Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Didn't Clinton and Bush go to local churches?

On another topic, Mr. Obama said he would not select a church while living in the White House. “What we have decided for now is not to join a single church, and the reason is because Michelle and I have realized we are very disruptive to services,” he said.

Instead, he said he would from time to time visit St. John’s Church, across Lafayette Square from the White House, where many presidents have worshiped. He also said the family prefers to worship in the privacy of the presidential retreat when it spends the weekend there. “We love the chapel at Camp David,” he said.

Full Story

I love the way he is committed to the Word of God

President Obama's recess appointment of an outspoken supporter of gay rights to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is causing alarm among social conservatives, who worry that she'll strip religious rights from schools and businesses and "revolutionize" social norms in the workplace.

The appointment of Georgetown University Law Center Professor Chai Feldblum to be one of the EEOC's five commissioners went largely unnoticed on Saturday, as Republicans zeroed in on Obama's naming of pro-union labor lawyer Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board.

But Feldblum has garnered harsh criticism from conservative religious organizations, who are disturbed by her work to promote gay, lesbian, and transgender rights, including past comments in which she said "gay sex is morally good."

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Oh...this should help

WASHINGTON—With his wavy bouffant and medallion necklaces, the Rev. Al Sharpton famously confronted government officials on behalf of black Americans. Now he has found a new role: telling black leaders to quiet their criticisms and give the government a chance.

President Barack Obama has turned to Sharpton in recent weeks to answer increasingly public criticism in the black community over his economic policy. Some black leaders are charging that the nation's first African-American president has failed to help black communities hit hard by the downturn, leaving party strategists worried that black Democrats will become dispirited and skip November's congressional elections.

Sharpton has emerged as an important part of the White House response. On his national radio program, he is directly rebutting the president's critics, arguing that Obama is right to craft policies aimed at lifting all Americans rather than specifically targeting blacks. One recent on-air fight with Tavis Smiley, a prominent talk show host and Obama critic, grew so heated that it has created a small sensation among black leaders.

From the Wall Street Journal with Full Story here

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Whatever it takes

Barack Obama unveils his final strategy for pushing health reform in America.

“EVERYTHING there is to say about health care has been said and just about everyone has said it…now is the time to make a decision.” So declared President Barack Obama on March 3rd to an audience of doctors and nurses gathered at the White House. After a year of dithering, he is now leaping into action.

His speech contained no policy surprises, but is worth noting for three reasons. First, he instructed congressional Democrats to embrace several Republican proposals—for example, modest measures to reform malpractice laws and fight insurance fraud—that were put forward during last week’s bipartisan summit on reform. Second, he made it clear that he now wants Democrats to forge ahead with whatever procedural manoeuvres are necessary to pass his health bill. And finally, he declared that he wanted to see “an up-or-down vote” in the “next few weeks”. ...

Full Story