Tag: President Obama

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LGBT Pride Reception at the White House

President Obama delivers remarks at the LGBT Pride Month celebration at the White House. June 13, 2013.

In his remarks, President Obama called for passage of ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) saying “There’s a bipartisan bill moving forward in the Senate that would ban discrimination against all LGBT Americans in the workplace, now and forever,” Obama said. “We need to get that passed. I want to sign that bill. We need to get it done now.”

LGBT activists were quick to address those remarks calling on the President to sign an executive order that would achieve the same goals for the LGBT workers employed by federal contractors.

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Rep. John Fleming defends his “license to discriminate” amendment in Defense Authorization Act

Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana introduced (and saw passage) of an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that allows and protects soldiers to scream and belittle gays in the military along the lines of “you will burn in hell” at gay soldiers based on “conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs.”

It is basically a license to discriminate.

President Obama has threatened to veto the bill if the language is not changed:

“The Administration strongly objects to section 530, which would require the Armed Forces to accommodate, except in cases of military necessity, ‘actions and speech’ reflecting the ‘conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the member,’ the statement read. “By limiting the discretion of commanders to address potentially problematic speech and actions within their units, this provision would have a significant adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.”

Congressman John Fleming responded to the White House statement:

“President Obama is continuing his war on free speech.

“With the IRS trying to intimidate and silence conservative groups, and the Justice Department digging into the phone records of reporters, it’s no surprise that the president also wants to deny First Amendment rights to our Armed Forces. With its statement, the White House is now endorsing military reprimands of members who keep a Bible on their desk or express a religious belief. That is an outrageous position, but it’s what I’ve come to expect from an administration that is aggressively hostile toward religious beliefs that it deems to be politically incorrect.

“My amendment protects, for our men and women in uniform, a principle enshrined in our Constitution and cherished since our Founding Fathers: the free exercise of one’s religious beliefs, including expressions of one’s belief.

“It has bipartisan support and takes into account the unique context of military service, accommodating the beliefs of our service members, while not jeopardizing military necessity. We need to protect the free speech of the brave warriors who fight to safeguard our liberties, and I hope Congress will reject this blatant White House attack on religious freedom.”

(Via Washington Blade)

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Why is President Obama the “worst President” ever?

Why is President Obama the "worst President" ever? Oh, because he's black...

Stock  market doubled.

Housing recovering – market up 12%.

38 straight months of private sector job growth.

The Iraq war is over and vast majority of our soldiers home.

Tell me again why President Obama is the “worst President” ever?

Other than because he’s black…?

(image via Milkshakes Against The Republican Party)

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President Obama’s official proclamation of 2013 LGBT Pride Month

The White House has issued President Obama’s proclamation in recognition of LGBT Pride Month.

The message cites the president’s support for ENDA, the federal bill to overturn DOMA, and HIV reduction campaigns.

Here’s the text of the proclamation:

For more than two centuries, our Nation has struggled to transform the ideals of liberty and equality from founding promise into lasting reality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans and their allies have been hard at work on the next great chapter of that history — from the patrons of The Stonewall Inn who sparked a movement to service members who can finally be honest about who they love to brave young people who come out and speak out every day. This year, we celebrate LGBT Pride Month at a moment of great hope and progress, recognizing that more needs to be done.

Support for LGBT equality is growing, led by a generation which understands that, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In the past year, for the first time, voters in multiple States affirmed marriage equality for same-sex couples. State and local governments have taken important steps to provide much-needed protections for transgender Americans.

My Administration is a proud partner in the journey toward LGBT equality. We extended hate crimes protections to include attacks based on sexual orientation or gender identity and repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” We lifted the HIV entry ban and ensured hospital visitation rights for LGBT patients. Together, we have investigated and addressed pervasive bullying faced by LGBT students, prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Federal housing, and extended benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Earlier this year, I signed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the implementation of any VAWA-funded program.

And because LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration is implementing the first-ever Federal strategy to advance equality for LGBT people around the world. We have witnessed real and lasting change, but our work is not complete. I continue to support a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, as well as the Respect for Marriage Act. My Administration continues to implement the Affordable Care Act, which beginning in 2014, prohibits insurers from denying coverage to consumers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which addresses the disparate impact of the HIV epidemic among certain LGBT sub-communities.

We have a long way to go, but if we continue on this path together, I am confident that one day soon, from coast to coast, all of our young people will look to the future with the same sense of promise and possibility. I am confident because I have seen the talent, passion, and commitment of LGBT advocates and their allies, and I know that when voices are joined in common purpose, they cannot be stopped.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2013 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh. – Barack Obama.

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Public isn’t buying into Washington “scandals” as President Obama’s approval continues to rise

Very interesting development here.

After a week of Benghazi, IRS, and Associated Press phone records “scandals,” you’d think the GOP would be gleeful at bringing down President Obama in the public’s eyes.

Kinda not the case.

In fact, the President’s approval ratings have gone UP while the GOP’s numbers have dropped.

A new CNN poll shows that President Obama’s approval rating is at 53%, up two points from the previous poll.

Clearly, the American people are not buying into the false narrative promulgated by the media and the Republican Party, as a majority of respondents believe that the president and his statements on the “scandals” are “mostly true.”  The GOP was not so lucky.  From the CNN poll:

The poll found that 59 percent of respondents view the GOP unfavorably, a record that has only shown up one other time in the poll’s results since tracking began in 1992.

The Republican Party’s net favorability ratings are down 8 points in the past two months. The amount of respondents viewing the GOP favorably fell from 38 percent to 35 percent, while the number of people who view the party unfavorably climbed five points, up from 54 percent in March.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll showed similar results. When asked their approval on what each is proposing to do, 45% approve of President Obama’s proposals, only 29% approve of the congressional GOP proposals. Check out the video below:

(source)

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President Obama – WORST “Socialist” Ever

Chart via New York Times

Stock markets soared today on the news that U.S. home prices saw their best annual rise in seven years, and consumer confidence got another boost.

Through Friday, more than 52 months after President Obama took office, the S&P 500 index was up 105 percent during his term in office, for a compound annual gain of 18 percent.

Worst. Socialist. Ever.

Read more at Maddow Blog.

(tipped by TRR reader Channing)

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Poll: President Obama’s approval rating ticks up in spite of recent politicized news stories

Despite all of the GOP screaming in recent weeks, a new CNN poll released yesterday shows that the president’s approval rating has improved slightly or stayed the same.

According to the survey, which was conducted Friday and Saturday, 53% of Americans say they approve of the job the president is doing, with 45% saying they disapprove. The president’s approval rating was at 51% in CNN’s last poll, which was conducted in early April.

“That two-point difference is well within the poll’s sampling error, so it is a mistake to characterize it as a gain for the president,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

“Nonetheless, an approval rating that has not dropped and remains over 50% will probably be taken as good news by Democrats after the events of the last week.”

CNN’s poll result mirrors the one released last week by Gallup.

Read more on the recent poll here.

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The White House trumps tweet by Speaker Boehner

John Boehner, Speaker of the House, thought he would play along today with a current, popular hashtag on Twitter among the Tea people #ObamaCareInThreeWords as the House GOP tried for the 37th time to repeal the healthcare reform legislation:

Then, the White House decided to play along.  FTW:

To which the Speaker then tweeted:

It’s hardly “arrogance of power” for the White House to point out the obvious – that “ObamaCare” IS the law of the land.

Time to stop wasting the people’s time, Mr. Speaker. Time to get something done that actually accomplishes something.

The country is waiting.

(via JMG)

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ICYMI: Acting IRS Commissioner resigns amid 501(C) scandal

According to USAToday, President Obama will name a new acting IRS commissioner by the end of this week:

Obama said on Wednesday that he’s accepted the resignation of acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Steven Miller in the aftermath of revelations that agency officials were putting extra scrutiny on Tea Party groups’ applications for tax-exempt status.

The official did not name who the replacement will be, and spoke on the condition of anonymity because the president has yet to make the personnel announcement.

In brief comments Wednesday evening after discussing the Internal Revenue Service controversy with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin, Obama vowed to take decisive action to ensure that the situation would not be repeated.

“It’s inexcusable and Americans are right to be angry about it and I am angry about it,” Obama said. “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but particularly the IRS given the power that it has and the reach that it has in all of our lives.”

President Obama went on to say that installing new leadership at the IRS was the first step to restoring confidence in the IRS.

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President Obama addresses current Benghazi “political circus”

From Think Progress:

President Obama in a press conference on Monday shot back at Republicans trying to create a scandal out of his administration’s handling of the Benghazi terror attacks last September.

The Benghazi issue resurfaced in recent weeks after Fox News and House Republicans tried and failed to turn up new evidence of some kind of administration “cover-up” of its response to the attacks.

None of these efforts have resulted in any new information and when Obama was asked about it today, he appeared agitated, saying the issue has already been investigated and Benghazi has turned in to a “political circus.” The President also noted what a terrible job his administration is doing if it was trying to cover anything up on Benghazi:

OBAMA: If this was some effort on our part to try to downplay what had happened or tamp it down — that would be a pretty odd thing that three days later, we end up putting out all the information that in fact has now served as the basis for everybody recognizing that this was a terrorist attack and that it may have included elements that were planned by extremists inside of Libya.

Who executes some sort of cover-up or effort to tamp things down, for three days? So the whole thing defies logic and the fact that this keeps on getting churned out, frankly has a lot to do with political motivations. We’ve had folks who have challenged Hillary Clinton’s integrity, Susan Rice’s integrity, Mike Mullen and Tom Pickering’s integrity. It’s a given that mine gets challenged by these same folks. they’ve used it for fundraising and frankly, you know, if anybody out there wants to actually focus on how we make sure something like this does not happen again? I am happy to get their advice and information and council.

More at Think Progress