Since Bruce @springsteen and I first sat down to record our podcast Renegades: Born in the USA, folks have asked about the stories we told and the people and places that shaped us, and we’re excited for this new book to continue the conversation we started last summer. pic.twitter.com/h0FuZyNJQc
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 22, 2021
Posts Tagged ‘Bruce
08
Mar
21
Songs That Make A Difference
05
Mar
18
Celebrating The Boss
Barack Obama checked in on Springsteen on Broadway last night.
#Obama #Springsteen https://t.co/50yZ1Edu7h
—
𝓜é𝔃𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓭𝓲 (@MezianeHammadi) March 04, 201805
Dec
14
The President’s Day
President Barack Obama shares a laugh with Ashton Carter, his nominee for defense secretary, during the announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House
****
****
President Barack Obama greets former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft
President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Oval Office at the White House. President Obama and King Abdullah II discussed regional issues and the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
****
****
President Barack Obama delivers brief remarks to reporters before meeting with a group of newly elected governors in the Oval Office at the White House and said the group would talk about issues where the states and the White House have common ground.
****
****
(L-R): Governor-elect Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Governor-elect Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Governor-elect Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Governor-elect Greg Abbott of Texas, Governor-elect Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, Governor-elect Larry Hogan of Maryland and Gov. Bill Walker
NEWS :: One of the construction workers who saw Mike Brown killed, says he heard Brown verbally surrender before the 4 final death shots.
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 06, 2014WATCH this St. Louis police officer assault this handcuffed man. Found NOT GUILTY w/ help from @RoordaJ youtu.be/T4HUvXOvgkQ
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 03, 2014****
Important account from the construction worker on how Mike Brown surrendered. http://t.co/PZXuHM9KFA
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 07, 2014The account of the second construction worker. He "had his hands up" when the officer unloaded on him. http://t.co/xAHB7GfZtp
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 07, 2014****
Detailed VIDEO of eyewitnesses : youtube.com/watch?v=fRbiEZ…
Gunshot Audio : youtube.com/watch?v=f8IHIJ…
Worker Accounts http://t.co/Y6hMyuFn1y
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 07, 2014It's embarrassing that the whiteness of the construction workers even means anything, but in the sad era of racial politics, it matters.
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 07, 2014****
Owner Bruce Levenson will sell the Atlanta Hawks after revelation of a 2012 racist email, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces.
—
Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 07, 2014There was meeting in NYC including NBA owners late last week discussing issue, sources told Yahoo. Levenson agreed to sell, Silver says.
—
Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 07, 2014****
The Racist Email
Regarding game ops, i need to start with some background. for the first couple of years we owned the team, i didn’t much focus on game ops. then one day a light bulb went off. when digging into why our season ticket base is so small, i was told it is because we can’t get 35-55 white males and corporations to buy season tixs and they are the primary demo for season tickets around the league. when i pushed further, folks generally shrugged their shoulders. then i start looking around our arena during games and notice the following:
– it’s 70 pct black
– the cheerleaders are black
– the music is hip hop
– at the bars it’s 90 pct black
– there are few fathers and sons at the games
– we are doing after game concerts to attract more fans and the concerts are either hip hop or gospel.
Then i start looking around at other arenas. It is completely different. Even DC with its affluent black community never has more than 15 pct black audience. Before we bought the hawks and for those couple years immediately after in an effort to make the arena look full (at the nba’s urging) thousands and thousands of tickets were being giving away, predominantly in the black community, adding to the overwhelming black audience. My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a signficant season ticket base. Please dont get me wrong. There was nothing threatening going on in the arean back then. i never felt uncomfortable, but i think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority. On fan sites i would read comments about how dangerous it is around philips yet in our 9 years, i don’t know of a mugging or even a pick pocket incident. This was just racist garbage. When I hear some people saying the arena is in the wrong place I think it is code for there are too many blacks at the games. I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white cheerleaders and while i don’t care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar to a 40 year old white guy if that’s our season tixs demo. i have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black.
I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black. Gradually things have changed. My unscientific guess is that our crowd is 40 pct black now, still four to five times all other teams. And my further guess is that 40 pct still feels like 70 pet to some whites at our games. Our bars are still overwhelmingly black. This is obviously a sensitive topic, but sadly i think it is far and way the number one reason our season ticket base is so low. And many of our black fans don’t have the spendable income which explains why our f&b and merchandise sales are so low. At all white thrasher games sales were nearly triple what they are at hawks games (the extra intermission explains some of that but not all). Regardless of what time a game starts, we have the latest arriving crowd in the league. It often looks and sounds empty when the team takes the floor. In the past two years, we have created a section of rowdy college students that has been a big plus. And we do a lot of very clever stuff during time outs to entertain the crowd. Our kiss cam is better done than any in the league. We have all the same halftime acts that other arenas have but i question whether they make sense. people are on their cell phones during half time. i wonder if flashing on the scoreboard “$2 off on hot dogs during halftime tonight” just as the half ends would be a better use of our halftime dollars and make the fans happier. We do all the usual giveways and the fans are usually their loudest when our spirit crew takes the floor to give away t-shirts. It pisses me off that they will yell louder for a t-shirt then for our players. Our player intro is flat. We manufacture a lot of noise but because of the late arriving crowd and the fact that a lot of blacks dont seem to go as crazy cheering (another one of my theories) as whites, it is not great.
More at SB Nation
****
There was meeting in NYC including NBA owners late last week discussing issue, sources told Yahoo. Levenson agreed to sell, Silver says.
—
Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 07, 2014Today’s statement from Levenson is extremely disappointing & does not reflect Hawks values. Team statement: atlantahawksinfo.com
—
Steve Koonin (@SteveKoonin) September 07, 2014****
Reporters confirm that police & advisors concealed the identity of Darren Wilson until he could delete all social media & move out of state.
—
Shaun King (@ShaunKing) August 25, 2014Aaand still no charges for Darren Wilson or Daniel Pantaleo (cop using illegal chokehold to kill #EricGarner in broad daylight, on camera).
—
jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) August 28, 2014****
White teen acts erratically, attacks police, TAKES & FIRES COPS GUN. Don't worry, he's fine. tmblr.co/ZE4-qw1PMzlD7 #BeingAPersonAndAll
—
jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) August 27, 2014Another Black person commits magical "suicide," somehow shooting self in chest w/ hands handcuffed behind his back. tmblr.co/ZE4-qw1PKJrmB
—
jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) August 27, 2014****
A side by side comparison of how The New York Times profiled Michael Brown and Serial Killer Ted Bundy: tmblr.co/ZE4-qw1PBJR1T
—
jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) August 25, 201421
Dec
13
This Land Is Your Land
****
Chat on!
05
Nov
13
Rise and Shine
Des Moines, Nov 5, 2012 – the final rally of the campaign
****
Today (all times Eastern):
11:30: President Obama and VP Biden meet with business leaders to talk about the impact overhauling immigration laws will have on U.S. economy
2:10: President Obama departs the White House en route Bethesda, Md. where he will visit wounded troops at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He will also visit Fisher House, a program that supports military families
4:0: Michelle Obama makes remarks at White House Diwali celebration
6:30: VP Biden and Jill Biden host reception for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
****
Video of President Obama addressing OFA yesterday – see here
****
Today (Tuesday, November 5th) is election day. Get all the information you need vote411.org
Then go V-O-T-E.
—
Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) November 05, 2013Have you voted yet #TeamTerry? Find your polling place and get to the polls! terrymcauliffe.com/locate #VAGov http://t.co/4ZRziGFGsk
—
Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) November 05, 2013#Vote Nov. 5 - Time to Vote for #NYC's next mayor, @BilldeBlasio @deblasionyc. Keep calm, & vote Democratic y'all! 😉 http://t.co/sFrfc7e1Qc
—
Carmelo Menace (@38_28_38) November 05, 2013Already voted? Help us make calls: BuonoForGovernor.com/calls Let's get out the vote New Jersey!
—
Barbara Buono (@BuonoForNJGov) November 05, 2013****
NYT: For Uninsured, Clearing a Way to Enrollment
Kelli Cauley’s fingers raced over her keyboard as she asked the anxious woman at her side a series of questions. What was her income? How many people lived in her household? Did she smoke? (“That’s the only health question it asks,” Ms. Cauley said of the application they were completing.)
The woman, a thin 61-year-old who refused to give her name, citing privacy concerns, had come to the public library here to sign up for health insurance through Kentucky’s new online exchange. She had a painful lump on the back of her hand and other health problems that worried her deeply, she said, but had been unable to afford insurance as a home health care worker who earns $9 an hour.
Within a minute, the system checked her information and flashed its conclusion on Ms. Cauley’s laptop: eligible for Medicaid.
The woman began to weep with relief. Without insurance, she said as she left, “it’s cheaper to die.”
More here
****
After logging out of Kynect, she says she decided that Obamacare was "just too good to be true.” huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/ken…
—
(@igorvolsky) November 05, 2013****
Jonathan Cohn: ‘I Would Jump At It’ The media labeled her an Obamacare victim. Here’s what she really thinks.
If you’ve followed the stories of insurance cancellations related to Obamacare, you may have heard about Dianne Barrette. She’s the 57-year-old Florida realtor who was paying $54 a month for a Blue Cross insurance plan. The plan won’t be available after December. And while FloridaBlue offered her a new plan, the company told her the premium would be $591 a month. Barrette, who makes $30,000 a year and could not pay for such a plan, was flabbergasted. Jan Crawford of CBS News made her the key source for a story about plan cancellations. An appearance on Fox News followed, as did multiple cameos in press releases from Obamacare critics. For at least a few days, she was the poster child for the Obamacare cancellation story.
But Barrette’s situation defies quick and easy description. It’s true that she can’t keep her current policy—and that most policies available to her for next year have higher premiums. But those plans also offer real coverage, and her current plan does not. Some people might resent government effectively prohibiting her current plan. Barrette doesn’t appear to be one of them. Based on conversations we’ve had over the past few days, she wants more comprehensive insurance and, within reason, she’s willing to pay more for it.
More here
****
The real reason that the cancer patient writing in today’s Wall Street Journal lost her insurance: thkpr.gs/1hHgZjp
—
(@igorvolsky) November 04, 2013****
Bob Cesca: Another Obamacare ‘Horror Story’ Debunked; And, No, the President Didn’t Lie About the Law
As the week began, another “Obamacare” horror story hit the press, instigating a fleet of outrage-pornographers and concern trolls across the political spectrum to resume its self-flagellation and screeching about the disastrous Affordable Care Act — selectively forgetting about actual healthcare horror stories that existed before the law was implemented. It was a story focusing on yet another vague, anecdotal tale about a hapless ACA victim whose insurance policy was canceled, thus vindicating the accusation that the president lied about “keeping your existing insurance policy if you like it.”
Before we dive into the lie accusation, let’s take a closer look at an op/ed for the Wall Street Journal written by a stage-4 gallbladder cancer survivor, Edie Littlefield Sundby.
More here
****
Cancellation letters from insurance companies signal end to worthless, limited benefit policies bit.ly/19u9GrP by @wendellpotter
—
Public Integrity (@Publici) November 04, 2013****
Sally Kohn: 6 other Obamacare promises – and these are very much coming true
Republicans recently pounced on the fact that, yes, some Americans will lose their current crummy insurance plans that don’t meet the new standards set by the Affordable Care Act.
These Republicans are accusing President Obama of having misled the American public – or worse, having lied.
I think that’s a ridiculous claim. If you like your crummy plan, you can’t keep your crummy plan under Obamacare, but odds are you will find a better plan that is also more affordable, with subsidies available to more than half of Americans.
Aside from parsing this promise that you could keep your plan, it is wrong to say that this alone was how Obamacare was sold to the public.
…. here, for the record, are a few of the Affordable Care kept promises:
More here
****
.@GovSteveBeshear on @edshow: “Now for the 1st time in history, every Kentuckian is going to have access to affordable healthcare.” #ACA
—
Dag Vega (@DagVega44) November 04, 2013****
Washington Post: Congratulations, America! Your deficit fell 37 percent in 2013
The federal government’s 2013 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, though most of us were so busy focusing on the government shutdown that accompanied the new fiscal year that there wasn’t much time to reflect on the year that had passed.
Now the Treasury and Office of Management and Budget is out with the final budget results. Surprise! The deficit fell quite a bit in 2013. The federal government took in $680 billion less revenue than it spent, or about 4.1 percent of gross domestic product. In 2012, those numbers were $1.087 trillion and 6.8 percent of GDP. That means the deficit fell a whopping 37 percent in one year.
This is the first sub-$1 trillion and sub-5 percent of GDP deficit since the 2008 fiscal year, which ended the very month that Lehman Brothers fell and a deep crisis set in.
More here
****
Patrick Stewart is a Boss. http://t.co/gkpPjR3kWp
—
George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 05, 2013****
ThinkProgress: Three Progressive Measures On Tuesday’s Ballot That You Should Know About
Congress may not be up for grabs, but Election Day 2013 still comes with high stakes for progressive economic policy ideas. On Tuesday, voters in Colorado, New Jersey, and a small Washington town are getting an up-or-down vote on some proposals that would improve lives both today and decades from now. Here’s a rundown of the three ballot initiatives:
Colorado’s Amendment 66 would raise income taxes and commit $1 billion in new revenue to public schools….
New Jersey’s Question 2 would raise the minimum wage and keep it rising….
SeaTac, Washington’s Proposition 1 would mean a $15 minimum wage for one of the country’s busiest airports….
More here
****
****
Steve Benen: Rand Paul caught once again
After Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was caught presenting others’ work as his own by The Rachel Maddow Show, BuzzFeed, and Politico, the senator’s office seemed to realize Paul had a problem on his hands. It reached the point late Friday that the senator’s aides started making it more difficult to access Paul’s speeches, perhaps fearful more evidence would come to light.
Unfortunately for the senator, it’s too late to hide op-eds Paul has already written and published…
More here
****
Billie Jean is not my lover, she’s just a girl who claims that I am the one but the kid is not my son. #RandPaulSpeeches
— S Caruso (@scaruso5555) November 5, 2013
****
A Year Ago Today – The Final Day of the Campaign
Madison:
Photo by Scout Tufankjian
Orlando:
Columbus:
Photo by Scout Tufankjian
Photo by Scout Tufankjian
Greatest Intro Eveeeeeeeeeer:
…. with Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
****
Reunited in Des Moines:
****
MoooOOOooorning!
18
Jul
13
Rise and Shine
First Lady Michelle Obama talks with children attending Camp Noah as they make trail mix at the McAlpine Park Recreation Center in Birmingham, Ala., July 18, 2012 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
****
Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)
11:25: The President delivers a statement on the Affordable Care Act
12:25: First Lady Michelle Obama, Rahm Emanuel and Amy Rule visit Urban Alliance Chicago
3:0: The President participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony (closed press)
****
****
Steve Benen: Jobless claims show sharp improvement, reach three-month low
Last week’s report on initial unemployment claims was unexpectedly discouraging, making the good news this morning that more reassuring.
The number of people who applied for regular state unemployment-insurance benefits dropped 24,000 to 334,000 in the week that ended July 13, hitting the lowest level of new claims since early May, signaling a slower pace of layoffs, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected initial claims to fall to 341,000 from an original estimate of 360,000 in the prior week. However, it’s difficult to precisely measure claims this month because of distortions from events such as annual auto plant shutdowns and the July 4 holiday, they said…. The four-week average of initial claims, a less volatile gauge, declined 5,250 to 346,000.
More here
****
****
Philip Bump: Those of you who are old enough may remember a time when Barack Obama was plagued with scandal. “Scandal politics sweep Capitol Hill,” Politico yelped. The suffix “-gate” was added to various words. So what happened to the scandals? For the most part, they’ve been hollowed out. The scandal: Benghazi. What it was: The death of four Americans at a diplomatic (read: CIA) outpost in the Libyan city of Benghazi last September 11th bubbled for a while. The release of emails suggesting a cover-up kicked conspiracy theories into high gear.
How real it was in the first place: Not very. Current status: Last rites administered Those emails reported by ABC News were only part of the story. The White House released the full email chain, making it clear that the administration’s involvement in drafting a set of post-attack talking points wasn’t what opponents suggested. (We even declared the scandal dead the same week.)
More here
****
President Barack Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office before a phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, July 18, 2012. Pictured, from left, are: Chris Mizelle, Director for Russia and Central Asia, NSS; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Jack Lew; and Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
****
Paul Krugman: Obamacare Is the Right’s Worst Nightmare
News from New York: it looks as if insurance premiums on the individual market are going to plunge thanks to Obamacare. This shouldn’t come as a surprise; in fact, the New York experience perfectly illustrates why Obamacare had to look the way it does. And it also illustrates why conservatives should be terrified about this legislation, as it takes effect. Americans may have had a lot of misgivings in advance, thanks to vast, deliberately spread misinformation. But I agree with Matt Yglesias — unless the GOP finds even more ways to sabotage the plan, this thing is going to work, it’s going to be extremely popular, and it’s going to wreak havoc with conservative ideology.
Conservatives are right to be hysterical about this: it’s an attack on everything they believe — and it’s going to make Americans’ lives better. What could be worse?
Full post here
****
***
Abby Ohlheiser: House Republicans followed up on the Obama administration’s decision to delay the implementation of the employer mandate for one year by voting to make that decision a law, and to extend that delay to all individuals, too. It’s a more limited protest vote than what we’re used to seeing from the House GOP on Obamacare: There have been 38 legislative attempts to revoke either all or part of the health care reform law since 2011.
On Wednesday, both votes to delay passed easily: 264 – 161 for the employer mandate, and 251 – 174 for the individual mandate. They will not become law: President Obama would veto both bills if they made it to his desk.
More here
****
GOP is ZERO for 38 on attempts to repeal #Obamacare. RT if you want Congress to stop wasting time & focus on jobs. http://t.co/6lsV5vsbLX
—
Niki Tsongas (@nikiinthehouse) July 17, 2013****
Sen. Elizabeth Warren embraces Richard Cordray following a statement by President Barack Obama on Cordray’s confirmation as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, July 17
****
Happy 95th Birthday Nelson Mandela!
****
The Obama Diary 
You must be logged in to post a comment.