OBAMA VISITS FAMILIES OF ORLANDO PULSE CLUB VICTIMS (GUN CONTROL)

#prayfororlando

PRAY FOR ORLANDO:

PRES OBAMA PERSONALLY VISITS FAMILIES OF PULSE CLUB VICTIMS.

THIS TRAGEDY SHOULD COMPEL CONGRESS TO CONSIDER ENACTING SOME FORM OF GUN CONTROL.

PASSING CRIMINAL & MENTAL HEALTH BACKGROUND CHECKS DOESN'T GUARANTEE PEOPLE WILL USE GUNS RESPONSIBLY.

Sources: ABC News, NY Times, YouTube

****** President Obama Visiting With Families and Victims in Orlando

President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are now in Orlando meeting with the families of victims and first responders there, after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history and the deadliest attack in the United States since 9/11.

A gunman killed 49 people in Sunday’s early morning massacre, and the president is offering his condolences to the victims’ families. It's his 10th visit to a community victimized by a mass shooting during his presidency.

Despite the political differences between the two, Obama was joined on Air Force One by Sen. Marco Rubio R-Fla., for the trip to the senator’s home state amid their calls for unity and solidarity.

Upon arriving in Orlando, Obama and Biden met with law enforcement officials and first responders to the Pulse nightclub, they then stopped at the Orlando Amway Center in downtown Orlando to meet with survivors and victims' families.

At Wednesday’s White House briefing, Josh Earnest said that “the profound sense of survivor’s guilt that some people are expressing is painful just to read, and I think it is important for the president of the United States, on behalf of the country, to show his support for these families and for these individuals.”

Earnest spoke about the emotional toll of these events on Obama, who has frequently traveled to the affected areas after catastrophes and attacks. “It would be impossible for him to not be personally affected by these kinds of conversations and these kinds of interactions," he said. "I think the president in the past has indicated that he draws on his faith as he considers fulfilling these kinds of responsibilities."

Obama was greeted upon arrival in Orlando by the state's Republican Gov. Rick Scott, a supporter of GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Scott complained in recent days that the president has not directly called him, even after he reportedly received calls from Trump and former President George W. Bush.

HILLARY CLINTON MAKES HISTORY BUT CAN'T WIN WITHOUT OBAMA & SANDERS

HILLARY CLINTON MAKES HISTORY BUT CAN'T WIN WITHOUT HELP FROM OBAMA & SANDERS:

YOUNGER VOTERS WILL NOT SUPPORT HILLARY MINUS HELP FROM HER FRIENDS.

TRUMP & GOP LEADERS SHOULD BE SOMEWHAT NERVOUS.

OBAMA IS STILL A POLITICAL GENIUS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

Sources: CNN, NBC, Jimmy Fallon Show, YouTube

****** Bernie Sanders vows to work with Hillary Clinton as Democrats move toward party unity

~ Story highlights

• Sanders met with Obama for the second time this primary season
• He also met with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid

Democrats took giant steps toward party unity Thursday as Bernie Sanders vowed to work together with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump in November and President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden formally endorsed Clinton for president. 

Sanders' decision to continue his White House bid even after Clinton became the party's presumptive presidential nominee has had Democrats on high alert as they seek to quickly change gears and take on Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Sanders' first explicit promise on Thursday to join forces with Clinton to take on the Republicans will help quell concerns among Democrats about divisions in the party.

Emerging from the White House after a meeting with Obama that lasted more than an hour, Sanders warned that a Trump presidency would be a "disaster" and that he would "work as hard as I can to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president of the United States."

"I look forward to meeting with (Clinton) in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and to create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1%," Sanders told reporters.

The senator thanked both Obama and Biden for showing "impartiality" during the course of the Democratic campaign. 

"They said in the beginning that they would not put their thumb on the scales and they kept their word and I appreciate that very, very much," Sanders said. 

He added that he will monitor a "full counting of the votes" in California, where Clinton won the Democratic primary contest on Tuesday. The results will show "a much closer vote," Sanders predicted.

In a press briefing Thursday afternoon, White House spokesman Josh Earnest described the meeting as a "friendly conversation that was focused on the future," and said Obama congratulated Sanders on his "remarkable accomplishment" in the Democratic race. 

Shortly after the meeting, the White House released a video in which Obama enthusiastically backed Clinton and acknowledged the historic achievement of her becoming the first woman to win a major party's presidential nomination. He will join Clinton on the campaign trail for the first time next week in Wisconsin.

"I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," Obama said in the video of Clinton, whom he defeated eight years ago. 

He also thanked Sanders in the video for running an "incredible campaign" and for shining a spotlight on issues such as economic inequality and the influence of money in politics.

Sanders' high-profile meeting with Obama and his public remarks afterward come just days after Sanders declared that he intends to continue his 2016 campaign. At a rallyTuesday night, Sanders had declined to acknowledge that Clinton had secured the necessary delegates to win her party's nomination. He vowed to forge ahead to the District of Columbia's primary next week, and then on to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said their camp would would like to quickly mend fences and unify the party. 

"Nothing has been scheduled yet, but I think both sides want to make sure that it happens and happens soon," Podesta told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He added that they would "welcome" Sanders campaigning for Clinton. 

"If you go back to 2008 after it became clear that President Obama had won the pledged delegates and was going to be the nominee of the Democratic party, that's exactly what Hillary did," he said. "Even after that hard-fought campaign, she went out and endorsed him, asked that his name be put into the nomination by acclimation, she campaigned with him."

The Sanders-Obama meeting Thursday marked the two men's second White House sitdown this primary season and the fourth time they've spoken in the last month. White House officials hoped Obama could prod the Vermont senator toward eventually acting as a unifying figure for the Democratic Party.

In a taping of "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, Obama said he was hopeful that the party will "pull things together."

"The main role I'm going to be playing in this process is to remind the American people that this is a serious job," Obama said. "You know, this is not reality TV. I've seen the decisions that have to be made and the work that has to be done."

Since clinching her party's nomination, Clinton has stuck to a conciliatory tone when it comes to her rival.

In her victory speech in Brooklyn Tuesday night, Clinton congratulated Sanders for an "extraordinary campaign" and sought to reach out to his supporters. 

"Let there be no mistake: Sen. Sanders, his campaign, and the vigorous debate that we've had about how to raise incomes, reduce inequality, and increase upward mobility, have been very good for the Democratic Party and for America," Clinton said. 

Thursday helped shed light on Sanders'intentions and state of mind -- particularly the role he hopes to play in his party -- as the general election kicks off in earnest.

Sanders sat down in the afternoon with his longtime friend and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who has publicly said Sanders should "give up." Reid described the meeting to reporters afterward as a "good visit," and emphasized that Sanders has the good will of the Senate Democratic caucus. The Nevada senator said Sanders made no mention of changing the reality that Clinton is the party's presumptive nominee, and quipped that Sanders appears to have "accepted that."

Reid also echoed other Democratic leaders, saying, "I'm not pushing him to do anything."

Prior to that meeting, one source familiar with Reid's thinking said he believes Sanders can be helpful in Senate races, including in raising money, and is open to any number of ways to unite the party. 

Sanders also met with Biden late Thursday afternoon to discuss some of the issues central to his campaign, including income inequality, big money in politics and "the need to reform our politics," according to a statement from Biden's office. Later in the evening during a speech in Washington, Biden endorsed Clinton, saying "God willing," the former secretary of state would be the next president.

To cap off a whirlwind day of meetings, Sanders held an evening campaign rally in Southeast Washington. 

The senator delivered his usual stump speech, touching on issues of economic, social, racial and environmental justice. But his remarks also reflected on the arc of his unlikely campaign and what he and his supporters have achieved over the last year. 

The pundits had underestimated his political revolution, Sanders said. "Well, here we are -- it's mid-June, and we're still standing."

At the event, Sanders supporters acknowledged that the senator was unlikely to be the Democratic nominee for president. They expressed a mix of disappointment and pride -- and frustration with what they said was a lack of viable options. 

Sam Mbulaiteye, a researcher from Silver Spring, Maryland, said he was disappointed that Obama endorsed Clinton earlier in the day. 

"I think Bernie's message is closer to Obama's message in 2008 -- it's a message of change, hope and about the future," Mbulaiteye, 50, said. 

Mbulaiteye was undecided on whether to support Clinton or Trump in the general election. "In terms of being anti-establishment, Trump is closer to Bernie Sanders," he said.

Jenn Fendrick, a 32-year-old stay-at-home-mom from Fairfax, Virginia, lamented "the end of an era" and said she would vote for Clinton in November -- but "not enthusiastically."

This is "hopefully not the end of his movement, though," she said of Sanders. "He's definitely too old to run again."

Pat McCrory, Gay Marriage, Joe Biden & Other Important Political Discussions

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‎"If You can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"A Man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.'
Malcolm X

"The Truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.'
Winston Churchill

"If You have no critics you'll likely have no success."
Malcolm X



10 Important Political Topics Of Discussion for May 8, 2012:

1) Public Cries for Congress to Bail Out $1 Trillion in Student Loan Debt like they did for Wall Street, grows Louder prior to the November Elections.

Why?

Because Deregulation of Wall Street is exactly why Student Loan Debt is so high.
Thus its only Fair to Bail Out Student Loan just as Congress Bailed Out Wall Street with TARP. (Taxpayer Money)
i.e., Reaching YOUNG VOTERS!

2) VP Joe Biden Strongly Supports Same-Sex Marriage & Equal Rights for Gays.

Where was Biden's Support for Equal Employment Rights of BLACK People from 2009 to 2012 when the American BLACK Community Suffered the Highest Unemployment Rates in U.S. History?
16 to 55% depending upon the Demographics!

Pres. Obama claims he's "Evolving" on Gay Marriage. Is he really an Advocate for Gay Marriage or More Conservative on this issue? Or does just he need the Votes? I personally believe Pres. Obama is NOT as Strong an Advocate for Gay Marriage as many people think.

3) Today North Carolina Voters will visit the Polls to help choose a New Governor & to Support or Oppose NC's Marriage Amendment which defines LEGAL Marriage as between 1 Man & 1 Woman.
I Endorse PAT MCCRORY for North Carolina Governor because of his Strong Support for Minority-Owned Small Business & Business Growth.

I Support North Carolina's Marriage Amendment defines Legal Marriage as 1 Man & 1 Woman.

4) NJ Gov' Chris Christie's Investigation into how New Jersey Schools often Misuse Federal Free Lunch Program Funding is Absolutely Necessary.

Why?

Because Many States & School Districts throughout the Nation have repeatedly used the Federal Free Lunch Program to obtain additional Education Funding (Title 1) but did NOT use those Funds to Improve the Education of Impoverished Students.

For Example:
State & Local School District Officials will use the Federal Free Lunch Program to Acquire additional Federal Educational Funding.

Will those Funds be used to Enrich the Academic Experience for Students attending Public Schools with High Populations of Poor or Middle Class Students?

NO!!!

Instead those Federal Funds intended for Lower Income Students are Frequently used to Enrich the Academic Experiences of Students attending Pubic Schools with High Populations of Wealthy or Upper Income WHITE Students who reside in Nice Communities.


5) With Billionaire George Soros' help Democrats & Liberals Plan to Pour Million$ into Grassroots Voter Efforts groups. i.e., Voter Registrations & Independent Voters!


6) Tuesday in Albany, NY Pres. Obama will deliver an Economic "To Do List" to Congress which focuses on JOB Creation. Suggestion: Give All TSA JOBS to Military Veterans & Reservists.

7) To Protect ISRAEL, The Chairman of Israel's Opposition Movement Shaul Mofaz & PM Benjamin Netanyahu Join Forces.


8) Paul Ryan (R) vs 2012 Congressional Democrats seeking re-election: A case of Fiscal Responsibility vs Buying Votes via Social Programs.

Democrats wants to continue Buying the Votes of Poor/ Low Income Citizens without EVER really doing anything to Improve their Long Term Quality of Life, thus perpetuating Decades of Poverty in this Nation.

While Republicans want to Spend more on the Military.

Nevertheless, I Predict Paul Ryan is going to WIN the 2013 Congressional Budget Battle with the Help of Democrats who realize that REAL Reform is needed in Domestic Spending for Social Programs & in Eliminating Billions from the Defense Dept Budget via Cutting Unnecessary War Profiteering Contracts.

9) The Obama Administration & France's New President Francois Hollande may see eye-to-eye Politically, but ONLY on Economic Policies. i.e., NO More Severe Austerity Cuts while Protecting the Super Wealthy!

10) U.S. Labor Dept (Feds) Officials give North Carolina's Unemployment Security Commission Agency the WORST Quality Scores in the Nation. i.e., Fraud & Racist Practices!

Due to Ongoing Systemic Fraud & for Refusing to allow Eligible Recipients to receive their Unemployment Benefits after being Laid-Off via NO Fault of their own, U.S. Labor Dept Officials have given North Carolina's Unemployment Security Commission Agency the WORST Quality Scores in the Nation!

I'm NOT Surprised.

North Carolina's Unemployment Security Commission Agency is also one of the Nation's Most RACIST Labor Dept Affiliates.

Just ask Thousands of GOOD, Effective NC Public School Teachers who were Denied their Benefits AFTER being Wrongfully Termination by Gov. Bev Perdue (D).

Many of those Teachers were BLACK & from Title I Schools.

Thank God the Truth is finally coming Out about North Carolina's Institutional Corruption!

So Embarrassing!

11) Rick Santorum Endorses Mitt Romney.


Marriage Amendment, governor's race top NC primary


Campaigning ends Tuesday as North Carolina voters head to the polls to nominate candidates for governor and other statewide and legislative seats and decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

The item on the ballot drawing the most attention is the proposed amendment that states "marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized" in North Carolina.

The amendment helped drive a strong turnout of more than half a million for early and absentee voting, which ended Saturday afternoon, according to the State Board of Elections. That's about 8 percent of the more than 6 million voters registered statewide.

Polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Amendment opponents say it might lead public employers to drop health insurance for unmarried couples with children, weaken domestic violence laws and discourage businesses from coming to North Carolina. Backers say those claims are misleading and that the amendment is necessary to prevent courts from ordering North Carolina to recognize gay marriage in the future.

Pastors and religious leaders from 75 churches across eastern North Carolina rallied in support of the amendment at the North Raleigh Hilton Monday morning.

"We're not being discriminatory. If (amendment foes) claim anyone is being discriminatory, they're claiming that God is," said Rev. C.J. Bordeaux of Gorman Baptist Church in Durham. "We didn't make the rules; God did. We're just trying to abide by what the Lord has taught us."

Opponents held a get-out-the-vote effort Saturday at the OutRaleigh gay pride festival, which brought 10,000 people to Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, and another rally against the amendment was held in Greensboro.

More than 100 ministers have signed a pledge opposing the amendment.

"A state constitution should never be amended to take rights away from a minority. Instead, constitutions should always be about expanding human rights," said a statement by the Minister's Conference of Winston-Salem & Vicinity.

"The real issue in this amendment is not marriage. The real issue is that this amendment's going to hurt people. It's going to do harm, and that, as a follower of Jesus, as a Christian, trumps everything else," said Rev. Michael Curry, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

Curry said the amendment goes far beyond an existing state law that already outlaws same-sex marriage, and like other opponents, including family law professors from various North Carolina law schools, he said it will lead to unintended consequences for others.

"I believe that people of faith and goodwill would not want that to happen, no matter what they think about marriage. This is a humanitarian issue," he said.

Rev. Patrick Wooden of Raleigh's Upper Room Church said shifting the focus of the amendment away from marriage is a scare tactic.

"I pray that the people – the good citizens of this great state – will not fall prey to the dirty tactics of those who would like to demagogue this issue," Wooden said.

A recent WRAL News poll suggests that the amendment will pass: 57 percent of likely voters surveyed said they would vote for it, while 37 percent were against it.

Candidates fight for attention

The amendment has sucked the political air from races on the primary ballot, including the Democratic and Republican contests for governor and seats in Congress.

The top two Democratic candidates for governor – Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and former Congressman Bob Etheridge – have come out against the amendment. The likely Republican nominee, former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, supports the amendment but has been relatively quiet on the issue.

A WRAL News poll conducted last week had Dalton leading Etheridge 32 to 23 percent, with nearly a third of voters undecided. McCrory garnered 63 percent support from likely Republican primary voters in the same poll.

In a poll released Monday by Public Policy Polling, Etheridge had cut into Dalton's lead, 34 to 29 percent, and only 24 percent of likely Democratic voters remained undecided.

"Whom we nominate (Tuesday) will determine our chances in November," Etheridge said Monday. "You've got to carry eastern North Carolina to win if you're a Democrat. ... I can relate to the people from the east because I'm from the east."

Dalton disagrees with Etheridge's assumption.

"All you have to do is go to the lieutenant governor's race (in 2008) and see the strength by which I won eastern North Carolina," he said. "I am the candidate that has a record of using creativity and innovation, as I did with early colleges, as I have done with technology that can move us forward."

The candidates, the debates, even the ads were tame and cordial in the Democratic race until Dalton's campaign recently sent out a mailer attacking Etheridge's congressional voting record.

"Tell a half-truth, it's a whole lie," Etheridge said. "I do think he should apologize."

Dalton said he stands by the mailer and has no plans to apologize.

"Those trade votes (in Congress were important) because jobs are so important to North Carolina," he said. "Where did the jobs go? They went offshore because of that bill where he was only one of a handful of Democrats that voted with the Bush administration."

The General Assembly redrew voting maps for congressional and legislative districts last year, forcing even veteran candidates to introduce themselves to voters who weren't in their districts previously.

Second District Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, who beat Etheridge in 2010, lost Johnston County from her district but picked up much of Chatham County. Portions of Durham, Orange Granville and Person counties are now represented by longtime Congressman Howard Coble in the 6th District.

The 13th District in Wake County has been represented by Congressman Brad Miller for the past decade. He was drawn out of the district and chose not to seek re-election, and Wake County Commissioner Paul Coble and former U.S. Attorney George Holding have been waging an intense battle for the Republican nomination in the new district, while 2010 nominee Bill Randall has run a low-key campaign.


View Larger Map


Sources: AP, NY Times, NJ.com, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

GOP Wants To Fire Geithner! White House Pushes Back

Boehner wants Geithner out of the center of the economic storm

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) wants Timothy Geithner to resign as secretary of the Treasury, according to an aide to the GOP leader.

Boehner has called on Geithner to step down before, but an aide to Boehner reaffirmed Saturday morning that the Speaker wants Geithner to leave.

Other prominent Republicans have called on Geithner to step down in the wake of the Standard & Poor’s decision Friday to downgrade the nation’s credit rating from AAA to AA+.

"The President should demand that Secretary Geithner resign and immediately replace him with someone who will help Washington focus on balancing our budget and allowing the private sector to create jobs," Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said in a statement Friday.

"For months he opposed all efforts to reduce the debt in return for a debt ceiling increase. His opposition to serious spending and debt reforms has been reckless and now the American people will pay the price," DeMint said.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the Tea Party star running for president, called for Geithner’s ouster during an appearance on Fox News.

“I call on the president to seek the immediate resignation of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and to submit a plan with his list of cuts to balance the budget this year, turn the economy around and put our people back to work,” she told Fox’s Greta Van Susteren.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a co-founder with DeMint of the Senate Tea Party Caucus, also called for Geithner to step aside.

“We must get new leadership, and put in place people who have seen problems coming and offered credible solutions, rather than those who continue to misdiagnose and mismanage our economy,” Paul said Saturday.

While Geithner has been the target of conservatives’ criticism, within the administration he has argued for deficit reduction, squaring off at times with advisers, such as Larry Summers, the former head of the National Economic Council, who argued for more stimulus spending.

Boehner called on both Geithner and Summers to resign in a speech to the City Club of Cleveland last year, raising hackles at the White House.

"Never before has the need for a fresh start in Washington been more pressing," said Boehner said a few months before the 2010 mid-term elections.

He charged the “the lack of real-world, hands-on experience shows in the policies coming out of this administration.”

Vice President Joe Biden pushed back immediately.

“After months of promising a look at his party’s agenda for their plans for America, their economic agenda, he made what was billed this morning as a major economic address, and his chief proposal when you look at it apparently was that the president should fire his economic team,” Biden said in a sarcastic riposte at the time. “Very constructive advice and we thank the leader for that.”


Sources: AP, Fox News, MSNBC, The Hill, Youtube

Biden Addresses Tax Cut Debate & 9.8% Dismal Unemployment Numbers

Biden Attacks GOP Ahead Of Senate Tax-Cut Vote


U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to extend middle-class tax cuts and aid for the jobless, ahead of a vote on the issue in the Senate Saturday.

Biden, delivering the weekly White House radio and Internet address because President Barack Obama was flying home from Afghanistan, framed the issue as Democrats sticking up for the middle-class while Republicans protected richer Americans.

"I just don't agree with the folks who've said we can't afford a lifeline for Americans who lost their jobs during the worst recession in generations, but we can afford to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent," he said.

The Senate will vote on whether to make Bush-era tax cuts permanent for families making less than $250,000.

Biden urged the Senate to approve the measure, which has already been backed by the U.S. House of Representatives, but it has little chance of passing due to a lack of support.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to extend middle-class tax cuts and aid for the jobless, ahead of a vote on the issue in the Senate Saturday.

Biden, delivering the weekly White House radio and Internet address because President Barack Obama was flying home from Afghanistan, framed the issue as Democrats sticking up for the middle-class while Republicans protected richer Americans.

"I just don't agree with the folks who've said we can't afford a lifeline for Americans who lost their jobs during the worst recession in generations, but we can afford to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent," he said.

The Senate will vote on whether to make Bush-era tax cuts permanent for families making less than $250,000.

Biden urged the Senate to approve the measure, which has already been backed by the U.S. House of Representatives, but it has little chance of passing due to a lack of support.

"All of this finger-pointing is doing nothing to create jobs," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "It's a total waste of time."


People 'don't want show-votes'

Noting that unemployment had risen to 9.8 percent, he said:

"Democrats are responding with a vote to slam job creators with a massive tax increase. Millions of out-of-work Americans don't want show-votes or finger-pointing contests. They want jobs."


"The current leaders of Congress should not move forward with plans that were just rejected by the American people," added Senator Mark Kirk.

Republicans took back control of the House and increased their weight in the Senate in Nov. 2 congressional elections in which voters punished Obama's Democrats for tepid economic growth and high unemployment.

However, Democrats are already eyeing the 2012 elections and are eager to engineer a showdown over tax cuts in an attempt to depict Republicans as guardians of the rich.

"All those people out there in the tea party that are angry about the economics of Washington, they really need to look at this," Sen. Claire McCaskill., D-Mo., said Friday as Democrats took turns pummeling Republicans.

"They need to pull back the curtain and realize that you've got a Republican Party that's not worried about the people in the tea party," said McCaskill, who will be on the ballot next year. "They're worried about people that can't decide which home to go to over the Christmas holidays."

Negotiations will continue next week to strike a compromise over the tax cuts, which are set to end on Dec. 31, while finding more money for long-term jobless aid.

Unemployment payments, which had already been extended by Congress for to up to 99 weeks from a traditional 26 weeks, expire this month for 2 million Americans whose benefits have now run out.

Democrats want them extended for another year, and also want to make tax cuts permanent for families who make less than $250,00 a year, or $200,000 for individuals.


'Season of hope'

Republicans argue tax cuts must be made permanent for everyone to avoid sapping spending while the economy is still weak.

They also say Congress should have a plan to pay for the estimated $65 billion cost of extending jobless aid, in order to avoid adding to the country's high and rising debts.

Three weeks before Christmas, Biden stressed it was not the time to sever support for those in need.

"Cutting unemployment insurance is not only not smart, it's not right either," Biden said. "That's no message to send in the season of hope."

Obama, who has asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Budget Director Jack Lew to represent the White House in talks that began Tuesday, has urged Congress to act before lawmakers leave town for the Christmas holidays.

Obama also wants Congress to ratify a new nuclear weapons treaty he says is vital for U.S. relations with Russia.

The White House says extending jobless aid is an important support for the U.S. recovery when it is hard to find work. The gloomy state of the labor market was underlined by data Friday that showed the jobless rate rising to 9.8 percent in November from 9.6 percent the month before.

"Friday's jobs report was a sobering reminder of that. While we saw another month of job growth in November, it just wasn't enough," Biden said.


Sources: MSNBC, Youtube

GOP Threaten Dems' Reconciliation Strategy With Endless Amendment Filibuster

Should Democrats Take Republican Reconciliation Threats Seriously?



For almost a year now, every time budget reconciliation has been in the headline, Republicans have been there to warn that they'll clog up the process by offering dozens--perhaps hundreds--of amendments on the floor, eating up valuable floor time, and forcing Democrats to take tough votes on controversial issues.

Most recently, Politico quoted a Republican aide laying out the threat: "While debate time is limited, the number and content of amendments are not. This approach to moving health care has a lot of problems, but one Democrats haven't yet focused on is the number of bad votes they'd have to take to get there. Amendments don't have to be germane (well, they do, and if they're not, Dems can move to set them aside, but we can move to waive that; either way, there's a vote)."

Conversations with Reconciliation experts suggest that the minority can in fact flood the zone with amendments--but it also shows that Democrats can circumvent them if they want to.

Let's say the Republicans offer 100 politically charged amendments to the reconciliation bill, none of which are germane. Democrats can move to waive all of them, and, as the Republican aide said, the minority can force a vote on the motion to waive.

But it's important to remember: Reconciliation is intended to be an expedited process. It allows for 20 hours of debate, after which all amendments must be disposed of in a so-called "vote-arama." So all of those amendments (or motions to waive the amendments) must be voted on in rapid succession.

The grey area lies in exactly how Democrats can force an end to the charade once its clear that the Republican tactics are dilatory. That's uncharted territory--but, as one expert points out, the chair in the Senate--a.k.a. Vice President Joe Biden--has almost unlimited power to make rulings so long as 50 members are willing to go along with them. And if Republican tactics were to go over the line, Democrats would theoretically be able to put a stop to them.

As former Senate Parliamentarian Robert Dove has pointed out, both the Republican strategy, and the Democrats' way around it, are far outside the traditional uses of the reconciliation process. But, hey, if both sides are exploring the limits of the rules anyway, who knows what will happen.


Sources: TPM, Politico, Think Progress, C-Span, FiredogLake, Youtube

Obama's Sham "Bi-Partisan" Health Care Summit; GOP Set Up

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

Obama's Sham Bi-partisanship



Bi-partisanship is the word of the hour in Washington, and President Obama's teleprompter seems to be stuck on it. This is nothing new for him. The president came to town promising a new bi-partisanship, along with openness, transparency, responsibility and a number of other hopes and changes he immediately dumped overboard.

At his impromptu press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Obama said, "Bi-partisanship can't be that I agree to all the things that they believe in or want and they agree to none of the things I believe in or want." That, however, has been his working definition of bi-partisanship since his first day in office. This was evident a year ago when the White House labeled the stimulus bill a "Bi-partisan Victory" after it had passed with support from just three Republicans in the Senate and none in the House of Representatives. Opposition to the bill, which included 11 Democratic House dissenters, was more bi-partisan than the support. All told, the primary feature of Mr. Obama's definition of bi-partisanship is that he gets his way.

There was little need for Mr. Obama to include Republicans in his legislative calculus. The Democrats enjoyed super majorities in both houses and, armed with what they thought was a political blank check, went on a spending and regulating rampage. They exhibited the worst aspects of old-style politics: Favoritism, cronyism, unrestrained spending, backroom deals, arrogance, conceit and extreme partisanship.

Mr. Obama's freshman year left the country with astronomical deficits and not much else.

When the public objected to this irresponsible and reckless behavior - exhibited at town-hall protests and Tea Party demonstrations - Mr. Obama responded, "I don't want folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to just get out of the way so we can clean up the mess." Shut up, sit down and take your medicine - that's bi-partisanship Obama-style.

Now Mr. Obama is talking up bi-partisanship again, but nothing has really changed. His proposed bi-partisan fiscal commission will have no authority and will serve only as a political fig leaf. The planned Feb. 25 televised bi-partisan gathering on health care obviously is intended as a made-for-TV spectacle. Mr. Obama claims he wants to use the event to hear the best ideas for pushing forward the stalled health care legislation, but those ideas have been available since the beginning of the process. It's not the Republicans' fault the Democrats ignored them.

Republicans are right to smell a rat. Serious matters of public policy are not hashed out during one-time televised extravaganzas. Mr. Obama said, "The people who sent us here expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics," but there is nothing serious about his proposed meeting. It will be rigged to make the Republicans look like obstructionists and cast Mr. Obama as the conciliator trying to rise above politics. As the president demonstrated at the Republican retreat in Baltimore last month, he will not feel restrained by facts when making his case.

It is evidence of Mr. Obama's political weakness that he seeks to blame his legislative failures on obstructionist Republicans. The reasons for his failure are more rooted in his hard-left orientation, his lack of executive experience, his inadequate understanding of the legislative process and his apparent belief that no one rightly should disagree with him on anything, ever. This combination of ideology, ignorance and arrogance is the root cause of the collapse of his legislative agenda and the public's growing discontent with his presidency.

A truly bi-partisan approach means treating the opposition as partners in a spirit of inclusion, cooperation and respect. That is not Mr. Obama's style.

Sources: Washington Times, MSNBC, Meet The Press

Cheney's Common Sense Approach vs Biden & Obama's Arrogant, European View

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VP vs. VP: Cheney Calls Biden "Dead Wrong!"


Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney hurtled barbs across the airwaves Sunday in a split-screen debate over terrorism, charging each other with being dangerously “misinformed” or just “dead wrong.”

The unprecedented dueling sit-downs – Biden on NBC and CBS, Cheney on ABC – broke little new ground, but amounted to a point-by-point recitation of each parties’ view of the war on terror, and how the other side screwed it up.

Biden said Cheney “doesn’t listen” and doesn’t give Obama credit for killing dozens of al-Qaida leaders and associates. Cheney shot back that Obama has a dangerously passive “mindset” that doesn’t view terrorism as anything but a crime.

The two also differed on the use of waterboarding in interrogation, with Cheney saying the president must have all the tools at his disposal to get information and Biden saying flatly that he doesn’t think it works and shouldn’t be used in any circumstances.

Biden had one advantage – getting to hear Cheney’s ABC interview and respond live on CBS. So he took on Cheney’s contention that Biden is “dead wrong” when he says it’s unlikely there would be another massive 9/11-type attack.

“That’s Dick Cheney,” Biden said. “I mean, thank God the last administration didn’t listen to him at the end.” Saying that the White House’s approach was similar to that the Bush administration used successfully in its second term, Biden added, “it seems like Dick Cheney can’t take yes for an answer.”

Biden also defended his own statement: “The reason it’s unlikely is because we have been relentless – absolutely relentless – in isolating al-Qaida,” Biden said. “We agree, the worst nightmare is the possession of nuclear weapons or a radiological weapon by al-Qaida. . . . The reason why I do not think it’s likely because of all the resources we have put on this, considerably more than the last administration, to see that it will not happen.”

In his interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Biden said Cheney “either is misinformed or he is misinforming” and accused him of “trying to rewrite history.”

“Let me choose my words carefully here,” Biden said in an interview taped Saturday night from Vancouver, where he seemed to take a more measured tone toward Cheney himself. “Dick Cheney's a fine fellow. He's entitled to his own opinion. He's not entitled to rewrite history. He's not entitled to his own facts.”

For his part, Cheney disputed some of Biden’s recent comments as they appeared on a split screen, calling a nuclear attack or one similar to 9/11 “the biggest strategic threat” facing the United States.

“If the mindset is it’s not likely,” Cheney said, then it’s difficult for the administration to mobilize the resources needed to combat such a threat.

Cheney did back down from his criticism of Obama’s assertion that the Christmas Day bomber was the “act of an isolated extremist,” saying that Obama eventually changed his view.

“It’s the mindset that concerns me,” Cheney said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” adding that the Obama administration was slow to “come to that recognition that we are at war.”

And he even offered unflinching support for Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan.

“I’m a complete supporter of what they’re doing in Afghanistan,” Cheney said. Obama made the right decision on Afghanistan, he said, “although it took him a while to get there.”

And the two sparred on Iraq, as Cheney attacked Biden’s recent statement that success in Iraq will be one of the Obama administration’s great achievements, calling it “a little strange.”

Chuckling after he was read Biden’s statement on ABC’s “This Week,” Cheney said, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by my friend Joe Biden.”

“I’m glad he now believes Iraq is a success,” Cheney said, adding that Biden and Obama criss-crossed the country during the campaign, criticizing the Bush administration on Iraq and opposed the surge. “For them to try and take credit for what happened in Iraq strikes me as a little strange.”

If the Obama administration is going to take credit for Iraq, it should come with “a healthy dose of thank you George Bush” because the drawdown of troops and democratic government there are “in accordance to the timetable that we initiated.”

Cheney has emerged as one of Obama’s harshest critics in the anti-terror fight, and the White House eagerly accepted the chance to send Biden out to offer the counter-point to the ex-vice president’s critique. Biden’s taped interview was something of a “pre-buttal” to Cheney’s expected remarks, and his live appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation let him respond to what Cheney did say, which largely matched those expectations.

Biden addressed Cheney’s criticism of the Obama administration’s decision to offer alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad a civilian trail and to read the Christmas Day Bomber his Miranda rights, Biden argued that the Bush administration also tried accused terrorists in civilian court and Mirandized the shoe bomber.

At one point, Biden said of KSM, “I want to see that son of a b. . .son of a gun, incarcerated” for a long time.

Biden expressed exasperation over Cheney’s criticism of the administration’s handling of the Christmas Day Bomber.

“I don’t know what Dick’s been doing lately,” Biden said on CBS. “We did exactly what the Bush administration did with the shoe bomber.”

The administration’s handling of the Christmas Day bomber has been successful, he added, in getting “significant information from him.”

So when it comes to Cheney’s remarks, Biden said, “I don’t get it.”

Biden specifically challenged Cheney’s criticism that Obama is not treating the fight against terrorism as a war.

“I don't think the Vice – the former Vice President Dick Cheney listens,” Biden said. “The President of the United States said in the State of the Union, ‘We're at war with al Qaeda.’ He stated this – and by the way, we're pursuing that war with a vigor like it's never been seen before.”

Biden said while the Bush administration “did their best,” the Obama administration is waging a stronger fight against al Qaeda than its predecessor.

“There has never been as much emphasis and resources brought against Al Qaeda. The success rate exceeds anything that occurred in the last administration,” Biden said. “It's simply not true that the President of the United States is not prosecuting the war against Al Qaeda with a vigor that's never been seen before. It's real. It's deep. It's successful.”

Biden said specifically that the Obama administration’s efforts have killed 12 of al Qaeda’s top 20 leaders and 100 of their associates.

“They are in fact not able to do anything remotely like they were in the past,” Biden said of al Qaeda. “They are on the run. I don't know where Dick Cheney has been. Look, it's one thing, again, to criticize. It's another thing to sort of rewrite history. What is he talking about?”

Cheney, who as vice president was a chief architect of the Bush administration's policies for fighting terrorism and handling accused terrorists, has been one of the White House’s most high-profile critics since Obama took office. In an unusual move for a former vice president, he has repeatedly issued harsh assessments of the administration’s handling of national security and foreign policy issues over the past year.

Biden called Cheney “a fine fellow” twice and declined to speculate on Cheney’s motive. But he did not hold back in his assessment of the former vice president.

“All I know is he's factually, substantively wrong on the major criticisms he is asserting,” Biden said. “He either is misinformed or he is misinforming.”

In his “Meet the Press” interview Biden said President Obama will ultimately decide where to hold the trial of Mohammad, who is now unlikely to be tried in civilian court in New York as the administration had originally ordered. Biden also did not rule out a military commission.

“I am not ruling anything out,” he said. “A military tribunal is available. It is the less preferable way to go. But one way or another, [Mohammad] will be held accountable.”

Questioned about whether the administration has already decided that Mohammad would continue to be detained if he is acquitted, Biden would not confirm or deny that but said there is “no doubt that he would not be acquitted.”

“I assure you, I assure you, acquitted or not, he will not be walking the streets of the United States of America,” Biden said. “And he will not be acquitted.”

Biden’s interview leaned heavily on foreign policy. And while he clarified his remark earlier this week that success in Iraq would be one of President Obama’s great achievements, which drew some criticism because the Iraq plan was put in place under the Bush administration – “What I meant by that is I think he has taken office and managed the situation incredibly well in Iraq.” – when asked if he believes the war there was worth it he said, “No.”

“I don't think the war was worth it in the sense that we paid a horrible price, not only in loss of life, the way the war was mishandled from the outset,” Biden said. “But we took our eye off the ball, putting us in a much different and more dangerous position in Afghanistan. We lost support around the world. It's taken a lot of hard work to get it back. But we were handed — we were dealt a hand, and I think we're handling it incredibly well. ... I think we're handling it very well, the Iraqis are handling it well. And we built on the positive things that the Bush administration had initiated. And we have jettisoned those things that were negative.”

On Iran, Biden said he believes China, the lone holdout, will eventually agree to sanctions, and he disputed President Ahmadinajad’s claim that the country is a nuclear power.

“It is not a nuclear power,” Biden said. “And I believe we'll get the support of China to continue to impose sanctions on Iran to isolate them, to make it clear that in fact they cannot move forward. The progress that Iran has made on the nuclear front is greatly exaggerated in my view. If you take a look at what's happened-- anyway, I think we've made significant progress.”

On domestic issues, Biden declined to confirm reports that he advised President Obama last January not to pursue health care reform because of the economic crisis. Instead he reiterated Obama’s commitment to getting health care legislation.

“Given what's happened, given the trouble that health care reform is now in, do you think that that advice should have been followed?” “Meet the Press” host David Gregory asked.

“Well, first of all, I'm not acknowledging what advice I gave,” Biden said. “The advice I gave to the president is private, that's why he keeps asking for it, and as long as it stays private. I think the president made the right judgment in deciding that in order to bend the cost curve and prevent people from being victimized by health insurance costs that we had to move and we had to move aggressively.”

Biden said Obama has three goals in legislation that brings down the cost of premiums, gets Medicare and Medicaid under control and reforms insurance company practices, such as denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

“[W]e think it's absolutely essential for the economic health of this country that we move forward on health care,” Biden said.

The vice president also predicted that come the November elections, which will be a referendum on Obama, the climate for Democrats will be much more favorable than it is right now.

“[B]y the time we get around to November, in addition to bringing home 90,000 American troops out of Iraq, the story of this administration is going to be more clearly told, and we're gonna do just fine,” Biden said.

















Biden Swings Back At Cheney For War On Terror Criticism


The Obama administration has been stronger than the Bush administration in fighting terrorism, Vice President Biden said Sunday, suggesting former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of President Obama's chief critics, is either "misinformed or misinforming."

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Biden said he thinks Cheney doesn't listen to the facts and is trying to rewrite history.

"I don't think the former vice president, Dick Cheney, listens. The president of the United States said in the State of the Union we're at war with Al Qaeda," Biden said.

Biden said the Obama administration has eliminated 12 of the top 20 Al Qaeda leaders, has "taken out 100 of their associates, we have sent them underground ... they are on the run."

Calling Cheney "factually, substantively wrong," Biden said it's simply not true that the president is not prosecuting the war in Al Qaeda with a vigor never before seen.

"I don't know where Dick Cheney has been. Look, it's one thing again to criticize. It's another thing to sort of rewrite history. What is he talking about?" Biden said.

Cheney said that the Obama administration is failing to treat the battle against terrorism as war. He told ABC's "This Week" that he is glad for what the administration is doing in Afghanistan but he disagrees with those in the Obama Cabinet who "still insist on thinking of terrorist attacks on the United States as criminal acts rather than acts of war, that's a huge distinction."

Cheney said he also disapproved of President Obama's initial response to the actions by Christmas bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

"It was closer to being an act of war than an act of an isolated criminal," Cheney said. "What the administration was slow to do was to come to the realization that this is an act of war."

But Biden said Cheney's criticism rings false. He added that two of three detainees tried in military courts were set free under the Bush administration, while more than 300 tried in federal courts are now in prison.

"He is not entitled to his own facts," Biden said.

White House National Security Adviser Jim Jones refused to get into it over Cheney's criticism, telling CNN that national security isn't a partisan issue. He added that it depends on what information Cheney has.

"If it's informed, that's one thing," he said.

As for the war in Iraq, Biden said it hasn't been worth its "horrible price."

He said the war was mishandled from the outset and that the U.S. took its eye off the ball. As a result, the U.S. was left in a more dangerous position in Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda hatched the Sept 11 attacks, he said.

The war also has cost the United States support from other nations, he said, but he predicted Iraq will have successful parliamentary elections next month and the U.S. is likely to bring home some 90,000 combat troops by the end of the summer.

More than 4,370 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq since former President George W. Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been wounded or killed.

But Cheney said, "I believe very deeply in the proposition that what we did in Iraq was the right thing to do . It ws hard to do, it took a long time to do.

"We're going to have a democracy in Iraq. We do today ... This is has been an enormous achievement for peace and stability in the Middle East and security for the United States. Joe Biden doesn't believe that," Cheney said.

Cheney said that if the Obama administration now wants to take credit for the success of Iraq, after opposing the surge, campaigning against it during the 2008 presidential race and finishing up a timetable set forth during the Bush administration, then "it ought to go with a healthy dose of 'Thank You, George Bush' up front."

Sources: Fox News, Politico, MSNBC