Former first lady Michelle Obama's "Becoming" has had the longest run at No. 1 on Amazon's list of best-selling books since "Fifty Shades of Grey" came out in 2012 https://t.co/vy8vxHwfgr pic.twitter.com/2PT2lksWYZ
— CNN (@CNN) January 16, 2019
Posts Tagged ‘amazon
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Making Bank
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Jul
18
A Gentle Human
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Wild Embers by Nikita Gill
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Aug
13
Rise and Shine
President Obama talks with Coach Geno Auriemma in the Blue Room of the White House prior to an event to honor the NCAA Champion University of Connecticut Huskies and their 2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, July 31 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today (All Times Eastern):
12:30: Jay Carney briefs the press
2:15: President Obama meets with a group of bipartisan members of Congress
3:45: President Obama holds a bilateral meeting with President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi of the Republic of Yemen
5:55: Hosts a reception for the 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law
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Jason Linkins: What If Ron Fournier Can’t Read (great response to Fournier’s BS)
Suffice it to say, Ron Fournier is wrong and I am right. Also, Greg Sargent is right,Brendan Nyhan is right, John Sides is right, Jonathan Bernstein is right, and historian George Edwards is right. If you are harboring a belief that former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used “fireside chats” to overcome political opposition, you are not remembering that correctly. It’s very pretty to think that, but you’re wrong. And that will just as true tomorrow as it is today, full stop.
Fournier, in his most recent attempt, titled “What If Obama Can’t Lead?,” seems to be rather upset at being accused of supporting what Sargent calls the “Green Lantern Theory” of presidential power. He simply believes that “great presidents overcome great hurdles,” and that’s that. Once you’ve established “greatness,” then all hurdles are defeated. If hurdles remain, then you’ve not established “greatness,” no matter how many hurdles you’ve previously overcome. (And to be sure, Obama has overcome quite a number of those.) I’m afraid that Fournier doesn’t have much of a clue as to the process by which these obstacles are surmounted. And he’s opted to simply pant with extreme impatience, rather than undertaking an exploration as to how this process works. He proceeds from the premise that at one point in history, there were presidents, and at other points in history, stuff happened that was possibly attributable to those presidents. Rather than taking a searching inventory of the relevant history or undertaking an effort to understand the political science, he attributes the fact that “Presidents did stuff” to a hazy concept called “leadership” and proceeds to conclude that if a president isn’t successfully “doing some stuff” then that president “can’t lead.”
More here
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Republican IRS Hearing Fails To Deliver On Claims Of White House Link
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Tara Culp-Ressler: The First State That Tried To Defund Planned Parenthood Is Officially Giving Up
After a legal battle that has stretched over the course of two years, the state of Indiana has agreed to put an end to its efforts to strip Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood clinics. Indiana was the first state that attempted to target the national women’s health organization by blocking it from receiving state-level Medicaid dollars for the services it provides to low-income women.
In 2011, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) signed a law to prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving any Medicaid funding simply because it is an abortion provider — even though that money actually funds general health screenings for thousands of low-income women, not abortions. But those efforts have been largely unsuccessful. Multiple courts have determined that states aren’t allowed to discriminate against qualified Medicaid providers simply because of their stance on abortion rights, saying that low-income women deserve the freedom to choose their own doctors.
More here
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James Fallows: A False Equivalence Classic
The 44th president, like his 43 predecessors, believes that the United States should honor its sovereign debt, as part of maintaining the “full faith and credit of the United States.” He also believes that the policy on government spending first applied under George Washington and in force since then should still be the policy now: once Congress has voted programs or benefits into law, then the government is legally and morally obligated to carry out those programs, until and unless they are repealed.*
To which the other “side” to the dispute replies: Who cares! We don’t like you or your programs, and to prove it we’re willing to risk a default on the national debt. What’s going on now is more like the 1970s-era hijackers Brendan Koerner describes in his recent book, who would threaten to blow up the plane unless they got the ride to Cuba they wanted. Or, if you want a less violent analogy, it’s like me walking into a restaurant, ordering and enjoying a meal, and then when I finished just tearing up the check and saying that I was “digging in my heels” about whether I should pay.
More here
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Greg Sargent: Ostrich Punditry Refuses To reckon With Reality Of Today’s GOP (another fantastic rebuttal to Fournier’s BS)
Now that President Obama has proposed tax reform that would lower corporate tax rates and provide for new stimulus spending — which Republicans have flatly rejected — it has renewed the seemingly endless, intractable debate over the causes of gridlock and failure to compromise in Washington. There is no prominent commentator who is more determined to blame both sides for what is happening than Ron Fournier, so his latest explanation for what ails us is worth a response.
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/362927979212451843
Advice such as this seems deliberately designed to be impossible to meet. Whatever Obama does, the pundit can simply respond with, “not enough; do more of it, or do it more effectively.” After all, Obama is already doing some of the things Fournier wants him to do: He is holding discussions with GOP lawmakers in hopes of enticing them to break away from the leadership/Tea Party alliance’s hostility to compromise on the budget, infrastructure spending, and other matters.
If anything, it’s punditry such as Fournier’s that constitutes a surrender of sorts. It’s not enough to claim Obama’s legacy will inevitably seen as a failure to overcome GOP intransigence (should that happen), because history isn’t fair. The question is, shouldthat be the case, and would blaming Obama for failing to overcome it be a reasonable and accurate assessment?
More here
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In one trillion years the universe will be reduced to a state of zero thermodynamic energy without light or heat. Nice job, Obama.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) July 30, 2013
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President Barack Obama disembarks Air Force One upon his arrival at Mansfield Air National Guard Base in Mansfield, Ohio, Aug. 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Barack Obama samples fudge offered by Squirrel’s Den fudge shop owner LaDonna Secrist, left, during a stop in Mansfield, Ohio, Aug. 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Have A Michelleriffic Day! 😀
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31
Jul
13
This and That
President Obama arrives for a meeting with House Democrats at the Capitol Visitor Center, July 31
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Visit https://t.co/BT1w7ikUXg MT @SophiaBush: Want to #dosomething awesome for your future? Get info on all the #healthcare benefits
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 31, 2013
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whathasobamacaredoneformelately
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President Obama walks to a meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill, July 31
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President Obama is escorted by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Assistant Democratic Party Leader Rep. James Clyburn and Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus Rep. Joseph Crowley at the US Capitol after concluding talks with House Democrats
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USA Today: … President Obama will appear on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday as part of a western swing next week, officials said.
…. In its announcement, the Tonight Show said Obama plans “to discuss his second term concentrating on his jobs initiatives and the economy.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president’s trip will also include a housing speech in the Phoenix, Ariz., area, and a talk with troops at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
More here
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Wished President @BarackObama an early happy birthday in the most delicious way possible. #darkchocolate pic.twitter.com/JfwuDS4EYB
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 31, 2013
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Amazon: President Barack Obama: The Kindle Singles Interview
In this Kindle Singles Interview, President Barack Obama decried the “change in culture” that has changed our view of the American Dream. “There was not that window into the lifestyles of the rich and famous,” the President said. “Kids weren’t monitoring everyday what Kim Kardashian was wearing, or where Kanye West was going on vacation, and thinking that somehow that was the mark of success.” He addressed the jobs issue from a personal perspective, reflecting on how his own life might have been different had he not experienced success in politics. “I could picture myself being a good teacher,” the President mused.
In the interview, which took place on July 30, 2013, at an Amazon facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Obama discussed the increasing need for government programs that can actually make a difference. Sticking close to his standard message, he spoke frankly about the increasing polarization of American politics since the Great Recession and Republican Party intransigence over his agenda. On a personal note, he reflected that he and First Lady Michelle Obama are constantly reminding their daughters of the “slightly unreal environment that they’re in,” as children of privilege in a world constrained by unemployment and recession.
More here
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President Obama hosts the 2013 NCAA champion University of Connecticut Huskies Women’s basketball players in the East Room of the White House
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Steve Benen: What a governing allergy looks like
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington are getting ready for a four-week break, followed by a September in which House Republicans have only scheduled nine days of work for the entire month, and they’re leaving quite a to-do list behind. Four of the 12 appropriations bills that have to pass before the end of the fiscal year are being ignored; the farm bill is stuck; immigration reform is demanding attention; and a debt-ceiling crisis looms.
There is, in other words, real work that needs to get done, and in theory, members of Congress would be scrambling right now to get as much finished as possible.
More here
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The First Paws. pic.twitter.com/USAT8A6JJg
— The White House (@whitehouse) July 31, 2013
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30
Jul
13
This and That
President Obama signs a line worker’s shirt after touring the Amazon fulfillment center in Chattanooga, Tenn., July 30 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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Steve Benen: Why would the GOP balk at a corporate tax cut?
As promised, President Obama spoke in Tennessee this afternoon, and made congressional Republicans an offer they probably shouldn’t refuse: the GOP would get corporate tax reforms, including lower rates, while Democrats would get investments in infrastructure and manufacturing.
…. GOP opposition is just a little more difficult to understand. Sure, when the White House proposes new tax revenue from the wealthy, it stands to reason that Republicans will scream bloody murder. When the president talks about increasing the size of government in any appreciable way, we know the GOP will go berserk.
But corporate tax breaks and infrastructure jobs? Why announce knee-jerk opposition to these ideas?
I’ve spent some time this afternoon collecting Republican complaints about the new Obama offer, so let’s take them one at a time.
More here
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To understand PBO’s grand bargain on taxes, read @Smartypants32 on conciliation as ruthless strategy. http://t.co/8XFSg4oNGE
— allanbrauer (@allanbrauer) July 30, 2013
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Smartypants: A common sense proposal for NSA reform
Now that it appears as if the American public is ready to move beyond their fear-based approach to national security, I agree with President Obama.
I’ve got to tell you though Charlie, I think this is a healthy thing because its a sign of maturity that this debate would not have been taking place 5 years ago. And I welcome it.
That means that perhaps we can have a rational discussion about the NSA and potential reforms that make sense. Of course folks like Greenwald are not going to initiate a discussion about solutions – that would mean actually owning some responsibility rather than simply screaming from the sidelines (not to mention that solutions are terrible link-bait). But somebody needs to do it. As is often the case, that part is left to the pragmatists.
More here
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And now for a balanced, informed view of the Manning verdict. Kidding, it’s Hamwald.
— Ethan Peretz (@MperiousRex) July 31, 2013
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Seems many journos also don’t get that the beneficiary of true whistleblowing is supposed to be THE PUBLIC, not their byline. @Lawrence
— Only4RM (@Only4RM) July 31, 2013
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@whitehouse This morning, President Obama and VP Biden met with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on resuming peace talks
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ThinkProgress: Obama Calls Out Republicans For Wasting Time On Keystone: ‘That’s Not A Jobs Plan’
In a speech on Tuesday focused on repairing the American economy, President Obama called out Republicans in Congress for flouting serious job-creation efforts in favor of trying to repeal environmental regulations and push for the creation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
While Republicans have advocated for Keystone by insisting that it will create jobs, Obama slammed that assertion Tuesday, pointing to the Cornell University estimate that Keystone would only create 50 permanent jobs….
More here
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Check it out: The restaurant industry is growing, and average hours are up. #ObamacareIsWorkinghttp://t.co/U8VXtXD3iC
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 30, 2013
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Thank you, PBO! Took my kids to doctor for annual checkups, NO COPAY for first time ever! I Love, Love, Love the ACA! #ObamaCares
— Aღanda (@AC_BOwen) July 30, 2013
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Very funny historical comparison by @NYTimeskrugman on Marco Rubio’s latest gibberish about Obamacare: http://t.co/0Olfck2SYY
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) July 28, 2013
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We’ve come a long way—but there’s still more work to do. #TransformationTuesday, pic.twitter.com/IPgpU2o7C2
— The White House (@whitehouse) July 30, 2013
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BREAKING! We now have a fully confirmed @NLRB board. —> http://t.co/xFtN04CKGO#1u#NLRB
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) July 30, 2013
RT @richardtrumka: For the first time in more than a decade America now has a fully staffed #NLRB
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) July 30, 2013
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The most useful invention since the wheel?
Seen on the shelves at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Chattanooga just visited by POTUS: pic.twitter.com/WI1lidi76q
— Jay Carney (EOP) (@PressSec) July 30, 2013
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Will catch up with whatever good stuff I missed in tomorrow’s R&S
30
Jul
13
Chattanooga
President Obama hugs Amazon employee Lydia Flanders who introduced the president before he makes a speech about the economy and jobs at an Amazon.com Fulfillment Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Text of the President’s remarks here
Back with a ‘This and That’ in a bit
The Obama Diary 
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