Obama does play-by-play at Georgetown, Duke game (Video)

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Hot Damn, David Shuster and Andrew Braitbart arguing over "wannabee" filmmaker James O'Keefe (Video)

Bring your popcorn and h/t jack and jill politics....

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

See this is why the far right needs to leave it alone....and James O'Keefe, an UTTER JOKE....

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President Obama's Weekly Address, January 30, 2010 (Video, Transcript)

The President pledges to rein the deficit, citing three specific steps to this end. He praises the Senate for restoring the pay-as-you-go law, discusses his proposal for a freeze in discretionary spending, and calls for a bipartisan Fiscal Commission to hammer out further concrete deficit reduction proposals.



Transcript

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Obama mops the GOP at their own retreat (Full Video, Link and Transcript)

The House Republicans invited President Obama to address their membership at their retreat in Baltimore, Maryland today. Well, where do I start? A mop is quite appropriate.

Today was political theatre.

Barack Obama stood there and made his statement with clarity, distiction and FACTS. Then he took their questions and the first was from Rep. Mike Pence from Indiana. It was a longgggg gotcha question and when he was done answering Pence, it was Pence who was got. (For me, they keep saying Pence is such a rising star, please after this people need to walk away from that thought.)

What happened today was Barack Obama refuting all the Republican talking points, TO THEIR FACES. He talked about them to their faces so good, they did not know what hit them and it was all done with FACT. When it was done, they were done. Luke Russert from MSNBC stated on television that one Republican told him that they never should have had cameras in the room but this was a political stroke of genius. Per Russert Tweet:

"GOP aides telling me it was a mistake to allow cameras into Obama's QA with GOP members. Allowed BO to refute GOP for 1.5 hours on TV"

The White House called the GOP leadership late last night and asked for the cameras in the room. The Republicans would have looked silly since they have been crying about transperancy to say no.

Such sessions are typically closed and Republicans said they initially assumed the White House would want to continue that practice. But after an exchange with the White House, Republicans decided to allow press coverage rather than be portrayed as trying to keep the meeting behind closed doors.

When this is all said and done, the dust settled, the only political gains was by Barack Obama. The Republicans? At this point, for them to continue to vote no on everything will be their demise in the end.

Oh, how effective was President Obama?

So effective was the president that Fox News cut away from the broadcast 20 minutes before it ended.

That is how effective he was.

Another good read: Cameras Roll As Obama Schools GOP


YouTube
C-SPAN Video
Transcript from Washington Post
Transcript

[UPDATE]

Luke Russert, MSNBC reporting on the GOP saying it was a mistake to let cameras in the room.



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FLOTUS, Michelle Obama talks childhood obesity (Video and Transcript)

First Lady Michelle Obama kicks off a campaign to confront the problem of childhood obesity at a YMCA in Alexandria, VA. She is joined by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Dr. Judith Palfrey, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics.


Transcript

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President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, January 27, 2010 (Full Video and Transcript)

Vimeo Video
Transcript

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Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner is GRILLED by congress (Video)

Again, when is this guy going to bounce from the Obama Administration....



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Health care went from "soloist" to "choir" (Video)

If you did not get the memo that the train LEFT on the health care fight, then it took Howard Fineman on Keith Olbermann's Countdown to just say it:



The road to win for November is a Jobs Bill and watch one pushed through in record speed. But, if not, then this White House will go back to being criticized for being "leaderless". Make the Republicans voted on a Jobs Bill and vote NO to the American Public. This is how elections are won.

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Chris Matthews forgets President Obama is black (Video)

and had the nerve to say this out loud?

In other words, to me, Matthews looks at a person first because of color? Please write NBC on this one. Unbelievable. h/t sluggahjells posting @ Daily Kos



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Obama apologizes for not being transparent

Thanks.

For me, after the big pharmaceutical back room, smoke deal my eye turned critical. Remember, Obama said the negotiations would be on television, on C-SPAN, but once he assumed the Oval Office that was another thing scratched off the "campaign promise" list.

Now, the president "regrets" transparency. whatever....

In Diane Sawyer's interview with President Obama today, she asked him if going forward all the conversations should be on C-SPAN.

"I think your question points out to a legitimate mistake that I made during the course of the year," the president said, "and that is that we had to make so many decisions quickly in a very difficult set of circumstances that after awhile, we started worrying more about getting the policy right than getting the process right.

"But I had campaigned on process," the president continued. "Part of what I had campaigned on was changing how Washington works, opening up transparency and I think it is -- I think the health care debate as it unfolded legitimately raised concerns not just among my opponents, but also amongst supporters that we just don't know what's going on. And it's an ugly process and it looks like there are a bunch of back room deals.

Mr. Obama said, "I think it's my responsibility -- and I'll be speaking to this at the State of the Union -- to own up to the fact that the process didn't run the way I ideally would like it to and that we have to move forward in a way that recaptures that sense of opening things up more."

This was a remarkable admission considering how much others in the White House have acted as if President Obama kept his promise to -- as he pledged as a candidate -- "have the (health care reform) negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so the people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who is making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies."

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Rachel Maddow takes down the White House guy on Obama's spending freeze (Video)

Bravo, Rachel!!! Boo, on the flip/flop White House!!!



The White House guy is Economic Adviser, Jaret Bernstein.

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Barack, Barack, Barack, a big pander to the independent voters, if it works (Video)

First a must read, Obama Embraces Hooverism



Unimaginable stupidity

So the Obama Administration is preparing to announce a freeze on Federal discretionary spending through 2013.

And they are proposing it in the middle of a the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

Apparently, it's a political decision made in response to a single election. Great. A single U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts is now dictating fiscal policy for the next three years.

It might at least make some sense if it were a smart political decision. But there's nothing to suggest that it's anything but unalloyed idiocy.

In 1937, FDR followed the same course, pulling back his stimulus programs that had been boosting the economy. The results were catastrophic. The economy tanked. And so did the fortunes of the Democratic Party. Predictably, Republicans won 79 seats in the 1938 midterms.

Fortunately, FDR recognized his mistake and reversed course, increasing spending and boosting the economy -- even before the start of World War II.

Flash forward seventy years, and President Obama is making the same mistake, probably with the same consequences.

Except this time he's got the benefit of history. But he's refused to learn history's lesson.

It seems impossible to believe, but there it is. One of the worst decisions -- if not the worst decision -- that the administration could make. And they've made it.

Such a waste.

This move can lose his base, like they are happy with this administration, anyway. Oh, and this great, fantastic idea from none other than Senator Evan Bayh from Indiana.

P.S., Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) has a big announcement tomorrow, probably to say, "It's been one", and I am not sorry to see HER GO.

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Winning in November is about JOBS.

I have been out here on the street, talking to people, co-workers, neighbors, etc.; since the summer and all people care about right now is jobs.

Unemployment is 10% this is a psychological message to many Americans, the big double dip. People have become more caution on spending, starting to save a bit more, and are mired with worry of "Will it be me or my spouse next?"

All of these worries are valid.

We must create a jobs bill, demand and bring change on the financial regulatory front and stick with it to win in November.

The health care fight has exhausted many resources, time and energy. It is a much worthy cause, but at this time this ship has sailed the port. Can some things be done to fix it? Sure, but until the bill is reconciled, the standoff will continue. And let me be clear, the finger pointing and anger must cease among Democrats. No fraction of this party is at fault, the blame is on who crafted this disastrous bill and who did not champion it. The crafting is from Baucus and lobbyists, the one who did not champion it to make sure it was pulled over the final line is Barack Obama. Period.

No more blaming conservadems, moderates, centrists, progressives or liberals, the State of the Union's full focus is on JOBS, JOBS, JOBS and this economy which has been sorely ignored by this White House. And don't argue that the White House has not ignored it, from polling after polling; many Americans believe that this White House has not handled, nor focused on the economic issues. The reality is this, if the public believes that, if it comes up in polling numbers, it will come out at the ballot box. Remember that. Massachusetts was convoluted and hard to read for many things, but one thing was consistent, the voters did not believe this White House was working hard enough on getting people back to work.

That is about to change, the course correction is evolving and this is the new fight for November.

President Barack Obama's chief political adviser says the president will focus on job-creating plans in his State of the Union address Wednesday night.

Strategist David Axelrod says the White House takes only "cold comfort" from the fact that the president's stimulus program saved about 2 million jobs - given the millions lost in the deepest economic downturn in decades.

Axelrod says that the administration continues to share the public's "consternation" with the financial sector, which was bailed out with public money and has returned to massive profits and huge bonus pay-outs.

Axelrod spoke Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

This is the immediate reality: jobs, unemployment, bank bailouts, anger at Wall Street, and the perception of no help on My Street.

That is what needs to be tackled and we are in the position to do so, but with some changes, in my opinion.

The Jobs Bill must and will be passed through congress and with Republican support. How? Why?

It is called taking their "balls to the wall on this one". This is an easy win. Democrats can champion putting people back to work immediately, helping small businesses, helping Americans with education to qualify for jobs, all of this can be done and it must come from the loudest bully pulpit of President Obama. This is a fight that is winnable. Paint the Party of "NO" with saying "NO to helping American Families get back on their feet, "NO" help with education in changing job careers, "NO" help with the small business sectors of this country. Make the Republicans take that NO vote and see how it turns out. Then run with it all the way to the polls in November.

That's how you win elections.

The anger at these bank bailouts and Wall Street is not a myth it is real. Every time we hear of more bonus money or record profit that these banks made off of our taxpayers’ money, it enrages folks and that is understandable. Also continuing to have Tim Geithner and Larry Summers in the White House, does not help matters on the message front.

This perception does not help, but hurt us:

The vaunted White House economic team may have called some shots right, but the members aren't helping much in getting a concise message out, critics said.

High-powered and experienced in Washington policymaking, the group has included former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, ex-Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and onetime New York Fed chief -- and current Treasury secretary -- Timothy F. Geithner, as well as such respected academic economists as Christina Romer.

Now, even some Democrats see the team as conventional in its economic thinking, too cozy with Wall Street and ineffective in communicating how its policies would benefit ordinary people.

The problem, said Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University, stems from the president and his economic team focusing on pragmatic, nuts-and-bolts responses to the economy's woes.

"He wants to create jobs. He wants to restore the viability of our financial systems . . . make our economy more green. There is a set of well-defined objectives he's trying to achieve," Stiglitz said.

"Part of a pragmatic approach is you make a list. It's not a vision."

Obama seemed to acknowledge the problem last week.

"If there's one thing that I regret this year," he said in an interview on ABC-TV, it was that "we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us, that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are."

If we are going to run as a party that will not tolerate the raping of Americans by Wall Street and these Banks, we need to have people to champion that message. So far, the job has been dismal. Neither Geither nor Summers is good on television and the arrogance of Summers stating the recession is over is not felt on My Street when many are unemployed. The President needs to make a decision to keep either or both around. Geithner has had his own problems, the obvious that his policies are helping Wall Street and not My Street, whether that is a fair assessment is not for me to call, but it is an assessment that the public believes. The miscalculation of the public's anger at Wall Street stops at the White House. The White House needs to clean this perception of being cozy to Wall Street up. A strong bill for Wall Street is doable, again paint the Party of "NO" to wanting to continue lining the coffers of Wall Street and the banks, and believe me it can work.

Bringing in David Plouffe is a good thing, but remember he is there to work on getting Democrats elected he is not the silver bullet or silver lining. In my view, this White House has been on campaign mode since 2008 and the people of this country are in meltdown from its message. Going forward the message must be simple, concise, cohesive and decisive for the American Public to grasp. No more, "I will fight for you", unless you can deliver that punch line. It is time for the Commander in Chief to tell congress what he wants, tell the American Public what he wants and show that he means business.

Winning in November is easy, but the changes must be made along with the course correction. And the best thing out of all of this? It happened in January (Massachusetts special senate election), which means we have 10 months to get it together. Communication is the key for getting a cohesive message out. Our team has been pathetic on the messaging. From polling many Americans think the stimulus package is part of the bailout package to banks. (Video Below)



Folks, this is a "Houston we got a problem" alert. The Obama White House needs to be cleaned up on the Communication effort. We all can argue from here to Timbuktu about it, but the fact is really simple, if the American Public believes this then we just did a bad job in conveying how the stimulus package was/would be good for them. This is too simple and just needs to stop from the White House.

Going forward, the economy and jobs should be the focus of our message, along with understanding the public's frustration at Wall Street. The President should demand banking and Wall Street overhaul in new laws. We should use this populist message to push change and put in place mechanisms that Wall Street and these banks will never come to the financial brink again. The time to push this is NOW.

Finally, today the President announced a tax break for the Middle Class, this is a step in the right direction for My Street.

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

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