Iowa Caucuses

15 years ago today, our campaign won the Iowa caucuses. I’ll always be grateful to the people who organized across the state, and built the relationships that made it all possible.

I recently sat down with six organizers to talk about that time and what they’ve been up to since. pic.twitter.com/2fghTvMdLn

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 3, 2023

Iowa Caucus: 10 Years

On the 10 year anniversary of Barack Obama's win in the Iowa Caucus, read this amazing oral history of that victory by former Obama Iowa staffer @ChrisWestefeld https://t.co/S6lYX1N6M9

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 3, 2018

Obama on January 3, 2008 vs Trump on January 3, 2018 pic.twitter.com/qGCcQEiqQs

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 3, 2018

❤️

The Joyful Gatecrash

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Iowa Caucus: WELP

Congratulations to Ted Cruz on winning the critically important primary state that also gave us President Santorum and President Huckabee.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) February 2, 2016

"No one thought we could get 3rd place!" Actually, everyone thought you would get 3rd place. And you did!

— John Legend (@johnlegend) February 2, 2016

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RUBIO just now: "So this is the moment they said would never happen.”

OBAMA '08 Iowa speech opener: "They said this day would never come."

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 2, 2016

The thing is, only one of these guys won Iowa...https://t.co/fQJygxfbMd

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 2, 2016

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https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/694360553909678081

https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/694358769803751424

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https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/694362182104911872

"This is the moment they said would never happen." -- Marco Rubio on finishing 3rd

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 2, 2016

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IRONY. 😂😂😂

“No one remembers who came in second.” – Walter Hagen

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2014

Rise And Shine

President Barack Obama browses crafts and antiques at Grasshoppers store in LeClaire, Iowa, Aug. 16, 2011, during a three-day bus tour in the Midwest. Photo by Pete Souza

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We’ve lost a champion. Rest in power, Julian. http://t.co/dTGmRcfOmD #JulianBond pic.twitter.com/pN3RwcVlbz

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) August 16, 2015

Devastated to hear about Julian Bond's passing. He was true American hero, champion of civil rights #RIP pic.twitter.com/pf14bYiuI4

— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) August 16, 2015

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SPLCenter: We’ve Lost A Champion

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of legendary civil rights activist Julian Bond, SPLC’s first president. He was 75 years old and died last evening, August 15, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. From his days as the co-founder and communications director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s to his chairmanship of the NAACP in the 21st century,

Julian was a visionary and tireless champion for civil and human rights. He served as the SPLC’s president from our founding in 1971 to 1979, and later as a member of its board of directors. With Julian’s passing, the country has lost one of its most passionate and eloquent voices for the cause of justice. He advocated not just for African Americans, but for every group, indeed every person subject to oppression and discrimination, because he recognized the common humanity in us all

More here

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Breaking: Administration to restore Pell grants for prison inmates in effort to cut recidivism. http://t.co/uY4v2B3boZ via @WSJ

— Andrew Cohen (@JustADCohen) July 27, 2015

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WSJ: Pell Grants To Be Restored For Prisoners

The Obama administration plans to restore federal funding for prison inmates to take college courses. The plan would allow potentially thousands of inmates in the U.S. to gain access to Pell grants, the main form of federal aid for low-income college students. The grants cover up to $5,775 a year in tuition, fees, books and other education-related expenses. Prisoners received $34 million in Pell grants in 1993, according to figures the Department of Education provided to Congress at the time.

But a year later, Congress prohibited state and federal prison inmates from getting Pell grants as part of broad anticrime legislation, leading to a sharp drop in the number of in-prison college programs. Between the mid-1990s and 2013, the U.S. prison population doubled to about 1.6 million inmates, many of them repeat offenders, Justice Department figures show. A 2013 study by the Rand Corp. found that inmates who participated in education programs, including college courses, had significantly lower odds of returning to prison than inmates who didn’t.

More here

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"By launching a self-defeating jihad against Obama" Netanyahu has ensured that no one will listen to a word he sayshttp://t.co/50w4zWEyoe

— Chemi Shalev (@ChemiShalev) August 15, 2015

https://twitter.com/andendall/status/632188177046990848

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If "All Lives Matter," then why don't we have Universal Healthcare? And why are prisons privatized? And why are there still homeless people?

— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) August 15, 2015

Tomorrow's mag: Feidin Santana filmed the death of Walter Scott. Now he fears for his own safety. He tells his story pic.twitter.com/r54NWJNMUs

— Guardian Saturday (@GdnSaturday) August 14, 2015

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"I have not forgiven."—Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, on justice: http://t.co/9kXAIFlUS6 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/y853MoXzII

— The Cut (@TheCut) August 13, 2015

Missouri cop brags about spending his "annual Michael Brown bonus" on vacation http://t.co/csubGtSjO3 pic.twitter.com/RNHfwCZR7c

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) August 15, 2015

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BOOM

https://twitter.com/thinkbri/status/613430475844100096

WATCH: British reporter in Ferguson finds whites openly carrying rifles and peaceful blacks being arrested http://t.co/wJXD1IMobd Amerikkka.

— Propane Jane™ 🔥💣 (@docrocktex26) August 11, 2015

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Double BOOM

https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/611583638707146753

https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/611584465047916545

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SHOCKER: Bush lied about meeting with #BlackLivesMatter in Nevada.http://t.co/AOvqnkl3q5@dliebelson pic.twitter.com/6fC5zaagXM

— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) August 14, 2015

Here's where we were wrong: we thought George was Fredo, when all along Jeb was Fredo.

— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) August 14, 2015

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Monticello’s whitewashed version of history http://t.co/qbiIbpJOnc

— Alycee (@jazziz2) August 15, 2015

The Formula:

1) Refuse to acknowledge or credit black contributions to America
2) Loudly assert that blacks have done nothing for America

— Absurdistwords (@absurdistwords) August 14, 2015

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The Formula:

1) Detain black person for nothing
2) Define their demands for cause as "resisting arrest"
3) Kill them.

— Absurdistwords (@absurdistwords) August 14, 2015

The Formula:

1) Refuse to hire blacks
2) Refuse to sell blacks land
3) Blame blacks for being unemployed and poor.

— Absurdistwords (@absurdistwords) August 14, 2015

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The Formula:

1) Say blacks are criminals
2) Criminalize blackness
3) Arrest Blacks disproportionally
4) Use arrests to prove point 1

— Absurdistwords (@absurdistwords) August 14, 2015

The "Black Code" laws sought to make blackness illegal. To make "black" synonymous with "con" and "criminal".

— Absurdistwords (@absurdistwords) August 14, 2015

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President Barack Obama has breakfast with small business owners at Rausch’s Cafe in Guttenberg, Iowa, during a three-day bus tour in the Midwest, Aug.16, 2011. Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama signs H.R. 2097, the Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coin Act, at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Aug. 16, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza

Television microphones hang in the air as the media listens in while a Park Ranger explains the site to President Barack Obama and family during a tour of the Grand Canyon on Aug. 16, 2009. Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama looks at the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Aug. 16, 2009. Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama talks with people at Grasshoppers store in LeClaire, Iowa, Aug. 16, 2011, during a three-day bus tour in the Midwest. Photo by Pete Souza

Chat Away

President Barack Obama (hand, at right) greets members of the U.S. Coast Guard after making a statement at the U.S. Coast Guard Panama City District Office, Panama City, Fla, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus hold a roundtable discussion with business owners and officials at the United States Coast Guard district office in Panama City, Fla., Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama has a beer with patrons at the Pump Haus Pub and Grill in Waterloo, Iowa, Aug. 14, 2012. Photo by Pete Souza

Smile Into The Night

 

A Tweet Or Two

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Tomorrow, President Obama's helping more #FamiliesSucceed by expanding access to paid leave: http://t.co/eDJvjx7JGk pic.twitter.com/EViNo69KcU

— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) January 14, 2015

Just announced on @LinkedIn: President Obama will take action to expand access to paid sick leave → http://t.co/eDJvjx7JGk #FamiliesSucceed

— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) January 14, 2015

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"I owe it all to community college." —@TomHanks on the importance of #FreeCommunityCollege: http://t.co/XiDyBmiVW5 #ReachHigher

— First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) January 14, 2015

I may go back to college! See you there??? Hanx. http://t.co/Af8rLaaZ6m

— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) January 14, 2015

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Paid leave should be a worker's right not a privilege. Check out my post on POTUS' new steps to help #FamiliesSucceed http://t.co/rVk7nAViQS

— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) January 14, 2015

Pres. Obama to direct federal agencies to give at least 6 weeks paid maternity leave to all federal employees - @devindwyer

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 14, 2015

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Governor O’Malley at the Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention

 Gov. Martin O’Malley at today’s Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention – excerpts:

…. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of the cynicism. I’ve had enough of the apathy. I’ve had enough of us giving in to self-pity, small solutions and low expectations of one another.

Let’s remember who we are.

For 235 years, we have been the country that thrilled the world – and led the world – over and over again, in large part, by making ourselves stronger at home.

Don’t you think it’s time to do it again?

The patriots who made America great – did not pray for their president to fail, they prayed for their president to succeed.

Our founders didn’t belittle science and learning; they aspired to it.

They didn’t appeal to America’s fears; they inspired American courage.

And they would never — ever — abandon the war on poverty in order to declare a war on women,… a war on workers,… a war on immigrants,… a war on the sick,… and a war on hungry children.

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The patriots who made America great did not pray for their president to fail, they prayed for their president to succeed. #IADems

— Martin O’Malley (@GovernorOMalley) June 21, 2014

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America is the greatest job-generating, opportunity-expanding nation ever created in the history of the free world.

But America cannot serve our children’s needs if our Republican brothers and sisters in Congress keep shutting us down and selling us short.

As Democrats – as Americans – we have an urgent responsibility today.

It’s about jobs.

It’s about a stronger middle class.

And it’s about giving our children a better future now.

The truth is, after Hoover, America needed Roosevelt. After Eisenhower, we needed Kennedy. After Reagan, we needed Clinton…

And after eight miserable years of George W. Bush, America needed Barack Obama.

No President since FDR inherited a worse economy, bigger job losses, as many wars, or as large a deficit as President Obama.

Thanks to his leadership – and to the leadership of Sen. Harkin and Congressional Democrats – America is moving forward again.

This month – our 51st month in a row of positive private sector job growth – the United States created 217,000 new jobs.

Job growth exceeded 200,000 for the fourth straight month last month, and businesses have now added over a million jobs so far this year.

But urgent work remains to be done.

And the cynical few who have hacked our democracy are digging in.

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Our founders didn’t belittle science and learning; they aspired to it. They didn’t appeal to America’s fears; they inspired courage #IADems

— Martin O’Malley (@GovernorOMalley) June 21, 2014

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