President Obama: ShortFormBlog

23:51 • 1 year ago

2012 election: Obama builds momentum with his donation tallies

$23M raised per month in the last quarter of 2011 by President Obama’s campaign team
$29M raised in January by Obama’s campaign team via fundraisers and grass roots efforts
$45M raised in February; Obama held an event nearly every other day to help raise money source

» Not quite as much as 2008, though: Four years ago, Obama’s donation prowess was a little stronger: He raised $56 million in February 2008. This decline is to be expected, however, due to “donor fatigue” and the slow economy.

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18:52 • 1 year ago

Tags: Politics News President Obama Approval Rating Reuters Ipsos 38 • Permalink

Half of the country approves of President Obama, according to a new poll released by Reuters and Ipsos with a plus/minus of 3.1 percent. The poll was conducted shortly after the announcement that the U.S. economy gained 227,000 jobs during February, and stands in contrast to several other recent polls which show the President’s popularity sliding. Many experts believe that recent spikes in gasoline prices could explain the discrepancy. (photo via Intel Photos) source

11:20 • 1 year ago

Tags: barack obama civil war conservatives Derrick Bell fox news gop Politics president obama republicans sarah palin sean hannity slavery 40 • Permalink

What Barack Obama seems to want to do is go back to before [the Civil War] when we were in different classes based on income, based on color of skin.

Sarah Palin • During a discussion, with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, on the “controversy” surrounding the recently released video of then-student Barack Obama publicly supporting embattled Harvard professor Derrick Bell. Professor Bell, the first tenured African-American professor of Law at Harvard and former dean of the University of Oregon School of Law, was widely considered the creator of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Many critics of CRT claim that Bell’s true intent was not equality, but to reverse the pre-Civil War societal roles of America. source (via • follow)

20:00 • 1 year ago

Tags: 2012 election barack obama big oil Candy Crowley CNN conspiracy theories gop lol newt gingrich Politics president obama republicans state of the union 23 • Permalink

Gingrich predicts Big Oil will hand the election to the GOP

“That’s a pretty big burden while he’s waging war on the Catholic Church and apologizing to Islamic extremists”: In which Newt Gingrich tells CNN’s Candy Crowley that Big Oil will intentionally tank the American economy, placing an insurmountable obstacle on President Obama’s path to re-election. source

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19:50 • 1 year ago

Tags: Aipac American Israel Public Affairs Committee barack obama Global Affairs iran israel nuclear weapons Politics president obama united states 33 • Permalink

Now is the time to heed that timeless advice from Teddy Roosevelt: speak softly, but carry a big stick.

President Barack Obama • Speaking before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the day before he is scheduled to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although he was quick to condemn what he believed to be “too much loose talk of war”, President Obama pleased many in attendance when he confirmed he would not support “containment” of a nuclear-armed Iran. When asked about the possibility of military intervention, the President replied, “I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.”source (via • follow)

10:20 • 1 year ago

Tags: birth control contraception controversial georgetown News Politics president obama rush limbaugh sandra fluke womens' rights 222 • Permalink

I’m certainly not going to be silenced.

Georgetown student Sandra Fluke • Responding to the controversy that began Wednesday, when conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh began a series of attacks on her character and asked that she upload videos of her sexual encounters for his viewing pleasure. Fluke became the target of Limbaugh’s rage after testifying before Congress on Georgetown’s contraceptive policy; however, Limbaugh’s comments cost him four sponsors, and condemnation from pundits across the country. Friday afternoon, President Obama called Sandra to offer words of encouragement and support, and Georgetown president John J. DeGioia defended the student in a statement calling Limbaugh’s attacks “misogynistic” and “vitriolic”. source (via • follow)

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21:59 • 1 year ago

President Obama exempts US citizens from indefinite detainment

Tags: civil liberties detainment Guantanamo Bay indefinite detainment military detention national defense National Defense Authorization Act national security ndaa obama patriot act president obama terrorism war on terror 150 • Permalink

then On the last day of 2011, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act which, amongst other things, allowed for the indefinite detention of US citizens suspected of terrorism.
now Obama signed a policy directive today that exempts US citizens from that provision in the bill (Section 1022, if you’re keeping track). Here’s the fact sheet released by the White House. source

» Some nuance: Although the language in the bill as signed did permit for US citizens to be indefinitely detained, it did not mandate this. Obama actually said at the time that he wouldn’t implement the law such that US citizens would face this possibility, so his signing today of this directive is in line with what he’d pledged. Our take: While this development will surely please Obama’s base, we’re scratching our heads as to why the White House announced it on the day of what’s become the most important primary in the Republican nominating contest so far (Michigan). It’ll likely get completely lost in the news cycle amidst all the primary coverage, which would seem to blunt its political utility. Color us baffled.

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12:52 • 1 year ago

Tags: News gabrielle giffords barack obama politics photography president obama Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012 from reuters 116 • Permalink

reuters:

U.S. President Barack Obama signs H.R. 3801, the “Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012,” while Vice President Joseph Biden (back L), former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (back C) and her husband Mark Kelly look on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington February 10, 2012.

The bill is the last piece of legislation that Giffords sponsored and voted on before retiring. [REUTERS/Larry Downing]

Your feel-good story of the day, kids.

00:23 • 1 year ago

Tags: google google plus hangout new media obama obama google plus president barack obama president obama youtube 44 • Permalink

I meant what I said: if you send me your husband’s resume, I’d be interested in finding out exactly what’s happening right there.

President Barack Obama • Speaking to a “caller” during his Google+ Hangout today. When Jennifer Wedel mentioned her husband’s lack of employment (he’s a semiconductor engineer), Obama took note. She said that, according to industry reports, her husband “should be able to find something right away.” Five people got to “Hangout” with Obama on Monday, and were offered the chance to ask the president questions about his recent State of the Union address, while other questions were pulled from YouTube videos selected by viewers and Google staff. This social experiment went well considering what new technology was being used. Did you watch? What did you think? source (via • follow)

23:50 • 1 year ago

Tags: SOTU Gabby Giffords President Obama too much cute sotu 2012 Gabrielle Giffords awesome ytmnd from pantslessprogressive 56 • Permalink

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pantslessprogressive:

Because ShortFormBlog asked, so I answered.

You’re the Man Now, Dog.

Obama, Clinton headline Gallup’s “most admired” list

Tags: clinton gallup gallup most admired hillary clinton most admired obama president obama secretary of state clinton 19 • Permalink

women Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has seized the top spot in Gallup’s “most admired” list for 2011, for the second consecutive year. Other notables: Michelle Obama (2nd), Sarah Palin (4th), Michele Bachmann (10th).
men President Barack Obama also led for the second consecutive year, taking the top spot in the men’s category. Other notables: George W. Bush (2nd), Newt Gingrich (6th), Donald Trump (7th), Catholic Pope Benedict XVI (8th). source

14:35 • 1 year ago

Tags: barack obama obama obama occupy occupy movement occupy wall street ows president obama 277 • Permalink

For a lot of the folks who have been in New York and all across the country in the Occupy movement, there is a profound sense of frustration about the fact that the essence of the American dream, which is if you work hard, if you stick to it that, you can make it, feels like that’s slipping away. And that’s not the way things are supposed to be. Not here. Not in America.

President Obama • Responding to an interruption by Occupy protesters during a jobs speech in New Hampshire. After protesters “human-mic’d” themselves into the President’s attention (“Mr. President, more than 4,000 peaceful protesters have been arrested…”), he gave the above response, which seems both significant and somewhat lacking. That the President would directly address the protesters and cast himself on their side, in a way, speaks to the now nearly unstoppable influence the Occupy movement is having on the public discourse. At the same time, though, what Obama chose to say was fairly customary “American dream” rhetoric that didn’t address their specifically stated concern over the arrests of their comrades. source (via • follow)

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