicans have their priorities all wrong, but that’s not the issue here. Instead, I’m talking about their apparent inability to accept very basic reality constraints, like the fact that you can’t cut overall spending without cutting spending on particular programs, or the fact that voting to repeal legislation doesn’t change the law when the other party controls the Senate and the White House.

Am I exaggerating? Consider what went down in Congress last week….

More here

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Thanks to all those coming to my defense….for doing my job.

— petesouza (@petesouza) August 5, 2013

#FF everyone follow @petesouza — white house photographer critcized by RWNJs today

— Richard Hine (@richardhine) August 5, 2013

Funny how the media shills adored @PeteSouza's previous Presidential work…. pic.twitter.com/Auz10KUxWk

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) August 5, 2013

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Time: Obama’s Photographer Joins Instagram

On July 24, Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer, joined Instagram. However, his first photo was not of the President, but the instantly-recognizable Presidential Seal, along with the caption: “My maiden voyage on Instagram. Will bring you behind-the-scenes of the Presidency.” His second picture? Presidential grapes.

Since then, @petesouza has documented the inner workings of the White House and it’s staff, from Marine One’s shadow to the Presidential dog – Bo. Souza talked with TIME’s international picture editor, Patrick Witty, about Instagram and what we can expect to see on his feed (more Bo) and what we won’t see (selfies).

What made you take the plunge and open an Instagram account?

The digital folks here at the White House have been asking me to do this for some time and I thought the time was right to finally take the plunge.

More here

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Welcome to Twitter:

Honored to sit behind the sign that says “United States” and stand up for American values and interests at the UN.

— Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) August 5, 2013

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But, truly, Twitter is a cesspit:

This threat from @breakobama came in a few days ago. @Twitter did nothing. pic.twitter.com/FpQLAvuk1v

— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 5, 2013

This account @breakobama has repeatedly threatened me and others. Yet @Twitter refuses to shut it down or even confirm complaints made.

— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: ‘It’s a critical first step’

In recent weeks, progressive activists in Florida have pushed a very specific message: in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial, state policymakers need to revisit the controversial “Stand Your Ground” law. Their task hasn’t been easy — Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has refused to consider changes to the status quo.

Late last week, however, there was an unexpected breakthrough….

More here

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MooooOOOOoooorning everyone! I’m half way through my break but reckoned after all her stupendous posting UT deserved a Monday morning lie-in – endless thank yous to her for the brilliant posting the past week, she’s like Wayne Rooney and Cheesy Puffs rolled in to one.

Hope everyone’s doing great?

Early Birds Chat

President Obama returns to the White House from Camp David where he celebrated his 52rd birthday, August 4