A mishmash.
Lenny Kates, 69, is a retired social worker from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Over the last couple of months, once a week, Kates goes to a busy traffic circle in the center of his hometown, and he stands there for hours, holding a sign that reads: "Be Grateful for President Obama".
"The amount of disrespect being shown to Barack Obama is beyond belief. I had been increasingly upset with people attacking him, and found myself thinking that Americans aren’t grateful for the effort he’s been putting forth. The word ‘grateful’ made sense to me. It’s an empathic, non-toxic word, but at the same time it reflects my worries about the country and my concern about the stress and strain the president may be under."
On April 15, Tax Day, Kates spent three hours standing near a small gathering of teabaggers.
He recalls being anxious as to how he’d be received by the assembled protestors, one of whom displayed an ‘Obama as Hitler’ sign. "I got hardly any direct response," begins Kates. "People [from the Tea Party] looked at me and rolled their eyes. And two individuals came over and asked if I was being ironic," he says matter-of-factly.
Since that day, Kates has continued his one-man support group every week.
Despite the fact that a Tea Party served as his inspiration, Kates’ message is primarily aimed at liberals and centrists, who, he says, ought to be realistic about how much change Obama can deliver is just a year or two. "Obama walked into a situation where our economy was close to totally failin. It’s tough for him to do much more than work to save the economy, and also to restore democratic ways of thinking. Don’t get caught up in talking about what you wish Obama would do, talk about what he is doing and point out why, in the present political climate, it’s hard for him to be doing what one would wish he’d do."
As for those considering voting for conservatives in the 2010 midterm elections, Kates says, "Don’t forget that the problems we’re facing—what happened to our economy and our standing in the world—were caused by Republicans, the people who were in charge for the prior eight years. It doesn’t make sense to blame the president and everybody in Washington, because the problems were caused beforehand. We can’t go back to the former ways of handling the economy," he emphasizes.
Still, it’s the way the far-right treats Obama that most motivates Kates and he says that while he would be happy to have others join him, he’s willing to continue going it alone. Especially since he's worried that Obama will decide not to run for re-election.
"I try to put myself in his place. And if people said, ‘We’re going to destroy you’—and people have said that—well, I wouldn’t want to put myself in his place."
*
*
*
*************************************************************************
*
*
Speaking of the amazing Obama-hate, here's a Time Magazine feature that is both depressing and optimistic:
...Conservatives today imagine that everyone views the current occupant of the White House as they do: Barack Obama is the worst President ever.
/// snip
...The always enlightening Google reveals that typing in "Obama worst president ever" yields 3.4 million results, vs. 1.8 million for "Bush worst president ever" and 1.2 million for Clinton.
/// snip
...Conservatives from the upper echelons of elected officials in Washington and state capitals, presidential-candidates-in-waiting such as Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, 2010 stars such as Rand Paul, and testy Tea Party activists all believe they have an objective case to rank Obama as 44th out of 44 Presidents. Not only do they think his policies are misguided and out of step with America's greatest traditions of individual liberty and free enterprise, but they are convinced that his relative lack of experience and youth confirm the pre-election suspicions that he is not up to the job.
/// snip
...It doesn't take a degree in psychology to recognize the explanatory formula "economic/environmental/international crises + search for a scapegoat = widespread Obama hatred." And it is evidence of how much matters have deteriorated that it's impossible to imagine conservatives rallying around Obama in the face of a new disaster, like the left did (albeit briefly) after Sept. 11 for President George W. Bush. Even if the President were to repel a Martian invasion, the right's reaction would likely be the same as it was after the Christmas Day bombing attempt, or the failed Times Square attack, or the current oil spill: denigration of Obama's competence, suspicion of his motives and implicit (or explicit) hope for his failure. .
////
In the run-up to the 2010 midterm elections, we have already seen that the anti-Obama forces are expressing their disagreements with the Administration in terms far more personal than political, tinged with an apocalyptic irrationality. The centrifugal force exerted on conservative leaders toward the extreme wing of their party is bound to lead to even more magnified rhetoric in the next few years. The contrast between those excessive attacks and Obama's famous cool will serve him, and the Democrats, well.
////
It can't be pleasant for Obama to be the subject of such attacks. And solving the country's major problems in a bipartisan fashion will be difficult under these rancorous circumstances. But as long as those trying to beat him are blind to the fact that tens of millions of voting Americans think Obama is doing a fine job, this President has a great ally in his enemies.
*
*
*
************************************************************************
*
*
*
One day ahead of May jobs report:
*
Unemployment Falls in 93 Percent of Metro Areas
Today, the Labor Department released its April survey of unemployment in 372 metropolitan areas across the United States. And it is a very good report: The rate of joblessness dropped in 346 areas, rose in 12 and remained flat in 14. That is a significant month-to-month improvement, as in March, unemployment fell in 257 metro areas and climbed in 89.
*
*
*
**************************************************************************
*
*
*
Health Care Reform leads to bigger role for community health centers
Clinics will get an additional $11 billion over next 5 years
Community health centers more than doubled in size in the past decade. Now they've been given the task of doubling in size yet again.
The health centers, often located in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural areas, are an overlooked component of the health care system. But they provide care to nearly 244,000 people statewide, up from 89,392 in 1999. That's roughly 80,000 people in Milwaukee, or about one in seven residents.
They also have been given a crucial role - and with it, a huge increase in funding - to help meet the expected rise in demand that will accompany health care reform.
Reform legislation allocated an additional $11 billion for the community health centers over the next five years. To put that in perspective, the federal government now spends $2.2 billion a year on direct support for the centers.
"It's going to be a huge opportunity," said Stephanie Harrison, executive director of the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, which represents the state's community health centers.
/// more
*
*
*************************************************************************
*
*
*
This been diarized earlier today, but it fell out of the rec list pretty fast, so re-posting the president's statement about extending new benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers:
"Last year, I issued a Presidential Memorandum that instructed the Office of Personnel Management and the Secretary of State to extend certain available benefits they had identified to gay & lesbian federal employees and their families under their respective jurisdictions. Among those benefits were long-term care insurance and expanded sick leave for civil service employees and medical care abroad, eligibility for employment at posts, cost-of-living adjustments abroad and medical evacuation for domestic partners of foreign service members. In that same Memorandum, I called upon the federal agencies to undertake a comprehensive review and to identify any additional benefits that could be extended to the same-sex domestic partners of Federal employees under existing law. That process has now concluded, and I am proud to announce that earlier today, I signed a Memorandum that requires Executive agencies to take immediate action to extend to the same-sex domestic partners of Federal employees a number of meaningful benefits, from family assistance services to hardship transfers to relocation expenses. It also requires agencies that extend any new benefits to employees -- opposite-sex spouses to make those benefits available on equal terms to employees -- same-sex domestic partners to the extent permitted by law.
"While this Memorandum is an important step on the path to equality, my Administration continues to be prevented by existing Federal law from providing same-sex domestic partners with the full range of benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. That is why, today, I renew my call for swift passage of an important piece of legislation pending in both Houses of Congress?the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. This legislation, championed by Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, would extend to the same-sex domestic partners of Federal employees the full range of benefits currently enjoyed by Federal employees -- opposite-sex spouses. I look forward to signing it into law."
*
*
*
************************************************************************
*
*
*
President Obama's speech yesterday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, including some nice punches at the GOP.
*
*
*
**************************************************************************
*
*
*
Paul McCartney: "After the last eight years, it's great to have a president who knows what a library is"
*
Oooops. I guess The Beatles are about to be outloawed by Fox News. Well, everybody knows that they were Kenyan-Born-Muslims. All of them. Especially Ringo. I always suspected him.
Anyway, Sir Paul McCartney was at the White House last night, recieving The Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize, Washington’s highest award for popular music. Liberal Hollywood and Liberal London filled the East Room and watched McCartney performing "Got to Get You Into My Life," "Eleanor Rigby," "Let It Be" and, with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory."
"It goes without saying that this has been a very difficult time," the president said from the East Room, "Right now our thoughts and prayers are with friends in the part of the country that is so rich in musical heritage. The Gulf Coast, who are dealing with something simply not seen before."
The president reaffirmed his "commitment" to see that the people’s lives in the Gulf are "made whole again," and said that during this tough time music can be leaned on.
A clearly moved McCartney said:
"Getting this prize would just be good enough, but getting it from this president..."You have billions of us who are rooting for you, and we know you're going to come through."
Other performers included the Jonas Brothers (who performed "Drive My Car"), Elvis Costello ("Penny Lane"), Jack White ("Mother Nature's Son"), Emmylou Harris ("For No One"), Dave Grohl ("Band on the Run"), and Corinne Bailey Rae ("Blackbird").
And obviously, there was the inevetibale Michelle moment (Warning: serious fluff is coming):
McCartney had a little song of his own for the first lady, "Michelle," which he joked, after performing it, could make him the first person to ever get "punched out" by the president.
As McCartney sang "Michelle," President Obama serenaded his wife from the audience, singing to her, "I love you, I love you, I love you, Michelle," as the first daughters looked on.
...After the president left the room, the honoree got a little political, quipping, "After the last eight years, it's great to have a president who knows what a library is."
*
*
Here's the award presentation:
*
And just a taste from the concert, which will be brodcast July 28 on PBS.
*
*
*
*
*
*************************************************************************
*
*
*
Vice President Joe Biden talks to construction workers during an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act event at the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, New York, 6/2/10 (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann).
The $508 million project, which is funded in-part by the Recovery Act, will bring the Brooklyn Bridge into a state of good repair and improve traffic flow for the more than 120,000 vehicles, 4,000 pedestrians, and 2,600 bicyclists that cross every day.
"It’s great to see men and women back on the job, completing work on one of the truly, treasured landmarks this country possesses," the Vice President told a crowd of about 40 construction workers near the Manhattan-side entrance to the bridge. As Vice President Biden noted, the Recovery Act has funded nearly 1,300 bridge projects and 14,000 transportation across the United States to-date.
*
*
*
*
All by AP:
*
*
Paul McCartney plays "Michelle" in front of President Barack Obama, and first lady Michelle Obama.
*
*
*
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder perform "Ebony and Ivory" at a concert honoring McCartney, recipient of the Gershwin prize, in the East Room of the White House. June 2, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)