First Lady Michelle Obama watches a performance backstage with iCarly cast members Jennette McCurdy, left, and Miranda Cosgrove and members of her staff prior to an iCarly screening at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Va., Jan. 13, 2012. Mrs. Obama joined the cast of Nickelodeon’s iCarly at a special screening of “iMeet The First Lady,” a new episode featuring Mrs. Obama that honors America’s military children. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
First Lady Michelle Obama greets students along the rope line at a special military family screening of Nickelodeon’s iCarly: iMeet The First Lady at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia
First lady Michelle Obama joins the cast members of Nickelodeon’s iCarly in performing the ‘random dance’ at a special screening of “iMeet The First Lady
(L to R) Noah Munck, Jeanette McCordy, Jerry Trainor, First Lady Michelle Obama, Miranda Cosgrve and Nathan Kress
… with iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy
…. with iCarly’s Jerry Trainor
****
****
****
****
ThinkProgress: A new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that efforts to repeal the individual health insurance mandate — and remove the incentive for healthier people to obtain health care coverage — could increase premiums by 25 percent and raise government spending on uncompensated care. “Without the mandate, 40 to 42 million would be left uninsured,” but “the government would only spend 3 to 8 percent less on acute care for the nonelderly” partly because it would be paying more for subsidies per-enrollee and uncompensated care, which is unlikely to decrease without an individual requirement.
****
****
Jared Bernstein: Everyone’s Got a Right to Their Own Opinions…but not to their own facts.
When Mitt Romney asserted that federal low-income programs are administered so inefficiently that “very little of the money that’s actually needed by those that really need help, those that can’t care for themselves, actually reaches them,” my colleagues at the CBPP got to work on this graph:
It shows that “federal administrative costs range from less than 1 percent to 8 percent of total federal program spending. Combined federal and state administrative costs range from 1 percent to 10 percent of total federal- and state-funded program spending.”
….. let’s see if he keeps repeating this falsehood…. I know these are dark times for substantive debate, but there are people out there to whom facts still matter and they need to know when someone asking for their vote is trying to mislead them.
Full post here
****
I love seeing her interact with children.
Best First Lady, evahhhhh!
PFWHI, she and POTUS are just great with kids, and look at how those kids love FLOTUS.
I agree, I agree, I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dudette, she is simply the best.
She can do anything. She is terrific. She knows how to have fun. She is confident in herself. She walks in love. She is a beauty. She can do no wrong. I love our First Lady Michelle Obama!!
I totally agree, Vitaminlover! Isn’t it amazing that people in foreign countries, from Ireland to Brazil, from India to Australia and from Germany to South Africa, love the President and the First Lady, but yet we have many Americans who hate them? In just three years PBO has been able to regain the prestige of the United States that had been lost during George W. Bush’s presidency.
100% concur.
Be of good courage FLOTUS.
3RD!
Love, love, love the first lady and her hubby is pretty cool too!
Excellent photos, videos and graph… thanks Ms. Chips!
Once again, good work Chips.
I just love this First Lady!! She us so genuine.
That CNN reporter is a dolt. She just wants to make news. Doesn’t care what Oprah acutally has to say.
Get it through your thick head CNN, Oprah is supporting President Obama.
I LOVE how beautifully and seamlessly our FLOTUS joins the situation she finds herself in on any given day. This is a project near and dear to her heart and it shows. Just a phenomenally gorgeous spirit.
Didn’t we say FLOTUS was going to march on with grace and dignity. That stupid book was not going to stop her. It’s clear beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the loser is Jodi Kantor. I admire, respect, and support FLOTUS 100%.
FLOTUS is not a bad dancer.
#PRESSON
Bob, you are AWESOME!!
Dudette, I totally co-sign your comment!
No one envies a greedy liar. Keep up the good work Bobfr. You are one in a million. Glad you are on our side.
#PRESSON
Ooopss! Sorry, TODers and Ms Chipsticks for the dupe. Wish I could delete!!
Yes We Can …. DO More Together – We Must!
Just think of it as placing emphasis on an excellent post.
Kind of you, Dudette. And, thank you for the complement.
#PRESSON
Bobfr, there is absolutely no need to delete this fabulous tweet! This should be repeated over and over again! Thanks you for the wonderful job you are doing to push back against lies coming from Willard and his fellow GOP candidates. You are really a treasure! Speaking for myself, you express so well and so succinctly everything I want to say.
Very much appreciated, nath! Thank you.
#PRESSON
Okay, I’m in the top 20 this time. That counts for something, right?
Congratulations Dudette!
Well, thank you Ms Chips! I am humbled!
Yeah, it surely does!
A portrait of President Obama: Looking good enough to eat I might add.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71213362/your-portrait-made-of-gummi-bears?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Internal&utm_campaign=Merch
Hey, my TOD family!!! What a whirlwind day. Not only did I meet Vice President Biden today, he kissed me on the cheek!!! He’s just like see him on the videos. It was small crowd of about 65-70 people at the AFSCME (DC##) union hall in Philadelphia. VP Biden had 10 minutes to talk and took 25. He took his watch off to look at it to keep time, and them promptly spoke for 15 more minutes.
Sparking white hair, that “shark” smile, the badass well-tailored suit with a stylish, modern tie. He made a few little gaffes, though he corrected them quickly.
But he is so genuine, so real, so smart, so funny. I JUST LOVE THIS GUY. He has got to the coolest grandpa alive. Just by some of the domestic and international assignments that he mentioned, he squashed the ridiculous SOS/VP swap rumors.
that was supposed to be DC33, which stands for District Council 33. It’s the municipal services union.
“Not only did I meet Vice President Biden today, he kissed me on the cheek!!!”
Thrillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllled for you isonprize!!!!!!
Oh Chica, it was so very cool. I happened to be standing on the side that I thought would be the end of the “rope” line. Well, it turns out that I was right there, RIGHT THERE, when he came out of the back room to come on stage. I was putting my hands up to try to snap a picture and he came right over and hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. I was dumbfounded.
Ah, what a completely lovely experience isonprize! Not only a hug, but a kiss too?!? That’s what I call a perfect day!
AND it’s Friday. Friday’s good!!!
And this was an EXCEPTIONALLY good Friday for you! Genuinely delighted for you isonprize.
He has to be the warmest, sweetest VP EVAH. Really, who else has this kind of feeling for ordinary people? I think he loves his job. And I think he loves POTUS. Thank goodness he said, YES.
How wonderful is that!!! My sister saw him yesterday in Ohio, and she was thrilled, and thought he was phenomenal….but she didn’t get a kiss and a hug
She’d have been on the FLOOR if he did that!
WOWZERS!! I am so jealous!! What a great memory for you, isonprize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meta, when my feet finally touch down back on planet earth, I’m going to see what I captured on video. VPB mentioned all the states that he would be visiting for OFA.
He also took some time to break down the current climate. The take home phrase was “This ain’t your daddy’s Republican Party” He said something like ‘even the pretense of compassionate conservative is gone. They are telling us all exactly how the feel.’
OMG, I do so love how Joe speaks the unvarnished truth. Can you imagine the convos he has with POTUS??!!
Would LOVE to see your videos when you have a chance to process your footage. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us.
I’m so happy for you. That is truly an experience.
Collegekay. you must be feeling better!!
Far Out! What a thrill!!!
Now, that’s special!!! So happy for you, isonprize!
#LandslideOBAMA2012 Yes We Must
Oh, Oh! Oh! How did you not faint! Like Chips in this pic!
Go on with your bad self! He’s such a people person; must drive his staff insane taking a few extra minutes at each stop. I’d hate to be the one building his schedule; they probably treat him the way we treat our perpetually late cousin — if the appointed time is 3:00 pm, we tell him 1:00 pm; he will usually arrive about 3:15…
That is SOOOOOOOOOOO Cool.
Isonprize, I am so thrilled that you got a chance to meet the VP up close. I am absolutely biased because I believe that we have the best team of President and Vice President in my life time. These two men, and their wonderful wives, are the real deal. They are genuine, committed and compassionate people. Right wingers may talk all they want about family values, but the Obamas and the Bidens practice real family values. They also practice, without fanfare, the golden rule! Although I’ve never been lucky to meet either the President and VP up close, I still consider myself blessed to be living at the time when they are leading the country.
Today’s announcement by the President must give the Republicans severe heartburn. He is actually suggesting to shrink the government? Don’t we all know that President Obama is just trying to grow the government, increase spending and tax, tax , tax all the succesful job creators? What? 20 billion dollars saved just by streamlining how the government pays bills? Calling for efficiency, tansparency and a leaner government? Decreasing the federal bureaucracy and at the same time boosting help for business? He is not living up to the Republican image of the enemy of success!! For crying out loud, what will he come up with next?
What’s interesting is that the GOP didn’t propose this first. There idea of shrinking the government is massive layoffs, cutting social programs and getting up in every woman’s uterus.
Maybe, but I actually think that they never WANT to propose something like this, because then…the BIG BAD GOVT couldn’t be the boogie man anymore! They always scream about bloated govt….but they never fix anything…they don’t want to MAKE IT EFFICIENT because then they couldn’t say that govt doesn’t work! They’re so full of BS…can’t even articulate my disgust.
You see the faces of the youth,,,,and you know it is right.
I don’t have the benefit of computer during the day, did anyone see the Soledad interview with Jodi Kantor? I heard Tom Joyner and his folks talking about it, but did not get the gist.
africa, I think someone posted it a few threads back here on TOD. Soledad was fierce in defending FLOTUS.
Thanks, I will look for it.
africa, Soledad kick that lying Jodi Kantor’s ass. I bet she won’t want to do a interview with Soledad again.
Ouch!!
africa. Soledad did the zambooogee on the Kantor babe. 2 snaps and a twist.
zambooogee???
Yardarm, I’m scared to ask because whatever it is, can’t be good!!
That’s an old school “hood” term for foot in the azz with umph!
Whoa! Yard!!! Zamboogee! Can you say…Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death? Melvin Van Peebles!
Melvin was an expat living in Paris when me and my buds were using that term ” Zam-boo-oogee!”
Seriously? This is great…I actually worked on a production of that play in the bay area back in the day! “Lily Did the Zamboogee” was one of the most popular parts of the play.
Oooo. When you say Bay area, i’m thinking ‘Frisco and all my cousins in South Oakland. I had a “Boss” time in the ’60s while stationed at Treasure Island. San Jose was a wide place in the road and Walnut Creek was a gas station.
Oh, boy. Too bad I missed it.
Aww. First Lady looks so cute.
I want some pants like she has on.
Hello all – Here’s a site that could become Romney’s very own “Santorum” problem : Enjoy !
http://spreadingromney.com/
WOW!!!!!, I’d change my name immediately.
I’m hoping this googlebomb will, um, spread…
He’s getting the “Santorum” treatment:) Google Santorum…if you dare!
That’s an excellent graphic from bernstein.
YOU ROCK FIRST LADY! WOW…I HOPE THE PRESIDENT IS STILL EATING HIS WHEATIES…LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
What’s the deal with Oprah not wanting to “officially” endorse PBO? Sounds like some weird hair-splitting. I don’t get it!
much ado about nothing.
If Oprah said she want President Obama to win, if she says she wants President Obama to be President again for four more years. Let’s not try to make something out of nothing.
Oprah was very clear. She said that she would do WHATEVER PBO asked her to do. ’nuff said.
She’s got a struggling network that needs Republican as well as Democratic viewers. I think she has suffered some backlash from Hillary and Palin supporters also. I’m sure she’s supporting PBO but doesn’t want to rub some of her viewers the wrong way. Just a guess.
She’s also interviewing Chris Christie soon I believe.
She simply received backlash for entering the political environment publicly, and she likely does not want to do that again, no big deal. Her and Gayle do not distance themselves from the Obamas, so they still support the President, and Gayle made it known when she interviewed FLOTUS that they are friends. Oprah and Gayle will vote and donate to POTUS, which is all that matters.
I remember in 08 when Oprah came to California to endorse Senator Obama along with Maria Schriver, Caroline Kennedy, Maria Elena Durazo, and Michelle Obama, she got a lot of negative feedback.
And her ratings dropped!
#LandslideOBAMA2012 Yes We Must
amen bob
Flotus is so cool! LOL
#LandslideOBAMA2012 #LandslideDEMS2012 Yes WE Must
You are on fire tonight, Bobfr!! Keep going!!
OMFG!!!….. (backstory). We had DishTV but ATT internet (why? my son’s idea). Anyway, we were informed that Directv bought Dish and we would be receiving new cable boxes to “give” us Directv (no options) and replace Dishtv. Ok, so today, I’m on the computer with the tv on and in the background I hear a commercial stating “WE NEED YOUR SIGNATURE ON A PETITION TO REPEAL OBAMACARE….WTF!!!! They want folks to sign a petition to repeal it, at least 1 million more and the original signers. Is this type of partisanship ad part of Directv’s programming, does anyone else have Directv, has anyone else heard this attack ad?. I mean I know ATT is biased and I know Newscorp still has options for Directv but if we are PAYING for tv why should we hear a partisan attack on the president? Is this a FCC issue? cause believe me, I’m going to complain to somebody quick. That totally pissed me off to hear “Repeal Obamacare, an attack on our way of life” or something like that. I don’t want to do it but I will listen for it next time to hear what is exactly stated and see who “sponsored” this attack ad in CALIFORNIA…WTF?
No, but tweet dws with this info!
We have DirectTV. I hear that s— story EVERY night during Ed’s show and again during Rachel’s show. EVERY night. I mute if I can get to it in time. SICK.
Please let all of us know and we’ll join you.
I have Direct TV back at home too. I loathe that commercial. I change the channel every time I see it.
Oooo that’s terrible. I’ve got U-verse for all my stuff and don’t get anything like that.
I saw that commercial for the first time today! I am seriously considering canceling my cable subscription. I refuse to be an unwitting victim who pays for this propaganda. I don’t want to spend any penny subscribing to cable channels that permit running this commercial.
AT&T, Directv and UVerse all the same owners.
Chipsticks, have you seen this memo circulating on twitter and the internets?
http://images.politico.com/global/2012/01/freeenterprisememo.html
Its from the Obama campaign and it’s about Pres.Obama’s and Romney’s record on the economy/job creation, etc. I haven’t read it yet but I see it RT’ed every few tweets and some journos are talking about it.
We are all over Nevada. Lots of Californians headed to California to help GOTV. The caucuses are January 21st.
Same as SC primary?
That’s gonna leave a mark:)
Does Romney Have A Wealth Problem?
John Sides nods:
[H]ere is the problem that Romney confronts. Americans perceive him as personally wealthy more than they do Obama. They perceive him as caring more about the wealthy, but less about “people like me” and the middle class, than does Obama. Moreover, Obama can “get away with” being perceived as personally wealthy or caring about the wealthy in ways that Romney cannot. For Americans, Romney’s personal wealth is more intimately tied to the perception that he cares about the wealthy—and this in turn implies that he cares less for the middle class.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/01/does-romney-have-a-wealth-problem.html
One thing that has stood out to me is that PBO admits he is one of the rich that needs to pay more taxes. He gave all of his Nobel Peace Prize to charity. His family pays for their portion of travel, the WH decorating, the girls playground set and a lot of things instead of charging the tax payers. If I remember correctly the book PBO had out last year about famous Americans for children profits went to a charity too.
I don’t hear stories like that for Romney. I hear him say he is giving a million each to each of his sons.
MUST READ…Kathleen Parker absolutely nails it. I’m gonna print this sucker out and frame it. WOW.
“These perhaps were not the best words for a future first lady, but I have no trouble understanding how she felt in that moment. It may be easy for fortunate whites to say they’ve always been proud of America, though they’re probably lying. It is less easy for someone whose ancestors were slaves and whose own parents remember when blacks couldn’t vote and were lynched for trying in some parts of the country. Given that history, one can forgive a few ill-chosen words uttered in an emotional moment.
But no. Mrs. Obama has been paying for her remarks ever since. If she isn’t smiling at the camera or looking riveted by every instant of her public life, she’s an angry woman.
Despite the pain these critiques cause Mrs. Obama and other African American women who identify with her, I do believe that these feelings are not particularly widespread. Most see the first lady as she is: a beautiful, gracious, intelligent, elegant, devoted wife and mother of whom we can be proud.
Those who insult her insult us all, and, yes, we should be angry.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/denigrating-michelle-obama-is-enough-to-make-anyone-angry/2012/01/13/gIQAmJcExP_story.html?hpid=z3
“Most see the first lady as she is: a beautiful, gracious, intelligent, elegant, devoted wife and mother of whom we can be proud.
Those who insult her insult us all, and, yes, we should be angry.”
Perfection.
Thank you LOL!
#LandslideOBAMA2012 Yes We Must
kp wrote that ?
Yup Yup….She is more tolerable than Maureen Dowd.
Wow!!!! My feeling exactly “Those who insult her insult us all, and, yes, we should be angry.”
Thank you, Kathleen Parker. I share your opinion!
Thanks LOL. That was a nice article. definitely on point.
CEO Gary Hirshberg is stepping down as the chief executive officer of Stonyfield Farm and handing over responsibilities of the organic yogurt company to a former CEO of Ben & Jerry’s.
A Democratic activist and fundraiser, he also wants to spend time on efforts to re-elect President Barack Obama and support a New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate for the 2012 election. Hirshberg said he is not running for governor.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120113-BIZ-201130377
#PRESSON
Just getting in after a heck of a day….. How will I ever catch up? Where should I start?
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! I might have to watch THIS SUNDAY SHOW!!!
Colbert To Headline ABC’s ‘This Week’ On Sunday…Steven Colbert and Rick Perry…oh, yeah. Bloody Mary’s all around!
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/01/13/those-who-insult-her-insult-us-all/
In a suburban Virginia living room, Earline Coe, solid Democrat and Obama loyalist, dials again.
“Hello, may I speak with Ellen?” she says, tapping a pen on a long list of names.
It is supposed to be a good list, one generated by the Obama campaign’s data wonks in Chicago, who have sorted their files of millions of voters and identified these as likely recruits in a renewed version of the vaunted grass-roots operation that propelled Obama’s 2008 victory.
All that’s needed now are yeses, which is what five women are trying to get at a phone bank on this Wednesday evening, especially Coe, who now has Ellen on the line.
http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/rss.jsp;jsessionid=7EB6D290F0A86F95F5ABBCFE17CDF06E?rssid=605&item=http%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2fnational%2f2012%2f01%2f03%2fgIQAoblOxP_mobile.mobile&cid=961405