Jack & Jill Politics

rikyrah: From the TOWNHALL in St. Louis:

Town hall takeaways VIDEO [4:46 Min]

Obama wrapped up his 100th-day town hall meeting at 12:36 p.m. Here's what you need to know from the event:- Presented himself as a populist agent of change, saying the agenda he's enacting is simply the "plans we talked about for two years, in places like this" - and validated by voters.

- Took some shots at Wall Street, saying he wants expansive regulatory reform this year. And in response to a question on autos, Obama said: "I want us to get back to making things, not just shuffling paper around."

- Triangulated against the left on Afghanistan, saying he's "had grumbling and complaints from certain factions in the Democratic Party," but won't allow "bin Laden and his cronies to createa safe haven."

- On Social Security and entitlements, laid out the case for lifting the payroll tax cap and reforming health care.

- Took a shot at tea partiers and FOX News, suggesting tax-and-spend complaints were not "serious."

S-P-E-A-K!! MR. PRESIDENT!! :>)

THIS IS THE FUILL VIDEO!

+ Pres. Obama First 100 Days Town Hall Meeting [Arnold, MO : 1 hr. 17 min.] :>)

ENJOY!! :>) LISTEN 2 THE CROWD!! :>) :>)

Olympia Snowe knows who to blame for Spector's switch , and it ain't the Dems:

"Sen. Snowe: It Didn't Have To Be This Way"
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/04/sen_sno...

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), a friend, ally, and fellow moderate of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), says the GOP didn't have to lose him. While some conservatives express outrage at Specter for leaving, and while Republican figureheads accuse him of doing it because of polling (which did indicate that he didn't have much hope for winning re-election as a Republican), Snowe blamed the GOP for losing him.

"There is no plausible scenario under which Republicans can grow into a majority while shrinking our ideological confines and continuing to retract into a regional party," Snowe wrote, asserting that the GOP misinterpreted the 2004 election as a mandate, causing its 2006 and 2008 woes...

rikyrah: "COOLEST MOMENTS!" :>)

+ Timeline: Coolest moments of Obama's first 100 days

All business aside, there are a lot of perks for a president in his first 100 days in office — getting accustomed to the presidential digs, meeting really cool people for the first time, and getting used to a new, challenging schedule. Here's a roundup of the coolest "firsts" during Barack Obama's first 100 days as president.
By: Brooklyne Gipson

There is a VOTING opportunity"
How would you grade President Obama on his first 100 days?

It is NOW at 50% - A; 28% - B Woooo! Hoooo! :>)

rikyrah: HOUSE - -YES! Despite - - - PARTY of N "0" PE!!

+ House Passes Budget With No GOP Votes

President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the House have passed a $3.4 trillion budget outline that will help him pass health care reform later in the year.

Not a single Republican backed the plan, which passed by a 233-193 vote. It predicts deficits peaking at $1.7 trillion this year, dropping to $523 billion after five years. Democrats noted that Obama inherited a fiscal crisis stemming from the deep recession, home foreclosures and the Wall Street meltdown.

The annual congressional budget measure is a blueprint that sets the boundaries of follow-up legislation like Obama's health care plan and domestic agencies' budgets.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

THEY R "cuttin' off their noses 2 spite their faces!" PITIFUL!!!

http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com

For all LGBT/gay rights activists and allies.

Joe Wilson Sees Iraq-Torture-Plame Mega-Scandal

Joe Wilson believes the Torture Scandal, Iraq Scandal and even the Plame Scandal are one mega-scandal:
The disinformation campaign to manipulate public opinion in favor of the invasion, the torture program, and the illegal exposure of a clandestine CIA agent-my wife, Valerie Plame Wilson-were linked events. In their desperate effort to gather material to whip up public support, Cheney and others resorted to torture, well known in the intelligence craft to elicit inherently unreliable information. Cheney & Co. then pressured the CIA to put its stamp of approval on a series of falsehoods-26 of which were inserted into Secretary of State Colin Powell's speech before the United Nations Security Council. At the same time, Cheney was furiously attempting to suppress the true information that Saddam Hussein was not seeking yellowcake uranium in Niger. After I published the facts in an article in The New York Times in July 2003, Cheney tried to punish me and discredit the truth by directing the outing of a CIA operative who happened to be my wife.


Wow - not even Keith Olbermann has connected the Plame dots to the Iraq-Torture dots.

Wilson also pounced on Dick Cheney's sudden passion for declassification.

Among other documents Cheney should release is his testimony to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald about the role he played in the treasonous leak of the identity of a covert CIA officer. His chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury for his efforts to ensure that the "cloud over the vice president," as Fitzgerald noted, was not penetrated.

As a witness in the Libby case, Cheney has the legal grounds to release his own testimony. If he feels more comfortable, he can ask permission, though he does not need it, from former President George W. Bush-and ask that Bush release his testimony as well. Because Cheney has called for transparency, why should he or Bush object? Then Pat Fitzgerald can make public the transcripts. It's time for this coverup to end.
The American people deserve to know the truth at last, not to depend on Cheney's selective and biased versions. Let us take the former vice president up on his demand for documents and declassify them all. Then, and only then, will we fully understand what he and his henchmen did in the name of the United States.
Amen.
http://www.democrats.com/joe-wilson-sees-iraq-t...

Joe Wilson and his wife can suck my big toe. After the crap they pulled in the primaries, I'm done with the both of them.

What crap?

rikyrah: MORE PHOTOS: :>)

+ Obama, Caroline Kennedy Play In Oval Office (PHOTOS)

To mark the President's First 100 Days, the White House released a ton of behind the scenes photos taken by Pete Souza. Some of the photos have already been seen, but there is a huge amount that show the President goofing around, acting affectionate with his wife and children and holding late night meetings with aides. Buried in the amazing collection is a photo imbued with White House history. It shows President Obama playing in the Oval Office with Caroline Kennedy. Is the President pretending to be John Jr. when he played in his father's desk? Is he trying to figure out how John got into the desk? Check out the photos to see for yourself. Below the photos is the entire slideshow from the White House.

-Ummmmmmmm, Ima need 2 get some more KODAK PAPER!! :>) :>)

lololololol

GreenLady -- lolol I would have thought the President or First Lady was your child. lololol Go ahead with the Kodak Paper. lol

Looks like Massa ain't happy with MC Steele:


"Top RNC leaders demand Steele relinquish budget powers "
http://www.americablog.com/2009/04/top-rnc-lead...

We don't normally link to the cult-run GOP propaganda organ, but in this case, we're happy to make an excception:
Randy Pullen, the RNC's elected treasurer, former RNC General Counsel David Norcross and three other former top RNC officers have presented Mr. Steele with a resolution, calling for a new set of checks and balances on the chairman's power to dole out money.

The powers include new controls on awarding contracts and spending money on outside legal and other services.
This isn't just humorous schadenfreude, it's another indicator of how conservatives have taken over the GOP, and are quickly destroying it.
The funding fight comes on the heels of another open challenge to Mr. Steele's authority. Unhappy RNC conservatives secured the signatures to force the committee to convene next month's special meeting to vote on a resolution labeling Democrats as "socialists," despite the chairman's reservations about the political wisdom of the move.

Critics said the "socialist" resolution battle was a sign of Mr. Steele's rocky start as RNC chairman and his continuing struggle to assert control of the party's message since his election in January.
Conservatives are attacking Steele because he didn't want to call President Obama a "socialist." In this case, Steele was right. It makes the Republicans look ridiculous - reaching for yet another weapon from their 1980s arsenal, trying to label Democrats as "socialists"? What's next? Hiring Cyndi Lauper to show how cool and hip Republicans are?

realistically though. The way Steele presented himself . . . would YOU let him hold your checkbook? lolol The man is two cents shy of a nickel and couldn't organize his way out of a paper bag especially after he fired almost all the staff.

Tell it like it is.

Anyone who might be interested in becoming a Black or Brown Republican, take note. If you dare to take a leadership role and question the White authority status quo, you will be shown your place with the quickness.

Yep.

So, Mr Steele has had his authority publicly usurped by both Rush Limbaugh, and little Meaghan McCain.(the fat Eastern European gangster, and the young white woman)

And you knew this was coming, didn't you? LOLOL They are not tryin' to have Mixmaster Mikey Steele near the money!!!

Plus, why they gotta insult Cyndi Lauper like that?? LOLOL

"They are not tryin' to have Mixmaster Mikey Steele near the money!!! "

That was my interpretation. and I thought the concern is valid. lol

rikyrah: rikyrah: 100+ VIDEOS:

+ Politico: FIRST 100 DAYS VIDEOS

Actually, there R OVER 156 CLIPS of SOOO many of HIS & HER OUTSTANDING MOMENTS!!

THIS is a GR8 COLLECTION!! :>) ENJOY!! :>)

Question y'all.....I don't follow the MSM often, but was it determined or at least considered last week that we will have congressional "Pecora hearings" investigating and prosecuting Wall Street like they did during the Great Depression?

Bill Moyers has a great discussion/transcript about this from last week

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04242009/tran...

I love the idea. Not only would such a hearing expose Wall Street crooks and liars, it might even expose a few of their bought-and-paid-for politicians.

Ex-Census Director Prewitt Coming Back After All

Former Census director Ken Prewitt will soon join the Commerce Department as an adviser to Secretary Gary Locke on census matters and as part of a team of experts that will deliver recommendations later this year to Robert Groves, the administration's nominee for Census director. The news has revived Republican concerns about the potential politicization of next year's decennial headcount.

Earlier this year virtually everyone in the Census community (former directors, current and former employees and lawmakers) agreed that Prewitt was a leading candidate for the director's job. He all-but confirmed his interest in the job during conversations with the White House and in a February interview, but then suddenly withdrew from consideration with little explanation.

Read on.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/20...

Official May Be Fired for Authorizing N.Y. Flyover

By Michael D. Shear and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs pointedly refused to rule out a firing in the case of the Air Force One backup's flight that terrified some in New York City on Monday.

Asked repeatedly whether White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera, who made the decision, would lose his job, Gibbs told reporters yesterday, "I think the president has rightly asked that a review of the situation and the decision-making" be done.

Gibbs reiterated that President Obama was "furious" about the decision, and he said the deputy chief of staff will conduct the review. The administration will take steps based on the outcome of the review, Gibbs said.

Caldera, who was secretary of the Army under President Bill Clinton, apologized quickly Monday afternoon, after reports of Obama's displeasure.

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," Caldera said in a statement. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

But the apology might not be enough to calm the furor over the flight, which was scheduled to allow Air Force officials to update the promotional photos of the presidential plane.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said at a briefing yesterday that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was "surprised and not very pleased" about what Morrell called the "flying photo op."

Air Force personnel and some Pentagon staffers had known of the flight, Morrell said, but he noted that the idea originated in the White House Military Office. He called the mission "mishandled" and "misguided."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...

I agree it was stupid and all that but I don't think he should be fired. Then again, I don't live in NY. I also think the country needs to honestly deal with the residual PTSD effects associated with 9/11.

and rightfully so. it was incredibly insensitive and stupid.

Woodshed time.

Voting rights case at high court Wednesday
By MARK SHERMAN – 37 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's conservative justices led a sustained attack Wednesday on a key element of the Voting Rights Act that calls for states with a history of discrimination to get advance approval of changes in the way elections are conducted.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote may well decide the challenge to the provision, acknowledged that the advance approval, or preclearance, requirement has been successful in rooting out discrimination in voting over the past 44 years. But times have changed, Kennedy said.

"The question is whether it can be shown to be justified," he said, when other states can make changes without having the Justice Department sign off on them.

Kennedy said defenders of the law have a substantial burden in showing the continuing need for the "great disparity in treatment" between states.

Congress' decision in 2006 to extend the provision for 25 years is at the core of the case from Texas that was argued Wednesday, the final argument of the court's term. The requirement applies to all or parts of 16 states with a history of discrimination in voting.

The court is being asked by a small Texas community to strike down the extension as an unconstitutional intrusion into the domain of state and local governments that have made substantial progress since the era of Jim Crow and government-sponsored discrimination.

The court's liberal justices strongly defended Congress' actions, which included amassing evidence of ongoing discrimination.

"I don't understand with a record like that how you can maintain ... that things have radically changed," Justice David Souter said, acknowledging that there has been progress.

The justices could find a way out of the case without ruling one way or the other on the constitutional issue. They could determine that the Texas community, Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1, no longer has to comply with the advance approval requirement.

For the only time this term, the justices made available audio recordings immediately after the arguments.

The voting rights law, enacted in 1965, has helped open elections to millions of blacks and other minorities. Its main enforcement measure is a temporary one that calls for the federal government to sign off before election changes.

Congress has renewed the provision four times, most recently by an overwhelming vote in 2006, when both houses were controlled by Republicans. President George W. Bush signed it into law.

The utility district agrees that Southern states once richly deserved the federal intrusion into their election practices. But that day has passed, especially with the election of President Barack Obama, the district says.

The law is outmoded, relying on information dating back more than 40 years to determine which states and municipal governments are covered, the district says. The district's challenge is backed by a group that opposes racial classifications in employment, voting and education.

The Obama administration and civil rights groups argue that the law is still needed to prevent discriminatory election changes and that Congress gathered substantial evidence in support of its position.

A federal court in Washington upheld the law, setting up the Supreme Court fight.

The case is Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder, 08-322

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALe...

A link was posted about this on the other thread.

We DO still need the voting rights law in place,now more than ever and I'll repost this:

There was a casket placed outside a voting precinct in NC before the general election last fall...

Also, protesters and hecklers were harassing voters while they waited in line to do early voting in NC.....

Hell, the Rethugs all but suppressed and disenfranchised millions of voters in 2000 and 2004....and it is BECAUSE of Obama's election and conservative's RABID disgust for him that we will definitely need to ensure voting rights are protected...Republicans never stop scheming and will always grab for power even if they have to cheat their way to it.

In Phila we had catholic school seniors and their parents complaining to us (obama volunteers during primary voter registration) about a (school sanctioned) assembly where the Rethugs "officials" were saying that as "good catholics" they could only vote Republican and that the students would be paid $20 if they registered as Republicans.

They kids came to the office because they didn't trust that the voter registration they turned in at the school would really be turned in if they registered as a Democrat. In PA primaries, you MUST choose something; if you leave the box blank, it's rejected and you won't be able to vote in the primary.

not at all surprising...but it is truly sad that those "officials" would try to infect and bribe our youngest minds with that garbage.

We need voter protection and rights monitoring MORE THAN EVER.

Ain't that the truth. They'll never stop. This is such an obvious put-up job, it's not even funny. A MUD asks for permission under Section 5 to move a polling place from a garage to a school, gets permission...and files a lawsuit because (they say) they shouldn't have had to go to the trouble...as if taking a case to the SCOTUS is less trouble.

rikyrah: Saw this VIDEO re the FIRST 100 DAYS:

+ TOP MOMENTS FROM THE FIRST 100 DAYS [Politico] VIDEO [3:05 MIN.]

ENJOY!! :>)

rikyrah: APRIL 29, 2009 -DAY 100- Of His FIRST 100 DAYS!! :>)
+ YAAAAAAA!!!

+ Obama's First 100 Days: The Good, The Bad, and the Geithner

Has it been only 100 days since Barack Obama took the oath of office? Actually, it's only been 98, but sometimes 100 days feels like more than 100 days. This is one of those times. Obama's first 100 days have been among the most eventful in history.

So how's it going?

According to the American people, pretty damn good. Not only does 69 percent of the public approve of the job Obama is doing, but last week, for the first time since January 2004, more Americans felt the country is headed in the right direction than in the wrong direction (48 percent to 44 percent). Remarkably, this "right direction" number has been steadily rising even as the economy has been steadily falling.

In his Grant Park acceptance speech on election night, the newly elected president warned that "the road ahead will be long," and "our climb will be steep." But his poll numbers are a vindication of the idea that, with the right leadership, Americans are mature enough to heed those words and not expect immediate results.

So any list of the most impressive achievements of Obama's first 100 days should start with the intangible qualities of transformational leadership --- from the president's personal equanimity (which Robert Reich described as "the serene center of the cyclone -- exuding calm when most Americans are petrified") to his masterful use of the bully pulpit.

In just his first 100 days, Obama has had almost as many prime time press conferences as George Bush did in his entire first term. And it's not just press conferences. Obama's willingness to speak directly to the American people -- in town halls around the country, on YouTube, on Leno, on ESPN, etc -- and to engage with them by answering questions online and reading ten letters a day from the public, is a powerful reminder that the White House isn't a privatized bubble or underground bunker off limits to the people.

He's also offered tone setters that are a useful reminder that the president is more than just the country's chief executive -- that he and the First Lady are also potentially the country's chief teachers. They've already taught the country a lot of lessons -- about what we eat and how we eat by planting an organic vegetable garden at the White House, and about commitment to family through their relationship with their daughters and by having the First Granny move into the White House to help Sasha and Malia settle into their new lives.

THERE IS MORE!!

[I'm SMILIN' as I read this!! :>) :>) LOVE IT!!! LOVE THEM!]

From DAY 99:

+ Obama, Biden and Sen. Arlen Specter make a statement. VIDEO [13:55 MIN>]

+ Obama Welcomes Specter To Party At White House

President Obama and Vice President Biden joined former Republican Senator Arlen Specter at a press conference on Wednesday morning, welcoming him to the Democratic party.

Biden introduced the Pennsylvania senator, saying it gave him "great pleasure to officially be in the same caucus as Arlen Specter ... it's just a delight."

Specter pronounced himself "ready willing and anxious to take on all comers in the general election" and restated that he would not be an "automatic sixtieth vote" for Senate Democrats. But he told Obama he thought he could "be of assistance to you" and that "you have projected an administration that I have felt very comfortable with."

On Tuesday, President Obama called Specter to tell him "you have my full support" and we are "thrilled to have you," according to a White House aide.

"Thank you so much," Obama said. "I'm thrilled to have Arlen in the Democratic caucus, I have told him he will have my full support in the Democratic primary." He said he and Biden were fully confident that Specter will win a new term, and that the people of Pennsylvania "will be better off for it."
THERE IS MORE.

+ US President Barack Obama (C) smiles as he and Vice President Joe Biden (R) welcome US Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) following Specter's announcement that he will switch to the Democratic Party before he runs for re-election in 2010, at the White House in Washington, April 29, 2009.

+ U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Vice President Joe Biden (R) laugh as they welcome U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) (C) following Specter's announcement that he will switch to the Democratic party before he runs for re-election in 2010, at the White House in Washington, April 29, 2009.

+ US Senator Arlen Specter (C) walks with his wife Joan April 28, 2009 to a Senate Appropriations Committee emergency hearing on the Swine Influenza on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Specter said on Tuesday he will switch parties, moving Democrats closer to a 60-vote Senate majority that would allow them to break Republican procedural roadblocks.
~60 votes!! Wooo! Hooo!

ALSO:

+ HHS SECRETARY - - Kathleen SEBELIUS - -On Her J-O-B!! :>) VIDEO [1:29 MIN.]

THIS IS A GT8 DAY!! WE R PROUD OF U - - -PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!

CARRY ON!! :>) WE LOVE U!! :>)


+ Hail to the Chief - Obama :>)

rikyrah: MR. President is SPEAKING in ST. LOUIS- - -NOW!! :>)

I'll post it when available. :>)

Good Morning All,
DJ, that was funky. Skip En Vogue, Luda & MJB, I liked that. H squared. Hata #1. JBB! LMBAO. Spector - Health Care, EFCA, Judiciary. I haven't forgot about the Courts. I hope his re-election isn't a done deal. Pennsylvania, what say you. 100 Days - Can't wait to see what next 100 bring - HC legislation? judges? indictments (torture, financial, pick a spot) - hopefully for starters. Have a nice day.

I was over at Mrs.O and they have a link to the official White House photostream on Flickr

More wonderful pics, almost 300 so far....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/

This one great, the Obamas are cheering on Sasha at a basketball game (Sasha's out of view)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/3484012...

There are sooo many photos I love..

Absolutely wonderful:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/3484005...

Wow, thank you for posting these. I love this one.

Priceless. Sasha & Malia will know how a real man is supposed to treat a real woman. Love it!

Monie: Just bookmarked it! THEY R GR8!!! :>) :>) WOW!!! :>)

Obama set to revise Crack Cocaine Sentencing laws

ABOUT DAMN TIME

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/obama-...

Amen

Did you guys get this in your email?

Tomorrow will mark the President's hundredth day in office. A lot of attention will be given to this largely symbolic day, and the truth is that what we do every day after it will be just as important -- if not more. But our accomplishments in this time have been remarkable, and they're having real effects on people and communities throughout the country.

You built the movement that made this possible, and it's up to you to show Americans that real change can happen when ordinary citizens work together.

Explore this interactive map to learn about the progress we've made in the last 100 days and the stories of real Americans whose lives have already been touched. Then spread the word by passing it along to your friends and family.
http://my.barackobama.com/100days

Technicallities in mortgage relief bill for homeowners: hat tip Congressional Quarterly
http://www.cq.com/document/display.do?matchId=7...

http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur52778.cfm

What do you think, JJP Fam? I think it'll make the wingnuts' heads explode even more if that's possible.

Shazza: GETTIN' READY!! :>)

HA!

http://politics.bob-schwartz.com/wp-content/upl...

Oh this will surely set it off today...LMAO

After 100 Days, the 'Banking Crisis' remains unresolved. We now seem to be moving towards what the WSJ calls 'backdoor nationalization.' Six banks have failed their stress tests and we do not really know how bad things really are.

ANOTHER SOURCE: Fed Is Said to Seek Capital for at Least Six Banks (Update1)

April 29 (Bloomberg) -- At least six of the 19 largest U.S. banks require additional capital, according to preliminary results of government stress tests, people briefed on the matter said.

While some of the lenders may need extra cash injections from the government, most of the capital is likely to come from converting preferred shares to common equity, the people said. The Federal Reserve is now hearing appeals from banks, including Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp., that regulators have determined need more of a cushion against losses, they added.

THERE IS MORE.

WHEW!!! ***shakin' my head***

lol after 100 days? this has been happening since 2007. dont act as if this is a new problem. its the same problem that has existed with a new administration frankly doing the same thing the last one did.

I am not acting as if it is a new problem, but we were told that it is THE problem. Taxpayer dollars are put at risk with no exit strategy and no effective oversight. But, no worries, the Dems are in charge.

This mess is like losing weight. It didn't take 100 days to get into this mess, and it is gonna take a long time to get out of it.

rorysmomma: LOL!!! :>) TA-RUTH!! :>) Good one!! :>)

How you doing greenlady! I hope the health is getting better. They claim the man is the messiah or the antichrist and now they are mad that he hasn't fixed the country in 100 days. Lovely, non reality based people.

rorysmomma: Heeeey! :>)

Still under the DOCTOR's care. Slow recovery. BUT- RESTIN' OFTEN! :>)

THANK U VERY MUCH!! :>)

THEY 'ON'T KNOW!! :>) :>) CONFUSED!! EVIL!! That's ALL!! :>)

and if dems fail they will get booted out too. im not a fan of the bailouts and im not a fan of just letting them fail either. Lehmans is a letting them fail mistake and AIG is a bailout mistake.

100 Days On Veterans: A Reason To Hope
There's only so much a President can do in 100 days, and we don't know what a President will do in the remaining 4-years-minus-100 days, so it is hard to say a whether a President has been a success or failure. However, when looking at the needs of veterans at the end of the Bush administration, and whether those needs have been fulfilled, it's tough to say that President Obama's first 100 days haven't been incredibly encouraging.
When it comes to veterans care, most issues fell under three categories as the President took office - funding, confusion, and lack of access. In all three areas, while there's a ton to still do, there's been dramatic improvement in the first 100 days
Read More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/100-day...

A lifetime review of First Lady Michelle Obama fashions. I am letting you know it's from the London Times. It is actually quite good. Please read the comment printed in the Times.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_sty...

Well done, but I do agree with the commenter that smacks the author for calling Michelle's natural hair "a work in progress"

Folks are so scared of strong, thick, natural, nappy hair. And for me, nappy is a compliment...

isonprize: CO-SIGN!! :>)

Erry once in a while I- - - -"GO BACK" - - just 4 a "CHANGE"! :>)

And I'm just the opposite. Erry once in a while, I'll break out the ol' pressin' comb and give 'em thick and wavy 'Oprah' hair!!

Seriously, perms wore my hair out. I'd be snatch bald if I permed by hair every 6 weeks. Natural is easy and versatile for me. No more pressin' and wrappin' and rollin' and sleepin' sideways to keep a 'good' do. I just ain't got the time...

isonprize: LOL!!! :>)

Oh! I haven't "permed" in ova 35 years!

There-4, I'm only 1 "rain-drop" away from an "AFRO!" :>)

Just let it get "humid"- - - - "Ms. AFRO" says - - -I'm BAAAAACK!! :>)

Then enters - - -- "Ms. FLAT IRON!" - - - annnnd her CAVALRY to the "rescue! :>)

I! AM! 4-REAL!! :>) :>)

This WSJ editorial fairly & accurately examines the POTUS' first 100 days. It is indeed, "The Liberal Hour" in America.

"Mr. Obama is more popular than his policies, and sooner or later the twain shall meet. For now, we are living in another era of unchecked liberal government. The reckoning will come when Americans discover how much it costs."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124096752794066...

you know this was the same thing that was said about reagan. reagan was more popular than his policies and it took 30 years for the twain to meet

You are mistaken if you think that the last 8 years were the product of 'Reaganism.'

Progressives, Liberals, Dems, all think 'Reaganomics' = tax cuts for the rich. Period.

You just don't get it.

Bush grew our deficit and the size and scope of government much to the dismay of MANY fiscal conservatives), and now Obama is following that same road. Obama wants to make the Federal government the guarantor of middle-class security instead of limiting government and empowering individuals to create and spend their own wealth.

manufactoring under reagan decreased significantly labor jobs decreased significantly unions decreased significantly all under reagan, and bush1 and 2. we generated no wealth under bush 2 and lost what little we had. theres has been little to no job creation under bush 2. The only reason Reagan saw the success he did was because taxes were at 60 percent or so and he cut them and interest rates were at 17 percent and he cut them. Interests rates are right now at 0. our corporate income tax is at 15 percent we have the lowest taxes of any organized nation and yet the only growth came in the financial sector. Please dont play us to be amateurs on american history and economic history

that big sucking sound you hear is jobs going to Mexico.

Stop stating facts. They can only get you in trouble.

The TRUTH is Bush 2 only further took over where Reagan/Bush 1 left off,

and ironically both administrations resulted in massive government bailouts....."fiscal" conservatives have known the history for over 30 years and choose to ignore it.....there has been NOTHING fiscal about any modern day republican PERIOD.

Please, keep SAYING that!

Monie,
You are correct. The S&L bailout happend on the Repub. watch, and Bush 1 also added to the Reagan deficits. Speak of revisionist history! LOL

You are wrong! Reagan significantly increased the size of the federal deficit in order to make the Soviet Union spend more money to keep up, and thus ultimately collapse. The budget deficit was erased under a Democrat, Bill Clinton. So Bush and Reagan actully did exactly the same thing in terms of running up huge deficits. This is actually historical fact!

uh reagan left the nation in a deficit and he grew the govt. please name for me one govt beauracracy that reagan eliminated? he tried the dept of education its still here, he passed the Earned income tax credit, and raised taxes 6 times. so maybe the reagan everyone talks about and the reagan that existed are two different people. Our economy is a mixed economy, whe have private investments along with centralized economic planning and govt regulation. its forever been like that. The middle class shrunk under reagan shrunk under bush increased some under clinton and shrank under bush 2.

People get up in the morning and go to work, not to feed the beast that is the Federal Government, but to create their own wealth and their own version of the 'American Dream.' The legacy of Reagan is primarily in his belief in the American people and the private economy to create and sustain a vibrant economy.

When Reagan was elected he inherited an economy that consisted of growing unemployment, rising inflation and 20% mortgage rates. The 'misery index' and 'stagflation' were part of our daily economic vocabulary.

The Economic Recovery Tax Act cut personal income tax rates by 25% across the board, indexed tax brackets for inflation and reduced the corporate income tax rate. What followed was a rise in the American standard of living and the creation of industries by American companies that did not exist a generation ago.

Today's administration and Democratic party offer us a future where we live to support the federal government. More and more of the paychecks of taxpayers and profits of corporations will be needed to support and sustain a government that will not be able to fulfill it's promise to provide economic prosperity.

You ignored the fact that Reagan and Bush Sr. ran up huge deficits! Reaganism is less taxes and more spending on defense and military industrial complex. Deficit spending was as much a part of Reaganism as low taxes. You may be too young to remember, but there were many people in Reagan's cabinet, like G.W.'s cabinet, who said that deficits did not matter. Apparently, deficits only matter when a Democrat is in office. The problem that you have is that you and people who spout the same drivel as you are hypocrites and liars. You cannot and will not debate facts. You should at least develop an ideology that encompasses all of the relevant facts. But, if you could do that kind of analytical thinking, you wouldn't be repeatedly spouting this nonsense!

Generally speaking, traditional
conservatives don't consider
a progressive tax code
punitive.

Generally speaking,
right wing extremists
do, though.

Fanaticism has
infected conservatism
like a retrovirus.

Ronald Reagan's legacy.

Moderate Democrats, time to suit up.

Now that the Democrats appear to have reached the all-important 60-vote threshold, the weight of the world will rest atop the shoulders of heretofore ignored moderate Democrats. These new darlings of the national media include Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, and Bryon Dorgan and Kent Conrad of North Dakota. All eyes will also be on at many as three freshmen Democrats - Mark Begich of Alaska, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Kay Hagan of North Carolina.

The above named moderates hail from decidedly conservative states where self-identified conservatives outnumber liberals by nearly 2 to 1.

Thus far, moderate Democrats from decidedly conservative states have happily signed on to the Obama/Reid/Pelosi agenda. But, now that even Keith Olbermann must admit that they represent the balance of power in Washington, will the moderates begin to feel that pressure? Will they feel confident enough to sign on to new energy taxes, government-run health care, and weakened defenses against plotting terrorists and rogue nuclear-armed Nations if their undeniably conservative constituencies understand that it was their vote that, in the end, made the difference?

Don’t count on it.

This is how conserv1 thinks even if he gets it right he always makes it wrong
apologies to anyone blonde
Three blondes died and found themselves standing before St. Peter.
He told them that before they could enter the Kingdom, they had to tell him what Easter represented.
The first blonde, an American, said "Easter is a holiday where they have a big feast and we give thanks and eat turkey. "St. Peter said, "Noooooo," and wouldn't let her in.
The second blonde, a Brit, said "Easter is when we celebrate Jesus' birth and exchange gifts." St. Peter said, "Noooooo," and he wouldn't let her in either.
The third blonde, a Canadian, said she knew what Easter was, and St. Peter said, "So, tell me." She said, "Easter is a Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover. Jesus was having Passover feast with His disciples when He was betrayed by Judas, and the Romans arrested Him. The Romans hung Him on the cross and eventually He died. Then they buried Him in a tomb behind a very large boulder ... "
St. Peter said, "Verrrrrry good."
Then the blonde continued, "Now, every year the Jews roll away the boulder and Jesus comes out. If he sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of hockey."
St. Peter fainted

LOL!

This Copy & Paste was brought to you by The National Review.

That's right. I happen to agree with it.

Conserv1: The PROPER way 2 post [and WRITE], IFF U R citin' a SOURCE is 2 CITE the SOURCE!!

Please give CREDIT 2 OTHERS whose THOUGHTS/IDEAS/STATEMENTS that U USE!!

Otherwise, U R STEALIN' INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY!!

N'est pas??

WE KNOW!

GreenLady, I've pointed that out to him over and over.

Plantsmantx: LOL!!! :>)

THANK U!! :>)

Sooooo, guess he/she's GOT TA GO 2 the "BAD CHAIR" - - for bein' "hard-headed!!" :>)

***shakin' my head*** :>) :>)

Do you think he really doesn't know that copying/pasting a text string into Google will, more often than not, result in finding out where he got that stuff from?

Plantsmantx: YEP! :>)

BUT - - - DUMB IS as DUMB DOES!! :>)

I'm just sayin'. . . . .

If you don't site a source, then you're a plagiarist.

I hope the moderators of this take note of your plagiarism.

If there's no shame in your game, then you should have posted where you got the information from instead of trying to hide. That's one of the reasons why you don't get respect on this blog. Say what you want about D, but at least he brings his own thoughts to the table instead of merely copying and pasting from right wing websites.

And that's why you people don't matter anymore.Why do you take pride in your ignorance?

What else can they be proud of?

damn.....you're right....ignorance is all they've got at this point.

Barbara Charline Jordan
1976 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
"Who, then, will speak for the common good?"
Listen and read the speech you just might learn something
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barbar...

I would.

As long as the far right that is in control of the Republican Party insists on going even further right...

Your guys are going to lose more people - perhaps even 3 - 4 more Senators.

See that the Republicans in the Georgia Senate passed a resolution which allows the state to secede from the Union...

Again.

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/042609/opi_...

While "The Great White Hope" may well be moderate democrats...

They are MODERATES...

No idiots.

True, they may not be idiots, but with whom will their loyality ultimately lie? The Party? The POTUS? The voters in their states?

I contend that moderates from 'Red' states must answer to their constituencies before yielding to pressure from 'progressives.' They will vote for self-preservation first and foremost.

The idea that the GOP is 'far right' is a label that Dems would like to make stick, and, make no mistake, Specter used it as an excuse for leaving the party, when the fact is that, he left the GOP for political expediency.

The GOP has its work cut out for it to be sure but if they can focus their message on smaller government, less spending and taxes, individual freedom their message may begin to resonate with the grassroots 'Tea Party' advocates first, and spread beyond the Beltway to moderates and independents.

message on smaller government, less spending and taxes, individual freedom?

Please!

On smaller Government the Obama Administration inherited the largest Federal Government in history after 8 years of Repub rule. And I'm not even sure that accounts for the "Outsourced Government" consisting of over 100,000 people - just here in DC.

Less Spending - Need I remind you of the deficit spending throughout the Republican hegemony?

Less taxes - We already have the lowest actual tax rate of any industrialized nation. This old dead saw - just doesn't cut anymore.

Individual Freedom - You have a Republican government that just spent billions spying on it's own citizens...

And somehow we're supposed to be stupid enough to believe Rethugs give jack shidt about our freedom?

Don't make me laugh.

Suggest you guys go back to the drawing board and come up with a new set of tag lines you don't believe in...

Because at least then it will be fresh.

Well if Kay Hagan doesn't get her ass in gear, she won't survive but one term. Trust me on that. we will enable the troops

Oh my GOD!!!!!!!! Tavis Smiley the Negro Jamboree Soul Patrol Hater is on the CBS Early Show RIGHT NOW talkin bout he gives President Obama a grade of "D" because he hasn't met all of his campaign promises yet. I cannot STAND THIS COON, and I HATE how the white media is so quick to put his stammering stuttering moochie mouthded ass on tv!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's a HATER.
That's what he does.
That's all he does.
And he will not stop!
(apologies to "Reese" in "Terminator")

BlackAmericanPrincess: So "TRAVESTY" "SMILE -N- STAB" is livin' up 2 his name!!! PROOF!!

HE IS "HATA #1" personified!! How can someone live with ALL THAT HATE!!??

I'm SURE that he couldn't wait 2 wake up this mornin' in order to SPEW all the HATE that he has in him!! Aaaaaarrrrrrggggg!!!!!

Annnnd, "WHYCOME" a D? Because - - - HE! IS! DUMB!!!

Annnd he hasn't figured out how he is bein' USED BY PEOPLE as the-----
"GO-TO" COON!!!

GO-TO THAT "COON" IFFF u want a FOOL 2 speak negatively 'bout our BELOVED PRESIDENT!!

THEY KNOW!!!!

HE IS PITIFUL!!!!

Ima summon my strength in order to - - -Saaaa-LAP THAT FOOL!!!

HATIN' IS SUCH A TERRIBLE THANG!!

ENVY IS SUCH A TERRIBLE THANG!!

Awww, poor widdle Tavis is pouting because the cool kids in the schoolyard are ignoring him. Give him a glass of milk and a couple of chips ahoy and he'll be fine.

Save the milk and cookies.

Hey....doesn't Tavis Frowney have some green appearing near his ears...down to his jaw line.....oh, I see....his face is turning green with envy.

Come to think of it, green MUST be his favorite color, since he is so willing to be a selfish, jealous,"never-knew-what-accountability-was-before-Barack-Hussein-Obama-become-President" willing to peddle his shyt for the sake of a movie and book media whore.

Tavis "the grinch" Frowney needs to sit his azz down.

Tavis: http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/timewaste...

Tavis and his Soul Patrol http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/files/u45/scho...

Tavis Smiley know damn well he's lying. He's a jealous hating handkerchief head boot-licking ignorant coon!

i can't do anything but laugh at tavis smiley, just can't. lol. that's all.

lol fuck tavis

Maybe if someone did, he wouldn't be so bitter.

*goes to sit in the "Time Out" chair"

No.
You.
Didn't.
(hee, hee, hee)

Time to clean the keyboard again

LMAO

DAMMIT Sepia........now I got to clean my keyboard!!!!

YOU.AIN'T.RIGHT.

Tavis gets an "A" in Jealous Bitter Bitch 101.

His reasoning doesn't even make sense. He gives him a "D" because he hasn't met all of his campaign promises yet???? WTF? The keyword is YET which means PBO ain't done yet so why the hail give him a D?

Ya know???!!!!

I didn't think it was possible to meet all of the promises in 100 days. Tavis is horrible.

Bet if you put his ass on point to outline WHICH promises that were so important to Tavis, he couldn't name two, let alone 10.

rikyrah, I don't have much love for tavis, and in the words of my late grandfather, if he was on fire I wouldn't piss on him.

"if he was on fire I wouldn't piss on him."

DAAAAAAAMN.

He is so horrible. I can't stand him. He then has the nerve to be so sanctimonious and self righteous.

Get ready for more of the same. Any Democrat, and especially any black Democrat who speaks out against the POTUS will become a media darling. Let's face it, Republicans who speak out against the President's policies are not nearly as interesting/controversial to the MSM as dissenters within Democratic ranks and if they happend to be the same color, even better! That's how the MSM works.

Hateration on display.

Yep!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_naM97-eQYrQ/Sbx4SuLjv...

Tavis found out boot-licking wasn't enough!

Looks like Tavis is grading Obama on a curve. You know he really wants to put Obama out of the program altogether.

You know you speak the truth.

Tavis is that kid who was always lauded as the best and the brightest, and now here's this new kid who's even better and brighter than him and now Tavis has been forgotten so he's reduced to sitting in the back of the classroom sucking his teeth with folded up arms and a scrunched up face, hissing "He ain't all that" to anyone who will listen.

Town: LOL!! :>)

SPEAK TA-RUTH!!!

WE KNOW! Annnd, he doesn't care IFF WE KNOW!!

He's on his "FAUX-ACCOUNTABILITY TA-RIP!!"

Makin' $$$$ off the PRESIDENT!! HOW CHEAP of him!!

**shakin' my head**

Tavis Smiley = H squared. HI HATER!!

Tavis just loves the attention. His momma didn't hug him when he was a child...

i read his autobio (back when he was a halfway respectable human being!). he was SEVERELY beaten as a teenager by his stepfather (requiring a hospital stay for a month or more, can't recall), and basically a stranger to his bio father. i think the beating took place when he was in high school, and since it was a small town, EVERYBODY knew why he was absent. imagine the humiliation for a teenager!! not excusing his behaviour towards the president today, but i recognise that he is damaged goods.

who didn't get beat, teased, picked on as a child, and hell I was even hospitalized a few times (health issues) yet I manage to not be a hater. Who knew? Humiliation, depression, violence, teasing etc, are all parts of life. Doesn't excuse his behavior.

ummm....okaaaay??? as i wrote, it DOESN'T excuse his behaviour. speaking strictly for MYSELF, it makes his behaviour easier to understand. the man has issues. he was hospitalised for a month behind a beat-down received at the hands of one of his parents---which is COMPLETELY different from "health issues".

i'm someone who didn't "get beat". so the concept of it is horrific.

I am not trying to be insensitive to the man's plight.? I am just saying that it doesn't excuse his behavior.? You are correct in the assertion that it makes theings easier to understand.? ( I know I probably sounded republican lite in my comments now that I think about it.? Thanks for the gentle reprimand.)

Obviously, he was traumatized. He upbringing sounds sad. And obviously, he hasn't gotten to a decent therapist. His issues manifest themselves in his hate for anyone who doesn't agree with his twisted, hateration logic.

isonprize: He COULD get HELP!! BUT - - he, OBVIOUSLY, ENJOYS the "STATE" that he is in. SAD!!

H squared

LoL, I was unfamiliar with Linda Clifford's version. My generation tends to rock that En Vogue version of Runaway Love...it is definitely on the Ipod.

Good Morning.Your morning jam is brought to you by Arlen Specter to the republicans.Enjoy
Linda Clifford - Runaway Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOmhKpwpDkc

Awesome! That was one of the first songs I downloaded to my iPod, and I have to blast it at least once a day.

According to the Youtube comments, that's the Jones Girls singing backup. I can't verify it, but it does sound like them...

DJ I would love, LOVE LURVE to be at a party where you spin!

You right, that is the Jones Girls before they went out on thier own.I might play some tunes when I go home to Chicago for the 4th.