Obama's Schedule July 6

Obama in Ohio

Times are eastern.

9:40 AM	The President tours Summer Garden Food Manufacturing Local Event Time:  9:40 AM EDT Boardman, Ohio Pooled Press
10:45 AM	The President delivers remarks at a campaign event Local Event Time:  10:45 AM EDT Dobbins Elementary School, Ohio, Poland Open to pre-credentialed media
1:50 PM	The President delivers remarks at a campaign event Local Event Time:  1:50 PM EDT Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Open to pre-credentialed media
3:10 PM	The President departs Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania Local Event Time:  3:10 PM EDT Pittsburgh International Airport Open Press
4:10 PM	The President arrives at Joint Base Andrews Local Event Time:  4:10 PM EDT Travel Pool Coverage
4:25 PM	The President arrives at the White House Local Event Time:  4:25 PM EDT South Lawn Open Press
4:55 PM	The President holds an event at the White House with construction workers and college students to sign HR 4348 Local Event Time:  4:55 PM EDT East Room Open Press
6:00 PM	The President departs the White House en route to Camp David Local Event Time:  6:00 PM EDT South Lawn

Ann Romney Defends Mitt on Compassion

Ann Romney uses the example of Mitt "rescuing the Olympics" and not taking a salary as evidence of compassion. She also says when she was sick he was by her side. Well, I hope so. They are beyond clueless. Perhaps she had better examples, but this is all CBS had up:



Can you imagine Michelle Obama saying stuff like this? FLOTUS has less ego and more smarts than Ann Romney. And Mitt's non-substantive answers. This guy is growing increasingly ickier by the day. Ann doesn't appear realize that her family's wealth and wealthy connections could lead to policies that favor the rich. That is why Mitt's wealth is an issue in this campaign.

Obama's Speech in Ohio July 5

While Obama was campaigning today, Mitt was still on vacation. I don't think Romney has the fight in him.



The geek that I am loves these Air Force One landing videos:



Obama in Ohio:

Obama meets Stephanie, whose sister died of cancer. She said her sister would've benefited from Obamacare.

Ann Romney Suggests Romney's Looking for Woman Vice President

We know the Romney campaign isn't looking for a she-who-should-not-be-named. Romney doesn't want to pull a McCain. A lot of conservatives would like to see Michele Bachmann as veep. I think he'll choose someone known by all as a conservative, to counter Mitt's "severe" conservatism. No one really knows what Mitt is.
It is rumored Kelly Ayotte, a Senator from N.H., is being considered. She's pretty conservative. She is against abortion except in the case of rape, incest or the health of the mother, which may be a ding for her. Plusses for her -- if you're a conservative -- she's against gay people getting married and adopting kids. She opposes unions. Like Mitt, she supports Arizona's immigration law. She's not sure that humans have anything to do with climate change.  And yet, some conservatives don't think she's severe enough (post from 2010). Here's more on Ayotte.
Obama announced Joe Biden as his vice president in 2008 in late August.


Do you have an offshore bank account? An effective ad from the Obama campaign:

She The People? Really?

I've never read this column in the Washington Post before. Someone on twitter pointed it out. There are at least four things wrong with this article by Suzi Parker and the column itself. 1) "She" is underlined in lipstick. Men think that they can turn something in print woman-y by using lipstick. This trick is silly. 2) The article appears to be an ad for Family Circle. 3) She the People is supposed to be a column on women writing about politics and culture. Do we really need to label it in such a manner. Haven't we passed the point where women can write about such things without a special label? 4) The article itself is wasted space.

Does Romney Really Want to be President?

I don't believe Romney wants to be president bad enough. He can't taste it, and how could he? Who is he fighting for? Goliath? Hardly noble or worthy. Goliath can fight for himself. Romney's wealth cuts him off from understanding average Americans, and empathy doesn't appear to be his strong suit. He doesn't seem to have any substantive principles, at least nothing that sticks. I mean, what does Romney definitively believe in? Do republicans even know? All we know is that he says he'll repeal Obamacare and the rest of what he says -- platitudes. He won't mind he gets elected, but he doesn't seem to want to put in the work required.

I'd really like to be comforted a bit, in case he does win. I want to know where this guy is coming from. But I have no idea.

Apparently, the Wall Street Journal published its criticism of Mitt prior to his reversal (it's since been updated). Romney makes a lot of dumb mistakes. The WSJ is wrong, however. Whether it's called a tax or a penalty, matters not. The only people who would pay a penalty (tax) are the people who don't buy insurance, which the CBO estimates to be about 1%. The point of the mandate is to bring down costs for everyone and cover more people by having more people participating. Romney knows that.

If Mitt Romney loses his run for the White House, a turning point will have been his decision Monday to absolve President Obama of raising taxes on the middle class. He is managing to turn the only possible silver lining in Chief Justice John Roberts's ObamaCare salvage operation—that the mandate to buy insurance or pay a penalty is really a tax—into a second political defeat. Appearing on MSNBC, close Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom was asked by host Chuck Todd if Mr. Romney "agrees with the president" and "believes that you shouldn't call the tax penalty a tax, you should call it a penalty or a fee or a fine?" "That's correct," Mr. Fehrnstrom replied, before attempting some hapless spin suggesting that Mr. Obama must be "held accountable" for his own "contradictory" statements on whether it is a penalty or tax. Predictably, the Obama campaign and the media blew past Mr. Fehrnstrom's point, jumped on the tax-policy concession, and declared the health-care tax debate closed. WSJ

Obama's Schedule July 5

Times are eastern.

CNN has live stream of the rallies.

9:10 AM	The President departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews Local Event Time:  9:10 AM EDT South Lawn Travel Pool Coverage
9:35 AM	The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Toledo, Ohio Local Event Time:  9:35 AM EDT Travel Pool Coverage
10:55 AM	The President arrives in Toledo, Ohio Local Event Time:  10:55 AM EDT Toledo Express Airport Open Press
11:40 AM	The President delivers remarks at a campaign event Local Event Time:  11:40 AM EDT Maumee, Ohio, Wolcott House Museum Complex Open to pre-credentialed media
3:40 PM	The President delivers remarks at a campaign event Local Event Time:  3:40 PM EDT Ohio, Sandusky, Washington Park Open to pre-credentialed media
7:15 PM	The President delivers remarks at a campaign event Local Event Time:  7:15 PM EDT James Day Park, Ohio, Parma Open to pre-credentialed media

The Declaration of Independence

It is believed the Declaration of Independence was meant to be performed, not just read:

Romney Explains the "Personal Responsibility Principle" (Mandate)

Looks like Romney may have a implantable human heart that can be removed and replanted depending on the moment. At one point in time he really understood the reasons for the mandate. No one explains the mandate better than Mitt:



Circulating on Twitter. Poor Rafalca is on her way to the Olympics a la Seamus-style:

Romney clan Fourth of July:

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

Obama Speaks at Naturalization Ceremony for Service Members July 4 2012

Full video:

The Obamas Attend Fourth of July Celebration 2012

This live stream begins at 6 pm ET, followed by Independence Day celebration at the White House at 8:10 pm ET. Happy Birthday to Malia Obama, who is 14 today.

Obama's July 4 Schedule

Times are eastern.


10:15 AM
Obama arrives at Ft. McNair.
10:25 AM
Obama arrives at the White House.
10:50 AM
Obama delivers remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members.
6:00 PM
Obamas attend fireworks. Live stream


Apparently, republicans are lying about Obama's Fourth of July plans. Even Karl Rove posted the lie. Republicans seem to believe their flock is pretty stupid (and they are) because all you gotta do is head to WhiteHouse.gov and voila:

On July 4, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas will present the countries of the candidates for naturalization and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance.

The Obamas will also attend the fireworks display as they do every year.

Here's how Mitt is spending his Fourth of July at his $8 million, 13-acre compound in N.H.: spinning the "chore wheel," choreographing lawn chair routines, talking about their sons, dressing alike, posing for family photos. It must feel good to still be paid millions by the company you supposedly left 10 years ago. It also must feel liberating to only pay 14% in taxes, less than people like me! It also must feel good -- if not a little disloyal -- to have oodles and boodles of money stashed all around the world.

Look at Ann! Wow, she looks great. Those Romneys. Aren't they swell?

Obama's Schedule July 3

Photo of the White House from Marine One

Obama continues his four-day family getaway at Camp David. Malia Obama's birthday is July 4. Obama should be back at the White House by tomorrow for the annual White House fireworks.

This is also on tap for tomorrow:

On July 4, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas will present the countries of the candidates for naturalization and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance.

In the meantime, here's some news you can use:

Every vacation it's the same old stupid thing. Obama takes too many vacations. blah blah blah. The Obama's won't take their usual summer vacation at Martha's Vineyard this year. What will republicans have to gripe about? Oh, everything.

The Department of Justice is looking into oil companies Chesapeake and Encana for price fixing -- another reason republicans don't like Eric Holder. The DoJ is doing it's job.

Factory orders were up in May.

We know where Romney lives. In about five houses around the US. But where does his money live? Here's a look.

Romney will be fundraising in London July 27 without his fundraising host, Robert Diamond, a banker who resigned from Barclays, which rigged global interest rates. This is why we don't need a president to fight on behalf of business.

After Romney attends the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in London, he will visit Israel. Romney apparently is best buds with Netanyahu. That makes sense.

I'll just say it myself because media people can't say it. Mitt is getting cocky. Why? Because he can (and it's the nature of silver spoon people).
The economy is recovering slowly, but slowly isn't good enough. People will blame Obama for the economy and that's that. We do after all have a nation full of people who bought homes they could't afford and had no savings to back them up. As a saver person that still ticks me off. I used to earn 4%, post recession less than 1%, all because a bunch of people bought more house than they could afford and used their homes like ATM machines. But it's easier to blame the recession on the president. Of course, Wall Street is to blame for capitalizing on our greed. If they hadn't made our subprime mortgages look so pretty, we wouldn't be in this big fat mess. Neither would the world. It's likely the US tipped off the global recession. And then there are the republicans. They are to blame for not doing anything to assist Obama in any way. Their strategy has been to slow the recovery in any way possible. So here we are, stuck with a slowly recovering economy that, quite frankly, will never be what it was. But people don't know that yet either.

More coming as I read the morning/afternoon news today.


NPR has a story that says West Virginians voted for a jailed democrat because of Obama's stance of coal. Ha! Good one. They voted for a name, essentially. They were clueless to the fact he was in jail. West Virginia is a beautiful place. I've been there. But people grow up being racist. It's part of the culture there.
 
Independent voters say they want republicans to move past the healthcare fight.

Romney made $22 million in 2010 and paid 14% in taxes. Now that's what's wrong, an unfair tax structure. I paid more percent wise than Romney!

The tea party is urging business people not to hire, which is silly. Business people will put profit ahead of politics. If they need to hire people, they will. Many companies have learned that they can squeeze more out of fewer people and be more profitable. That's the way it's going to be until consumer demand is back up, not just in the US but around the world. That may take a while. Fact is, the private sector IS DOING FINE. They're just not hiring. Remember hiring people is NOT the purpose of business. Making a profit with as few workers as possible is always the aim of business. If robots could think and design, we'd all be out of a job. But then everybody would quickly learn that consumers drive the economy. Without jobs, we couldn't buy anything the robots made. Wall Street had record revenue in 2009-10.

I'm feeling quite prickly this morning :)

Sad news today. Andy Griffith has died. Everyone in this photo has passed away.  As a small side note, Andy Griffith was an Obama supporter, even did an ad in 2008, along with Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. Read Obama's statement on Andy's death.

People watched a show on Animal Planet suggesting mermaids were real, and people believed it, so NOAA had to issue a statement.

On Friday, July 6, Obama will sign the bill that funds our highways and keeps student loan interest rates low.

Apparently, "you lie" Joe Walsh made an arse of himself again today.

Romney is being paid by Bain -- 10 years later. Where can we all get a job like that!

Justice John Roberts ran off to Malta. Funny. He's missing the wrath of conservatives who are just about out of their minds over Roberts and his role in the Obamacare ruling. This nation needs sanity or maybe everything just looks worse through the lens of politics.

A Remembrance of the Shameful Media Coverage of SCOTUS

I posted this video in April. The shameful coverage by most media -- not just Fox and CNN -- should be a wakeup call for the media, which intentionally ignored facts, particularly the fact that what the judges say in oral arguments has no relation to how they will rule, and the consensus of legal scholars. The media has gotten into this very bad habit of reporting on anything but substance.

Obama's Schedule July 2

Never forget the shameful reporting leading up to the SCOTUS decision and after the SCOTUS decision. 

Obama is at Camp David today for a four-day weekend. Malia Obama's birthday is July 4.
From CD, Obama congratulated Mexico's new president-elect, Enrique Pena Nieto. 

In the meantime, here's some morning/afternoon reading - the last two of three republican presidents signed tax increases larger than Obamacare. Thanks to the Atlantic for reporting this.

Here's another bit I heard today. California will be ready to insure millions when the time comes and if California can do it any state can. Florida, with its GOP governor, says it won't even participate in Obamacare.

A new poll says that the majority of Americans would like GOP to get over themselves and move on from the ACA. They won't.

Romney camp agrees with Obama. The healthcare mandate is a penalty, not a tax. This whole debate, however is silly. It doesn't matter whether it's a tax or a penalty. The media is just playing its usual game, a game republicans started to make themselves feel better about the ruling.
Essentially, the mandate to buy insurance was labeled a penalty so the case could be heard by SCOTUS. Read this. 
If it was called a tax, then SCOTUS would have to wait until people were taxed and then filed a suit.

Here's what matters  --  only those who choose NOT to buy insurance will pay a penalty (tax), which the CBO estimates will be 1%.

Government cuts are weakening the economy while housing is strengthening it. Now there's a twist. Most economists agree cutbacks should be done when the economy is good not when the economy is struggling. But republicans figured if they fought stimulus and Obama's other efforts, they could get him out of office quicker. Not only is that a lame strategy, it's disheartening that republicans would sabotage the American people to meet their own ends. Let's hope Americans are wiser.

Anderson Cooper says he's gay. Yay Anderson.

Newt Gingrich is back in the news. He bowed to an Iranian terrorist group leader. Video.

CNN person blames the heat for Chris Christie's obnoxious behavior. He's just being himself. 

ooooh, and I saw this yesterday, an ancient Inca sun dial and other relics have been found in Peru.

Here's a photo of boston cream cupcakes with the recipe. mmmmmm

Watch Joe Biden talk about Jill Biden on Book TV.

Scientists may have found evidence of the Higgs Boson particle, which the media loves to call the "god particle," which annoys scientists. Here's a video explainer.  Actually, there's so much bad information about the Higgs Boson, I'm not sure what to believe. So I'll wait until the evidence is in.

Oh, yeah, and that 13-year-old kid who spoke at CPAC, he's 17 and voting for Obama. 

“I think it was naive,” Krohn now says of the speech. “It’s a 13-year-old kid saying stuff that he had heard for a long time.… I live in Georgia. We’re inundated with conservative talk in Georgia.… The speech was something that a 13-year-old does. You haven’t formed all your opinions. You’re really defeating yourself if you think you have all of your ideas in your head when you were 12 or 13. It’s impossible. You haven’t done enough.”

Here he is at the tender age of 13:

SCOTUSBlog Interview

SCOTUSBlog was one of the few media outlets that did a decent job of covering SCOTUS-- not just on the day of the ruling but also leading up to the decision. Slate's political gabfest also did a good job. Who didn't? Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NPR and the rest of the mainstream media. Our media did us a great dis-service. On the day SCOTUS heard the arguments, most reporters misinterpreted SCOTUS and nearly all of them believed SCOTUS would strike the mandate and effectively end Obamacare.
The American Constitution Society for Law and Progress said that 85% of legal scholars agreed that based on law, Obamacare would be upheld. That information was drowned out by a media that chose to cover only tea party views.
If you're confused by the is-it-a-tax-or-a-penalty game, a republican game, that the media has now taken up, read this.
Essentially, the mandate to buy insurance was labeled a penalty so the case could be heard by SCOTUS. If it was called a tax, then SCOTUS would have to wait until people were taxed and a suit was filed.
Whether you call it a tax or a penalty, it doesn't really matter. What matters is only those who choose NOT to buy insurance will pay a penalty (tax), which the CBO estimates will be 1%.

McConnell Doesn't Believe 30 Million Uninsured Matter

Republicans and tea partiers are beside themselves with an anger that you can smell, which means the media will be busy for quite some time covering the squeaky wheels. It will be a challenge, just like the first time, for Obama to get any message out on Obamacare. Our media is largely lazy and it's easier to cover the person having the temper tantrum. Mitch McConnell on Fox News this morning:

“I just want to ask what specific steps are you going to do to provide universal coverage to the 30 million people who are uninsured?” Wallace pressed. “That is not the issue,” McConnell insisted. “You don’t think the 30 million people who are uninsured is an issue?” Wallace wondered. Raw story

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, which I affectionately call Obamacare, this is an excellent, non partisan site. Let's be frank, republicans really don't care about the uninsured. As McConnell says, that's not the issue. Republicans fail to see how the uninsured drive up costs.

Another fact: Obamacare isn't the biggest tax increase ever.

Rick Scott Won't Comply with Obamacare

It will be interesting to see how Floridians react and how the Obama administration reacts. Everyone should ignore the Florida governor for now. He's in the midst of a temper tantrum.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott now says Florida will do nothing to comply with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and will not expand its Medicaid program. The announcement is a marked changed after the governor recently said he would follow the law if it were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Florida is not going to implement Obamacare. We are not going to expand Medicaid and we're not going to implement exchanges,'' Scott's spokesman Lane Wright told The Associated Press on Saturday. Wright stressed that the governor would work to make sure the law is repealed. NBC

For each one of these posts on republicans throwing tantrums, and I'm sure there will be many, I'm going to post information on Obamacare. Here is a fact sheet on preventive care covered under the ACA (Affordable Care Act).

The media covers mostly men when the discussion is healthcare.