Celebrating The Boss

Barack Obama checked in on Springsteen on Broadway last night. #Obama #Springsteen https://t.co/50yZ1Edu7h

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𝓜é𝔃𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓭𝓲 (@MezianeHammadi) March 04, 2018

This Land Is Your Land

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Chat on!

Rise and Shine

Des Moines, Nov 5, 2012 – the final rally of the campaign

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Today (all times Eastern):

11:30: President Obama and VP Biden meet with business leaders to talk about the impact overhauling immigration laws will have on U.S. economy

2:10: President Obama departs the White House en route Bethesda, Md. where he will visit wounded troops at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He will also visit Fisher House, a program that supports military families

4:0: Michelle Obama makes remarks at White House Diwali celebration

6:30: VP Biden and Jill Biden host reception for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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Video of President Obama addressing OFA yesterday – see here

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Today (Tuesday, November 5th) is election day. Get all the information you need vote411.org Then go V-O-T-E.

—
Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) November 05, 2013

Have you voted yet #TeamTerry? Find your polling place and get to the polls! terrymcauliffe.com/locate #VAGov http://t.co/4ZRziGFGsk

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Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) November 05, 2013

#Vote Nov. 5 - Time to Vote for #NYC's next mayor, @BilldeBlasio @deblasionyc. Keep calm, & vote Democratic y'all! 😉 http://t.co/sFrfc7e1Qc

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Carmelo Menace (@38_28_38) November 05, 2013

Already voted? Help us make calls: BuonoForGovernor.com/calls Let's get out the vote New Jersey!

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Barbara Buono (@BuonoForNJGov) November 05, 2013

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NYT: For Uninsured, Clearing a Way to Enrollment

Kelli Cauley’s fingers raced over her keyboard as she asked the anxious woman at her side a series of questions. What was her income? How many people lived in her household? Did she smoke? (“That’s the only health question it asks,” Ms. Cauley said of the application they were completing.)

The woman, a thin 61-year-old who refused to give her name, citing privacy concerns, had come to the public library here to sign up for health insurance through Kentucky’s new online exchange. She had a painful lump on the back of her hand and other health problems that worried her deeply, she said, but had been unable to afford insurance as a home health care worker who earns $9 an hour.

Within a minute, the system checked her information and flashed its conclusion on Ms. Cauley’s laptop: eligible for Medicaid.

The woman began to weep with relief. Without insurance, she said as she left, “it’s cheaper to die.”

More here

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After logging out of Kynect, she says she decided that Obamacare was "just too good to be true.” huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/ken…

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  (@igorvolsky) November 05, 2013

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Jonathan Cohn: ‘I Would Jump At It’ The media labeled her an Obamacare victim. Here’s what she really thinks.

If you’ve followed the stories of insurance cancellations related to Obamacare, you may have heard about Dianne Barrette. She’s the 57-year-old Florida realtor who was paying $54 a month for a Blue Cross insurance plan. The plan won’t be available after December. And while FloridaBlue offered her a new plan, the company told her the premium would be $591 a month. Barrette, who makes $30,000 a year and could not pay for such a plan, was flabbergasted. Jan Crawford of CBS News made her the key source for a story about plan cancellations. An appearance on Fox News followed, as did multiple cameos in press releases from Obamacare critics. For at least a few days, she was the poster child for the Obamacare cancellation story.

But Barrette’s situation defies quick and easy description. It’s true that she can’t keep her current policy—and that most policies available to her for next year have higher premiums. But those plans also offer real coverage, and her current plan does not. Some people might resent government effectively prohibiting her current plan. Barrette doesn’t appear to be one of them. Based on conversations we’ve had over the past few days, she wants more comprehensive insurance and, within reason, she’s willing to pay more for it.

More here

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The real reason that the cancer patient writing in today’s Wall Street Journal lost her insurance: thkpr.gs/1hHgZjp

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  (@igorvolsky) November 04, 2013

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Bob Cesca: Another Obamacare ‘Horror Story’ Debunked; And, No, the President Didn’t Lie About the Law

As the week began, another “Obamacare” horror story hit the press, instigating a fleet of outrage-pornographers and concern trolls across the political spectrum to resume its self-flagellation and screeching about the disastrous Affordable Care Act — selectively forgetting about actual healthcare horror stories that existed before the law was implemented. It was a story focusing on yet another vague, anecdotal tale about a hapless ACA victim whose insurance policy was canceled, thus vindicating the accusation that the president lied about “keeping your existing insurance policy if you like it.”

Before we dive into the lie accusation, let’s take a closer look at an op/ed for the Wall Street Journal written by a stage-4 gallbladder cancer survivor, Edie Littlefield Sundby.

More here

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Cancellation letters from insurance companies signal end to worthless, limited benefit policies bit.ly/19u9GrP by @wendellpotter

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Public Integrity (@Publici) November 04, 2013

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Sally Kohn: 6 other Obamacare promises – and these are very much coming true

Republicans recently pounced on the fact that, yes, some Americans will lose their current crummy insurance plans that don’t meet the new standards set by the Affordable Care Act.

These Republicans are accusing President Obama of having misled the American public – or worse, having lied.

I think that’s a ridiculous claim. If you like your crummy plan, you can’t keep your crummy plan under Obamacare, but odds are you will find a better plan that is also more affordable, with subsidies available to more than half of Americans.

Aside from parsing this promise that you could keep your plan, it is wrong to say that this alone was how Obamacare was sold to the public.

…. here, for the record, are a few of the Affordable Care kept promises:

More here

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.@GovSteveBeshear on @edshow: “Now for the 1st time in history, every Kentuckian is going to have access to affordable healthcare.” #ACA

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Dag Vega (@DagVega44) November 04, 2013

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Washington Post: Congratulations, America! Your deficit fell 37 percent in 2013

The federal government’s 2013 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, though most of us were so busy focusing on the government shutdown that accompanied the new fiscal year that there wasn’t much time to reflect on the year that had passed.

Now the Treasury and Office of Management and Budget is out with the final budget results. Surprise! The deficit fell quite a bit in 2013. The federal government took in $680 billion less revenue than it spent, or about 4.1 percent of gross domestic product. In 2012, those numbers were $1.087 trillion and 6.8 percent of GDP. That means the deficit fell a whopping 37 percent in one year.

This is the first sub-$1 trillion and sub-5 percent of GDP deficit since the 2008 fiscal year, which ended the very month that Lehman Brothers fell and a deep crisis set in.

More here

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Patrick Stewart is a Boss. http://t.co/gkpPjR3kWp

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George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 05, 2013

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ThinkProgress: Three Progressive Measures On Tuesday’s Ballot That You Should Know About

Congress may not be up for grabs, but Election Day 2013 still comes with high stakes for progressive economic policy ideas. On Tuesday, voters in Colorado, New Jersey, and a small Washington town are getting an up-or-down vote on some proposals that would improve lives both today and decades from now. Here’s a rundown of the three ballot initiatives:

Colorado’s Amendment 66 would raise income taxes and commit $1 billion in new revenue to public schools….

New Jersey’s Question 2 would raise the minimum wage and keep it rising….

SeaTac, Washington’s Proposition 1 would mean a $15 minimum wage for one of the country’s busiest airports….

More here

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Steve Benen: Rand Paul caught once again

After Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was caught presenting others’ work as his own by The Rachel Maddow Show, BuzzFeed, and Politico, the senator’s office seemed to realize Paul had a problem on his hands. It reached the point late Friday that the senator’s aides started making it more difficult to access Paul’s speeches, perhaps fearful more evidence would come to light.

Unfortunately for the senator, it’s too late to hide op-eds Paul has already written and published…

More here

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Billie Jean is not my lover, she’s just a girl who claims that I am the one but the kid is not my son. #RandPaulSpeeches

— S Caruso (@scaruso5555) November 5, 2013

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A Year Ago Today – The Final Day of the Campaign

Madison:

Photo by Scout Tufankjian

Orlando:

Columbus:

Photo by Scout Tufankjian

Photo by Scout Tufankjian

Greatest Intro Eveeeeeeeeeer:

…. with Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

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Reunited in Des Moines:

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MoooOOOooorning!

Rise and Shine

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with children attending Camp Noah as they make trail mix at the McAlpine Park Recreation Center in Birmingham, Ala., July 18, 2012 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)

11:25: The President delivers a statement on the Affordable Care Act

12:25: First Lady Michelle Obama, Rahm Emanuel and Amy Rule visit Urban Alliance Chicago

3:0: The President participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony (closed press)

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Steve Benen: Jobless claims show sharp improvement, reach three-month low

Last week’s report on initial unemployment claims was unexpectedly discouraging, making the good news this morning that more reassuring.

The number of people who applied for regular state unemployment-insurance benefits dropped 24,000 to 334,000 in the week that ended July 13, hitting the lowest level of new claims since early May, signaling a slower pace of layoffs, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected initial claims to fall to 341,000 from an original estimate of 360,000 in the prior week. However, it’s difficult to precisely measure claims this month because of distortions from events such as annual auto plant shutdowns and the July 4 holiday, they said…. The four-week average of initial claims, a less volatile gauge, declined 5,250 to 346,000.

More here

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Philip Bump: Those of you who are old enough may remember a time when Barack Obama was plagued with scandal. “Scandal politics sweep Capitol Hill,” Politico yelped. The suffix “-gate” was added to various words. So what happened to the scandals? For the most part, they’ve been hollowed out. The scandal: Benghazi. What it was: The death of four Americans at a diplomatic (read: CIA) outpost in the Libyan city of Benghazi last September 11th bubbled for a while. The release of emails suggesting a cover-up kicked conspiracy theories into high gear.

How real it was in the first place: Not very. Current status: Last rites administered Those emails reported by ABC News were only part of the story. The White House released the full email chain, making it clear that the administration’s involvement in drafting a set of post-attack talking points wasn’t what opponents suggested. (We even declared the scandal dead the same week.)

More here

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President Barack Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office before a phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, July 18, 2012. Pictured, from left, are: Chris Mizelle, Director for Russia and Central Asia, NSS; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Jack Lew; and Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Paul Krugman: Obamacare Is the Right’s Worst Nightmare

News from New York: it looks as if insurance premiums on the individual market are going to plunge thanks to Obamacare. This shouldn’t come as a surprise; in fact, the New York experience perfectly illustrates why Obamacare had to look the way it does. And it also illustrates why conservatives should be terrified about this legislation, as it takes effect. Americans may have had a lot of misgivings in advance, thanks to vast, deliberately spread misinformation. But I agree with Matt Yglesias — unless the GOP finds even more ways to sabotage the plan, this thing is going to work, it’s going to be extremely popular, and it’s going to wreak havoc with conservative ideology.

Conservatives are right to be hysterical about this: it’s an attack on everything they believe — and it’s going to make Americans’ lives better. What could be worse?

Full post here

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Abby Ohlheiser: House Republicans followed up on the Obama administration’s decision to delay the implementation of the employer mandate for one year by voting to make that decision a law, and to extend that delay to all individuals, too. It’s a more limited protest vote than what we’re used to seeing from the House GOP on Obamacare: There have been 38 legislative attempts to revoke either all or part of the health care reform law since 2011.

On Wednesday, both votes to delay passed easily: 264 – 161 for the employer mandate, and 251 – 174 for the individual mandate. They will not become law: President Obama would veto both bills if they made it to his desk.

More here

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GOP is ZERO for 38 on attempts to repeal #Obamacare. RT if you want Congress to stop wasting time & focus on jobs. http://t.co/6lsV5vsbLX

—
Niki Tsongas (@nikiinthehouse) July 17, 2013

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren embraces Richard Cordray following a statement by President Barack Obama on Cordray’s confirmation as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, July 17

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Happy 95th Birthday Nelson Mandela!

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This land….

Happy Presidents’ Day – This Land is Your Land

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, January 18, 2009

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Some of you have already had the pleasure of seeing a selection of my epic photos from the concert, but for anyone unlucky enough to have missed them…..

Okay, this isn’t actually one of mine:

But this is: 😎

Photographic proof I wasn’t right at the back, there were some – true, not many – behind me:

Denzil, looking me right in the eye, in a swoony kind of way:

Me and Bono:

Bruce serenading me:

A close-up of President Obama about to speak:

Another Pete Souza-esque photo of President Obama:

If you’re not careful, I’ll post more some time soon.

Happy Presidents’ Day everyone.

Heads Up: The Final Rally

Livestream * C-Span * CBS * CNN

President Obama and Michelle Obama are scheduled to deliver their remarks at 10:50 ET

OFA_IA

…. reunited in Des Moines

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First lady Michelle Obama greets a military serviceman after speaking during a campaign stop in Orlando, Nov 5

The Columbus Speech

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Next:

6:10 ET: Michelle Obama in Orlando (CNN)

7:0 ET: VP Biden and Jill Biden deliver remarks at the American Civil War Center in Richmond, Va. (CNN)

10:50 ET: President Obama and Michelle Obama deliver remarks in Des Moines

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‘Keep Hope Alive’

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@BarackObama

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Coming up (all times ET):

3:15: Michelle Obama in Charlotte

4:10: President Obama delivers remarks at Nationwide Arena, Columbus (still not sure about this one, some schedules say 2:25 ET)

6:10: Michelle Obama in Orlando

7:0: VP Biden and Jill Biden deliver remarks at the American Civil War Center in Richmond, Va.

10:50: President Obama and Michelle Obama deliver remarks in Des Moines

(I hope all these times are right, will correct asap if they’re not)

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Heads Up: President Obama in Madison

11:45 ET: President Obama delivers remarks at MLK Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin

C-Span * CBS * CNN * WKOW

…. and this photo from Madison was taken a couple of hours before the rally

@OFA_WI

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Later (all times ET):

12:0: VP Biden and Jill Biden deliver remarks at Claude Moore Park in Sterling, Va.

3:15: Michelle Obama in Charlotte

4:10: PBO delivers remarks at Nationwide Arena, Columbus (still not sure about the time of this one, it says 2:25 in some schedules)

6:10: Michelle Obama in Orlando

7:0: VP Biden and Jill Biden deliver remarks at the American Civil War Center in Richmond, Va.

10:50: President Obama and Michelle Obama deliver remarks in Des Moines

(I hope all these times are right, will correct later if they’re not!)

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OFA – thanks Jovie