Tag: President Obama

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President Obama supports marriage equality in Hawaii

The White House has released a statement expressing the president’s support for the passage of same-sex marriage in his home state.

A White House spokesman said Tuesday that Hawaii-born President Barack Obama would welcome a decision by the state Legislature to approve marriage equality:

“While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect,” Shin Inouye, a White House representative, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “As he has said, his personal view is that it’s wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships, and want to marry, from doing so.”

Should the legislation, having passed in the state Senate and now before the House, get the required votes, it would head to the desk of Gov. Abercrombie who has stated he intends to sign the bill into law. Marriage equality could begin as soon as November 18th.

(via Advocate)

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President Obama adresses issues and fixes with Affordable Care Act website

Speaking at length about the disappointments with glitches at the Affordable Care Act website, President Obama spoke about the 24/7 work being done to address issues.

He also made it clear that folks can call anytime of the day or night at 800-318-2596 to speak to live people in order to sign up for health insurance through the new exchanges.

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President Obama to Boehner: Put the shutdown up for a clean vote

From USA Today: President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner held separate news conferences and made sharply worded statements about the budget impasse and the looming Oct. 17 deadline when the nation reaches its debt limit.

Obama insisted that he’s “not budging” on his insistence that congressional Republicans raise the borrowing authority and pass a bill to fund the government — both without any restrictions. Boehner rejected what he considers Obama’s call for “unconditional surrender.”

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President Obama to House GOP – Government shutdown will hurt real people right away

President Obama placed the blame squarely on the decisions and actions of the House Republicans for what looks to be an imminent federal government shutdown.

From USA Today:

President Obama blamed an imminent government shutdown on House Republicans Monday, and said his health care plan is “moving forward” despite GOP efforts to de-fund it.

“You can’t shut it down,” Obama said of the law at the White House. Obama also said a partial government shutdown — which would start at midnight unless there is an 11th hour deal — will damage economic recovery and hurt “real people right away.”

Obama said the shutdown will close federal offices, delay checks, close parks, and damage loan programs.

Meanwhile, Social Security, Medicare, mail, and public safety functions will continue despite the shutdown, Obama said. “The federal government is America’s largest employer,” Obama said. “These Americans are our neighbors.”

Accusing the Republicans of trying to re-fight last year’s election and the health care battles of 2009-10, Obama called delay and de-funding efforts “the height of irresponsibility.”

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President Obama quotes the absurd lies used by crazed GOP opponents of Obamacare

Quoting the opponents, kids. Quoting them.

Democrats say “Let’s sit down and negotiate” and the Tea Baggers rabidly yell “Shut down the government!!!”

Watch the clip, folks. The President quotes the opponents and in doing so underlines why the anti-Obamacare folks have no credibility. They just MAKE STUFF UP.

“One congressman said that Obamacare is the most dangerous piece of legislation ever passed,” Obama said in Largo, Md. “Ever, in the history of America, this is the most dangerous piece of legislation. Providing — creating a marketplace so people can buy group insurance plan, the most dangerous ever.”

“You had a state representative somewhere say that it’s as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act,” he added. “Think about that. Affordable health care is worse than a law that lets slave owners get their runaway slaves back. I mean, these are quotes. I’m not making this stuff up.”

“And here’s one more that I’ve heard. I like this one. We have to, and I’m quoting here, we have to repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens,” an incredulous Obama said. “Now, I have to say, that one was from six months ago. I just want to point out we still have women, we still have children, we still have senior citizens. All this would be funny if it wasn’t so crazy.”

(via Talking Points Memo)

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Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold cannot say President Obama was “legitimately” elected

On Hardball last night, Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas chatted with host Chris Matthews about a number of issues.

At one point Matthews asked about Sen. Ted Cruz’s eligibility to run for President, because he was born in Canada. Matthews has long maintained that Cruz, who has an American mother, is indeed eligible to be president. However, many in the Tea Party maintain that President Obama was not legitimately elected because they don’t believe he was born in Hawaii even though the Republican governor of the state released his birth certificate.

“I believe he’s (Cruz) is eligible. He had an American mother. I believe you’re a natural born citizen. Do you agree with that?” Matthews asked the congressman.

Farenthold replied, “Listen, we’ve had this discussion on Obama… He’s as eligible as Obama is.”

Ultimately, Matthews said, “Can you repeat after me: he was legitimately elected president.”

Farenthold repeated, but with a key word left out: “President Obama was elected president”

“Legitimately,” said Matthews.

“The people elected him,” Farenthold said, refusing to say “legitimately.”

Matthews concluded: “Everybody watching knows what you’re doing. You’re dodge balling.”

What is with these people? SRSLY.

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Russian President Putin writes op-ed in NY Times regarding Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has written an op-ed for the New York Times entitled A Plea For Caution From Russia.

An excerpt:

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.

 It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us.”

 But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

Later, he closes with:

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

 My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

Read the full essay here.

It will be interesting to see the response from both the political world and the pundits in terms of  Putin’s argument and that he used the New York Times to present it.

(via JMG)

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President Obama’s quick “hello” to Putin as he arrives in Russia for G20 Summit

That’s it, folks!

As President Obama arrived for the G20 Summit, he had what will probably be his only “meeting” with President Putin of Russia in this brief welcome moment with the Russian president.

Due to recent civil rights legislation in Russia, President Obama will not be sitting down with Putin to discuss any specific USA/Russia issues at this summit. BUT Obama will be meeting with LGBT groups from Russia. Good for Obama for showing compassion and outreach to the gays and lesbians of Russia.

Jonathan Capehart has written a great column on the divergence of LGBT rights and issues in Russia and the USA, and how the two leaders have handled the issues differently:

Just as the United States is expanding the reach of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, Russia is hell bent on denying protection to its LGBT people. Take what happened yesterday. In Washington, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that legally married same-sex couples would be eligible for veterans benefits. In Moscow, Alekei Zhuravlev, the deputy of the Russian State Duma, proposed an amendment that would deny parental custody to gay parents.

Each nation is riding a particular wave of momentum. The Supreme Court ruling in June that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional set off a series of decisions that make same-sex couples whole in the eyes of the federal government. Meanwhile, Putin signed into law a bill passed unanimously in June by the Duma that banned “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,” the definition of which is so broad and vague that the lives of LGBT Russians and tourists have been deemed illegal. A few days later, Putin signed legislation banning the adoption of Russian children by same-sex couples from nations that have adopted marriage equality. This prohibition applies to heterosexual couples and single adults from countries recognizing same-sex marriages.

Read the entire essay at WashingtonPost.com