US President Barack Obama smiles as he signs the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation …
President Barack Obama signed into law a two-month payroll tax cut extension on Friday, capping a year of fierce partisan combat over taxes and spending that will resume in January and play heavily in the 2012 elections. The Senate and the House of Representatives, by voice votes in chambers nearly emptied for the holidays, passed a $33 billion (21 billion pounds) bill to keep the payroll tax rate at 4.2 percent through February. It had been scheduled to increase on January 1 to 6.2 percent. Obama swiftly signed the bill.
Obama Assails 'Ridiculous Washington Standoff': 'Enough is Enough'
With just nine days before a payroll tax break for 160 million Americans expires, President Obama assailed House Republicans for a "ridiculous Washington standoff" and stepped up pressure on them to pass a two-month extension bill that sailed through the Senate by a bipartisan vote.
"This isn't a typical Democrat versus Republican issue. This is an issue where an overwhelming number of people in both parties agree," the president said today. "How can we not get that done? Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things we can't do it? It doesn't make any sense."
The president, who delayed his vacation to Hawaii with his family because of the stalemate, was surrounded by individuals who wrote to the White House detailing how the end of the payroll tax break would affect their lives.
The White House is pursuing an aggressive campaign on social media to highlight the loss in benefits that millions of Americans will incur on Jan. 1 if Congress doesn't act. Americans, on average, would lose about $40 per paycheck if the tax cuts expire. On Wednesday, Obama himself personally took to Twitter asking Americans to share what that loss would mean to them.
"Forty dollars can make all the difference in the world," Obama said today, as he read out stories from Americans who had responded to his request. "Enough is enough. People standing with me cannot afford any more games."
Obama said more than 30,000 people have responded to the White House's "What 40 Dollars a Paycheck Means to American Families" campaign on Twitter, Facebook and whitehouse.gov.
House Republicans are facing increasing pressure, even from their Senate counterparts, to find a compromise quickly. Republican aides say GOP leaders may come to an agreement soon, but today, the House GOP leadership showed no outward sign of caving in, reiterating defiantly that they would not support the Senate bill.
"The fact is, we can do better," Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a news conference. "It's time for us to sit down and have a serious negotiation and solve this problem."
Boehner's office said he called Obama this morning and asked him to send members of his economic team to find a way to agree on a one-year deal, but the president declined. According to the White House, the president told Boehner "the only viable option" is the two-month extension, and that Obama "is committed to begin working immediately on a full-year agreement once the House passes the bipartisan Senate compromise."
Democratic leaders are calling on House Republicans to pass the two-month extension that the Senate approved on Saturday, and then continue negotiations on a long-term fix when members return from recess in January.
In a bid to break the impasse, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed a compromise, asking the House to pass the short-term extension in exchange for the Senate appointing members to a conference committee which will negotiate a longer-term extension. The proposal won a nod of approval from Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"House Republicans sensibly want greater certainty about the duration of these provisions, while Senate Democrats want more time to negotiate the terms," McConnell said in a statement. "These goals are not mutually exclusive. We can and should do both."
Another Republican, Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, suggested on CNBC today that Congress extend the payroll tax cuts for three months so it at least covers the first quarter. It was the first sign that House Republicans are willing to budge from their position of passing a one-year extension only.
House GOP leaders are facing pressure from many Tea Party-backed members who are refusing to support a short-term extension. Aides say the two sides will likely reach a deal next week and the tax cuts will be extended, but that remains to be seen.
Even Senate Republicans have joined the chorus of people calling on Boehner and the House GOP leadership to agree to the temporary extension.
"There's no doubt this hurts the Republican Party, and that bothers me a great deal, as a Republican," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on CBS News this morning, adding that he feels bad for American taxpayers who are "innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire."
"This is really tragic for the American people. And I would say that next November, no incumbent is safe, nor should they be," McCain said.
Senior Democrats today pounced on Republicans for not agreeing to the two-month extension.
"Republicans have been arguing about process and politics," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said today. "The stakes are too high to be arguing about politics and process. The Republican contention that the two-month compromise somehow is unworkable is simply untrue."
If members of Congress cannot come together on a deal by the end of next week, 160 million American workers will see a 2 percentage point raise in their taxes, starting Jan. 1, raising the overall tax burden to 6.2 percent. Three million people who are receiving long-term unemployment benefits will also see their benefits drop. The gridlock also impacts Medicare, which will likely lower its reimbursements to doctors.
The payroll tax cuts, passed by George W. Bush's administrations are popular on both sides of the political aisle. Washington experienced a similar gridlock in 2010 when the time came to renew the cuts.
Meanwhile, 2012 Republican presidential contenders have expressed mixed views on the payroll tax extension debate.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Wednesday skirted the question of whether he supports Boehner's decision to reject the Senate bill, only saying, "My own view is had I been president, I would have been working with the leaders in both parties to see if there's not a way to reach common ground. My assessment of the circumstances is that there is common ground to reach in this matter. This should have been dealt with some time ago."
Newt Gingrich, however, took a widely different approach. Going into what appeared to be Speaker mode, the former Speaker jumped to give his Republican counterparts in the House some advice.
"Incumbent presidents have enormous advantages. And I think what Republicans ought to do is what's right for America," Gingrich said. "They ought to do it calmly and pleasantly and happily."
Conservatives have lashed out at House Republicans for creating a "fiasco" that puts the party in a negative light and virtually hands over the win to Obama and Democrats.
"The GOP leaders have somehow managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing a one-year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This is no easy double play," the Wall Street Journal stated in an editorial Wednesday. "Republicans have also achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter, although he's spent most of his presidency promoting tax increases and he would hit the economy with one of the largest tax increases ever in 2013. This should be impossible."
In an election year, a deadlock such as this could have significant negative consequences.
"Through all this analysis of the fiasco, there is a sense of doom for the Republican House. They have gone out on an ice floe with no obvious way back to shore," wrote conservative radio talk show host John Batchelor. "There is a strong possibility that President Obama will nurse the grievance against the Republican Party, and the Tea Party particularly, until the State of the Union."
ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Ann Compton and Amy Walter contributed to this report.
Dec14, 2011 President Obama marked the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and the end of the war with a visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He paid tribute to returning troops saying that U.S. was leaving behind a stable nation and "closing one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military."
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS AT UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM CONVENTION President Obama spoke to the 71st General Assembly of the Union for Reform Judaism. He said his administration has done more than any other to support Israel and his commitment to Israel is "unshakable." Other topics of discussion included sanctions against Iran and its nuclear program and the Middle East peace process.
Shannen Rossmillertalked about becoming a self-taught terrorist hunter and the sting operationsshe carried out with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. She was in the forefront of developing the field of cyber counterintelligence. She responded to questions from members of the audience at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.
President Obama talked about jobs and the economy at Asheville, North Carolina's regional airport. In his remarks he criticized congressional Republican proposals aimed at creating jobs and talked about efforts in the Senate to bring up his jobs plan for separate votes.
The speech begins about seven minutes into the program, following President Obama's exit from Air Force One and walk to the podium.
Occupy Wall Street Gains International Support, Looks To Spread.
Occupy Wall Street, a cause that began as a small band of protesters in Zuccotti Park, has gained international recognition with protests spreading to London and an Egyptian activist addressing the crowd in New York.
Thousands of anti-corporate protesters and Demonstrators associated with the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement marched from New York City's Financial District to Times Square in a show of force to demonstrate against financial inequity.
Since starting Sept. 17, Occupy Wall Street has gained endorsements from major unions and progressive leaders as well as prominent politicians. The group is growing so quickly that protesters marched to Washington Square Park Saturday to discuss expanding to other sites. It has survived police crackdowns in Seattle and mass arrests in New York. Within a few short weeks, it has come to resemble a movement, with more than 900 meetups in 900 cities across the country. 'Occupiers' have erected tent cities in town squares and held rallies in front of city halls.
It's unclear just where all these general assembly meetings, Twitter updates and teach-ins are heading. But Democratic leaders including Vice President Joe Biden and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi expressed support for the protesters this week and officials such as U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have said they sympathize with the protestors' feelings of anger towards big banks' role in the financial crisis.
Organized labor has also backed the protests that brought 10,000 protesters to lower Manhattan. Though the demonstration was peaceful, some protesters ended up in confrontations with police and 28 participants were arrested. At least one baton-wielding incident produced mass outrage. These incidents will either become minor distractions or defining moments.
S H O R T V I D E O Conspiracy theories about President
Obama's birth that still exist within right-wing politics
* * * F U L L V I D E O * * * Conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth that still exist within right-wing politics
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW
David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones magazine, talds with Rachel Maddow about the conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth that still exist within right-wing politics.
President Obama 50th Birthday Fundraiser in Chicago
President Obama spoke at a Democrtic fundraiser organized to honor the president's 50th birthday. After acknowledging several dignitaries in the audience, he highlight his administration's economic achievements and outlined the economic challenges ahead. He also talked about his administration's achievements in other areas such as health care, civil rights, energy policy, and infrastructure improvements.
The Defense Department announced that it is ready to stop enforcing its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military. That message goes to President Obama, who will then formally notify Congress. The policy officially ends 60 days after that notification.
President Obama signed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military's ban on service by openly gay and lesbian personnel. In his remarks prior to signing the legislation he spoke about efforts to pass repeal, historic service by gay and lesbian personnel, and said he was proud to sign a law that "will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend."
Hon. John F. Kennedy - Hon. Luis Muñoz MarÃn December 15, 1961
Barack Obama paid Puerto Rico its first official U.S. presidential visit in 50 years on Tuesday, courting an important slice of Hispanic voters on the mainland who could help his re-election chances in 2012.
At an arrival ceremony in an aircraft hanger, Obama expressed support for an eventual decision by Puerto Ricans on the U.S. island territory's status and said his administration was working to strengthen its recession-battered economy.
"When the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you," he told a cheering crowd.
"We're giving Puerto Ricans the tools they need to build their own future," the president said. "We are going to put people back to work here in Puerto Rico and all across America."
Broadcaster silent as "Judgment Day" hours tick by.
Matthew 24:36, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father".
By Gabrielle Saveri
SAN FRANCISCO Sat May 21, 2011 4:01pm EDT
(Reuters) - With no sign of Judgment Day arriving as he had forecast, the 89-year-old California evangelical broadcaster and former civil engineer behind the pronouncement seemed to have gone silent on Saturday.
Family Radio, the Christian stations network headed by Harold Camping which had spread his message of an approaching doomsday, was playing recorded church music, devotionals and life advice unrelated to the apocalypse.
Camping previously made a failed prediction Jesus Christ would return to Earth in 1994.
In his latest pronouncement, he had said doomsday would begin in Asia, but with midnight local time come and gone in Tokyo and Beijing and those cities already in the early hours of May 22, there was no indication of an apocalypse.
The Oakland, California, headquarters of the network of 66 U.S. stations was shuttered with a sign in the door that read "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!"
Family Radio officials, with the help of supporters, had posted over 2,000 billboards around the country warning of a May 21 Judgment Day.
The headquarters, which appears to be normally closed on Saturday, was also shuttered on Friday.
Camping, whose deep sonorous voice is frequently heard on his radio network expounding the Bible, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
The shades were drawn and no one answered the door at his house in Alameda, California.
Sheila Doan, 65, who has lived next door to Camping since 1971, said he is a good neighbor and that she is concerned about Camping and his wife, because of the attention his pronouncement has received.
"I'm concerned for them, that somebody would possibly do something stupid, you just don't know in this world what's going to happen," she said.
Atheists in different parts of the country were planning celebrations and get-togethers to mark the failure of Camping's May 21 prediction to come true.
In Oakland, the same city where Camping's network is based, over 200 people gathered at an atheist convention at a Masonic lodge where speakers jokingly took note of the Judgment Day pronouncement.
"It's kind of crazy, but there's actually a dark side to it too," said Stuart Bechman, national affiliate director of a group called American Atheists.
"There are a lot of silly and even unfounded beliefs that go on in the religious community that cause harm," he said.
Tom Evans, a spokesman for Camping, said earlier this week that at least several tens of thousands of people listen to Family Radio's message.
The network is heard in more than 30 languages through international affiliates, according to Family Radio.
In New York, at least one of Camping's followers continued to hold out hope Judgment Day would come.
Retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker Robert Fitzpatrick, 60, said he spent more than $140,000 of his savings on subway posters and bus shelter advertisements warning of the May 21 Judgment Day.
"God's people are commanded to sound the warning, to sound the trumpet so to speak so people know," Fitzpatrick said of his advertising blitz.
He said Camping led him to believe Judgment Day would be May 21, but added that he disagreed with the broadcaster's prediction it would begin in Asia. In Fitzpatrick's view, from his reading of the Bible, Judgment Day would begin around 6 p.m. Eastern Time. He said on Saturday he still had no doubt Judgment Day would come this day.
"I wouldn't even entertain that question because there's too much proof from the Bible,"he said.
(Additional reporting by Erik Tavcar: Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Jerry Norton)
Matthew 24:36, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father".
With Defense Secretary Robert Gates visiting China in the hopes of improving military ties with the U.S., the Nixon Center held a discussion looking at China’s growing military and what goals the U.S. might accomplish on such a trip. Speakers also talked about their perspectives of U.S. and Chinese expectations of Secretary Gates’ visit and how the military-to-military relationship is evolving amidst China’s rapid military modernization and increasing.
