On This Day: President Barack Obama greets a child during an event for political appointees on the South Lawn of the White House, Sept. 15, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today
11:55: The President welcomes the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Champion University of Connecticut Huskies; East Room
2:05: Meets with King Felipe of Spain
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On This Day: The President checks out a baby’s foot while greeting guests at a picnic on the South Lawn of the White House, Sept. 15, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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MoooOOOooorning!
The Obama Diary 
Good Morning Friends
Moooooooorning Libra!!
Howdy Chips and all TODers! 😀
Gooooooood morning Zizi!!
Morning all!
G’morning Chips, TOD, even amk, lurkers, and congrats libra800 on #1! 🙂 Happy Tuesday everyone 🙂
Morning, TOD family.
Morning again! Love the sofa…looks more like a loveseat to me:) Danny thinks it absolutely perfect! He wouldn’t change a thing!
Morning, Df. Did I miss the sofa photos? I feel as if we all have a lot invested in Chip’s furniture.
😆 It’s in the thread Jackie!!!
Morning USA – love those pictures – and all the cameras flashing – when a politician appears in my neck of the woods – only cameras around belong to the media.
Morning all. We are planning our second annual ‘Salsa the Vote’ on the Sunday before election day to rally Latinos to come out and vote. Apathy is our greatest enemy when it comes to elections, particularly among Latinos. We could do so much good in our cities, states and countries if Democrats would get off their duffs and cast a vote. Meantime, there’s a statewide effort this Saturday to register voters in Latino dominated neighborhoods.
Apathy is our greatest enemy when it comes to elections,
YESSSSSSSS!!!…
Did the MSM say anything at all about this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-supporters-harass-immigration-protesters-in-iowa_55f6d6aae4b077ca094f891a?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067
A group calling themselves Students Against Bigotry staged a protest in the parking lot of Iowa State University’s Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday during tailgating for the ISU-University of Iowa football game. Golf course aficionado and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was scheduled to campaign in the tailgate area, but instead made an appearance inside the stadium.
The ISU students were specifically protesting Trump’s anti-immigrant comments, the Iowa State Daily reported. The poster that was destroyed, held by ISU senior Jovani Rubio, read, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”
The woman who attacked the sign is from West Des Moines but is not an ISU student, according to the Iowa State Daily. She has since deleted her social media accounts. A moment before she rips the sign, she can be heard in a video saying that she’s going to destroy the poster and “vote for white supremacy.”
Df, this is what Trump’s words promote and condone. Meanwhile, our president says “this is not who we are as Americans.” Every single Democrat in the country should be echoing these words because the dark forces of hatred and bigotry can’t be allowed to succeed.
Looking at Danny in the sofa, he must be in seventh heaven, pleased that you got him a new bed to rest his weary paws!
VOTE EVERY SINGLE TIME!!
http://www.demos.org/publication/why-voting-matters-large-disparities-turnout-benefit-donor-class
Reflecting an ongoing legacy of institutional racism in our election systems, this new generation of election policies and rules are targeted at certain groups and disproportionately affect people of color, people who are poor, and young people.2
One important consequence of this legacy and continuing evolution of voting restrictions is unequal voter turnout in elections, with white Americans, and particularly affluent white Americans, out-participating people of color, low-income people, and young people by significant-to-wide margins. As a result, large numbers of lesser-advantaged Americans are left out of the democratic process: in 2012, 26 million eligible voters of color did not vote, and, among eligible voters earning less than $50,000, 47 million did not vote. In 2014, 44 million eligible voters of color did not vote, and 66 million eligible voters earning less than $50,000 did not vote.
These voter “turnout gaps” or voting inequalities are well-known among experts who study American democracy, but, in the following explainer, we argue that such voting inequality is underestimated in its social impact and in the larger policy debates about the direction of our country. More specifically, while it is obvious to many why the turnout gaps matter for democracy, it is less obvious why closing the turnout gaps and creating a more fully inclusive democracy matters for the policy decisions and social outcomes that should be the fruit of our democracy.
I was telling DF in the last post that the sofa arrived and it’s – gulp – a touch lighter than I expected. So, I have to swap Danny for a Golden Labrador.
Easy fix…put a slipcover on it…save the dog AND the sofa! http://www.surefit.net/
Hmmm, that might be easier than swapping him for a Golden Lab …… let me think about it. Thank yooooou DF!!
Yes…it surely would be:) He’s a handsome lad:)
Those work well. We have one on a chair. My “sofa” is odd-shaped and the surefit doesn’t fit. I buy big hunks of fleece from the fabric store and swap them out. The pups love the fleece.
Awwww look at sweet Danny. He really tolerates you & your antics Chips ☺️
Go back to bed, you!!!! 😆
😀😀😀
It’s great, Chips, because you can add your own flourishes to it. All you need are two smallish bright ’round’ pillows to add a touch of color and also give Danny something to play with. When our little granddaughter visits us, the first thing she does is toss the colorful couch throw pillows on the floor and jump on them. It makes her happy and pillows are replaceable.
The tragedy, Jackie, is that I can’t get pillows/cushions because he’s going through a phase of trying to make love to them 😕 Instead, I’m going to get iron-plated throws.
OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. He didn’t get snipped?
band
HA! Well, I’m not the one humping pillows Mister!
😆
I’m with you df!
Chips you bought a new sofa for Danny cause none of the pet beds would fit him? 🙂 🙂
GM jojo, he does look comfy 😋
GM GGail…the air smells so fresh….
Well, I needed to find something with a cozy paw-rest – success!1!1!1!:-)
When we were in the market for a chair, Mr. 57’s main criteria was that the armrest would comfortably support our dear Calliope’s head. It had to be the right height, and the right width so that she would be in maximum comfort. She’s been gone 9 years, the chair is completely torn up, but Mr. 57 won’t let me have it recovered. Hence, the “surefit” cover that DF suggested.
What a 😎 Danny.
The Sofa is just right for Danny.
Thank you Chips for these Pics.
Hello Danny 🙂
I love your new couch but it’s a bit small for Danny. LOLz!!
Moooooorning Ms Majestic! If I sit on the floor, there’s plenty of room for him – which is what his look is telling me right now. 🙄
Love it Chips. Danny looks so great there. Looks like a nice doggie bed. 🙂
Ha Ha Ha. Nice “sofa”. I agree, looks more like a loveseat to me too.
You get what you vote for!! Or DON’T vote against!
$174,000/yr….EACH, for this. Plus perks and bennies…..
You get what you vote for!! Or DON’T vote against!
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AMENNNNNNNNN!!!!
Good West Coast wet morning Chipsticks & TOD family.
Let it Rain, let it rain 💦💦☔️
YEA!!! RAIN!!!!
It’s been raining over six hour and quite heavy. It’s supposed to rain all day and into the next morning then by this weekend 90 degree weather again.
And I need groceries 😩
I thought you did that last weekend? You would think you had to drive miles to the closest market…
Hahahaha, I. Hate. Grocery Shopping.
YAY!
GM DF, I’m going out to find a small puddle to splash 😈☔️
I think you should! I have a mess in my yard…huge rain and winds for me last night…I’m going to work. Hubby gets to clean up the yard:) Enjoy the rain:)
Did I ever LOVE waking up to that beautiful sound this morning!! My car got a good cleaning.
I can’t wait to see this
Good Morning, Everyone 🙂
Geeez, it never ends, Rikyrah. Sometimes I wish we could take the whole country back to the drawing board and start over.
me too.
This is terrifying, criminal.
PF, this was always going to be the problem as I remember telling one of our county commissioners. After the “hanging chads” fiasco, Congress mandated the machine purchases and provided money to states to buy them, but there was never any provision for replacing them when their shelf life expired. States and counties were dazzled by the prospect of spending money on new toys and never thought about the future. Now the future is here and nobody’s prepared.
indeed…i wonder if Wolf has this on his radar…after getting past the fiasco that is the GOP-controlled legislature
Good Morning TOD.
I’m home and in recovery mode so I get to play with y’all today 😉
Feeling good? 🙂
Donna!!!!!!!! How are you doing??
Hi Chips! I’m doing okay. The procedure took a little longer than anticipated yesterday but I’m comfortable today. I should be up and around by tomorrow.
{{{{{{{{donna}}}}}}} Sending healing and positive energy your way.
Glad to hear that the procedure generally went well and that you are on the road to recovery! 🙂
Gooooooooooood Newsssssss …Donna….you can play as much as you want…haha
Did all go well Donna?
Yep! It’s amazing how technology has advanced things. I should be okay to return to work tomorrow.
YAYAYAYAYAYAYYYYYYYYY!!
Hope you’re not feeling to bad Donna. Get well soon! 🙂
I was just wondering about you and here you are!
Take it easy, DD. Hope all is well and you enjoy TODville today!
Donna, glad you checked in with us. Take it easy today💕
Hope you are feeling well, Donna.
So much tragedy to the north and now this:
Meta, earthquake crossed my mind. WoW
It’s starting to feel so eery. Just as our hard-working fire crews put one fire out, 3 more crop up and it’s been like this for months. I really hope we get the rain they keep predicting that somehow never materializes. Yesterday it rained outside my window for 20 seconds! So incredibly strange.
Imagine what’s happening to the ecosystems due to these fires. The terrain, wildlife, weather, biology, geology of the entire region is being hammered. And Congress refuses to act. It’s infuriating. If they won’t accept climate change, then they’d better start creating massive funds for disaster relief because it’s only going to get worse, endangering lives, homes, businesses, our entire economy.
Didn’t feel it and I live in southern Napa County
Terrified of the monster they created…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/09/15/morning-plum-donald-trump-is-in-on-the-joke-and-the-jokes-on-you/
Trump has vowed to raise taxes on capital gains, claiming that executive pay in America is a “complete joke.” One senior figure on Wall Street tells Politico that investors who discussed Trump at a recent lunch were “taking him very seriously,” adding: “He taps into frustrations that are very real and he is a master manipulator of the media.”
Trump responded by sending a statement to Politico that you should pay very close attention to:
“Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton will continue to let Wall Street and the ‘hedge fund guys’ rip off the people by paying no or very little in taxes,” Trump said. “They have total and complete control of Hillary, Jeb and others running. My campaign is self- funded. The only people that have control of me are the people of the United States.”
Trump is explicitly saying that the low tax rates paid by Wall Streeters and hedge funders are ripping off the American people, and that his rivals for the presidency will continue letting them get away with it.
He’s self funded. He will take a HUUUUUGE tax break for using his own plane and paying staff… Oh,what staff, what headquarters, what ground game. The MSM is giving him all the free air time he wants. Yes, too much money is being spent on elections but this I can’t be bought meme from a real-estate Al Capone is chilling.
In another meme it could be said now we just want the very rich to run for office so they can fund their own run and owe no one but themselves favors. You believe they will not try to get things they want for themselves?
A scientifically proven simpleton. The dumbing down of America is nearly complete
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/09/15/3701215/donald-trump-talks-funny-2/
Trump’s favorite word, however, is “I.” His fourth-favorite word is “Trump.” Eight out of his 13 favorite words are one syllable, and the two syllable words are simple — “very,” “China,” and “money.” His only three-syllable favorite word is “Mexico.”
The wife you wouldn’t defend against Trump’s attacks will NOW become your ‘secret weapon’?
Uh huh.
………………..
In a new appeal to Hispanics, Jeb Bush deploys his ‘secret weapon’ — Columba Bush
Jeb Bush is deploying his “secret weapon” in a new video designed to appeal to Hispanic voters.
A new video released by the campaign Monday shows Bush speaking in Spanish and his wife, Columba Bush, speaking in English in her most expansive comments to date on her husband’s behalf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/14/in-a-new-appeal-to-hispanics-jeb-bush-deploys-his-secret-weapon-columba-bush/.
Pro tip for Jeb!: It’s not the language, it’s the message.
uh huh
uh huh
Rauner won’t commit to signing Rahm’s property tax relief plan
Written By Fran Spielman Posted: 09/14/2015, 05:12pm
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to raise the homeowner exemption will make the bitter pill of a $500 million property tax increase easier to swallow, aldermen said Monday, but Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office cast doubt on whether the Republican governor would sign such a bill.
City Hall sources said House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Chicago Democrats, are on board with the mayor’s plan and committed to shepherd the legislation through the General Assembly once final details are hammered out.
But so long as they are embroiled in a state budget stalemate with Rauner over the governor’s unyielding demand for pro-business, anti-union reforms, it appears that the mayor’s longtime friend could be a political roadblock.
On Monday, the governor’s office was asked whether Rauner would sign legislation raising a homeowner exemption that now stands at $7,000 of a home’s assessed valuation and is scheduled to drop to $6,000.
Before the bottom dropped out of the real estate market, the homeowner exemption was capped at $33,000 or 7 percent of assessed valuation.
“The governor has proposed legislation that would freeze property taxes and provide significant new support for CPS,” the governor’s spokesman Catherine Kelly wrote in an email to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Raising taxes alone won’t fix our problems. We need structural reforms to help cities like Chicago control costs.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/959185/aldermen-welcome-emanuels-plan-raise-homeowners-exemption-rauner-sign
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/09/15/up-next-huskies-at-the-white-house/