Joe Scarborough of morning joe, ducks his tail between his legs (Video)

What does that mean? Well, Scarborough of morning joe fame has been hammering Obama on the stimulus package and how he and it will FAIL. But the LIGHT has come SHINING through and the Gallup Poll has Obama 67% in favor of handling the stimulus. So, what does Joe do? He changes his tune, praising Obama.

In the end, Joe Scarborough needs to get out of Washington, D.C. He still plays the partisan games on television like he is still in congress, but things have changed since he was last there. Finally, this should be a shot across his bow that though folks may watch his show in the mornings, don't mean they follow or agree with him.

Yes, Joe Scarborough, you do not know what you are talking about.

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Obamas Cocktail Hour

Looks like the Obamas will make Wednesday the "cocktail party" day.

Why not? I have gone to many cocktail parties and this is where folks unwind, you get to know them, can talk business, make contacts, etc. For President Obama it is a commitment to continue to reach across the aisle, continue to work on bridges in relationships, and get to know members of congress.

Style and fun has come back to the White House.

Since moving into their new digs, the first couple has hosted a half-dozen gatherings — from bipartisan cocktail receptions to a public open house to the more intimate Super Bowl party two Sundays ago — ending many of their days past midnight. Most recently, on Wednesday, the Obamas opened the White House doors to House caucus leaders from the moderate Blue Dog Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus. White House aides say the couple hopes to make the Wednesday cocktail parties a tradition.

Friends say the Obamas are looking to maintain the dizzying social calendar they had in their pre-White House days, while using their knack for socializing to find new friends and win hearts on Capitol Hill and in other Washington power centers.

“They want to replicate the same kind of environment they had in Chicago,” said a longtime friend of the Obamas, adding that White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers is “the perfect person” for the job because she knows the couple’s former life inside out and is “designing the calendar to reflect the kinds of things they like to do.”

“If there was a party or an event [in Chicago], they were there,” the friend said. “They’ve always liked to go to lots of restaurants and be a part of the community. Now they want to be a part of D.C.”

“Barack and Michelle have always been interested in the details of people’s lives,” the confidant said, calling them “people people.” “They know who’s engaged to whom, what people’s spouses do for a living, all about their parents, where they grew up, names of children.”

The president, the friend added, “likes to be in the know.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill, one of the president’s closest friends in the Senate and a guest at a recent White House party, said Obama likes a mixed crowd because he “knows if he’s around people like that, he won’t get everything sugarcoated. He wants to make sure he stays grounded and wants to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.” read more here

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FLOTUS, Michelle Obama reads to children at DC Social Services Center (Video)

First lady Michelle Obama says it is important to think about where you've come from and how you can give back.

That's one of the messages she carried with her Tuesday on a visit to a local social services center, where she got down on the carpeted floor to read with toddlers and, separately, chatted up a group of teenagers who later said they were surprised to have received such a high-profile visitor.

Asked why she came to Mary's Center, Mrs. Obama said she was raised to believe that "what you get, you give back." She said she wants to do that in Washington, as she did when living in her native Chicago, now that the District of Columbia is her home.

She touched on her middle-class upbringing and told them how each of her successes helped her become a more confident person.

"I have in some way been where you are," she told the 13 teenagers who sat with her in chairs arranged in a circle. She said she thinks it's important for young kids "to see me, not the first lady, to see that there is no magic to me sitting here." read more here

It is this quote that I love the most:

"Hello, little people. What's going on," she said as she entered the room. "First of all my name is Michelle and I'm married to the president of the United States. Do you know his name?"

"Barack Obama," shouted 5-year-old Anais Ngako.

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Porn Star, Stormy Daniels wants to run against Senator David Vitter

Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is the most hypocritical person sitting in the senate right now. His love of the DC Madam and New Orleans prostitutes is no surprise, but he ran on the mantra of "family values." Now with 2010 around the corner, there are those in his own party ready to try to knock him out. Here comes Stormy Daniels. A porn star.

Stormy Daniels is a walking reminder of what Vitter is trying to run away from. In fact when his number came out on television as part of the DC Madam story, he literally did RUN AWAY.

Anyway, here is Stormy.

Is she serious? I don't know, but she is getting ready for a listening tour for Louisiana. Again, a damn reminder to Vitter of his sins.



Now I believe more is needed to take Vitter down and I am sure there are others out there who are credible and far more qualified, but Stormy is just the kind of hotmess that brings all of Vitter's sins back to front.

Daily Kos

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Michelle Obama on the cover of Vogue Magazine

The magazine is out February 17, 2009. She is only the second First Lady to grace the cover.

It's official: Michelle Obama is the first lady of American fashion, appearing on the cover of the March issue of Vogue.

Every first lady since Lou Hoover — save Bess Truman — has been featured in the high-fashion magazine, but Mrs. Obama is only the second to grace the cover. She appears wearing a magenta silk sheath dress by Jason Wu, who also designed her inaugural gown.

Vogue's editor at large Andre Leon Talley called his interviews with Mrs. Obama ahead of President Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony "one of the best experiences of my life."

"She's so accessible, natural and normal. There's nothing affected about her," he said.

Much of the eight-page feature inside is devoted to Mrs. Obama's self-described role as "mom in chief" to 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha.

"I'm going to try to take them to school every morning, as much as I can," she said. "But there's also a measure of independence. And obviously there will be times I won't be able to drop them off at all. I like to be a presence in my kids' school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents."

Being Vogue, though, the conversation eventually turns to clothes.

Mrs. Obama said she is aware of how her wardrobe is being scrutinized, but she makes no apologies for her choices — even the Election Night combination of ripped-from-the-runway, fashion-forward dress and plain-Jane cardigan.

"I'm not going to pretend that I don't care about it," she said. "But I also have to be very practical. In the end, someone will always not like what you wear — people just have different tastes."

She did choose outfits for the Vogue photos from labels she has worn before: Wu, who made her inaugural gown; Narcisco Rodriguez, the designer of that Election Night dress; and J. Crew, which she and her children have famously worn.

Most cover models have their clothes chosen for them by Vogue, or at least editors work as advisers. Not this time.

"She doesn't need any help. She loves fashion and knows what works for her," Talley said. "She's never had a conversation with me about, `What do you think?' or `How did this look?' And I'm glad for that."

More information from Washington Post, the photos were taken during the Obamas stay at the Hay-Adams Hotel, Annie Leibovitz was the photographer.

Source

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Obama Administration overturns Bush-era offshore drilling plan

Smack that one all the way DOWN....

The Obama administration on Tuesday overturned another Bush-era energy policy, setting aside a draft plan to allow drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

"To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside" the plan "and create our own timeline," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced in a statement.

Alleging that the Bush administration "had torpedoed" offshore renewable energy in favor of oil and natural gas, Salazar said he was extending the public comment period by 6 months.

"The additional time we are providing will give states, stakeholders, and affected communities the opportunity to provide input on the future of our offshore areas," he said.

Salazar also ordered Interior Department experts to compile a report on the Outer Continental Shelf's energy potential — not just oil and gas, but also renewables like wind and wave energy.

"In the biggest area that the Bush administration’s draft OCS plan proposes for oil and gas drilling — the Atlantic seaboard, from Maine to Florida — our data on available resources is very thin, and what little we have is twenty to thirty years old," he said. "We shouldn't make decisions to sell off taxpayer resources based on old information." read more here

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President Obama Town Hall Meeting in Ft Myers, FL (Video and Transcript)

The Enthusiastic College Student


Woman (Henrietta Hughes) who needs a house, living in a vehicle and park

Transcript

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FLOTUS, Michelle Obama visits the Department of Interior, February 9, 2009 (Video)

Transcript

Michelle pics @ Dept of Interior

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GM cuts 10,000 jobs

The pink slips continues.....

General Motors Corp. is planning to slash another 10,000 salaried jobs this year, saying the cuts are unavoidable with a government restructuring deadline looming and industrywide sales in one of the worst downturns in history.

The Detroit-based automaker said Tuesday it will reduce its total number of white-collar workers by 14 percent to 63,000. About 3,400, or 12 percent, of GM's 29,500 salaried U.S. jobs will be eliminated.

Most of the company's remaining salaried employees will have their pay cut.

In its plan to Congress submitted late last year, GM said it would have to reduce both salaried and hourly positions so that the company could become viable for the long term. The company said it plans to reduce its total U.S. work force from 96,537 people in 2008 to between 65,000 and 75,000 in 2012, but it did not specify how many of the surviving jobs would be salaried or hourly.

GM has dramatically downsized both its salaried and hourly work forces in recent years. Since 2000, GM's salaried work force has shrunk by 33 percent from its 2000 high of 44,000 people.

At the same time, the number of hourly workers has plunged by more than half _ to about 63,700 people at the end of last year from 133,000 in 2000.

Most of the cuts announced Tuesday are expected to take place by May 1. GM said the cuts will vary by global regions depending on staffing levels and market conditions.

Source

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Senate passes the stimulus bill

Now it goes to conference, with both sides (House and Senate) at the table to negotiate the final bill. The bill then goes to final vote in the House and Senate. Hopefully this bill will be final next week.

President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan has passed the Senate and is on its way to difficult House-Senate negotiations.

Just three Republicans helped pass the plan on a 61-37 vote and they're already signaling they'll play hardball to preserve more than $108 billion in spending cuts made last week in Senate dealmaking. Obama wants to restore cuts in funds for school construction jobs and help for cash-starved states. read more here

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Secretary of Treasury, Timothy Geithner's Speech Unveils Bank Bailout Plan (Video and Transcript)

Transcript

Financial Stability Plan

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President Obama's Press Conference, February 9, 2009, (Full Video and Transcript)

White House YouTube

Transcript

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The Obamas had a good time at Camp David

I figured they would.

“It was beautiful,” he told reporters on board Air Force One on Monday as it jetted to Indiana for his first real road trip as president. “The girls just had a great time. They had a lot of fun. You can see that during the summer it’s going to be a nice place to spend a lot of time. Hit a few golf balls. Played a little basketball.”

Mr. Obama said his daughter, Sasha, brought a friend along for the Saturday overnight visit and added that a friend of his and Michelle’s came along with two children. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Mr. Obama’s personal aide, Reggie Love, also made the trip, possibly serving as the president’s hoops partner during the weekend.

Camp David, founded as Shangri-La by Franklin D. Roosevelt and later renamed by Dwight D. Eisenhower after his grandson, can be a rare refuge for presidents who find themselves cooped up in the White House. Some presidents made much use out of the resort, both for the chance to wander around nature without a massive entourage and for political purposes to woo members of Congress or foreign leaders. read more here

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Obama ahead of the Republicans in the Polls

The continuous bickering, pointing fingers, being obstructionists are not sitting well with the American Public, especially when many are losing jobs, losing homes, and are in dire straits. The Republicans can play this game all they want, but this is the same game that put them in the wilderness weeds.

Seventy-six percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Monday gave Obama a thumbs-up on how he's performing his duties, while 23 percent disapproved.

[snip] Sixty-four percent of those polled said the current bill being debated in the Senate would help the economy a lot or somewhat, while 36 percent felt that the package would not help the economy much or at all.

"The public may be lukewarm on the stimulus package because they only see limited benefits from it," Holland said. "Sixteen percent say it would help the economy a lot, but 48 percent foresee only some improvements if the bill passes."

Obama is out there selling this stimulus package because he must. The support has softened on this bill and he must explain to the public not only why it is important, but what this bill will do for you, the average joe and joesetta.

Tomorrow President Obama is in Florida, being introduced by Governor Charlie Crist (R-FL) who is behind Obama 1000% for this stimulus package, as many other Republican governors are across this country. That alone says something, it says that states across this country are unable to balance their budgets, unemployment numbers are soaring, money is running out and time for partisan gridlock must be set aside.

And here is what the Gallup Poll looks like for Obama:



And the independents:

In addition, a 51% majority of independents say it is critically important to pass a stimulus bill, 27% say it is moderately important, and only 17% say it's not important. The numbers among the Republican base, as we might expect, are wildly different: Only 29% say it is critically important, 37% say it's important but not critically so, and 31% say it's not important.

Let's get this stimulus package passed. Enough of the nastiness and gridlock of Washington, D.C.

CNN
Gallup Poll

Treasury Secretary Geithner's Bank Bailout Plan (Video)

Secretary Geithner will have a presser tomorrow to unveil this bank bailout plan.

Source

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GOP on the Rush Limbaugh bandwagon all the way!!!

Again, do we really think the GOP/Republicans want this stimulus package to work? Do we? They are obstructionists, even to the core of sacrificing their own districts and states. Instead of coming to the table in good faith, they have done everything not to work in good faith. We must remember these are the same cast of characters who pushed the Bush Administration's bills through without a thought. They are responsible for where we are now, almost off the cliff economically.

After giving the package zero votes in the House, and with their counterparts in the Senate likely to provide in a crucial procedural vote today only the handful of votes needed to avoid a filibuster, Republicans are relishing the opportunity to make a big statement. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) suggested last week that the party is learning from the disruptive tactics of the Taliban, and the GOP these days does have the bravado of an insurgent band that has pulled together after a big defeat to carry off a quick, if not particularly damaging, raid on the powers that be.

"We're so far ahead of where we thought we'd be at this time," said Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), one of several younger congressmen seeking to lead the party's renewal. "It's not a sign that we're back to where we need to be, but it's a sign that we're beginning to find our voice. We're standing on our core principles, and the core principle that suffered the most in recent years was fiscal conservatism and economic liberty. That was the tallest pole in our tent, and we took an ax to it, but now we're building it back."

Core principles? Like reducing a surplus by President Clinton to an over trillion dollar deficit under President Bush?

Sorry, these folks have no credibility at all when it comes to the economy. They sat there in denial as over 10,000 homes were in foreclosure daily, did not think the economy was in a tailspin, and God forbid saying the "R" word, "Recession."

In the end, we still see Rush Limbaugh taking hold of the Republican Party, with message and tone. And we say, continue on Rush, you did a hell of a job in 2006 and 2008!!


Source

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