“It’s Because Of Whiteness”

A lot of “majorities” aren’t educated that their financial advantage isn’t because of their investments. It’s because of whiteness.

Let me show you how: https://t.co/SvLMWWBIZ3

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

First of all, of you live in a home in a black neighborhood, it’s worth, on average, $48,000 less than an identical home in an identical white neighborhood.

Part of this is because of the history of redlining and it’s partly because white people just don’t want to live around us

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that all things are equal. Simply because you are awhite homeowner, you now have $48,000 in equity that a black homeowner doesn’t have.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

We know that schools are funded by property taxes. So, if you’re white, your kids get to go to a better school. This has nothing to do with your “investments.”
It’s white privileged.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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So, of course, the white districts are considered better because they had higher scores, more college attendees and more programs.

But the advantages were built in.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

But let’s get back to home ownership. When those white kids got a chance to go to college, their parents could use that $48,000 in equity to pay for college while black students had to take out loans.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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But let’s say both kids graduated from college.

I mentioned a study by @theSBPC yesterday. The study was really incredible in revealing institutional racism.

Here’s what they did.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

They created a profile of a student. 24 yrs old, recent college grad making $50,000 per year. The only difference was that they went to different institutions. They went ONLINE to refinance their loans

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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The study found that kids who went to majority black schools were charged higher rates than any other group—even though their credit, income, jones etc were IDENTICAL.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

So now you’re a black college grad with more debt than a white student. Regardless of what you do, if you’re black, it’s impossible to avoid. So, what happens?

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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Part of your credit score calculates debt. So, simply being black—NOTHING ELSE —means you have a higher credit score.

But now you need a car. Remember, your debt is already higher bc you’re black

Well, @CRLONLINE found that auto lenders charge black borrowers higher rates

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

Now car lenders might say that blacks have lower credit scores but we know why that is. Instead of looking at payment history and income, they compound the problem.

In 2018, congress eased rules making it easier for car lenders to discriminate

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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So you have a car, an education and you want to buy a home.

In 2018, @reveal did a study. They didn’t look at a group@of black borrowers v whites. They essentially looked at the govt data from every mortgage over a decade—31 million loans

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

They found that black borrowers were denied at 3 times the rate of white borrowers and ALWAYS got higher interest rates.

But, according to some people “minorities” need to study investment.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

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Add that with double the unemployment rate, fewer educational resources, higher car insurance rates and tithes and offering, you see that black people’s lack@of upward mobility has nothing to do@with buying Jordans and sipping Hennessy (although Hennessy is, objectively trash)

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

And white people’s advantages have nothing to do with their investment knowledge or hard work.

It’s built into the system. And no amount of after-school programs or charity can fix a SYSTEM that is built to perpetuate inequality.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) February 24, 2020

Welcome Home, President And First Lady!

The President and the Sergeant: Six Years, Six Meetings

Today: President Obama greets Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg, alongside his father Craig, during a visit to Remsburg’s new home in Gilbert, Arizona (Photo by Doug Mills)

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Washington Post (2013): They were introduced near Omaha Beach in France in 2009, when Sergeant Remsburg was part of a select Army Ranger group chosen to re-enact a parachute drop for celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II.

Four months later, on Oct. 1 2009, Sergeant Remsburg was face down in a canal near Kandahar, thrown by the force of a quarter-ton roadside bomb, shrapnel penetrating his brain and right eye. He spent the next three months in a coma, through operations at military hospitals in Afghanistan, Germany and Bethesda, Md., outside Washington. Through the winter of 2010, he was at a veterans’ hospital in Tampa, Fla., where he slowly regained consciousness. In April 2010, he returned to Bethesda for surgery to rebuild his skull.

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Their second meeting came less than a year later at a military hospital outside Washington, where Mr. Obama was stunned to see among the wounded troops from Afghanistan a familiar young man — now brain-damaged, a track of fresh stitches across his skull, and partly paralyzed…..

…. the President came for his annual physical and to visit patients. Entering a hospital room, he saw a photo on the wall — of himself and Sergeant Remsburg in Normandy — and did a double take, looking at the broken man lying there, and again at the strapping soldier in the frame.

“Cory still couldn’t speak, but he looked me in the eye,” the president said later. “He lifted his arm, and he shook my hand firmly. And when I asked how he was feeling, he held up his hand, pulled his fingers together and gave a thumbs up.”

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The third meeting was in a private visit in Phoenix, where Sergeant Remsburg did something that neither Mr. Obama nor military doctors would once have predicted: he stood up and saluted his commander in chief.

There was more. Grasping his walker, “Cory took a step, then another, and then another,” Mr. Obama said later, “all the way across the room.”

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In 2014, Sgt Remsburg was a guest of the President at the State of the Union

“I first met Cory Remsburg, a proud Army Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Along with some of his fellow Rangers, he walked me through the program – a strong, impressive young man, with an easy manner, sharp as a tack. We joked around, and took pictures, and I told him to stay in touch.

A few months later, on his tenth deployment, Cory was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. His comrades found him in a canal, face down, underwater, shrapnel in his brain.

For months, he lay in a coma. The next time I met him, in the hospital, he couldn’t speak; he could barely move. Over the years, he’s endured dozens of surgeries and procedures, and hours of grueling rehab every day.

Even now, Cory is still blind in one eye.  He still struggles on his left side.  But slowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his dad Craig, and the community around him, Cory has grown stronger. Day by day, he’s learned to speak again and stand again and walk again – and he’s working toward the day when he can serve his country again.

“My recovery has not been easy,” he says. “Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.”

Cory is here tonight.  And like the Army he loves, like the America he serves, Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg never gives up, and he does not quit.”

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Army Ranger Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg is applauded by his father Craig Remsburg, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during President Obama’s remarks at the 70th French-American Commemoration D-Day Ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today

AZCentral: An ongoing physical recovery, a new home custom-made for his needs – the only other thing that would really make Cory Remsburg’s day was a visit from the president.

That’s just what happened Friday afternoon … which brought the sixth meeting between the former soldier and the commander-in-chief.

After a visit to Phoenix’s VA hospital, President Obama’s motorcade took an unscheduled detour, heading toward Gilbert and pulling up in front of Remsburg’s newly remodeled home.

… As the motorcade pulled out of Gilbert, Remsburg said the visit was “Completely unexpected,” and “very cool.”

“I’m just a sergeant first class,” he said. “I’m no big deal. He’s the commander-in-chief. He’s a very big deal.”

More here

The home came to Remsburg from Homes for Wounded Warriors, the charity started by NFL player Jared Allen. The organization aims to remodel homes for the most severely disabled veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. (More here)

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President Obama visits with Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg and family members at his newly finished home in Gilbert, Arizona, March 13, 2015 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Rise and Shine

President Obama joins in singing “Sweet Home Chicago” during the “In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” concert in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today (all times Eastern):

10:0: President Obama meets with the Dalai Lama

11:15: Attends the Democratic Governors Association Meeting, State Dining Room

1:15 Press briefing by Jay Carney

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Michael Tomasky: Obamacare Wins on Specifics

If Republicans can keep discussion around the Affordable Care Act vague, they’ll win in the midterms. The party of health care should collect stories of success and confront the party of no.

The big electoral question hanging over Democrats, of course, is what to do about Obamacare this fall. The pundits say: It’s death! The Democrats are gonna get killed. The Democratic consultants advise their candidates to be as mealy-mouthed as they can possibly get away with being and change the topic as quickly as possible.

The pundits might end up being right after all the votes are counted. But I say the quickest way for Democrats to guarantee that the pundits end up being right is to take their consultants’ advice and pussy-foot around the issue. Democrats who do that will be hoping they sound “reasonable,” but what they’ll really be sounding, and everyone will hear it, is timorous, callow, and totally without conviction. If Democrats are going to say they support the ACA at all—and most of them are going to have to—they might as well do it in a full-throttle and in-your-face way. And they can. The material is there if they just have the onions to use it.

More here

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More than $200 a month in savings: #ThisIsWhy the Affordable Care Act matters to Jake. http://t.co/Tcen2Ic1Dw pic.twitter.com/zDL7W0IaYw

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 20, 2014

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Steve Benen: A closer look at latest ACA ‘horror story’

It’s hard to miss the pattern: the right identifies an “Obamacare victim,” who receives a fair amount of attention and finds themselves featured in a misleading attack ad. Soon after, reality sets in – the ACA “horror story” draws closer scrutiny and the story turns out to be quite different than the one first presented to the public.

I tried to keep up with all of them for a while, but I’ve literally lost count of how many times this has happened.

The new one is an attack ad in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, sponsored by the Koch-financed Americans for Prosperity, featuring a woman named Julia Boonstra….

More here

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Help tell the story of how the Affordable Care Act is working for Americans: http://t.co/bc8iVNTwLY

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 20, 2014

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Jonathan Bernstein: Catch of the Day: Republicans Fire, and Miss, at Obamacare

Kevin Drum at Mother Jones asks the obvious question about yet another overinflated or inaccurate Obamacare sob story from Republicans, in this case, from an advertisement produced by Americans for Prosperity:

So here’s my question: if this is the best AFP can do, does that mean that no one is truly being harmed by Obamacare? … If this is happening to a lot of people, finding a dozen or so of them shouldn’t be hard. But apparently it is. So maybe it’s not actually happening to very many people at all?

…. It’s not as if the occasional Obamacare horror story turns out to be exaggerated; every single one propagated by Republicans has fallen apart under scrutiny.

…. The lesson for the press? If you want a nice, easy, debunking story, focus on Republican claims about Obamacare.

Full post here

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FACT: Under President Obama, we’ve reduced the deficit by more than half. http://t.co/eG1xu4PuZa, pic.twitter.com/vCP36dKjkv

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 20, 2014

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Steve Benen: Obama moves away from chained CPI

Last spring, President Obama signaled to congressional Republicans that he was serious about a long-term debt-reduction deal. GOP leaders made it explicitly clear: if the White House really wants a deal, Obama will have to accept a change to how Social Security benefits are calculated – a policy called “chained CPI,” in reference to the Consumer Price Index.

To the severe disappointment of his progressive allies and Democratic base, the president agreed, including chained CPI in his budget as a demonstration of his commitment…

In theory, this was poised to be a breakthrough moment for a bipartisan debt-reduction agreement. But in practice, the president’s effort was for naught …. A year later, the president has decided there’s no point in offering Republicans what they want if they’re not prepared to take “yes” for an answer – Obama’s new budget plan drops chained CPI.

More here

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John Boehner: “I’d commit suicide before I vote on a clean minimum-wage bill.” No, really: http://t.co/xF8JGMOUie

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) February 21, 2014

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THEY’RE LISTENING: We’re in talks with Facebook to #EndFacebookGunShows for good. Keep up the good work!

— Moms Demand Action (@MomsDemand) February 21, 2014

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I’m working on a Buzzfeed list of the top 50 states in no particular order.

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) February 20, 2014

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On This Day:

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama cheer during their daughter Sasha Obama’s basketball game, Feb. 21, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama smile as they walk through the crowd at the Governors Ball in the State Dining Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

Pete Souza: “The President and First Lady were dancing along to the music of the Harry Connick, Jr., Big Band at the Governors Ball. Mrs. Obama turned towards me and, for one split second, looked right at me. Usually I strive to capture moments when the subjects are unaware of the camera. But this an exception where I actually liked that she was looking at me.” Feb. 21, 2010

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama applaud the performance of Harry Connick Jr. and the Big Band during the Governors Ball in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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President Obama gestures during a meeting in the Oval Office, Feb. 21, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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President Obama reads a document in the Oval Office, Feb. 21, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama and VP Biden following remarks on the extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, Feb 21 2012

Mick Jagger performs “I Can’t Turn You Loose” during the “In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” concert in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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MoooOOOooorning everyone, I ran out of news-gathering time again, will catch up later. Happy Friday!

Pure Gold

First Lady Michelle Obama by Alexei Hay for Ladies Home Journal Dec 2013/Jan 2014

‘Walk a Day in my Shoes’

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Valerie Jarrett: Today POTUS called Pauline Beck to tell her the home care rule has been finalized—in 07’ he took a walk in her shoes

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Reuters: Obama to extend wage law to cover two million home care aides

The Obama administration said on Tuesday it will extend the protection of U.S. minimum wage and overtime law to almost 2 million home health workers who assist the elderly and disabled.

Home health aides, personal care aides and certified nursing assistants will be brought under the coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act, effective in January 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor said in a statement.

“Today we are taking an important step toward guaranteeing that these professionals receive the wage protections they deserve while protecting the right of individuals to live at home,” said Thomas Perez, who was sworn in on September 4 as President Barack Obama’s new labor secretary.

More here

This and That

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Tuesday (all times Eastern):

10:10 AM: President Obama departs the White House

1:40 PM: Arrives in Phoenix

2:10: Tours Erickson Construction

3:05: Delivers remarks

4:10: Departs Phoenix

6:25: Arrives in Los Angeles

7:30: Tapes an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

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Fantastic article by @IgorVolsky. Don’t believe the hysteria about #ObamaCare premium spikes. http://t.co/Sk3FZaoX02

— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) August 5, 2013

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BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. This is the ObamaCare subsidy calculator. It should be your best friend for the next six months. http://t.co/HUyVlfeZey

— YeaYouRite (@YeaYouRite) August 5, 2013

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By now, you may have heard of the campaign to undermine Obamacare that the conservative group FreedomWorks is running. If not, read Sarah Kliff’s article on it in the Washington Post. The article will take you inside the “Obamacare resistance,” as she calls it, where leaders are printing up fake Obamacare cards and urging young people to burn them in protest. The idea is to undermine the law: If only older and sicker people sign up for coverage in large numbers, then insurers will have to raise premiums, increasing costs for the govenrment and for those who buy without subsidies.

More here

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For President Obama’s birthday, @OFA spent the day spreading the facts about #Obamacare: http://t.co/Z4n3tqOyYV

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 6, 2013

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President Obama walks with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on the South Grounds of the White House, Aug. 5 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Congress needs to #StandWithOurFuture and pass comprehensive immigration reform. Show your support: http://t.co/E4ethHTSfJ

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 5, 2013

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USA Today: President Obama, who has addressed VFW and American Legion conventions over the years, will speak this week to an extra-special group of veterans: The disabled.

Organizers of the Disabled American Veterans National Convention in Orlando announced Monday that Obama will address their group on Saturday.

First lady Michelle Obama will introduce her husband.

More here

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More than 10,000 at Moral Monday today in NC. Folks are mad as hell and are standing up for their rights. pic.twitter.com/SX3gs1oGXX

— Donna NoShock (@NoShock) August 5, 2013

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Zillow

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@AmbassadorRice @AmbassadorPower @UN @twitter You two ladies inspire me. Thank you for your service to our great President Obama.

— LiberalPhenom (@LiberalPhenom) August 5, 2013

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NYT: Someone Tell Cantor: The Deficit Is Shrinking

On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace asked Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, for a preview of what will happen the next time Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling. It was a remarkable exchange, in part because Mr. Cantor made a remarkable error.

…. For your convenience, we’ve highlighted the mistake. Mr. Cantor appeared to be defending his party’s shenanigans by arguing that the “ultimate problem” is the “growing deficit.” The thing is, the deficit is not growing. It is shrinking.

More here

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Better RNC debate plan. Held in hermetically sealed Fox studio. Avoid exposing swing voters to Crazy S*#t My Nominee Says.

— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: Florida’s Scott readies second ‘disgusting’ voter purge

The voting process in Florida last year was a national disgrace, which was unfortunately the result of a deliberate scheme – state Republican policymakers closed the early-voting window, cracked down on voter-registration drives, and created painfully long voting lines, especially for minorities and the poor.

But that’s not all they did.

Last summer, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) launched an aggressive voter purge, which he claimed was necessary to remove non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls. As we discussed at the time, this too was a fiasco …. in an unfortunate twist, Rick Scott apparently enjoys this disaster so much, he’s ready to do it again.

More here

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@WhiteHouse

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Charles Pierce: The Rugged Rhetoric Of Reince Priebus

Obvious anagram Reince Priebus, figurehead high priest of the Silly Party, has decided to butch himself up again.

…. Reince is never more adorable than when he pretends he is an Important Person Of Influence. Really. It’s like watching a toddler in a Mark Hanna suit.

Read here

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Peter King worries Rand Paul presidential run would “set Rs back 50 yrs.” Wrong. There’s no indication Paul would improve the GOP that much.

— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: The wrong message for the wrong issue

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1 yr today a white supremacist killed 6 Sikhs at a temple in WI. That incident should be remembered w other massacres like Newtown & Aurora

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 5, 2013

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Steve Benen: Can a president be a radical socialist and a Wall Street shill?

….. Republicans can tell Americans that President Obama is a radical socialist who hates free-enterprise capitalism, or they can tell us he’s a Wall Street shill, but when they make both arguments at the same time, it’s awfully difficult to take them seriously. Indeed, it reinforces the thesis that, even now, the right still doesn’t know how it wants to criticize the president.

But I also believe there’s another angle to this to keep in mind.

For good or ill, Obama has gone to extraordinary lengths to try to reach compromises with congressional Republicans, frequently offering to accept GOP policy goals that congressional Democrats find abhorrent.

But because so many congressional Republicans have become post-policy nihilists, GOP officials not only reject attempts at compromise, they often announce their opposition to whatever it was they urged Obama to do in the first place.

More here

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I’ll Stop Writing About Glenn Greenwald’s NSA Coverage When He Stops Lying http://t.co/A9eGXuB3O3

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) August 5, 2013

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Random pic from the last few days because, well, because:

President Obama boards Marine One to fly to Camp David on August 3 at Andrews Air Force Base

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As requested, my Storify: “Breaking [at]breakobama the Unmasking of a Twitter Thug” http://t.co/vSoQ6r8hc2

— Wieland (@lawscribe) August 5, 2013

I think I’ll have to marry @lawscribe. Well, just because…

— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 5, 2013

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I completely missed this …. Jim Messina will be working for David Cameron? Seriously? (Michael Tomasky)

This is almost as awful as the prospect of Wayne Rooney playing for Chelsea.

Oh, I need a brandy.

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Woah……

WP: The Washington Post Co. agreed Monday to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four generations.

Bezos, whose entrepreneurship has made him one of the world’s richest men, will pay $250 million in cash for The Post and affiliated publications to The Washington Post Co., which owns the newspaper and other businesses.

More here

James Fallows: Why the Sale of the Washington Post Seems So Significant – A moment that will define an era’s upheaval in journalism.

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Another exclusive™ from my break in the rain: I now know for certain that I am blood-related to my dog-nephew – he knows bay leaves are evil too. The leftovers from his dinner:

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A huuuuuuuuuuge PS:

Happy Birthday to the inspirational and very, very, very wonderful @GoBrooklyn – we love ya GB!

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) August 6, 2013

Home

An Image for the Ages

President Obama looks out of the “door of no return” during a tour of the ‘House of Slaves‘ on Goree Island

Rise and Shine

Three years ago today – Pete Souza: “Another snowstorm blanketed Washington for the second time in a few days. Because it was a Saturday, I hung around the White House thinking that the President might venture out in the snow with his daughters. Here they are playing in the Rose Garden in the midst of the storm.” Feb. 6, 2010

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Today:

9:50: President Obama departs the White House

10:10: Arrives in Annapolis, Md.

10:30: Attends the Senate Democratic Issues Conference

11:30: Jay Carney briefs the press

12:25: President Obama departs Annapolis

12:45: Arrives at the White House

2:0 Will announce nomination of Sally Jewell to head the Interior Department

4:0: Secretary of State John Kerry is ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Biden in Washington

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Washington Post: President Obama on Wednesday will nominate Recreational Equipment (REI) chief executive Sally Jewell to head the Interior Department….

The choice of Jewell, who began her career as an engineer for Mobil Oil and worked as a commercial banker before heading a nearly $2 billion outdoors equipment company, represents an unconventional choice for a post usually reserved for career politicians from the West.

But while she boasts less public policy experience than other candidates who had been under consideration, Jewell, who will have to be confirmed by the Senate, has earned national recognition for her management skills and support for outdoor recreation and habitat conservation.

More here

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OFA

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ThinkProgress: Endorsements from the National Rifle Association might be doing political candidates more harm than good, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling.

In a national survey, 39 percent of voters said that they are less likely to vote for a politician whose candidacy has garnered NRA backing. Only 26 percent believe they’re more likely to support such a candidate.

But more importantly, the number of independent voters are far less likely to see the NRA nod as a good thing: 41 percent say they’re inclined not to support a candidate who’s backed by the NRA…..

More here

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USA Today: President Obama will visit Israel this spring, though specific dates haven’t been nailed down.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama discussed the visit in a Jan. 28 phone call with newly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As part of the trip, Obama will also travel to the West Bank and Jordan.

More here

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Reuters: Home Depot Inc said it will hire 10,000 additional seasonal workers for its key spring selling season as it sees higher sales growth during the period.

The home-improvement retailer said it will hire 80,000 seasonal workers this year, 14 percent more than it hired last year.

More here

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Steve Benen – see here

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NYT: The flaws in the American election system are deep and widespread, extending beyond isolated voting issues in a few locations and flaring up in states rich and poor, according to a major new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The group ranked all 50 states based on more than 15 criteria, including wait times, lost votes and problems with absentee and provisional ballots, and the order often confounds the conventional wisdom.

In 2010, for instance, Mississippi ranked last over all. But it was preceded by two surprises: New York and California.

More here

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ThinkProgress: During the November 2012 election, Black and Hispanic voters waited nearly twice as long to vote as whites, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis. New York Times graphs summarizing the analysis show that white voters waited an average of 12.7 minutes, while Black and Hispanic voters waited an average of 20.2 minutes

More here

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TPM: When President Obama won in November the electorate also rendered a verdict on the priorities of the two major political parties. Democrats, most voters believe, are more concerned with the plight of the middle class than Republicans, who ran on a platform of actually lowering income taxes on wealthy Americans.

In the intervening months, Republican operatives have become practitioners of a new kind of alchemy, attempting with little success to convince voters that the right’s long-standing agenda is actually an array of policies that coincidentally meets the needs of the middle class.

Enter House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who’s hit upon a new plan. If you can’t turn lead into gold, go out and buy some gold paint.

More here

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Thank you LovelyPlains!

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NYT: Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who lived for decades with a stunning secret — that she was the interracial daughter of Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a former segregationist who never acknowledged her publicly as his child — died Monday in a nursing home near Columbia, S.C. She was 87.

Strom Thurmond never publicly acknowledged that he was Ms. Washington-Williams’s father.

Six months after her father died at age 100 as the longest-serving senator in history, Ms. Washington-Williams broke her silence.

“My father’s name was James Strom Thurmond,” she said at a news conference in a hotel ballroom in Columbia on Dec. 17, 2003

More here

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I hooted, in a loud snorty kind of way:

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And now that Dick Morris is leaving Fox, it’s a good time to recall what a brilliant political-predicting-pundit he was:

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MooOOOOooOOOOooorning!