Archive for November 21st, 2013
21
Nov
13
Democracy Wins The Day
President Barack Obama talks about the U.S. Senate’s efforts to confirm his Administration’s nominees
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President Barack Obama signs S. 330, the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, in the Oval Office of the White House
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President Barack Obama signs H.R. 2747: Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act, and S. 893: Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2013,
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President Barack Obama speaks to a group of educators being honored as ConnectED Champions of Change for taking creative approaches in using technology to enhance learning for students in communities across the country
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President Barack Obama checks hands with kids after speaking to a group of educators being honored as ConnectED Champions of Change
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BREAKING: Dow closes above 16,000 for first time http://t.co/UJDbtlanVq
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NBC Nightly News (@nbcnightlynews) November 21, 2013US markets close with Dow finishing above 16,000 for the first time ever - @CNBC cnb.cx/1jpiZej
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Breaking News (@BreakingNews) November 21, 2013****
[Market Close] US stocks jump on labor view; $DJIA closes above 16,000 for first time: cnb.cx/b29XXz
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(@CNBC) November 21, 2013Dow closes above 16,000 for the first time. It's now up 22% this year lati.ms/r42dO
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Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 21, 2013****
Continue reading ‘President Barack Obama: Worst Socialist Ever’
21
Nov
13
140 Characters Of Everything
Pre-Obamacare #TBT: When an insurance company canceled a teenager's policy after she got sick OFA.BO/RfRk6N http://t.co/EsjyYtVGXv
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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 21, 2013Great news! @FamiliesUSA report shows 71% of Americans in individual market will get help paying for a better plan: http://t.co/NU16JyxBSw
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Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) November 21, 2013****
Today POTUS met a remarkable grp of educators who are using technology to change the way we teach & learn #WHChamps http://t.co/CeATTUd4HZ
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Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) November 21, 2013"I burned my tongue while drinking coffee because Obamacare." -- Senate Republicans, probably.
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James Downie (@jamescdownie) November 21, 2013****
21
Nov
13
A New Day
1:55 EST: President Obama delivers a statement
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168 filibusters of nominees in our history. HALF of them have occurred during Obama years! http://t.co/xbQfsftLGm
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Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) November 21, 2013Filibusters on Exec. Nominees: Bush II: 7. Pres. Obama: 27. But it's nothing to do with being a Black POTUS. Riiight? http://t.co/qZ3YfWqdpM
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Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) November 21, 2013****
Enough is enough. Let's break the gridlock. http://t.co/B0pdR0EXLk
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Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) November 21, 2013168 filibusters of nominees. Other POTUS's: 86. Under Pres. Obama: 82. But it has nothing to do with race. Riiight? http://t.co/QBLLmxg1ef
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Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) November 21, 201321
Nov
13
Rise and Shine
On This Day: President Obama and his daughters Sasha and Malia pardon the 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey Cobbler during a Rose Garden event at the White House, November 21
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Today (All Times Eastern):
1:0: Press Briefing by Josh Earnest
2:0: President Obama delivers remarks at a ConnectED Champions of Change event
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From the President to my younger granddaughter Lola, this is priceless!!! pic.twitter.com/kWzQeaz7Qa
— Arturo Sandoval (@sandovalarturo1) November 20, 2013
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Our volunteers are urging friends & families to #GetTalking about health coverage. More at ==> http://t.co/jhJJMOgYA8 pic.twitter.com/yMX9CSlEMJ
— OFA PA (@OFA_PA) November 20, 2013
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Steve Benen: ACA Slows Growth In Health Costs
It looks like the law’s many detractors will have to cross another complaint off their list. Health care spending since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act has risen by 1.3% a year, the lowest rate ever recorded, and health care inflation is the lowest it has been in 50 years, a report released Wednesday by the White House shows.
How good are the number figures? According to a new report published by Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, over the last three years – the period since “Obamacare” became the law of the land – per capita health care spending has grown at a rate of 1.3%. “This is the lowest rate on record for any three-year period and less than one-third the long-term historical average stretching back to 1965,” Furman noted. Moreover, thanks to health care reform, inflation for health care goods and services is “currently running at just 1 percent on a year-over-year basis, the lowest level since January 1962.”
More here
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FROM THE BLOG STAFF: Must Read Obamacare How-To For Frightened Americans http://t.co/V8Od610HYE
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) November 21, 2013
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Mother Jones: So Far, Obamacare Has Taken Only A Modest Hit In The Polls
This isn’t very different from Kaiser tracking polls in the past. In the most recent one, among people who expressed an opinion, 56 percent wanted the law kept as is or enhanced, while 44 percent wanted it repealed.
So far, Obamacare hasn’t really taken that big a hit in public opinion, and as the website problems continue to get fixed I expect that public opinion will improve.
More here
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NYT: G.O.P. Maps Out Waves Of Attacks Over Health Law
The memo distributed to House Republicans this week was concise and blunt, listing talking points and marching orders: “Because of Obamacare, I Lost My Insurance.” “Obamacare Increases Health Care Costs.” “The Exchanges May Not Be Secure, Putting Personal Information at Risk.” “Continue Collecting Constituent Stories.”
The document, the product of a series of closed-door strategy sessions that began in mid-October, is part of an increasingly organized Republican attack on the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature legislative initiative. Republican strategists say that over the next several months, they intend to keep Democrats on their heels through a multilayered, sequenced assault.
The idea is to gather stories of people affected by the health care law — through social media, letters from constituents, or meetings during visits back home — and use them to open a line of attack, keep it going until it enters the public discourse and forces a response, then quickly pivot to the next topic.
More here
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We interrupt the handwringing in DC for this bulletin: health care sign ups are surging; state exchanges on target.
bit.ly/1efZIeX
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David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 19, 2013****
Just got my ObamaCare. Very affordable and covers what I need. It it wasn't for this, I wouldn't have healthcare. FEELING VERY GRATEFUL!!!
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Erin Grover (@lilbutterfly) November 19, 2013****
TPM: Reports: Obamacare Enrollment On The Rise
Obamacare enrollment seems to be recovering from its slow start and picking up in the last few weeks, according to news reports. The New York Times reported Monday that more than 50,000 Americans had selected a health plan through HealthCare.gov, the federal website serving 36 states, as of mid-November. That’s up from about 27,000 who had picked a plan over the entire month of October.
According to the Los Angeles Times, enrollment in some of the 15 state marketplaces is also on the upswing. In the first half of November, California has nearly doubled its enrollment in all of October. In the Minnesota, the rate of enrollment in the second half of October was triple what it had been in the first half of the month. State officials in Connecticut, Kentucky and Washington told the Times that they were on pace to beat their enrollment goals and/or top last month’s enrollment.
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Ashton Kutcher shames Walmart on Twitter http://t.co/8JHDHbPV8Q #WalmartStrikers pic.twitter.com/5YbZvocbOn #walmartelves
— Ex #WalmartElves (@WalmartElves_) November 21, 2013
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Reuters: U.S. Jobless Claims Fall, Hint At Firming Labor Market
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, suggesting some strengthening of labor market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to fall to 335,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, which irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 6,750 to 338,500.
More here
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Similarity between healthcare.gov and Katrina... #p2 #tcot http://t.co/x83R93j8Rd
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Terrell Lewis (@SgBz) November 20, 2013****
Justin Sink: Obama Announces $100M In Education Grants For High School Students
President Obama will announce $100 million in education grants for high school students. The government will award as many as 40 grants to fund the Youth CareerConnect program, which is designed to partner high schools with colleges and employers. “Many high school graduates lack exposure to learning that links their work in school to college and careers — especially in the critically important fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” the White House said in a statement.
The program will be paid for primarily from Department of Labor revenues from the H-1B visa program. To qualify, local school districts will need to match 25 percent of the federal grant, as well as recruit a local workforce investment system entity, an employer, and an institution of higher education to partner in the program. The first wave of programs will be implemented for the 2014-15 school year.
More here
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AP: US Unemployment Benefit Applications Drop To 323K
The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits fell 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 323,000 last week, the lowest since late September and further evidence of an improving job market. The Labor Department says the less volatile four-week average fell for the third straight week to 338,500.
Both figures are near pre-recession levels. Hiring is also picking up. Employers added an average of 202,000 jobs per month from August through October. That’s up sharply from an average of 146,000 in May through July.
More here
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Jason Furman: New Report From The Council Of Economic Advisers: The Recent Slowdown In Health Care Cost Growth And The Role Of The Affordable Care Act
Health care spending is growing at the slowest rate on record: According to the most recent projections, real per capita health care spending has grown at an estimated average annual rate of just 1.3 percent over the three years since 2010. This is the lowest rate on record for any three-year period and less than one-third the long-term historical average stretching back to 1965. This slower growth in spending is reflected in Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
The ACA is contributing to the recent slow growth in health care prices and spending and is improving quality of care: ACA provisions that reduce Medicare overpayments to private insurers and medical providers are contributing to the recent slow growth in health care prices and spending. Other ACA reforms are reducing hospital readmission rates (see figure below) and increasing provider participation in payment models designed to promote efficient, high-quality care.
More here
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Jon Favreau: President Obama Should Never Apologize For Passing Obamacare
It’s true what they say: Barack Obama does not relish the game of politics. Don’t get me wrong—as the first president in more than five decades to win more than 51 percent of the vote twice, he understands how the game is played. But Obama did not run for elected office because he needed to be loved. He has his family and friends for that, and he lacks the insecurity that lies just beneath the healthy egos of so many politicians. This president does not crave constant affirmation, which means he does not engage easily in the backslapping and glad-handling and forced emoting that comes so naturally to other elected officials.
But the president should never apologize for passing the Affordable Care Act, and neither should those of us who have supported this kind of reform for years, even decades. We didn’t fight for this law because it was good politics. We didn’t fight for this law with the hope that it would lead to some ideological victory for big government—otherwise we wouldn’t have proposed a plan that maintained the private insurance market with reforms that Republicans once championed.
Walmart heirs and Walmart employees.
sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion… http://t.co/rsEaVdn35v
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Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) November 20, 2013We fought for this law because no other advanced democracy on Earth gave insurance companies free rein to profit by discriminating against all but the healthiest and wealthiest citizens. We fought for this law because 14,000 Americans, most of them working and middle class, were losing their health insurance every day—with no other options. We fought for this law because millions of other Americans thought they had decent coverage until their insurance company refused to pay for treatment that someone in their family desperately needed; because people died as a direct result of not being able to afford better health care. The reason we fought so hard for this law—the reason Obama is willing to stake his entire legacy on making it work—is because so many of us have had a personal experience with the fear and vulnerability that comes with being sick.
More here
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"We must build ladders of opportunity for all children." —President Obama on #NationalChildDay http://t.co/Cwz6UZbQgz
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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 20, 2013****
On This Day:
President Obama looks at a photograph of Kate Puzey as he greets her brother, David Puzey, and other guests in the Oval Office, Nov. 21, 2011. The President signed the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011, which improves the preventative measures and the response of the Peace Corps in cases of crime and sexual assault of Peace Corps volunteers (Photo by Pete Souza)
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First Lady Michelle Obama talks with Darius Rucker, Kris Kristofferson and Lisa Meyers in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House before “The History of Country Music: From Barn Dances to Pop Charts” interactive workshop for local students, Nov. 21, 2011 ( Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Dierks Bentley performs during the “Country Music: In Performance at the White House” concert in the East Room, Nov. 21, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and Vice President Biden talk with First Lady Michelle Obama in the Oval Office, Nov. 21, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama, along with First Lady Michelle, daughters Sasha and Malia, and Craig Robinson, participates in a service project at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., Nov. 21, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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21
Nov
13
Early Bird Chat
Nov. 21, 2011 – Pete Souza: “The President reacts jokingly after the First Lady in her remarks called Jill Biden, ‘my favorite person here,’ despite the fact that her husband was standing next to her.”
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The Obama Diary 
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