Tag: speech

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Democracy Featured

Beware the Idiocies of March

Yes, my friends, this is getting frighteningly Shakespearean. And we have a variety of dysfunctional, murderous, illegal and psychologically damaged examples to choose from. Is the Trump White House Macbeth? Hamlet (soon to be starring Jared Kushner as the prince)? Othello? Any of the histories? We know there’s no Falstaff because this really isn’t funny. The field is wide open.

As for reality, we have a mucking mess. President Trump (shudder) gave what many distracted and fooled pundits called a presidential speech last week where he created false realities and set himself up as the only person who could solve them.

  • Mexicans swarming the border? False, but let’s build a wall.
  • Public education failing? False, so let’s funnel money to private, religious and charter schools.
  • Unvetted radical Muslims crashing our shores? False, so let’s forget that we vet asylum seekers for two years and claim that our porous borders are swarming with terrorists.
  • Health care law failing? False, so let’s make sure that everybody has the freedom to have to pay for their care, whether they can afford it or not.
  •  Foreign policy failures from the Obama Administration? False, so let’s cut money to the State Department because, really, the only policy we need is what Trump tweets in the morning.
  • Anti-Semitism? True, though wait 6 months before tepidly denouncing the longest hatred, but only after you dress down an Orthodox Jewish press reporter who’s actually on your side at your head-scratching press conference.

Trump might have delivered his speech without devolving into a red-faced, spitting mess, but is that really our expectation from the leader of the free world? He then followed up for a few days with policy-laden tweets and pronouncements that sounded rather…normal. But that’s what this presidency is all about, has been all about and will be all about: Vacuous pronouncements and personality-driven drivel. The words of the speech came out well; the words themselves were hateful, deceitful,  and troubling.

And then came Jeff Sessions and the Trump Administration Two-Step: Lie at your hearings and hope the real media doesn’t pick up on it or hope that the leakers have taken a public sector job sick day. Looks like that’s not going to happen so much. When the Attorney General shades the truth (benefit of the doubt) or baldly lies (probably the truth), then your administration is in trouble. And the Russia stories just keep on coming, like bottomless cups of coffee at the diner. Served with a smile, but hyper-inducing nonetheless.

But the week couldn’t end without the president reverting to form, accusing President Obama of tapping his phones. Which is ludicrous. And not based on reality. And even more troubling because if Trump is basing his information on some security briefing, then he’s compromising national security. There’s always a source for his anger, and in this case it’s likely a Breitbart story he read. And now he’s calling for a Congressional investigation as part of the Russia probe to show what a fair-minded person he really is. Trump is going to do these types of things for the rest of his term, and they are decidedly not normal. He just can’t help himself.

Or the country.

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

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Benjamin Netanyahu Politics

Watch The Politics of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Republican Congress Speech

Republicans can pat themselves on the backs for this one. The managed to join the leader of a foreign nation in denouncing the president of the United States for trying to bring a peaceful resolution to Iran and their nuclear ambitions, and they did this right here on the floor of the
United States Congress.

Watch

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Benjamin Netanyahu Politics

Jon Stewart Slams Netanyahu, Obama and Republicans Over Congressional Speech – Video

As if things aren’t already messed up in Washington, Republicans and Benjamin Netanyahu plan to mess it up even more with his so-called Congressional Session speech to the United States congress.

So naturally, Jon Stewart is the perfect person to take on this ridiculous mess, which he did during Thursday night’s episode of The Daily Show.

“One of our closest foreign allies is taking sides with Republicans against a Democratic president, which creates a major conundrum for Democrats,” Stewart said. “I’m reminded of a similar situation, faced by an Israeli king renowned for his wisdom.”

Stewart also laid into the Obama administration’s excuse for not meeting with Netanyahu when he visits — that the president didn’t want to be seen as “meddling” in Israeli politics (Israel’s elections are two weeks after the March 3 speech).

“Yes, yes!” Stewart said. “America doesn’t wanna meddle in a Middle Eastern nation’s domestic politics. I mean, we don’t do that!”

He then ran through a list of nearby countries America has, in fact, meddled with: Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey.

“Unless, obviously, a country wanted to nationalize its own oil industry, or looked likely to ally with a rival superpower, or was fighting a proxy war against some other country we didn’t like, or would let us put military bases in their country, or send prisoners to their country, or was next to a country we wanted to spy on, or fight with.”

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Iowa Politics Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Cost Me a Free Lunch – #ThanksSarah

A co-worker asked if I had watched the “speech” Sarah Palin delivered in Iowa last week. Of course I didn’t. I try to be as productive as possible and sitting down to watch Sarah Palin ramble on about nothing is counterproductive and a total waste of time!

But he insisted. “I dare you,” he said. “Try to figure out what the mama grizzly was saying and if you can, lunch is on me. Go ahead,” he insisted, “give it a shot.”

I looked at my watch and realized it was almost lunchtime. A free lunch? Just for watching and summarizing a speech by Sarah Palin? I can do this, I thought and I took him up on his challenge.

I couldn’t get past the first 5 minutes of the speech. Needless to say, I ended up buying lunch today.

#ThanksSarah!

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executive action Immigration Immigration Reform Politics

See It Again – President Obama To Use Executive Action for Immigration Reform – Video

I guess Boehner and his Republican followers will add this to their lawsuit against the President. They’re not doing anything, so they’re upset that the President is. Today, our fearless leader ventured out on the White House lawn and told the world the hell with Republicans and their proposed lawsuit. If Congress fails to do what the constitution demands, then he will!

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Politics

Watch Jay Leno’s Heartfelt and Tearful Farewell Speech

A masterful goodbye by a master of latenight. Watch, as Jay Leno leaves this stage of his life to start his next phase. If you haven’t seen this farewell yet, get the kleenex. You’ll need it.

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Education News

This Ninth-Grader Introduced Obama Before A Speech This Week And Absolutely Killed It

We think it’s fair to say ninth-grade student Kiara Molina had a great day Thursday.

Not only did the teen introduce President Barack Obama before one of his major speeches, but the president called it “one of the best introductions I’ve ever had.”

Molina, who currently attends Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School in New York spoke about her positive experiences at the school, which also provides services to families in the Harlem community. After her introduction, Obama went on to speak about his administration’s plan to invest in five economically disadvantaged “promise zones” throughout the country.

Obama said he was “proud of Kiara for that introduction and for sharing her story. Just so poised.”

“I know your mom is proud. I know she is. She should be,” the president said to the teen.

Watch Molina’s introduction below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.

h/t “>Huffington Post

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Politics

President Obama’s Morning Message -Back to Work

The President:

Last night I signed legislation to reopen our government and pay America’s bills. Because Democrats and responsible Republicans came together, the first government shutdown in 17 years is now over; the first default in more than 200 years will not happen.

These twin threats to our economy have now been lifted, and I want to thank those Democrats and Republicans for getting together and ultimately getting this job done

Video

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Politics

President Obama Slams Republicans on Their Government Shutdown – Video

On Twitter, the Republicans are calling this “more campaigning.” But whatever they think it is, President Obama is darn good at it. Today in Maryland, the President took his show on the road and informed the American people of the recent Republican government shutdown, and the simple process Republicans should take to bring the government back.

Video

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Politics

President Obama Chastised Republicans For Failure To Work For The Middle Class

President Obama met with reporters today after his much anticipated Fiscal Cliff meeting with Congressional leaders. And based on the President’s tone, a deal is still far from complete. “I still want to get this done,” the President said, signaling that talks were still ongoing between the party leaders. “The hour for immediate action is here. It is now.”

The president showed a tone of frustration rarely seen, and pointed out to those in Congress that the American people are watching. “This is deja vu all over again,” he said. ” America wonders why it is that in this town for some reason, you can’t get stuff done in an organized timetable.”

Watched the video below.

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Featured sandy hook sandy hook elementary school violence

President Obama Speaks At Sandy Hook – Promises Change To Prevent More Tradedies – Video

President Obama met with the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting today, and broke some news during his speech telling the audience that it was time for the nation to come together and do what was necessary to protect our children.

The President hinted that there will be new legislation in the coming months geared towards guns. “This is our first task,” Mr. Obama said, “caring for our children. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how as a society we would be judge.”

The President goes on to say that “we’re not doing enough” to stop gun violence, “and we would have to change.”

And in his most direct sentence signaling change, the president said, “in the coming weeks I’ll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators  in an effort to prevent more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have?”

Watch the President’s full speech below.

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Benghazi Benghazi Politics

President Obama Remembers Chris Stevens at The United Nations

President Obama spoke today at the United Nations and discussed the unfortunate recent events Libya, where a mob attacked and killed four Americans including Chris Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya.

The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America. We are grateful for the assistance we received from the Libyan government and the Libyan people. And there should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice. I also appreciate that in recent days, the leaders of other countries in the region – including Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen – have taken steps to secure our diplomatic facilities, and called for calm. So have religious authorities around the globe.

But the attacks of the last two weeks are not simply an assault on America. They are also an assault on the very ideals upon which the United Nations was founded – the notion that people can resolve their differences peacefully; that diplomacy can take the place of war; and that in an interdependent world, all of us have a stake in working towards greater opportunity and security for our citizens.

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