Rise and Shine

May 8, 2009 – Photo by Pete Souza

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The Week Ahead:

Monday: The President will attend meetings at the White House

Tuesday: The President will welcome NCAA Champion Louisville Cardinals to the White House to honor the team and their 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship

Wednesday: The President will travel to Galesburg, Illinois and Warrensburg, Missouri for events on the economy

Thursday: The President will welcome the President of Vietnam to the White House. In the afternoon, he will travel to Jacksonville, Florida for an event on the economy, and on Thursday evening he will host an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan at the White House

Friday: The President will attend meetings at the White House

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Charles Blow (NYT): Barack and Trayvon

On Friday President Obama picked at America’s racial wound, and it bled a bit.

Despite persistent attempts by some to divest the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman tragedy of its racial resonance, the president refused to allow it.

During a press briefing, Mr. Obama spoke of the case, soberly and deliberately, in an achingly personal tone, saying: “You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”

With that statement, an exalted black man found kinship with a buried black boy, the two inextricably linked by inescapable biases, one expressing the pains and peril of living behind the veil of his brown skin while the other no longer could.

More here

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President Obama, once again, steps up to the plate and cleans it.

— Terry McMillan (@MsTerryMcMillan) July 19, 2013

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Jonathan Capehart: … What is so significant is that the president spoke up for Trayvon. After a trial that seemed to put Trayvon on trial for his own death and a verdict that freed people to smear all young black men for the actions of a few, Obama’s nearly 20-minute oration restored Trayvon’s dignity …. he expressed unflinching sympathy for Trayvon’s parents and the Martin family.

….. The president also didn’t shy away from black-on-black crime and the other ills stalking black males …. But he also explained that those who would use those issues to justify disparate treatment of black men and boys only add to the collective pain of African Americans.

I was in the briefing room when the president said these words, and I will admit to a welling of the eyes …. To have a president who looks like me and has lived the same experience I have and to say so before the nation was as overwhelming as it was historic….

Full post here

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NYT Editorial: President Obama’s Anguish

President Obama did something Friday that he hardly ever does – and no other president could ever have done. He addressed the racial fault lines in the country by laying bare his personal anguish and experience in an effort to help white Americans understand why African-Americans reacted with frustration and anger to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin…..

….. It is a great thing for this country to have a president who could do what Mr. Obama did on Friday. It is sad that we still need him to do it.

Full editorial here

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TPM: Why Obama Decided To Speak Out On Race And The Zimmerman Verdict

President Obama decided Thursday that he would more fully and publicly address the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a White House aide told TPM.

“The president had been talking to friends and family about the verdict and their observations,” the aide said. “And late afternoon or early evening yesterday, he told a handful of his advisers that he’d like to speak publicly about it. He thought the timing was right.”

Obama had been following reactions to the verdict all around the country since it was handed down, “especially in African-American communities,” the aide said.

More here

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LA Times: Ira Acree spent two hours passing out fliers in front of the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago, hoping to spread the word about a “Justice for Trayvon” vigil at noon Saturday – one of at least 100 planned in cities across the nation.

On the way back to his car, Acree, a pastor, spotted a television in the lobby of the parking garage. A crowd had gathered in front, as if “watching the football game,” Acree said. President Obama was speaking.

In his first comments since a six-woman jury acquitted George Zimmerman of murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Obama spoke frankly and reflectively, relating his experiences with race and racial profiling. “Trayvon Martin could have been me,” the president said.

Obama’s earnest words moved Acree almost to tears.

“I just think that the president’s words may help whites across the nation at least understand us,” Acree said. “And be a little bit more emphathetic toward our actions tomorrow.”

More here

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The Atlantic: The Time Obama Was Mistaken for a Waiter at a Tina Brown Book Party …. He was a state senator then, and one of the few African Americans at the elite New York media event.

… “What I will always remember,” Rosman wrote in 2008, “is as I was leaving that party … I was approached by another guest, an established author. He asked about the man I had been talking to. Sheepishly he told me he didn’t know that Obama was a guest at the party, and had asked him to fetch him a drink. In less than six years, Obama has gone from being mistaken for a waiter among the New York media elite, to the president-elect. What a country.”

Full post here

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Okay, you know about the Salon piece by race-baiter David Sirota’s best buddy, Rich Benjamin?

re @salon and @RichBenjaminUSA, if you don’t want to give them page clicks: https://t.co/eKz9djPNl8

— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) July 20, 2013

When Joy Reid tweeted this….

Salon is having a moment. That moment when you realize you need more black editors… Or at least one…

— Joy Reid (@TheReidReport) July 20, 2013

…. I wondered what the make-up of the senior staff was at the place. Then Allan Brauer RT’ed this:

Holiday dinner with @Salon team pic.twitter.com/bsYMYXEY

— Cindy Jeffers (@Cindy_Jeffers) December 14, 2012

Say no more.

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Dear @salon: Would love to know which editor was responsible for approving the Benjamin piece?

— Soledad O’Brien (@Soledad_OBrien) July 20, 2013

Has @Salon‘s site been hacked? That’s a serious question…

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) July 20, 2013

I don’t even know what to say. Why would a progressive site publish a piece re: POTUS’ “inner n-word”? — Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) July 20, 2013

Unfollowed, unliked, unfavorited. I don’t know if you can ever make that right. good luck, @salon. @pareene I will miss you most of all.

— Jen Yarrington (@curiousjen) July 20, 2013

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Have you ever had the misfortune to read right winger Noah Rothman at Mediaite?

At times the guy makes Drudge seem reasonable – we’re talking a serious case of ‘Obama Derangement Syndrome’ here. Any way, feast your eyes on this exchange he had on Twitter with the Deadbeat Dad:

Next time you read @NoahCRothman‘s RW bile on Mediaite, remind yourself of this loving exchange and chuckle: pic.twitter.com/pnecIu9NgE

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) July 20, 2013

Isn’t that something? Walsh appreciates his friend’s work, and his friend says the feeling is mutual. Truly, you’d love to know precisely what aspect of Walsh’s work – well, before he was booted out by the electorate – Rothman so appreciates. Is it all those missed child support payments?

I laughed, but as ‏@wildcatatl put it, “truly disgusting”.

Nice pick, Mediaite.

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Meanwhile, the good work goes on….

Steve Benen: Secretary of State John Kerry has been in office for a little less than six months, and in that time, he’s made six trips to the Middle East in the hopes of renewing peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians…..

And while this hasn’t generated much interest from the political world, Kerry’s diligence has been pretty remarkable. Earlier this month, the Secretary of State was in Israel for four days, leading “the most intense Middle East peace push in years.” He left without a renewal of talks, but insisted his efforts had yielded real movement and “real progress” had been made.

At the time, skeptics scoffed. The Times of Israel’s David Horovitz said three weeks ago, “This is the fifth bid by the leading diplomat of the world’s superpower to persuade these two people to go into a room together, and even that he cannot achieve. At some point it becomes embarrassing and humiliating for the United States.”

And yet, this afternoon, Kerry announced peace talks are prepared to resume for the first time in several years….

More here

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Morning everyone.

We must stand our ground..

Reactions from African Americans yesterday to the Travon Martin Verdict

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Rise and Shine

Shock. Anger. Grief. Confusion. These are all the emotions that ran through peoples minds when a jury of white women told the world that in their belief system, it is perfectly okay for a white man to stalk, attack, and murder a black child. The same emotion that ran through peoples minds when Troy Davis was executed even though the evidence was murky. We’re back here again. How could a jury of mothers not understand the fear Trayvon Benjamin Martin felt when a stranger with a gun accosted him on a dark rainy night for no reason except for the color of his skin? How could a black woman who fired shots into her ceiling because she felt threatened but didn’t kill anyone get 20 years in prison while George Zimmerman walked away with no consequences due to the “Stand Your Ground” law? How does a man who was told to stay in his car and not follow Trayvon Martin walk away free? The simple answer? Sanford, Florida is 80% white conservative gun owners. The other answer? Society doesn’t value a black life as they do a white one and it seems to want to break black people down every single time by saying “hey, you’re inferior….hey you’re worthless….hey the President of the United States is black and you will pay for it every single time you step out of your home because you share the same color of skin as he does.”

Read the rest of this piece here

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Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY

— Tracy Martin (@BTraymartin9) July 14, 2013

God blessed Me & Sybrina with Tray and even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him GOD BLESS

— Tracy Martin (@BTraymartin9) July 14, 2013

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I’m at the #Beyoncé concert: “Can we please have a moment of silence… for #Trayvon.” Proceeds to sing “I Will Always Love You” & “Halo”.

— Christian Bingham (@chrizvb) July 14, 2013

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As a Sandy Hook parent, this feels like a punch in the stomach. Once again, guns are more important than kids & now racism=insult 2 injury

— Gina McDade (@McDGG) July 14, 2013

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Last year:

CBS (May 2012): A Florida woman who fired warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville had said the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law should apply to her because she was defending herself against her allegedly abusive husband when she fired warning shots inside her home in August 2010. She told police it was to escape a brutal beating by her husband, against whom she had already taken out a protective order.

…. She was recently denied a new trial after appealing to the judge to reconsider her case based on Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.

…. Alexander’s case has drawn support from domestic abuse advocates – and comparison to the case of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who has claimed a “Stand Your Ground” defense in his fatal shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

Full post here

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ONLY issue in the Zimmerman trial is race. Trayvon is dead b/c he was a black teenager whose existence outraged the racist who killed him,

— MJ Rosenberg (@MJayRosenberg) July 13, 2013

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Under Florida law, Zimmerman will get back this gun which he used to kill Trayvon Martin pic.twitter.com/gAk3uZ7ZuO

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 14, 2013

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Right wingers spreading “Miami riot” video. Ironic since its actually a bunch of white Canadians rioting over HOCKEY in 2011. #Morons

— Teresa (@TeresaKopec) July 14, 2013

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March 2012:

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"A black 17-year-old child should be able to walk home from a store and not be shot." Natalie Jackson, Martin family attorney

— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) July 14, 2013

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Hanna Brianna, 5, holds a sign in front of her home in the Goldsboro Historical neighborhood, Saturday, July 13, in Sanford, Fla. while residents waited for word on the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial

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We must mourn the unnecessary & unjust death of a child, but to honor him we must rededicate ourselves to the very ideals that were violated

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) July 14, 2013

"For Trayvon to rest in peace, we must all be peaceful."--Martin's attorney. In a classy speech indicative of how family has acted thruout.

— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) July 14, 2013

Benjamin Crump: Trayvon Martin will join Medgar Evers and Emmett Till as symbols for the fight for equal justice for all.

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 14, 2013

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‘Love is Love’

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President Obama calls #Prop8 plaintiffs from AF1 to congratulate them on the #SCOTUS decision. #History pic.twitter.com/NzJEnX3M28

— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) June 26, 2013

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The President’s statement:

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Today’s DOMA ruling is a historic step forward for #MarriageEquality. #LoveIsLove

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 26, 2013

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Aboard AF1, Pres Obama talks on phone w Edie Windsor, the plaintiff in the DOMA case pic.twitter.com/J4XUXga6H4

— petesouza (@petesouza) June 26, 2013

Rise and Shine

@petesouza: POTUS and FLOTUS wave from aboard AF1, en route to Africa

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Today:

EST

8:45 AM: The President and the First Family depart the White House

GMT

8:25PM: Arrive Dakar, Senegal

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Today, the Supreme Court stuck a dagger into the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 25, 2013

These men never stood in unmovable lines. They were never denied the right to participate in the democratic process.

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 25, 2013

They were never beaten, jailed, run off their farms or fired from their jobs. No one they knew died simply trying to register to vote.

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 25, 2013

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Heather Gerken (Slate): Goodbye to the Crown Jewel of the Civil Rights Movement – People died to pass Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, but that didn’t save it at the Supreme Court.

…. To understand why Section 5 was special, you have to know a bit about its history. The brutal attacks on civil rights marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge provided the push needed to pass the Voting Rights Act. When the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, almost no African-Americans were registered to vote in the Deep South due to brutal repression and sickening legal chicanery.

Civil rights litigators and the Department of Justice were doing their best to help. They filed lawsuit after lawsuit to make it possible for blacks to register. But every time a court deemed one discriminatory practice illegal, local officials would switch to another. Literacy tests, poll taxes, burdensome registration requirements – these techniques were all used to prevent African-Americans from voting. Southern voting registrars would even resign from their positions as soon as a lawsuit was on the cusp of succeeding, thereby sending the case back to square one. The Voting Rights Act aimed to change all of this.

Section 5 was the most important and imaginative provision in the law….

More here

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Sahil Kapur: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg penned the fierce dissent against the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision Tuesday to invalidate a key section of the Voting Rights Act, accusing the conservative justices of displaying “hubris” and a lack of sound reasoning. “[T]he Court’s opinion can hardly be described as an exemplar of restrained and moderate decision making,” wrote the leader of the court’s liberal wing. “Quite the opposite. Hubris is a fit word for today’s demolition of the VRA.”

Joined by the three other liberal-leaning justices, Ginsburg scolded the conservative majority and its rationale for throwing out Section 4 of the law — which contains the formula Congress has used to determine which states and local governments must receive federal pre-approval before changing their voting laws. “Congress approached the 2006 reauthorization of the VRA with great care and seriousness. The same cannot be said of the Court’s opinion today,” she wrote. “The Court makes no genuine attempt to engage with the massive legislative record that Congress assembled. Instead, it relies on increases in voter registration and turnout as if that were the whole story.” “Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet,” Ginsburg wrote.

More here

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1965-2008: Minorities should be able to vote. 2008, 2012: Black guy elected president. 2013: Let’s rethink that voting rights thing…

— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) June 25, 2013

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Something special is happening in Austin tonight: http://t.co/RpbnCbO6zw #StandWithWendy

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 26, 2013

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Texas Tribune: The nation watched on Tuesday — and into Wednesday — as Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis and hundreds of impassioned reproductive rights advocates stalled proceedings and ultimately defeated controversial abortion legislation in a storm of screams and shouts as the clock struck midnight.

“I am overwhelmed, honestly,” Davis said after standing for nearly 13 hours to filibuster Senate Bill 5, the abortion legislation. The outpouring of support from protesters at the Capitol and across the nation, she said, “shows the determination and spirit of Texas women and people who care about Texas women.”

…. Republican senators made a last-ditch effort to approve SB 5, voting 19-10, but by then the clock had ticked past midnight. Under the terms of the state Constitution, the special session had ended, and the bill could not be signed, enrolled or sent to the governor.

… Conservative lawmakers tried every tool in the Senate rulebook to derail the filibuster. A “three strikes, you’re out” precedent in the Senate grants lawmakers two warnings about staying germane to the bill topic … Davis received the three strikes: two were on the germaneness of the discussion and one was related to Davis receiving assistance from another senator to put on a back brace….

More here

“It will stay with me forever”

Students from New-Bridge Integrated College in Northern Ireland talk about the impression President Obama’s Belfast speech made on them.

BBC

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Coming up:

12:30 EST: The First Family depart Northern Ireland

1:0 EST: Vice President Biden Speaks on Gun Safety

White House Live

2:25 EST: The First Family arrive Berlin, Germany

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The crowd cheer as the cavalcade carrying the US First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Malia and Sasha, passes through Dalkey, Co Dublin

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All posts on the Ireland visit here

 

‘The rhetorical end of the War on Terror’

Text of speech here

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President Obama: “Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end.”

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 23, 2013

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Obama: “There is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened.”

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 23, 2013

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Obama: “America does not take strikes to punish individuals—we act against terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat.”

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 23, 2013

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President Obama: will work w/ Congress to eventually repeal the AUMF. Fantastic news.

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) May 23, 2013

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Don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that this speech will be seen by history as the rhetorical end of the War on Terror

— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) May 23, 2013

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Still want to see the “playbook.” But that was one of the most detailed and thoughtful speeches on national security ever given by a US prez

— David Firestone (@fstonenyt) May 23, 2013

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POTUS: “America, we have faced down dangers far greater than al Qaeda by staying true to the values of our founding.” But enough about GOP.

— john miller (@deaconmill) May 23, 2013

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President Obama listens as Medea Benjamin, an activist from the organization called Code Pink, shouts at him while he speaks at the National Defense University, May 23

A seminal moment in the fight for equality….

“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay”

Imagine you’re in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know — I baked for 33 years.

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So proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We’ve got your back! -mo

— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) April 29, 2013

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President Obama spoke by phone to Jason Collins @jasoncollins34 after his announcement. Obama offered support/congratulations on courage.

— Major Garrett(@MajorCBS) April 29, 2013

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Thanks, @jasoncollins34, for your bravery and honesty. OFA supporters everywhere stand with you today.

— OFA (@OFA) April 29, 2013

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“Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start.” sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/… J.Collins b/c 1rst openly gay athlete

— The lovely Plains (@DaRiverZkind) April 29, 2013

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Rise and Shine

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Today (all times ET):

8:20 AM: President Obama and Michelle Obama depart the White House

9:55: Arrive in Boston

11:0: President Obama delivers remarks at Healing Our City: An Interfaith Service dedicated to those who were wounded or killed in Monday’s bombing. Michelle Obama also attends

2:55: Depart Boston

4:30: Arrive at the White House

5:30: President Obama hosts a reception for Greek Independence Day; VP Biden also attends

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Moms Demand Action

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“This was a pretty shameful day for Washington. But this effort isn’t over… I see this as just round one.” —President Obama

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 17, 2013

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Gabrielle Giffords: Senators say they fear the N.R.A. and the gun lobby. But I think that fear must be nothing compared to the fear the first graders in Sandy Hook Elementary School felt as their lives ended in a hail of bullets. The fear that those children who survived the massacre must feel every time they remember their teachers stacking them into closets and bathrooms, whispering that they loved them, so that love would be the last thing the students heard if the gunman found them.

On Wednesday, a minority of senators gave into fear and blocked common-sense legislation that would have made it harder for criminals and people with dangerous mental illnesses to get hold of deadly firearms — a bill that could prevent future tragedies like those in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., Blacksburg, Va., and too many communities to count.

More here

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Rise and Shine

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Today:

10:10: The President and Vice President meet with governors at the White House

1:0: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney

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The President will participate on Tuesday in his first television interview since the election. Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Julianna Goldman will do the questioning. According to a preview, they will discuss the fiscal cliff and his priorities and agenda for his second term. The interview will air at 12:30 p.m. EST on Bloomberg TV. (See here)

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Paul Krugman: It goes without saying that the Republican “counteroffer” is basically fake. It calls for $800 billion in revenue from closing loopholes, but doesn’t specify a single loophole to be closed; it calls for huge spending cuts, but aside from raising the Medicare age and cutting the Social Security inflation adjustment – moves worth only around $300 billion – it doesn’t specify how these cuts are to be achieved. So it’s basically the Paul Ryan method: scribble down some numbers and pretend that you’re a budget wonk with a Serious plan.

….. for all the seniors or near-seniors who voted Republican because you thought they would protect Medicare from that bad guy Obama: you’ve been had.

Full post here

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NYT Editorial: ….. under pressure from the White House, Republicans finally released their opening position in the negotiations – a remarkably shallow one that demonstrated a lack of seriousness in negotiations, or farsightedness in policy.

…. The only way to produce the necessary revenue is to combine some limits on deductions with an end to the Bush tax cuts on the rich, and Mr. Obama, fortunately, has been adamant he will not consider any plan that does not do so. The Boehner letter, by contrast, actually advocates lowering rates, suggesting that Republicans are still clinging to the notion, rejected by voters, that was put forward by Mitt Romney.

….. Monday’s offer may simply be intended to show the most conservative Republicans that their leaders fought before the compromises to come. For everyone else, they show a party unwilling to approach the bargaining with responsibility.

Full article here

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Eugene Robinson: How dare he? President Obama, I mean: How dare he do what he promised during the campaign? How dare he insist on a “balanced approach” to fiscal policy that includes a teensy-weensy tax increase for the rich? Oh, the humanity.

…. “Right now, I would say we’re nowhere, period,” said Boehner. “We’re nowhere.”

Not true. It’s just that we’re somewhere Republicans would prefer not to be. We’re just past an election in which Obama won a second term and Democrats gained seats in both houses of Congress. And we’re nearing a “fiscal cliff” of tax increases and budget cuts that horrify Republicans more than Democrats.

… There is no guarantee that Obama will get everything he wants out of this showdown. But I’d rather be playing the president’s hand than Boehner’s.

Full article here

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From yesterday:

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This is great – thanks UT!

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Moooooorning everyone.