Hello
Friday mishmash ahead.
Have a good weekend.
Added vid from the second appearance in Detroit today.
First, this.
As Lisa Marie Iyotte was getting ready to introduce president Obama before signing the Tribal Law and Order Act at the White House yesterday, she began to cry. The bill aims to reduce violence against American Indians like Iyotte, a rape victim who is a member of the White Clay People tribe. It will give tribal law enforcement agencies more authority to combat crime (92 disgusting Republicans voted against it). As Iyotte could not even say the first word of the introduction, President Obama stepped in, hugged her and said: "You’ll be fine, i’m standing right here."
And thus begun what is in my opinion one of the most touching moments of this presidency so far, only to receive little to no attention by the mainstream media. But hey, it's not like this is Snooki-Gate.
Anyway, here's the video. Extraordinary 15 minutes. Prepare the tissues.
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Amnesty International Commends President Obama for Signing Tribal Law and Order Act
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) executive director Larry Cox: "President Obama today took an important step toward addressing some of the harsh injustices that Native peoples in the United States have faced for decades. The Tribal Law and Order Act is a groundbreaking piece of legislation that tackles the complex jurisdictional maze that allows violent crime against American Indians to flourish. If properly implemented, it will open the door for the U.S. government to address the erosion of tribal authority. In time it will decrease the high levels of rape and finally provide Native women with effective recourse if they are sexually assaulted. In short, this legislation challenges the long-standing mind-set that Native women are not worthy of protection."
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All pictures by AP:
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President Obama was in Detroit today, visiting some happy workers at couple of Chrysler and GM plants. You want to see optimism? Here you go:
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The second speech from Detroit:
Benen:
...A year later, the auto bailout is an unqualified success. The results, which President Obama will tout on a visit to Michigan on Friday: For the first time since 2004, GM and Chrysler, along with Ford, all reported operating profits in their U.S. businesses last quarter. The domestic auto industry added 55,000 jobs last year, ending a decade-long string of declines. Auto sector exports are up 57 percent so far this year and, thanks largely to new government regulations, the industry is moving quickly to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles. Most surprising of all, GM and Chrysler have already repaid more than $8 billion in government loans, while GM is preparing for an initial stock offering later this year that would allow the government to recoup most, if not all, of its investment.
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After Obama intervened to rescue auto manufacturers a year ago, the right insisted it was an example of his purported desire to be a communist dictator. A year later, his efforts look pretty smart, and his detractors' apoplexy looks pretty foolish.
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When the president takes a victory lap (so to speak) at a GM plant this morning, it will be well deserved. We can all be very thankful Obama didn't listen to conservatives, that there wasn't a conservative in the Oval Office, and that this industry was spared a looming catastrophe.
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Here's President Obama's long and very passionate education speech at the 100th anniversary convention of the National Urban League yesterday:
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Na'Dreya Lattimore, 10, of Covington, Ky., and the letters she wrote to and recieved from the president. Na'Dreya, a fifth-grader at Sixth District Elementary School, wrote the president a letter in December. She received his hand-written response from him in May, and he referred to her letter at the end of his education reform speech yesterday.
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And of course, there was The View appearance, that caused the latest stupid "controversy". Turned out, all those fearing it so much, were actually right. Pundits were put to shame by these 5 women asking serious questions and actually giving the president a chance to answer. And Pat Buchanan? He was right to object this so fiercely. He knew what was coming, president Obama hit it out of the park:
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NYT:
By smiling and joking alongside the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Ms. Walters, by listing his accomplishments without contradiction or interruption, Mr. Obama got a chance to remind viewers who voted for him why they did so in the first place.
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Mr. Obama told his hosts that "the media culture right now loves conflict." But right then the media culture on "The View" mostly loved Mr. Obama. Joy Behar, who is the show’s designated liberal, asked the president why he didn’t have better attack dogs to combat right-wing smears. "Joy, that’s your job," Mr. Obama said with a smile.
Even Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a conservative, was admiring and deferential. She tried to challenge him on unemployment, saying that the administrations figures about "saved jobs" wasn’t the same as creating new ones. Mr. Obama pushed her back handily and politely, noting, "It makes a difference if your job was one of the ones that were saved."
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Members of the audience take photos of President Barack Obama during a break in the taping of "The View" at ABC Studios in New York, N.Y., July 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Finally, here's a wonderful weekend treat:
Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song In Performance at the White House - A ninety-minute music special that features the concert event, as well as behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.