On This Day: A bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is visible in the foreground as President Barack Obama meets with senior advisors, in the Oval Office, Feb. 4, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today (all times Eastern)
10:55: The President meets with a group of “DREAMers” who have received deferred action with respect to deportation
1:30: White House Press Briefing
3:30: The President meets with American Muslim leaders, Roosevelt Room
5:30: The President hosts new members of Congress at a White House reception
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On This Day
Senator Ted Kennedy, speaking at a rally for the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama in Hartford, the day before the Connecticut Super Tuesday primary. Congressional Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Chris Murphy and John B. Larson are onstage behind Ted Kennedy, along with Caroline Kennedy and Barack Obama. February 4, 2008
Hartford, February 4, 2008
Senator Obama shakes hands with supporters at the end of a rally at the XL Center in Hartford
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President Obama greets attendees after making remarks in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2010 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
President Obama signs pictures and other items in a holding room before making remarks in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2010 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, Feb 4, 2013
The Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Center, Feb 4, 2013
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MoooOOOooorning!
The Obama Diary 
No way!??????? didn’t read anything. 🙂
Morning!
GM Chips and TOD and congrats tmmtngirl.
Morning COS!!
top something. Congrats, tnmtngirl!
57, if the day is so icy and cold you’re reluctant to take your dogs for a walk, (a) are you eaten with guilt and (b) do they eat your house?
They definitely miss their walks. Kasper gets antsy and he gets especially busy, moving toys around, grabbing scarves and gloves and whatnot. Nickelby gets antsier the longer they can’t go out for decent walks, but he does not get into trouble. In Chicago there is no way that everyone shovels snow or treats their sidewalks for ice, so it can be months that they don’t get a decent walk. The yard (now covered with shoulder-high piles of snow) has to suffice. Pearl is too little to even consider taking out for a walk unless the weather is mild. She adores her walks but she’s fine without one. She is, however, adept at getting out of her sweater. She has significant bald spots that we’ve never been able to diagnose, probably from her years of neglect.
Do I feel guilty? If it’s safer for them (and me and Mr. 57), then no – I don’t feel guilty. If anyone could slip and fall, it’s me. We are all safer at home.
Ah, thank you 57. I landed on my ass yesterday on ice, not helped by Danny pulling me like a sled, so I’m very reluctant to venture out today, really could do without a broken leg or something. It rarely happens that I can’t take him out, but when it does he seems clinically flippin’ depressed and I drown in guilt. But you’re right, way better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully tomorrow will be milder and I can take him out.
We were dog sitting for a neighbor’s lab many years ago. The same thing happened to me – I fell, the dog pulled me like a sled and I dislocated my shoulder. My fear is that I would let go of the leash and the dogs would run into traffic. I err on the side of safety. That being said, I don’t have a lab and they need exercise. I have little dogs. However, if you break a leg or dislocate something, it’s dangerous trying to get home and you’ll be out of commission for weeks. Do you have room in the house to throw a ball or something? Play tug of war? Something to work off some of the energy?
And I did land on my ass near traffic, but very luckily was able to hold on tight to the leash. Yeah, I can take him out to the garden and run him around – the only problem is when I put on my coat he’ll start somersaulting with delight, assuming we’re going walking 😦
Well, he will have to adjust to weather conditions. He won’t like it, but you’re the boss of him, aren’t you? Aren’t you?!?!?
With a big dog, there is a chance that you won’t be able to hold on to the leash if you fall. Err on the side of safety.
“you’re the boss of him, aren’t you? Aren’t you?!?!?”
Well……….
🙂 Thanks 57, wise advice!
I’m great at advice. all three of my dogs are about the size of Danny’s front paw, and they boss us around all the time!
Ha, I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one who’s bossed by my four-legged friend!
Mr. 57 is worse! They can get him to do anything they want. I am the Disciplinarian (cough, cough!)
Check your email Missy.
Will do in a bit Tally, tied up with stuff now, thank you!!
Ah Tally, I dropped everything and had a look, thank yoooooou so much, will post it for you later!
GM
Hello TOD.
Sunny, Cold and Bright in my neck of the woods.
I haven’t read anything Newsy…….but saw this as it was sent to me and had to come in a bit and post it.
🙂
Congrats Tnmtngirl on your Au ⭐
BBL during my regular entrance…..Back to get some work done 😉
Wow… not one word about Morning Joke, Horrible Andrea Mitchell, who can barely keep a sentence together that makes sense, or the awful show The Cycle. ?
Griffin is clueless.
So Wagner is a favorite ? He must not watch her show.
I think Ari Melber deserves a show….. I am not sure which slot, but maybe he could take LO’D’s which really is only about him and his ego.
Andrea Mitchell is married to Alan Greenspan who said “opps!” when economic recession started to really unravel between 2007 and 2008.
Haaaaaaaaaa!
LOL.
Needless to say, I post a comment and immediately Chips opens a new threat. However, her not so subtle attempt to silence me will not work. I refuse to allow her to run roughshod over me. Besides, I like to hear myself talk (figuratively in thsi case). So, here it is again.
GM all. Another beautiful winter day. Another day of seeing the GOP make fools of themselves. The only problem with them doing so is that the only thing keeping them from turning this country into a complete disaster is our President.
I hope when the next Dem President is elected and also has a solidly Dem Congress and gets lots of things accomplished, PBO gets credit for not only what he did accomplish but also for what he prevented from happening.
Yes, Chips opened a new thread, not threat, although perhaps there is some truth to that as well.
BTW Chips, I see ManU had another monster win yesterday.
😆 Morning Japa!! Yes indeed, United beat the mighty, um, Cambridge!!
A win is a win.
I used to be picky about these things, but such has recent life been with United, I’ll take any flippin’ win at all!
Say What???!!!! We scored and won and you didn’t notify me? Well, here’s a belated GOOOOOOOAAAAAL 😀
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks and TOD family 🙂
We scored THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE GGail!1!! But I probably didn’t alert you because they were playing a teeny team.
Gooooood morning to ya!!
I noticed some team (rhymes with Whelshee) barely eeked out a tie against a team that it’s supporters have been dissing all year.
Ooooooooooh, you are brave!!!! 😆
Not really. Haven’t noticed certain people around and figure a new thread will be started before they show up.
Ah, that’s way less courageous then than I originally suspected.
It’s easy to be brave when you don’t think there are likely to be consequences.
Uh oh, here she is……
Good morning Chips! We’re slowing inching our way up the chart. Look out ManC and that other team who shall remain nameless 😀
World domination is just weeks away GGail, I can feel it in my bones!!
Boy am I glad those Chelsea people aren’t awake yet. Talk about piling on. You could start a riot up in here with them words (I love it!) :d
(Ssssssh, you know who is here)
😀
OMG, I just scrolled down and my eyes almost popped out of my head 😯
WORLD DOMINATION IS IN FOR A HUGE SURPRISE…………….AND DISAPPOINTMENT!
how are you faring with the snow, japa?
Doing okay. Our village does a great job plowing the streets (all of them)and my neighbor is really nice and let us borrow her snowblower, which helps when you have a two car driveway.
I live in the middle of Chicago. Enough said.
I know which is why I used the term “all of them”. I think one of the big problems in the city is that so many cars have to be parked on the streets. It limits what plows can do.
And they leverage that bit of truth into doing nothing. Just because it’s an election year, this is being covered. Usually the city says they did the side streets and there are no questions asked. I live on a major street but we park in our garage in a “T” alley, so I might as well be in Siberia. The side streets in our neighborhood will go an entire winter with no plowing or salting. It’s Chicago. A better system should have been figured out by now. God knows, my property taxes have gone up.
A rolling schedule, for example: people dig out their cars and are expected to move their cars off the side street on a designated day so the plows can come through and get all the snow removed. Also snow REMOVAL. Why is there nothing in place to actually truck the snow away when it’s really bad.
at least some salt was dumped this year. Election is coming up.
Good morning TOD folks! keep warm. It’s cold here inthe northwest. Brrrr!
Sorry northeast. Got up on the wrong side of the bed.
Sounds more like you got up on the wrong side of the country.
Wishful thinking..
Italy’s new leader—Left leaning, age 40
Greece’s new leader—Very Left, age 40
Spain’s up and coming political star and probable next leader—-Very Left, age 37
So, uh, tell me again why one of our major political parties is pushing a Center Right cross between Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel
great point.
WOW! Thanks for sharing this, Vicki. Positive reminders!
Thanks for all the congrats. I did the comment, then instantly got involved in something else and just now got back to TOD. Haven’t even read everything so still have to do that. 🙂
GOP-type policies are why Europe has struggled since the economic crash.
It is now a religion to believe these deranged ideas. It has nothing to do with reality or with concern for people’s lives.
UNFORTUNATELY 57…SELFISHNESS AND GREED AND SOMEBODY ELSE’S MONEY TALKS…HOWEVER RECONCILLIATION DAY IS COMING AND IT WON’T BE PERDY!
Merkel looks around and tells the other countries to get their houses in order like Germany. She’s not totally wrong on that score but her unforgiving austerity is a complete failure. Again I wonder what the leverage is from places like Greece that will get her to ease up. Right now she’s running this show.
EXCLUSIVE – Koch Brothers, Rick Scott And Jeb Bush Exposed In Florida Pipeline Scandal
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/03/1361864/-EXCLUSIVE-Koch-Brothers-Rick-Scott-And-Jeb-Bush-Exposed-In-Florida-Pipeline-Scandal
.<3
MESSAGE FOR JACKIE G:
I noticed that you are producing a newsletter. My hubby, who is also a Mr. G, is starting a newsletter next week. I wonder if you would be amenable to giving him some tips and direction? He’s an excellent writer and internet navigator so he’s not an absolute beginner. If you are ok with this, we can go from there. I’ll put message up on the next thread just in case you miss it. Thanks!
Dakota, thanks for the message. We do a political blog once a month for county Democrats, using a mailing list we’ve developed over ten years. It’s got information on Democratic events in the county, an editorial on some topic of the moment, and lots of links to news and issues at the local, state and national level. If that’s the kind of thing he’s doing, then I’ll be happy to share anything I can. My twitter name is tarr4o, so you can DM me if you want more information.
Wow….
The UAE has suspended airstrikes on ISIL . They fear that if one of their pilots were to be captured, they would not be able to get them back.
CNN Barbara Starr reporting from the Pentagon……although, she sometimes misinforms.
When she interviewed Sec Hagel….she claimed he said he was being ” pressured ” by the WH to speed up detainee releases…..
I watched that interview, he NEVER said that….What he said was that he had ” many conversations ” with the WH about detainee releases….he never used the word ” pressure “
GOOD MORNING TOD FAMILY….I LOVE THE PROFILE OF PBO WITH THE BUST OF MLK….PERFECTION!….A MEANT TO BE…A DESTINY…I JUST WISH HE WERE HERE TO SEE OUR PRESIDENT TODAY…SURELY HE IS BEAMING FROM THE HEAVENS OVER A ‘SON’ MEANT TO UNSHACKLE THE PEOPLE…ALL PEOPLE!…HAD A BAD NIGHT…MR. UPCHUCK VISITED MY SPOUSE AND OF COURSE I NOW HAVE COMPLIMENTARY EARACHES AND HEADACHES…SO BE IT…AM STUCK INSIDE TODAY CLINGING TO THE CHICKEN NOODLE VERSION OF CUDDLES!….I LOVE MY PRESIDENT…WILL BE IN AND OUT OF HERE BUNCHES TODAY..:)..WATCHING FOR THE ENERGIZER!
HE WENT TO THE DOCS….STOMACH FLU FROM HIS GHOST EMPLOYEE PARTNER AT THE PD. IT AMAZES ME HOW POLITICS RULES A POLICE DEPT. AND A GUY WHO DOESN’T WORK AND SPENDS HIS SALARIED TIME ON HIS OWN SIDE BUSINESS…AND THEY ALLOW IT AND WE THE TAXPAYER PAY FOR IT!
Sue, take good care of Mr. Sue. You don’t want to go visit lil Brent and get him sick too.
Hang in there y’all – you only have six more weeks before Spring…or so I’m been told 🙂
THANK YOU GGAIL…BLESSINGS….:)…SPRING!!!!!!…YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!…SAW THE MAYOR FROM SUN PRAIRIE WI…YESTERDAY…BITTEN BY THE GROUNDHOG…HE STILL HAS AN EAR!..:) I DO FEEL FOR PBO THAT HE HAS A CONGRESSIONAL RECEPTION THIS EVENING…I DO HOPE WE GET TO WATCH IT…I WOULD LOVE TO…I DID HAVE AN IDEA FOR LOCATION….THE AMBIANCE OF THE SEWER PLANT?????…I’M SURE THERE’S ALOT OF FILL IN THE BLANKS IN DC!…JUST SAYIN’!!!!!
NYC gossip: Seen lunching yesterday were David Axelrod and John Del Cecato.
Natural allies, I would assume?
He is so cheap, he didn’t have the coat sleeves altered to fit his arms.
I thought he lost weight with that stomach shrinking operation he had. Lap-band or tie-band; something like that.The man is wide; he is as wide.
WILL CHECK BACK LATER…I HAVE MORNING KITCHEN MESSES TO CLEAN UP AND I’M LATE…AND SLOW…:(
To those who are too cowardly to talk about Chelsea while I am present and only do so after skulking around to make sure the coast is clear…
Hiya NW! are you and the Queen doing finger exercises???
I couldn’t believe it Nerdy, Japa and GGail usually aren’t like that, but horribly disrespectful behavior from them this morning 🙄
OOOOOOOh, how did I know you would throw Japa and me under the bus. I actually just came back from reading our interchanges up above and noticed how neutral your wording is and how you *led* us to commit such acts. Yoooou are tricky!!!
But I just didn’t want Japa under the bus by himself, it’s heavy, so I thought it would be kinder to give him some company to share the load. I’m really thoughtful that way.
Wedding is off.
I come back to more of your twisted logic – Hahahahahaha!!!!
I don’t think that anybody mentioned Chelsea. In fact, I defy you to point out where the word Chelsea is used.
Oh my!!!
I am not up to date, I take it you/blues lost?
Mitch McConnell just appointed himself to the EPA subcommittee on Appropriations.
No doubt he will try to gut the Agency’s money
THAT’S THE TURTLE…CAN’T WAIT TO DRAIN THE POCKETS!!!!!
For-Profit College That Allegedly Conned Students Will Forgive $480 Million In Debts
Students who were bilked into taking abusive high-interest student loans out from a leading for-profit college company will get some significant relief, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Tuesday. A total of $480 million in debt will ultimately be forgiven under the arrangement and 40 percent of the amount will be forgiven immediately for people who took out private loans from Corinthian Colleges’ so-called “Genesis” program.
Under federal pressure over its recruiting and student lending practices, Corinthian just completed a deal to sell half its campuses to a company called ECMC. ECMC will take a number of steps to convert the schools from Corinthian’s notorious business model to one that the Department of Education hopes will operate more benevolently and provide students with better outcomes. Tuesday’s debt writedown will cost ECMC a little bit of money, but in exchange they will be immune from liability in a nearly $570 million CFPB lawsuit.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/04/3618792/corinthian-colleges-loan-forgiveness-debt-buyer/
Yea Richard Cordray
Good morning, once again! Taking a brief break from my office hours; my timing this morning was impeccable, as the mailman drove up as I was placing the last tray of bills on my front porch!
I was able to reschedule my Dr’s appointment, so I WILL be able to see Axelrod next Thursday at the Free Library! Disappointed that the book doesn’t come out until the 10th; was hoping to get book at a discount from Costco…
what time is the book signing…Alycee
Utah Lawmaker Questions Whether Sex With An Unconscious Person Should Always Be Considered Rape
A bill in the Utah legislature would clarify the state’s rape statute by making clear that a person who is unconscious cannot give their consent. According to local prosecutors and advocates, the ambiguity is making it difficult to pursue some rape cases and may be discouraging women from coming forward.
As the bill was considered by the Utah Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Representative Brian Greene voiced his concerns. He wasn’t sure that having sex with an unconscious person should always count as rape. Green said the sex with an unconscious person seemed like rape to him in a “first date scenario” but questioned having a bright line rule for married couples or other individuals with a prior relationship.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/02/03/3618973/utah-lawmaker-questions-whether-sex-unconscious-person-always-considered-rape/
Seriously ????
GOP thinking.. “let’s see how far we can go to promote rape.”
furst !!!!
Apart from the 75 above you, yes. Afternoon chrysanthemum!
Afternoon husk.
#10000bucks???
Mrs Greenspan just repeated the lie about PBO’s comment on vaccines to Dr Frieden from the CDC…
She included HRC as also being ” skeptical ” back in 2008.
I want to SCREAM.
Sigh…….
One of the two most favorite things my wife and I did on our Alaska cruise was go on a whale watching expedition. Ended up in the midst of 3-4 pods. It was fascinating. Can’t imagine not paying attention to those magnificant animals.
How can whales compete with Facebook? God.
Fox News Site Posts Full Video Of Islamic State Hostage Being Burned Alive
Malcolm Nance, the executive director of the Terror Asymmetrics Project on Strategy, Tactics and Radical Ideology told the Guardian on Wednesday that Fox News publishing the video was “exactly what Isis wants to propagate.”
“[Fox News] are literally – literally – working for al-Qaida and Isis’ media arm,” Nance said, saying that the channel had placed more hostages, including an American, in danger.
“They might as well start sending them royalty checks,” he added.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/fox-website-posts-isil-video-jordanian-pilot
Fox News wants ISIS to succeed, so long as a Dem is President. If a Republican were President they wouldn’t be showing this.
Report: Israeli Ambassador Doing Damage Control With House Dems
Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer met Wednesday with Jewish Democrats on the Hill as tensions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress continued to escalate, according to Politico.
Politico reported that Dermer met for an hour with Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Sander Levin (D-MI), Steve Israel (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) in Israel’s office.
The meeting came amid reports that dozens of congressional Democrats were considering a boycott of Netanyahu’s March 3 speech, arranged by Dermer and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) without consulting the White House.
The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reported earlier Wednesday that Jewish Democrats in the House had considered putting out a statement calling for Netanyahu’s speech to be delayed. But they couldn’t agree on what it should say.
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They couldn’t agree on what to say ? Wimps !
US is the 51st state of israel.
Chat away!
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/02/04/chat-away-509/