On This Day: President Obama and Australian PM Julia Gillard greet students gathered at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, and the President gets a hug from Chelsea Gallagher, Nov 16, 2011
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MoooOOOooorning – Happy Saturday!
16
Nov
13
70 Responses to “Early Bird Chat”
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The Obama Diary 
Fiiiiiiiirst!!! 😎
Good Morning Chips! I am writing to you from New York City!!!! I am here to see my 26yr old son and hiss “new to me” girlfriend. My husband has a conference, so I am along for the ride!! Does anyone know of a good restaurant that’s not too expensive (ha ha) in either mid town, or downtown?
So you didn’t hold the door for the Aussie to wander through 🙂 There be many in Australia would like to have Julia back.
The horror of our current government is sinking in – the domestic policy is reduce employment, reduce spending, send the country into recession and their foreign policy decisions are worse. The government is full of climate change deniers – I’m thinking we have too many like the US far right in power and this is quite frightening.
Of course you are, Chips. But isn’t it because Danny got you up? 🙂
Well, yes Judith!!! Morning!!
Meee 2nd 🙂 🙂 Good Morning chips Nobody up yet but us’ns?
Moooooooorning Roberta, everyone else is still snoring, it’s a disgrace!
Morning, Chips. Posted a comment re Danny, but it’s on last post, or thread, or whatever you call it!
Thank you Barb, Danny says goooooood morning!!
Woof! Woof! reply from Rubi and Ali-Baba!
Just found it Barb:
“HE IS A REAL SWEETHEART! Ruby, a black lab is staying with us at our bed and biscuit! Her sibling is a Keeshond. Tomorrow is our big fundraiser for Wigs 4 Kids. When it’s over, I will send you pics of Ruby and Allie. We love having them, and now when I look at Ruby, I think of Danny. He will grow into those paws. It will be such fun when his legs are too long for his body (coming up in a few months!!!!”
Would looooove to see pics of Ruby and Allie! Best of luck with your fundraiser Barb!
I still don’t understand why PM Julia Gillard lost her re-election.
She was defeated by her own party – Prime Ministers are the leaders of the majority in the lower house of parliament and the media crucified her (similar to how they attack PBO) so the labor party decided they had a better chance with Kevin Rudd as the leader – fools and idiots.
No we are not snoring its 8.25 in my neck of the woods, morning all TODers, met an American friend who I hadn’t seen in a while, heard he was sick and returned to the States. Well he is very sick said the best President ever in his lifetime is Obama, Obamacare is going to save my life, I signed up but it doesn’t take effect until January, my doctor will be running tests and I may need an artificial heart I hope not but without Obamacare I will be dead, I can’t wait until Jan 1st, without Obamacare I can’t afford this treatment, with Obamacare I will live..right here in the Caribbean a living breathing testimony to the importance of Obamacare in the lives of citizens..He has got a home here and is a business man and what most persons would consider well off if not rich, heck even the rich love Obamacare..on behalf of my friend THANK YOU President Obama..Obamacare restoring health one life at a time
I certainly hope your friend can maintain until January!
GM. I’m up and already cooking and baking. My daughter and her “crew” will be here next Thursday night and stay through Thanksgiving. I am getting some stuff done and frozen ahead of time. Hubby is hiking today…..left at 5:30. I didn’t go back to sleep so decided to “get ‘er done.” 🙂
Have a great time with your family!
Hope he doesn’t get hurt again!
Good Morning Chipsticks…TOD Early Birds!!!
Moooooooorning swbluega, moooooooorning everyone!
Good Morning, I’m up….just reading about the 39 Dems who voted with…gasp…Republicans…….You know, I’m really conflicted about the cancelled insurance…..one part of me says….Hey, if this is all someone can afford to buy or if they truly want an inferior product then, by all means, let them have it……then the other part of me says…..if this is a way to regulate insurance companies from selling products that have the potential to cause harm, then I’m all for that……….I’m just angry at the 39 who slapped PBO in the face….won’t forget it…..
Someone on the previous thread said if she is called by the DCCC for a donation she would give the person a piece of her mind about the spineless dems. and their waffling on the ACA recently. Well, I did just that. The caller tried to defend them but I didn’t let him get in too many words. Right now I am sick of dems, especially after how the bosses did not support Buono and made deals with Christie. I’ll vote for them but for many their only interest is themselves.
That was me. I was up very late last night (this morning) because I was upset to learn that 39 DINOs voted with Repugnants to let people keep their old policies.
Thank you for doing that. I am hoping I get the chance to do the same this weekend.
This Kristen Welker with her reporting! You’d have thought the Whitehorse was under attack with her nonsense.
Lol…
Olympus down! 🙂
Kristen is one of my least favorite MSNBC puppets.
She doesn’t report.
She filibusters her alloted time. At the end of which you know nothing you didn’t know before. Kristen fills the air with “Certainlys, and you are so right,” etc kinds of remarks.
Content-free—-just the way the New Kind of News—-(not news at all)——- like their spokespersons.
Lol !
Gm. I’ve been up a while making sure all our stuff is pressed and ready for the trip to my sister’s wedding tomorrow. She’s battling bronchitis right now, so I’m praying the antibiotics will work long enough for her to stand up and take her vows. Fingers crossed. She’s also in a tizzy worrying about details that always seem to escalate pre-wedding, so I’ve been trying to calm her down. Whew!
Last night I thought about that little 5-year child who got his wish fulfilled because the people of San Francisco cared enough to go all out for him. There are hundreds of thousands like that little boy who desperately need long and expensive medical help and the heartless asses in Congress would be thrilled to take it away from him and others like him. Wipe out ObamaCare and return to the ruthless mercies of the health care industry which would deny that little boy insurance as an adult because he reached his lifetime cap and has a “pre-existing” condition. It makes me want to scream that people don’t recognize the desperate attempts by the media and the Koch-owned GOP to undermine ACA for the sadistic cruelty it truly is.
I was talking to a friend of mine who is a Republican and, having had a bout with breast cancer, is VERY thankful that ObamaCare got rid of per existing conditions. I think there are a lot more like her.
People love feel-good stories like the SFO Batman tale yesterday, but they rarely make the connection to larger issues as you have done. We have to be our own media on this.
Good morning, Chips, TODers!! Happy Saturday.
Of course there were, africa. Our Blue Dog rep drove us nuts at the time. He didn’t care about sick people, he only cared about his own political fortunes. We put together a delegation of ten people and went to see him, but he wouldn’t budge. Said it would mean his job if he voted for health care. Of course, he lost the job in the end, anyway. Karma.
Sweet. Spinelessness reaps just desserts.
Random, but touching:
https://twitter.com/TelfordCC/status/400262928529489920
Striking photo, Africa. Fortunately, I don’t want to understand John Boehner enough to go anywhere near his shoes. This man’s sandals are more appealing.
John Boehner is worthless.
The Administration did something wonderful and significant this week and I am not sure if it has been highlighted on TOD. So here goes.
The GOP said, “NO. No immigration bill will be voted on in the House.”
President Obama then signed an executive order stopping deportations for family members of our Military. The statue will be very broadly applied. All active military, national guard, anyone serving worried about their families.
Needless to say there are many happy Americans. Not as happy as we’d all be with Comprehensive Immigration reform, but Dream Act, this new Act and hopefully more measures to come to help our friends and neighbors, keep on going Mr. President.
thanks for saying that VIcki because I didn’t know that. I’ve been more focused on ACA and MSM ginning up stuff. I had heard that Boehner quashed any immigration votes and thought wow – well that’s that. So I’m glad that PBO was able to do something. the house really needs to change in 2014
Thanks for sharing. I saw that briefly on twitter yesterday.
Vicki–the president will keep on doing everything he can through the Executive Branch, but we have to deliver him a Democratic Congress in 2014. He’s counting on us and we have to deliver. That’s why I’m not going to get too upset when every member of the Dem Caucus doesn’t vote the way I want them to. They’re an imperfect bunch, but they’re ours. And if their presence means that one day soon Pelosi will control the House agenda, then I’m not going to fuss about their purity.
Good Morning all. Just finished catching up on the other threads and reading. Now I have to get ready to go to work. See you all later.
have a great day roberta!
I am saddened and angered about what is occurring at the University of Georgia.
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“UGA students again protest online racism”
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-11-14/uga-students-again-protest-online-racism
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Continued racist messages posted to the social media accounts of University of Georgia minority groups prompted on Thursday the second student protest inside a week.
The UGA Black Affairs Council organized a protest Thursday afternoon outside the office of university President Jere Morehead on North Campus.
The initial message posted last week read: “Why can’t you dumb dirty (racial slur) stop stinking up the place? Let UGA be RIGHT for good WHITE Christians students.”
UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said last week that other similar posts targeted groups representing the university’s gay and Muslim communities.
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As a student at UGA 30+ years ago, students were rallying to make Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday. The racism encountered during that time was more subtle. Now, social media – and I’m sure the hateful commentary shown on MSM — has emboldened the racists and they are openly expressing their hate.
I had thought we had moved so much further than this, but it seems the movement is in the wrong direction.
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http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/uga-students-protest-facebook-post/vCHshb/
Be honest….who’s fault is it that the roll out of ACA has been, to put it nicely, fraught with major problems?.. was this a case of subcontracting it out like the NSA?…whose fault is it, in the administration, that the messaging is dumped on PBO and PBO alone…..and who was responsible to say to PBO…uh, perhaps telling people they could keep their insurance might not be a good idea…..obviously he was told that people would not lose their insurance, no matter how crappy it was….Let me say this……as the rest of you have, I have followed this man from the very beginning at the Dem National Conv when he blew the socks off of us……I can not imagine a more moral, compassionate, intelligent individual leading this country, and I have never wavered in my support…..but I am beginning to think that some in his administration are like Barney Fife…..lovable but incompetent
Personally——I want to know—–and I may have to wait for some future book——-who made the decision to keep the website’s expected enormous problems from President Obama. Who “protected” him from that critical info? Who allowed him to appear in public just days before launch to say he expected procuring health care would be as easy as ordering from Amazon when they knew this would not be the case. I sense it was not Kathleen Sebelius, or not solely her. Whomever is at fault made a huge miscalculation and did President Obama no favors, to put it mildly. Hopefully, this will all be water over the dam, but all this hyped up brouhaha was so unnecessary.
I’m sure there’s some CYA going on. There have been claims that people were told of issues with the website. But I want to bet that there were also assurances that the issues would be resolved in time for the launch. No one likes to reveal problems to their boss at the last minute…especially if they are problems that have been in the pipeline for a while. But as you said Doster, it does no one any favors to keep people in the dark when they are “marketing” a product or service based on those assurances.
Dotster with all due respect, this is no where as big a deal as it has been made out to be by the media and the GOP. Medicare part D had similar rollout problems yet we heard virtually nothing about it. Bush NEVER apologized for anything and there certainly won’t be any books written about the “disastrous” rollout of Medicare part D when all is said and done. Ditto for RomneyCare in MA.
If the ACA rollout was so “disastrous” as the media (and political opponents) put it, then WHY did CBS, FOX, ABC and other media have to LIE about it? Why is the media constantly suppressing the truth – the success stories, while over-exaggerating the negative aspects? Why did the folks who supposedly were cancelled or had “problems” turn out to be GOP plants, or were deliberately misled by their own insurance companies? Don’t you find it rather curious that we haven’t seen a single ordinary person (without an agenda) come out and say that the ACA rollout negatively affected them? Isn’t is strange that the loudest complainers about this rollout so far have been (1) politicians (Republicans and Democrats with agendas) and (2) Media figures? Isn’t anyone suspicious of the fact that the states with the GOP governors seem to have the lowest enrollment, and most “problems” with insurance policies cancelled? And shouldn’t THAT be the BIGGER disaster that we focus on?
Meanwhile, we see and hear EVERYDAY of real people who are actually benefiting from the law AND the exchanges (even with all the so-called rollout problems). PBO always has ordinary americans standing with him when he touts the success of the law. These are not plants, their situations can be checked out and verified. If they were plants, we would be hearing about it. But instead we chose to focus on minutae of website problems that are temporary and fixable?
hf2, I don’t think anyone is criticizing ACA or the enormous benefits to so many nor is anyone criticizing PBO…..but surely you can see that anyone who put PBO in the position of being accused of LYING and having to apologize for something he did not do, is not helpful and is a little more serious than just MSM outrage and Republican shenanigans…..IMHO putting PBO’s credibility in question, by anyone, is disloyalty to PBO or utter incompetence.
1. PBO’s credibility is NOT and has NEVER been in question with people who truly know the kind of person he is, what he has done and what is currently going on, hidden saboteur or not. And no website glitch or initial rollout problems of a comprehensive and complex law should change that.
2. Secondly, I’m not accusing anyone of criticizing the ACA. My objection is to the exclusive focus on the problematic rollout of the website exchanges that affects about 2-5% of the population, with an almost deliberate dismissal of the unscrupulous behavior of the insurance companies, or the GOP state governors who have worked over time to sabotage the ACA effort. To me that is more of an issue than any hidden saboteur that we could speculate about endlessly.
3. Thirdly, it is disingenuous to pretend that nation-wide implementation of a law that couldn’t be legislated for 100 yrs, let alone launched via website would happen glitch-free. I WOULD expect there to be problems in the first few months of implementation – that should be perfectly understandable. It’s a temporary INCONVENIENCE, it’s not a DISASTER or is it a TRAGEDY. No one has died or suffered undue injury or psychological harm from this. Let’s gain some perspective here.
4. And finally, the media and GOP don’t need any excuse whatsoever to accuse this President of lying. You cannot deny that the media has gone out of its way to attack this President’s trustworthiness, and if it’s not an ACA website, it is something else. They have accused him of lying about the bank bailouts, BP oil spill, unemployment, IRS, Benghazi, NSA, Syria, all of that. And those accusations were being made well before the ACA rollout issues.
It’s the media and Republicans pushing this lying B.S. I don’t recall the media saying G.W. lied us into Iraq. Calling G.W. a liar. I don’t think the President lied.
Exactly! This is a well-coordinated and well-funded media/GOP attack on this ACA rollout.
Anyone with even a little bit of sense should know what this is all about. Folks who can’t discern what’s really going on, should turn off the MSM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brilliant!!!!
There is a reason why every administration before have fail at healthcare reform. There have been a all attempt by the Republicans and Insurance companies to stop the ACA, and now the media have jump on board with their lies and half truths. But unlike the cowards on the Democratic side, the ACA is here to stay and things will get better.
Well-said anniebella. I agree.
EricFive on the last post really gave some good council about Dems and the upcoming 2014 elections and how PBO needs a Dem house to further his agenda. I really don’t want a replay of 2010. PBO the best President in my life time and I want him to be able to do all the things he’d like so he needs a House that stops having crazy ppl in it.
hey you guys this is awesome. Check this out. It’s a little ACA training for folks to take back to their families over the holidays this is a stellar idea on OFA’s part. You just click the link, put in your zip and find the seminar nearest you.
what a sobering account of how fortunate a mother was to be able to let her son stay on her health care and why.
Morning Chips and TOD!
Moooooorning Hopefruit, mooooooorning everyone!
mornin Chips! 😀
Thank you, I never watch Meet the Press anyway and have no plan to start.
I don’t watch Meet The Press and most all the other ones, either. We already know will be said, even if we don’t know exactly who is saying it…just a bunch of talking heads, talking points and a whole lot of NOTHING!!!!!!!
hey this is a completely awesome article by Spandan over at ThePeoplesView
in it he has the names of the 39 Dems that voted with Reps on their idiot bill. I think I heard yesterday that PBO would veto this if it got to his desk. But they still need to hear from folks. So he’s got their names and such. If you just go to Spandans TL on twitter, you can just RT all of his posts to the 39 – he’s calling them out on twitter.
We still need to vote Dem in 2014. We need to try to give PBO a DEM House (or at least a “not filled with CRAZY PEOPLE” House)
Tammy Duckworth????? And I am ashamed to see Gary Peters, who used to be my representative until he was gerrymandered out of my district. He will still be hearing from me.
Rise and Shine.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/11/16/rise-and-shine-670/