Linda Douglass leaving White House

By GottaLaff

Linda Douglass, the former news reporter who has been a prominent spokesperson for President Obama's health care plan, is leaving the White House.

Guess who she'll be spending more time with...

She called her departure "bittersweet."

"After nearly 2 years of work that has been exhilarating and grueling in equal measure, I am going to step off the treadmill for awhile and rediscover the experience of dining with my husband on a regular basis," Douglass said in a statement. She said she will be "cheering with pride from the sidelines as this historic law takes effect."

I'd be exhausted, too.

H/t: ahuntre

Videos- President & Mrs Obama read books to kids at Easter Egg Roll

Video- Morning Scenes from the White House Egg Roll

Report: Actor Kal Penn to leave Obama administration

By GottaLaff

No confirmation from the White House yet, but Entertainment Weekly reports that Kal Penn is leaving the White House. But the question remains: Will he get residuals?

Oh, but I kid the White House:

Penn, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, has spent much of the past year working in the White House Office of Public Liaison, which is run by Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

EW.com reported that the actor is returning to Hollywood to resume his acting career, starting with a Christmas-themed installation of the "Harold and Kumar" series.

At least he didn't say he's leaving to spend more time with his family. Points for originality!

Video- Hannity's Bigoted Pal Says He's Changing The Name Of The White House To "Big Mama House"

WH Chief Administrative Officer : "The phone systems are overloading"

By GottaLaff



Yesterday I posted about a conference call with Al Gore that I was lucky enough to have participated in. He made one vital point, and he made it repeatedly:

Be heard. Call your Senators, write letters, visit their offices.

He added, "Demand action." He is so right:

Interns are scrambling to get the talking points right as the phones ring off the hook. Press secretaries' BlackBerries are running out of batteries from downloading hundreds of emails along the lines of, "Will your boss switch his vote?" Constituents asking about taxes aren't able to get through the clogged switchboards.

In what seems to be the final (really!) push on health care reform on Capitol Hill, offices have been deluged with phone calls from across the country. They are pro-reform, anti-reform, blasting reconciliation or begging for an up-or-down vote - engaged voters who are attempting to influence the course of what will be a razor-close vote this weekend. [...]

At one point this week, the calls shut down the Congressional switchboard. [...]

According to The Hill, the office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) told Congressional offices the system is "nearing capacity" and "It got critical enough whereby we notified all systems administrators throughout the House that the phone systems are overloading."

Good.

Without our voices, there is no democracy. Without our calls, our representatives can't know where we stand.


Keep it up, America.

Harry Reid's Office: Bunning Holding All Nominees

By GottaLaff

There are times I don't want to be politically correct. There are times I want to let out a stream of expletives that would put a drunken longshoreman on leave who stubbed his toe on a sharp rock to shame.

Via TPM:

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY), who has become a one-man filibuster of a bill to extend unemployment benefits, apparently placed a hold on all presidential nominees last week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office confirms...

The Dems need to trumpet this all over the place. They need to make an example out of this millionaire Rushpublic obstructionist sicko.

People are dying and going broke every day because of his maneuvers. Now he's preventing the entire government from functioning properly. We need to push Obama's nominees through, because we've had enough holds to last a lifetime.

When's the next recess again? We need a few appointments.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go somewhere to vent. Loudly.

H/t: DCPlod

Sestak Says White House Offered Him Job to End Challenge, White House Denies

By GottaLaff

He said, they said:

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) claims the White House "offered him a federal job in an effort to dissuade him from challenging Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) in the state's Democratic primary."

Said Sestak: "I'm not going to say who or how and what was offered. I don't feel it's appropriate to go beyond what I said."

The White House denied the story.

Two nuggets

By GottaLaff

Greg Sargent has two nuggets that caught my eye today:

[T]he White House has now released the most detailed chronology yet of the handling of the Christmas bomb plotter. Key takeaway: He was Mirandized nine hours after capture — and after FBI concluded he’d stopped talking.

How about that? Nine hours.

Then there's this little White House promise:

A key concession from Dan Pfeiffer: The White House shouldn’t have stood back and let Congress set the agenda. Vows it won’t happen again.

Gee, ya think?

Good vow. You know why? Because if it happens again, bye bye 2012, bye bye agenda, bye bye Democrats.

To those who have wondered where Organizing for America has been

By GottaLaff

I've actually posted about the increased activity of OFA over the past few weeks, but this is more confirmation of their stepping up the effort to get the White House message out:

The successor to President Obama's campaign group, now a project of the Democratic National Committee, is expanding its online outreach efforts, according to a Democratic official and an advertisement posted on the jobs board at MediaBistro.com.

The notice, posted more than a week ago, seeks full-time "Email campaigners" based in Washington, D.C.; the campaigners will be "responsible for planning, writing, and executing grassroots campaigns to advance the President's agenda for change."

At least they won't get blocked by the GOP.

Gibbs Responds to Boehner, Cantor

By GottaLaff

Dear GOP,

Via the White House blog in response to these demands by Eric Cantor and John Boehner:

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs just responded to a letter sent today from House Republican Leader John Boehner and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor regarding the proposed bipartisan health care summit:

The President is adamant that we seize this historic moment to pass meaningful health insurance reform legislation. He began this process by inviting Republican and Democratic leaders to the White House on March 5 of last year, and he’s continued to work with both parties in crafting the best possible bill. He’s been very clear about his support for the House and Senate bills because of what they achieve for the American people: putting a stop to insurance company abuses, extending coverage to millions of hardworking Americans, getting control of rising premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and reducing the deficit.

The President looks forward to reviewing Republican proposals that meet the goals he laid out at the beginning of this process, and as recently as the State of the Union Address. He’s open to including any good ideas that stand up to objective scrutiny. What he will not do, however, is walk away from reform and the millions of American families and small business counting on it. The recent news that a major insurer plans to raise premiums for some customers by as much as 39 percent is a stark reminder of the consequences of doing nothing.

And that's the way it is. I hope.

White House: Shelby’s Obstruction is a Threat To National Security

By GottaLaff

I posted earlier about Richard Shelby's jaw-dropping hostage-taking of 70 of President Obama nominees.

On the Thom Hartmann Show just now, I heard that Robert Gibbs is livid, justifiably so.

Now the White House is going for a twofer: Calling this a national security threat as well as obstruction:

Yesterday, just hours after the Senate voted 96-0 to confirm Martha Johnson as the Administrator of the GSA after a pointless 9-month delay, we learned that Sen. Richard Shelby from Alabama has placed a blanket hold on all nominees, including national security nominees, to use as leverage for some projects in his state. He's holding up 70 nominees, among them top intelligence officials at the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. According to the National Journal, he’s holding them up until two defense contracts that would benefit interests in his state can be fast-tracked.

Let's be clear: Sen. Shelby is preventing qualified nominees who will help protect the American people from being confirmed. He’s not alone, though. This is just the latest example of this kind opposition for opposition’s sake that the President talked about earlier this week.. This strategy of obstruction is preventing qualified people from doing their jobs on behalf of the American people and it’s preventing real work from getting done in Washington. Every minute spent needlessly blocking noncontroversial nominees, many of whom go on to be confirmed by 70 or more votes or by voice vote (nine of the President’s nominees so far), is a minute not spent on the issues that matter to American families.

As I noted yesterday, this is true of the legislative process, too. The Senate cast more votes to break filibusters last year than in the entire 1950s and '60s combined, making it nearly impossible to come to agreement on key legislation.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director

Make that a threefer: He threw in the F word: Filibuster.

More like this please.

President Obama to throw bipartisan Super Bowl party

By GottaLaff

Groundhog Day (well, plus a few):

President Obama will hold his second bipartisan Super Bowl party this weekend, his aides announced Friday morning. [...]

White House aides say House and Senate lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, representing competing states on behalf of the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts have been invited. So far those who've accepted the invitations include Indiana Democratic Reps. Andre Carson, Baron Hill, and Brad Ellsworth, and Louisiana Republican Rep. Joseph Cao.

So far, only one Republican is attending, who, by the way, happens to be an independent thinker. How novel.

Military service members who've been injured fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan will also be guests, along with their spouses and children.

Yeah, Prez O sure hates the troops, doesn't he?

There will be a more complete list of attendees posted later today.

Which daring Rushpublics will venture into the Kenyan House of Muslim Marxist Commie Fascist Socialists... and make it out alive?

UPDATE: A list of expected attendees:

Members of Congress:
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA)
Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN)
Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Cabinet Members:
Secretary Shaun Donovan
Secretary Arne Duncan
Attorney General Eric Holder
Administrator Lisa Jackson
Secretary Janet Napolitano
Ambassador Susan Rice
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary Eric Shinseki
Secretary Tom Vilsack

White House Releases 75,000 New Visitor Records

By GottaLaff

As Seinfeld never said, "Who are these people?"

Most of the roughly 75,000 records released Friday cover October. Most visitors were there for White House tours.

Bond. James Bond:

(click on image to enlarge)

Obama to freeze salaries of top White House officials

By GottaLaff

Prez O is "freezing" again:

President Barack Obama is to freeze salaries of senior White House officials and other top political appointees, a senior administration official said on Tuesday. [...]

The newspaper said the decision would affect White House officials earning more than $100,000 and other top administration appointees, including politically appointed ambassadors -- about 1,200 people in total.

Okay, overall it's not all that much, but symbolically, it couldn't hurt. Walk the walk and all that.

Cloture voting 1947-2008: The Chart-- The White House starts to fight back

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

That noise you hear is the increasing rumblings of the White House and Congress members gearing up to fight back against the GOP's abuse of the filibuster.

About time. Louder please.

Here's a video of Rachel Maddow discussing the subject.

And David Axelrod threw in his two cents:

In an interview today with TV One’s Roland Martin, White House senior adviser David Axelrod waded into the controversy:

“The Republican strategy in the Senate is to turn 50 into 60, in other words no longer do you need a majority to carry the day in the Senate. You need 60 votes for everything because the Republicans are filibustering every single bill,” he said. “We need to call that out, and they need to explain to the American people whether throwing a wrench into everything at a time of national emergency is the appropriate policy. They want to win an election and take us back to the policies that got us into this mess in the first place.”

Here's a montage of Sunday rumbles and grumbles about the ongoing obstructionism:

Live from the White House - What Do You Want to Know?

By GottaLaff

I'm sure some of you got this e-mail, but for those who didn't:

Dear Friend, As the first year of the Obama Administration concludes with the State of the Union, the White House is inviting Americans across the country to connect directly with some of the President’s senior advisors. Through WhiteHouse.gov, these leaders will report to you on their work and answer your questions on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading. Every morning this week at WhiteHouse.gov, you’ll find a guest blog post from a senior advisor talking about the progress the Administration has made in a particular area. Then, in the afternoon, that advisor will host a live video chat with the public where you can ask anything you want, or just tune in and see what’s going on. Here’s the schedule we have planned: Monday, 3:30 EST: Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate, discusses the President’s push to create the new clean energy economy. Tuesday, 3:00 EST: Ben Rhodes of the National Security Council discusses the President’s handling of national security and foreign policy. Wednesday, 12:00 EST: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will talk about health reform, from how far we’ve come to how reform will benefit American families and small businesses Thursday, TBD: The nation’s first Federal Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, will join Norm Eisen, special counsel to the President for ethics and government reform, to talk about all the ways in which the President has changed Washington. Friday, 1:00 EST: Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, talks about the President’s primary focus on restoring the economy for all Americans and creating jobs for the American people. Stop by WhiteHouse.gov to read all of the posts, join the chats, and find any updates on times. As the President likes to say, this is the “People’s House,” so we want to open it up and make sure you know what we’re doing to bring the change America needs. Sincerely, Valerie Jarrett Senior Advisor to the President

Obama "White House shrouded in bubble wrap"

By GottaLaff

I do appreciate the White House visitor log info, such as it is, and the .gov web sites. But now I'm curious. I'd love to know more about what it is we would love to know but don't:

Walter Shapiro: "For all the campaign talk of transparency, the Obama White House is, at best, translucent and often opaque. An unheralded but politically significant accomplishment is Obama's success in imposing Republican-style loose-lips-sink-ships discipline on normally garrulous Democrats. Sure there have been press leaks... But for the most part, Obama is either presiding over the most boring White House in human history or else he has been adroit in keeping internal doubts and divisions out of the headlines."

"Nothing will remain hidden forever -- if the publishing industry has anything to say about it... For the moment, though, this is still a White House shrouded in bubble wrap. Even though Obama dominates the TV screens and news headlines, there are surprising gaps in our knowledge of his 11-month presidency."

So what are we missing?

If you're not already familiar with him, here's a little background on Walter Shapiro:

Shapiro served in the Carter administration as a presidential speechwriter (1979) and as press secretary (1977-78) to Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall. In 1972, as a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Shapiro sought the Democratic nomination for a U.S. House seat and finished second in a six-way primary. Since 1979, his only partisan activity has been voting.

The White House responds to Cheney

Go read the whole thing here, but this is the money quote-

There are numerous other such public statements that explicitly state we are at war. The difference is this: President Obama doesn’t need to beat his chest to prove it, and – unlike the last Administration – we are not at war with a tactic (“terrorism”), we at war with something that is tangible: al Qaeda and its violent extremist allies. And we will prosecute that war as long as the American people are endangered.

Obamas invite Edith "fired up, ready to go" Childs to White House

By GottaLaff

Of course, now the phrase "fired up, ready to go" will be banned from all airports... but it was fun while it lasted, right?

(White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Here is President Obama recounting the inspiring "fired up" experience. This story never gets old: