Week Twenty-Nine

National Scene 8/11 – 8/18/2009

By Linnie Frank Bailey

The Online White House!

The Obama Administration is the most technically savvy of any prior Presidency. Partly because of advancements in new media, but also because of a willingness to take advantage of the technology. Obama first displayed this prowess during the campaign with the legendary BarackObama.com and his presence on many social media sites. Using these sites he raised more money than any candidate in the history of campaigning, and took his message directly to the people.

Currently, the Administration has sites devoted to most of its departments and policies, including health care reform, the Recovery Act, mortgage help, etc. The starting point is the official ‘Welcome to the White House’ site: Whitehouse.gov

Other sites of interest:

Want to see streaming videos of White House hosted concerts as they occur: www.whitehouse.gov/live

Want to see videos of Obama speeches and town halls? www.youtube.com/whitehouse

Want to check out pictures of the first family during trips abroad –especially the Africa trip! www.flickr.com/whitehouse/sets

Want the “real deal” on health care reform in Spanish? Visit WhiteHouse.gov/LaRealidad in English: www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck

The President is also on all of the major social media sites; and, most online news, entertainment, and political sites have sections devoted to the Administration.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Obama Fights Health Care Reform “Scare Tactics”

Telling his audience,”We can’t let them do it again!” President Obama hosted a town hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on health insurance reform, reminding the crowd, “Every time we come close to passing health insurance reform, the special interests fight back with everything they’ve got.”

An area woman who cannot get health care because of a pre-existing condition, introduced the President. Describing his opponents methods as “scare tactics,” Obama told the crowd, “What is truly scary -- what is truly risky -- is if we do nothing. If we let this moment pass -- if we keep the system the way it is right now -- we will continue to see 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day. Your premiums will continue to skyrocket. They have gone up three times faster than your wages and they will keep on going up.”

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Reception for the New Justice

The President and Mrs. Obama hosted a reception in the East Room of the White House for the newly sworn in Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Guests included Sotomayor’s family and friends, leaders of the Hispanic community, members of Congress, other Supreme Court justices, judges from the federal Courts of Appeals, and former co-workers of Sotomayor.

Giving an historical perspective on Sotomayor’s ascent to the high court, the President said:

“Nearly 80 years ago, as the cornerstone was laid for the building that became our Supreme Court, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes declared, ‘The Republic endures and this is the symbol of its faith.’ Justice Sotomayor's rise from humble beginnings to the height of achievement is yet another symbol of that faith -- faith that the American Dream still endures; faith that ‘equal justice under the law’ is not just an inscription in marble, but an animating ideal of our democracy; faith that in this great nation, all things are still possible for all people. This is a great day for America, and I know that all of us here are proud and honored to have been a part of it.”

Thursday, August 13, 2009

“President Obama is My Homeboy”

Eleven-year-old African-American student Damon Weaver, from Kathryn E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary, Florida, got a chance to interview the President on behalf of the KEC TV News Team. Weaver asked well-rounded questions about the economy and issues facing kids, and got an exclusive when the President announced his plans to address American schoolchildren on September 8. At the end of the session, Obama and Weaver announced that they were now “homeboy’s.”

Friday, August 14, 2009

Obama Takes Healthcare Fight to Montana

Saying: “We are held hostage at any given moment by health insurance companies that deny coverage, or drop coverage, or charge fees that people can't afford at a time when they desperately need care,” the President continued to deliver the message for health care reform. This time he led a town hall in Belgrade, Montana and challenged attendees to express their concerns and ask him hard questions. He stressed the importance of honest debate instead of staged outrage and scare tactics.