President Barack Obama signs the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act while flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, Clay Hunt’s family and friends, and members of Congress. Clay Hunt, a U.S. Marine veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, battled with post-traumatic stress disorder and took his own life at the age of 28.
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President Obama presents the First Lady with a Valentine’s Day card on the State Floor of the White House before he departed on a five-day trip to California
President Barack Obama hugs Susan Selke, mother of Clay Hunt
President Barack Obama thanks former U.S. Marine Jake Wood for his introductory remarks at a signing ceremony for the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act
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#TBT to when we all drew our crushes: go.wh.gov/buzzfeed
But now it's time to #GetCovered: healthcare.gov http://t.co/mbayUjP331
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The First Lady (@FLOTUS) February 13, 2015****
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President Barack Obama walks toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House. President Obama is departing on a four-day trip to California, which will include a summit on cyber security
Tweet, Facebook, and post your comments on why you ♥ ObamaCare
#IHeartObamacare because NO one can be denied coverage because of #PreExistingConditions http://t.co/bI0D4JBlsM
Pretty Foot (@PrettyFootWoman) February 13, 2014
What do I think about when I think about Valentine's Day? Health care. Make sure ur loved r covered. #GetCovered at healthcare.gov
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) February 14, 2014****
Georgina loves being able to visit a doctor for the first time as a student! tell us why you love it #IHeartObamacare http://t.co/utUkEi2bEp
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Kelly Canady (@kac025) February 14, 2014@LexieOfaor The ACA ends #JobLock. Another terrific reason why #iHeartObamacare http://t.co/Ig8NUXAEe1
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Judith fardig (@FardigJudith) February 13, 2014****
Hope says: "#IHeartObamacare because it covers everyone!" http://t.co/ZLrokL5egY
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OFA AZ (@OFA_AZ) February 14, 2014#iHeartObamacare #GetCovered because you'll need heath care coverage when you least expect it. http://t.co/0oS6wQnozz
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Donna NoShock (@NoShock) February 14, 2014****
Hey, what other photo would I use on this date?!
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Today:
9:35: President Obama departs the White House
11:30: Arrives in Decatur, Ga.
12:10: Visits a pre-kindergarten classroom at College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center
1:20: Delivers remarks at Decatur Community Recreation Center
2:40: Departs Decatur
4:25: Arrives at the White House
4:50: Participates in a “Fireside Hangout” with Google+ to discuss his State of the Union Address
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More here: Steve Benen
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Love this:
Michael Tomasky: …. A lot of commentators are amusing themselves by pointing out that very few of Obama’s long list of State of the Union goals are likely to make it into law while he’s in office. I say that seeing as how he’s a pretty smart man, he knows this. But he’s doing it anyway. Because he’s thinking more about history than his story, and because he understands that if he wants to be a transformational president, the change he initiates is going to have to continue well past his time – and yes, the great presidents have all thought this way.
…. Obama knows that fighting climate change and getting universal pre-school and doing something to help the working poor are big jobs, long jobs. They’re certainly not going to happen under the current legislative configuration, and they’re probably not going to happen while he’s in office ….. his play is to inch us toward those goals however he can …. He might not be the guy who’s there to sign the bill. But he’s okay with that, too.
…. If three or four of these things pass in the next four years, great, all the better. But if they pass in the eight years after he’s done, everyone will know who put them in motion. And I have little doubt Obama will be happy to share the credit with the then-sitting president, whoever she may be.
Full post here
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President Obama’s post-SOTU OFA call – thanks a million Pamela!
The sound is pretty low, so turn it up!
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NYT: President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America” rallied advocates across the country who have long argued that inequity in education begins at a very young age.
In details that emerged early Thursday, the administration proposed that the federal government work with states to provide preschool for every 4-year-old from low- and moderate-income families. The president’s plan also calls for expanding Early Head Start, the federal program designed to prepare children from low-income families for school, to broaden quality childcare for infants and toddlers.
More here
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I’m not an Andrew Sullivan fan, but he has a pretty spectacular take-down of Rubio’s SOTU response if you’d like to read it – here
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Oh go on then, more romance:
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MoooOOOooOOOoooorning! More in a while, that was severely rushed!
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PBO’s interview with WFLA, Tampa here and with KLAS, Las Vegas here
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CNN: Mitt Romney’s overall favorable ratings have dropped, while Rick Santorum’s standing has jumped among Republicans, according to a new national survey.
…. In the new survey, 54% of Republicans said they hold a favorable opinion of Romney, while 67% said the same in January. Among all Americans, 34% described the candidate as likable, down from 41% last month.
…. only one presidential candidate in the race has a national favorable rating above the 50% mark: President Barack Obama.
Among all Americans, Obama received positive reviews from 53%, with the poll suggesting he may have grown more popular in recent months.
More here
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Bob Cesca: Regular people are donating to the president’s re-election campaign in record numbers:
According to an analysis by The Huffington Post, the Obama reelection campaign committee, Obama for America, pulled in at least 45 percent of its contributions from donors giving less than $200 during each of the fundraising quarters it was active in 2011…..
This is another strong indicator that the anti-Obama smearfest on the left is out of touch with the rest of the American left…..
More here
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Wednesday: PBO will travel to Master Lock in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to continue to discuss his blueprint for an economy built to last based on American manufacturing and the importance of companies insourcing and investing in America. He will then travel to Los Angeles, California where he will attend campaign events. He will spend the night in Los Angeles.
Thursday: PBO will attend campaign events in Corona del Mar, California before traveling to San Francisco, California to attend campaign events. He will spend the night in San Francisco.
Friday: PBO will travel to the Seattle where he will continue to discuss his blueprint for an economy built to last. He will also attend campaign events in the Seattle area before returning to Washington, D.C. later in the evening.
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From left, Chief of Staff Jack Lew, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling and U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke confer as President Barack Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Vice President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China in the Oval Office, Feb. 14, 2012. Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Mike Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics; and Lael Brainard, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, are also pictured. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Don’t miss Liberal Librarian’s new post at The People’s View
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ABC: For Jenna Lyons, Michelle Obama has been the best endorsement J. Crew has ever received …. (her) penchant for J. Crew clothing has been “the most incredible gift that keeps on giving.” Not only did the company see a “huge lift” in business, Lyons credited Obama, 48, with creating a special bond with customers.
…. When Obama appeared on “The Tonight Show” in 2008 and told Jay Leno that her yellow sweater, skirt and blouse were a “J.Crew ensemble,” the company’s stock went up 8.2 percent. In 2011, Business Insider credited her with contributing to one of the most successful re-branding campaigns ever…
More here
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Greg Sargent: Despite birth control controversy, Obama suffers no erosion among Catholics
Since the birth control controversy broke, it has been an article of faith among even some neutral commentators that the battle would cause Obama to lose crucial support among Catholic swing voters.
But Gallup has performed a new analysis of its tracking data that should complicate this assertion: It finds that Obama has suffered no meaningful downturn in recent days among that consistuency, even among church-going Catholics.
More here
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Later this afternoon, President Obama hosts another round of interviews with television stations – today’s lineup: KLAS, Las Vegas; WAGA, Atlanta; WFLA, Tampa; and WBTV, Charlotte, N.C.
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President Barack Obama meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in the Oval Office
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Obama White House.gov WH Tumblr The People’s View Smartypants Steve Benen