President Barack Obama reacts as Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller insists on standing next to him after moving aside Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie at a meeting of the leaders of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community nations, at the University of the West Indies
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You are very loved by the Jamaican people, PM Simpson Miller tells Barack Obama."I can say very publicly I love you." http://t.co/axxQLrFNhc
— Dre1alliance Jamaica (@Dre1allianceEnt) April 09, 2015
President Barack Obama hugs Amy Simpson, principal of Plaza Towers Elementary School, outside what remains of the school following last week’s tornado in Moore, Okla., May 26 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama wipes away tears after speaking with Amy Simpson
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with the co-chairmen of the president’s deficit reduction commission, including Alan Simpson, right, April 14
Steve Benen: ‪Last week, much of the media establishment drooled all over itself while praising Paul Ryan’s right-wing budget plan. For most major news outlets, the far-right chairman of the House Budget Committee was “courageously” tackling an issue the media cares about – deficit and debt reduction – in a way they found satisfying (slashing health care for seniors and the disabled = “serious”).‬
‪Perhaps, then, the media would be pleased with President Obama’s debt-reduction plan. After all, he’s playing the game the establishment wants him to play – focusing on fiscal responsibility – and doing so with a sound, credible proposal that would actually do what it sets out to do. Best of all, the White House made sure the president’s numbers add up, which is more than we can say about Ryan’s plan.‬
‪But the media’s still not happy.‬ ‪Mark Halperin complained yesterday that Obama “failed to offer a bold, paradigm-shifting budget proposal”. What? A center-left Democratic president, saddled with a massive Republican debt, has a plan to reduce the budget shortfall by $4 trillion‬… ‪Is this not exactly what the media establishment said it wanted? Is the only acceptable plan one that hurts Medicare, Medicaid, and low-income families?‬
‪Politico chastised the president overnight for being “partisan” and hurting Republicans’ feelings…‬. ‪‪So, if a Democratic president sounds like a Democratic president, even while tackling an issue that’s allegedly critical to Republicans, it’s a failure. Obama’s job, apparently, was to address the Republican goal, in Republican terms, while touting Republican ideas…
…‪There’s no reason for so many in the media to be so annoyed. If I didn’t know better, I might think the establishment noticed that much of the left liked the speech, which necessarily led pundits to assume there was something wrong with it.‬
First Lady Michelle Obama watches as children of military families play baseball during an event to support the families, at Coors Field in Denver April 13. The White House on April 12 launched a “Joining Forces” initiative to encourage non-government support of the particular needs of military families. Leading the initiative, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden travelled to several locations across the country that provide examples of the initiative’s core areas of supporting employment, education, and wellness of service members and their families.
…with Jessica Simpson
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From yesterday…
First Lady Michelle Obama greets Marines following her remarks to the base community at Goettge Memorial Field House at Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 13. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
The Obama Diary 
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