Motley Moose – Archive

Obama To Announce Limits On Drones In Major Counterterrorism Speech

President Barack Obama on Thursday will outline his administration’s counterterrorism policy in a major speech to be given at National Defense University in Washington, D.C. at 2pm Eastern.

Obama will use the speech to announce new restrictions on unmanned drones, an announcement that comes on the heels of the U.S. government’s admission that it has killed four American citizens with drone strikes.

White House livestream:

Concluded: May 23, 2013 2:00 PM EDT

President Obama Speaks on Counterterrorism Policies, National Defense University, Washington, DC

UPDATED: Video, transcript and White House links below the fold.

Morehouse graduates in the rain cheer President Obama at commencement address (Pete Souza)

If you have not yet listened to, and watched President Obama delivering the commencement address at Morehouse College, on Sunday, May 19, 2013 it is posted here for you to absorb and view.

This was the 129th commencement ceremony at Morehouse, an historically black college (HBCU). What made it different from all of the ones that preceded it, was that the “Mighty Men” of Morehouse were being addressed by the President of the United States. Black man to young black men.  

From the White House – Weekly Address

President Obama talks about his belief that a rising, thriving middle class is the true engine of economic growth, and that to reignite that engine and continue to build on the progress we’ve made over the last four years, we need to invest in three areas: jobs, skills and opportunity.

From the White House – Weekly Address

President Obama discusses the housing market and urges Congress to confirm Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency and take action to give every responsible homeowner the chance to refinance and save money on their mortgage.

For the last year or so, I’ve been seeing this Delta flight attendant who lives across the street from me. We never advanced our relationship to a full one, in part because her time in New York was limited. She moved to Atlanta today to be based out of there.

Rachel is from Lumberton, Texas, a small town north of Beaumont where Romney won over 80% of the vote in the last election. Even Rick Perry took 75% here in 2010.

On her last day in New York, we watched Fox News for a bit and laughed at the ridiculousness. She commented.

“It’s funny, but this is exactly how everyone at home thinks.”

From the White House – Weekly Address

President Obama describes the incredible opportunities to create middle-class jobs in America by deepening our economic ties and expanding trade in Latin America and discusses recent Senate bill that takes commonsense steps to fix our broken immigration system.

From the White House – Weekly Address

President Obama says that because Republicans in Congress allowed a series of harmful, automatic budget cuts-called the sequester-to take effect, important programs like Head Start are now forced to reduce their services. After travelers were stuck for hours in airports and on planes this past week, members of Congress passed a temporary band-aid measure to stop the cuts that impact airlines – but they must do more to stop cuts to vital services for the American people. That’s why it’s time for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that makes smarter cuts and reforms in the tax code while creating jobs and strengthening the middle class.

When the going gets tough, the tough say “too difficult!!” and throw their hands up in despair claiming “no one cares about the environment or candidates who are passionate about the environment”??!!??

I don’t buy it … and President Obama doesn’t buy it either.

Yesterday this arrived in my Inbox from Organizing for America:

Jan —

Right now, way too many lawmakers in Washington flat-out refuse to face the facts when it comes to climate change.

We’re never going to make real progress on this issue unless members of Congress get serious. Instead, some of them have made a habit of publicly mocking it.

We thought it was time to call them out for denying what’s basic science.

Watch this embarrassing video of climate deniers in Congress — and say you’re ready to help hold them accountable:

The science matters in this.

That’s the message way too many people in Washington need to hear right now.

In 2011, there were 240 members of Congress who voted to say that climate change is a hoax.

Most of them are still around today, and they’re getting away with it — some of them are actually proud of it. They think the whole debate is pretty funny.

If we want to make progress on climate change, we need everyone in Congress on board for a solution. It’s our job to show them there’s a price to pay for being a climate denier.

Take a look at this video and join the fight:

http://my.barackobama.com/Climate-Change

Get ready — more on this coming soon.

Thanks,

Jon

Jon Carson

Executive Director

Organizing for Action

@JonCarsonOFA

When the gun control bill failed, my first reaction was “How will the left blame this on Obama?”

Despite speeches, a lobbying effort, and a tough response, Only 55 Senators supported the bill (Reid switched his vote so he could bring it up again).

The recent fights have lead a number of pundits, from Ezra Klein to Joan Walsh, to admit the bully pulpit sometimes does not work. (See: Jedi Mind Meld).

Then comes Maureen Dowd, in a column that I saw thanks to a tweet from a Democratic candidate for NYS Senate who agrees with her assertion. The gun control bill failed because of Obama, and only Obama.

He doesn’t know how to ‘govern” or “lead” and he needs to be more like Michael Douglas in The American President…seriously.

Unfortunately a number of people are tweeting her column, saying how it’s insightful and how they agree.

From the White House – Weekly Address

President Obama speaks to the American people about the act of terror at the Boston Marathon that wounded dozens and killed three innocent people on Monday, and says that through it all, Boston’s spirit remains undaunted and Americans have proven they refuse to be terrorized.