Posts Tagged ‘patrick

18
Dec
14

A Tweet Or Two

By Nerdy Wonka 80 Comments
Categories: All Photos and All Videos
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https://twitter.com/AdamWeinstein/status/545266672949788674

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https://twitter.com/KhaledBeydoun/status/545031007477317632

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As Stephen Colbert says goodbye to one chapter tonight, we remember that beautiful moment he shed a tear on November 4, 2008 when Senator Obama became President Obama.

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https://twitter.com/Kyrondo/status/545268950263939072

15
Nov
13

A Democrat with a backbone: Gov Deval Patrick

By Chipsticks 99 Comments
Categories: Articles
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Letter From Governor Patrick to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation on the Affordable Care Act

Friday, November 15, 2013 – Governor Deval Patrick today sent the following letter regarding the Affordable Care Act to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation:

As you consider current proposals to change the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I write to remind you about what we have learned from health care reform in Massachusetts, and to inform you of some of our experiences so far with implementing it.

We have seen firsthand the positive changes brought about by a strong individual insurance market with protections that ensure a basic level of care. Individuals are protected from being dropped from insurance when they need it most, or being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Benefits must meet minimum standards, and there are limits on individuals’ exposure to out-of-pocket costs for needed health care. And the rest of us are protected against having our premiums inflated or our taxes tapped to pick up the tab for the uninsured or underinsured. With these basic features in place, we have achieved near universal coverage, better health and slower growth in health costs. With the ACA, the same can and will happen for the country.

Much has been made of the fact that some Americans have had their current policies canceled by their insurers. Some of that, we know, is in the normal course of annual insurance renewals. Some is because the existing policies do not provide the minimum level of coverage required by the ACA. So long as the means for individuals to learn about and enroll in affordable alternatives is available, through an improved website, a call center or otherwise, the transition of people from non-compliant policies to compliant ones should proceed.

Nonetheless, the public has been poorly informed about this transition, and too many consumers are unable to enroll conveniently in compliant plans. For some, the temporary delay proposed yesterday by the President may be appropriate. Our experience in Massachusetts tells us that our health plans and their customers have prepared for the transition and are unlikely to need or to use the additional time.

However, any delay in requiring plans to meet the basic standards of the ACA must only be temporary. Leaving non-compliant plans to remain permanently in place means we revert to the status quo: a broken health care system where many people carry policies that don’t cover them when they get seriously ill, and where those with comprehensive coverage pay for those uninsured or underinsured in higher premiums and taxes. Permitting plans to be permanently non-compliant means the pool of individuals who do purchase plans through the marketplaces will likely be sicker on average, and their options will be more expensive and constrained. And it will disrupt the market-based model on which premiums and policy options hinge.

We benefit in Massachusetts from broad, bipartisan support for health reform and the willingness of our legislature — encouraged by business, labor, industry, patient advocates and others — to make refinements to our plan as we go. The President does not enjoy that collaboration with the Congress, and the American people suffer as a result. If you wish to take further legislative action to ensure the successful extension of the benefits of the ACA to all our citizens, I would humbly propose that you consider granting the administration broader authority to make adjustments to the ACA by regulation so long as such regulations advance the fundamental goal. That way any administration can make changes in the details of implementation quickly in response to lessons learned along the way.

The fundamental goal of the Affordable Care Act is to give all Americans access to reliable, quality health insurance at a reasonable cost. Guaranteeing a basic level of coverage for everyone is the first step towards fixing our broken health care system and promoting a healthier population. We have seen in Massachusetts how well it works and how important it is. While the transition is challenging for some, I urge you not to lose sight of the long-term good for all as you consider any changes or adjustments to the Affordable Care Act.

For these reasons, I urge you to oppose any bill that extends access to non-compliant plans beyond a short transition period.

With continued thanks for your partnership, I am

Respectfully yours,

Governor Deval L. Patrick

18
Apr
13

The Day in Images

By Chipsticks 169 Comments
Categories: All Photos, All Videos and Michelle Obama
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

President Obama attends an interfaith healing service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston for victims of Monday’s Boston Marathon explosions

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The complete Interfaith Prayer Service from Boston today:

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Back at the White House: At the end of a painful day, you just need somebody to love…..

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President Obama being updated on Boston investigation by Lisa Monaco early this morning at White House (Pete Souza)

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Click here to see the rest of the post

04
Sep
12

Oh what a night…..

By Chipsticks 332 Comments
Categories: 2012 DNC Convention, All Photos, All Videos and Michelle Obama
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President Barack Obama and his daughters, Malia, left, and Sasha, watch on television as First Lady Michelle Obama takes the stage to deliver her speech at the Democratic National Convention, in the Treaty Room of the White House, Tuesday night, Sept. 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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If I was to post all the highlights, we’d be here until 2096 watching them …

That was just a breathtaking night, what a truly wonderful collection of speakers and life stories.

Check all the Charlotte posts and comments tonight for lots more videos…. here are just a few:

09
Jun
12

Rise and Shine

By Chipsticks 337 Comments
Categories: All Videos
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Morning everyone. Things were a bit bonkers busy the last couple of days, so I’m way behind on emails – will reply to them asap!

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PS I missed this speech earlier this week, thanks Hanna for the link:

02
Mar
12

rise and shine

By Chipsticks 343 Comments
Categories: All Photos, All Videos and West Wing Week
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Today:

1:0 ET: Michelle Obama delivers remarks at DNC fundraiser in Raleigh, NC

2:20: PBO visits the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

5:15: PBO delivers remarks at a conservation event.

5:30: Michelle Obama delivers remarks at DNC fundraiser in Charlotte, NC

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I posted this pic last night….

….. and the mischievous imp that is Lunarsea said: “That pic could use a photoshop effect to make it into a poster. Turn the ball into a globe, erase the background including the hoop. Viola! lol The wingnuts heads would explode big time hehehe.”

Enter Betsey!

Outstanding! 😆

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Morning everyone, I’ll catch up with the news later today

24
Oct
11

rise and shine

By Chipsticks 132 Comments
Categories: All Photos, All Videos, Articles and Michelle Obama
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President Obama walks toward Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Oct. 24. The President is heading on a three-day trip to the West Coast

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Reuters: President Barack Obama this week will announce a series of actions to help the economy that will not require congressional approval, including an initiative to make it easier for homeowners to refinance their mortgages, according to a White House official.

…. The first of the initiatives will be unveiled during Obama’s three-day trip to western states beginning Monday. He will discuss the changes in mortgage rules at a stop in Nevada, which has one of the hardest-hit housing markets in the country.

The Obama administration has been working with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to find ways to make it easier for borrowers to switch to cheaper loans even if they have little to no equity in their homes.

…. In Denver Wednesday, Obama will announce a student loan initiative.

“The only way we can truly attack our economic challenges is with bold, bipartisan action in Congress,” White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer told The New York Times. “The president will continue to pressure Congressional Republicans to put country before party and pass the American Jobs Act, but he believes we cannot wait, so he will act where they won’t.”

Full article here

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Steve Benen: It’s been about five months since the White House took the extraordinary step of unveiling President Obama’s long-form birth certificate, ending the “Birther” conspiracy theory once and for all. With the questions answered, unhinged conservatives were forced to move on to other areas of nonsense.

Well, most of them, anyway:

New comments by Rick Perry in Parade magazine have revived the issue of whether the Texas governor believes that President Obama was born in the United States.

…..I suspect all of this should, in fact, be taken at face value – he had dinner with a nutty conspiracy theorist; they chatted about Trump’s silly ideas; Perry found the nonsense persuasive; and when asked about it, the governor said what he was thinking.

There’s no 11-dimensional chess here; Perry just isn’t terribly bright.

Full post here

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GOPolitico: President Barack Obama has a few very funny people on his side. Will Ferrell was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night, and many of the comedians on the red carpet had nothing but good things to say about the president.

Ferrell said that he “most definitely” wants Obama to win another term …. he told POLITICO that Obama has faced some unprecedented challenges. “Every president has a hard job but I think his is times ten,” Ferrell said, adding that he likes that Obama “thinks before he speaks.”

…. Obama is doing a “great job,” said Tim Meadows, another former “SNL” cast member. “It’s easy for white liberals to turn their backs on Obama,” he said, complaining that many people who used to support the president have jumped ship. “I don’t like how people are so wishy-washy,” he said.

Not in the wishy-washy category: Comedian Jack Black.  “There’s a lot of haters out there, but I’m not one of them,” he said, declaring: “Obama all the way.”

Thanks Tulips & Donna Dem

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Irish Central: I think now would be an appropriate time to say thank you to President Barack Obama.

In comparison to his immediate predecessor his success in bringing the world’s most wanted terrorists and dictators to justice has been nothing short of remarkable.

….. Obama has rid the world of the scourge of Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Moammar Qaddafi. And all of this was accomplished within six months: if Obama were a Republican, they’d be commissioning bronze statues by now.

You know they won’t say it now or ever, so let’s say it for them: thank you President Obama for making the world and the United States safer.

Full post here

Thank you globalcitizenlinda

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Dallas News: As Mitt Romney campaigns for the White House, his Mexican cousins and supporters in this Mormon community would like to weigh in on some of the most contentious issues of the campaign: immigration, border security and religion.

Romney has more than 20 distant relatives going back three generations and a legion of supporters living in this region where his father, George, was born – a sanctuary colony in the northern state of Chihuahua originally established by polygamists from Utah led by Mitt Romney’s great-grandfather Miles Park Romney. Mitt Romney has never set foot in the region, his relatives say, but they are closely following the campaign for the Republican nomination, sometimes a bit uncomfortably.

For one thing, Romney has said that, if elected, he’d deport illegal immigrants within 90 days, build a border fence and have enough guards to secure it … These are positions with which the Romneys south of the border don’t entirely agree.

“Let’s get real. Sealing the border is a joke, it’s senseless,” said Brandon Romney, 33, a chili farmer and the local football coach….

…. Cousin Michael Romney … is “pretty sure” he will support Mitt Romney but wants to first understand his economic plan and vision for Mexico. “I don’t really understand what his policy is,” he said. “Addressing illegal immigration and Mexico have to be top priorities.”

….Mitt Romney, as the son of an American born in Mexico, is entitled to dual citizenship under Mexican law.

…. “I certainly hope his father’s Mexican background would be a positive sign for better relations and a deeper understanding of issues between the United States and Mexico,” said Jeffrey Jones, a Mormon and former Mexican senator. “I’m disappointed that we haven’t seen that side of Mitt Romney. We need solutions by working together because the United States needs Mexico very seriously and Mexico needs the United States badly.”

Full article here

Thank you proudmemberofglobalzero

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Just found a YouTube video of Patrick Murphy’s appearance on Hardball last week (my video wasn’t great) – worth listening to him again:

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iVillage

Thanks Meta

21
Oct
11

catching up

By Chipsticks 254 Comments
Categories: All Photos, All Videos and Articles
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Steve Benen: …. In his remarks in the White House briefing room, the president noted that, as a candidate, he “pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end.”

It’s a commitment he’s been able to keep.

….Perhaps realizing what’s on the minds of American voters, the president added he intends to “enlist our veterans in the greatest challenge that we face as a nation: creating opportunity and jobs in this country. After a decade of war, the nation that we need to build — and the nation that we will build, is our own. An America that sees its economic strength restored, just as we restored our leadership around the world.”

It looks another check mark on the president’s “promises made, promises kept” list.

Full post here

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Original video here (Thanks Hopefruit)

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President Barack Obama talks with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq during a secure video teleconference in the Situation Room of the White House, Oct. 21, 2011 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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National Journal: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee during September by nearly $3 million, and also bested the GOP during the third fundraising quarter, according to spending reports filed Thursday evening with the Federal Election Commission.

The DCCC raised $6.64 million last month, compared to the NRCC’s $3.8 million. Even out of the House majority, the Democratic House campaign arm also raised more during the past three months, bringing in $14.22 million to the NRCC’s $10.68 million.

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President Obama signs the Panama Free Trade Agreement, Oct. 21, in the Oval Office. From left are Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, Demetech CEO Luis Arguello, Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., and Panamanian Ambassador to the US Mario Jarmillo.

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Annie Lowrey (Slate): The economy seems to be recovering …. Everything is getting better. No, no, I know … it certainly doesn’t feel as if things are getting better.

…. Even so, a spate of new data suggest that the trends, at the least, might be looking up for now, and the possibility of a double-dip recession might be fading.

… The good news comes in construction. This month, housing starts smashed expectations, jumping 15 percent … The jump in construction means both an increased willingness to invest on business’ part and a probable uptick in hiring for construction workers.

…. Retail sales climbed strongly from August to September, with an upward revision for the summer months, too. Americans spent 7.9 percent more this September than last September. What are we buying? More of everything. But we are really picking up cars. Auto sales hit an annual sales pace of 13.1 million vehicles last month, up a whopping 10 percent.

Next, jobs … fewer people are applying for initial jobless benefits, implying that the overall unemployment rate might drop soon. Industrial production also seems to be firming up. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, for instance, reported that its business activity index climbed from -17.5 in September (recession!) to 8.7 in October (expansion!).

… The most important numbers show signs of life as well. Gross domestic product, measured monthly, has started picking up after stalling in the spring….

Unfortunately …. If European leaders don’t do something to figure out how to deal with the sovereign-debt euro crisis, this return to recovery could end quickly …. We need years of strong growth to reduce unemployment, cure the cyclical and structural unemployment crises, and reduce households’ crushing levels of debt.

Full article here

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19
May
11

hannah? next time

By Chipsticks 8 Comments
Categories: All Photos and Articles
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The Boston Globe: President Obama paid a quick but rewarding visit to Boston yesterday, rallying supporters at a pair of fund-raisers to energize a Democratic stronghold and bolster his campaign coffers … Obama addressed a crowd of 900 at the Boston Center for the Arts in the South End before dining with big-money benefactors at the Brookline home of advertising executive Jack Connors Jr.

The evening event, which couples paid $35,800 to attend, was expected to raise more than $2 million, part of an aggressive fund-raising drive since Obama formally launched his reelection campaign last month. With its deep reservoir of Democratic donors, Massachusetts will probably play a major role in the party’s fund-raising efforts.

On Tremont Street, where hundreds waited in a cold rain in hopes of a glimpse of the president at the arts center, support for Obama was unconditional…..

…Before Obama spoke, Boston Celtics star Ray Allen likened the Obama campaign to a sports team that needed a focused effort to succeed. “Our colors are red, white, and blue. Our coach is Obama,’’ he said.

…Outside the fund-raiser, the small crowds that huddled under the trees to stay dry were surprised to learn that the president’s motorcade had arrived early, beating them to the spot.

“I’m in the doghouse,’’ said Jeremy Kindall, who brought his two young daughters to see Obama. “We’re going to send him a picture and say ‘Sorry we missed you.’ ’’ Hannah, age 8, however, sounded more than sorry. “Well, I was really, really, really, really excited until we found out we missed him,’’ she said. “Then I was pretty much entirely disappointed.’’ 😆

Full article here

18
May
11

boston

By Chipsticks 26 Comments
Categories: All Photos and All Videos
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See the speech here or here – thanks Donna and JER

President Barack Obama is introduced by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick at a fundraiser in Boston, May 18

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