Tag Archives: obama

In August … we got Updates on Voting Rights Act


Dear Friend,

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repost: Why? Where are they NOW ?

It’s been a busy summer here at the White House, with no shortage of exciting and important announcements. In light of this, I’m writing to let you know we will be having more regular updates to this list. During the month of August we find ourselves reflecting and commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington in 1963.  During that summer the country reflected on the economic and racial equality of others and today we continue to act on that legacy.

This past week the President met with civil rights leaders to discuss securing the Vote for All Americans. Please take some time to read this weekend and share with family and friends.

Best,

Heather Foster Office of Public Engagement

“Securing

the Vote

for

All Americans”

Monday, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez met with civil rights leaders, and state and local elected officials at the White House to discuss how to safeguard every eligible American’s right to vote in light of the recent Supreme Court decision on Shelby County vs. Holder.

President Barack Obama meets with Civil Rights Leaders in the Roosevelt Room

President Barack Obama meets with Civil Rights Leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, July 29, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

The Supreme Court’s decision invalidating one of the Voting Rights Act’s core provisions, upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.

President Obama acknowledged that for nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans, and expressed deep disappointment about the recent decision.  He asked the leaders in the room for their ideas on how to strengthen voting rights, and also encouraged them to continue educating their communities on the Voting Rights Act, and how to exercise voting rights.

We’ve seen much progress towards guaranteeing every American the right to vote.  But, as the Supreme Court recognized, voting discrimination still exists.  And while the decision is a setback, it doesn’t represent the end of either our efforts to end voting discrimination, or our basic right to vote.

Since the decision, President Obama has called on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls.  The Voting Rights Act has been reauthorized repeatedly by wide bipartisan margins in Congress, and signed into law by Republican presidents.  In addition, every single American should have an interest in ensuring that every eligible American is able to exercise his or her right to vote.  So we remain hopeful that we will find a legislative solution to ensure a fair and equal voting process.

Monday’s meeting was another step forward to protect the vote, and we will continue to do everything in our power to secure this most basic right for all Americans.

Monday’s participants included:

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The 2009 summer of my discontent… has become 5yrs of Republican nonsense


Just another rant from 2009

The summer of 2009, filled with what apparently was just the beginning of nasty Teapublican behavior ugly rhetoric and a whole lot of pollution spewing out of all their holes… I called it the summer of my discontent

 I believe in the right to freedom of speech, I do not believe that the speech should invoke fear, hate, lies and death. Americans should not go overseas and speak ill of the President, no matter who is in office. The position of President should be held with great regard definitely not disrespected by any American while in other countries.

 I am a person of colour (mixed decent) from a huge family who has had to live with the fear of being non-white while driving, walking, shopping etc. Fact is, people of colour live this way, and it is not right. In the year 2009, we were blessed to have our first person of colour (Bi-Racial) as our President. I do not know him personally, but he seems to be kind, gentle, calm, cool and definitely not an angry man and has had nothing but angry words, behavior, and hate spewed at him. It is disguised by some as freedom of speech, others as a fear of government take overs; most if not all attitudes exposed a fear of change and (republicans)  definitely get it,  don’t want it  and caused a $24billion shut down to express it. The election in both 2008&2013 results showed a diverse group of say 53% voted for Obama as our next President. It is a worthy reminder to Republicans because they lack a sense of acceptance that these events actually took place. However, we all know Republicans met the same night Barack Obama took the office of President devising a plan a of attack which has turned out to be… obstruction.  The last administration failed us in my view, my opinion and right to freedom of speech. I don’t think I am alone in that feeling but I don’t wish he(bush) were dead, or any ill will on any level to him(bush).  Yet,  the comments from the likes of Joe Wilson or a rush Limbaugh, g beck and so many members of Congress and or Conservatives has taken me back because I feel the hate right through the TV. The lies and the miss-information has reached an all-time peak, I found myself so irritated, I had to join the effort to fight back against the Teapublicans rhetoric . As some ex and current people in politics use our 24/7 news cycles as a platform to spread what they call “news” which sounds and feels like old style Southern propaganda, once laced with disrespectful language against the Office of the President has become an all-out assault. Yes, as a person of colour I am upset, compelled to respond to each tweet that even remotely sounds like racial hate, fear, and whatnot. I was repulsed, it was disrespectful, it was sad, and inappropriate. I ask Congress , where are the grownups, knowing Joe Wilson and his other Teapublican comrades had/have to be told this behavior was inappropriate, told to apologize is beyond my understanding of adult behavior. Yes, this is what the first amendment covers, yet, I would wager that given the right circumstance this gross misuse of our 1st amendment rights by the democratic party would be given the hammer until they apologized on national TV.

 Oh wait, this is happening.

 What we all heard spewed by righties back in 2009 continues in 2013 seemingly embodied by  southern men acting in old style southern political tactics and if you know your history, understand it, it is clear enough. Then add that old cliché : what goes around comes around and its meaning (A person’s actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person-wiki) is definitely scary but we must all Stand Up Speak Out and fight against that old cliché becoming an ugly reality. The GOP shutdown was just the beginning of a train to derail what could be an improvement of American lives, yet ole’school politics would rather increase the casualties

Our President is a man who wants to put us back on track because some greedy fools derailed it.

 The solutions to our economic problem should have nothing to do with the colour of our President’s skin. It should be about folks who saw the problem, wanted to change it in a bipartisan way and Barack won the office twice.  Though Teapublicans decided, “Just say no” was a much better way to do the People’s business. We all know change is hard, it takes time and obviously a certain group of people have been led to believe that President Obama is not only taking us somewhere else that could be bad for America, they use heritage, his skin colour and edit his conversation to portray him as the “the other.” or worse

These claims are outrageous.

 The President’s agenda seems simple to me. Maybe he is ahead of his time or at least the clock that Teapublicans are trying to push us all onto. Americans deserve a right to live a good life, afford health-care, a life where upward mobility is possible, a right to be all we can be – educated, a right to jobs for the 21st century and equal rights should be the norm not a political football.

 During the summer of 2009, the path to prosperity or the lack thereof was being laid out right before our very eyes by folks like rep. Paul Ryan. I wonder why my fellow Professional Lefties did not see it then because we now have a Teapublican paper trail. I wonder if the PL knows how their members of Congress voted during President Obama’s 1st term, let alone the fact that a number of blue dogs sided with the extreme right. That was then and though most if not all bluedogs were voted out of office in 2010,  members of the tea party not only replaced most but have done their best to make our Government look silly chaotic seemingly without compassion morality and more Wall Street than Main Street

Those in public service , take an oath to do no harm call themselves Public Servants, but if you take a hard look at how the Congress of 112th,2nd Session has acted lest we talk about the 113th Congress

you would be feeling discontented too

A moving tribute to a legendary figure


The White House

Nelson Mandela’s struggle against South African apartheid inspired millions. And his great call for justice and equality continues to resonate around the world, as new generations of young people pursue the ideals he embraced.

Earlier today in Johannesburg, President Obama paid tribute to a hero and a leader — and spoke about the path that’s still ahead.

It’s a powerful, moving speech. Watch this tribute to Nelson Mandela:

Watch: President Obama's tribute to Mandela

 

 

 

 

#GetCovered


President Obama: “What Drives Me”

Yesterday in Southeast Washington, DC, President Obama spoke about what he called the defining challenge of our time: reversing a decades-long slope toward growing inequality and a lack of upward mobility. It’s a trend that has jeopardized middle-class America’s basic bargain — the idea that if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead.

Find out why we have to make our economy work for every working American.

Click here to see more from yesterday's event.

It Shouldn’t Have Happened to Me, But It Did

Deputy Cabinet Secretary Michael Robertson discusses when doctors told him that he had stage IV colorectal cancer, and why the passing of the Affordable Care Act is personal to him.

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White House Youth Summit: Making Sure People Have the Information They Need to #GetCovered

Yesterday, youth leaders from across the country gathered here for our White House Youth Summit. The Summit was made of up 160 of this country’s finest national and local leaders aged 18-35. Joined by White House and Administration staff, these millennial participants discussed issues important to their generation — especially spreading the word about the Affordable Care Act and organizing to get people enrolled in their respective communities.

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People Don’t Hear These Stories Often Enough. Let’s Change That.

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about health reform and HealthCare.gov these past few months, check out some of our favorite enrollment stories.

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Weekly Address: Calling on Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits This Holiday Season


The White House, Washington

In this week’s address, President Obama says that before Congress leaves for vacation, they should extend unemployment benefits for 1.3 million hardworking Americans who will lose this lifeline at the end of the year.

Click here to watch this week’s Weekly Address.

Watch: President Obama's Weekly Address

Top Stories

Economic Mobility: On Wednesday, the President spoke about the growing inequality and lack of upward mobility in the United States. “The idea that so many children are born into poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth is heartbreaking enough,” the President said.

 

But the idea that a child may never be able to escape that poverty because she lacks a decent education or health care, or a community that views her future as their own, that should offend all of us and it should compel us to action. We are a better country than this.

The President called reversing this lack of upward mobility the defining challenge of our time and said he is driven to expanding opportunity to ensure that if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead. Click here to read his full remarks.

The passing of Nelson Mandela: Thursday evening President Obama delivered a statement on the passing of former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. “We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again,” the President said. “So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.”

White House Youth Summit: The White House held a Youth Summit on Wednesday, where youth leaders from across the country gathered to discuss issues important to their generation, including the Affordable Care Act. They participated in panels and breakout workshops with administration officials, and even had a surprise drop by from the President.

I look around the room and I see a lot of leaders who are going to be leading the charge well into the future on a whole range of issues. Don’t get discouraged. Be persistent.  You may get a few gray hairs as a consequence — but I think at the end of the day you’ll think it’s worth it.

Holidays at the White House: Over the weekend, the Official White House Christmas tree was delivered to the White House by a horse-drawn carriage. The 18 1/2-foot high and nearly 11-foot-wide Douglas Fir tree is decorated in honor of military families and displayed in the Blue Room. Another National Christmas tree will be lit tonight at the 91st annual holiday tree lighting ceremony, which features a talented line-up of performers.

On Wednesday, First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed military families to the White House to preview this year’s holiday decor, centered on the theme ‘Gather Around: Stories of the Season.’

The President and First Lady joined a long line of past presidents in celebrating Hanukkah on Thursday. The two Hanukkah receptions included a candle lighting ceremony and a kosher meal.

You can check out more holiday happenings at the White House and find some holiday crafts here.

World AIDS Day: The White House hung a red ribbon from the North Portico on Monday to mark World AIDS Day. The President spoke in South Court auditorium