Obama pledges to fight for a fairer America

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Source: BBC

Barack Obama has used his state of the union address to launch his 2012 re-election campaign, with a populist speech portraying himself as the champion of working-class America against the small, wealthy elite he claimed is protected by the Republicans.

As the Republicans tore strips off one another over tax and wealth in the Florida primary to choose the party’s nominee to face Obama, the president set out a strongly populist agenda, promising to tackle the inequality gap. He touched on issue after issue raised by voters, from the power of Wall Street to the pervasive influence of money in politics, and offered proposals for dealing with them.

In one striking passage, delivered in a joint sitting of the Senate and the House, Obama said the defining issue of the present time was how to keep alive the promise of America as a land of opportunity.

“No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules,”

he said.

“What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values but American values. We have to reclaim them.”

Read the full BBC story.

Weekly Address: America is Open for Business

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President Obama tells the American people about a series of steps he’s taken without the help of Congress to grow the economy and create jobs — including a new strategy aimed at boosting tourism introduced this week. In next week’s State of the Union Address, the President will outline his blueprint for creating an economy built to last.

He promised radical change, a new kind of politics. Many one-time believers now say he has no stomach for a fight.

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Source: Guardian.co.uk

Barack Obama’s presidency, three years on – is it time to give up hope?

President and Mrs. Barack Obama

Barack Obama with his wife, Michelle, at the White House in December 2011. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Three years ago to the day, Barack Hussein Obama stood before a crowd shivering in the frigid January air and took the oath of office that made him the 44th president of the United States. By some estimates, there were two million people thronging the National Mall in Washington that day, a human carpet stretching to the steps of the Capitol, to witness a moment many – perhaps most – never believed they would see: the inauguration of America’s first black president. When Aretha Franklin, in a splendid hat, sang My Country, ’tis of Thee, the air filled with hope that this would be a moment of healing – of the immediate, bruising past of the Bush years, but also of the long history of racial division in America. Hopes, in other words, that were almost impossibly high.

Read the full Guardian story.

The right calls him a socialist, the left says he sucks up to Wall Street, and independents think he’s a wimp.

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Source: The Daily Beast

Andrew Sullivan: How Obama’s Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics

You hear it everywhere. Democrats are disappointed in the president. Independents have soured even more. Republicans have worked themselves up into an apocalyptic fervor. And, yes, this is not exactly unusual.

A president in the last year of his first term will always get attacked mercilessly by his partisan opponents, and also, often, by the feistier members of his base. And when unemployment is at remarkably high levels, and with the national debt setting records, the criticism will—and should be—even fiercer. But this time, with this president, something different has happened. It’s not that I don’t understand the critiques of Barack Obama from the enraged right and the demoralized left. It’s that I don’t even recognize their description of Obama’s first term in any way. The attacks from both the right and the left on the man and his policies aren’t out of bounds. They’re simply—empirically—wrong.

Read the full story on The Daily Beast.

SPEAK EASY, hosted by Justin McAleer – The first Obama term

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Who would Obama rather face in the general election, Gingrich or Romney? Why?

Did America pull out of Iraq too early or too late?

Do you have an opinion? If you do, please join me for the inaugural Democrats Abroad Speak Easy.

What is a Speak Easy?

It is an opportunity to sit down with other people who are interested in discussing and sharing opinions about American politics, business and culture.

When?

The inaugural Speak Easy will take place on February 1st and starts at 6pm. The plan is to have a Speak Easy during the first week of every month thereafter.

Where?

Hotel Hellsten, Luntmakargatan 68, SE-113 51 Stockholm

Closest T-bana stop is Radmansgatan.

Why should you attend?

1. a good opportunity to network

2. offers a chance to discuss American politics, business and culture

3. not a class, you can arrive and leave whenever you want

4. opportunity to buy beer,wine or soft drinks at the Hotel’s bar

Who should attend?

Anyone who is interested in discussing American politics, business and culture is welcome. You do not need to be an American nor do you need to be a Democrat. Americans are invited to bring their husbands, wives, partners or children who are Swedish or any other nationality.

Please RSVP to the following email address speakeasySTHLM@gmail.com if you plan to attend. I ask you to do so because I would like to provide the hotel with an estimate as to the number of people who will attend the first Speak Easy.

Your 2010 Federal Taxpayer Receipt

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In his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised that this year, for the first time ever, American taxpayers would be able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent. Just enter a few pieces of information about your taxes, and the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care.

Tax receipt

Click the image to begin your calculation

President Obama: “With this authority, we would help businesses grow, save businesses time and save taxpayer dollars”.

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US President Barack Obama has thrown down the gauntlet to Republicans by asking Congress for the power to shrink the federal government.

Click on the image to view the video.

He told business leaders that he wants to close the US commerce department and merge six agencies.

The White House said the plan would save $3bn (£2bn) over 10 years and cut 1,000 to 2,000 jobs through attrition.

The proposal is seen as an attempt to counter Republican criticisms that Mr Obama is a big-government liberal.

With November’s general election on the horizon, it is not clear whether congressional Republicans will grant Mr Obama’s request for such reorganisational powers.

Read the full BBC story.

The US economy created 200,000 jobs in December, marking the sixth month in a row of gains, official figures show.

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Source: BBC
click image below to view video

The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%, which was the lowest level in nearly three years, from a revised 8.7% in November, the Labor Department said.

Large job gains were seen in retail, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing and healthcare.

For 2011 as a whole, some 1.6 million jobs were created, which was the highest since 2006, led by rises in the private sector.

Employment in the private sector rose by 212,000 in December and by 1.9 million over the year.

Government employment was little changed in December but was down by 280,000 over the year.

The unemployment rate had remained stubbornly high at about 9% for several years, peaking at 10.1% in October 2009. But December marked the fourth month in a row that it had fallen, after routine updates were made to previous months’ data at the end of the year.

However, November’s figure was revised up slightly from 8.6% to 8.7%.

Read the full BBC story.

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