Former President Barack Obama Who wants to hear a president who speaks in complete sentences and sounds sane? Via CBS News:
In his first television interview since the election of Joe Biden as the 46th President, former President Barack Obama sits down with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King to discuss the first volume of his memoirs, “A Promised Land.”
He talks about the enormous opposition he experienced as he entered the White House; the impact of his political career on his family; and why he campaigned for his former vice president – and spoke out so vociferously against his successor, President Donald Trump.
L-R Former President Barack Obama, Donald Trump Trump and his followers often tout the stock market and unemployment under Trump as “the best economy in the history of the world.” But crunching the numbers from the final three years of the Obama administration and the first three years of Trump’s time in office – which leaves out the devastation of the current pandemic on the US economy – the data shows Trump is not better on economic issues than his predecessor. I recently came across a report from USA Today comparing the economic records of Donald Trump and Barack Obama. From USA Today:
• Employment: According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the economy created 6,979,000 jobs during Obama’s final three years in office. In Trump’s first three years through this past January, the economy added 6,585,000 jobs to a total of 158,714,000. That’s 394,000 fewer under Trump than under Obama during a similar time span.
• Economic growth: During Obama’s final three years, the economy (inflation-adjusted gross domestic product) grew 2.5% in 2014, 3.1% in 2015 and 1.7% in 2016, or an average of 2.43%, according to figures from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. Under Trump, the economy grew 2.3% in 2017, 3.0% in 2018 and 2.2% in 2019, for an average of 2.5% a year – just below one-tenth of a percent per year under Trump, who came into office promising to produce an economy that would sprint ahead at a 4% annual pace or even higher.
• Wage growth: During Obama’s final three years in office through January 2017, hourly earnings adjusted for inflation grew 3.3%, according to BLS figures. During Trump’s first three years, inflation-adjusted hourly earnings grew an identical 3.2%. • Stock market: During Trump’s presidency, the S&P 500 climbed 50.4%, from a close of 2,271.31 on Jan. 20, 2017, when he was inaugurated, to 3,4433.12 today. Under Obama, the S&P 500, which was 805.22 on Jan. 20, 2009, grew 182% during his presidency. During his second term, it grew 52% (from 1,492.56 on Jan. 22, 2013).
Some news items you might have missed: • Reuters: The 2023 European Games, a regional Olympic event, will be held in Krakow, Poland. The announcement was met with disapproval since Krakow has embraced so-called ‘LGBT-free zone’ ideology. • Gallup Polling: Donald Trump’s attempts to push-push-push the approval of a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day appears to have backfired as Americans’ willingness to be vaccinated quickly has dropped 11 percentage points, falling to 50% in late September. • The Hill: Former president Barack Obama (above) released multiple state-specific tutorials on how to vote on Tuesday, 21 days before the Nov. 3 election. The state-specific videos included battleground states like Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. #VOTE
• Washington Post: The federal prosecutor appointed by AG Bill Barr to review whether Obama-era officials improperly “unmasked” individuals whose names were redacted in intelligence documents has completed his work without finding any substantive wrongdoing. Conservatives have tried to paint the “unmasking” of names — a common practice in government to help understand classified documents — as a political conspiracy. • Politico: For the fourth time in 3 months, an ad promoting President Donald Trump’s reelection has used footage from Russia. • The Upshot: If you’re curious about the latest polls – both national and in battleground states – hit the link. The bottom line? Today’s newly-released results show “Biden is ahead, and his lead is either holding steady or widening.” • Election 2020: Bruce Springsteen himself gave his blessing to the use of his song “Streets of Philadelphia” for a new campaign ad titled, “America Needs Pennsylvania.” This might be one of the most powerful campaign spots of the 2020 cycle. #VOTE
Donald Trump arrives in Pennsylvania later today. We need more than **1 MILLION VIEWS** before he lands. Please RETWEET and QUOTE RETWEET. !!! TURN VOLUME UP LOUD !!! pic.twitter.com/vTIq88WDak — Don Winslow (@donwinslow) October 13, 2020
L-R Former President Barack Obama, Donald Trump I saw some folks trashing the results of the Obama administration years, so just a reminder here. For instance, unemployment dropped from nearly 10 percent o 4.7 percent. The current unemployment rate under Donald Trump is 10.2 percent. The Dow Jones had increased by 63.6 percent at the 43-month point in Obama’s administration, while the Dow has increased much less at 40.8 percent. Overall, by the time Obama left office, the Dow had jump 143.8 percent. We’ll have to see how that shakes out for Trump. Oh, and Obama was never impeached. There’s always that… More at FactCheck.org.
Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden (public domain) From former President Barack Obama: Choosing a vice president is the first important decision a president makes. When you’re in the Oval Office, weighing the toughest issues, and the choice you make will affect the lives and livelihoods of the entire country – you need someone with you who’s got the judgment and the character to make the right call. Someone whose focus goes beyond self-interest to consider the lives and prospects of others. Joe Biden nailed this decision. By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America’s next vice president, he’s underscored his own judgment and character. Reality shows us that these attributes are not optional in a president. They’re requirements of the job. And now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead. I’ve known Senator Harris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. Her own life story is one that I and so many others can see ourselves in: a story that says that no matter where you come from, what you look like, how you worship, or who you love, there’s a place for you here. It’s a fundamentally American perspective, one that’s led us out of the hardest times before. And it’s a perspective we can all rally behind right now. Michelle and I couldn’t be more thrilled for Kamala, Doug, Cole, and Ella. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing.
Phillip Evelyn II (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Phillip Evelyn II (above) is giving you full-on Ninja-ness in this post. #Dang Follow him on the Gram of Insta here. • Pink News: A homophobe in South Dakota went on a profanity-heavy anti-gay rant while burning an LGBTQ Pride flag during a Facebook video. The local district attorney says he won’t be pursuing hate crime charges despite the video. • CBS News: President Barack Obama’s powerful eulogy at the funeral of the late civil rights leader, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), was perfection. Obama said Americans should honor Lewis’ legacy by continuing to work for democracy and voting rights. “He, as much as anyone in our history, brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals.” Hit the play button to hear a president speak about someone other than themself (and in complete sentences).
• Courthouse News: Federal prosecutors have agreed to abandon the gag order against Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and current felon, Michael Cohen. Cohen is now free to use social media, participate in interviews, and release his Trump tell-all book, which is due go on sale in September. • Fox News: File this under ‘metaphors you could never make up.’ Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign bus collided with a dump truck today while stumping in Western Pennsylvania. • Gay Star News: International pop star Elton John shared the 30th anniversary of his sobriety with his Instagram followers writing, “If I hadn’t finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago, I’d be dead. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way.”
During a White House press briefing today, Donald Trump was flummoxed when CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins asked the Donald why he blamed President Obama in 2016 for violent crime in Chicago, but today Trump doesn’t take responsibility. “In 2016, you said it was President Obama’s fault when shootings in Chicago were up,” said Collins. “So why was it President Obama’s fault then, but it’s not your fault now?” “Chicago is a disaster,” said Trump, diverting from the question. “The mayor is saying, don’t come in, the mayor is telling us not to come in.” After Collins followed-up on the question, Trump again blamed his predecessor, “Because President Obama was invited in, and he did a poor job … he could have solved the problem.”
.@kaitlancollins: In 2016, you said it was Obama's fault crime was up in Chicago. So why was it Obama's fault then & not your fault now?
President Barack Obama addressed viewers of today’s virtual Stonewall Day event presented by LogoTV. After noting the progress made over the past 51 years since the night of the Stonewall uprising, Obama urged Americans to get involved, raise our voices, and yes, VOTE. The event is streaming live as I write this and it’s quite the star-studded event. From LogoTV:
Pride Live’s Stonewall Day features appearances by President Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Cynthia Erivo, Kesha, Hayley Kiyoko, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Christian Siriano, George Takei and many others, presented in partnership with WarnerMedia, Nasdaq, Logo and Pride Media.
The program is raising funds for four of the many LGBTQ+ organizations that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: Brave Space Alliance, Trans Lifeline, TransLatin@ Coalition, and The Ally Coalition.
This year’s Stonewall Day focuses on the recent events highlighting the need for fair and equal treatment under the law for all, offers support to the Black Lives Matter movement, and addresses LGBTQ+ issues including the dangerous rise of violence facing transgender women, especially Black trans women.
I’m posting Obama’s greeting for Pride Live’s Stonewall Day, plus the full event below.
L-R Former President Barack Obama, Donald Trump When asked about the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that found LGBTQ people are protected by federal employment discrimination laws, Donald Trump told reporters, “I’ve read the decision, and some people were surprised. But they’ve ruled and we live with their decision. That’s what it’s all about. We live with the decision of the Supreme Court. Very powerful. Very powerful decision actually. But they have so ruled.”
That’s some enthusiasm, huh? You’ll recall during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Donald declared he would be a better friend to the LGBT community than Hillary Clinton. And, as we now know, that’s not turned out to be the case. Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was much more uplifting in his remarks, writing in part:
Today’s Supreme Court decision is a momentous step forward for our country. Before today, in more than half of states, LGBTQ+ people could get married one day and be fired from their job the next day under state law, simply because of who they are or who they love. This landmark 6–3 ruling affirms that LGBTQ+ Americans are entitled to equal rights under the law. This decision is another step in our march towards equality for all. And while we celebrate this victory today, we know that our work is not yet done. As President, I look forward to signing into law the Equality Act, protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, and championing equal rights for all Americans. Happy Pride!
Today’s decision is another step in our march toward equality for all. The Supreme Court has confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect. But we’re not done. https://t.co/Bz4SMA9tgb
And, former President Barack Obama tweeted his response: “Today reminds us that progress might be slow. It might take decades. But no matter what things might look like today, it’s always possible. Happy Pride month, everybody.”
Today reminds us that progress might be slow. It might take decades. But no matter what things might look like today, it’s always possible. Happy Pride month, everybody. pic.twitter.com/ey7p2TgEEf
