President Barack Obama, surrounded by the family of Cesar Chavez and leaders of the United Farm Workers that Chavez co-founded, signs a proclamation in the Oval Office designating March 31, 2010, which would have been his 83rd birthday, as Cesar Chavez Day. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Obama Administration’s Agenda on Immigration
President Barack Obama outlined in his agenda five objectives in addressing immigration. They are:
- Strengthen Border Control
- Improve Our Immigration System
- Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally
- Bring People out of the Shadows
- Work with Mexico
June 15, 2012
Remarks by the President on Immigration: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/15/remarks-president-immigration
En Español: http://www.barackobama.com/es/entry/el-presidente-obama-es-la-accion-correcta
¡Un voto para Obama es un Voto Intelegente!
Wednesday Sep. 15, 2010
All Times Eastern
9:00 AM
9:30 AM
Pres Obama receives the presidential daily briefing.
10:00 AM
Pres Obama meets with senior advisers.
11:00 AM
Pres Obama and VP Biden meet with Gen. Ray Odierno.
11:15 AM
R Gibbs briefs members of the press.
11:45 AM
VP Biden meets with Terry O’Sullivan, general president of Laborers’ International Union of North America.
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
Pres Obama holds a Cabinet meeting.
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
VP Biden attends an event for Rep. Loretta Sanchez
5:20 PM
Pres Obama meets with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Rep. George Miller.
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
8:20 PM
Pres Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 33rd Annual Awards Gala. Obama delivers remarks.
9:00 PM
INMIGRACIÓN
* En múltiples ocasiones, el Presidente Obama ha reafirmado su compromiso con una reforma migratoria integral y con expandir las oportunidades disponibles para miembros de nuestras fuerzas armadas y empresarios.
* El Presidente Obama está comprometido con aprobar la Ley DREAM.
* El Presidente Obama implementó cambios de política basados en el sentido común para hacer nuestro sistema migratorio más justo, inteligente, y eficaz.
SEGURIDAD NACIONAL
* Cuando el Presidente Obama asumió la presidencia, nuestro país estaba involucrado en dos guerras, y enfrentaba amenazas terroristas domesticas y en el extranjero.
* El Presidente Obama está comprometido con fortalecer nuestro liderazgo mundial al mantener un ejército fuerte y aferrarse a nuestros valores e ideales.
* El Presidente Obama cumplió con su promesa de traer a casa a nuestros soldados de Irak de una manera segura y responsable.
TRABAJOS Y LA ECONOMÍA
* El Presidente está tomando medidas agresivas para crear más trabajos para estadounidenses, y para restaurar la seguridad de la clase trabajadora en las próximas décadas.
* Años antes de que estallara la crisis económica, la seguridad económica de la clase trabajadora se empezaba a deteriorar. Los sueldos se estancaban mientras el costo de cuidado médico se disparaba.
* Desde el principio de la presidencia hasta septiembre del 2011, hemos creado 2.6 millones de trabajos en el sector privado, pero aún nos falta mucho por hacer.
* Al asumir la presidencia, el Presidente Obama enfrentó de inmediato la crisis económica que nos amenazaba y empezó a sentar las bases para una economía que es más innovadora y construye más que el resto del mundo. .
CUIDADO DE SALUD
* El Presidente Obama impulsó y aprobó la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio para restaurar el cuidado médico como la fundación de la seguridad de la clase trabajadora en los Estados Unidos.
* Al implementarse, la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio acabará con las peores prácticas abusivas de las compañías de seguro – cómo negarle cobertura a individuos con condiciones pre-existentes o cancelar la cobertura de alguien cuando se enferma.
* La Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio hace el cuidado médico más asequible para familias y pequeños negocios, y promueve la responsabilidad, que es tan necesaria, en la industria de seguros.
* Gracias a esta nueva ley, más de 32 millones de estadounidenses podrán poder pagar por seguro médico por primera vez en sus vidas. El 95% de estadounidenses menores de 65 años tendrán seguro.
La Primera Dama Michelle Obama: Estamos Unidos
Published on Sep 4, 2012 by BarackObamadotcom
Únanse a Latinos for Obama: http://OFA.BO/j2H1cH
La historia de la comunidad Latina es la historia del sueño americano.
La Primera Dama Michelle Obama celebró un evento local en Miami, Florida dónde compartió las maneras en las que el Presidente Obama lucha por los latinos y las familias de la clase media. El Presidente y la Primera Dama están trabajando para asegurar que todos aquellos que trabajen duro—sin importar quienes sean o de dónde vienen–puedan construir una vida decente para su familia.
Después del evento, partidarios compartieron lo que están haciendo para participar en la re-elección del Presidente Obama en noviembre.
En las palabras de un partidario:
“Los valores del Presidente concuerdan con familias hispanas, porque él cree en un sistema económico que crece desde la clase media hacia fuera.”
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America (UFWA) (Spanish: Unión de Campesinos) is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) led by Cesar Chavez. This union changed from a workers’ rights organization that helped workers get unemployment insurance to that of a union of farmworkers almost overnight, when the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) went out on strike in support of the mostly Filipino farmworkers of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) led by Larry Itliong in Delano, California who had previously initiated a grape strike on September 8, 1965. The NFWA and the AWOC, recognizing their common goals and methods, and realizing the strengths of coalition formation, jointly formed the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee on August 22, 1966.[1] This organization eventually became the United Farm Workers and launched a boycott of table grapes that, after five years of struggle, finally won a contract with the major grape growers in California.
For the entire article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Farm_Workers_of_America
UFW President Arturo Rodriguez speaks at March for America Immigration Reform Rally
Farmer workers’ champion Dolores Huerta speaks in Saginaw, launching Hispanic Heritage Month
September 12, 2010
Dolores Huerta doesn’t expect to see the Hispanic community reach full equality in her lifetime.
One of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century, Huerta still leads the fight, decades after she joined the late Cesar Chavez in organizing the United Farm Workers of America.
On Tuesday morning, she will come to Saginaw to speak with young people at Saginaw’s Thompson Middle School and then as the keynote speaker at Union Civica Mexicana’s Adelante/Forward kick-off to Hispanic Heritage Month.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage with the Bidens
Posted by Moises Vela on October 02, 2009
Ed. note: A Spanish translation of this blog post is also available below.
Last night was a celebratory night at the Vice President’s residence as the Bidens celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. The doors were swung open to the U.S. Naval Observatory as the Mariachi Las Americas greeted guests as the sun set on a beautiful fall evening in our nation’s capital.
The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a gathering of 150 Hispanic mayors, cabinet members, members of Congress and other Latino leaders from across the nation.
The Vice President quoted Cesar Chavez in his remarks by reminding us all that “when you have people together who believe in something very strongly – whether it’s religion or politics or unions – things happen.” Last night’s celebration was a reminder that under the Obama-Biden Administration, good things are happening.
Moises Vela is the Director of Administration in the Office of the Vice President
President Obama’s Hispanic Heritage message on MNF
About National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.
This Year’s Theme:
“Heritage, Diversity, Integrity and Honor: The Renewed Hope of America”
http://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/
President Obama on Immigration Reform
Uploaded by FERNANDOMEJIAGARCIA on May 15, 2011
First-Ever White House Hispanic Policy Conference: Why Hispanics are Critical to Winning the Future
Posted by Stephanie Valencia and Juan Sepulveda on July 14,
The success of our nation and the success of the Hispanic community are one and the same and our ability to win the future—to out innovate, out educate and out build our competitors—will depend greatly on the success of the Hispanic community.
It’s undeniable. At more than 54 million strong, the most recent census numbers show that the Hispanic community is no longer found in a handful of states, but in every state across the country. As the largest and fastest growing minority group in the U.S. it is critical to the future of our nation—our economy, our education system—that the Hispanic community thrives.
Over the last two days the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics partnered to host the first ever White House Hispanic Policy Conference. 160 Hispanic leaders from 25 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico joined over 100 Administration officials to discuss the President’s agenda and its impact on the Hispanic community and more importantly, to strategize together on how we best move forward together to improve outcomes and access for the Hispanic community.
The purposes of the policy conference were three-fold:
* Relationship Building—Connecting national leaders to key Administration decision makers.
* Obama Administration 101—Ensuring folks gained a deeper understanding of the multifaceted ways this Administration’s agenda connects to the Hispanic community.
* Working Together—Allowing participants to connect with each other and Administration officials to address how we improve access and outcomes for our community.
To make sure both days were valuable to the national Hispanic leaders present, we organized the conference differently than the formats used in the past.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/07/14/first-ever-white-house-hispanic-policy-conference-why-hispanics-are-critical-winning
—-
http://propresobama.org/2010/09/14/hispanics-in-america/
Hispanic Policy Conference – Opening Session
From: whitehouse | Jul 11, 2011
Administration officials meet with community leaders and other stakeholders during the Hispanic Policy Conference at the White House. July 11, 2011.
Hispanic Policy Conference Breakout Session Part 1
From: whitehouse | Jul 11, 2011
Administration officials meet with community leaders and other stakeholders during the Hispanic Policy Conference at the White House. July 11, 2011.
Hispanic Policy Conference Breakout Session Part 2
From: whitehouse | Jul 11, 2011
Administration officials meet with community leaders and other stakeholders during the Hispanic Policy Conference at the White House.
Hispanic Policy Conference Breakout Session Part 3
From: whitehouse | Jul 11, 2011
Administration officials meet with community leaders and other stakeholders during the Hispanic Policy Conference at the White House.
Hispanic Policy Conference Breakout Session Part 4
From: whitehouse | Jul 11, 2011
Administration officials meet with community leaders and other stakeholders during the Hispanic Policy Conference at the White House. July 11, 2011.
July 25, 2011
Remarks by the President to the National Council of La Raza
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Washington, D.C.
12:50 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you! Thank you so much. (Applause.) What an extraordinary crowd. Thank you. Please have a seat.
It is good to be back with NCLR. (Applause.) It is good to see all of you.
Right off the bat, I should thank you because I have poached quite a few of your alumni to work in my administration. (Laughter.) They’re all doing outstanding work. Raul Yzaguirre, my ambassador to the Dominican Republic — (applause) — Latinos serving at every level of my administration. We’ve got young people right out of college in the White House. We’ve got the first Latina Cabinet Secretary in history, Hilda Solis. (Applause.) So we couldn’t be prouder of the work that so many folks who’ve been engaged with La Raza before, the handiwork that they’re doing with our administration. And as Janet mentioned, obviously we’re extraordinarily proud of someone who is doing outstanding work on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. (Applause.)
Recently, 100 Latino officials from across the government met with Latino leaders from across the country at the White House. I know some of you were there. And I think all who attended would agree that we weren’t just paying lip service to the community. Our work together, not just that day but every day, has been more than just talk.
What I told the gathering at the White House was we need your voice. Your country needs you. Our American family will only be as strong as our growing Latino community. (Applause.) And so we’re going to take these conversations on the road and keep working with you, because for more than four decades, NCLR has fought for opportunities for Latinos from city centers to farm fields. And that fight for opportunity –- the opportunity to get a decent education, the opportunity to find a good job, the opportunity to make of our lives what we will -– has never been more important than it is today.
And we’re still climbing out of a vicious recession, and that recession hit Latino families especially hard. I don’t need to tell you Latino unemployment is painfully high. And there’s no doubt that this economy has not recovered as fast as it needs to. The truth is it’s going to take more time. And a lot of the problems we face right now, like slow job growth and stagnant wages, these were problems that were there even before the recession hit.
These challenges weren’t caused overnight; they’re not going to be solved overnight. But that only makes our work more urgent — to get this economy going and make sure that opportunity is spreading, to make sure everyone who wants a job can find one, and to make sure that paychecks can actually cover the bills; to make sure that families don’t have to choose between buying groceries or buying medicine; that they don’t have to choose between sending their kids to college or being able to retire.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/25/remarks-president-national-council-la-raza
SEIU Cope: Es Hora de Crear Empleos
Uploaded by SEIU on Aug 10, 2011
Únase al movimiento en http://action.seiu.org/page/s/empleosdignos – Cada día, millones de familias de clase trabajadora luchan por encontrar y mantener trabajos dignos, pero los Congresistas Republicanos parecen no entender el mensaje. Para construir una economía sólida que beneficie a presentes y futuras generaciones, tenemos que traer empleos a los Estados Unidos.
Michelle Obama hace llorar y emociona a ciudadanos en una recepción audiencia
Uploaded by SirPetterLily on Mar 16, 2012
Sencillamente impresionante la capacidad de empatía de esta señoraza que es Michelle Obama, la First Lady de los Estados Unidos. Su simpatía, su saber estar, su elegancia y sencillez, su calidad humana y unas excepcionales dotes para las relaciones públicas, hacen de Michelle una auténtica personalidad, que brilla con luz propia dentro de la White House.
La vemos en una recepción en audiencia a ciudadanos norteamericanos que visitan la White House. Recepción: porque los recibe a cada uno próxima a la puertecilla de acceso a la sala; y audiencia: porque los escucha -los oye- dialogando con ellos, aunque lógicamente con brevedad. Ante el cariño y la calidez humana que muestra la First Lady, es natural que los recepcionados lleguen a emocionarse, cumpliéndose la regla de que la gente siempre responde según sea tratada.
The Affordable Care Act and Latinos
Posted by Alejandra Campoverdi on March 22, 2012 at 06:52 PM EDT
As we commemorate the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act this Friday, it’s worth taking a look at the many ways this landmark health reform law is making a difference in the lives of Americans, especially Latinos who suffer disproportionately from a lack of access to coverage. Thirty two percent of Latinos were uninsured in 2009 – higher than any other racial or ethnic group – and half of Latinos did not have a regular doctor, compared to only one-fifth of white Americans. And twenty percent of low-income Hispanic youth have gone a year without a health care visit. When you look at these numbers, it’s clear that the Affordable Care Act has had and will continue to have a profound effect on the health of the Latino community.
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote an op-ed this past week for ImpreMedia on the Affordable Care Act and Latinos in which she highlighted that “Too often because of cost, Latinos don’t get the preventive care they need to stay healthy. This is particularly true during tough economic times, when many are forced to forego health services for other needs, like rent or groceries. A recent study found that 6.1 million Latinos gained prevention coverage in their private insurance plans in 2011.” You can read the rest of her op-ed HERE.
And throughout the week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has highlighted how the new law has:
* Helped more than 5.1 million people with Medicare save over $3.2 billion| en español
* Provided more than 45 million women access to preventive health care services| en español
* Helped young adults get and keep affordable health coverage
* Made it possible for nine states to deem health insurance rate hikes “unreasonable”
We’ve also made a fact sheet available in ENGLISH and SPANISH to highlight how the Hispanic community benefits. For example:
*( Under the new law, insurance companies are already banned from denying coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition. In 2014, they are banned from discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition.
* Already, 6.1 million Latinos now have coverage for preventive services without additional cost sharing. Under the new health care law, all Americans joining a new health care plan must be able to receive recommended preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs such as co-pays or deductibles.
* Already, approximately 11.8 million Latinos are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage thanks to the new health care law.
* Over 2.5 million young adults have gained coverage because of the new health care law, including 736,000 Latinos.
* The new Exchanges, tax credits and Medicaid expansion will result in as many as 9 million Latinos becoming eligible to get coverage they lack today. And it expands the Medicaid program and provides $900 million dollars for Puerto Rico to expand coverage on the island.
* More than 500,000 Latinos with Medicare have already received one or more free preventive services, including the new Annual Wellness Visit. The new law also provides relief for people in the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap or donut hole – the ones with the highest prescription drug costs.
* Approximately 35% of patients served by community health centers in 2009 were Latino, and the Affordable Care Act increases the funding available to the more than 1,100 community health centers in all fifty states to enable them to double the number of patients they served from 19 million to nearly 40 million by 2015.
Plan de Obama da cobertura médica a latinos
POR: Hilda L. Solís | 03/15/2012 | La Opinión
La próxima semana será el segundo aniversario de que el Presidente Obama firmó la Ley del Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Costo. La nueva ley de salud ofrece la seguridad que merecen las familias trabajadoras de clase media. La ley exige a las compañías de seguro médico seguir las reglas, y le prohíbe negarle a la gente cobertura si están enfermos, previene llevarlo a la bancarrota por altos costos, o discriminarlo por condiciones ya existentes. Esta ley histórica ha marcado una gran diferencia en nuestra comunidad.
Los latinos son el grupo más grande del país sin acceso a un plan de seguro médico. La Ley del Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Costo ha permitido que millones de latinos tengan acceso a una cobertura. Adicionalmente, con esta ley, los jóvenes pueden quedarse en el plan de sus padres hasta cumplir los 26 años de edad. Se estima que 1.3 millones de jóvenes de grupos étnicos han tenido acceso a un plan de seguro médico gracias a la Ley del Cuidado de Salud y más de 700,000 serían latinos.
El Presidente Obama y yo creemos que la cobertura de salud es crítica para todas las personas, sin importar su condición de salud. Por la misma razón, bajo La Ley del Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Costo, ahora es ilegal negarles cobertura médica a niños con condiciones de salud existentes y muy pronto lo mismo aplicará para todos, sin importar la edad.
La ley lo ayuda a tener menos gastos porque requiere que sus empleadores cubran los costos al tratarse de prevenciones. Esto incluye cosas como pruebas de diabetes y detecciones de cáncer de pecho. Hay veces que los latinos no toman los pasos necesarios para prevenir enfermedades y mantenerse sanos, especialmente durante momentos difíciles económicos, cuando es más importante pagar la renta y la comida. Un estudio reciente encontró que 6.1 millones de latinos obtuvieron la cobertura de prevención de enfermedades con su seguro privado, en el 2011.
La ley también ha reforzado la fuerza laboral en la rama del cuidado médico y se han construido más centros de salud dentro de la comunidad y en escuelas, para facilitarles a los latinos el acceso a los doctores. Esto es importante ya que más de la mitad de los latinos entre 18 y 44 años de edad no tienen un médico.
Por mas: http://www.laopinion.com/article/20120316/IMPORT01/303169858/-1/allchannels
What the Health Law Means for the Latino Community
Posted by Leon Rodriguez on April 10, 2012 at 07:54 PM EDT
Ed note: this was originally posted on the Healthcare.gov blog
Across the country, more than 50 million Latinos are part of our communities, classrooms and workplaces. And thanks to the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, an estimated 5.4 million Latinos will gain insurance coverage by 2016 under the new law, according to an issue brief released by HHS today (go here to read it in Spanish). Just two years after it was passed, the health care law has already improved health outcomes and increased access to care for Latinos by:
* Extending coverage to an estimated 736,000 Latino young adults under a provision that allows them to stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26,
* Expanding access to preventive services with no-cost sharing to an estimated 6.1 million Latino Americans with private insurance, and
* Requiring most health insurance plans to cover prevention and wellness services like cancer screenings, flu shots , and pap smears and mammograms for women, with no cost-sharing.
While 16.3 percent of Americans are currently uninsured, the percentage of Latinos without health insurance is even higher at 30.7 percent. As the law continues to be implemented:
* Latinos of all income levels who would otherwise be uninsured will have access to health insurance through new Affordable Insurance Exchanges and as a result of expanded Medicaid coverage,
* Latino Americans suffering from a chronic disease—like the estimated 4.3 million Latino adults who are currently living with diabetes—will have access to new care innovations, like community health teams, that will help them manage their illness, and
* Latinos living in medically underserved areas will have access to new community health centers and preventive and primary care services.
To learn more about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the health of the Latino community, join our Spanish-language Twitter chat today, April 10. You can join in the conversation starting at 2pm EST by following the #LaSaludLatina hashtag and at @HHSLatino.
You can read the issue brief in English here, and in Spanish here, For the fact sheet, visit this page.
Department of Homeland Security announcement on Young People and Immigration
June 15, 2012
MEMORANDUM FOR:
David V. Aguilar
Acting Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Alejandro Mayorkas
Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
John Morton
Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
FROM:
Janet Napolitano
SUBJECT:
Secretary of Homeland Security
Exercising Prosetorial Discretion with Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as Children
By this memorandum, I am setting forth how, in the exercise of our prosecutorial discretion, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should enforce the Nation’s immigration laws against certain young people who were brought to this country as children and know only this country as home. As a general matter, these individuals lacked the intent to violate the law and our ongoing review of pending removal cases is already offering administrative closure to many of them. However, additional measures are necessary to ensure that our enforcement resources are not expended on these low priority cases but are instead appropriately focused on people who meet our enforcement priorities.
The following criteria should be satisfied before an individual is considered for an exercise of prosecutorial discretion pursuant to this memorandum:
• came to the United States under the age of sixteen;
• has continuously resided in the United States for a least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and is present in the United States on the date of this memorandum;
• is currently in school, has graduated from high school, has obtained a general education development certificate, or is an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces ofthe United States;
• has not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise poses a threat to national security or public safety;
and
• is not above the age of thirty.
http://www.dhs.gov
Our Nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a strong and sensible manner. They are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Indeed, many of these young people have already contributed to our country in significant ways. Prosecutorial discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here.
For more: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/s1-exercising-prosecutorial-discretion-individuals-who-came-to-us-as-children.pdf
Immigration
.
June 15, 2012
Remarks by the President on Immigration
Rose Garden
2:09 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. This morning, Secretary Napolitano announced new actions my administration will take to mend our nation’s immigration policy, to make it more fair, more efficient, and more just — specifically for certain young people sometimes called “Dreamers.”
These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents — sometimes even as infants — and often have no idea that they’re undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver’s license, or a college scholarship.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you’ve done everything right your entire life — studied hard, worked hard, maybe even graduated at the top of your class — only to suddenly face the threat of deportation to a country that you know nothing about, with a language that you may not even speak.
That’s what gave rise to the DREAM Act. It says that if your parents brought you here as a child, if you’ve been here for five years, and you’re willing to go to college or serve in our military, you can one day earn your citizenship. And I have said time and time and time again to Congress that, send me the DREAM Act, put it on my desk, and I will sign it right away.
Now, both parties wrote this legislation. And a year and a half ago, Democrats passed the DREAM Act in the House, but Republicans walked away from it. It got 55 votes in the Senate, but Republicans blocked it. The bill hasn’t really changed. The need hasn’t changed. It’s still the right thing to do. The only thing that has changed, apparently, was the politics.
As I said in my speech on the economy yesterday, it makes no sense to expel talented young people, who, for all intents and purposes, are Americans — they’ve been raised as Americans; understand themselves to be part of this country — to expel these young people who want to staff our labs, or start new businesses, or defend our country simply because of the actions of their parents — or because of the inaction of politicians.
In the absence of any immigration action from Congress to fix our broken immigration system, what we’ve tried to do is focus our immigration enforcement resources in the right places. So we prioritized border security, putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history — today, there are fewer illegal crossings than at any time in the past 40 years. We focused and used discretion about whom to prosecute, focusing on criminals who endanger our communities rather than students who are earning their education. And today, deportation of criminals is up 80 percent. We’ve improved on that discretion carefully and thoughtfully. Well, today, we’re improving it again.
Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. Over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.
Now, let’s be clear — this is not amnesty, this is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people. It is –
Q (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: — the right thing to do.
Q — foreigners over American workers.
THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, sir. It’s not time for questions, sir.
Q No, you have to take questions.
THE PRESIDENT: Not while I’m speaking.
Precisely because this is temporary, Congress needs to act. There is still time for Congress to pass the DREAM Act this year, because these kids deserve to plan their lives in more than two-year increments. And we still need to pass comprehensive immigration reform that addresses our 21st century economic and security needs — reform that gives our farmers and ranchers certainty about the workers that they’ll have. Reform that gives our science and technology sectors certainty that the young people who come here to earn their PhDs won’t be forced to leave and start new businesses in other countries. Reform that continues to improve our border security, and lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
Just six years ago, the unlikely trio of John McCain, Ted Kennedy and President Bush came together to champion this kind of reform. And I was proud to join 23 Republicans in voting for it. So there’s no reason that we can’t come together and get this done.
And as long as I’m President, I will not give up on this issue, not only because it’s the right thing to do for our economy — and CEOs agree with me — not just because it’s the right thing to do for our security, but because it’s the right thing to do, period. And I believe that, eventually, enough Republicans in Congress will come around to that view as well.
And I believe that it’s the right thing to do because I’ve been with groups of young people who work so hard and speak with so much heart about what’s best in America, even though I knew some of them must have lived under the fear of deportation. I know some have come forward, at great risks to themselves and their futures, in hopes it would spur the rest of us to live up to our own most cherished values. And I’ve seen the stories of Americans in schools and churches and communities across the country who stood up for them and rallied behind them, and pushed us to give them a better path and freedom from fear –because we are a better nation than one that expels innocent young kids.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/15/remarks-president-immigration
June 25, 2012
Statement by the President on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Arizona v. the United States
I am pleased that the Supreme Court has struck down key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law . What this decision makes unmistakably clear is that Congress must act on comprehensive immigration reform. A patchwork of state laws is not a solution to our broken immigration system – it’s part of the problem.
At the same time, I remain concerned about the practical impact of the remaining provision of the Arizona law that requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of anyone they even suspect to be here illegally. I agree with the Court that individuals cannot be detained solely to verify their immigration status. No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like. Going forward, we must ensure that Arizona law enforcement officials do not enforce this law in a manner that undermines the civil rights of Americans, as the Court’s decision recognizes. Furthermore, we will continue to enforce our immigration laws by focusing on our most important priorities like border security and criminals who endanger our communities, and not, for example, students who earn their education – which is why the Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this month that it will lift the shadow of deportation from young people who were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own.
I will work with anyone in Congress who’s willing to make progress on comprehensive immigration reform that addresses our economic needs and security needs, and upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. And in the meantime, we will continue to use every federal resource to protect the safety and civil rights of all Americans, and treat all our people with dignity and respect. We can solve these challenges not in spite of our most cherished values – but because of them. What makes us American is not a question of what we look like or what our names are. What makes us American is our shared belief in the enduring promise of this country – and our shared responsibility to leave it more generous and more hopeful than we found it.
Religious Leaders Support President Obama’s Stance on Immigration Reform
Cecilia Muñoz June 26, 2012 02:03 PM EDT
From Pope Benedict to prominent Protestant pastors, clergy from a variety of faiths are raising their voices on behalf of immigrants and the need to fix the broken system. President Obama has consistently and forcefully called for a comprehensive solution to the immigration challenges we face. In an historic move demonstrating his Administration’s commitment to addressing the broken immigration system, the Department of Homeland Security announced a deferred action process for certain young people on June 15.
This move was universally praised by leaders in the faith community. From the Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles, José Gomez, who “welcomed the announcement by President Obama… and renewed [the Bishop’s] call for bipartisan efforts to enact comprehensive and humane reform to our nation’s broken immigration system,” to Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, who said we should “applaud the President for doing the right thing and encourage Congress to follow up by codifying it into law.”
Many faithshave a strong history of welcoming newcomers, a tradition that is embedded in the founding values of the United States. We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants – a place for people from all walks of life to come together to pursue common hopes, shared values, and the American Dream. From artists and business owners to faith and civic leaders: the stories of immigrants are woven into the fabric of American history.
Pope Benedict XVI recently stated, “The Catholic community in the United States continues, with great generosity, to welcome waves of new immigrants, to provide them with pastoral care and charitable assistance, and to support ways of regularizing their situation, especially with regard to the unification of families. A particular sign of this is the long-standing commitment of the American Bishops to immigration reform.”
Recently a broad cross section of Evangelical leaders endorsed a statement of principles on immigration that tracks closely with what President Obama has outlined in his comprehensive immigration reform blueprint. We welcome the vocal support of the National Association of Evangelicals, Southern Baptist Convention, Focus on the Family, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, World Relief, Sojourners and others. Shortly after their announcement, leaders from these groups met with senior Administration officials at the White House. The week before, the Interfaith Forum on Immigration also held a meeting with White House officials.
We appreciate the support by the Pope, his fellow Catholic Bishops in the United States, and their Protestant, Jewish and other faith colleagues. We will continue to work with a broad spectrum of faith leaders around the country and the entire growing coalition of leaders urging Congress to pass comprehensive legislative reform.
“Protege el Sueño” – Anuncio de Television de Obama for America
Published on Aug 10, 2012 by BarackObamadotcom
Inscríbete: http://OFA.BO/7pj4d8
President Obama: “All they want is to go to college and give back to the country they love.”
Voiceover: “Son conocidos como “los Dreamers” vinieron aquí como niños obedecieron a sus padres estudian para superarse.”
President Obama: “In the face of a Congress that refuses to do anything on immigration. We announced that we’re lifting the shadow of deportation from deserving young people who were brought to this county as children.”
“It was the right thing to do.”
Voiceover: “Protege el sueño.”
President: “Soy Barack Obama, y apruebo este mensaje.”
An in-depth look at Obama’s immigration reprieve
7/9/12 mercurynews
* Who’s eligible? Anyone brought to the country illegally before they turned 16 and are 30 or younger; graduated from high school or are in school or in the military; lived here continuously for at least five years; and haven’t committed “significant” crimes.
* What’s a “significant” crime? Anyone convicted of a felony, three or more misdemeanors or any “significant” misdemeanor is likely to be barred from relief. But what’s a “significant” misdemeanor? No one is certain but many lawyers suspect it will include drug possession, driving under the influence, assault and theft. Also barred are people who present a “public safety threat,” which is not limited to criminal convictions and could include any arrest, gang activity or juvenile offenses. Decisions about who qualifies are under the government’s discretion.
* What do beneficiaries get? A work permit that can be renewed every two years, and “deferred action,” which means they won’t be deported.
* What they don’t get: Legal permanent residency or a path to citizenship; access to most federal public benefits.
* Could a new president reverse the initiative? Yes, but he probably won’t, most lawyers say. It is a “real but very remote risk,” said San Francisco immigration lawyer Mark Silverman. “No one knows the answer to this question, but I think that an incoming Republican administration would conclude that it would be a serious long-term political mistake” to deport young people applying for or granted relief under a previous administration.
Sources: National Lawyers Guild; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Oakland City Hall intern’s deportation reprieve could be first of many
7/13/12 By Matt O’Brien – Oakland Tribune
A federal immigration agent sifted through Jose Garcia’s paperwork before gruffly telling the shackled 20-year-old he was off the hook, rescued by forces beyond the agent’s control.
“‘You better thank Obama,’” Garcia, a summer intern in Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s office, said the agent told him. Not long after, Garcia walked free into downtown San Francisco after a sleepless, desperate week in jail.
Garcia’s sudden freedom Monday from the threat of deportation to Mexico could be a taste of what’s to come for young people like him — or it might be a fluke.
His reprieve came a month before the Department of Homeland Security’s promised start of a program granting deportation relief and work permits to hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children. Lawyers believe Garcia is one of the Bay Area’s first to benefit since President Barack Obama announced the directive last month.
“It’s because of the June 15 policy” that Garcia was freed, said San Francisco lawyer Mark Silverman of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “Normally it’s ICE’s mandate if they find someone who is deportable,” they try to deport them.
Garcia is only the second person Silverman knows of — the other in Arizona — to receive such a reprieve.
The Department of Homeland Security won’t say if or how many illegal immigrants are already being helped by the policy, insisting it won’t be fully implemented until mid-August. Republican lawmakers are accusing the administration of having started two months early, though Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s June 15 memo said the new guidance to immigration agents “takes effect immediately.”
Garcia’s lawyer, Laura Polstein of Oakland’s Centro Legal de la Raza, has never seen a case like this.
“What happened to Jose is surprising,” she said. “It’s very atypical for someone to be released without a bond.”
Immigration agents always had discretion, but “there was probably some more forceful direction from the Obama administration” last month to actually use it, said Bay Area immigration lawyer Randall Caudle. He said he had heard of a handful of similar cases around the country since June 15.
Garcia crossed into the United States when he was 5 and grew up in Oakland.
A friend recruited the restaurant worker this summer for an unpaid internship at Oakland City Hall, where he sorts mail and does clerical work.
For more: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_21072554/oakland-city-hall-interns-deportation-reprieve-could-be
“Muchísimo” – Obama for America anuncia el apoyo
Published on Aug 2, 2012 by BarackObamadotcom
Inscríbete: http://OFA.BO/bBGV6c
Cristina Saralegui:
“Me da gracia cuando algunos dicen que el Presidente Obama no ha hecho nada.
¿De verdad?
Nos ayudo evitar una depresión económica
Logro una ley de salud que nos garantiza acceso a cuidado medico
Mantuvo a un nivel mínimo los intereses de los préstamos universitarios.
Elimino a Osama bin Laden y retiro nuestras tropas de Irak.
¿Entonces, que ha hecho Obama?
Muchísimo”
President Obama:
“Soy Barack Obama y apruebo este mensaje.”
Cristina Saralegui:
“Pa’ lante!”
Univision: Los latinos, entre más beneficiados por la ley de salud del Presidente Obama
Published on Mar 23, 2012 by DemocraticVideo
Algunos beneficios de la ley de salud del Presidente Obama, según Univision:
- 11 millones de latinos ya no tienen límites de seguros para condiciones crónicas
- 6 millones de latinos más reciben cuidado preventive sin deducibles o copagos
- 500 mil latinos más reciben cuidado preventive gratis por Medicare
- En 2014 habrá otros 9 millones de hispanos que tendrán acceso a cobertura médica
- Para clínicas locales de salud, la ley de salud del Presidente Obama es ‘invaluable’
March 31, 2009
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT TO COMMEMORATE CESAR CHAVEZ’S BIRTHDAY
President Barack Obama today made the following statement to commemorate Cesar Chavez’s birthday:
“Today, on what would have been his 82nd birthday, Cesar Chavez’s legacy as an educator, environmentalist, and as a civil rights leader who struggled for fair treatment and fair wages for America’s workers is important for every American to remember.
Having begun as a farmworker, Cesar Chavez eventually co-founded the United Farm Workers and struggled to provide hundreds of thousands of people with better working conditions and the chance to live a better life. The cause of fair treatment and fair wages for America’s workers lives on today through the work of countless others.
Chavez’s rallying cry, “Sí Se Puede” – “Yes We Can,” was more than a slogan, it was an expression of hope and a rejection of those who said farmworkers could not organize, and could not take on the growers. Through his courage, Cesar Chavez taught us that a single voice could change our country, and that together, we could make America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation.”
March 31, 2010
Presidential Proclamation – Cesar Chavez Day
A PROCLAMATION
The rights and benefits working Americans enjoy today were not easily gained; they had to be won. It took generations of courageous men and women, fighting to secure decent working conditions, organizing to demand fair pay, and sometimes risking their lives. Some, like Cesar Estrada Chavez, made it the cause of their lives. Today, on what would have been his 83rd birthday, we celebrate Cesar’s legacy and the progress achieved by all who stood alongside him.
Raised by a family of migrant farm workers, Cesar Chavez spent his youth moving across the American Southwest, working in fields and vineyards, and experiencing firsthand the hardships he would later crusade to abolish. At the time, farm workers were deeply impoverished and frequently exploited, exposed to very hazardous working conditions, and often denied clean drinking water, toilets, and other basic necessities. The union Cesar later founded with Dolores Huerta, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), still addresses these issues today.
After serving in the United States Navy, Cesar Chavez became a community organizer and began his lifelong campaign for civil rights and social justice. Applying the principles of nonviolence, he empowered countless laborers, building a movement that grew into the UFW. He led workers in marches, strikes, and boycotts, focusing our Nation’s attention on their plight and using the power of picket lines to win union contracts.
“The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being, but it is also the most true to our nature,” Cesar Chavez once said. Since our Nation’s earliest days of independence, we have struggled to perfect the ideals of equal justice and opportunity enshrined in our founding documents. As Cesar suggests, justice may be true to our nature, but as history teaches us, it will not prevail unless we defend its cause.
Few Americans have led this charge so tirelessly, and for so many, as Cesar Chavez. To this day, his rallying cry — “Sí, se puede,” or “Yes, we can,” — inspires hope and a spirit of possibility in people around the world. His movement strengthened our country, and his vision lives on in the organizers and social entrepreneurs who still empower their neighbors to improve their communities.
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 March 31, 2010, as Cesar Chavez Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and education programs to honor Cesar Chavez’s enduring legacy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
President Obama Speaks at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast
President Obama: Working Together for Immigration Reform
September 15, 2009
NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, 2009
- – - – - – -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The story of Hispanics in America is the story of America itself. The Hispanic community’s values — love of family, a deep and abiding faith, and a strong work ethic — are America’s values. Hispanics bring together the rich traditions of communities with centuries-old roots in America and the energy and drive of recent immigrants. Many have taken great risks to begin a new life in the hopes of achieving a better future for themselves and their families.
Hispanics have played a vital role in the moments and movements that have shaped our country. They have enriched our culture and brought creativity and innovation to everything from sports to the sciences and from the arts to our economy.
Hispanics have served with honor and distinction in every conflict since the Revolutionary War, and they have made invaluable contributions through their service to our country. They lead corporations and not-for-profits, and social movements and places of learning. They serve in government at every level from school boards to statehouses, and from city councils to Congress. And for the first time in our Nation’s history, a Latina is seated among the nine Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.
As Hispanics continue to enrich our Nation’s character and shape our common future, they strengthen America’s promise and affirm the narrative of American unity and progress.
To honor the achievements of Hispanics in America, the Congress, by Public Law 100-402, as amended, has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation designating September 15 through October 15 as “National Hispanic Heritage Month.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 15 through October 15, 2009, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
——
En Espanol: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Celebrando-la-herencia-hispana/
“Todos Somos Americanos”
Posted by Jesse Lee on September 17, 2009
Last night, the President and First Lady joined a bevy of prominent members of the Hispanic community in celebrating the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. The President’s remarks covered a range of topics, from challenges facing the Hispanic community to the groundbreaking appointment of Chief Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Now, we face enormous challenges as a nation. Many of those challenges are felt far more acutely by Latinos. But our ability to solve any of the problems we face — from health care to education, from economic recovery to immigration reform — depends on our willingness to recognize that our destiny is shared. We’ve seen this starkly throughout this economic crisis, as fortunes linked the small business owner on Main Street and the bond trader on Wall Street, the young family looking to refinance a mortgage to the large bank whose profits depend on their staying out of foreclosure. But this has always been true, in good times and bad. Our success has long depended on our willingness to see our challenges as ones we have to face together; our willingness to live up to a simple ideal: Todos somos Americanos. We are all Americans. (Applause.)
Because when there’s a young Latina stuck in a crumbling school, who starts to actually believe she’s worth less because she doesn’t have more, that isn’t just a problem for that child. That isn’t just a problem for the Hispanic community. That’s a problem for a nation. That’s why I’ve challenged states to raise the bar across their early education programs, so that more of our children enter kindergarten ready to learn. That’s why I’ve called for a new race to the top to reform America’s schools and provide students with the knowledge and skills they’ll need for the 21st century. That’s why we will address the dropout crisis that plagues far too many communities, and commit to increasing access to college — and success at college — so that America can once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. That depends in part on making sure that Latinos and Latinas have access to higher education and that’s a commitment of our administration. (Applause.)
We’ll provide a complete and competitive education for every student, because our prosperity as a nation requires that we harness the talents of all our people, not just some — Todos somos Americanos. (Applause.)
June 19, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE ESPERANZA NATIONAL HISPANIC PRAYER BREAKFAST
J.W. Marriott
Washington, D.C.
9:32 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Buenos días.
AUDIENCE: Buenos días.
THE PRESIDENT: It is good to see everybody here. Just a few quick acknowledgments. Our outstanding Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, is here. Please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.) The great governor of the state of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell. (Applause.) Two special members of my staff that I want all of you to get to know. First of all, we have a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships — if you haven’t already met him, Joshua DeBois is just a wonderful young man, please give him a big round of applause; he helps to organize a lot of our faith outreach. (Applause.) And our director of Intergovernmental Affairs, one of my favorite people, Cecilia Muñoz, please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.)
I want to thank Reverend Cortes for the wonderful introduction and the wonderful prayer for me and my family. I want to thank Esperanza, and all of you who worked so hard to put together the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference. And I also want to join you in honoring the work of Adolfo Carrion Sr. on this Father’s Day weekend — (applause) — on this Father’s Day weekend I know that my director of Urban Affairs, Adolfo’s son, is particularly proud of his dad. I also want to thank all of you for the work that you do each and every day. Through your service to your communities, you represent the very best in our country. And I’m honored to join you in prayer this morning.
At a time when there’s no shortage of challenges to occupy our time, it’s even more important to step back, and to give thanks, and to seek guidance from each other — but most importantly, from God. That’s what we’ve come here to do.
We can begin by giving thanks for the legacy that allows us to come together. For it was the genius of America’s Founders to protect the freedom of all religion, and those who practice no religion at all. So as we join in prayer, we remember that this is a nation of Christians and Muslims and Jews and Hindus and non-believers. It is this freedom that allows faith to flourish within our borders. It is this freedom that makes our nation stronger.
For those of us who draw on faith as a guiding force in our lives, prayer has many purposes. For many, it is a source of support when times are hard. President Lincoln, who Reverend Cortes mentioned, once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” And while the challenges that I’ve faced pale in comparison to Lincoln’s, I know that more than once I’ve been filled with the same conviction over the last five months.
But prayer is more than a last resort. Prayer helps us search for meaning in our own lives, and it helps us find the vision and the strength to see the world that we want to build. And that’s what I’d like to talk about for just a few minutes today.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-the-Esperanza-National-Hispanic-Prayer-Breakfast/
May 05, 2010
Remarks by the President at Cinco de Mayo Reception
Rose Garden
5:58 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Viva! Good evening, everyone. Buenas noches. Michelle and I are so honored to welcome you to the White House. And you all brought outstanding weather, so we thank you for that. (Laughter.) Thank you. I know that a lot of you would rather be watching tonight’s game —- the Spurs against “Los Suns” from Phoenix. (Applause.)
Tonight is another one of our great events here at the White House celebrating Latino culture in America, including our concert some of you might have attended that we had during Hispanic Heritage Month on the South Lawn —- Fiesta Latina. (Applause.) And Malia and Sasha will probably never forget playing drums with Shelia E. (Laughter.) Michelle, on the other hand, would prefer to forget the sight of me trying to dance with Thalia. (Laughter.) I didn’t think I was that bad. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: You were okay. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: But there will be no —- there will be no repeat performances tonight.
AUDIENCE: Awwww –- (laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: We gather to mark a day that’s become as celebrated here in the United States as it is in Mexico. And we’re honored to be joined by Mexico’s Interior Secretary, Fernando Gomez Mont and his lovely wife Gloria. Please give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) It’s good to see you again. And a great friend to me and the United States —- Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and his wonderful wife Veronica, who are also here. (Applause.) It’s good to see you again.
Now, the events of this date in history are well-known —- how nearly 150 years ago, at the Battle of Puebla, a band of Mexican patriots faced off against a massive European army and won a victory that inspires the world to this day.
Less well-known is that General Zaragoza, who led those patriots, was born in what is now the town of Goliad in Texas. In fact, you can go there today — are you from there?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-cinco-de-mayo-reception
September 15, 2010
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute holds its 33rd annual gala awards at 7 p.m. with scheduled guests President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. There will be a presentation of the “Medallion of Excellence” to actress Eva Longoria Parker. The event takes place at the Washington Convention Center.
September 14, 2010
Remarks by the First Lady to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
10:29 A.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you so much, truly. (Applause.) Everyone, please. Thank you so much. Good morning.
AUDIENCE: Good morning!
MRS. OBAMA: Let me tell you, I am as thrilled to be here as you all sound. (Laughter.) I’m really honored. And I’d like to thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and CHCI for inviting me to come speak at your policy conference today. I know you’ve had a wonderful discussion, and I’m honored to be here.
Let me begin by first recognizing Secretary Sebelius. I know she was here, but she has just done a tremendous job for the administration. I want to recognize and thank all the members of the panel for their work and their contributions today. And of course Representative Nydia Velasquez for — yes — (applause) — for all that she does for the Hispanic Caucus and all that she’s done on behalf of this President. Thank you so much. And of course, CHCI’s Executive Director, Esther Aguilera. Let’s give her a round of applause for her hard work. (Applause.)
And finally, I’d like to thank all of you, not just for being here today, but for what you do every day for the Hispanic community and for America as a whole.
Whether you’re a member of Congress, a local elected official, a CHCI alum, policy expert, or a community leader, I know that because you’re here, you’ve done so much for these communities, you care about the future of not just this community but of this country.
For more than 30 years, CHCI has been fighting for that future. With your scholarships, and fellowships, and career programs, you’re grooming the next generation of great American leaders. I got to meet some of them backstage.
You’re building a brighter future not just for our young people, but for all of us, because we all benefit from their talent, and their promise, and the contributions that they’re going to make to our nation. So let’s give them all a round of applause, as well, truly. (Applause.) We are so very proud of you all. (Applause.)
And now more than ever before, we need forward-looking individuals and organizations just like all of you here in this room, because tomorrow, while it brings such great promise, it also brings a host of new challenges, as well.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/14/remarks-first-lady-congressional-hispanic-caucus-institute
March 11, 2010
Readout of President Obama’s Meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
This evening President Obama met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to discuss a variety of critical issues confronting Hispanics and all Americans, in particular the need to act now to pass health care reform. The President thanked the members for their hard work over the past year, and acknowledged the progress that has been made on the economy while also expressing his concern for long-term unemployment. The President also updated the Caucus members on his meetings earlier in the day with grassroots activists and Senators Schumer and Graham on immigration reform, and reiterated his strong commitment to fixing the broken immigration system.
The members of the CHC also acknowledged the progress that has been made over the past year, including on expanding health care for children through CHIP, on job creation and economic recovery, and highlighted the Hispanic community’s interest in immigration reform. After a thorough discussion of health care reform, the President and the CHC agreed to continue to work together to make health insurance more affordable and accessible, and to give the American people more control over their own health care.
The President was joined at the meeting by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro, and White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz.
whitehouse | September 22, 2009 -
President Obama at Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Awards Gala
President Barack Obama addresses the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 32nd Annual Awards Gala at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.. September 16, 2009.
whitehouse | July 01, 2010 -
President Obama on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
President Obama calls for both parties to come together to fix a broken immigration system and implement comprehensive reform that demands accountability from government, from businesses, and from individuals.
whitehouse | August 12, 2009 -
President Obama Hosts a Reception for Justice Sotomayor
President Obama hosts a reception at the White House honoring Justice Sonia Sotomayor following her confirmation to the Supreme Court. After the Presidents remarks celebrating her achievement, Justice Sotomayor expresses her gratitude for her confirmation.
LATINOVATIONS3 | July 23, 2009 -
Adolfo Carrión , Director of White House Office on Urban Affairs
At the end of June, hundreds of elected officials and community representatives from across the country gathered in Los Angeles for the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
I just got an email from a friend who said she watched Debbie Wasserman-Schulz on KO and she repeatedly referred to “continuing the Bush tax cuts for the middle class.” Are you kidding me???????? She is the vice chair of the DNC. PLEASE tell me this did NOT happen.
I also wish the Dems would stop posturing in public about this vote. I realize they are trying to pressure each other but HELLO! People do not want to watch sausage-making. It turns them OFF.
Meta, from my understanding, the Bush tax cuts included tax cuts for the 1 percent rich folks and middle class. She is saying, let’s continue Only the portion of the tax cuts Bush gave the middle class and let the tax cuts for the rich expire. I agree about the posturing.
COS, these are President OBAMA’s middle class tax cuts, not Bush middle class tax cuts! My understanding is that Bush did nothing for the middle class, except set it backwards.
See, they have me confused now.
Meta, the Bush tax cuts did include tax cuts for the middle class but not until 2003. The tax cuts in 2001 was for dividend and capital gains taxes. The 2003 tax cuts continued those cuts but also included a marriage penalty exclusion, an increase in the child tax credit and increased the alternative minimum tax threshold. The capital gains tax reductions went from 8, 10 and 20% down to 5% and 15%. Then, they did a moratorium so those that would pay a 5% capital gain paid zero. The big thing is that it removed dividend taxes on foreign corporations and Real Estate Investment Trusts. The argument was that the tax cut for the wealthiest 1% added to the deficit and did not generate any stimulus and that tax cut created a huge burden on the economy. Most middle class taxpayers don’t have too many dividends and capital gains. In the 50′s or 60′s, taxes on the wealthy was at 90% and and they still flourished. The tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 cut those taxes to 36%.
OK, I see BUT I still object to the framing of using Bush to essentially refer to what has happened under the PBO administration to really help out the middle class. I think it confuses voters. Or maybe just me!
Mitt Romney Vows to Veto Dream Act if President
Dec 31, 2011 9:14pm By Emily Friedman – abcnews
IOUX CITY, Iowa – Mitt Romney explicitly stated today that if he is elected president he would veto the Dream Act, legislation that would give permanent residency to some illegal immigrants who met certain criteria, such as having proof that they entered the country before age 16 or having a graduated from a U.S. high school.
“The answer is yes,” said Romney, when asked if he’d veto the proposed legislation during a campaign stop at The Family Table restaurant in Le Mars, Iowa, Saturday afternoon.
Romney, who has said before that he opposed the Dream Act, said tonight that he does not oppose at least one of the provisions in the Dream Act that would allow servicemen and woman to gain permanent residency.
“I am delighted with the idea that people who come to this country and wish to serve in the military can be given a path to become permanent residents in this country,” he explained. “Those who serve in our military and fulfill those requirements I respect and acknowledge that path.”
A Romney aide said that the former Massachusetts’ Governor opposes parts of the Dream Act that give a path to legalization to those who meet certain education achievements or portions of the legislation that would provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.
“For those that come here illegally the idea of giving them in state tuition credits or other special benefits I find to be the contrary to the idea of the nation of law,” Romney said during his remarks in Le Mars.
“If I’m the president of the United States I want to end illegal immigration so we can protect legal immigration. I like legal immigration,” he added.
Following Romney’s remarks, the Democratic National Committee’s Senior Adviser for Hispanic Affairs, Juan Sepulveda, said in a statement, “If there had been doubt in anyone’s mind-least of all, Hispanics in America, that Mitt Romney’s far-right views on immigration would make him the most extreme presidential nominee in recent memory, his statement today that he would veto the DREAM Act if he were president is appalling.”
David Axelrod, President Obama’s campaign adviser, followed up with a tweet calling Romney’s comments “wrong on principle & politics.”
Source; http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/12/mitt-romney-vows-to-veto-dream-act-if-president/
Romney makes Pete Wilson his honorary California chairman
2/7/12 By Josh Richman – bayareanewsgroup
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday announced the endorsement of former California Gov. Pete Wilson, and named him the Romney campaign’s honorary California chairman — a choice that might not sit well with Latino voters.
“I’m honored to have Governor Pete Wilson‘s support, because he’s one of California’s most accomplished leaders. As governor of California from 1991 to 1999, he led California from the depths of recession to prosperous economic recovery,” Romney said in a news release.
“Taking office with an inherited revenue gap of over $14 million, he left his successor a surplus of over $12.5 million,” Romney continued. “Pete persuaded Democratic Legislative majorities to enact dramatic tax and regulatory relief especially helpful to small businesses.”
But some believe making Wilson the campaign’s honorary chair might alienate California Latino voters still embittered by Wilson’s support of Proposition 187 of 1994, which sought to create a state-run citizenship screening system and bar undocumented immigrants from using health care, public education and other social services.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said Romney “is getting really bad campaign advice.”
“Anybody on the ground in California who was hoping to peel away Latino voters in a general election wouldn’t put Pete Wilson front and center,” Vargas said. “To me it’s baffling.
Meg Whitman learned what a mistake that was for her to do the same in 2010 when she ran for governor — it certainly didn’t work for her.”
For the entire article: http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_19906056?IADID
Kris Kobach Attends Mitt Romney Fundraiser
5/11/2012 By Elise Foley – The Huffington Post
Immigration hawk and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach attended a fundraising appearance by Mitt Romney Thursday, according to a pool report of the event from the Kansas City Star.
Kobach is the author of Arizona’s contested immigration law, S.B. 1070, and is considered a leader in the anti-unauthorized immigration movement. He also says he is an informal adviser to the Romney campaign on immigration — some of Romney’s statements mirror Kobach’s views — a phrase the campaign backed away from in April.
The campaign told Politico at the time that Kobach was a “supporter,” not an “adviser.” When the press continued to ask about his role, Kobach insisted nothing had changed and that he still gave advice to the Romney campaign.
It’s not clear what prompted the confusion over Kobach’s role, but it came at a time when Romney was beginning to shift toward campaigning for the general election, when far-right stances on immigration are less likely to sway voters in his direction.
Although the campaign says it has been consistent on immigration, Romney has noticeably de-emphasized his stance on the matter — he told a Colorado reporter this week that he wanted to talk about “issues of significance” when asked about immigration and social issues — as the general election approaches.
An official at the Republican National Committee said on Tuesday that Romney is still deciding his immigration stance for the general election. She later said that she had mispoken. The campaign and the RNC responded that Romney’s positions on immigration are clear.
Still, associating with Kobach could be damaging to Romney politically as he attempts to attract Latino voters, a majority of whom oppose S.B. 1070.
AmericanLatinoMuseum.gov:
The 23-member National Museum of the American Latino Commission (the commission) is tasked by Congress to provide a report on the creation of a potential Museum of the American Latino, which would focus on American Latino life, art, history and culture.
The commission members were selected by the president and bi-partisan congressional leaders in 2008 and 2009. The commission will report on possible sites for the museum, potential content, suggested structure/governance and fund-raising strategies.
The commission also seeks input and feedback from the public on the development and design of the museum; American Latino art, history and culture; potential impact on regional Latino museums; and general interest in the creation of a potential Museum of the American Latino. Public input can be made through this site or at one of the six public forums that will be held across the United States in April and May 2010.
In September 2010, the Commission will deliver an official report to Congress with their findings and recommendations. Congress will review the commission findings and make a decision on the viability of a National Museum of the American Latino.
Secretary Salazar’s letter:
My Fellow Americans:
On behalf of our Nation, our families, and our heritage, I thank you for your interest in the National Museum of the American Latino Commission.
As Secretary of the Interior, and member of President Obama’s Cabinet, the Commission and its work are one of my priorities as we find new and exciting opportunities to tell America’s story.
The Commission is charged with providing a report to Congress on the viability of a National Museum and would like to include your voice, opinions, and ideas. We value the input of each and every one of you throughout the country.
There are many opportunities for you to get involved in this effort. Please take the time to comment either in person at one of our public forums or online.
We hope you will join us in this effort!
Sincerely,
Ken Salazar
http://www.americanlatinomuseum.gov/salazar-letter.html
Follow the Latino Museum on Twitter: http://twitter.com/latinomuseum/
whitehouse | May 19, 2010 -
Presidents Obama, Calderón Speak Before Musical Performances
President Obama and President Felipe Calderón of Mexico speak to the crowd before musical performances that followed a State Dinner at the White House.
Thank you Kahtleen for all your contributions!
Can anyone tell me how so many people are voting for TP candidates? I really hope the Dems will get out & vote in Nov.
Hi CanadaBarb! Yes, we need Democrats in Congress to pass laws that will HELP middle America!
Good Morning O’Team,
Please join me in lighting a morning candle for the President, his family and the Nation.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=pbo
Have a great Productive O’Day!
Good morning and thank you Donna!
I have been reading this morning that Rachel apparently showed an old video of this nut job in DE talking about “self pleasuring”. Now I am reading on Facebook that Bill Press is discussing this as well as many facebook users are posting stories about this. WRONG angle Professional Left!
There are so many things that you can go after this nutty woman about but why concentrate on what is perceived by some as a “moral issues”. Let it go! This type of stuff rallies conservatives. They love to support anyone who stands on moral ground.
Rachel is a smart person who can do really good investigative journalism and then sometimes she focuses on stupid things like this. Let it go and go after this woman about the hypocrisy of government spending while she reportedly took campaign funds from her previous campaign to live off of while not paying her vendors. If she can’t manage her campaign funds effectively then she won’t be able to handle budgetary legislation as a US Senator. That’s the type of thing that Rachel should be hitting this nut with not some crazy statement she made years ago when big hair was all the fad.
Just my morning opinion.
Good morning Donna and O family. I doubt if Coons will go after her on that issue. I am listening to my radio this morning and heard Bill Press say that O’Donnell is on Good morning America this morning and said that no one from the Republican party has called her. Also said that secretly some of the repugs are saying they are going to forget about Delaware. Rove supposedly echoed the same thing.
I don’t think Dems should fall for this. The repugs are to hungry for power. Trust me they will be supporting this woman behind the scenes. If we believe the repugs, we do so at our own peril.
I have a feeling that O’Donnell is going to become the new media darling. Mark my word, as my mother use to say. They want her to win this seat because it will generate more controversy.
Good morning COS!
Good morning CR.
Right on, COS.
Good morning Donna. I agree. I couldn’t sleep last night so I watched Rachel again. Instead of a repeat of her show, she had another live show that comes on here around 11 p.m. A journalist that had been covering Delaware was discussing the O’Donnell campaign and he said that the Republicans had feared this woman back in 2009 and that Karl Rove had made a trip out there. O’Donnell told him to get lost. He also said that the 9/12 group that O’Donnell called up on stage at her victory speech made a huge difference for her, but that they were actually a group that were just targeting Castle. He said he is not sure now if she will have the kind of support.
I am no expert, but we need MoveOn to go in there and motivate people in Delaware instead of singling out that one crazy statement.
Donna, I completely agree.
Survey: Obama retains wide approval in Europe
9/15/10 By DESMOND BUTLER, AP
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s popular support has softened at home, but he still has plenty of fans in Europe, a poll released Wednesday found.
More than three-quarters of those polled in 11 European Union countries said they approve of Obama’s handling of international policies, compared with just over half of Americans having that view. The annual survey was conducted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a nonpartisan policy institution that promotes trans-Atlantic cooperation, and the Compagnia di San Paolo, a research center in Turin, Italy.
The poll found that Europeans were not as enthusiastic about some of Obama’s specific policies, with just under half approving the U.S. president’s handling of Afghanistan and Iran.
Obama’s approval ratings did dip slightly in Europe from last year’s poll, from 83 percent to 78 percent. Obama found the most approval in Portugal, at 88 percent. His approval took a serious hit in Turkey, falling from 50 percent to 28 percent.
Obama’s dropping popularity at home has much to do with his failure to deliver a strong economic recovery and is likely to lead to sharp losses for his Democratic Party in November’s congressional and state elections. For Europeans, Obama may remain a welcome contrast to his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who was unpopular in much of Europe.
Among the survey’s other findings:
_Sixty-five percent of Europeans polled approved of Obama’s policies involving Russia.
_While world leaders have failed to reach a major climate change accord since Obama took office, 61 percent of the Europeans approve of Obama’s efforts to combat climate change.
_Europeans are unhappy about the euro but are more supportive of the European Union. Only 38 percent of respondents in the 11 countries said the euro has been a good thing for the economy, while 63 percent said EU membership has helped the economy.
_Despite NATO’s struggles in Afghanistan, 62 percent of EU and 77 percent of U.S. respondents said they supported the security alliance being prepared to act outside of Europe.
The telephone survey conducted between June 1 and June 29 polled 1,000 people each in the United States, Turkey and 11 European Union countries. Each country’s survey had a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Latinos could be key in Chicago’s mayoral race
9/15/10 By SOPHIA TAREEN, AP
CHICAGO – Two days after Mayor Richard M. Daley announced he wouldn’t seek a seventh term, a group of Latino activists pondered an idea that seemed implausible the last time Chicago chose a new leader: An outcome decided by Latinos.
The group was hastily called to a restaurant in Little Village, a bustling neighborhood filled with clothing shops and taquerias that has grown into one of the nation’s largest Mexican enclaves. Over Mexican sweet bread and coffee, they discussed how the city’s demographics had changed since the last time Chicago had a wide-open mayoral race.
“There’s an opportunity for us to decide who runs Chicago for the next 20 years,” said Carlos Perez, editor of the Mayan Calendar News. “We have to put our own agenda together.”
Daley’s decision last week set off a scramble among potential successors and interest groups looking to attract candidates. More than ever before, Chicago’s burgeoning Latino population finds itself in position to be a deciding factor in the race to choose who will run the nation’s third-largest city.
Chicago’s demographics have shifted greatly since 1989, when Daley first took office at a time of racially contentious politics. Since then, the number of Latinos has soared to approximately 28 percent of the population, from 20 percent, while the number of blacks and whites declined.
For many years, the Latino electorate was fractured by division and low turnout. But it has become a more prominent voting bloc nationwide, as shown in the 2008 presidential election, when it helped put Barack Obama in the White House. Latinos have also proven they can mobilize, at least in favor of immigration reform, as seen in scores of immigration rallies held across the country beginning in 2006.
Several Latino leaders are running or considering doing so. City Clerk Miguel del Valle, born in Puerto Rico, was the first to declare his candidacy. U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, whose family is Puerto Rican, says he’s leaning toward doing the same.
Some city leaders, including Alderman Danny Solis, have said it is unlikely a Latino candidate could win February’s election. The list of candidates is expected to be long, and the winner needs a majority vote. But, he said, Latino voters could help tip the scales if two candidates end up in a runoff in April.
Latinos currently represent around 15 percent of Chicago’s 1.5 million registered voters, according to rough estimates by the city’s Board of Elections. That’s approximately 200,000 votes.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100915/ap_on_el_st_lo/us_chicago_mayor_latinos
This is going to be a messy race. Rahm is in for a fight. I wish him luck. I know he has not announced that he is running but it is pretty much a given. anyone who runs has to have broad appeal. No election has ever been won by one ethnic group alone.
I notice that the RNC is kicking off the 117 city bus tour today. Would be nice if the Dems could do something like this. Howard Dean did this in 2008.
Yes Democrats need to get FIRED UP!
US retail sales step on the gas, blow away slump fears
9/15/10 REUTERS
WASHINGTON: SALES at US retailers posted their largest gain in five months in August on strong receipts at gasoline stations and clothing outlets, further assuaging fears of a double-dip recession.
The Commerce Department said on Tuesday total retail sales rose 0.4 percent following a revised 0.3% rise in July. It was the second straight month of gains in retail sales, which are a measure of consumer health. July sales had been previously reported to have increased 0.4%.
Analysts polled had forecast retail sales rising 0.3% last month. Compared to August last year, sales were 3.6% higher.
“It suggests American consumers remain resilient despite the backdrop of high unemployment and declining home values. On the margin, this data reduces some concerns about a double-dip recession,” said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.
US stock index futures turned positive after the report, while Treasury debt prices pared gains. The dollar briefly trimmed losses versus the yen.
Data so far for August, including private payrolls and manufacturing, have pointed to a tentative improvement in the economy after a recent soft patch.
The recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s has cooled off as the boost from an $814 billion government stimulus package fades and unemployment remains stubbornly high.
The sagging economy has left the Democratic Party bracing for a backlash from voters unhappy with a 9.6% unemployment rate in November’s congressional elections.
Polls suggest the Republicans could take the House of Representatives and perhaps even the Senate in the November 2 vote, which would put them in position to determine any new economy-boosting initiatives.
Last month, motor vehicle and parts purchases fell 0.7% after increasing 1% in July. Excluding autos, sales increased by a bigger-than-expected 0.6 percent in August, also the largest increase since March, after a 0.1% gain the prior month. Markets had expected sales excluding autos to increase 0.3% in August.
Receipts at gasoline stations increased 1.9% after rising 2.2% in July. Building materials and garden equipment sales were unchanged after falling 0.4% in July, suggesting some stability after sharp declines following the end in April of a popular homebuyer tax credit. Clothing and clothing accessories sales increased 1.2%.
Core retail sales, which exclude autos, gasoline and building materials, rose 0.5% after dipping 0.1% in July. Core sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of the government’s gross domestic product report.
Receipts at sporting goods, hobby and book stores rebounded 0.9% last month. Purchases at electronics and appliance stores fell 1.1%.
Good morning, OTeam. Let’s keep working for CHANGE.
Good morning Meta!
YES WE WILL.
.
Stop. Think. Breathe.
9/14/10 Barbra Streisand- HuffingtonPost.com
It’s not news…many people in our country are suffering. Uncertainty over our economy continues with high unemployment, which in turn has triggered many more home foreclosures. The lack of jobs has left a lot of people understandably angry, fearful and cynical about what they will face in the days ahead.
It’s natural to want to stop the pain, to find a fast solution or look for a quick fix to end the agony of the last twenty months. But it took many years (eight) to unravel the policies and regulations that both protected our economy and kept it strong, and it is going to take time to rebuild and restore it.
The patience of the American people has worn thin. However, as we head into a midterm election, we must not make decisions based on frustration or anger, and revert back to the party and the leaders that turned a $236 billion budget surplus left by President Clinton into a $1.2 trillion deficit left by President Bush. We cannot, out of fear, go back to the same party and policies that created this economic meltdown, abused the system, and did little to help those who were left victimized by the greed of Wall Street and the special interests from K Street.
Republicans spent eight years creating and supporting the destructive policies of the Bush Administration, which systematically debilitated the economy as well as weakened our regulatory system. They created the biggest disparity between the ultra rich and the poor, while working to relax and eliminate rules governing banks, corporations, and financial institutions. Now, as we near Election Day, they are again asking hardworking Americans to trust them with their vote. Why should we trust them? They spent twenty months stonewalling the President’s efforts to recharge our economy and put Americans back to work.
My question to the Republican Party is: What actions would you take that would differ from the actions that originally got us into this mess? Would you extend the Bush tax cuts that primarily benefit the top 1% of our country? Continue to block energy policies that will create millions of new green jobs? Keep policies in place that reward corporations that ship American jobs overseas? Oppose strong financial reform that insures that transactions, loans and credit cards are fair and transparent? Oppose a jobs bill that helps small businesses get the loans and the tax cuts that they need to prosper? Those are not the decisions that will lift America out of its difficulties and make our country stronger.
Week after week, on the 24 hour cable news cycle, Republican officials and prominent GOP leaders twist, distort and misrepresent the facts in order to place blame on others, while they continue to obstruct progress. It’s like the old saying that if you tell a lie big enough and you keep repeating it often enough, people will eventually come to believe that it is true. Whether they are discussing financial regulation, health care, jobs, the economy, energy policy…virtually every important issue our country is grappling with today, the Republican Party that once stood for something, now refuses to engage in constructive conversation about anything, all the while, offering virtually no new policy alternatives in return.
Since President Obama took office, the Republican narrative has been to serve their party over serving the people. They have been committed to blocking progress at all costs in order to insure the failure of this President. But now is the time to give President Obama a chance to fulfill his promise of reviving the spirit of hope and possibility that has always allowed our country to dream and to make the impossible possible. The only way he will be successful is if he has a Congress that dreams with him and an American electorate that gives him the chance!
I believe that Americans truly want a government that represents the middle class and working families of this nation, not the extremely rich, the bankers, and the CEOs. We have experienced a difficult recession, but due to the President’s policies, the country has avoided a total depression. What matters as we move forward is that consumers are protected, Wall Street is regulated, children have health care, and our representatives in Washington are committed to working for the people, not the private interests. I only hope that we can all take a deep breath and show the patience that is required to give our smart, committed and hopeful young leader the time he needs and the elected allies in Congress he requires to lift us all into a new time of innovation and prosperity.
Good morning CR. Funny you posted this article this morning. I did not sleep much last night. I was mulling yesterday’s events, and the events of the last 20 months in my head over and over. And since we have this money crunch because of the Supreme Court decision, I was wondering where the celebrities were. And now this article. I sure do wish they had been speaking out against the craziness all along. Sorry, this is the same tangent I was on last night but the frustration and the fear has been out here for some time and the only one speaking to it is our President.
Good morning Jackie!
Today at 9:30 AM:
Congressional Black Caucus conference: Cabinet members and lawmakers join the Congressional Black Caucus conference in Washington.
Livestreamed at CNN: http://live.cnn.com/
1:45 PM:
First Lady Michelle Obama addresses the Congressional Black Caucus
Livestreamed at CNN: http://live.cnn.com/
Also today at 12:30 PM:
Future Medal of Honor recipient briefing: Staff Sgt. Salvatore Guinta, who has been named to receive the Medal of Honor by President Obama at a date to be determined, will address the media from Vicenza, Italy.
Livestreamed at CNN: http://live.cnn.com/
And tonight at 08:20 PM:
President Obama addresses Hispanic gala: President Obama and The First Lady attend the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 33rd Annual Awards Gala in Washington.
Livestreamed at the WH and CNN: http://live.cnn.com/
Good Morning everyone!
The primaries are over, now to the end game! New York might see Rangel again but I hope we do not see a Governor Paladino(?sp).
Good morning Sandy!
Second that!
Senate Republicans unveil a plan to make Bush tax cuts permanent
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 15, 2010; 3:16 AM
Even as they hammer Democrats for running up record budget deficits, Senate Republicans are rolling out a plan to permanently extend an array of expiring tax breaks that would deprive the Treasury of more than $4 trillion over the next decade, nearly doubling projected deficits over that period unless dramatic spending cuts are made.
The measure, introduced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) this week, would permanently extend the George W. Bush-era income tax cuts that benefit virtually every U.S. taxpayer, rein in the alternative minimum tax and limit the estate tax to estates worth more than $5 million for individuals or $10 million for couples.
Aides to McConnell said they have yet to receive a cost estimate for the measure. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently forecast that a similar, slightly more expensive package that includes a full repeal of the estate tax would force the nation to borrow an additional $3.9 trillion over the next decade and increase interest payments on the national debt by $950 billion. That’s more than four times the projected deficit impact of President Obama’s health-care overhaul and stimulus package combined.
“We have a spending problem. We spend too much. We don’t have a taxing problem. We don’t tax too little,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday. “And if we want to begin to get ourselves out of this economic trough that we’re in, the only way to do that is to grow the private sector.”
McConnell spoke as senators returned to the Capitol after a six-week hiatus for a final pre-election session that will be defined by a battle over the Bush tax cuts. Unless Congress acts, the cuts will expire at the end of the year, raising taxes across the board.
While Republicans want to preserve all the cuts, Obama has called on lawmakers to extend them only for household incomes under $250,000 a year. That strategy, he argues, would knock hundreds of billions of dollars off the cost of extending the cuts, money that could be used to reduce the nation’s debt.
Finish reading here: http://bit.ly/aXjpR1
Happy Birthday Mexico!
Mexico to celebrate its 200th birthday. Mexico declared independence from Spain on September 16, 1810
Changing Lives
Just dropping to say hi.
I watched the returns from yesterday, and Chris Matthews made a little sense when he said liberals better take O’Donnell and the tea partiers seriously in thatnifnwenjustbsit and laugh at them, like we did with Reagan and other ultra right politicians in the past.
Good morning Vero!
Good morning Vero. I have been listening to this overconfidence thing all morning with the radio hosts. We do say at our own peril. This woman does not seem afraid of talking to the media, whereas the others only limit themselves to Fox. She is making the rounds today. We can hope that she will say things and really reveal who she really is just like Angle did.
Woah, not sure what happened with that word. iPad sticks again!
Yep. Nobody thought Sarah Palin would last, and look what happened.
Reid tacks on immigration amendment to defense bill
9/14/10 By Liz Goodwin – news.yahoo.com
Sen. Harry Reid announced today that he wants to attach the DREAM Act — which would legalize young immigrants who want to attend college or join the military — to the defense authorization bill next week.
The amendment could become the defense bill’s second high-profile add-on, after a provision that would allow an end to the current policy banning gays from serving openly in the military.
It’s unclear whether Reid has the votes to pass the DREAM Act amendment, but some senators whom advocates are hoping will support the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” have in the past filibustered the DREAM Act.
A group that advocates for the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, compiled a list of key senators in the upcoming defense vote. Of the 14 senators, nine voted against even holding a floor debate on the DREAM Act in 2007, the last time it came up in the Senate.
Some of the 14 senators on the list represent swing votes on “don’t ask”; the SLDN is lobbying the others to not filibuster the bill.
Aaron Belkin, the director of the pro-repeal Palm Center think tank, told The Upshot that he thinks the “don’t ask” repeal is safe, no matter what other amendments are debated or added on.
“The defense authorization bill is a must-pass bill, and I’m sure [Senator Reid] would not do anything to jeopardize its passage,” he said. “The bill has never failed to pass in 50 years.”
It would take a majority vote of 51 senators to strip the “don’t ask, don’t tell” amendment from the bill, he added.
But Shari Rendall, director of legislation for the conservative group Concerned Women for America, told Congress.org she will lobby Democrats to vote against the defense bill, and that this amendment may be a boon for her efforts.
“We think that if it’s true that Sen. Reid fills the amendment tree, this will give us a good opportunity,” she said.
Log Cabin Republicans Director Clarke Cooper tells the Upshot that some Republicans his group lobbies to vote in favor of repeal bring up a “laundry list” of add-ons to the bill they object to, including a provision that allows greater access to abortions for servicewomen overseas, and funding for a second engine for the F-35 fighter jet. (President Obama said he will veto the bill if it includes the funding for the engine, which the military doesn’t want.)
Cooper says some of the Republican members’ positions may change with the addition of the DREAM Act, but that he does not expect a filibuster of the entire defense bill. If a cloture vote is called, 60 senators must vote yes to debate the bill to avoid a fillibuster. Once senators agree to the debate, amendments may be added or removed from the bill with a majority vote.
Six of the nine key senators who voted no to the DREAM Act in 2007 are Democrats, which makes it seem unlikely that Reid could whip up the votes to pass the amendment now.
Here’s the SLDN’s list of key senators and whether they voted yes or no to cloture on the DREAM Act in 2007:
• Harry Reid (D-NV) yes
• Mitch McConnell (R-KY) no
• John McCain (R-AZ) didn’t vote
• Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) yes
• Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)no
• Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) yes
• Jon Tester (D-Mont.) no
• Max Baucus (D-Mont.) no
• Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) no
• Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) no
• Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) no
• George Voinovich (R-Ohio) no
• Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) yes
• Mark Warner (D-Va.) no.
VPOTUS will be on Rachel Maddow tonight.
United We Win – Register to Vote
Morning, guys
Look at the headline on Frum Forum:
http://www.frumforum.com/
Frum is another one who has been marginalized and ostracized by his own party. They are really painting themselves into a corner. Heh.
Makes me smile!
http://j.mp/dxVoKh
The Democratic National Committee, in a new ad, claims to open wide the gates of fictional “Boehner Land,” named after House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), who stands a very good chance of becoming House Speaker if all goes well for the Republicans in November.
The ad claims that “this November, John Boehner wants to welcome you to Boehner Land,” which the ad portrays with iron, country-club style gates — a not-so-subtle dig at Boehner’s golf outings, which has been the subject of other ads.
The DNC goes on to claim that entry into “Boehner Land” comes with a price tag of $37,800 — the maximum amount Boehner’s PAC requests from donors. It’s worth noting that documentation retrieved by Politico shows that those giving less than that could still receive other perks from the Boehner for Speaker campaign.
Boehner Land
United We Win – March to the Polls on November 2nd, 2010
President Obama is at 63% approval ratings in Vermont, obviously of the most progressive states in the country.
And i thought progressives hated him. I guess it’s just the so-called “progressives”.
http://www.pollster.com/blogs/vt_62_leahy_32_britton_rasmuss.php
Hi BWD!
Hi CR.
APP connects to Congress
9/15/10 By KIKI RYAN -POLITICO
Want to quickly tell your member of Congress how you feel about a piece of legislation? There’s an app for that.
Thanks to two Chicago-based entrepreneurs, Paul Everton and Jason Pritzker, those with an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android can take advantage of the workings of democracy in just a few seconds — whether to communicate with a member of Congress, get informed about voting records or learn about a bill. The goal is to bring Washington closer to the wider American public, if not in geographical terms, than in cyber ones.
The idea struck Everton, a techie, after he became frustrated in his attempts to communicate with his own congressperson. “He tried multiple times and through multiple channels to get to his House representative during the Bailout Bill,” Pritzker said of his partner. “He called, faxed, emailed but nothing worked.”
The app, called Visible Vote, works two ways: Citizen users can register shadow votes on the issues their legislators are voting on in Congress — sort of like offering unofficial input from back home. Once a vote happens in Washington, the results are sent back to citizens’ handheld devices, allowing constituents to see how much their choices are in line with those of their officials.
Legislators, meanwhile, get a direct line to constituents. Through Visible Vote, lawmakers can explain a vote directly to a constituent who has questions, or more generally explain the ramifications to a state or district. Eventually, the app may be capable of streaming town hall meetings straight on to the phones of voters, though Pritzker said that’s in the future.
Thirty legislators are currently signed up with the app, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Mikulski and David Vitter, as well as House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and Rep. Charles Rangel.
Both Rangel and Gillibrand seem to agree that it’s a great tool to use to stay connected with constituents.
Gillibrand’s office told POLITICO that the senator appreciates “the value of new media as a tool for transparency” and that she sees Visible Vote as a way to “fire off information about her take on important issues and get immediate feedback from New Yorkers.”
Rangel added a similar statement in a press release about him hooking up with the application, which currently has 170,000 users..
“I see the Visible Vote application not merely as an innovative way to reach out but also as a great tool to engage young people in the political process,” Rangel said.
A few weeks back, Everton and Pritzker recently came to Washington to promote their product. They said they hope to create a cohesive advisory board in the District, and have met with several new media directors from the Hill and some television news producers about their project.
Pritzker also starts out well-connected. He is related to Penny Pritzker, the national finance chair for President Obama’s 2008 campaign.
http://www.visiblevote.us/
Be a Part of the White House Summit on Community Colleges
Posted by Dr. Jill Biden on September 15, 2010
I am writing today with some exciting news and a great video that I want to share with all of you.
I was delighted last spring when President Obama asked me to convene the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges to highlight the importance of community colleges to our students and our economy. I am pleased to announce today that this summit will take place on Tuesday, October 5th.
The summit will bring together students, community colleges, business, philanthropy, federal and state policy leaders and others to discuss how community colleges can ensure that we have the most educated workforce in the world. Community colleges touch so many lives – so I am writing to encourage you to share your own stories, ideas, and questions for the summit. You can submit them via video or our online dialogue tools – and we will also host a live webcast of most of the Summit at WhiteHouse.gov next month.
I see firsthand the power of community colleges to change lives every single day I am in the classroom, and after 17 years as a community college teacher, I am still energized and inspired by my students every day.
Please take a moment to watch the video below – hopefully these stories will inspire you too:
New Plans Underway to Increase Contracts to Small Business
9/15/10 Posted by SBA Administrator Karen Mills
Back in April, the President asked me along with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and the Office of Management and Budget to lead the newly created Task Force on Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses. We were charged with working on behalf of the entire Administration to create more opportunities for small businesses to compete for and win contracts. Today – as a result of extensive collaboration, focus and commitment throughout the federal government – we are offering 13 actionable recommendations (pdf) to ensure that all federal agencies continue to make progress in getting more contracts into the hands of American’s small businesses. These recommendations fall into three categories:
* Clearer, stronger policies at federal agencies, including better guidance on how to do small business set-asides and implement effective mentor-protégé programs;
* A better-trained federal workforce, with stronger certification and training requirements, coupled with meaningful incentives to help agencies reach their goals; and,
* More user-friendly tools and technologies, such as improving FedBizOpps to be a one-stop resource for small businesses looking for matchmaking events, subcontracting opportunities, agency contact information, and more.
Why is small business contracting so important?
When a small business gets a federal contract, it’s a win-win. The business gets the revenue it needs to grow and create jobs, and at the same time, the government benefits from working with some of the most diligent, innovative, and responsive people in the world.
The federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. Of those purchases, small businesses get nearly $100 billion each year, so these programs are very powerful, particularly for small firms owned by women, veterans, minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals. Overall, our goal is to make sure that 23 percent of contracts or more go to small business. When we come up short by just one percent – as we did in Fiscal Year 2009 – about $5 billion less goes to small businesses.
We can do better. And that is why these recommendations couldn’t come at a better time.
We’re committing ourselves more than ever to transparency and accountability and have launched a new Small Business Contracting Dashboard. This Open Government tool will help spot inaccuracies in the data that agencies collect, helping to ensure that only legitimate and eligible small firms truly benefit from small business contracting programs.
Now comes the real work. Implementing these new tools and recommendations won’t be easy.
But our message today is clear: We’re going to build on what works in small business contracting. We’re going to implement new tools to help more small businesses compete and win. And as a result, we’re going to help them do what they do best: create jobs and move our economy forward.
Karen Mills is Administrator of the Small Business Administration
A truly wonderful article about Joe Biden and his terrific relationships with PBO.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/the-salesman/8226/1/
The Salesman
Experienced, emotional, marked by personal tragedy and political setback, Joe Biden is in many ways the antithesis of the president he serves. But his stock has risen steadily in the West Wing, and with the Democrats poised to lose much of their leverage in the midterm elections, the vice president’s unique skills and attributes may prove ever more crucial to his administration’s success.
By Mark Bowden
“Shermanesquely, No”
Early in 1973, not long after he was sworn in to the Senate seat he would hold for more than three decades, Joe Biden attended a dinner party in the upscale Washington suburb of McLean, Virginia. The event, thrown by Biden’s fellow freshman senator J. Bennett Johnston Jr., of Louisiana, offered the newcomers a chance to mingle with some of the Senate’s old guard.
Political analyst Charlie Cook, then a freshman at Georgetown University working as a congressional intern, remembers well both the evening and the presence of Biden, a 30-year-old unknown from Delaware. “A bunch of us kids had been wrangled into serving drinks and helping out in the kitchen,” he said. “All of us were floored by how young Biden was. He was more one of us than one of the senators! And sure enough, when the grown-ups retreated to the dining room, Biden drifted back to the kitchen to hang out with us 20-somethings … It was hard for us to believe that someone our age, give or take a few years, was already a United States senator.”
Elected when he was just 29, Biden was the youngest member of the upper chamber in modern times, and the sixth-youngest in American history. Inexperienced and unheralded, he’d nonetheless ousted a veteran incumbent, J. Caleb Boggs, who had enjoyed the full backing of President Richard Nixon and the national Republican Party. Biden arrived in Washington with the luster of unlimited promise. Back home they compared him to Kennedy, a parallel he would consciously exploit. He was a man for whom the White House seemed not merely a possibility, but a likelihood. In a notoriously revealing 1974 profile that Kitty Kelley wrote for The Washingtonian, Biden talked about becoming “a good senator” and “a good president.” Biden’s sister, Valerie, who had managed his surprise victory, told Kelley, “Joey is going to be president someday. He was made to be in the White House … Just you wait and see.”
For the entire article: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/the-salesman/8226/1/
Read this last night.
I like these:
“I was talking to the president about this just the other day,” said David Axelrod, one of Obama’s senior advisers. “He was saying that choosing Joe was really the first presidential decision he made, and that as time goes on, he’s more and more convinced it may have been his best.”….
But whether it has been managing the tricky drawdown of American involvement in Iraq, or implementing the $787 billion Recovery Act, or soothing worries in Eastern Europe over Obama’s revised missile-defense strategy, or helping select two Supreme Court nominees, Biden seems the opposite of a pain in the ***. He has made himself indispensable…..
But Biden has been impressed by Obama the man as well. “He has a backbone like a ramrod,” the vice president told me. “He sits there, he gets handed the toughest damn decisions anyone has since Roosevelt, and he sits there and he wants an opposing view. He wants to hear all of it, and he’ll sit there and he’ll listen. He’ll ask really smart questions, and he’ll decide. And it’s like he goes up, he goes to bed, he doesn’t re-litigate it. I mean, the guy’s got some real strength. And the thing about him is—what I find impressive is—he really starts off almost everything from a moral and ideological construct, knowing exactly who he is … He knows what he thinks. When he talks about [the theologian and political theorist Reinhold] Niebuhr, it’s not because he’s trying to impress. He really does think about the social contract. I mean, the guy’s thought it through…..”
New fancy looking website for Dems, check it out:
http://www.democrats.org/
Yeah I just saw it this morning
Nice — I like the coordination of the Democrats logog with the PBO logo.
DemocraticVideo | September 15, 2010 -
Gov. Kaine Launches New Democrats.Org
I love Tim Kaine. He is so pleasant to listen to and he always has something to say.
And he doesn’t let himself get flattened by the interviewer — just keeps on smiling and makes his point.
Happy Wednesday CR, BWD, Tigerfists, Jackie, Barb, Donna, COS, Meta, Sandy and Vero and all friends!
Wow, what a thread we have going today! Awesome!
>^..^<
Happy Wednesday to you Kat.
Hi COS!
Good Morning Kathleen!
Aloha, CR!
Good Afternoon Kat!
Hi Donna (still from the morning side of lunchtime here)!
Good Afternoon O’Fam
Just peeking in while on lunch break. You know I have been thinking about this O’Donnell woman and I don’t see her win as a gift but rather as an opportunity. Mr. Castle was a conservative moderate that the Delaware Dems knew from his years in service in that state. They were comfortable with him as a Senator had he won last night.
Game changer when the Tea Party entered into the campaign and delivered a victory for this nut job.
Coons is way ahead in the early polling but we really need to capitalize on this early lead.
VP Biden is still extremely popular in Delaware. I hope the DNC sends him into those 3 counties to hold town halls and rallies with Coons every week between now and the election.
We can win that state for sure but the DSCC and the DNC are going to have to go all in. There might have to be a decision made regarding whether or not to give Meek the help he needs in FL for a campaign that Dems have been suckered into believing that Crist has their best interest or going for broke on a campaign that is definitely now winnable.
Good thoughts, Donna.
Agreed.
I was looking at the current polls and Meek’s polls are not moving.
On another note, I jumped in my car a few minutes ago to move it and I had the station on progressive talk radio and the couple of seconds in the car I thought I was on a right wing station. It was Tom Hartman and some guy trashing Austin Goolsbee saying he was just a part of the old Chicago crowd. Now is the time for these folks to start bringing out the positive for Democrats. They will never learn. I have been very disappointed with John Stewart lately also. I know John’s show is entertainment but a lot of folks take him seriously. He is not always informed on this administration’s accomplishments, although we have sent him emails. He was quite rude to Tim Kaine when he appeared on his show. I guess I went off on a little rant but this stuff bothers me.
He started criticizing PBO last night and I turned him off immediately.
Los Angeles Times, Sept. 15, 2010:
Editorial: The tax cut debate
….Again, the rich would pay less under Obama’s proposal than they would if the Bush cuts expired on schedule at the end of the year. But they wouldn’t save as much as they would under the GOP plan — especially not those at the top of the income ladder. For the average taxpayer earning $200,000 to $500,000, the Tax Policy Center estimates that Obama’s proposal would cost $988 more than the Republican plan — not exactly a crushing blow. Those with $1 million in taxable income would pay about $11,000 more than they would if the Bush tax cuts were extended. And for the top 0.1% — those with average incomes of $8.4 million — Obama’s proposal would cost an estimated $310,000 more.
Republicans argue that it’s not just wealthy individuals who’d be dunned; it’s also small businesses whose profits are taxed on individual returns, not corporate ones. Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation, however, has estimated that only 3% of these businesses would report incomes high enough to be affected by the higher marginal rates.
The GOP plan would cost about $70 billion more per year than Obama’s approach. That’s not much in comparison to the roughly $9 trillion in projected deficits over the next decade. Nevertheless, considering how much of the $70 billion would go to a tiny fraction of the population, it’s too high a price to pay.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-taxes-20100915,0,6983741.story
Obama’s tax policy compromise makes sense for America
9/14/10 San Jose Mercury News editorial
The Bush administration tax cuts didn’t make sense when they were enacted: They turned President Bill Clinton’s budget surplus of $127 billion into a $100 billion deficit in less than a year. But they became a total disaster during the Iraq war, when Bush’s treasury secretary decreed that the conflict would be so small, there was no need to raise taxes to pay for it. President Barack Obama is left to deal with the aftermath.
The tax cuts are due to sunset if there is no action to extend them. In light of the still-ballooning deficit, Obama has proposed allowing the tax breaks for the nation’s wealthiest households to expire while retaining the cuts for middle-class Americans, who both need the money more and spend a higher portion of their income, pumping up the economy.
This proposal is what’s known as a “compromise,” an archaic political tool we would like to see revived but which Republicans seem disinclined to touch. They want all the tax cuts made permanent. If they don’t agree to middle ground, then middle-income Americans will see their taxes rise, as well as the top 2 percent of taxpaying families the GOP wants to protect.
Critics of Obama’s plan say extending the tax cuts for the rich will eventually help the middle class too because the money will trickle down in the form of more hiring and new small businesses. But evidence to support trickle-down economics always has been thin. The $700 billion that would be raised
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in the next decade under Obama’s plan would have a very real impact on the federal deficit.
It’s time to return reason to U.S. tax policy and compromise to the Capitol. Both parties should embrace the Obama plan.
Added to today’s schedule POTUS will address the press @ 4:30pm EST.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Sandy do you know what he will be talking about?
Making a statement after his cabinet meeting.
Possibly the tax cuts?
Thanks Sandy.
Welcome
Check out this awesome diary.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/15/902132/-GOP-Nightmare:-Democrats-Can-Flip-10
Great diary. lots of fired up and ready to go!!:D
Thanks BWD.
Love the attitude.
Haven’t been able to spend much time here today — I’m up to my rearend in alligators, but just wanted to let you know that I spoke to an OFA volunteer who was recruiting for a huge push for President Obama’s policies. He says they are targeting those who have not been involved in the process before. They have events scheduled every single night and through the weekend all across the country. I felt a little better after talking to him. I was already scheduled for an event tomorrow night at the SEIU, but signed up for two more large campaigns this coming Sunday and the following Sunday through OFA.
Yay Jackie!
This sounds very promising.
And…
Wait. Alligators?
This is precisely why we do not take O’Donnell’s win for granted. The repugs are already falling in line.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/conservatives-trash-karl-rove-after-he-insists.php
I have this horrific feeling that if Meg Whitman wins the governorship she will be emboldened to challenge PBO in 2012. She has the arrogance and the money and certainly the naked ambition with no skills to back it up. She simply craves power. And although she is an empty suit, since there is such a vacuum in the Republican party right now, she is truly someone to fear in terms of her extensive ability to lie and smear and outspend her way into office. She has hired some real first-rate sleeze artists for her disinformation media campaign. Jerry Brown is tough but he has only a fraction of her resources. She has about 95 on staff and $120 million. He has 4 on staff and about $23 million on hand. She outspent him 86-1 in August. We have to get this IN GEAR because I would love nothing better than to defeat her.
Meta, I have nightmares about this woman. It took Jerry Brown forever to respond to that Bill Clinton ad. I am hoping that people are getting so turned off about her ads and arrogance with all of the money that she is spending. Have you seen any Fiiorini ads? I only see Whitman ads and a couple from Brown. I will do whatever I can to help Brown but he is not hitting her back hard enough.
Nightmare – that’s the perfect word for it. She gets under your skin the way SP does because she’s very nasty and mean-spirited and considers herself a know-it-all even though she’s never held public office or even voted much for that matter. I wonder how much she knows about the history of governance in this state.
I’m going to contact a friend of mine who might know what’s going on in the Brown campaign. He’s got to be more nimble and definitely more quick on his feet. No more gaffes and no more being on the defensive. He’s got to strike a good blow soon.
I saw my first Barbara Boxer ads yesterday. They’re good but they don’t pack any punch. Kind of a basic old-style ad that shows her doing good deeds with constituents in different settings. I applaud her for not going on the attack but I do wonder if it’s enough.
You are right. The Dem’s ads des not pack any punch. They need at least one ad contrasting what the Dems are doing and what we will get if these republicans get elected. Fiorini will march lock step with the existing repug relics in Washington.
I predict some job growth in the Gulf region:
The Obama administration says it will require oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico to plug nearly 3,500 nonproducing wells and dismantle about 650 production platforms that are no longer being used.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said a formal notice issued Wednesday would make energy production in the Gulf safer and prevent potentially catastrophic leaks at wells that in some cases have been abandoned for decades.
More than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells lurk beneath the Gulf of Mexico, and more than 1,000 oil rigs and platforms sit idle. An Associated Press investigation showed that many of the wells have been ignored for decades, with no one in industry or government checking to see if they are leaking.
http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/article/us-abandoned-wells-in-gulf-must-be-plugged/931374/Sep-15-2010_12-17-pm/
Rock the Vote Polls
Rock the Vote Polling Data Reveals Young Voters Remain Engaged, While Battling Feelings of Cynicism
15 Sep 2010
Conducted nationwide August 24-30th, 2010 among 1,000 18-29 year olds, the data from this Rock the Vote poll unveils young voters attitudes towards Congress and national leaders like President Obama and Sarah Palin and their interest in the upcoming election. It also looks at their political affiliations and positions on critical issues that will be debated during the 2010 midterm election cycle, such as the war in Afghanistan, marriage rights, energy policy, sexual health education and immigration.
http://bit.ly/8QubvP
Thanks for this, Sandy! I’m still studying all the sections. I like this one showing young voters’ areas of concern where sharp contrasts can be drawn between Democratic and GOP policy:
http://www.rockthevote.com/assets/publications/research/2010/2010-demmemo.pdf
I should have done a bit.ly on that link.
Thanks Sandy! Tomorrow’s thread will be “Youth Vote” so I will add this to the posts.
sirius | September 15, 2010 -
President Obama Interview with Joe Madison of SIRIUS XM, Part 1: Why a Children’s Book?
(No video, just photo of the President and Joe Madison.)
Hear SIRIUS XM host interview President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. The President explains why he chose to write a children’s book, citing “the opportunity to reach younger children and be able to tell them about why America still a land of opportunity and to remind them that our diversity is a strength, not a weakness.”
President Obama Interview with Joe Madison of SIRIUS XM, Part 2: Education & The Economy
President Obama Interview with Joe Madison of SIRIUS XM, Part 3: Darfur
PBO children’s book already a hit
NEW YORK — President Barack Obama is still a hit with the nation’s book buyers.
Obama’s tribute to 13 American ground breakers, Of Thee I Sing, was in the top 25 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com as of Wednesday morning, less than two days after the children’s book was announced and two months before its scheduled release. Random House Children’s Books plans a first printing of 500,000 copies.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-09-15-obama-book_N.htm?csp=usat.me
I know you are kidding BWD. Who would want to buy this unpopular person’s book. He has lost all of his popularity.
I am going to pre-order a few copies for gifts
.
I told my husband that I want “Of Thee I Sing” as a Christmas gift.
Coons is pretty impressive. He was interviewed just now by Chris Matthews and he answered very tough questions competently ad thoroughly. He’s not going to get folks’ juices flowing, but he stuck me as knowledgeable and fairminded. I hope he wins.
Vero, those qualities are going to appeal to a lot of people in their right minds. Hope there’s enough of them!
I don’t really know his background yet but I heard Randi say that he went to Divinity school and he is a big supporter of charities and service. I need to familiarize myself with his background.
Here’s his website:
http://www.chriscoons.com/site/
From: chriscoonsdotcom | August 05, 2010 -
Chris Coons discusses how his unique journey has informed his faith, values and problem solving abilities for the people of Delaware.
Thanks Kat. I like this guy already. I hope his lead continues. Mike Castle says that he will not support O’Donnell. MSM is acting toward this woman today just like they did with SP when she was first brought on the scene. Randi said that if she sees her again today making all the rounds in that red suit, she is going to swear off red for the rest of her life.
Heh!
I want to take this woman seriously though. She was counted out and now look. Sarah Palin was presumed to be DOA after the election, not so. We need to aggressively fight her campaign because if we don’t, we will be sorry.
Eclectablog at DKos is fired up too:
Stop calling them “Tea Party Candidates”. They’re REPUBLICANS!
“Yes, there’s an anti-incumbent fervor in this country. But it’s happening in the Republican Party, not across the board. As have written before, the teabaggers set out to take over an existing party rather than having to create one of their own. Mission accomplished.
It’s time we change the meme. It’s time we hang this dead, stinking albatross around the neck of the political party that has allowed these bigots, these small-minded, cold-hearted fools to take control. And not only did they allow them to take control, they put into play the rhetoric, the hatred, the fear, and the anti-government fervor that drives the teabaggers in everything they do politically. It’s a monster they themselves created.
This November, there won’t be races that have the Democratic candidate running against the out-to-lunch, out-of-touch, completely out-of-their-mind “tea party candidate”. It will be a Democrat vs. a REPUBLICAN….
I say it’s time we quit calling the teabaggers, tea partiers or tea party candidates. It’s time to label them appropriately. As Republicans. Let’s help the Republicans own that. Because, at the end of the day, it’s a Frankenstein monster of their own creation.”
http://bit.ly/cXkWFG
I like this. Thanks Kat.
Those alligators you mentioned this a.m. — not literal, I hope?
Nope thank heavens.
I am finally caught up enough to spend some time with my favorite buds.
I love this Kat. “Dead stinking albatross around the neck…….”.
Me too!
DemocraticVideo | September 15, 2010 -
Chairman Kaine Unveils the Democratic Party’s New Look and Website
At George Washington University, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine unveiled a new look—and a new website—for the Democratic Party.
Abc is reporting that the president is set yo name Warren to lead the
Consumer financial protection agency.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/09/exclusive-president-obama-to-this-week-name-elizabeth-warren-to-special-advisory-role-to-white-house.html
Looks like Jakey got a little scoop.
I hope this ends the drama and speculation over her appointment at least on the part of the left. But I’m sure they’ll find a way to feel disappointed about it somehow. I especially like the fact that she can speak out publicly and forcefully about her new role and how it protects the middle class. BRAVO.
Fantastic. Yep Kat, they will move on to something else.
They have already been dogging slinkerwink’s diary at dKos, saying that Rahm will control her and PBO didn’t do what they wanted him to do, whatever that is. GAH, they just have no idea what to do other than rain on every single parade.
Well, we need to drown out those naysayers over at DailyKos. Elizabeth Warren is an excellent choice, and frankly, this agency was her idea.
GOP Plan to Give Tax Cuts to Wealthiest Few Panned by OH, KY Editorial Boards
September 15th, 2010 by Speaker’s Press Shop
Despite evidence it won’t help the economy and the fact that the American people strongly oppose them, Republicans continue their push for deficit-busting tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
Democrats are committed to tax relief for American workers, their families, and small businesses. Congressional Democrats and President Obama will permanently cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses – and help get the Bush-Republican deficit under control.
Here’s how the Republican plan, which would cost taxpayers more than $4 trillion and double the deficit, is playing in the Akron Beacon Journal, from House Republican Leader John Boehner’s home state of Ohio, and the Lexington Herald-Leader, in Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky.
Akron Beacon Journal Editorial: Rates of return
…The thinking is: This is the wrong time to increase taxes of almost any kind, the economy fragile, job creation at a minimum. Then, there is the evidence, analyses revealing that such tax relief for the wealthiest Americans promises little punch for the economy. Far better tools are available for bolstering demand and easing the harsh fallout from the recession…
If there is an inkling of consensus in Washington, it follows that the country must do what it can to boost the economy in the short run and take credible aim at applying fiscal discipline in the long run. Allow the tax cuts for the wealthiest households to expire, and you meet both objectives. Tax relief continues for most Americans, yet the projected budget deficits also receive attention, the expiring tax cuts generating $700 billion during the next decade…
In other words, all households still would enjoy a lower overall burden than in the 1990s. The country would benefit from beginning to apply fiscal discipline, its deficits driven largely by two wars, a punishing recession and unaffordable tax cuts.
Read the full editorial» http://www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/102933844.html
Lexington Herald-Leader Editorial: McConnell boohoos for rich friends
To hear Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and some of his fellow Capitol Hill Republicans tell it, a failure to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans would cripple the nation’s small businesses.
But McConnell’s House counterpart, Rep. John Boehner, undercut that argument over the weekend by acknowledging on Face the Nation that just 3 percent of small businesses would pay higher taxes under President Barack Obama’s proposal…
…McConnell and crew rant and rail about deficit spending and the national debt. But extending the tax cuts for the rich will cost the federal government $700 billion over the next 10 years — $700 billion that could reduce deficit spending, $700 billion that could pay down a bit of the national debt.
It’s also $700 billion the government won’t be borrowing, which will increase the availability of credit for those small businesses that bring the crocodile tears to McConnell’s eyes…
The implication of the “don’t raise taxes during a recession” argument is that doing so takes money out of the economy people would otherwise be spending on goods and services. But that isn’t necessarily the case with tax cuts for the rich…
…tax cuts for the rich don’t provide the kind of economic stimulus McConnell and his fellow Republicans would have us believe.
Tax cuts for the rich while trying to fight two wars, one of which was totally unnecessary, didn’t make sense when they were enacted. They make even less sense now, as the federal government tries to cope with this recession without going too deeply into debt.
Obama’s plan to let the cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans expire while extending them for the middle class folks who will stimulate the economy with their spending is the right course for the nation.
Read the full editorial» http://www.kentucky.com/2010/09/15/v-print/1435396/mcconnell-boohoos-for-rich-friends.html
Outstanding. I’m providing the link and title because the post contains links to the orginal editorials for anyone who wishes to read them in full.
GOP Plan to Give Tax Cuts to Wealthiest Few Panned by OH, KY Editorial Boards
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=2758
USA TODAY Editorial: ‘Tax Debate Reflects Breathtaking Disconnect’ By GOP
September 15th, 2010 by Speaker’s Press Shop
Congressional Republicans continue to protect millionaires and billionaires at the expense of middle-class Americans — promising to take America back to the exact same failed Bush policies that created the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and nearly doubled the national debt. An editorial in this morning’s USA TODAY reveals the Republican intellectual disconnect between their claims of concerns about raising the deficit and their insistence on extending Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest few – adding $700 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
USA TODAY – Tax debate reflects breathtaking disconnect
…The disconnect is breathtaking.
Tax-cut supporters routinely decry deficits, but then do the very things that make them worse…When House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said over the weekend that, if push came to shove, he’d vote to raise taxes on the wealthy, he was roundly denounced by members of his own party.
Americans are “tired of Democrat leaders in Washington pursuing the same government-driven programs that have done nothing but add to the debt,” Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declared Monday as he announced legislation to keep the tax cuts for everyone. Never mind his own votes creating the debt, or that he’s offering no way to pay for them.
…The most frequently repeated claim about raising taxes on the wealthy is that it’s a job killer, because those taxpayers include many small-business owners. This is clever but misleading. A report from Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation shows that the top two tax brackets — which begin at about $172,000 — account for just 3% of taxpayers with net positive business income.
Read the full editorial» http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2010-09-15-editorial15_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Democrats are committed to tax relief for American workers, their families and small businesses. Congressional Democrats and President Obama will permanently cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses – and help get the Bush-Republican deficit under control.
The Truth About the GOP Agenda – The Republican Plan to Double the Deficit
September 15th, 2010 by Speaker’s Press Shop
Here’s a startling example of GOP hypocrisy on the deficit that will cost American taxpayers more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years.
From today’s Washington Post:
…Senate Republicans are rolling out a plan to permanently extend an array of expiring tax breaks that would deprive the Treasury of more than $4 trillion over the next decade, nearly doubling projected deficits over that period unless dramatic spending cuts are made…
Not only do the American people oppose giving a $700 billion tax cut to the wealthiest few, there is ample evidence that extending cuts for top 2 percent is not the best way to help our economy.
CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf:
“Policies that temporarily increased the after-tax income of people who are relatively well off would probably have little effect on their spending because they generally would be able finance their consumption out of their income or assets without such a change.”
Bloomberg, “Rich Americans Save Tax Cuts Instead of Spending, Moody’s Says”
Hand the wealthiest Americans a tax cut and history suggests they will save the money rather than spend it.
Tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 under President George W. Bush were followed by increases in the saving rate among the rich, according to data from Moody’s Analytics Inc. When taxes were raised under Bill Clinton, the saving rate fell.
Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize Winning Economist:
“… extending the tax cuts for America’s wealthiest 2 percent would be a big mistake. Resources are scarce — even in a rich country — and this is not the way to spend the government’s scarce dollars…it makes no sense to extend these tax cuts — which the country could not afford in the first place — to upper-income Americans, who have done so well for the past quarter-century. Extending their tax cuts just increases the national debt — with little stimulus.”
Democrats are committed to tax relief for American workers, their families and small businesses. Congressional Democrats and President Obama will permanently cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses – and help get the Bush-Republican deficit under control.
“Democrats are committed to tax relief for American workers, their families and small businesses. Congressional Democrats and President Obama will permanently cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses – and help get the Bush-Republican deficit under control.”
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=2751
Am I the only one who is annoyed by Mika’s “bipartisan” obesity challenge that shes having on Morning Joke? Is she trying to usurp FLOTUS’ message? Just very random.
yup I’m pretty annoyed myself.
Vero, I asked that same question yesterday. Check out our previous thread. I conceded that maybe I was being cynical but I felt exactly the same as you.
Hi all, I am a rained-on Kat who thought it would be nice to walk home from an appointment. Expecting the usual wait, I settled in comfortably with Antonia Felix’s biography: “Sonia Sotomayor, The True American Dream.” Instead they whisked me in and out before I had gone more than a few pages, but it looks good so far.
Now to get caught up on events.
whitehouse | September 15, 2010 -
Strengthening the Economy and the Middle Class
President Obama speaks to the press about his Administration’s effort to strengthen the economy and the middle class as well as the small business bill that’s moving through the Senate after meeting with his Cabinet at the White House.
Office of the Press Secretary, September 15, 2010:
Remarks by the President on Small Business Jobs Bill
…. After months of partisan blockade in the Senate, we are finally on the verge of passing a small business jobs bill that will cut taxes and provide loans for millions of small business owners across America.
And while I am grateful for this progress, it should not have taken this long to pass this bill. At a time when small business owners are still struggling to make payroll and they’re still holding off hiring, we put together a plan that would give them some tax relief and make it easier for them to take out loans. It’s a bill that’s paid for. It won’t add a dime to the deficit. It’s a bill that was written by both Democrats and Republicans.
But for months, the Republican leadership in the Senate has said no. For months, they’ve used legislative maneuvers to prevent this bill from even coming up for a vote. And all the while, small business owners kept waiting for help. They kept putting off plans to hire more workers and grow their businesses.
Now, thankfully, two Republican senators –- Senators George Voinovich and George LeMieux –- have refused to support this blockade any longer. And because of their decision, this small business jobs bill will finally pass.
I want to thank them for their efforts, because they understand that we simply don’t have time anymore to play games. Not just on this small business jobs bill. Let me give you another example. Right now, we could decide to extend tax relief for the middle class. Right now, we could decide that every American household would receive a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income.
But once again, the leaders across the aisle are saying no. They want to hold these middle-class tax cuts hostage until they get an additional tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
We simply can’t afford that. It would mean borrowing $700 billion in order to fund these tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans — $700 billion to give a tax cut worth an average of $100,000 to millionaires and billionaires. And it’s a tax cut economists say would do little to add momentum to our economy.
Now, I just don’t believe this makes any sense. Even as we debate whether it’s wise to spend $700 billion on tax breaks for the wealthy, doesn’t it make sense for us to move forward with the tax cuts that we all agree on? We should be able to extend right now middle-class tax relief on the first $250,000 of income — which, by the way, 97 percent of Americans make less than $250,000 a year. So right off the bat, 97 percent of all Americans would get tax relief on all their income. People who are making more than $250,000 a year, say, you’re making half a million dollars, you’d still get tax relief on half your income.
And everybody agrees that this makes sense. Middle-class families need this relief. These are the Americans who saw their wages and incomes flat-line over the last decade, who’ve seen the costs of everything from health care to college tuition skyrocket and who have been hardest hit by this recession.
Extending these tax cuts is right. It is just. It will help our economy because middle-class folks are the folks who are most likely to actually spend this tax relief — for a new computer for the kids or for maybe some home improvement.
And if the other party continues to hold these tax cuts hostage, these are the same families who will suffer the most when their taxes go up next year. And if we can’t get an agreement with Republicans, that’s what will happen.
So we don’t have time for any more games. I understand there’s an election coming up. But the American people didn’t send us here to just think about our jobs; they sent us here to think about theirs. They sent us here to think about their lives and their children’s lives, and to be responsible, and to be serious about the challenges we face as a nation….
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/15/remarks-president-small-business-jobs-bill
Did anyone see the Frum link that BWD posted here this morning? I read that article, but in the top lefthand corner is a flicker of pictures. Number 2 is the President (so hot) and on that picture is a link to an article entitled:
“The Real Winner of the Republican Primaries.”
The long election cycle of 2010 is finally (almost) over. Yes, the general election still remains, but that’s almost an afterthought, since it is shaping to be the most boring and inconsequential federal election in a generation (seriously, will it make any real practical difference whether the Republicans pick 5 or 50 House seats?). The real action in this election cycle was in the Republican primaries, they are almost over, and we already know who won: (drum roll, please!) President Obama. American conservatives have suffered a crushing and lasting defeat. The center of gravity in American politics has shifted permanently and irreversibly to the left (and conservative ideology will eventually follow).
Read more:
http://www.frumforum.com/the-real-winner-of-the-republican-primaries
Saw & enjoyed it — and that is a great photo.
The New Republic, Sept. 14, 2010:
Republicans Reap The Whirlwind
By Jonathan Chait
The conservative movement has spent the last 20 months sowing hysteria about President Obama’s agenda. The most respectable Republicans call the president a socialist, a radical, a threat to freedom. The less respectable Republicans, many of them highly influential, call him an alien, a sympathizer of radical Islam, a conscious enemy of the United States who is trying to wreck the economy. Obama is a dangerous figure, he cannot be compromised with, and the fight against him is a twilight struggle to save the last vestiges of the Republic.
And so it has been amusing to watch Republicans as they desperately attempted to persuade Republican voters in Delaware to support moderate Mike Castle over Christine O’Donnell….
The premise of all these pleas for Castle was extremely sensible: this is politics. Sometimes you move the ball forward, sometimes the other team moves it forward. Sometimes you make compromises in order to get ahead.
But the Republican base has been taught not to think this way. This isn’t just politics, remember? This is a twilight struggle for freedom. And Mike Castle didn’t just cast a couple bad votes. He acquiesced in a sinister plan to undermine capitalism. How could they ever support a candidate like that?
Moreover, Republican voters have luxuriated in the belief that they represent the true majority of the American people. Obama may have won by fooling the voters, or possibly by stealing the election with Acorn, but the enduring majority of the public is staunchly conservative. Indeed, Republicans only lost because they strayed from the true faith.
Now, most elite Republicans understand that the red meat fed to the base isn’t exactly right. It’s useful to scare the daylights out of the activists, but writers for the Standard and the Journal editorial page understand that “freedom,” as most people understand the term, is not really at risk. They understand as well that politics is a little more complicated than “if Republicans stay true to conservatism, they cannot lose.”
But the conservative base is not in on the joke. And so Republican elites found themselves with just a few frantic days to undo the toxic and intoxicating effects of 20 months of relentless propaganda. Vote for the man who compromised with evil! The true conservative can’t always win! They couldn’t do it.
I won’t say that the Republican base strategy has been a total failure. But it is nice to see it blow up in the face of the establishment from time to time.
http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/77698/republicans-reap-the-whirlwind
A good read Kat. Yet, I just saw a big AP headline with the same old meme entitled “Poll finds that Climate for GOP keep improving ahead of midterms”. They will try and psyche us out until the end.
Yep.
SenateDemocrats | September 15, 2010 -
Economists Discuss GOP Tax Breaks For Millionaires
Senate Steering Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin joined Bob McIntyre of the Citizens for Tax Justice and Heather Boushey of the Center for American Progress at a press conference this afternoon to discuss Republican threats to raise taxes on middle-class families and small businesses. As Democrats fight to permanently extend tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class, Republicans are holding those tax cuts hostage in order to secure even bigger giveaways for millionaires and CEOs who ship American jobs overseas — giveaways that would add $700 billion to our deficit.
FROM THE PEOPLE’S VIEW TODAY.
Obama Administration Moves to Trim Defense Fat by $100 Billion
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 | Posted by Spandan C. aka Deaniac83
“That never happens!” exclaimed Rachel Maddow after in last year’s budget, the Obama administration canceled the F-22 raptor program (video here), a bloated Defense spending that is irrelevant to today’s wars. The move saved $4 billion last year alone. What Rachel Maddow was talking about was that Defense spending seems to be considered sacrosanct, untouchable, and nothing in Defense ever seems to get cut regardless of the usefulness of any Defense spending – be they on weapons systems or contracting. That never happens.
Well, it’s happening again. An unprecedented $100 billion dollars’ worth. This time, the target is private Defense contracting. With President Obama’s blessing, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has initiated an aggressive “Efficiencies Initiative” designed to get more bang for the buck, clean up defense contracting, and save the Department $100 billion over the next five years. The Washington Post reported this morning that Secretary Gates took a swing at the bloated Defense contracting budget:
“We’ve not seen productivity growth in defense,” Gates said. He noted that consumers buy “more powerful computers and mobile phones every year, but the taxpayer has had to spend significantly more in order to get more. We need to reverse this.”Defense contracting from top to bottom are in the eye of the admnistration.
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2010/09/obama-administration-moves-to-trim.html
“That never happens” — until President Obama!
I know Kat. If we would have gotten credit for everything this President has accomplished, we would be doing great. I am sure that PBO sometime feel like Rodney Dangerfield.
You said it!
I rarely go to HuffPo but I was looking for something and the front page says “BIG SPENDER: California Governor’s candidate donations to her own campaign now the largest in U.S. history”.
This is amazing.
She’s determined to buy the job.
Good Evening Everyone.
VP Joe is doing a phenomenal job on Rachel’s show tonight. He has such passion for this country and great admiration for PBO.
He can say some of the things that the President can’t. It’s Must See TV for you west coasters later this evening.
We have him on right now, Donna. I love our VPOTUS!
Ohh great.
Good evening Donna. Yes our number two man is doing a fantastic job. This is what we have needed from the Democrats in Congress for months now. God bless Joe Biden.
So, what do you think about the possibility of Murkowski running as a write-in candidate in Alaska. Doesn’t that dilute the vote for Joe Miller? This would be another magic bullet ya think?
Indeed I do Jackie. My gut tells me she won’t do it but if she does its a big ole win for us.
P.S. I am so wound up I can hardly stand it.
What’s going on? Just got done with work so have I missed something?
Pace yourself dear friend. We still have 48 more days of this to get through.
Well, I could not be happier with or prouder of our VPOTUS.
How Rachel Maddow could deliver that inaccurate summation at the end beats me, especially since we just heard the VP’s explanation, which I thought was good and thorough. The President does not govern by fiat. Congress makes the laws. Whatever deals, compromises and balancing acts are struck must be done in order to keep Democrats in purple/red districts alive after they cast their votes. The choice is not between this and a liberal fairyland where all dreams come true but between this and nothing.
End of rant. *splashes cold water on face*
Don’t mind me.
I recorded Rachel and will watch later. Did you all see this power couple tonight. Was this streamed?
http://www.daylife.com/photo/01Fx7MPgqJ3di?q=Michelle+Obama
Oh, they look splendid! CNN said they would stream, but I never caught it.
Oops, I mean FLOTUS’s address was to be streamed. CHC doesn’t seem to have a YouTube channel, so no video.
Hopefully, we will see it at some point. I know if there is a video out there you will find it Kat.
TheFoodChannel | September 15, 2010 -
First Lady Michelle Obama: Remarks to the National Restaurant Association Board of Directors on Childhood Obesity, Part 1
First Lady Michelle Obama: Remarks to the National Restaurant Association Board of Directors on Childhood Obesity, Part 2
Lawmakers say Obama promises he’ll push DREAM Act
9/20/10 By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, AP
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is promising to work with senators to help pass legislation allowing thousands of young people who attend college or join the military to become legal U.S. residents, according to Hispanic lawmakers who met Thursday with the president.
“The president made it absolutely clear to us that he would leave no stone unturned” in pushing for Senate approval of what’s known as the DREAM Act, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Calif., said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he wants to add the immigration measure to a defense policy bill the Senate plans to take up before lawmakers leave town to campaign for the November elections.
Republicans oppose that move and have accused Reid of playing politics with the bills.
Some military leaders support Reid because of the recruitment potential for the armed services. Under the bill, the young people must have come to the U.S. before age 16 and have lived here for five years. At least two years of military service would be required.
“The president noted that it is time to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents, especially when those youth grew up in America and want to serve this country in the military or pursue a higher education,” the White House said in a statement after Obama’s meeting at the White House with Gutierrez, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
When Obama was a senator he supported the DREAM Act, which has been kicking around Congress for nearly a decade.
The meeting followed Obama’s speech Wednesday night at a Hispanic awards dinner, where he urged Latinos not to punish Democrats at the polls because he’s been unable to keep his promise to sign a comprehensive immigration bill into law.
Advocates, meanwhile, are launching a major lobbying effort for DREAM, enlisting educators, clergy and others to press senators to back the measure.
Velazquez said passing the bill “is the right thing to do. It’s a matter of fairness for thousands and thousands of young kids” who entered the country illegally with their families. She and others say they should not be punished.
Republicans contend that the bill rewards law breakers.
“The DREAM Act is yet another attempt by Washington Democrats to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who have broken our laws,” said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga.
Carlos Saavedra, national coordinator of United We Dream, a coalition of student immigrant advocacy groups, said voters who care about the issue will be watching how senators vote on the bill.
“Folks are literally dropping their lives right now to work on this,” Saavedra said Thursday. “This is one of our last chances to get some justice to the immigrant community and immigrant youth. It’s huge.”
Office of the Press Secretary, September 18, 2010:
Proclamation for Release – National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2010
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Education is critical to our children’s future and to the continued growth and prosperity of our Nation. To maintain our leadership in the global economy, we have an obligation to provide a high quality education to our children and ensure they can obtain higher education and job training. Currently, Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in our Nation, and they have been a vital force of innovation and development. As we look to deliver a world class education that will determine America’s success in the 21st century, we must ensure Hispanics have access to the resources and tools needed to compete and thrive.
Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are key members of our higher education system and vital sources of strength for our Nation’s students. They play an important role in attracting underrepresented Americans to science, technology, engineering, and math fields that will be pivotal in the 21st century economy. HSIs are committed to improving the lives of their students as well as helping revitalize the communities where they serve. Graduates of these institutions are helping expand our economy and enriching all aspects of our national life.
To prepare the next generation of great American leaders, my Administration has set a goal to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Enhancing educational opportunities for Hispanics will be vital to achieving this objective, and we will need the continued leadership of our HSIs to increase the enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of our Hispanic students. Working together, we will open doors of opportunity for all our children and help them succeed on a global stage.
This week, we celebrate the contributions of the more than 200 Hispanic Serving Institutions in communities across our country, and we recognize the students, alumni, parents, teachers, and school leaders whose vision and dedication has brightened countless futures. We will need their dreams and hard work, ideas and talents, perseverance and daring in the days ahead to build a stronger, more prosperous tomorrow for our Nation.
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 September 19 through September 25, 2010, as National Hispanic Serving Institutions Week. I call upon all public officials, educators, and people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that acknowledge the contributions these institutions and their graduates have made to our country.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
cmcmediatv | April 01, 2009 -
Northeastern Illinois University (in Spanish)
Founded in 1867, Northeastern Illinois University continues to meet the demand for quality, affordable education, serving 12,000 students at the 67-acre main campus on Chicago’s north side and three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. NEIU is the most diverse university in the Midwest (according to U.S. News and World Report) and a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution.
DREAM Act dies with rejection of defense bill when Republicans blocked a defense spending bill in the Senate
9/21/2010 By SUZANNE GAMBOA- AP
WASHINGTON—The chance for hundreds of thousands of young people to legally remain in the U.S. evaporated Tuesday when Republicans blocked a defense spending bill in the Senate.
Democrats failed to get a single Republican to help them reach the 60 votes needed to move forward on the defense bill and attach the DREAM Act as an amendment. The vote was 56-43. Arkansas Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor voted with Republicans. Majority Leader Harry Reid also voted to block the bill in a procedural move that allows the defense bill to be revived later.
The DREAM Act allows young people to become legal U.S. residents after spending two years in college or the military. It applies to those who were under 16 when they arrived in the U.S., have been in the country at least five years and have a diploma from a U.S. high school or the equivalent.
Several young people who would have benefited from the legislation watched the vote from the gallery, some wearing graduation caps and gowns. Many sat stone-faced when the vote tally was read. A young woman dressed in a gold cap and gown wiped away tears.
Most of the young immigrants knew victory was unlikely, but in the hours before the vote they walked the hallways of a Senate office building trying to drum up support.
“I was kind of speechless. It’s something that hurt, but we are not stopping. They only gave us a chance and more time to get even bigger,” said Diana Banderas, who graduated rom high school in May and plans to go to community college after earning the money she needs to attend.
For the entire article: http://bit.ly/cmoUNn
SenateDemocrats | September 21, 2010 -
DREAM Act Would Offer Troops a Path to Citizenship
Senator Dick Durbin today was joined by DREAM Act supporters to push for 60 votes in order to begin debating the Defense Authorization bill. Once on the bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had scheduled a vote on an amendment containing the DREAM Act.
SenateDemocrats | September 21, 2010 -
Fight For DREAM Act Continues So More May Serve
The Defense Authorization bill was defeated today 56-43, as not a single GOP Senator agreed to open debate on the bill. By not allowing the Senate to open debate on the bill, the DREAM Act would not have a chance to voted on as an amendment. Senators Durbin, Reid and Inouye, however, vowed to keep fighting for passage of the DREAM Act.
PhoenixNewTimes.com, Sept. 20, 2010:
John McCain’s Shame: Blocking the Dream Act
By Stephen Lemons
I stopped by DREAM Army headquarters last night to watch Michael Nazario put his wannabe-U.S. troops through the paces.
See, Nazario and other members of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition have been camped out since last week near U.S. Senator John McCain’s Phoenix office, at the corner of 16th Street and Missouri Avenue.
Sunday, Nazario, a former member of the Junior ROTC, schooled about 30 teenagers and twentysomethings on some basic moves, saluting, right-face, at ease. They were preparing for a demonstration today at the state Capitol, where they will rally for their cause.
They want McCain to support the legislation, which would allow young men and women brought to the U.S. from other countries when they were kids to apply for temporary residency. If within six years they earn a college degree or serve in the military, they could score a green card.
“We have a lot of young men and women who have been here with us who really want to be in the service,” Nazario, 21, told me. “But because of their status, they’re unable to.”
In fact DREAM Act students live in a legal limbo. Although they’ve been educated in our K-12 public schools, as is mandated by the federal courts, they graduate from high school to a world of little hope, where they can’t even score a driver’s license or work legally.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is attaching the long-floundering DREAM Act to the Defense Authorization bill, along with a repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Although McCain has backed DREAM Act legislation many times in the past, he’s now opposing it, as is Sand Land’s junior Senator Jon Kyl….
http://bit.ly/aBwDhQ
michelerudy | September 20, 2010 -
DREAM Army Commander Michael Nazario speaks in front of the State Capitol.
[From YouTube text]: …. Senator McCain, sir. I want an opportunity to be a marine, to do something greater for myself and others. You and I have many things in common. One of them is love for this country. I am asking you to step up and be a leader in this moment. I am asking you to lead courageously so that I can serve.
NOLA.com, Sept. 20, 2010:
Immigration debate finds focus in DREAM Act
…. “It’s the right thing to do it,” [President] Obama said of the act, which would give undocumented students a chance to earn legal status if they came here as children, are long-term residents, are of “good character,” and complete two years of college or military service. “We should get it done.”
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/09/immigration_debate_finds_focus.html
StartLoving3 | September 16, 2010 -
President Obama tells the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute: DREAM Act is the right thing to do.
President Obama: Senate has a chance to do the right thing; in the past, the DREAM Act was supported by a majority of Democrats AND Republicans
whitehouse | July 01, 2010 -
President Obama on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
President Obama calls for both parties to come together to fix a broken immigration system and implement comprehensive reform that demands accountability from government, from businesses, and from individuals.
Obama hopes GOP will ‘come to senses’ on DREAM Act after Nov.
09/26/10 By Mike Lillis – TheHill.com
Accusing Republicans of killing the DREAM Act for political ends, President Obama this weekend vowed to renew the fight for passage after November’s midterms.
“My hope is that after the election maybe some of the Republicans who previously had supported these measures will come back and come to their senses and recognize that this is the right thing to do,” Obama said Saturday in an interview with Univision, a Spanish-language station, from the White House Rose Garden. “And I’m going to push very hard to see if we can get it done.”
The Senate last week shot down the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act by a vote of 56 to 43. Every Republican — as well as Arkansas Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor — opposed the measure.
Both sides accused the other of playing politics with the vote. Republicans slammed the Democrats for attaching the DREAM Act language to a larger defense spending bill, while Democrats accused past GOP supporters — including Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Orrin Hatch (Utah) and Robert Bennett (Utah) — of flip-flopping to deny the Democrats a political victory just before the midterms.
The DREAM Act would offer a pathway to citizenship for young adults with two years of college or military service. The benefits would apply to those who arrived in the U.S. before age 16 and have lived in the country for at least five years. To be eligible, applicants would have to have a high school diploma, or the equivalent, from a U.S. school.
“Maybe after this election,” Obama said Saturday, “[Republicans] will come to their senses and say [that] instead of trying to play politics with this issue let’s try to solve the problem.”
For the entire article: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/120951-obama-hopeful-republicans-will-come-to-their-senses-on-dream-act-after-elections
Este miércoles, funcionarios de la Administración Participarán en una Asamblea Pública Sobre la Reforma de Salud por Radio La Tricolor
Posted by Luis Miranda on September 28, 2010
Este miércoles, Cecilia Muñoz, Directora de Asuntos Intergubernamentales de la Casa Blanca, y Mayra Alvarez, Directora de Política de Salud Pública en la Oficina de Reforma de Salud del Departamento de Salud, participarán en una asamblea pública en españolpor la cadena de radio La Tricolor de Entravisión. Durante el programa tomarán preguntas de la la comunidad hispana sobre los beneficios de la reforma de salud y las nuevas protecciones que entraron en vigor la semana pasada, seis meses luego de la promulgación de La Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio promulgada por el Presidente Obama. La reforma de salud es importante en particular para los hispanos, ya que uno de cada tres carece de seguro médico y casi la mitad no tienen un doctor consistente.
Las nuevas medidas que entraron en vigor la semana pasada harán que las aseguradoras rindan cuentas por sus actos, reducirá el costo del cuidado de salud, garantizará más opciones de cuidado y mejorará la calidad de cuidado para los hispanos y todos los estadounidenses. El programa comenzará a las 6pm PT (9pm ET) por la cadena La Tricolor. Sintonize por las estaciones locales de la Tricolor que incluyen la KDLD-FM y KDLE- FM (Los Angeles), KMXX-FM (El Centro/Yuma), KLOK-FM (Salinas/Monterey), KMIX-TV (Stockton y Modesto), KRCX-FM (Sacramento), KRNV-FM (Reno), KQRT-FM (Las Vegas), KRZY-AM (Albuquerque), KLNZ-FM (Phoenix), KYSE-FM (El Paso), KBZO-FM (Lubbock), KXPK-FM (Denver) y KPVW-FM (Aspen) o escuchen en vivo aquí.
El 23 de septiembre, cruciales nuevas medidas de protección al consumidor– una Carta de Derechos del Paciente– comenzaron a entrar en vigor. La Carta de Derechos del Paciente lleva a su fin los peores abusos de las compañías de seguros y pone a los consumidores, no las aseguradoras, a cargo de su cuidado de salud. Entre las nuevas medidas de protección se encuentran:
* Prohibir la discriminación contra niños con enfermedades preexistentes
* Prohibir que las aseguradoras cancelen cobertura
* Prohibir que las aseguradoras limiten la cobertura
* Prohibir que las aseguradoras limiten los médicos que se pueden escoger
* Prohibir que las aseguradoras restrinjan la atención en la sala de urgencias
* Garantizar su derecho a apelar
* Ofrecer cobertura a adultos jóvenes por medio del plan de un padre
* Cubrir la atención preventiva gratuita
Para leer más acerca de estas protecciones, pulse aquí o visite CuidadoDeSalud.gov.
Luis Miranda es Director de Medios Hispanos de la Casa Blanca
Immigration Advocates Target GOP In DREAM Act Ads
10/2/10 by Corey Dade – NPR
To mobilize Hispanic voters in November, big labor and advocates of liberal efforts at overhauling immigration laws have announced a $300,000 ad campaign attacking Republican Senators for blocking passage of the so-called DREAM Act.
The ad will air on Spanish-language radio stations in Arizona, Florida, Nevada and other states with large Latino populations. The effort was conceived and funded by the Service Employees International Union, Mi Familia Vota and America’s Voice, which say the $300,000 is the most ever spent on a Spanish-language radio campaign by groups such as theirs to make their case on immigration.
A solid Hispanic turnout could tip a number of close races, but Latinos, like many other voters who traditionally lean toward Democratic candidates, have yet to strongly engage in this election season. Because Latinos overwhelmingly support efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, organizers hope the ad campaign can shake them from their malaise.
The DREAM Act became ready fodder when it died in the Senate on Sept. 22 after Democrats failed to get a single Republican to vote in support, including among from Republicans who had favored the measure in the past.
“For us, it really starts with the sense that fixing the economy requires fixing or reforming our broken immigration system,” SEUI spokesman Teddy Davis says. “We need to stop exploiting our undocumented workers or it’s going to drag down the floor on all workers. So it has an impact on everyone.”
The DREAM Act would establish a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants younger than 36 who arrived in the United States as children, have lived here for five years or more, and are attending college or serving in the military. More than 800,000 of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the nation could have been eligible.
For the entire article and audio interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130269189
Declaraciones del Presidente Barack Obama
Mensaje semanal
2 de octubre, 2010
En los últimos 20 meses, nos hemos estado esforzando por no sólo generar más empleos ahora, sino por reconstruir nuestra economía con cimientos más sólidos. Nuestro futuro como nación depende de asegurarnos de que se generen los empleos e industrias del siglo XXI aquí en Estados Unidos. Y probablemente no existe una industria con más potencial para generar empleo ahora –y para crecer en el futuro– que la energía limpia.
Durante décadas, hemos hablado sobre la importancia de dejar de depender del petróleo extranjero y dedicarnos a nuevos tipos de energía, como la eólica y solar. Pero a la vez, los intereses especiales y sus aliados en Washington han impedido el progreso en todo momento.
Por lo tanto, año tras año, nuestra dependencia del petróleo extranjero ha aumentado. Las familias han sido víctimas de grandes aumentos en el precio de la gasolina. Buenos empleos en producción industrial se han trasladado al extranjero. Y hemos visto a empresas producir nuevas tecnologías de energía y empleos de alta capacitación en países como China y la India y Alemania en vez de Estados Unidos.
Por eso era esencial –para nuestra economía, nuestra seguridad y nuestro planeta– que finalmente le hiciéramos frente a este desafío. Por eso, desde que asumimos el mando, mi gobierno hizo el histórico compromiso de promover la tecnología de energía limpia. Esto se traducirá en cientos de miles de nuevos empleos en Estados Unidos para el 2012. Empleos para los contratistas que instalen ventanas y aislamiento para ahorrar energía. Empleos para obreros de fábrica que construyan baterías de alta tecnología para vehículos, además de autos eléctricos y camiones híbridos. Empleos para los ingenieros y las cuadrillas de construcción que construyan granjas de viento y plantas solares que aumentarán al doble la energía renovable que podemos generar en este país. Se trata de empleos para forjar el futuro.
Por ejemplo, quiero compartir con ustedes un nuevo acontecimiento, que es posible gracias a los incentivos de energía limpia que creamos. Este mes en el desierto Mojave, una empresa llamada BrightSource planea comenzar a construir un nuevo y revolucionario tipo de planta de energía solar. Se pondrá a trabajar en la construcción de la planta de vanguardia a aproximadamente 1000 personas. Y cuando esté lista, convertirá luz solar en energía para hasta 140,000 viviendas, la mayor planta de este tipo en el mundo. No en China, no en la India sino en California.
Con proyectos como éste y otros en este país, estamos reclamando nuestro continuo liderazgo en la nueva economía mundial. Y estamos poniendo a estadounidenses a trabajar en la producción de energía limpia y generada dentro del país que ayudará a reducir nuestra dependencia del petróleo extranjero y a proteger a nuestro planeta para beneficio de generaciones futuras.
Sin embargo, en Washington hay quienes quieren hacer que dejen de operar. Es más, en la Promesa que los líderes republicanos recientemente dieron a conocer, están prometiendo poner fin a todos los proyectos de energía limpia, incluidos aquéllos en marcha, a pesar de todos los empleos y el potencial que conllevan.
Eso no tiene sentido para nuestra economía. No tiene sentido para los estadounidenses que están buscando empleo. Y no tiene sentido para el futuro. Dar marcha atrás y eliminar estos planes significa entregarles nuestra ventaja competitiva a China y otros países. Significa que nos volveremos incluso más dependientes del petróleo extranjero. Y, en un momento de dificultades económicas, significa renunciar a empleos que necesitamos urgentemente. Es más, eliminar este proyecto nos costaría unos 1000 empleos.
Eso es lo que está en juego en este debate. Podemos regresar a la fracasada política energética que producía ganancias para las empresas petroleras pero debilitaba a nuestro país. Podemos regresar a los tiempos en que las industrias con promesa se establecían en el extranjero. O podemos ir en busca de nuevos empleos en industrias que están creciendo. Y podemos promover la innovación y ayudar a hacer a nuestra economía más competitiva. Sabemos cuál opción es la acertada para Estados Unidos. Necesitamos hacer lo que siempre hemos hecho: poner nuestra ingeniosidad y espíritu intrépido a trabajar por un futuro más prometedor.
Gracias.
State lawmakers preparing citizenship legislation
10/19/10 PAUL DAVENPORT and AMANDA LEE MYERS, AP
PHOENIX – Lawmakers in at least 14 states are collaborating on proposed legislation to deny U.S. citizenship to children of illegal immigrants, according to lawmakers, including the sponsor of Arizona’s 2010 law targeting illegal immigration.
“We’re taking a leadership role on things that need to be fixed in America. We can’t get Congress to do it,” Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce, of Mesa, said Tuesday. “It’s a national work group so that we have model legislation that we know will be successful, that meets the constitutional criteria.”
The efforts by the state legislators come amid calls to change the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Supporters cite costs to taxpayers for services provided to illegal immigrants and their children.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the founder of a national group of legislators critical of illegal immigration, said the 14th Amendment “greatly incentives foreign invaders to violate our border and our laws.” He had a news conference Tuesday in Harrisburg, Pa., on the multistate endeavor.
The effort could run afoul of the language in the 14th Amendment and lead to a court battle over the constitutionality of the law. But Metcalfe said providing birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants is an “ongoing distortion and twisting” of the amendment.
Metcalfe’s office said lawmakers in at least 12 other states besides Arizona and Pennsylvania said they were making their own announcements about working on the citizenship legislation. Those other states: Alabama, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. Legislators from a total of 41 states are involved in a Metcalfe-founded group concerned with immigration issues.
Pearce was the main sponsor of an Arizona law that would require police enforcing other laws to question people about their immigration status if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the United States illegally. It was to go into effect this summer, but a judge put on hold key provisions pending the resolution of a legal challenge.
Pearce also was the chief sponsor of a 2007 state law targeting employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
He and fellow Arizona legislators plan a Tuesday afternoon news conference to formally announce the effort.
Pearce said the legislation has yet to be drafted, and he declined to comment on possible approaches, including whether it would focus on the issuance of state birth certificates.
“We’re going to address the issue of the unconstitutional declaration of citizenship to those born to non-citizens,” Pearce said. “It is a violation of the 14th Amendment.”
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/bnCayj
October 19, 2010
Remarks by the President at Signing of Executive Order for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
East Room
2:11 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Excellent. Everybody, please be seated. Welcome to the White House, everybody. Thank you, Javier, for that outstanding introduction. I will not play you chess. (Laughter.) You may not have won at the nationals, but you’d beat me. (Laughter.) And then Malia and Sasha would laugh about it. (Laughter.) We are very proud of you and we’re glad you are here.
Thank you also to the University of Texas Pan American Mariachis that performed for us. (Applause.) And hello to everybody across the country participating in watch parties and in education reform efforts in your own communities. It’s precisely that kind of participation –- engaging the American people, giving all of you more say in the policies that affect your lives, and holding ourselves accountable to deliver real results in return –- that is at the heart of a new Executive Order I’m about to sign to strengthen the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. (Applause.)
Now, before I sign this document, I’d like to acknowledge a few people who have been and will continue to be instrumental to our success: our Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana — (applause) — our Assistant Secretary for Post-Secondary Education, Eduardo Ochoa — (applause) — and our Assistant Deputy Secretary, Rosalinda Barrera. (Applause.)
I also want to thank Eduardo Padrón, the President of Miami Dade Community College, who has been a leader in my administration’s efforts to strengthen America’s community colleges. And because that’s not enough, in addition to running a community college he’s also agreed to serve as the chair of this initiative’s Presidential Advisory Commission. So we are grateful to you. (Applause.) This will be a group of 30 Latino leaders who are going to make sure that, when it comes to our children’s education, my administration hears the voices of the Latino community loud and clear.
And I also want to give a special recognition to our recently-confirmed Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Raul Yzaguirre. (Applause.) It was Raul’s vision and tenacious commitment to equal education for all our people that helped this initiative become a reality back in 1990 under George H.W. Bush. And so we are very proud that he is here today to see that his work continues.
The question then back in 1990 is the same question we face now: How do we best improve educational opportunities and outcomes for our Hispanic students? Over the past year and a half, under Juan Sepúlveda’s leadership — and Juan, thank you for your outstanding work — (applause) — over the last year and a half, this initiative has worked to gather the answers from those who know best — people in communities across this country. Juan hosted more than a hundred conversations. He’s taken comments from more than 10,000 Americans. And he’s worked with leaders from more than 30 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to come up with real solutions that work best for our kids.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/19/remarks-president-signing-executive-order-white-house-initiative-educati
whitehouse | October 19, 2010 -
Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
President Obama speaks about improving educational opportunities and outcomes for Hispanic students as he signs the Executive Order for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
SHARING THEIR DREAMS
10/19/10 POLITICO
President Obama renewed his pledge to pass immigration legislation on Tuesday, telling Hispanic leaders at the White House that the DREAM Act would let more Latinos go to college and serve in the military.
“Congress should finally pass the DREAM Act,” Obama said at a ceremony to sign an executive order on education as the guests applauded. “I have supported this bill for years, and I’ll do everything it takes to sign it into law.”
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FIRED UP…!!
READY TO GO..!!!
Si Se Puede!
Si Nosotros Podemos!
¡Obámanos!
“No Regresemos”
Piolín a Obama: “Muchos hispanos están decepcionados con usted”
10/23/10 http://piolin.univision.com
Obama visitó la casa de Piolín
LOS ANGELES, California – El locutor Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo encendió los micrófonos de su programa para que -entre otros temas de sumo interés para la comunidad hispana- el presidente Barack Obama hiciera frente a las promesas de campaña en materia migratoria que cuando era candidato realizó en el programa Piolín por la Mañana en 2008.
La entrevista completa será transmitida al aire y por internet la mañana del lunes a través de las emisoras radiales en donde se escucha el Show de Piolín por la Mañana, a partir de las 12 p.m. Este/9 a.m. Pacífico.
Haz click para escuchar la entrevista completa
En el marco electoral que rodeó la visita presidencial a California, Piolín dijo a Obama: “Muchos hispanos están decepcionados con usted por la falta la reforma migratoria, ¿cómo viene a pedir por votos?”, preguntó el conductor del programa al jefe de estado.
“Yo también estoy decepcionado…” comenzó a responder el mandatario.
El desempleo fue otro de los temas de urgencia que Piolín trató con Obama de forma directa: “¿Qué tiene que decir usted a los 15 millones de desempleados en Estados Unidos?”
Estas y muchas otras preguntas que los radioescuchas de Piolín le hicieron llegar al presidente fueron planteadas por el locutor.
Por Mas: http://piolin.univision.com/article/2010-10-23/obama-responde-a-piolin
Nevada’s Spanish-language newspapers support Harry Reid
10/26/10 Jessica Puente – The Daily Caller
Spanish-language newspapers in Nevada agree: Nevada GOP U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle is not their friend.
“In all of our existence as a publication we have never supported one candidate over another. But the language and strong images against our community expressed by Mrs. Angle obligates us to defend our people,” the newspaper Prensa Latina Las Vegas said, in translation.
Spanish-language newspapers in Nevada have made it clear Angle is not the candidate the Latino community should be voting for. They criticize Angle for supposedly wanting to eliminate Social Security, opposition to the DREAM Act and support for Arizona’s strict new immigration law. In contrast, they claim that her opponent, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, is a friend of Nevada’s Latino community.
“Sharron Angle ignores us, she doesn’t want to meet with us and she doesn’t want anything to do with us,” Hernando Amaya, editor of El Tiempo Las Vegas, told The Daily Caller. “[Harry Reid] has always been here, he comes on the weekends when he isn’t in session and spends time with the community. He is someone who has always supported the Hispanic community.”
Editor of La Prensa Latina, Armando Nevárez, told TheDC that Angle has taken a “radical position” against Hispanics in Nevada and claims the Republican candidate supports profiling not only illegal immigrants but all immigrants.
Reid is also targeting Latino voters by airing ads on Latino radio stations, saying, “If Sharron Angle wins, our kids lose.” The ads also criticize Angle for being unsupportive of the Hispanic community.
Angle’s campaign did not return a request for comment. She currently holds a narrow lead over Reid according to the Real Clear Politics average.
¿CÓMO SE DICE ‘TWO-FACED’?
Meg Whitman’s New Spanish-Language Ad: I ‘Stood Up Against The Arizona Law’
10/26/10 Amanda Terkel – Huffington Post
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is out with a new Spanish-language ad, attempting to make a last-minute appeal to the state’s Latino voters by telling them that she “stood up against” Arizona’s controversial immigration law.
English translation of the ad:
VISUAL: CLIP OF MISLEADING AD AGAINST WHITMAN
SUPER: Jerry Brown’s lies
ANNOUNCER: Don’t be fooled by Jerry Brown. Meg Whitman stood up against the Arizona law. She stood by us.
Why is Brown lying? To fool us.
SUPER: Better Jobs
Meg is the only candidate with a good plan to create jobs.
SUPER: Better Schools.
The only one who can fix our public schools.
The choice? Better jobs and Better schools.
SUPER: LOTS OF JOBS LOST
Or the same old failures from Jerry Brown. We lost jobs when he was Governor.
MAN: Don’t be fooled by Jerry Brown.
The Huffington Post confirmed that the ad began airing Monday statewide on Spanish-language stations Univision, Telemundo and TeleFutura.
Democrats and many Latino organizations have been critical of Whitman’s outreach, especially her statements on SB-1070, Arizona’s immigration law.
“Meg Whitman is trying to have it both ways on Arizona’s ‘papers please’ immigration law,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, “but, no matter how many billboards she can afford, the truth is she can’t say one thing in English and turn around and say another in Spanish. She said she supported Arizona’s decision to pursue SB 1070, and now she is trying to spend her way out of the mess, en Español. Good luck with that.”
Sharry was referencing a July statement by Whitman, where she said, “The states have got to be able to decide what is right for their state. So I would let the Arizona law stand for Arizona.”
Hector M. Barajas, a spokesman for Whitman, dismissed any claims of inconsistency. “Democrats and their union buddies are always going to disapprove of any ad we put up there,” he said. Barajas pointed to Whitman’s statement that she would veto such legislation if it ever came across her desk while she was governor of California, saying that has been her position since the primary.
“She says that every state has to make a decision on their own as to what they deal with in their own laws,” said Barajas. “Now in California, she’s running for governor of California. In California, if a similar type of law came about, she would veto it.”
Politico’s Ben Smith writes that while Whitman does oppose an SB-1070-type law for California, that’s not “exactly the same as being ‘against the Arizona law,’ as the new ad says.”
In addition to ads, Whitman has been paying for Spanish-language billboards and mailers to appeal to Latino voters. However, she is opposed to the DREAM Act, legislation popular in the Latino community because it would extend a path to citizenship for children who were brought to this country undocumented by their parents and who are now seeking higher education. A recent poll — taken after a controversy over Whitman’s former housekeeper who claimed to be undocumented at the time of her employment — shows Brown with a considerable lead over Whitman amongst Latino voters.
Nearly 20 percent of California’s 17 million registered voters are Latino.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/26/meg-whitman-latino-outreach-ad-spanish_n_774454.html
Michelle Obama visita a Piolín por la Mañana
Fecha: 26/10/2010 Univision Radio
LOS ANGELES, California – El reconocido locutor Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo no se conformó con entrevistar en exclusiva esta semana al presidente Barack Obama. Los estudios de su programa Piolín por la Mañana se visten nuevamente de etiqueta con la visita especial de la primera dama de Estados Unidos, Michelle Obama, quien se encuentra de visita en el sur de California.
Escucha el Show de Piolín para que no te pierdas la entrevista
“Es un honor darle la bienvenida otra vez a la Primera Dama y entrevistarla en ‘Piolín por la Mañana’ “, expresó Piolín, al destacar que es la segunda vez que Michelle Obama visita los estudios de su programa.
No obstante, lo más importante para Piolín es que por segunda ocasión en una semana, sus oyentes en todo el país tienen acceso directo a la primera familia de Estados Unidos.
Este lunes se transmitió una entrevista que el reconocido locutor le hizo al presidente Obama, en la que le preguntó qué hace falta para lograr la aprobación de una reforma migratoria amplia que legalice a
los más de 12 millones de indocumentados que viven en Estados Unidos.
“Esta segunda visita histórica a nuestros estudios les dará a los hispanos, una vez más esta semana, acceso a la primera familia discutiendo asuntos de importancia para nuestra comunidad”, destacó el conductor radial.
Por mas: http://piolin.univision.com/article/2010-10-26/michelle-obama-visita-a-piolin
Michelle Obama: “Yo mando, él está ocupado
29/10/10 noticias.aol.com
LOS ANGELES, California-
El locutor Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo entrevistó en su programa “Piolin por la Mañana” a la primera dama de Estados Unidos, Michelle Obama y ella le aseguró entre risas que era quien mandaba en la Casa Blanca.
“Sí, yo mando. Él está ocupado. El tiene cosas que hacer. Y esto probablemente no es diferente de como era antes de que nos hiciéramos residentes de la Casa Blanca”, explicó Michelle.
Lee la entrevista completa aquí:
(EPS es Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo y FLOTUS por sus siglas en inglés Primera Dama de los Estados Unidos Michelle Obama)
FLOTUS:Gracias. Tu introducción siempre es muy emocional y muy generosa. Así que gracias.
EPS: Señora Obama, es magnífico tenerla aquí con nosotros otra vez. Aprendemos mucho de usted y del Presidente Obama. Ustedes son personas auténticas.
FLOTUS: Gracias.
EPS: Lo vemos muy claramente.
FLOTUS: Estoy honrada de estar de regreso. Me divertí mucho la primera vez que estuve aquí. Fue una de las muchas experiencias que verdaderamente destacan en mi mente durante mi tiempo en la campaña. Es magnífico estar de regreso como la Primera Dama. Gracias por tenerme aquí.
EPS: Cuando usted vino, Sasha estaba con usted. Y Malía estaba con usted. Y se divirtieron mucho con nosotros. Lo recuerdo.
FLOTUS: Y han crecido. Eran niñas muy pequeñas y ahora son señoritas jóvenes. Están prosperando mucho y yo he invertido una gran parte de mi tiempo durante el último año y medio asegurándome que se estén acostumbrando a una vida muy interesante, tratando de lograr que sigan teniendo una vida normal y con los pies en la tierra, dentro de lo que se puede. Les quiero dar las gracias a todos sus radioescuchas porque la gente nos manda sus oraciones. No importa en dónde estamos. La gente me detiene y me preguntan sobre las niñas y me dicen que están orando por nosotros. Y esto significa mucho para nosotros, es un trabajo difícil y es bueno saber que la gente nos está enviando buenos deseos.
EPS:¿Cuál es su programa matutino de radio favorito en Washington, D.C.? Por cierto ahora puede escucharnos en Washington, D.C.
FLOTUS: Desafortunadamente no puedo escuchar mucho la radio. Ésa es una de las cosas que me doy cuenta que me falta por que cuando era una persona común y corriente, escuchaba la radio en el automóvil. Ahora, no manejo mi propio automóvil. [Risas] Así que –
Por Mas: http://noticias.aol.com/2010/10/29/piolin-entrevista-michelle-obama/
The GOP war on ‘anchor babies’
11/19/10 TheWeek.com
New York – Blocking citizenship for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants is a top priority for some House Republicans. Can they do it?
The incoming Republican chairman of the House subcommittee on immigration, Rep. Steve King (R-IA), has set his top priority: Repeal the U.S. “birthright citizenship” granted to all U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants under the 14th Amendment. King argues that these so-called anchor babies are an unfair drain on taxpayer dollars, and offer their undocumented parents a stealth path to citizenship. While some GOP leaders support King’s drive, is it good policy… or bad politics?
What happened to Constitutional conservatism? The newly elected class of Republicans campaigned on “defending” the Constitution, says Cynthia Tucker in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But if their first goal is gutting the 14th Amendment — rather than, say, creating jobs — it’s not the Democrats who “don’t care so much about fealty to the Constitution,” it’s the “radical” GOP.
“Radical Republicans want to ignore the Constitution”
It’s time for Congress to take action: King’s got the right idea, says Bruce Maiman at Examiner.com, but his proposal doesn’t directly tackle the real problem: The vague language of the 14th Amendment. Ideally, Congress would revise the amendment so that it clearly requires that one parent be a citizen before a child can become one too.
“House conservatives target ‘anchor babies‘”
This is political suicide: King’s bill would never pass the Senate, let alone the courts, says the Los Angeles Times in an editorial. The only thing it would do is alienate Latino voters. And that’s just bad politics. Latinos are a rapidly growing electoral force, and they “are not, by any means, monolithic Democratic voters” — yet. If GOP leaders don’t “quash” anti-immigrant talk, they risk losing Latino support.
“Alienating Latinos”
http://theweek.com/article/index/209554/the-gop-war-on-anchor-babies
GOP Candidates Court Hispanic Voters
January 28, 2012 NPR
Summary: Republican candidates’ efforts to win Hispanic voters have intensified in advance of the Florida primary, airing ads in Spanish and contending over immigration. Host Scott Simon speaks with Maria Elena Salinas, co-host of Noticiero Univision, about Hispanic voters’ role in the Republican primary and the upcoming presidential election.
For the entire article and audio interview: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146024081/gop-candidates-court-hispanic-voters
Latino Mormons speaking out against Romney
2/20/12 By RUSSELL CONTRERAS | Associated Press – 5 hrs ago
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — When Honduran-born Antonella Cecilia Packard converted to the Mormon Faith 20 years ago, she said it was like “coming home.”
The Catholic-educated Packard, who grew up in “the middle of Mayan ruins,” appreciated the faith’s strong sense of family and conservative values. She also saw her own history in the Book of Mormon with stories of migrations, tragedies and triumphs of a people many Mormons believe are the ancestors of some present-day Latinos.
But two decades after her conversion while a college student at Mississippi State, the 43-year-old Packard finds herself on a new mission: defeating Mitt Romney and any Mormon politician who betrays what she sees as a basic Mormon principle of protecting immigrants.
As Romney continues to seek the Republican presidential nomination while rarely discussing his faith, a growing number of vocal Hispanic Mormons say they intend to use Mormon teachings as a reason to convince others not to vote for him. They have held firesides (equivalent to a tent revival) on immigration, protested outside of Romney campaign events and have traveled across state lines to help defeat other Mormon politicians with similar harsh immigration stances.
“Yes, we are happy that we have a Mormon running for president,” said Packard, a Saratoga Springs, Utah, resident and member of Somos (We are) Republicans. “But a lot of us aren’t supporting him because of his stance against immigrants.”
While stressing the Mormon faith’s historic connection to converting immigrants, Latino Mormons point directly to immigration stories in the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ recent statements against policies targeting immigrants. They also view Romney’s stance against proposals giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship as hypocritical since Romney’s great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, who had five wives and 30 children, sought refuge in Mexico after passage of an 1882 law that barred polygamy.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/latino-mormons-speaking-against-romney-081631712.html
Villaraigosa LA mayor says Rubio’s DREAM Act would create a ‘second class’
4/29/12 By Brendan Sasso – TheHill
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) said on Sunday that an immigration proposal from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) would create a “second class status” of people in the United States.
“I would support the president’s version of the DREAM Act,” Villaraigosa said, appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I think that Sen. Rubio’s version of the Dream Act would create a second class status for folks.”
But Villaraigosa, chairman of the Democratic convention this summer, added that the country “should engage in a conversation and a debate” about the issue.
The Democratic version of the DREAM Act immigration reform plan would create a path to citizenship for some students who were brought into the country illegally as children. The bill failed to attract enough Republican support to clear the Senate in late 2010.
Rubio’s alternative, which he has yet to formally introduce, would give students legal status through non-immigrant visas, but not citizenship.
For the entire article: http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/224423-la-mayor-rubio-dream-act-would-create-second-class-americans
Reviving the economy must include immigration reform
11/21/2010 By Barbara Boxer- Special to the San Jose Mercury News
Clearly, too many people across our country are still suffering the effects of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Here are five steps we can take immediately to help create jobs:
# We must ensure that the recently signed Small Business Jobs Act is carried out effectively so that small businesses get the credit they need to start hiring again.
# We must ensure that California and other states can continue leading the way toward a clean-energy future and the thousands of jobs that depend on it.
# We must put Californians to work rebuilding our roads, bridges and transit systems, which will create thousands of jobs, especially in the hard-hit construction industry.
# We must offer incentives for U.S.-based companies to bring home billions of dollars sitting offshore from foreign sales, which would be a huge economic boost from the private sector.
# And, we must pass comprehensive immigration reform, which is a vital economic issue. Our broken immigration system does more than just tear apart families, it hurts our economic competitiveness, and it is time we fixed it.
Independent studies have shown that comprehensive immigration reform will create jobs, increase revenues and strengthen our economy. A recent University of Southern California study estimates that the new direct and indirect spending could support 25,000 new jobs here in California and bring in $310 million in additional state income taxes.
Comprehensive reform would boost the U.S. economy as a whole, adding $1.5 trillion to the United States gross domestic product over 10 years, according to the Center for American Progress. What’s more, the higher earning power of newly legalized workers would result in increased tax revenues of $5 billion in the first three years.
When immigrants are able to come out of the shadows, their wages increase, they open bank accounts, buy homes and spend money freely in our communities. And our industries, from agriculture to high-tech, will benefit when they have a reliable and skilled work force.
For the entire article: http://bit.ly/9LKmqv
President Obama on the DREAM Act: “My Administration Will Not Give Up”
Posted by Kori Schulman on December 18, 2010
Following a disappointing vote in the Senate, President Obama released the following statement on the DREAM act:
In an incredibly disappointing vote today, a minority of Senators prevented the Senate from doing what most Americans understand is best for the country. As I said last week, when the House passed the DREAM Act, it is not only the right thing to do for talented young people who seek to serve a country they know as their own, it is the right thing for the United States of America. Our nation is enriched by their talents and would benefit from the success of their efforts. The DREAM Act is important to our economic competitiveness, military readiness, and law enforcement efforts. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. There was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation.
It is disappointing that common sense did not prevail today. But my administration will not give up on the DREAM Act, or on the important business of fixing our broken immigration system. The American people deserve a serious debate on immigration, and it’s time to take the polarizing rhetoric off our national stage.
I thank Senators Durbin, Reid, and Menendez for their tireless efforts. Moving forward, my administration will continue to do everything we can to fix our nation’s broken immigration system so that we can provide lasting and dedicated resources for our border security while at the same time restoring responsibility and accountability to the system at every level.
President Obama on Obstruction of the DREAM Act: “Maybe My Biggest Disappointment” of Last Weeks
12/23/10 Posted by Stephanie Valencia
Today, before leaving for the holiday, President Obama held a news conference to discuss the highlights of the lame duck session. He also discussed in depth his disappointment at Congress’ inability to pass the DREAM Act and spoke with great heart about why it is important to address this important issue, in addition to broader immigration reform, in the coming Congress. Please take a look at the President’s full answer to the question by clicking the link below. It’s well worth the watch.
But I will tell you, maybe my biggest disappointment was this DREAM Act vote. You know, I get letters from kids all across the country — came here when they were five, came here when they were eight; their parents were undocumented. The kids didn’t know — kids are going to school like any other American kid, they’re growing up, they’re playing football, they’re going to class, they’re dreaming about college. And suddenly they come to 18, 19 years old and they realize even though I feel American, I am an American, the law doesn’t recognize me as an American. I’m willing to serve my country, I’m willing to fight for this country, I want to go to college and better myself — and I’m at risk of deportation.
And it is heartbreaking. That can’t be who we are, to have kids — our kids, classmates of our children — who are suddenly under this shadow of fear through no fault of their own. They didn’t break a law — they were kids.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/23/president-obama-obstruction-dream-act-maybe-my-biggest-disappointment-last-weeks
Michelle Obama urges Latino community to pressure GOP to back immigration bill
By Andrew Restuccia – 02/12/11 03:32 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama called on the Latino community to put pressure on Republicans to support comprehensive immigration legislation.
In an interview with Univision, the first lady said President Obama wanted to pass immigration legislation, but could not find enough support among Republicans to move a bill.
The DREAM Act, a bill to give undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children and are pursuing higher education an opportunity to become U.S. citizens, had little support among Republicans, she said. The latest attempt to pass the legislation failed in December.
“So I urge the Latino community, he needs help, he’s got to have Republicans and Democrats in Congress who are going to step up,” the first lady said. “If a sound immigration bill gets put on the President’s desk he is going to sign it. But it’s got to get through Congress. He can’t do it alone.”
Asked if the president pushed hard enough to pass an immigration bill, the first lady defended her husband.
“Immigration reform has been at the top of my husband’s agenda from the minute he thought about running for this office,” she said, adding later, “But people have to know that the President can’t pass immigration reform without the support of Congress and we don’t have that.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/143691-michelle-obama-urges-latino-community-to-pressure-gop-to-support-immigration-bill
Improving Latino Education to Win the Future
Posted by Alejandra Campoverdi on April 27, 2011
Today at a community conversation at Miami-Dade College, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the U.S. Department of Education released the report Winning the Future: Improving Education for the Latino Community. The President will be delivering a commencement address at Miami-Dade College Friday evening. To view the report, click HERE.
The report shows that Hispanic success in education and in the labor market is of immediate and long‐term importance to America’s economy. It also shows that Hispanics have the lowest education attainment level overall of any group in the U.S. Hispanics are by far the largest minority group in today’s American public education system, numbering more than 12.4 million in the country’s elementary, middle and high schools. Nearly 22 percent, or slightly more than 1 in 5, of all pre‐K-12 students enrolled in America’s public schools is Hispanic, but they face persistent obstacles to educational attainment. Less than half are enrolled in any early learning program. Only about half earn their high school diploma on time; those who do complete high school are only half as likely as their peers to be prepared for college and only 4 percent have completed graduate or professional degree programs.
As part of the community conversation in Miami today, Senior Obama Administration officials met with dozens of educators and community leaders, to exchange ideas and outline strategies to meet President Obama’s goal for the nation to have the best-educated workforce in the world by 2020.
Alejandra Campoverdi is the Deputy Director of Hispanic Media.
May 10, 2011
Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in El Paso, Texas
Chamizal National Memorial El Paso, Texas
1:21 P.M. MDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, El Paso! (Applause.) Well, it is wonderful — wonderful to be back with all of you in the Lone Star State. (Applause.) Everything is bigger in Texas. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back! (Applause.) Even the welcomes are bigger. (Applause.) So, in appreciation, I wanted to give a big policy speech outside on a really hot day. (Laughter.) Those of you who are still wearing your jackets, feel free to take them off. I hope everybody is wearing sunscreen.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We live here.
THE PRESIDENT: You say you live here? You don’t need it, huh? (Laughter.) Well, it is a great honor to be here. And I want to express my appreciation to all of you for taking the time to come out today.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. (Applause.)
You know, about a week ago, I delivered a commencement address at Miami Dade Community College, which is one of the most diverse schools in the nation. The graduates were proud that their class could claim heritage from 181 countries around the world — 181 countries. (Applause.)
Many of the students were immigrants themselves, coming to America with little more than the dream of their parents and the clothes on their back. A handful had discovered only in adolescence or adulthood that they were undocumented. But they worked hard and they gave it their all, and so they earned those diplomas.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/10/remarks-president-comprehensive-immigration-reform-el-paso-texas
White House Hispanic Community Action Summits Take the Conversation on the Road
Posted by Stephanie Valencia on August 18, 2011
In July the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics partnered to host the first ever White House Hispanic Policy Conference. Over a two day period, 160 Hispanic leaders from 25 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico joined over 100 Administration officials to discuss the President’s agenda and its impact on the Hispanic community and more importantly, to strategize on how we best move forward together to improve outcomes and access for the Hispanic community.
At the end of the two day conference, several Latino leaders who participated asked us to come to their communities and hold similar gatherings in their cities and states to have the important conversation about how the Administration’s agenda impacts the Hispanic community across the country.
Over the course of the next few months, the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics will partner to take this same format and conversation to several communities across the country. We will be holding over two dozen 1 ½ – 2 day “White House Hispanic Community Action Summits” in cities ranging from Phoenix, Arizona to Miami, Florida, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For the entire article and video:http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/18/white-house-hispanic-community-action-summits-take-conversation-road
Office Hours 8/18/11 or “The Real Fix is the #DREAM Act”: Cecilia Muñoz Answers Your Questions on Twitter
Posted by Kori Schulman on August 18, 2011
Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new strategy that focuses immigration resources in a way that puts public safety and national security first. Following the announcement, Cecilia Muñoz, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, answered your questions on Twitter, submitted with the hashtag #WHChat. See the archive of today’s Office Hours below, or on Storify.
Follow @Whitehouse for the latest from the Administration and upcoming opportunities to engage. We’re always looking for ways to improve. If you have feedback on Office Hours or our online program, let us know. Share your feedback with the hashtag #WHWeb on Twitter or through this web form.\\
Immigrant Integration: Taking the Conversation on the Road
Posted by Felicia Escobar on June 17, 2011
Last week in Kansas City, and earlier this year in Minneapolis, federal agency staff hosted a roundtable discussion that brought together faith-based, educational, and advocacy organizations, business leaders and local government officials.
At the Kansas City event, representatives from Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Citizenship at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security heard from leaders who helped identify best practices and give their ideas about what the federal government can do to help immigrant populations and the communities where they settle.
At the Minneapolis event, representatives from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders led a group of AAPI advocates and community leaders in a frank, constructive discussion about integration successes and challenges and highlighted valuable partnerships they’ve made across business, law enforcement, and community sectors.
And last month at the White House, the Administration highlighted community leaders – from San Diego, CA to Utica, NY – who are working to connect immigrants with critical services to learn English and assist in the naturalization process, as a part of our Champions of Change initiative. But hearing from two cities and bringing a handful of leaders to Washington, DC is not enough. That’s why the Administration is taking the conversation on the road. We believe that community leaders around the country are doing great work to integrate new immigrants into their communities and we want to know about it.
Over the next three months, federal officials will be traveling around the country to gather feedback that will assist us in developing a federal strategy on immigrant integration. Look for us in a city near you.
• Seattle, Washington on July 7th
• Atlanta, GA on July 13th
• Houston, Texas on July 26th
• New York, NY on July 28th
• Los Angeles, CA on August 5th
* Detroit, MI on August 10th
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/17/new-americans-citizenship-and-integration-initiative
Post: Boost for Hispanic outreach
8/22/11 By POLITICO STAFF
The Washington Post pulls back the curtain on the White House’s outreach to Hispanics, particularly a little-noticed meeting with 160 leaders in the community last month during the debt debate:
“For two days, they enjoyed full access to top presidential advisers, Cabinet members and administration officials from across the government. Before the participants left town, they received a glossy 33-page booklet detailing talking points to be shared back home — 1.9 million Hispanics kept out of poverty by the stimulus, $808 million in loans last year to Hispanic small businesses, and an extra $1 billion directed to colleges with large numbers of Hispanic students, to name a few.
“The event was part of broader efforts by the White House and Obama’s reelection campaign to rekindle excitement among Hispanic voters, many of whom have turned their backs on the president amid disappointment over his immigration policies. Key to the strategy is shifting voters’ attention beyond the caustic immigration debate with data-driven appeals that show progress in other areas, while arguing that Obama is better on immigration than any of his potential Republican foes. …
“The White House has lavished attention on Hispanic media, dispatching Obama and other administration officials to frequent appearances on Univision and Telemundo and inviting Hispanic bloggers to coveted encounters with Obama and senior advisers. Obama has sat for some 30 interviews with Hispanic news outlets — including one to be featured this fall in Latina magazine. In video aired during Univision’s annual ‘Premio lo Nuestro,’ a People’s Choice Awards-style music show, Obama rolled his R’s as he peppered his feel-good message with Spanish phrases.”
Republicans are sure to enjoy that line that suggests the administration is aligning its approach with the reelection effort — “broader efforts by the White House and Obama’s reelection campaign” — but the Post adds, “Administration officials say their outreach initiatives — many of which began in 2009 — are not coordinated with the campaign.”
Immigration Update: Maximizing Public Safety and Better Focusing Resources
Posted by Cecilia Muñoz on August 18, 2011
President Obama is deeply committed to fixing our immigration laws and has been aggressively searching for partners in Congress who are willing to work with him to pass a new law. As he focuses on building a new 21st century immigration system that meets our nation’s economic and security needs, the President has a responsibility to enforce the existing laws in a smart and effective manner. This means making decisions that best focus the resources that Congress gives the Executive Branch to do this work. There are more than 10 million people who are in the U.S. illegally; it’s clear that we can’t deport such a large number. So the Administration has developed a strategy to make sure we use those resources in a way that puts public safety and national security first. If you were running a law enforcement agency anywhere in the world, you would target those who pose the greatest harm before those who do not. Our immigration enforcement work is focused the same way.
Under the President’s direction, for the first time ever the Department of Homeland Security has prioritized the removal of people who have been convicted of crimes in the United States. And they have succeeded; in 2010 DHS removed 79,000 more people who had been convicted of a crime compared to 2008. Today, they announced that they are strengthening their ability to target criminals even further by making sure they are not focusing our resources on deporting people who are low priorities for deportation. This includes individuals such as young people who were brought to this country as small children, and who know no other home. It also includes individuals such as military veterans and the spouses of active-duty military personnel. It makes no sense to spend our enforcement resources on these low-priority cases when they could be used with more impact on others, including individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes.
For the entire article:http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/18/immigration-update-maximizing-public-safety-and-better-focusing-resources
New U.S. Deportation Policy Spares Some
8/25/11 by TED ROBBINS – NPR
Immigrants and their lawyers are beginning to see the effects of the White House policy announced last week that downgrades some deportation cases.
The Department of Homeland Security says it hasn’t officially begun to prioritize all 300,000 cases before the nation’s immigration courts, but prosecutors are definitely employing newfound discretion.
Judy Flanagan got a call this week — a call she has never gotten before in many years as an immigration lawyer. It was a prosecutor from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in Phoenix, suggesting that a college student Flanagan represents ought to ask for her deportation case to be dismissed.
“That never happens,” she said. “I’ve asked for prosecutorial discretion in the past, too, for other students, and that didn’t work out too well. They said no.”
This time she didn’t even have to ask. The prosecutor apparently looked at the file and thought the student qualified under the new guidelines. The goal is to prosecute more people convicted of crimes, or back in the U.S. after having already been deported, and to ease off people like 22-year-old Ileana Salinas, Flanagan’s client.
For the entire article and audio interview: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/25/139931008/new-u-s-deportation-policy-spares-some
California Dream Act now on its way to Gov. Brown’s desk
9/4/11 By Laurel Rosenhall | Sacramento Bee
The California state Assembly voted Friday to send Gov. Jerry Brown (D), a bill that allows undocumented immigrant college students to receive publicly funded financial aid.
After a lengthy debate, Assembly Bill 131 — the second part of the controversial measure known as the California Dream Act — cleared the lower house on a 45-27 vote.
“Today is a wonderful day,” said Assemblyman Manuel Pérez, D-Coachella. “Today is a day of hope. Today, there are many students throughout the state of California who are saying, ‘It’s about time.’ ”
The bill allows access to taxpayer-funded financial aid for students who came to the country before age 16, attended a California high school for at least three years and graduated. Democrats argued that providing such students greater access to higher education would improve the state’s economy in the long run by creating a more educated population.
Republicans didn’t see it that way.
They argued that giving scholarships to students who are in the country illegally will encourage more immigrants to come to the state without authorization.
For the entire article: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/09/03/123094/california-dream-act-now-on-its.html
Uploaded by DemocraticVideo on Oct 25, 2011
DNC TV AD: “Decisiones Difíciles”
Mitt Romney: Extreme on immigration
November 23, 2011 Posted by Elizabeth Chan – democrats.org
In last night’s Republican presidential debate, Romney went to the far right of every other candidate, refusing to agree with others on the stage that tearing apart families is wrong or that we shouldn’t implement an extreme and inhumane immigration policy.
That makes him the most extreme, right-wing presidential candidate on the issue of immigration—ever.
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Mitt Romney on Immigration: Dishonest. To the Extreme.
Uploaded by DemRapidResponse on Nov 22, 2011
DNC VIDEO: “Mitt Romney: Dishonest and Extreme on Immigration”
DNC Statement on Mitt Romney Saying He Would Veto the DREAM Act If President
Posted by DNC Press on Saturday, December 31, 2011
After Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said today at a campaign stop in Iowa that he would veto the DREAM Act if it passed and he were president, the DNC’s Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs, Juan Sepúlveda, released the following statement:
“If there had been doubt in anyone’s mind—least of all, Hispanics in America, that Mitt Romney’s far-right views on immigration would make him the most extreme presidential nominee in recent memory, his statement today that he would veto the DREAM Act if he were president is appalling. This piece of legislation has been supported by members of both parties. It is something that Americans can get behind, and it is in line with the spirit of inclusion and diversity of our country that has made our nation great. But Mitt Romney has shown once again that he is out of touch and far to the right of even members of his own party, and that he would not represent the best interest of middle class Americans, those still trying to reach the middle class, and Hispanics in the country. This is in direct contrast to President Obama who strongly supports opening the American Dream for hard-working, patriotic young people who are leaders in their communities today and who are looking for an opportunity to attend college or serve our country in the military, but who can’t, through no fault of their own.”
Source: http://www.democrats.org/news/press/3691
Apoyando Nuestros Suenos
Uploaded by BarackObamadotcom on Feb 23, 2012
Únete a la lucha: https://my.barackobama.com/suenosvid
El Presidente cree firmemente en la noción que, en Estados Unidos, si trabajas duro debes de poder salir adelante. Pero muchos de nuestros jóvenes no tienen esa oportunidad.
Mitt Romney promete vetar la Ley DREAM y la califica como “limosna,” pero los miles de estudiantes indocumentados que podrían ganarse la ciudadanía gracias a la Ley DREAM no buscan cosas gratuitas, sólo quieren una oportunidad para contribuir al único hogar que conocen.
El Presidente Obama sabe que en este país, el trabajo se debe de premiar. El respalda plenamente la ley DREAM, y luchará hasta que se apruebe. Únete a la lucha: https://my.barackobama.com/suenosvid
Romney makes Pete Wilson his honorary California chairman
2/7/12 By Josh Richman – bayareanewsgroup
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday announced the endorsement of former California Gov. Pete Wilson, and named him the Romney campaign’s honorary California chairman — a choice that might not sit well with Latino voters.
“I’m honored to have Governor Pete Wilson‘s support, because he’s one of California’s most accomplished leaders. As governor of California from 1991 to 1999, he led California from the depths of recession to prosperous economic recovery,” Romney said in a news release.
“Taking office with an inherited revenue gap of over $14 million, he left his successor a surplus of over $12.5 million,” Romney continued. “Pete persuaded Democratic Legislative majorities to enact dramatic tax and regulatory relief especially helpful to small businesses.”
But some believe making Wilson the campaign’s honorary chair might alienate California Latino voters still embittered by Wilson’s support of Proposition 187 of 1994, which sought to create a state-run citizenship screening system and bar undocumented immigrants from using health care, public education and other social services.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said Romney “is getting really bad campaign advice.”
“Anybody on the ground in California who was hoping to peel away Latino voters in a general election wouldn’t put Pete Wilson front and center,” Vargas said. “To me it’s baffling.
Meg Whitman learned what a mistake that was for her to do the same in 2010 when she ran for governor — it certainly didn’t work for her.”
For the entire article: http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_19906056?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
Las Dos Caras de Mitt Romney / The Two Faces of Mitt Romney
Uploaded by prioritiesUSAaction on Jan 31, 2012
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Mitt Romney has no shame. He shows one face to the Hispanic community and another completely different one to everyone else.
On the one hand, Romney is a multimillionaire who pays an unfairly low tax rate. But on the other hand, he accuses the hard working immigrants who come to this country of being opportunistic, declaring (at a town hall meeting) that they’re just here looking for handouts.
(Romney soundbite)
“A lot of people just come here that have no skill, no education, and are looking for a free deal.”
Romney says he cares about our children, but time and time again he promises to veto the DREAM Act that would open educational opportunity for young Hispanics.
His Spanish-language ads say Romney “believes in us,” but his deeds speak for themselves.
Let’s not be fooled. He might have two faces, but we know all too well who the true Mitt Romney is.
Priorities USA Action paid for and is responsible for the content of this ad. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Priorities USA action dot org.
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