President Barack Obama: A Phenomenal President That History Will Remember Well

President Barack Obama addresses an Organizing for Action (OFA) summit in Washington

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A powerful speech full of facts. Shame on the Democrats fundraising against President Obama. That includes you, Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He has proven himself over and over and over again. He brought us back from the brink of a depression and saved the economy; which has been creating jobs month after month. Over 16 million people have comprehensive and affordable insurance thanks to him. He saved the auto industry. He has been a champion for the environment. He put two women on the Supreme Court. He nominated Loretta Lynch; who is the first Black female Attorney General. He fought for credit card and Wall Street Reform. The first bill he signed was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. He cut taxes for over 98% of middle and working class families. He is proposing free community college.

He increased Pell Grants for millions of students. He reformed the student loan program. He righted the wrong of the crack cocaine and powder cocaine sentencing laws. He created an effective and comprehensive task force to curb the surge of police violence against citizens. He has put money into job training so that millions can have a better future. He has made sure Native Americans have a seat at the table and have a hand in creating policies that protect and make sure their communities flourish. He has been fighting for economic fairness and against income inequality years before these so called Democrats considered it an issue. He has fought for LGBT rights. What more must he do to prove that he is ALWAYS and has ALWAYS been on the side of working, middle class, and marginalized folks?

Shame on any Democrat who distances himself or herself from President Barack Obama. Shame on any Democrat saying this trade agreement would destroy America. That includes you, Sen. Warren. He campaigned hard for her. That he has to defend himself like this is abhorrent. Shame on them. They are not fit to shine his shoes. He has been a phenomenal president and history will remember him well.

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"I wanted to make sure my life attached itself to giving people a chance at opportunity." —President Obama http://t.co/xv3CiMnkx3

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 23, 2015

"If I didn’t think this was the right thing to do for working families, I wouldn’t be fighting for it." —President Obama #LeadOnTrade

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White House Live (@WHLive) April 23, 2015

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"My entire presidency has been about helping working families" —President Obama on how his trade deal benefits the middle class #LeadOnTrade

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White House Live (@WHLive) April 23, 2015

“America needs to write the rules of the global economy. We can’t leave it to somebody else.” —President Obama #LeadOnTrade

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 23, 2015

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"Over the past five years, our businesses have created more than 12 million new jobs." —President Obama http://t.co/JFVnsrW2N6

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 23, 2015

"Today, more than 16 million Americans have gained the security of health insurance." —President Obama #ACAWorks http://t.co/a5mZ7WSF6b

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 23, 2015

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A supporter holds up a sign for President Barack Obama to see after he addressed an Organizing for Action (OFA) summit in Washington

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"95% of the world’s consumers are outside our borders." —President Obama #LeadOnTrade http://t.co/FSEPHOmYjv

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 23, 2015

"Jobs at businesses that export are good, middle-class jobs that on average pay more" —President Obama #LeadOnTrade http://t.co/nZDFHT1CNZ

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 23, 2015

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"It’s got strong provisions for workers, and strong provisions for the environment." —Obama on the TPP #LeadOnTrade http://t.co/SknrkW1aLZ

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White House Live (@WHLive) April 23, 2015

“We want ‘Made In the USA’ sold around the world.” —President Obama #MadeInAmerica #LeadOnTrade http://t.co/8E9aM10OJo

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White House Live (@WHLive) April 23, 2015

President Obama Celebrates 20 Years Of AmeriCorps

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at an AmeriCorps Pledge ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House

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President Barack Obama is joined by former President Bill Clinton for a AmeriCorps Pledge ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. Clinton’s administration established the program in 1994

hundreds of new volunteers are sworn in for duty

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"Thank all of you for living a life of active & energetic...citizenship because it has made America stronger." —Obama to @AmeriCorps members

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 12, 2014

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"I would not be standing here if it were not for the service of others, and the purpose that service gave my own life." —Obama #AmeriCorps20

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 12, 2014

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In honor of #AmeriCorps20, let's recommit ourselves to service and volunteer work. That's what makes America great. http://t.co/HZIpGytEGv

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Vice President Biden (@VP) September 12, 2014

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"Making a difference in other people’s lives made a difference in mine." —Obama on working as a community organizer in Chicago #AmeriCorps20

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White House Live (@WHLive) September 12, 2014

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"Citizens who perform national service are special. You want them on your team." —Obama on Employers of National Service #AmeriCorps20

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 12, 2014

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Happy Birthday @AmeriCorps! I'm honored to have served with them in Chicago and couldn't be prouder of all they've accomplished. –mo

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The First Lady (@FLOTUS) September 12, 2014

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"They don’t just believe in, but live out a fundamental truth...that people who love their country can change it." —Obama on @AmeriCorps

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 12, 2014

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This and That

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet guests following the Women’s History Month reception in the East Room of the White House, March 18 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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OFA

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The full speech:

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Heads Up: President Obama speaks at a Women’s History Month Reception

4:40 EST: President Obama Speaks at a Women’s History Month Reception

White House live * CBS * CNN

 

Rise and Shine

OFA

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Today:

12:0 Jay Carney briefs the press

12:30: Michelle Obama delivers remarks to winners of the Let’s Move! Communities

1:55: President Obama signs the Violence Against Women Act; the President and VP Biden deliver remarks

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Sign up!

Jim Messina (Op-ed at CNN) You can’t change Washington from the inside. President Obama was criticized for stating that simple truth during the campaign, but without Americans organizing in support of the issues they believe in, lobbyists and special interests will drive the agenda in Washington.

At this crossroads for our economy, we can’t afford business as usual. That’s why we’ve formed Organizing for Action, to ensure that the voices of the majority of Americans who voted for policies that will strengthen the middle class will be heard.

As we worked for change during the president’s first term, we saw special interests spend unprecedented amounts in an attempt to persuade Congress to vote against policies the American people voted for.

History is repeating itself…..

More here

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TPM: President Obama has invited House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to lunch Thursday at the White House. Rep. Chris Van Hollen has also been invited…

TPM: President Obama dined with 12 Republican senators at Jefferson Hotel in Washington on Wednesday night. In attendance, per the White House:

Senators Lindsey Graham, Bob Corker, Kelly Ayotte, John McCain, Dan Coats, Tom Coburn, Richard Burr, Mike Johanns, Pat Toomey, Ron Johnson, John Hoeven and Saxby Chambliss.

More here

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Jamelle Bouie: Over at the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza chides President Obama for “crying wolf” on sequestration…. There’s no doubt the White House indulged in hyperbole during the debate over sequestration. But Cillizza is exaggerating the degree to which Obama’s rhetoric was overheated or overhyped…..

…. Sequester furloughs have already begun for some federal workers, and communities that rely on military bases and federal spending will see real hardship. Over time, if sequestration is allowed to run its course, more and more Americans will feel the consequences of sudden austerity.

Private forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers estimates “sequestration would cost roughly 700,000 jobs …. Did Obama cry wolf on the sequester? No. And besides, it’s only been five days. We’ll see the effects of sequestration as time passes, and they won’t be good.

Full post here

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NYT Editorial: Unable to stop the sequester’s job-killing spending cuts, President Obama now says he wants to move past the endless wars of budget attrition. Though he still wants a long-term deficit deal, he said last week, it is time to turn to immigration, gun control, universal preschool, a higher minimum wage and voting reform.

But Republicans are not going to allow that pivot. Most are unalterably opposed to all of those initiatives, and want to keep their focus on cutting domestic programs and fighting off tax increases…. Paul Ryan will soon unveil his caucus’s 2014 budget, which will start to make good on the party’s ruinous plan to balance the budget in 10 years…..

Republicans are hoping to wear down their opposition with these eternal battles. But their proposals are too dangerous to allow that to happen.

Full editorial here

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Steve Benen: Maybe you agree with Sen. Rand Paul’s civil liberties arguments; maybe you don’t. Perhaps you see him as an ideal messenger for his message; perhaps you notice that he’s a strange conspiracy theorist who talks a little too often about Hitler and believes civil liberties end when a woman wants control of her own reproductive freedoms.

….. as Paul’s allies grew throughout the day, it was hard not to wonder whether at least some of his new-found friends endorsed him on the substance or whether “Stand with Rand” had become a temporary fad on the right, driven by Republicans who were simply happy to see President Obama’s national security agenda facing criticism, even if they happen to agree with President Obama’s national security agenda.

…. There’s room for a real debate about the balance between civil liberties and national security, and if Paul helps spark that conversation, I’d be delighted. But I’ll be eager to know just how much yesterday’s spectacle changed minds and how much of it was about putting on a show.

Full post here

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Will Femia (Maddow Blog): While Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s remarks during oral arguments in the Voting Rights Act case left some of us scratching our heads about where he came up with the “perpetuation of racial entitlement” argument, Chad Flanders, an assistant professor of law at Saint Louis University School of Law, has an idea, tracing the phrase to a 1979 paper by then-professor Scalia…..

More here

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ThinkProgress: Meet 34 Corporations That Help Inflate The NRA’s Membership

….. A recent NRA promotion invited people to join at a discounted $25 rate. In addition to receiving an official membership card, a subscription to an association magazine, and free gun insurance, new members received a $25 gift card for Bass Pro Shops, making the membership essentially free.

In addition to those incentives, members of the NRA and its business alliance receive a bevy of other discounts courtesy of the Association’s corporate affiliates. National and local companies provide discounts on everything from car rentals to identity theft protection. The companies get listed on the NRA’s site as corporate partners and can promote themselves as “NRA endorsed.” And, in some cases, the NRA gets a percentage of the profits.

Among the companies are….

See here

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ThinkProgress: As the 10th anniversary of President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq approaches, the body charged with overseeing Iraq’s reconstruction has issued its final report, capping a tale of spending far too much money for very little results.

Appointed in Oct. 2004, over a year into War in Iraq, the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) was charged with being a watchdog over the use of funds provided for rebuilding the Iraqi state after the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Those reconstruction and stabilization efforts wound up costing nearly $60 billion — or about $15 million per day — with up to $10 billion of that amount wasted, according to SIGIR Stuart Bowen.

The examples provided of fraud and abuse of the system are staggering both in number and nature….

More here

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MooOOOooOOOoooorning!

dropping in

More here

get organized

“i’m not going to play games with the lives of the american people’