Posts Tagged ‘Ireland
Michelle And Kimmel
Tags: #IAmBecoming, #WafflesAndMochi, Barack Obama, becoming, Book Tour, Coronavirus, COVID-19, First Lady, food, interview, Ireland, kids, Malia, Michelle, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama Podcast, netflix, nutrition, Obama, Pandemic, podcast, Quarantine, Sasha, white house
From The White House To Moneygall
Tags: Barack Obama, Ireland, moneygall, Obama, Political And Funny Tweets, President, Saint Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day, tweets
In 2011, I visited the tiny town of Moneygall and got to walk around in the house where my great-great-great grandfather Falmouth Kearney lived his early life. I'll always be grateful for the warmth and generosity of the Irish people. Happy St. Patrick's Day! -Barack O’Bama pic.twitter.com/abDtarFbR5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 17, 2019
The Vice President and President’s Day
Tags: #Brexit, Barack Obama, dublin, europe, facebook, Global Entrepreneurship Summit, google, interview, Ireland, Joe Biden, lgbt, Mark Zuckerberg, National Monuments, panel, president obama, Stanford University, Stonewall, Taoiseach Kenny, Valarie Jarrett, Vice President Biden
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Vice President Joe Biden tours the Kilmainham Prison, where many of those who participated in the Easter Rising in 1916 were held, in Dublin, Ireland, June 23, 2016. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
Vice President Joe Biden and grandson Hunter Biden tour one of the cells in Kilmainham Prison, where many of those who participated in the Easter Rising in 1916 were held, in Dublin, Ireland, June 23, 2016. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
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.@ancestry is chronicling the @VP‘s trip through Ireland, too! Follow along: https://t.co/APw6JPUQW7 #BidenInIreland pic.twitter.com/cVXnFkbzy4
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 22, 2016
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Final lineup @castledublin with @VP: music by @white_mice @MundyIrl @SeoLinn @thechieftains & speakers Jim Sheridan @moninne @MichaelNBarron
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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He was speaking to me at @tcddublin where he has just received an honorary doctorate for his work. pic.twitter.com/1rvAivjB2A
— Will Goodbody (@willgoodbody) June 24, 2016
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.@VP Biden arriving to receive his honorary doctorate,@tcddublin says”he is a revered hero & a dear friend” @rtenews pic.twitter.com/P33YU8Ukgf
— Caitriona Perry (@CaitrionaPerry) June 24, 2016
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Mary Robinson, Chancellor of @tcddublin confers an honorary law doctorate on @VP Biden. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/WjqE25Ldfm
— Caitriona Perry (@CaitrionaPerry) June 24, 2016
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“Honored to be speaking to the brightest young minds in the world” – @VP Biden @tcddublin @VPLive #bideninireland pic.twitter.com/i1a9Tus3Xy
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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“America’s special bond with the United Kingdom runs deep and it will endure.” – @VP at @tcddublin pic.twitter.com/dFsGmxAKOD
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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Speaking at Trinity College Dublin, Joe Biden says America’s ‘special bond’ with the UK will endure #Brexithttps://t.co/h1VajW0hx9
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 24, 2016
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The world’s at an inflection point, Joe Biden says in Trinity, making a stirring appeal for history-bending optimism https://t.co/fs9mNdfDHl
— The University Times (@universitytimes) June 24, 2016
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Vice President Joe Biden looks at James Joyce manuscripts in the Trinity College Library, in Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 2016. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
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Vice President Joe Biden and his grandchildren tour the Trinity College Library, in Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 2016. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
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We are underway at Dublin Castle! #bideninireland pic.twitter.com/DqbYRng9Gv
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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Mundy keeps the crowd at Dublin Castle entertained in the rain,waiting on @VP Biden. Watch live @RTENewsNow @rtenews pic.twitter.com/Rku3NFXD0s
— Caitriona Perry (@CaitrionaPerry) June 24, 2016
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.@SeoLinn‘s Irish roar at Dublin Castle waiting on @VP Biden. @rtenews #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/9rvzQHyD23
— Caitriona Perry (@CaitrionaPerry) June 24, 2016
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.@Moninne of @NWCI with powerful words on gender equality and LGBT rights #bideninireland pic.twitter.com/BIc1FhZ4uC
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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Sun is out at Dublin Castle! Next up – @mundyirl & @lynchsc #bideninireland pic.twitter.com/fy7tjQPq8F
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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LIVE on #Periscope: .@seolinn take to the stage #bideninireland https://t.co/dnYHOM2QQf
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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Oscar winning film director Jim Sheridan reflects on his time in the US with Ryan Tubridy #bideninireland pic.twitter.com/8V4KkSYmSr
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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LIVE on #Periscope: The Chieftans are our last act before @VP takes to the stage! https://t.co/RhA3tpNzxp
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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Taoiseach @EndaKennyTD on stage now #bideninireland pic.twitter.com/g7B5Ib22vd
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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LIVE on #Periscope: .@VP delivers remarks on the shared Irish American experience at Dublin Castle #BidenInIreland https://t.co/4V6wZIUYQY
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) June 24, 2016
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“A few days ago, three generations of my family walked along Garden street in Ballina, in Couty Mayo.” – @VP #BidenInIreland
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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“Every time I’d walk out the door, my grandfather Finnegan would say, ‘Joe, the best drop of blood in you is Irish.'” – @VP #BidenInIreland
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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“Our nations have always had a deep spark, linked in memory and imagination and joined by our histories & our futures.” –@VP #BidenInIreland
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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“We’re reminded that people everywhere share the same basic desire: A yearning to breathe free.” –@VP #BidenInIreland
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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“Terrible things have happened in both Ireland and America …But our nations are places where hope reigns.” –@VP #BidenInIreland
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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“Now, it’s up to us as nations where same-sex marriage is proudly legal, to stand up for our LGBT brothers & sisters.” –@VP #BidenInIreland
— VP Biden Live (@VPLive) June 24, 2016
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“…my grandfather Finnegan would say, ‘the best drop of blood in you is Irish.'” – @VP via @slynej #BidenInIreland pic.twitter.com/Ur6W1SdITe
— Ancestry (@ancestry) June 24, 2016
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Can’t read the closing from @VP‘s Dublin remarks without getting goosebumps. https://t.co/pSTGewBjJO #BidenInIreland pic.twitter.com/Wyv1485Xwe
— Lindsay Holst (@Holst44) June 24, 2016
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Yeah! Mission accomplished! Photo of @VP @JoeBiden with us @IrishGirlGuides members #bideninireland #Leadership pic.twitter.com/Ms2jlV51LR
— Jillian van Turnhout (@JillianvT) June 24, 2016
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Great to be at Dublin Castle to hear the @vp speak on our shared values & the shared Irish American experience pic.twitter.com/MvRHArClk9
— Kevin F. O’Malley (@USAmbIreland) June 24, 2016
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Learn about @VP‘s ties to the Blewitts of County Mayo, Ireland: https://t.co/31bJWyrRtG #BidenInIreland pic.twitter.com/vCKsjrncKY
— Ancestry (@ancestry) June 24, 2016
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We are kind of in love with this photo of @VP Joe Biden as a young boy. So dapper. #bideninireland #familyphotos pic.twitter.com/MnshdmCn5z
— Ancestry (@ancestry) June 24, 2016
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Getting the inside track… @michaeljkellyjr pic.twitter.com/ALpIz2Ld8O
— Siobhán Gallagher (@TweetsByShiv) June 24, 2016
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US VP Joe Biden has arrived at the @irlfunds 40th anniversary gala dinner at Trinity College. pic.twitter.com/gxyGzkK4TZ
— Caroline Kennedy (@CKennedyPR) June 24, 2016
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#IrelandFundsConf welcomes Vice President Joe Biden! #philanthropy #diaspora #Dublin pic.twitter.com/UCOL0e8kEx
— AmericanIrelandFund (@irlfunds) June 24, 2016
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Taoiseach @EndaKennyTD greets @VP Joe Biden on his arrival to the #IrelandFundsConf pic.twitter.com/qcRcw7W1hG
— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) June 24, 2016
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@EndaKennyTD kicking off 40th anniversary celebrations for @IrelandFundsYLs @irlfunds #IrelandFundsConf pic.twitter.com/raXD4w2C7Q
— Caitriona Fottrell (@cfottrell) June 24, 2016
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VP Joseph R Biden addresses guests with the boss @cfottrell @IrelandFundsYLs @irlfunds #IrelandFundsConf pic.twitter.com/TM36Pi7Znb
— Nicki Lynch (@NickiLync) June 24, 2016
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@JoeBiden is a rock star! What a great man. We are privileged @irlfunds @IrelandFundsYLs #IrelandFundsConf pic.twitter.com/sBThhecbh6
— Caitriona Fottrell (@cfottrell) June 24, 2016
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President Obama’s day started with the designation of Stonewall as a National Monument
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President Obama Designates Stonewall National Monument – Today, President Obama designated a new national monum… https://t.co/CCzDI7Uha2
— The White House Blog (@blog44) June 24, 2016
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Announcing a new national monument: Stonewall, the historic site in NYC to honor the movement for #LGBT equality: https://t.co/6BmIYyjNxw
— Kori Schulman (@ks44) June 24, 2016
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Nice feature on #LGBTQ @WhiteHouse colleagues. Very proud to work with these amazing people: https://t.co/CVaPW46Alh pic.twitter.com/eUD7s158KU
— Kori Schulman (@ks44) June 23, 2016
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Speaking at #GES2016, @POTUS offers a statement on yesterday’s UK referendum to leave the European Union. https://t.co/IdmA77uQUr
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 24, 2016
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Entrepreneurs, please join me at 1:45 pm ET in watching @POTUS remarks at @ges2016 here: https://t.co/ndFYMWAfbn pic.twitter.com/yFfuTkSob8
— Daymond John (@TheSharkDaymond) June 24, 2016
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“This is the place that made ‘nerd’ cool.” —@POTUS at @Stanford for #GES2016 https://t.co/pK7owIsgE1
— White House Live (@WHLive) June 24, 2016
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Barack Obama on Stanford and Silicon Valley, “one of the great hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship.” #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/NP21fZpLSf
— Stanford University (@Stanford) June 24, 2016
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.@POTUS launches the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative to bring 200 young Europeans to the U.S. https://t.co/aTEQijgUZ2
— Ben Rhodes (@rhodes44) June 24, 2016
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“We are very proud to announce that next year’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit will be hosted in India.” —@POTUS #GES2016
— White House Live (@WHLive) June 24, 2016
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In a networked world, cultures collide; entrepreneurs can lead us to a more peaceful, prosperous future. #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/0RQ1wiPvGL
— FSI Stanford (@FSIStanford) June 24, 2016
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We are better off in a world of networking & sharing ideas — you can help lead.—@POTUS to #entrepreneurs at #GES2016 https://t.co/pR0cxrWOub
— GES2016 (@ges2016) June 24, 2016
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President Obama and Mark Zuckerberg are live on Facebook right now from #GES2016. Tune in: https://t.co/HbQvi6mcPA pic.twitter.com/XUM2qmqAZ7
— Kori Schulman (@ks44) June 24, 2016
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Live at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit: @sundarpichai, @POTUS & @SiliconHBO https://t.co/OMWJh7UBGm #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/sC2UP7MWhz
— Google4Entrepreneurs (@GoogleForEntrep) June 24, 2016
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These 4 entrepreneurs will meet with @POTUS at 12:35pm PT. Watch live: https://t.co/m2UHPgV3Ev #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/PMplWAdUMo
— Google4Entrepreneurs (@GoogleForEntrep) June 24, 2016
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President Obama joined Google CEO @sundarpichai, MS ’95, to virtually meet entrepreneurs around the world. #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/g1V6eszBXx
— Stanford University (@Stanford) June 24, 2016
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.@POTUS on the delegates of #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/QMAxZwYwHp
— Google4Entrepreneurs (@GoogleForEntrep) June 24, 2016
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You heard it from @POTUS: The world needs more entrepreneurs. #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/ukdy39FILg
— Google4Entrepreneurs (@GoogleForEntrep) June 24, 2016
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Women, minorities haven’t always had same access to opportunities— “we can’t leave more than half the team on the bench” –@POTUS #GES2016
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) June 24, 2016
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Mark Zuckerberg: “If you do something good … eventually some portion of that good will come back to you.” #GES2016https://t.co/kLtXDxLFou
— Stanford University (@Stanford) June 24, 2016
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Mark Zuckerberg: “The most effective entrepreneurs care deeply about some mission.” #GES2016https://t.co/HudBlVTsHh
— Stanford University (@Stanford) June 24, 2016
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Obama: It’s important to be able to say, “We don’t know.” To be willing to test received wisdom. #GES2016 pic.twitter.com/Smt50Y8Z5O
— Stanford University (@Stanford) June 24, 2016
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Full Video of President Obama’s speech and panel discussion
#Brexit: The Consequences Of Xenophobic Nationalism
Tags: #Brexit, britain, economy, europe, European Union, immigration, Ireland, jobs, Political And Funny Tweets, racism, Referendum, Scotland, trade, tweets, United Kingdom, vote, voting, Xenophobia
Irony of the #Brexit vote is poor/working class whites convinced to vote #Leave through xenophobia will be the ones who suffer the most.
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
Poor folks voting for #Brexit is the equivalent of a Turkey voting for Thanksgiving. White Nationalists can never be accused of rationality.
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
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The trolls who are on here bragging about how you "beat the Globalists" should know that Globalization happens with or without you. #Brexit
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
Similar to folks here in the US who wanna "Make America Great Again" (go backwards) while the rest of the world leaves them behind. #Brexit
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
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Watching the reactions of white racists/nationalists on Twitter feels almost like you're watching a car crash in slow motion. #Brexit
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
My only question is now that they got their way who will #Brexit folks have left to blame once their conditions don't improve but worsen?
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
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Politicians who use fear/hate to advance their agendas usually reap the benefits. People who vote against their own interests don't. #Brexit
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
Predictably, after 17 million people vote #Leave, Nigel Farage basically admits the #Brexit campaign was a sham. https://t.co/5HYnSkWOdS
— #RIPBassemMasri 🙏 (@Delo_Taylor) June 24, 2016
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This is a superb comment on the Financial Times. Sums it up perfectly. pic.twitter.com/5i1uzWxUzi
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) June 24, 2016
A Leave voter on the BBC:
— Adam Sweeney (@AdamWSweeney) June 24, 2016
"I thought remain would win. I didn't think my vote would mean anything. I'm quite worried now."
Great. Thanks.
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Woman on Radio 4 who voted Leave. "I'm pleased. Don't think it'll effect us cause we're elderly. For the young people I'm not sure."
— Game of Throw-ins (@GameofThrowIns) June 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/MazMHussain/status/746196149816569857
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Scotland voted remain you incompressible jizztrumpet https://t.co/5irQhKxV3h
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) June 24, 2016
This is everything. @realDonaldTrump #Brexit pic.twitter.com/0NfdEvbYlr
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) June 24, 2016
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To anyone watching from the US - not a single person I know was voting Leave, and that still happened. Don't let it happen with Trump.
— Claire Greenway (@clairegreenway) June 24, 2016
#BREAKING EU chiefs say Britain must start exit process 'as soon as possible'
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 24, 2016
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Time for real talk. Economists favor more integration, not for the economic gains, but because it fosters peace, which is more valuable.
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) June 24, 2016
Christiane Amanpour explains how Brexit was fueled by "demagoguery, anti-immigration, xenophobia" https://t.co/dSuqoz2xsm
— Media Matters (@mmfa) June 24, 2016
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I don't get all these people expressing Bregrets NOW. What did they think they were doing when they voted?
— Lisa Tozzi (@lisatozzi) June 24, 2016
Waking up to a pound collapse and econ doom, Brits now frantically Googling to figure out what they've done. https://t.co/CLG93FsNJO
— Emo Desperado (@JoyAnnReid) June 24, 2016
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Nigel Farage is a scumbag
We're not often classier in America, but we usually give it at least 12 hours before doing a 180 on our worst lies. https://t.co/KhlrIFebUC
— man it’s a hot zone, (@Mobute) June 24, 2016
I'm already struggling with the smugness of Nigel Farage! We have not 'got our Country back' we have set it back, many many many years!
— Russ Haworth - Family Business Adviser (@RussHaworth) June 24, 2016
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Brexiteers like the cheating man shocked he can't stay in the spare room for 2 years while he sorts himself out. https://t.co/Xvjfr6ifPv
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 24, 2016
Congratulations exiters. Reverse is across and down, easy on the clutch.
— Hugh Laurie (@hughlaurie) June 24, 2016
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I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x
— James Corden (@JKCorden) June 24, 2016
"...and in the end, Britain, which had colonized the world, destroyed itself in fantasies that it was being colonized in turn" — historians.
— Ted Scheinman (@Ted_Scheinman) June 24, 2016
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https://twitter.com/BobbyBigWheel/status/746123611245846529
We must learn from brexit: Elderly xenophobes will lie to pollsters to hide their racist views, then vote for destructive policies anyway.
— anildash.com (@anildash) June 24, 2016
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You have to admire Leave Brits. They were so worried about immigrants ruining their economy than they preempted it by doing it themselves.
— Emile Hokayem اميل الحكيّم (@emile_hokayem) June 24, 2016
The President And First Lady’s Day
Tags: #LetsMove, Barack Obama, Biden, bloggers, enda, exercise, Fionnuala, Ireland, Joe, Joe Biden, kenny, Michelle, Michelle Obama, nutrition, Obama, obesity, Oval Office, Political And Funny Tweets, Prime Minister, speech, St. Patrick's Day, tweets, vp, white house
President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny shake hands during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House
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First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to leading parenting bloggers, online influencers, and content creators in the East Room. The First Lady hosted an event attended by about 150 people addressing the health of the nation’s kids as part of the “Let’s Move!” initiative
ObamaCare: Providing Women The Healthcare They Deserve
Tags: aca, birth control, contraception, contraceptives, face, healthcare, hug, hugging, hugs, insurance, Ireland, Obama, obamacare, obamacares, President
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White House: What You Need To Know About The New Contraception Guidance
It is crucial that insurance companies provide all the benefits that women deserve under the Affordable Care Act, at no cost or inconvenience. So this week, the Obama administration took steps to eliminate any ambiguity around the reforms the ACA calls for. Here is what the Administration’s guidance makes clear: Most insurers must cover, without cost-sharing, at least one form of contraception in each of the 18 methods for women that the FDA has identified, including the ring, the patch, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and birth control pills. Additionally, the Administration is making a few other things clear to protect important preventive services:
Insurers must cover preventive screening, genetic counseling, and genetic testing for women who are more likely to have a certain type of gene that puts them at increased risk for breast cancer, if deemed appropriate by their providers. Issuers cannot limit preventive services based on an individual’s sex assigned at birth, gender identity, or recorded gender. This will help ensure that transgender people receive the care they need. If a plan covers dependent children, companies must provide recommended women’s preventive services for those dependent children.
More here
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RT to spread the word about the new guidance for insurers on birth control → http://t.co/D6H0NrKfiJ #NWHW pic.twitter.com/5L0tJj7IhT
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) May 12, 2015
Great news!! The CBO reports the #Obamacare subsidies will cost 20% less over the next decade or $209B less than reported last year!!!
— Michael 🌊🇺🇦🌊🇺🇦 #BidenHarris (@mterr337) May 12, 2015
Éirinn go Brách
Tags: #ImmigrationAction, Barack Obama, Biden, Boehner, capitol, Congress, enda, friends, immigration, Immigration Reform, Ireland, irish, Joe, Joe Biden, kenny, King, Obama, Oval Office, peter, poetry, President, Prime Minister, St. Patrick's Day, vp
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President Barack Obama smiles as he walks down the steps of the Capitol with Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny after attending a “Friends of Ireland” luncheon
President Barack Obama holds a book of poetry given to him by Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny during their meeting in the Oval Office
Vice President Joe Biden listens during a meeting between President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, on St. Patrick’s Day in the Oval Office
Rise and Shine
Tags: 2014 Elections, Barack Obama, harvey, hud, immigration, Immigration Reform, Ireland, Michelle, Michelle Obama, milk, Minimum Wage, Netanyahu, Obama, obamacare, OMB, Political And Funny Tweets, President, race, racism, slavery, stamp, tweets
On This Day: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Henry Healy, the President’s distant cousin, after arriving in Moneygall, Ireland, May 23, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today
10:30 AM CT: The President departs Chicago
1:30 EDT: Arrives White House
3:0 EDT: Signs H.R. 1209, an act to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders for conducting the bombings of Tokyo, and H.R. 685, the American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act
3:30 EDT: The President will make a personnel announcement (see below)
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Ah, memories:
And the very lovely news: the video will be in the new Barack Obama Visitor Center in Moneygall – thank you Henry Healy!
(Not sure if the video is watchable in all YouTube regions??)
Remember, if you would like to send any election/inauguration items to Henry for the Visitor Center, just email me and I’ll pass on his address – thanks a gazillion for the wonderful response so far.
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This day 3 years ago I got to hang with @BarackObama in Moneygall, a day I won’t forget!! pic.twitter.com/PXqetrkGVH
— Henry Healy (@henryhealy) May 23, 2014
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USA Today: Obama’s day: A new budget director, housing secretary
President Obama pulls a Cabinet switch on Friday.
The president will nominate Shaun Donovan, now the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to be the new director of the Office of Management and Budget.
To replace Donovan as HUD secretary, Obama will nominate San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro.
Obama will make the announcements on Friday afternoon, after he returns to the White House from Chicago. The president spent Thursday night in the Windy City after headlining a pair of Democratic fundraisers.
More here
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Sun Times: Obama in Chicago: “I need a Democratic Senate” (Transcript)
At the first of two fundraisers in Chicago on Thursday, President Barack Obama told donors “I need a Democratic Senate” or else his agenda for the last two terms of his term – including immigration reform – will not succeed. Obama said he is worried about people not voting in November:
…… I need a Congress that works. And that means I need a Democratic Senate. And it would be helpful to have a Democratic House. Now, you all know this so I’m preaching to the choir. But here’s the challenge we have: Democrats are not perfect and it turns out one of our great imperfections is we have a congenital tendency not to vote in midterm elections.
I don’t know what it is. Presidential elections, we’re all in. In 2008, you all went crazy; 2012, you still went crazy. High turnout, we’re motivated, donors are involved, people are active, folks are knocking on doors, people making phone calls. And then the midterm comes and we fall asleep.
That cannot happen in this election because the stakes are too high. And I say this mindful that in every election somebody says how high the stakes are. But think about what’s at stake right now. Think about it. If we do not hang on to the Senate and make gains in the House we may not get immigration reform done, which means we could have another three, four years in which we’re being deprived of talent we’re training here in the United States – they go back home and start businesses someplace else. There are Michael Polskys right now in universities that have the possibility of creating businesses here but may end up going back home because we have a broken immigration system. That’s what’s at stake.
More here
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Obama unleashes harsh criticism of both-sides-to-blame media, claims it isn’t reckoning w/”broken” GOP: http://t.co/qVxp1mvGd8
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 23, 2014
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NJ.com: Obamacare enrollment drives down NJ’s uninsurance rate by 38 percent
The first look at the Affordable Care Act’s impact on New Jersey reveals the percentage of uninsured people is on track to reach its lowest level in nearly a quarter of a century, according to a new report released Thursday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The proportion of uninsured adults decreased 38 percent from September to early March, according to the foundation. That decline is likely to accelerate, knowing that many people waited until the last minute to beat the March 30 enrollment deadline.
“These findings suggest that uninsurance in New Jersey is at its lowest level since 1990,” according to the report produced by the foundation and the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy.
The survey results suggest that many concerns about the law — from Gov. Chris Christie hand-off approach to its implementation, to the Obama administration’s troubled launch of the HealthCare.Gov website — did not create insurmountable roadblocks.
More here
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#ACASignups Connecticut: 101% of QHPs PAID (yes, you read that right): http://t.co/OdofsZ7k2r #ACA #Obamacare
— Charles Gaba (@charles_gaba) May 23, 2014
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Eugene Robinson: The GOP is still swallowing the tea
What’s happening in the Republican primaries is less a defeat for the tea party than a surrender by the GOP establishment, which is winning key races by accepting the tea party’s radical anti-government philosophy.
Anyone who hopes the party has finally come to its senses will be disappointed. Republicans have pragmatically decided not to concede Senate elections by nominating eccentrics and crackpots. But in persuading the party’s activist base to come along, establishment leaders have pledged fealty to eccentric, crackpot ideas.
More here
Similarly, from Charles Pierce:
This is a mutually co-opting dynamic that is becoming smoother. The “establishment” adopts uniformly extremist policies that would have been unthinkable for a national Republican party two decades ago. The “Tea Party wing” contents itself in the knowledge that the party declines any more to nominate raving loons for election to the national legislature. My guess is that this modus vivendi will provide some empty conflict entertainment over the next two election cycles, but it all will be moon pigeons for the punditocracy to marvel at. The radical conservative philosophy has captured the infrastructure of the Republican party, root and branch, local and national. It’s just wearing shoes again now.
Full post here
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GOP kills bill that would have provided health care for vets.,, Again. Don’t buy the Fuax outrage. #Faketriots pic.twitter.com/Xcg40aKAtm
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) May 22, 2014
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The irony of the #VAscandal is that the GOP is now admitting denying health care coverage leads to death. http://t.co/2n2hqBja3r
— Chris Savage (@Eclectablog) May 23, 2014
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Steve Benen: Why Guantanamo remains open
President Obama has received a fair amount of criticism from the left about the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The president vowed to close the prison, but after five years in office, it remains open.
That’s not for lack of effort. Obama has tried, repeatedly, to pursue the policy that used to enjoy bipartisan support, but Congress – including members of both parties – have placed inflexible restrictions on the administration, preventing progress. In other words, the president hasn’t closed the prison because lawmakers simply won’t let him.
Every time there’s reason to think progress is possible, Congress does what it always does…..
… There’s certainly nothing wrong with being frustrated by the detention facility remaining open, but if you’re blaming the White House, you’re pointing the finger at the wrong end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
More here
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Cue Exploding Heads on the Right:
Bloomberg: Netanyahu Says Obama Got Syria Right
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has some uncharacteristically positive words for one of U.S. President Barack Obama’s most controversial foreign policy initiatives: the deal struck last year to remove chemical weapons from Syria.
I met Netanyahu last Friday afternoon in his bunkerlike office in Jerusalem. During the course of our discussion, I asked him about the famous “red line” crisis – Obama’s last-minute decision to abort a missile strike and instead negotiate the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile – that colors so much of foreign-policy commentary today.
Netanyahu issued what was for him a full-throated endorsement of an Obama initiative, calling it “the one ray of light in a very dark region.”
More here
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.@JonKarl still pushing @DarrellIssa Lies – His Latest Benghazi Scoop Was Reported By His Network In 2012 http://t.co/2JLC3T7yoL
— AAmom (@AVD911) May 22, 2014
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Greg Sargent: On immigration, the GOP is Steve King’s party
It’s not often that GOP Rep. Steve King says anything usefully revelatory on immigration reform. Today, however, he went on to the House floor and, in just over a minute, unmasked the truth about the Republican Party’s position on immigration — a position that House Republican leaders have tried to obscure for months.
King cited Chuck Schumer’s recent claim that the Congressman from Iowa is an “extreme outlier” on the issue. King then helpfullly pointed out that in fact, his position is indistinguishable from the Republican Party position, while deriding the Democratic position as akin to socialism…
More here
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Cuban would love it if that same young Black man in a hoodie helped him win championships or put bread in his pocket, tho.
— everything I’m not (@No_Cut_Card) May 22, 2014
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Fernando Espuelas: Boehner lies to Hispanics again
Yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) published an orotund statement predicated on a lie, betting that Hispanic Americans are incapable of distinguishing between fact and fiction.
According to Boehner, President Obama’s recent designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico as a national monument — lands with deep historical and archeological significance to Hispanics and Native Americans — demonstrated “the president’s fondness for unilateral action [that] has created widespread doubt among the American people that he and his administration can be counted on to enforce any law he signs, particularly when it comes to securing our nation’s borders and reforming our immigration system.”
Now, to be fair, the Boehner-led House is so chaotic that it resembles more a gang of yammering ruffians than a serious legislative body. So there is a possibility, even a small chance, that Boehner doesn’t even know what is said in his name through his office’s communications office.
Even so, what is the best case scenario? Incompetence instead of deception? Rogue staff? After a litany of objectively dubious statements about immigration reform in the past, it’s hard to give Boehner the benefit of the doubt.
More here
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Text of the First Lady’s remarks here
About 62 million girls worldwide aren’t enrolled in school. 16 leaders came to the @WhiteHouse to give them a voice. pic.twitter.com/D283bJ5TqN — The First Lady (@FLOTUS) May 22, 2014
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Harold Meyerson: The boost that comes from raising the minimum wage
The standard argument — really, the only argument — against raising the minimum wage is that it will lead to job loss. The argument is beloved by die-hard opponents of raising the wage because it provides them with a veneer, however flimsy, of concern about the welfare of the working poor.
Economic studies have repeatedly shown that argument to be spurious. Now the latest survey of 350,000 small businesses from Paychex, a payroll provider company, and IHS, a business analysis firm, provides strong indications that the exact opposite may be true.
In April, the Paychex/IHS survey, which looks at employment in small businesses, found that the state with the highest percentage of annual job growth was Washington — the state with the highest minimum wage in the nation, $9.32 an hour. The metropolitan area with the highest percentage of annual job growth was San Francisco — the city with the highest minimum wage in the nation, at $10.74.
This suggests that the relationship between a high minimum wage and job creation needn’t be inverse. If anything, it suggests that relationship is direct.
More here
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi talks with President of the Harvey Milk Foundation Stuart Milk, next to U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, after they unveiled the Harvey Milk Forever Stamp at its dedication ceremony at the White House
Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman, fourth from right, and others, applaud during the unveiling ceremony of the Harvey Milk Forever Stamp in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Joining Stroman, from left are, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Stuart Milk, Founder and President, Harvey Milk Foundation, UN Ambassador Samantha Power, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. On the day he would have turned 84 years old, Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor and gay activist gunned down at City Hall in 1978, had a postal stamp in his honor unveiled at the White House
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Haven’t read the Ta-Nehisi Coates reparations piece yet but I’m already convinced he’s right just because of caliber of humans disputing it
— Ben Jacobs (@benhjacobs) May 22, 2014
How to Read TNC’s piece on reparations: 1. Read the title. 2. Stop reading. Do not read past the title. 3. Explain that racism is over.
— AdamSerwer (@AdamSerwer) May 22, 2014
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Michael Tomasky: The Roots of the GOP’s Race Problem
Thursday is the 50th anniversary of the Great Society and the civil rights push. But if conservative hero Barry Goldwater had had his way, government would have stayed out of it.
…. I like the way today’s conservatives rush to point out, as they will in this comment thread, that most of the opposition to the civil rights bill was Democratic, as I noted above. There’s no denying that. But the more relevant point for today is this: Over the next few years, those people left the Democratic Party. They knew there was no place for them there.
In today’s GOP, however, the successors to the Richard Russells and Harry Byrds have been welcomed with open arms. And Barry Goldwater is not merely one guy among many guys they kind of like from the past. He is conservatism’s great hero! And 1964 is thought of as a shining moment in their movement’s history! And here we are, 50 years later, with the Republican Party looking as if it just might nominate for president a guy (Rand Paul) who once admitted that he’d have opposed the Civil Rights Act and basically was still against it (and Paul is one of the better Republicans on race!). Half a century, and society has changed for the better in amazing ways. But one of our two parties is still dedicated to fighting it.
Full post here
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Three Years Ago Today
Arriving in Dublin, May 23, 2011
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk with Irish President Mary McAleese and Dr. Martin McAleese during a courtesy call in the Drawing Room at the President’s residence in Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama holds a hurley as Taoiseach Enda Kenny looks on
Arriving in Moneygall (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama greets local residents on Main Street in Moneygall (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama greets local residents in Moneygall (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama poses for a photograph with a young girl during a walk along Main Street in Moneygall (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama watches as First Lady Michelle Obama draws a pint at Ollie Hayes’ Pub in Moneygall (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama embraces Liz Sherwood-Randall, Senior Director for European Affairs, at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. Sherwood-Randall was blown over by strong winds earlier in the day and injured her wrist (Photo by Pete Souza)
Thousands of people gather at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, to welcome President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, May 23, 2011 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
People cheer as President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are introduced during an Irish celebration at College Green in Dublin (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama leave the stage with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife, Fionnuala Kenny, at College Green in Dublin (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama greets a little girl following his remarks at College Green in Dublin (Photo by Pete Souza)
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A Message from Henry Healy
by @HenryHealy
Hello to all my friends at The Obama Diary!
I hope you are keeping well.
We have great news in Moneygall! A visitor centre named after President Obama, which will focus on his ancestry, will open in two weeks’ time.
It will serve as a welcoming point into the ancestral home of the President and will tell the story of his Irish Ancestry and of that historic trip to Moneygall on 05/23/11 (3 years this Friday).
We will also highlight the other 21 American Presidents with Irish ancestry and many more famous Irish Americans. It will be an Oasis on the M7 Motorway, only 1.5 hours from Dublin.
This centre will be free to visit and I have been tasked with getting memorabilia for the area.
I was wondering if any of The Obama Diary’s followers would like to send us anything connected with President Obama, his 1st election, inauguration and the subsequent election and inauguration, that we could put on display in the centre?
If people are willing to share badges, bumper stickers, newspapers, election posters, etc, we would be delighted.
We understand people would like to keep these items, but maybe if they had duplicates – eg two copies of the same newspaper or magazine – they might consider sending them to me.
(Note from Chips: Anyone who would like to send items to Henry, just email me at TheObamaDiary@gmail.com and I will give you his address)
We want this to be an exciting location with lots for people to see, so hopefully the dedicated The Obama Diary contributors and followers can send something to us for our exhibitions – and when you visit Moneygall, we will ensure you all receive the warmest of welcomes!
Kind Regards to everyone at The Obama Diary, and many thanks,
Henry
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Henry Healy, the President’s distant cousin, after arriving in Moneygall, Ireland, May 23, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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