Friday Open Thread

Happy Friday.

President Barack Obama walks with Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett across West Executive Avenue to the West Wing of the White House, following a Small Business and Health Insurance Reform event. Photo by Pete Souza.

Thanksgiving Open Thread

Happy Thanksgiving.

White House Butlers Ron Guy, left, and Von Everett, set the table in the Cabinet Room of the White House. Photo by Pete Souza.

President Obama's Thanksgiving message

Earlier this afternoon, President Obama sent supporters a special Thanksgiving message of thanks and gratitude:

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.

American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.

Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.

So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.

But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.

The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.

We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.

So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.

It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.

In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.

You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.

So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours.

President Barack Obama

President Obama to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks

The White House announced today that President Obama will travel to Copenhagen on Dec. 9 to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in order to work with the international community to drive progress toward a comprehensive and operational Copenhagen accord. The White House also announced that President Obama is prepared to put on the table a U.S. emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020.

The Washington Post reported that the announcement provides "new momentum" for the talks, saying:

Obama's decision to attend -- and commit to an emission reduction target -- prompted an outpouring of support from the environmental community and its Democratic allies ...

Senate Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry (D-Mass.), who is working to fashion a bipartisan compromise climate bill along with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), said the administration's decision to put specific climate goals on the table at the United Nations-sponsored talks amounts to "a global game changer with big reverberations here at home."

"The Obama administration is now undeniably mustering bonafide leadership on climate change, not merely departing from Bush administration intransigence and ideology," Kerry said. "By announcing a provisional target, contingent on the support of Congress, the president has defined a path to an international agreement that challenges the developed and developing nations of the to fulfill their obligations.

Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America, said it marked the first time Obama has "signaled that he's ready to roll up his sleeves to make a climate change deal happen."

Underscoring President Obama’s commitment to American leadership on clean energy and combating climate change, the White House also announced today that a host of Cabinet secretaries and other top officials from across the Administration will travel to Copenhagen for the conference. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson are all scheduled to attend, along with Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner.

Read the full White House press release...

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama and members of Congress stand for the national anthem during the Congressional Gold Medal presentation to former Massachusetts Sen. Edward W. Brooke, third from right, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo by Lawrence Jackson.

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), right are briefed in the Red Room of the White House prior to the signing ceremony for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

November 21, 2009: Weekly Presidential Address

This week the President delivers his weekly address from Seoul, South Korea. The President discusses his trip to Asia and opening up a new era of Asian engagement. During the trip the President spoke about nuclear proliferation, climate change policy as well as economic prosperity and job creation.

Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama talks with Vice President Joe Biden in the Green Room of the White House prior to the signing ceremony for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

Twisting the Truth: Senate Republicans' Deceptions on Health Insurance Reform

Another debate over health insurance reform, another weekend of Republicans inventing reasons to just say "no." Locked into their defense of the status quo, most Senate Republicans spent the debate over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act spouting nonsensical, often already debunked, claims.

With so many distortions to correct from so many Republican Senators, we've gathered the facts (and the charges they refute) in one place. It's a long read, no question — and that goes to show how obstructionist Republicans have become.

Read the fact checks (39 of them in all) on Senate Republicans after the jump.

Saturday Open Thread

Hello Saturday.

President Barack Obama, along with Grounds Superintendent Dale Haney and Chief Usher Rear Admiral Stephen W. Rochon (Ret.), participates in a commemorative tree planting ceremony on the North Grounds of the White House. Photo by Chuck Kennedy.

Friday Open Thread

Good afternoon.

President Barack Obama reaches to shake hands with people in the crowd following his remarks at the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Fla. Photo by Pete Souza.

Call ’Em Out: Mitch McConnell

Our nation has been talking about comprehensive health insurance reform for nearly a century. And this time around, Congress has been debating it for almost 10 months.

But last Sunday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said the whole process is just going too fast. He showed what's long been obvious: His strategy is to bury reform under endless delays and distortions.

McConnell seems willing to use every trick in the book to delay a fair debate on reform. Each day reform is postponed is another day for him to attack it with another distortion. It's a desperate gambit to confuse the American people, derail the effort in Congress, and block reform.

Mitch McConnell: We're calling you out.

McConnell claimed that health reform would cut Medicare. AARP says it isn't true -- and endorsed the bill in the House.

He trotted out the old "reform will drive insurers out of business" line. But the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that most people would still be covered by private health insurance.

And the one about reform forcing bureaucrats between doctors and patients? His predecessor as the Senate Republican leader, Bill Frist, recently said, "that's not what's in these bills."

We put together a video debunking all of McConnell's distortions -- watch and share it today. Then call McConnell's office and make sure he knows Americans won't sit idly by while he delays desperately needed reform.

Mitch McConnell: We're calling you out.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Today we took another historic step on the road to finally enacting health reform. Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled the Senate’s version of the health insurance reform legislation – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – this afternoon at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol.

The bill achieves President Obama’s three principles of reform: more security and stability for people who have insurance; more quality, affordable options to those who don’t; and bringing down the high costs of care for American families, businesses and our government itself.

The bill would extend coverage to 31 million Americans and reduce the deficit by $127 billion in the first ten years, and by $650 billion in the second decade. Here’s an excerpt from President Obama’s statement:

“…From day one, our goal has been to enact legislation that offers stability and security to those who have insurance and affordable coverage to those who don’t, and that lowers costs for families, businesses and governments across the country. Majority Leader Reid, Chairmen Baucus and Dodd, and countless Senators have worked tirelessly to craft legislation that meets those principles.

"Just yesterday, a bipartisan group of more than 20 leading health economists released a letter urging passage of meaningful reform and praising four key provisions that are in the Senate legislation: a fee on insurance companies offering high-premium plans, the establishment of an independent Medicare commission, reforms to the health care delivery system, and overall deficit neutrality. The economists said that these provisions ‘will reduce long-term deficits, improve the quality of care, and put the nation on a firm fiscal footing.’ Those are precisely the goals we should be seeking to attain.

"The challenges facing our health care system aren’t new – but if we fail to act they’ll surely get even worse, meaning higher premiums, skyrocketing costs, and deeper instability for those with coverage. Today, thanks to the Senate’s hard work, we’re closer than ever to enacting solutions to these problems. I look forward to working with the Senate and House to get a finished bill to my desk as soon as possible.”

The Senate is expected to vote on a "motion to proceed" - a procedural vote necessary in order for full debate to begin - sometime this weekend.

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama meets with U.S. Navy enlisted personnel at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla. Photo by Pete Souza.

Why Alex Isenstadt is Wrong

Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt posted a story earlier this morning entitled "Dems alarmed as independents bolt party." However Mr. Isenstadt's claims about the feelings of Democrats were made without even so much as a phone call to the actual Democratic Party. Notwithstanding the problem of attribution, the premise of the story - that Independents are bolting from the Democratic Party at a federal level - is severely suspect. In fact, there is significant evidence that President Obama retains strong numbers across the ideological spectrum and that the real alarm should rest with Republicans who are driving away Independents as they continue to move their own Party to the far right.

In the story, Mr. Isenstadt cites the recent gubernatorial elections as evidence of Independents moving away from the Democratic Party and the President. However, exit polling in Virginia and New Jersey point to the contrary. Voters overwhelmingly said they were voting based on local issues and local candidates. Further - as Mr. Isenstadt's own publication pointed out - voters in both these states gave the President strong approval numbers:

"[I]n New Jersey..., voters were asked if they approved of the job Obama is doing and 57% said they did—even as 49% voted to boot Democrat Jon Corzine out of the governor’s office.

"In Virginia, Obama even posted a 48% approval rate among the right-leaning electorate that turned out yesterday — hardly a sign of broad-based voter anger against Obama."

While Mr. Isenstadt tries to make the case that elections decided on local issues portend a national trend, the only recent election decided on national issues was the special election in NY-23, where - despite a distinct voter registration advantage for Republicans - a Democratic candidate won with the help of Independent voters. In fact, Democrats have won all five special Congressional elections since this Congress was sworn in.

Indeed, the Democratic brand and President Obama's numbers remain strong - especially in comparison to the Republican brand. There are a number of recent polls that support the contention that the President maintains support across the ideological spectrum, including with Independent voters. For example, according to the latest ABC/Washington Post poll, President Obama's job approval among Independent voters is 55% positive. [ABC/Washington Post poll, 10/19/09] Even a recent Fox News poll has the President with a +15 point spread with Independents and with his numbers trending upwards. [Fox News poll, 10/29/09]

The President retains high approval ratings across the board including with Independents - comparable to those he had on Election Day. But the most telling trend for 2010 and beyond is the purge of moderates from the Republican Party by right-wing ideological extremists. As we saw in the NY-23 election, by driving out moderates, the Republican Party is turning off Independents, even in areas where they should have a demographic advantage.

While Mr. Isenstadt chose not to include any of this data which would undermine the premise of the story he chose to write - and which was provided to him once it was learned he was writing it - it does tell a much more accurate story of not only the feelings of the Democratic Party, but also of the state of play of Independent voters.