President Obama

POLITICS: A BIT OF REVISIONIST HISTORY

 

POLITICS: ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE – Commentary and Analysis on Race, War, Ethics and the American Political Landscape in the Age of Obama, by Wilmer J. Leon, III, Ph.D. (AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2016, 332 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

May 10, 2017 (San Diego) - Wilmer J. Leon, III, PhD., has written a provocative and well researched book on politics and race relations; Politics: Another Perspective – Commentary and Analysis on Race, War, Ethics and the American Political Landscape in the Age of Obama. When I read Dr. Leon’s book it is like “preaching to the choir”, particularly his take on the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright in my hometown of Chicago. I am well aware of Dr. Wright’s place in history, and especially as it regards the ascension of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States. Former President Barack Obama was actually a member of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright’s church at one time prior to becoming president, as well as Oprah Winfrey.


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OBAMA NAMES SUPREME COURT NOMINEE, BUT SENATE LEADER REFUSES TO ALLOW HEARING

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 20, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – To fill the vacancy left on the Supreme Court by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick Garland, a judicial moderate supported overwhelmingly by both Republicans and Democrats when he was appointed to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1997.  But in a move unprecedented in U.S. history, Senate leader Mitch McConnell has said Republicans will refuse  to allow hearings on any Garland or any nominee made by President Obama for the 11 months left in his term.


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CONGRESSWOMAN DAVIS PRAISES PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PROPOSAL TO END SUMMER HUNGER

 

East County News Service

 

January 29, 2016 (San Diego) -- Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) and Senator Patty Murray praised President Obama’s proposal to reduce child summer hunger by making permanent the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) program nationwide. 

 

During the school year, low-income children have the opportunity to receive free or reduced-price meals at school. However, millions of these same children go hungry during summer break.  The President’s budget will address this summer meals gap by investing $12 billion to scale up the successful Summer EBT demonstration project that has decreased hunger among participating children by about 33 percent while increasing healthy food intake. 


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PRESIDENT ADVISES FEWER TESTS FOR STUDENTS

 

East County News Service

October 25, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The No Child Left Behind Act was adopted in 2001 under President George W. Bush and perpetuated by the Obama administration.  But after years of complaints from parents and students,  President Barack Obama has announced new guidelines aimed at reducing mandatory testing.


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HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER

 

San Diego delegation splits on vote

March 4, 2015 (Washington DC)--The Department of Homeland Security won’t be shutting down.  Both houses of Congress have now passed legislation to fund the agency through September.


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WILL HOMELAND SECURITY SHUT DOWN THIS WEEK?

 

East County News Service

February 24, 2015 (Washington D.C.)--The Department of Homeland Security is set to shut down if Congress doesn’t pass a funding bill by Friday. The White House says it is preparing for a potential shut down starting this weekend, the Washington Post reports.


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DEJA VU: PRELUDE TO MICHAEL BROWN AND FERGUSON, MISSOURI

 

The Lynching of Cleo Wright, by Dominic J. Capeci, Jr. (The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 1998, 274 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

August 25, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Terry Teachout, a New York Times critic, playwright, and inveterate blogger, and I have something in common. He and I were both born in the “bootheel” of Missouri, he in Sikeston and I in Charleston – in the area of one of the most tragic and heinous lynchings in the annals of America; the lynching of Cleo Wright. We both, also have weighed in on Dominic J. Capeci’s book; The Lynching of Cleo Wright, which has been described as “a creatively conceptualized anatomy of a lynching, and “Capeci places the lynching of Cleo Wright within the context of the city of Sikeston, the state of Missouri, and the nation.” This book should also be viewed in context with the ongoing furor and debate of Ferguson, Missouri and the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman.


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BUDGET BATTLES IN CONGRESS

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 22, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Three competing budgets have been proposed in Congress-one by House Republicans, another by President Obama, and a third by the House Congressional Progressive Caucus.

All aim to balance the budget over time. The Republican plan focuses on cuts to social services and tax breaks to businesses and wealthier Americans in line with the trickle-down economic theory. The President and progressive budgets focus on raising revenues to closing tax loopholes for corporations and the rich, providing more help to middle class and low-income taxpayers under a rising tide floats all boats strategy.

But how do these three budgets stack up compared to what polls show most Americans want Congress to do?


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CIVIL LIBERTIES ACTIVISTS, PLAINTIFFS CHEER COURT'S RULING AGAINST INDEFINITE DETENTION

Petition launched urging President Obama not to appeal decision

September 14, 2012 (New York) – On September 12, 2012, Judge Katherine Forrest ruled that the so-called “indefinite detention” provision of the fiscal 2012 National Defense Authorization Act violates the Constitution and issued a permanent injunction against its use. The law would have allowed the military to indefinitely detain civilians -- even Americans -- without charge or trial if they are accused of certain crimes, or even associated with certain criminals.

There are six plaintiffs in the case including writer Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky, and the leaker of the Pentagon Papers Daniel Ellsberg.


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POLITICAL REFLECTIONS: PAUL RYAN—MITT DOUBLES DOWN ON THE RIGHT

 
By Mark Gabrish Conlan

August 14, 2012 (San Diego) --
Up until presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney named Wisconsin Congressmember Paul Ryan as his running mate on August 10, the safe bet seemed to be that Romney was going to base his general-election strategy on “a referendum, not a choice.” For one thing, that’s Politics 101: as pioneering American political scientist V. O. Key said in the 1960’s, Americans vote on issues but “retrospectively and negatively.”

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LOCAL LATINO LEADER REACTS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA'S IMMIGRATION POLICY CHANGES

By Miriam Raftery

Sierra Robinson also contributed to this report

June 18, 2012 (Washington D.C.)— "It makes no sense to expel talented young people who are, for all intents and purposes, Americans," said President Obama Friday, speaking at the White House. View a video.

The President noted that many children of undocumented immigrants have grown up in America, only learning of their own undocumented status when they apply for a driver’s license or a job.

Under a new policy announced by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, young immigrants who meet certain criteria will no longer be deported. Instead, those who qualify will be eligible for deferred action for two years, subject to renewal.


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