JOHN MCCAIN'S REPEAL SENATE FLOOR SPEECH IS HYPOCRITICAL (CONGRESS IS NOT A ROBOT)

JOHN MCCAIN'S REPEAL SENATE FLOOR SPEECH IS HYPOCRITICAL:

MCCAIN ANGRILY CHASTISED HIS COLLEAGUES BUT FREQUENTLY CAUSES UNNECESSARY DISCORD VERSUS ENCOURAGING UNITY.

BUT SHOULD CONGRESS OPERATE LIKE A HUGE ROBOT?

NO.

EACH US SENATOR SHOULD PASSIONATELY FIGHT TO PROTECT AND REPRESENT THE LOYAL CONSTITUENTS WHO ELECTED THEM.


Sources: Fox News, TPM, USA Today, Washington Post, Youtube



**** Full text of John McCain's Senate floor speech: 'Let’s return to regular order'


Sen. John McCain, who returned to Washington on Tuesday after disclosing his brain cancer diagnosis last week, spoke on the Senate floor after casting a critical vote to proceed to debate on the Senate's Obamacare repeal legislation. Here are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Mr. President:

“I’ve stood in this place many times and addressed as president many presiding officers. I have been so addressed when I have sat in that chair, as close as I will ever be to a presidency.

“It is an honorific we’re almost indifferent to, isn’t it. In truth, presiding over the Senate can be a nuisance, a bit of a ceremonial bore, and it is usually relegated to the more junior members of the majority.

“But as I stand here today – looking a little worse for wear I’m sure – I have a refreshed appreciation for the protocols and customs of this body, and for the other ninety-nine privileged souls who have been elected to this Senate.

“I have been a member of the United States Senate for thirty years. I had another long, if not as long, career before I arrived here, another profession that was profoundly rewarding, and in which I had experiences and friendships that I revere. But make no mistake, my service here is the most important job I have had in my life. And I am so grateful to the people of Arizona for the privilege – for the honor – of serving here and the opportunities it gives me to play a small role in the history of the country I love.

“I’ve known and admired men and women in the Senate who played much more than a small role in our history, true statesmen, giants of American politics. They came from both parties, and from various backgrounds. Their ambitions were frequently in conflict. They held different views on the issues of the day. And they often had very serious disagreements about how best to serve the national interest.

“But they knew that however sharp and heartfelt their disputes, however keen their ambitions, they had an obligation to work collaboratively to ensure the Senate discharged its constitutional responsibilities effectively. Our responsibilities are important, vitally important, to the continued success of our Republic. And our arcane rules and customs are deliberately intended to require broad cooperation to function well at all. The most revered members of this institution accepted the necessity of compromise in order to make incremental progress on solving America’s problems and to defend her from her adversaries.

“That principled mindset, and the service of our predecessors who possessed it, come to mind when I hear the Senate referred to as the world’s greatest deliberative body. I’m not sure we can claim that distinction with a straight face today.

“I’m sure it wasn’t always deserved in previous eras either. But I’m sure there have been times when it was, and I was privileged to witness some of those occasions.

“Our deliberations today – not just our debates, but the exercise of all our responsibilities – authorizing government policies, appropriating the funds to implement them, exercising our advice and consent role – are often lively and interesting. They can be sincere and principled. But they are more partisan, more tribal more of the time than any other time I remember. Our deliberations can still be important and useful, but I think we’d all agree they haven’t been overburdened by greatness lately. And right now they aren’t producing much for the American people.

“Both sides have let this happen. Let’s leave the history of who shot first to the historians. I suspect they’ll find we all conspired in our decline – either by deliberate actions or neglect. We’ve all played some role in it. Certainly I have. Sometimes, I’ve let my passion rule my reason. Sometimes, I made it harder to find common ground because of something harsh I said to a colleague. Sometimes, I wanted to win more for the sake of winning than to achieve a contested policy.

“Incremental progress, compromises that each side criticize but also accept, just plain muddling through to chip away at problems and keep our enemies from doing their worst isn’t glamorous or exciting. It doesn’t feel like a political triumph. But it’s usually the most we can expect from our system of government, operating in a country as diverse and quarrelsome and free as ours.

“Considering the injustice and cruelties inflicted by autocratic governments, and how corruptible human nature can be, the problem solving our system does make possible, the fitful progress it produces, and the liberty and justice it preserves, is a magnificent achievement.

“Our system doesn’t depend on our nobility. It accounts for our imperfections, and gives an order to our individual strivings that has helped make ours the most powerful and prosperous society on earth. It is our responsibility to preserve that, even when it requires us to do something less satisfying than ‘winning.’ Even when we must give a little to get a little. Even when our efforts manage just three yards and a cloud of dust, while critics on both sides denounce us for timidity, for our failure to ‘triumph.’

“I hope we can again rely on humility, on our need to cooperate, on our dependence on each other to learn how to trust each other again and by so doing better serve the people who elected us. Stop listening to the bombastic loudmouths on the radio and television and the Internet. To hell with them. They don’t want anything done for the public good. Our incapacity is their livelihood.

“Let’s trust each other. Let’s return to regular order. We’ve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle. That’s an approach that’s been employed by both sides, mandating legislation from the top down, without any support from the other side, with all the parliamentary maneuvers that requires.

“We’re getting nothing done. All we’ve really done this year is confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Our healthcare insurance system is a mess. We all know it, those who support Obamacare and those who oppose it. Something has to be done. We Republicans have looked for a way to end it and replace it with something else without paying a terrible political price. We haven’t found it yet, and I’m not sure we will. All we’ve managed to do is make more popular a policy that wasn’t very popular when we started trying to get rid of it.

“I voted for the motion to proceed to allow debate to continue and amendments to be offered. I will not vote for the bill as it is today. It’s a shell of a bill right now. We all know that. I have changes urged by my state’s governor that will have to be included to earn my support for final passage of any bill. I know many of you will have to see the bill changed substantially for you to support it.

“We’ve tried to do this by coming up with a proposal behind closed doors in consultation with the administration, then springing it on skeptical members, trying to convince them it’s better than nothing, asking us to swallow our doubts and force it past a unified opposition. I don’t think that is going to work in the end. And it probably shouldn’t.

“The Obama administration and congressional Democrats shouldn’t have forced through Congress without any opposition support a social and economic change as massive as Obamacare. And we shouldn’t do the same with ours.

“Why don’t we try the old way of legislating in the Senate, the way our rules and customs encourage us to act. If this process ends in failure, which seem likely, then let’s return to regular order.

“Let the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee under Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray hold hearings, try to report a bill out of committee with contributions from both sides. Then bring it to the floor for amendment and debate, and see if we can pass something that will be imperfect, full of compromises, and not very pleasing to implacable partisans on either side, but that might provide workable solutions to problems Americans are struggling with today.

“What have we to lose by trying to work together to find those solutions? We’re not getting much done apart. I don’t think any of us feels very proud of our incapacity. Merely preventing your political opponents from doing what they want isn’t the most inspiring work. There’s greater satisfaction in respecting our differences, but not letting them prevent agreements that don’t require abandonment of core principles, agreements made in good faith that help improve lives and protect the American people.

“The Senate is capable of that. We know that. We’ve seen it before. I’ve seen it happen many times. And the times when I was involved even in a modest way with working out a bipartisan response to a national problem or threat are the proudest moments of my career, and by far the most satisfying.

“This place is important. The work we do is important. Our strange rules and seemingly eccentric practices that slow our proceedings and insist on our cooperation are important. Our founders envisioned the Senate as the more deliberative, careful body that operates at a greater distance than the other body from the public passions of the hour.

“We are an important check on the powers of the Executive. Our consent is necessary for the President to appoint jurists and powerful government officials and in many respects to conduct foreign policy. Whether or not we are of the same party, we are not the President’s subordinates. We are his equal!

“As his responsibilities are onerous, many and powerful, so are ours. And we play a vital role in shaping and directing the judiciary, the military, and the cabinet, in planning and supporting foreign and domestic policies. Our success in meeting all these awesome constitutional obligations depends on cooperation among ourselves.

“The success of the Senate is important to the continued success of America. This country – this big, boisterous, brawling, intemperate, restless, striving, daring, beautiful, bountiful, brave, good and magnificent country – needs us to help it thrive. That responsibility is more important than any of our personal interests or political affiliations.

“We are the servants of a great nation, ‘a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.’ More people have lived free and prosperous lives here than in any other nation. We have acquired unprecedented wealth and power because of our governing principles, and because our government defended those principles.

“America has made a greater contribution than any other nation to an international order that has liberated more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have been the greatest example, the greatest supporter and the greatest defender of that order. We aren’t afraid. “We don’t covet other people’s land and wealth. We don’t hide behind walls. We breach them. We are a blessing to humanity.

“What greater cause could we hope to serve than helping keep America the strong, aspiring, inspirational beacon of liberty and defender of the dignity of all human beings and their right to freedom and equal justice? That is the cause that binds us and is so much more powerful and worthy than the small differences that divide us.

“What a great honor and extraordinary opportunity it is to serve in this body.

“It’s a privilege to serve with all of you. I mean it. Many of you have reached out in the last few days with your concern and your prayers, and it means a lot to me. It really does. I’ve had so many people say such nice things about me recently that I think some of you must have me confused with someone else. I appreciate it though, every word, even if much of it isn’t deserved.

“I’ll be here for a few days, I hope managing the floor debate on the defense authorization bill, which, I’m proud to say is again a product of bipartisan cooperation and trust among the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“After that, I’m going home for a while to treat my illness. I have every intention of returning here and giving many of you cause to regret all the nice things you said about me. And, I hope, to impress on you again that it is an honor to serve the American people in your company.

“Thank you, fellow senators.

“Mr. President, I yield the floor.”

TRUMP'S 1st JOINT CONGRESSIONAL ADDRESS MET W/ LOUD APPROVAL (DEMS MOCK)

PRES TRUMP'S FIRST JOINT CONGRESSIONAL ADDRESS MET WITH LOUD APPROVAL:

DEMOCRATS RESPOND WITH BITTER DIATRIBES & MOCKERY.


****** HIGHLIGHTS OF TRUMP'S SPEECH WERE:

REBUILDING US MILITARY

REBUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM

FAKE NEWS & MEDIA PROPAGANDA

TRUE UNITY

ANTI-SEMITISM

DEFEATING ISIL

CIVIL RIGHTS & SCHOOL CHOICE

REPLACING OBAMACARE WITH REAL HEALTHCARE

PAID FAMILY LEAVE & AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE

BUILDING THE GREAT WALL TO SECURE OUR BORDERS


Sources: ABC News, Fox News, Washington Post, YouTube


~ President Trump Addresses The Joint Congress


President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, addressing a host of familiar themes from his campaign and calling for unity to address a litany of issues that he says are plaguing the country.

Trump's call for an end to the "pure unadulterated division" and "trivial fights" comes in the wake of a bruising campaign and a tumultuous start to his presidency, squaring off against critics as well as waging a pitched battle against the media. The speech also comes amid a flurry of questions about alleged contacts between Trump associates and suspected Russian officials, which the president has derided as "fake news."

The time for small thinking is over," Trump said. "The time for trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts. The bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls. And the confidence to turn those hopes and those dreams into action."

Trump began the address by condemning the recent threats against Jewish centers and a suspected hate crime in Kansas. The president had drawn fire for not immediately addressing the Jewish Community Center incidents and not making public comments about the fatal Kansas shooting until tonight's speech.

"Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms," Trump said.

One of the most emotional moments -- and possibly the longest standing ovation of the speech -- came when Trump praised Carryn Owens, the widow of Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens who died in a raid in Yemen. The moment has been a political hot point since Owens' father Bill Owens and Sen. John McCain criticized the president's choice to execute the mission. but Trump used the speech to call it "a highly successful raid."

During the speech, Trump revisited what he called the movement that propelled him into the White House.

"In 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet," he said. "The rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds -– families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair hearing for their concerns. But then the quiet voices became a loud chorus -- as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our country."

"Above all else, we will keep our promises to the American people," Trump said.

Trump ran through a series of his biggest campaign promises during much of the speech, giving updates on what he and his team plan to do about them. He talked about how "we will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border," and later talked about plans for "a new program of national rebuilding."

His call for Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare was met with one of the loudest responses, with Republicans standing while some Democrats were seen giving a thumbs down.

He made a push for unity later in the speech, saying that "everything that is broken in our country can be fixed."

"Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can find healing, and hope. Our citizens deserve this, and so much more – so why not join forces and finally get the job done? And get it done right. On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people," he said.

Trump touched on paid family leave, the need to make childcare more affordable, an effort to promote clean air and water -- all issues that his daughter Ivanka has reportedly championed -- as areas where Republicans and Democrats could work together, along with rebuilding the military and the country's infrastructure.

He went on to call education "the civil rights issue of our time" before asking Congress to fund an education bill that allows children school choice.

"Our children will grow up in a nation of miracles. But to achieve this future, we must enrich the mind – and the souls – of every American child," he said.

While Trump did talk about his administration's plans to build a "great, great" wall, a regular theme of his campaign, he did not talk about who would pay for it; he said regularly during the campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall and he has since wavered about when and by whom those payments would be made.

First Lady Melania Trump attended the speech along with hand-picked guests, including Maureen Scalia, the widow of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, who is a senior advisor to the president, were also seated in the first lady's box.

A group of female House Democrats all chose to wear white in an act of support for women's rights. Their sartorial choice was particularly noticeable because they all sat together in the chamber.

On Monday, Trump's team sent out an email to supporters asking for their "input on the direction of our country" before what they called his State of the Union address.

The email called the speech "his biggest speech to date."

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."

KOCH BROTHERS ANNOUNCE NO FURTHER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP'S NOMINATION (GOP UNITES)

KOCH BROTHERS ANNOUNCE NO FURTHER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP'S NOMINATION:

GOP ESTABLISHMENT LEADERS ARE WISELY UNITING TO PREVENT LOSING WHITE HOUSE TO HILLARY.

Sources: Alex Jones, MSN, Rueters, The Guardian, Youtube

**** Koch Brothers Will Not Deploy Funds Against Trump During Primaries

The Koch brothers, the most powerful conservative mega donors in the United States, will not use their $400 million political arsenal to block Republican front-runner Donald Trump's path to the presidential nomination, a spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday.

"We have no plans to get involved in the primary," said James Davis, spokesman for Freedom Partners, the Koch brothers' political umbrella group. He would not elaborate on what the billionaire industrialists' strategy would be for the Nov. 8 general election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama.

Donors and media reports have speculated since a Koch brothers summit in January that they would launch a "Trump Intervention," which would involve deploying the Kochs' vast political network to target the billionaire businessman and former reality TV star in hopes of removing him from the Republican race.

Many Republican party elites and business backers are eager to see Trump, a political outsider who has tapped into America's rising anti-establishment sentiment, fail in his bid for the nomination.

But with Trump racking up a series of sizeable wins in the early nominating contests, there is a growing sense of inevitability he will win the party's mantle.

Three sources close to the Koch brothers, who oppose Trump's protectionist trade rhetoric and views on immigration, said the Kochs were concerned they had not yet seen any attack on Trump stick.

The brothers are also smarting from the millions they pumped into the 2012 Republican presidential bids of Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, only to see both candidacies fail, the sources said.

POLICE OFFICERS OF AMERICA I DON'T HATE YOU ANYMORE

PROTESTING AGAINST POLICE CREATES A PROBLEM, OFFERS NO REAL SOLUTIONS.

STOP THE DIVISIVE POLITICS.

It is time for the BLACK American community and our nation's POLICE Force to stop Fighting one another, and join hands to work together.

I will no longer Bash all POLICE due to the RACIST actions of a few Bad Cops.

As of today I personally refuse to engage in anymore HATRED or Negative Rhetoric against POLICE.

I will instead work to find SOLUTIONS.

United We Stand.

Divided We Fall.

I choose to Stand to help both the BLACK Community and POLICE.

Sources: Washington Times, YouTube

Obama Administration Calls For Unity & Prayer On 10th Anniversary Of 9-11 Attacks

Obama proclaims National Days of Prayer and Remembrance

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11, President Barack Obama proclaimed this weekend, Friday though Sunday, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.

“Today, our nation still faces great challenges, but this last decade has proven once more that, as a people, we emerge from our trials stronger than before,” Obama said in a statement Friday.

The president called on Americans to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks through activities such as prayer, memorial services, the ringing of bells, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils.

Obama also urged citizens to remember those among “the 9/11 generation” of service members who have “come of age bearing the burden of war,” with some paying the ultimate sacrifice.

“During these days of prayer and remembrance, a grateful nation gives thanks to all those who have given of themselves to make us safer,” Obama said.

Obama will attend memorial services at all three attack sites – New York, Washington and Pennsylvania – this weekend.

The proclamation comes in the wake of faith-based groups expressing opposition toward New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who stirred controversy when deciding to exclude religious leaders from the World Trade Center memorial service on Sunday.

Prominent politicians have also come out against the decision. On Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said religion played a key role in the days following the attacks by offering people some “strength to move on.”

“Just get them up. Say a little prayer,” Giuliani said at the National Press Club in Washington Tuesday. “The microphone will not melt if you say a prayer.”

In his statement Friday, Obama did not address the clergy issue, but focused on the memory of those who lost their lives 10 years ago.

“We continue to stand with their families and loved ones, while striving to ensure the legacy of those we lost is a safer, stronger, and more resilient nation,” Obama said.


Sources: CNN, Youtube

GOP Rejects Obama's "Bi-Partisan" Debt Ceiling Bid! More Distractions!

How Many American Voters Are Surprised To Hear That GOP Leaders Have Rejected Pres. Obama's Bid For Bi-Partisanship & His Agenda To Help Fix George W. Bush's Deregulated, Job Killing Wall Street Mess?

I'm Not Surprised At All.

But Who Cares If GOP Leaders Don't Like Pres. Obama!

I Mean Who Really Cares?

Since When Did Capitol Hill & The White House Become A Kindergarten Playground?

Does Someone HAVE To Actually Like Another Human Being To Respect Their Position Or To Work With Them?

I'm Sure It Wouldn't Hurt, However It Isn't A Prerequisite.

Pres. Obama Sir We Just Want To See Strong Leadership! NOT A President Begging For Bi-Partisanship!

The American People (VOTERS) Want Results!

Am I Right?

It Would Noble If Both Political Parties In D.C. Would Work Together To Serve Their Constituents But If NOT Then Please Don't Allow GOP Leaders To Distract You From Effective Leadership.

And While We're On The Subject, Please STOP Listening To Bill Daley's Compromising Advice!

Too Much Compromise Makes You Appear Weak Before Your Elected Counterparts & Peers.

Pres. Obama You Are An Intelligent Man.

Roll Up Your Sleeves & Start Utilizing All Of The Legal Tools In Your Presidential & Constitutional Tool Kits!

If GOP Leaders Refuse To Cooperate & Work With You, STOP Kissing Up To Them & Unite With Fellow Democrats And Independent Voters For Positive, Tangible Results!

Stand Up To GOP Leaders Versus Bowing Down Or Begging Them!

You've Wasted 2 1/2 Years Begging GOP Leaders To Work With You.

Where Did It Get You?

Voters Like Myself Lost Confidence In Your Administration & Democrats Lost The House In 2010.

Are You A Leader Or A Slave?

You Still Have Time To Redeem Yourself But ONLY If....

You Focus On Doing What America's Voters Elected You To Do:

Get This Debt Ceiling Deal Signed, Sealed & Delivered!

Help Inspire The American Business Community To Create Jobs,

Help Repair The Busted, Subprime Loan Housing Market,

Reform America's Public School System By Revising Or Repealing No Child Left Behind,

Help Veterans More. Why Are So Many Retired Veterans Who Reside On U.S. Military Bases Being Overcharged For Rent? They've Served Their Country Honorably But Are Now Being Overcharged To Live In Raggedy Housing? i.e., Ask Balfour Beatty Why.

Save Medicare & Medicaid But Reform Both. Stop The Fraud & Waste!

Preserve Pell Grants For College Students From Middle Class & Low Income Families,

Stop Sending Funding Corrupt For-Profit Colleges,

Reform The Federal Student Loan Program. Much More Can Be Done To Help Students,

Help Create More Clean Energy & Green Jobs. i.e., Bill Clinton Retrofitting Idea,

Reassess The Way Social Security Is Calculated For Extremely Wealthy Citizens,

Reform The Tax Code So That Billionaires & Millionaires Who Send Jobs Overseas Will Pay Their Fair Share,

Eliminate The Unpaid For Medicare Advantage Programs,

End Subsidies For Oil Companies,

Encourage Congress To Pass The Infrastructure Rebuilding Bill Currently Sitting In Congress Which Will Create Millions Of Jobs,

Help Nancy Pelosi Take Back The House In 2012!

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Has Been Loyal & You Do Owe Her.

I Repeat: Focus On Doing What America's Voters Elected You To Do!


View Larger Map

Sources: CNN, Youtube, Google Maps

Obama Begs Congress For "Bi-Partisanship" Again (More "Kumbaya")

Once Again Pres. Obama Is Begging Congress To Behave In A "Bi-Partisan" Manner.

How Many Of You Are Tired Of This "Kumbaya" Stuff??

Here's What I Suggest:

If Pres. Obama Stops Listening To Bill Daley, Stops Begging Congress For "Bi-Partisanship" & Quits Bowing Down To GOP Leaders Then Perhaps He Can Get Something Constructive Done For This Country!

Ex: Job Growth From The Private Sector & Sealing A Debt Ceiling Deal Before The August 2nd Deadline!

Congress Doesn't Respect Him Because He Refuses To Govern W/out Begging The GOP To Work With Him.

Who Cares If GOP Leaders Don't Like Pres. Obama!

Who Cares?

Does Someone HAVE To Like You To Respect Your Position Or To Work With You?

I'm Sure It Wouldn't Hurt, However It Isn't A Prerequisite.

People Want To See Strong Leadership! NOT A President Begging For Bi-Partisanship!

The American People (VOTERS) Want Results!

Am I Right?

Think For Yourself Pres. Obama! STOP BEGGING & Do Something! Get It Together!

Sir If You Still Want My Support In 2012 Please Get It Together!

Thank You

Decision 2012!



Both sides call for cooperation in debt reduction talks

With the deadline for the debt ceiling negotiations rapidly approaching, President Barack Obama called on Democrats and Republicans to work together to find “a balanced approach” to solving the nation’s debt crisis.

“Right now, we have an extraordinary – and extraordinarily rare – opportunity to move forward in a way that makes sure our government lives within its means,” Obama said in his weekly address. “And I’m hopeful that we will rise to the moment, and seize this opportunity, on behalf of all Americans, and the future we hold in common.”

The Treasury Department has warned that failure to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by August 2 could lead to a possible default, which could provoke skyrocketing interest rates and cause the dollar to plummet.

But both parties have thus far been unable reconcile their radically convergent strategies to solve the nation’s economic crisis, as Republicans refuse to raise taxes in a weak economy and Democrats denounce proposed cuts to entitlement programs as draconian and unacceptable.

In the GOP weekly address, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, said, “There can be no increase in the national debt limit unless it is accompanied by serious spending cuts and reforms.” McMorris Rodgers, the House Republican Conference vice-chair, blasted the Democratic-led Senate for failing to consider any of the job creation bills proposed by the House.

In his address, Obama conceded that the two sides still have “real differences in approach,” but said there is agreement on “some of the big things.”

“We agree that after a decade of racking up deficits and debt, we finally need to get our fiscal house in order. We agree that to do that, both sides are going to have to step outside their comfort zones and make some political sacrifices,” Obama said.

A bipartisan group of eight congressional leaders met behind closed doors with Obama at the White House Thursday to try to hammer out an agreement to raise the limit, but no deal was reached. The group said it will meet again on Sunday afternoon.

In his address, Obama also argued that an agreement is necessary for reducing the nation’s high unemployment rate, which was thrust back into the spotlight Friday after a disappointing jobs report showed that the economy added only 18,000 jobs in June.

“By getting our fiscal house in order, Congress will be in a stronger position to focus on some of the job-creating measures I’ve already proposed,” Obama said.

But Republicans blamed the low job creation numbers on Obama’s fiscal policies and used the dismal report to blast Democrat’s push for tax increases in the debt negotiations.
“If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we cannot spend, tax, or borrow our way to prosperity. To create jobs and set our country on a sound fiscal course, we must stop spending money we don’t have,” McMorris Rodgers said in her address.

“From the look of things, the Democrats who run Washington don’t have a jobs plan; they have a spending agenda. They’re proposing a rehash of what’s already been tried: more spending, more taxes, and bigger government,” she said.

But while there was little agreement in the dueling addresses, both Obama and McMorris Rodgers concurred on one point: both sides need to work together.

“Mr. President, Americans are asking you, ‘Where are the jobs?’ We invite you to change course and work with us to empower, not burden, our nation’s small businesses, families, and entrepreneurs. We can do this if we work together,” McMorris Rodgers said.
Obama, too, called on a unified approach.
“We can meet our fiscal challenge,” Obama said. “That’s what the American people sent us here to do. …They sent us here to work together. They sent us here to get things done.”


Sources: CNN, White House, Youtube

Black Wealth Is Still An American Reality! Decision 2012

Pres. Obama Was NOT Elected To Just Focus On The Needs Of Black People! The Man Was Handed G.W. Bush's Horrible Messes Wrapped In A Big Bow Because Bush Raped This Country! It Would NOT Have Been Right For Pres. Obama To Allow America To Fail Regardless Of Her Racist History.

Pres. Obama Can't Do It ALL For The Black American Community Because He Isn't God! There Are Some Things Black People Can STILL Do For Themselves. Like Unite, Mobilize & Create Black Wealth! And Yes! I Still Believe Pres. Obama Was Right For Choosing To Stop Gaddafi's Murderous Reign Over The Libyan People.

Unity, Creating Black Wealth & Helping To Re-elect Pres. Obama In 2012 Is What The American Black Community Should Be Focusing On! NOT Trying To Destroy Him! NOT Trying To Divide The Black Community!

Black Wealth Is STILL An American Reality!

Still A Part Of The American Dream!

Instead Of Criticizing Him Pray For The Man! Let's Unite, Mobilize & Create Black Wealth To Build Up Black America!

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!!


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Sources: Boston Globe, CBS News, Youtube, Google Maps

Farrakhan & Cornel West Slam Pres. Obama: Black Division

How Sad That America's FIRST Black President Is Being Publicly Assailed In The Mainstream Media By Minister Farrakhan; Another Black Leader.

Calling Pres. Obama "A Murderer" Is Extreme & Wrong! I Don't Care Who Says It!

Black Leader Against Black Leader Is NOT Cool!

Farrakhan, Cornel West & Tavis Smiley, All Three BLACK "Leaders" Seem To Have Personal Vendettas Against Pres. Obama.

All Three Men Also Appear To Be Using Their Personal Vendettas Against Pres. Obama To Divide The American Black Community Prior To The 2012 Elections.

Maybe Its Because He Did NOT Invite Them To The White House Post Election. How Petty!

I Understand Minister Farrakhan's Anger At Pres. Obama Over Libya. I Don't Agree With His Anger, However I Do Understand It.

Nevertheless I'm Beginning To Wonder Where The Root Of Farrakhan's Anger Originates.

Is It Because He Feels Dissed By Pres. Obama Or Is It About Money & Power?

Or ALL Three??

Excuse People But Whatever Happened To Black UNITY?

No Wonder The GOP Is Regaining Control Of Congress.

While Its True I Have Not Agreed With All Of Pres. Obama's Decisions, I Won't Abandon Him. Not Now, Nor During The 2012 Elections.

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!




Farrakhan's Slam Against Obama About Money, Not Principle

Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, is not very pleased with President Barack Obama two and a half years into his administration. Farrakhan has called the president "a murderer in the White House," according to The Root.

Farrakhan, like a lot of other Obama supporters, has been unhappy with the president for some time for his persistence in fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. What seems to have set Farrakhan off and caused him to slime the president is the intervention in Libya. For Farrakhan, this has made it personal. He has been a friend and ally of Col. Muammar Gadhafi since at least 1996, soon after the Million Man March.

The alliance was made, it was said at the time, to increase African American political influence. An article published by the Anti-Defamation League at the time suggested a more sinister motive.

"On January 23, Minister Farrakhan and Colonel Qaddafi reached an agreement to launch a campaign to exert black and Muslim influence in the upcoming U.S. elections can only be viewed as a cynical covenant between two haters. With the Nation of Islam leading the effort, Colonel Qaddafi said that blacks, Arabs, Muslims and native Americans will exercise their political muscle 'and enter the election period as a card stronger than the Jewish card in the elections campaign.' Colonel Qaddafi had already agreed to bankroll the effort: in September he promised to spend up to $1 billion to launch a Muslim lobby in America."

An alliance between an American religious leader, albeit of a fringe cult that can best be described as a heretical offshoot of Islam, and a dictator who has supported terrorism and is responsible for the mass murder of hundreds of Americans in the Lockerbie airliner bombing, should give one pause.

The financial relationship between Gadhafi and Farrakhan predated the 1996 meeting. In 1985, Gadhafi granted the Nation of Islam an interest-free loan of $5 million, it is said to create a personal products line. Gadhafi and some of his lieutenants later visited Libya to thank Gadhafi personally, in defiance of a travel ban imposed by President Reagan at the time. It was the first of many trips to Libya.

It is therefore not a wonder that Farrakhan is upset with President Obama for facilitating a military intervention into what amounts to a popular uprising against Gadhafi in Libya. If Gadhafi were to wind up on the end of a rope, a source of funding and political support that Farrakhan depends on would be cut off.

It is interesting that while President Obama has increasingly become unpopular among the people he was elected to govern, the vilest rhetoric directed against him does not come from the Tea Party or some conservative activists, but from Louis Farrakhan. The motive appears to be as much about money as it is ideology.



Obama in Chicago: Secret Service Standoff with Farrakhan's Guards

President Obama, back home in Chicago for the Memorial Day weekend, started his Sunday with an 80 minute workout at a gym, after he and his family spent Saturday night at a barbecue with friends. While Obama was at the BBQ, there was an unusual encounter across the street between the Secret Service and guards outside the home of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, where the press pool van was parked.

Obama did his Sunday workout inside the Naturally Fit personal training facility owned by Cornell McClellan, a trainer whose clients include Obama and First Lady Michelle.

The First Family -- Obama, Mrs. Obama, Malia, 11, Sasha, 8, Marian Robinson and Bo, the dog -- had flown to Chicago on Thursday, the first time the entire family was home since Valentine's Day, 2009. Joining them in Chicago were Mrs. Obama's brother, Craig Robinson, the men's basketball coach at Oregon State University; his wife Kelly Robinson, daughter Leslie and newborn Austin.

Obama started Saturday playing basketball at the University of Chicago Lab School -- which his daughters attended before the move to the White House -- while Mrs. Obama was observed back home in their yard, wearing yellow gloves.

On Saturday night, the family went to a backyard barbecue at the home of pal Marty Nesbitt, who lives just around the corner.

While waiting outside, the press pool witnessed a standoff of sorts between the Secret Service and security force of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's security force. Farrakhan lives across the street from Nesbitt.

As Abdon M. Pallasch in the Chicago Sun-Times reported, "for the past two years, when Obama has brought his family over to Nesbitt's home, the press pool bus parks near Farrakhan's house. This usually does not cause a problem, but Saturday night -- as most of the city was indoors watching the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup finals -- a bit of tension emerged on Woodlawn Avenue."

New York Times reporter Jackie Calmes, the pool reporter on the scene, recorded the back and forth that got going when a Fruit of Islam guard asked the Secret Service agent minding the press standing on the sidewalk in front of Farrakhan's home to move the press pool van -- which is in control of the Secret Service -- after someone stepped on the grass on the city-owned strip fronting the curb.

Calmes described the guard as a polite man in jeans and a T-shirt.
"How is this a security breach?" the agent asked.

"It's 8:45 and nearly dark; your pool has retreated back inside the van," Calmes reported. "We're outnumbered now by roughly a dozen Fruit of Islam agents for the Nation of Islam. As each casually dressed man arrives, he exchanges elaborate handshake/hug/double air-kisses with others. Two walked by your pooler chanting 'Islam.' Several have filmed and photographed your poolers, the van and its license plates with their cell phones."

At 9:20 p.m. Chicago time, Calmes passed along, "our agent got reinforcements from three Secret Service agents. One shook hands with one of the 22 Fruit members we now can count from the van. After a short discussion the three Secret Service agents walked away again."

The standoff ended at about 10:15 p.m. from a man who reads the pool reports -- Calmes identified him as Rev. Gary Hunter in Detroit-- called Calmes to tell her "said he had called Minister Farrakhan and his son and asked them to have the Fruit stand down."

None of the activity surrounding the Obama family return to their home should have been a mystery to anyone in the neighborhood. The street where Obama lives --at 5046 S. Greenwood- - was blockaded as soon as he became the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008 at the Democratic Convention in Denver. The neighbors by now should not have been surprised about the commotion surrounding an Obama visit since Obama stayed at his Chicago home during most of the presidential transition with motorcades zipping in and out.

Obama on Friday had made a daytrip from Chicago to the Louisiana gulf to see firsthand the impact of the BP oil spill catastrophe. On Monday, Obama observes Memorial Day at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill, about 50 miles south of Chicago.


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Sources: MSNBC, Politics Daily, The Root, Yahoo.com, Youtube, Google Maps

Barbour Slams GOP "Purity" Wants Unity! But Dems Are Divided!

Today, Just 1 Day After Sarah "Barracuda" Palin Attacked Mitt Romney, The 2012 Republican Presidential Front Runner In New Hampshire As He Officially Announced His Bid, GOP Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour Has Now Called For Party "Unity".

Gov. Barbour Has Finally Admitted The GOP "Purity Test" Is NOT A Litmus Test Any Human Being Can Possibly Live Up To NOT Even Ronald Reagan Or G.W. Bush Because.......

We're ALL Imperfect Human Beings! Duh!

So Gov. Barbour Has Also Sounded The Call For Party UNITY!

Doesn't This Sound Like Something The Democrats Should Be Doing??

Attn: All Democrats & Independents!

Especially Those Within The Black Communities.

Including Louis Farrakhan's Nation Of Islam Members!

Why Aren't We Supporting Pres. Obama?

Why Are We Pulling Away From Him Versus Rallying Around Him?

So What If He Wasn't Able To Do Everything For Us During His First Two Years In Office.

Folks Just Consider All Of The Mess Bush Left Behind.

Before Obama Was Able To Do Anything Constructive For His Constituents & Supporters, He Had To Clean Up Bush's Deregulated Wall Street Messes First!

I Remind You The GOP Is Calling For UNITY.

What About The Dems & Independents?

Shouldn't Democrats Leaders Be Calling For Party UNITY Too?

Why Are We Foolishly (Especially Nation Of Islam Members From Chicago) Bashing Pres. Obama?

This Includes Democrats In Congress Too!

Many Democrats & Independents Have Asked "Where Is The Obama From 2008?"

Well Guess What??

He's Still Here!

Except Now He's Now In A Different Role.

In 2008 He Was U.S. Senator Obama, Now He's U.S. PRESIDENT Obama!

We're Supposed To Partner With Him.

And Whether We Wish To Admit It Or Not, Its OUR Responsibility To Help CHANGE Our Communities! NOT His Alone Because Pres. Obama Is NOT God!

United We Stand! Divided We Fall!

On The Other Hand Without President Obama's Leadership What Are We Rallying For?

Democrats & Independents Need President Barack Obama To Step Up, Speak Up, Showcase His Political Successes, Remind Voters Of The HUGE Financial Mess George W. Bush Left Our Country In & Go Full Speed Ahead!

Because Believe Me If Republicans Were In The White House What I Suggested Above Is Exactly What They Would Be Doing Prior To Another General Election.

Will The Barack Obama From The 2008 Presidential Campaign Trail Please Stand Up????

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!










Barbour: ‘Purity is the enemy of victory’


After putting aside a potential bid to be the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is calling for unity in his party, warning that the search for a “pure” candidate could ultimately disappoint GOP voters and enable President Barack Obama’s re-election next year.

“We cannot expect our candidate to be pure,” Barbour told conservative activists Friday at the 2011 Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington D.C. “Winning is about unity.”

Whoever the nominee may be at the end of the contested presidential primary, Barbour said, “I am not going to agree with him or her on everything. … You’re not going to agree with them on every single thing, either.”

Barbour’s remarks came the day after party infighting garnered headlines in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, where perceived frontrunner Mitt Romney received fresh criticism from Republican political superstars Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani on the same day he officially jumped into the 2012 contest.

Barbour issued a stern warning to conservative GOP voters Friday, reminding the attendees at the Ralph Reed-backed confab that, in politics, "purity is the enemy of victory."

“You gotta get [it] in your head right now," he instructed in his characteristic drawl, "'I’m going to fight for my person. When it’s over, I am going to support the person that’s going to beat Barack Obama.'”

Asked by reporters after his remarks what prompted the homily on party accord, Barbour said he has consistently counseled against hard-and-fast criteria for “perfect” candidates.

“And I don’t care if you nominate the most conservative candidate. There are going to be some people who don’t agree with them on everything,” he said. “That’s just a fact.”

He did not directly criticize Palin for taking swipes at Romney on the day of his announcement, saying only that “the campaign will be about issues.”

Rep. Michele Bachman (R-MN), another likely presidential candidate who has recently delivered some intraparty jabs, also declined to comment on Palin’s hectic summer-vacation-turned-political-bonanza bus tour this week when she was hoarded by reporters after her address to the conference.

And Bachmann didn't take an opportunity to repeat her criticism of fellow Minnesota Republican Tim Pawlenty, whom she called out yesterday for his previous openness to government insurance mandates.

Asked if past support for the individual mandate is an automatic disqualifier for GOP candidates like Pawlenty and Romney, Bachmann said she rejects the mandate as unconstitutional, but that "the voters will make that decision."


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Sources: Chicago Tribune, Final Call, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps