Obama Gets Back to Healthcare in Weekly Address

Obama talks about Anthem's decision to raise rates through the roof and how the insurance industry needs to be reformed.

Make room on Thursday for the televised bipartisan healthcare meeting.

Transcript

Sebelius on Proposed Rules for Health Insurers

Sebelius says that insurers would have to file rate increases online and provide information on how much they pay for various overhead costs, such as marketing and advertising.

Michelle Obama Visits Philly Grocery Store - Video

Michelle Obama's remarks at Fairhill Elementary School in Philadelphia:

Transcript.
Visit Let's Move.

Timothy Geithner in tow:

The first lady, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, greeted the workers, telling them, “You guys are great.”

The first lady said that she “didn’t think many Treasury Secretaries can claim childhood obesity as part of their portfolio.”

“It’s pretty cool to have your husband’s Treasury Secretary enthusiastically as part of this imitative,” she said. “So I salute you.”

Obama made her way down the aisles to the fruit smoothie machine, where she ordered a strawberry-banana smoothie.

“I have my own money,” she told a worker, pulling out a $20 bill to pay for it. Politico

Family Guy Actress With Down Syndrome Tells Palin to Chill

Andrea Friedman, who played the Down syndrome character on Family Guy, has Down Syndrome and says Palin needs to lighten up. Palin, of course, has gone too far in her exploitation of her son Trig. Palin has enabled all of her children to perceive themselves as victims.
Read Friedman's email to the NYT here.

CPAC Boos Punk Ryan Sorba

Ick. I'm glad to see the CPACers boo this self-righteous punk.

Obama's Town Hall at Green Valley High in Henderson

Updated with full video (transcript here)


Obama's town hall in Henderson, right outside of Las Vegas, will begin at 1 pm eastern. Obama will then speak at 2:55 pm eastern to the Chamber of Commerce and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority at the Aria Hotel at City Center. Both will be audio streamed here. It's likely to also be live streamed at MSNBC.com.
See the Nevada delegation attendee list here. Loudmouth mayor, Oscar Goodman was not on the list.
Obama announces a new housing program in Nevada.
Obama speaks to the Chamber (full video):

Here's a video excerpt from the town hall of Obama explaining climate change for conservatives. I wish more scientists would give explanations like this because even I fell asleep during Al Gore's global warming video, An Inconvenient Truth. Climate change also means the disappearance of species, such as frogs, and an increase in wildfires.

What's Mormon About Calling the President Un-American?

The thing I don't get about these religious types is they never seem to adhere to the tenets of their religion. Mitt Romney shouldn't be questioning Obama's American-ness. The people who say the worst things about Obama almost always claim some sort of religious superiority. Read Romney's speech here. This guy reminds me too much of a used car salesman. He's slickier than slick:

Democrats Quietly Working on Healthcare?

I'll believe it when I see it.

A senior administration official said Democratic congressional leaders have nearly finished efforts to reconcile two health bills, which the House and Senate passed separately last year with practically no Republican help. Obama will use their legislation to expand coverage to some 30 million and require most Americans to carry insurance as the basis for a proposal that the White House will post online by Monday, three days before the Feb. 25 summit, said the official. Read more at AP

Obama's Remarks at Bennet Fundraiser in Colorado - Video

Obama talks about Olympians, including Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White (who wants to have dinner with Obama). He says "The United States of America is proud of you. We're cheering for you everyday." Obama says he's checking the outcome of the Olympics on his Blackberry.

It's the Simpson and Bowles Show!

I think we should turn important business into a reality show. That way more people will pay attention.

Brian Williams interviews Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, who will head up the commission to figure out ways to reduce the deficit. They sound earnest and ready to work, unlike some people we know. It's a shame that Obama has to go outside of Congress to get people who actually work. Already the republicans and the democrats are complaining that this isn't going to work. Judd Gregg, who Bowles and Simpson suggest as a commission member, says these commissions come up with great ideas but there is never any follow through. I hate the way they start whining before anything happens. What's up with that?

Their report is due Dec. 1.

See Obama's announcement on the deficit commission here.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Biden Speaks on Nuclear Weapons at National Defense University

Hillary Clinton's Town Hall in Qatar - Video

Alleged Plane Crasher Joe Stack's Apparent Suicide Note

Psychologists say when women are mentally ill, they are likely to take it out on themselves, but mentally ill men take it out on others. It's why men often kill their families when they're distressed. Stack did software work for Hughes Aircraft, Warner Bros. and others. See his company site, embedded art, which has now been taken down at the request of the FBI.
Olliver Willis has the scoop: An excerpt from Joseph Stack's apparent suicide note:

I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it
isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.
I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along. I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
....
The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to
his need.
The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according
to his greed.

Joe Stack (1956-2010)
02/18/2010
Read more

CNN's tracking.

The IRS said it's trying to account for 190 people in the building:

The Internal Revenue Service said it is trying to account for all 190 of its employees that work in a building in Austin, Texas, that was hit by a small plane.

“We are still in the process of accounting for all of our employees,” the agency said in a statement. The employees worked in the Echelon 1 building, the agency said.

Spokesmen for the Obama administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security said that initial indications show no ties to terrorism.

“It does not appear to be terrorism,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama on Air Force One today. The Department of Homeland Security “is looking at all angles.” Read more at Bloomberg

Dick At CPAC Says Obama a One Term President

Poor Dick. He's so useless.

President Barack Obama will be a one-term president, former Vice President Dick Cheney confidently predicted Thursday.

During a surprise appearance at the end of his daughter Liz's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., the former vice president said Republicans would have a "phenomenal year" with the midterm elections, and said Obama would be defeated in 2012.

"I think 2010 is going to be a phenomenal year for the conservative cause," Cheney said to raucous applause from the conservative audience. "And I think that Barack Obama is a one-term president." The Hill

I don't know why everyone keeps calling it a surprise appearance. I didn't know anything about the CPAC lineup but is it a surprise that Dick would be there?

Obama and Dalai Lama Talk Peace and Tolerance

Obama met with the Dalai Lama today and the Dalai Lama will later meet with Hillary and then he's expected to answer press questions. Obama is now headed to Colorado. After that, he'll head to Lost Wages for a private fundraiser.
Fox's Major Garrett says the Dalai Lama "flicked" snow at the press. I'd like to throw a few snowballs:

Before reaching reporters outside WH, Dalai Lama grabbed some snow & playfully flicked it @ reporters. Cameras clicked.

It turns out Dalai Lama was more intentional:

Upon inspection, Dalai Lama made a tiger paw in the snow pack, in honor of Chinese New Year, year of the Tiger.

Jake Tapper says:

Dalai Lama said he spoke w POTUS about human values, religious tolerance, more women leaders, speaks for 6 million ppl on behalf of peace

More tweets from Tapper:

Gibbs says POTUS expressed "strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity..." (more Gibbs)"...and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China" (note: Tibetans IN China.)

More from Major:

Before leaving WH, Dalai Lama tells reporters "to make preparations" for good questions at presser later, "Don't ask silly questions!"

My sentiments exactly.
The Dalai Lama feeding the birds:

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Congress Decides to do Something

House democrats and republicans decide they're going to rewrite No Child Left Behind. That's very good of them:

Senior House Republicans and Democrats plan to announce Thursday that they will team up to rewrite the No Child Left Behind education law, a rare show of bipartisanship in the polarized Congress.

Last month, the Obama administration launched talks with lawmakers on an overhaul of the 2002 law, which mandated an expansion of standardized testing and established a national framework for school accountability. This month, President Obama's budget proposed eliminating the standard of "adequate yearly progress" for schools to close test-score achievement gaps, a key element of the law.
....
But in a joint statement, Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Dale E. Kildee (D-Mich.), John Kline (R-Minn.) and Michael N. Castle (R-Del.) pledged "a bipartisan, open and transparent effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind -- a law that we all agree is in need of major reform. It will start with a series of hearings in the coming weeks to explore the challenges and opportunities ahead as we work to ensure an excellent education is available to every student in America."
Read more at WaPo

Shaun White Would Like to Have Dinner With Obama

Obama met Joe Biden, now he'd like to meet Obama.

Watch Shaun talk about having dinner with video here.

I'd like to see Shaun give Obama some snowboarding lessons. If you missed White's performance, it was amazing. He won the gold medal in the men's halfpipe, and then improved his score on the second run by adding his new trick. He showed what you can do when you have the attitude that there's nothing to lose. He just went for it. Unfortunately, I can't post any video. NBC has a lock on them. You can watch both of his runs here.

Scarborough Pushing For Ouster of White House Officials

This is how rumors get started. Joe Scarborough, who is apparently discontent that liberals are hammering him on Twitter (he complains regularly), is using his platform to push the notion that White House officials are incompetent. He pushes the narrative by saying everyone believes that Obama's team is incompetent, but I really haven't heard a lot of people, other than the republicans, saying that David Axelrod or Robert Gibbs are a liability. People complain a lot about Rahm Emanuel, but he seems to be one of the few people who gets stuff done.

We know that the republicans will do just about anything to avoid doing actual work. They'd rather play the games.

Scarborough digs up Les Gelb to talk about firing White House staff:

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Obama Speaks at Bennet Fundraiser in Colorado

Obama speaks on behalf of Sen. Michael Bennet at 5:30 pm eastern.

President Barack Obama stops in Denver today to raise money for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and other Democratic campaigns. He is expected to arrive at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora shortly before 3 p.m. and will depart about 5:30 p.m. The arrival and departure are not open to the public. The president will address a "Grassroots Rally" at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver before heading to a cocktail reception at the downtown Sheraton. Read more at the Denver Post

Obama Speaks on Deficit Commission - Video

Obama says when he walked into office, the nation was spending more than 25% of GDP, but taking in less than 16% of GDP.

Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles will head the commission to come up with recommendations on how to cover the costs of all federal programs by 2015. Obama calls Simpson, a republican, a "flinty truth teller." Bowles ran the SBA and was chief of staff for Clinton. There will be 18 commission members in all, 4 of those will be appointed by Obama and 6 by republicans, 6 by democrats. Republicans told Timothy Geithner that they would cooperate.

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