This year’s official White House Christmas card (more at the Des Moines Register) - thank you Dotster!
Truly shocking, hey? A WH Christmas card that features a dog, snow and not a SINGLE reference to religion!
Heathens!
Um…..
And in 2002 Bush paid Christmas homage to, well, a piano:
And to a fireplace in 2004:
Ronald Reagan, bless him, always had WH Christmas cards featuring “family, faith, and freedom” - like, eh, this one:
See more at Business Insider about last year’s freak-out :roll:
****
I’d love this to be next year’s card:
White House.gov
Those Wacky GOP nuts.
Congrats Tien and GM Chips.
BTW Chips, I love these cards.
Thank you. Yes, these cards are wonderful. Very tasteful and appropriate for a secular nation.
Tien Le!!!!!
Keep him hidden from those crazy squashes on Animal Planet! ;)
It should be a photo of Bo biting Senator ‘turtle’ in the butt.
Ah, now you’re talking! That’d do me Yardarm!!
No Yardarm756, we don’t want to risk Bo being infected by biting such evil as Mitch McConnell. Speaking of that ugly turtle I hear that Ashley Judd is looking into running against that turtle in 2014. If she does, count on me for donation.
Me too.
I agree Yardarm…take a big chunk out Bo!
Ruufff!
Awwwww, Bo!!! Don’t get any better than that. Thanks, Chips.
OH, I LOVE THIS CARD!! Can’t wait to get it!!
We go through this nonsense every year and it gets even more idiotic than ever. The new outrage is that Mrs. Obama has WAY TOO MANY Christmas trees in the WH, nearly TWICE what she had last year. LOLz.
My sister received her card Monday.
meta, I can’t wait to gt my Christmas card from the WH. Doesn’t bother me one bit about how many Christmas trees are in the WH. These people are sick bastards. They are not concern about middle class taxes going up because of the Republicans, but they can get up set because of too many Christmas trees.
Hahahahahaha…..anything for the GOP to stay relevant.
I LOVE this card. Bo is such a beatiful and a wonderfully trained dog. The WH video featuring him taking us on a tour was so perfect too.!
I love this years video. He has the sweetest face.
That’s the card I got yesterday and bragged about. ;) 10:02am testing time. ;)
Got mine yesterday. LOVE it. :)
;)
Love the Xmas Cards….I plan to keep them forever.
Me too. It’s a work of Art. I didn’t realize it was a painting. Thought it was more a photoshop trick. Sorry to those I tried to describe it to yesterday. I left out the scarf. My excuse, my head was swelling. ;) Is it settled Chips, was the official starting of snow started my the New White House Christmas card?
Congrats Tein on being 1st.
I am a tad envious of you, though. Bo, the 1st and a handsome dog, is your reward.
Smile. I like to share…Bos all around.
Got my card today. Very excited. I have a nice collection now.
Good morning peeps! I was disappointed that the cbs feed cut out at the Q&A session. That is oten where PBO shines. But he seems adamant in his refusal to play the repub game on the debt ceiling. This was the strongest statement I’ve heard from him to date on this.
Apparentlhy hosting a PBO visit is financially worthwhile. Was just on the K’Nex website and a good share of their products are sold out or only available at retailers. The timing of that visit was great for the company. I knew about Lincoln Logs but was not aware of their other products. My young granddaughter will be getting an Angry Birds playset made by the company. Perhaps these businesses are finally getting the message that the OFA warriors are a FORCE!
Jay Carney starting at 12:30 ET:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Why is his tie backwards?
:lol: Trust you to fret about that!!!!
I ammy avatar is image conscious.But do you not think he looks quite dashing (through the snow) with his ‘tie’ draped over his back? It’s like Wuthering Heights.
Wuthering Heights. The novel where everyone except for Heathcliff dies in their 20s.
A feel-good book!!!! :-)
“Logan’s Run” on the moors.
I’m laughing out loud at my desk, you two!
57, I’m cracking up at the idea of LL telling people in his library that Wuthering Heights is “Logan’s Run on the moors” when they go to take the book out. :lol:
“What, you’re 27? Sorry, have to kill you off with consumption.”
Stop It! I just spit coffee all over my keyboard!
Yorkshire isn’t for wimps!
It’s more like withering nights.
It didn”t float my boat, I have to say! And Kate Bush, with her windmill arms, finished me entirely with that tune.
I miss the snow!! I voted for it several times.
Fear not Debz, it will sprinkle occasionally! It’s just that some people were having trouble with their browsers, the snow was mucking things up!
Thank you, an occasional snowstorm is ok.
:lol:
Chips, as you know, I think you did the right thing, for the good of TOD. Sometimes, in a crisis,
executive action is called for. That’s why you are in charge here. xoxox
You’re very kind Sara, but I think I started an entirely unnecessary snow war, friendships could end over this!!
Nooooooooooooooooo. ;~)
Yes, Chips, dear - I’m for the occasional snowstorm. Your call!
Good afternoon to you and TODville! Sunshiny, mellow day, in Central Illinois. No snow. Hallelujah.
So, now they hate the black Dog in the WH?
jovie141, They hate the black family, why not the black dog.
The President ain’t playing on the debt limit thingy!
This one’s for you, Chips: Future News: Man City vow to spend less money to win Champions League.
Money snark:
Ha, that’d be a sight, Jose and Pep on the bench!!
And since I’m on a “Dirty Tackle” kick, here’s some advice Arsene has for MUFC:
I betcha anything someone somewhere will reproduce that as a real quote!!!
Oh, DT articles have been picked up as real news by the likes of ESPN. Quite hilarious.
I’ve seen wacky Ronaldo and Brendan Rogers DT stories reported as real, a hoot!!!
darth walks into the Oval Office and sees dubya whooping and hollering.
“What’s the matter, george” he asks.
“Nothing at all, boss. I just done finished a jigsaw puzzle in record time!”, beams dubya.
“How long did it take you?”
“Well, the box said ‘3 to 5 Years’ but I did it in a month!”
Too soon. (Ha!)
Hahahahahaha……WTF?
Three men were standing side-by-side using the restroom.
The first man finished, zipped up and started washing and literally scrubbing his hands … clear up to his elbows … He used about 20 paper towels before he finished. He turned to the other two men and commented: “I graduated from Harvard and they taught us to be clean.”
The second man finished, zipped up and quickly wet the tips of his fingers, grabbed one paper towel and commented: “I graduated from the University of California and they taught us to be environmentally conscious.”
The third man zipped up and as he was walking out the door he had a smirk on his face and said: “I don’t know about you guys, but where I went to college, they taught us not to pee on our hands.”
Gunnite folks.
:lol: Good nite!!!!!!
That’s disgusting. I don’t care what you do in the bathroom, but one must always wash his/her hands when done. Ewwww…..
This is beyond cool. Thanks, Chips!
Our gum-chewin’ President, just about the most awesome thing I can imagine, respondin’ to the peoples,
taking us seriously. Good times, so wonderful. And lookathere, everybody in the room . . . love it.
Sara, it is so cool for people to see him this way. He is really being PBO. This is who our beautiful President really is in real life.
I wish journalists would do the American people justice by showing more of him in these settings. However, I am so elated to always see him surrounded by the great young people who are working on his team. This is so awesome for them and for our country. We are so blessed to be able to be a part of his presidency, and he is so elated to have the honor of being our POTUS.
Let us totally enjoy him for the next 4 years. Others will try as hard as they can to get us distracted from being able to do that, but we must focus on our “beautiful gift”, and enjoy it daily. He will not be a perfect person or president, but he will be the best that he can. That I know. I am so happy when we get these moments where the world can see our leader leading regardless of the ugly spirits moving around him.
POB will be full force in his second term. He will need us to stay focus, work with him, and work for each other. I am committed to doing that, and I am sure our TOD Family will be just as committed in doing the same.
I love you all so very much. I am feeling better since being on my new suggestions from my brother with our appointment with my doctors. Keep looking for goodness to come into my space, and trying hard to be a “goodness space holder” for my family and friends when I come into their space.
A loving shout out to our Fred, Lamh and mother, and Jackie and sister. (((((((((((((( Loving Hugs))))))))
Where is Donna Dem? Also, has anyone heard from our Desertflower? I hope everything is going fine.
Love you, my beautiful angel, Chips and please get some rest as well. We need you here and we love you dearly. This space is such a joy and a beautiful haven for our TOD family. ((((((((( Love you much))))))HZ
Newport, 1984. I was there…
So saddened to hear about this news. I’m glad Pres. Obama got to meet him when presenting him with the Kennedy Center Honors and introducing him to a new generation. Dave Brubeck was amazing.
what a wonderful memory, alycee. i remember when i left home for college, in 1966, the student union there had a juke box, and it played ‘take five’ over and over and over-it was so groundbreaking and wondrous to us, we had gone straight from the beach boys and the beatles back in high school, to the grown-up sounds of dave brubeck.
Backstage before the show, Jimmy Fallon, Mariah Carey, and The Roots grabbed some instruments you’d find in an elementary school classroom and stopped by the Late Night “Music Room” to sing Mariah’s holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Oh boy. Mariah is hawt! Phew. Muster the crew on the quarter deck and salute.
love jimmy! and the roots are simply beyond compare-to make real music with those toys! great vid, thanks!
also too, mariah does not ‘even ask for snow’….. :)
i liked the snow, didn’t trouble me, but if it’s making my blogbuddies uncomfortable, then i don’t need it. we have our own snow here in hawaii, ya know!
(none yet this year, though)
178 have signed the Discharge petition as of ~ 1300 EST today
http://clerk.house.gov/112/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0006.xml
i notice debbie didn’t sign until today, so i won’t be too mad at my hawaii rep!
Hi Everyone! I see there’s quite a lot to catch up on today, as usual. Can’t do it now though — duty calls.
Just wanted to come in and say hi and post a small tribute to Jazz Legend, Dave Brubeck, who passed way today, one day before his 92nd birthday. Rest in peace Dave!
One of my favorites. May he rest in peace.
join that big music family upstairs, dave. love to imagine you jamming with the greats who have passed into legend.
Yes, sussanne. “join that big music family upstairs, dave.” The great music still being made. R.I.P.
What a great!!!HZ
I got my card in the mail yesterday and just can’t stop smiling about it. I love Bo so much I’m in the process of knitting myself my own Bo.
wait… you’re knitting yourself a bo? :)
Yup, you can see some in progress photos on my blog, http://sheilaokeefedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/wip-wednesday.html
Seems to me like the WHPC have been given their marching orders from Congress: Go negotiate the fiscal cliff thingy with the White House for us. Stage of grief: Negotiation.
One reporter did make the point I’ve been holding: the Republicans won on 12% approval rating. They now have zero oversight-they don’t listen to the American people or big business about anything.
I missed the briefing today. But I am not surprised that the jackals were dutifully carrying water for the GOP. As I have said many times, it would be more honest (and would eliminate at least one layer of complexity) just to have Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader McConnell sitting in the front row asking the questions. The jackals are useless. They should be embarrassed. There is no seriousness of purpose coming from the GOP. And yet the feckless media feels compelled to pretend they are a credible opposition party. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Republicans are bunglers who have rendered government dysfunctional. And we have the media terrified to report the facts because it would make the GOP look bad. So at every turn they trot out the “both sides do it” crap as cover for their bad behavior. The first principle of journalism is to tell the truth. There is nothing about these briefings that remotely resembles real journalism.
Ugh, disgusting! But typical. BTW, great post today Ms Chips, with lots of lovely SNOW photos! (ahem!) : ))
yeah, then why is cock on the cover? not because he’s pretty, that’s for sure.
A tad off topic, but not really: my brother, my best friend, died 12 years ago today - December 5, 2000. My only solace was that he didn’t have to see George W. Bush installed as President.
He was 15 years older than I and was the singular biggest influence on who I am. I still don’t know who I am, without him. We were the best of friends, and he was cherished and loved by my husband, which gave me infinite joy.
When he died, I didn’t know if I would ever find anyone remotely similar to talk to. 15 phone calls/day about politics. Didn’t know who would ever let me rant the way he did.
And then I found TOD, who put up with me with the same patience that my brother did. I am so grateful to you all and especially our beloved Chips, who has nurtured this wonderful family.
My brother Jerry would have loved you guys.
So everyone drink a toast of the spirits of their choice in his memory today. We love you, ‘Uncle’ Jerry. (He was Uncle Jerry because my husband is named Jerry as well).
So sorry about your dear brother Jerry, 57. We would certainly have welcomed him on TOD with open arms! May he rest in Peace.
We toast your brother Jerry, 57, and salute you for seeing TOD as the perfect alternate expression. Awesome.
As my wife and I toast each other later today on our 42 wedding anniversary I will keep your brother Jerry in my thoughts, 57. Thank you for sharing your love for him with us and for all you contribute to this fine TOD community.
Happy anniversary to you and Mrs. Bobfr! 42 years is quite an accomplishment.
Happy Anniversary, Bob! That’s a doozy - 42 years!! :)
that’s wonderful news to share, bob! congratulations to you both, and to all who have the good fortune to live in the circle of your loving union.
Lovely news Bob! Happy 42nd Anniversary!
Happy 42nd Annversary to you and your lovely wife, bobfr, and congratulations!
Cheers and chin-chin 57andfemale. It’s one of life’s rare and fine things to find a genuine soul connection. I am glad that you found it in your brother and at TOD.
What a lovely tribute to your brother and your family’s “Uncle Jerry”. Thank you for sharing your love for your big brother and how much he meant to you. I am so glad that we have a place to come and celebrate President Obama and support him, learn more about our democracy and that he stirred something inside us to fight FOR a better world. We are so lucky to have Chips and TOD as well as BWD who gave us TOAITR.
All you guys are just awesome. I’m trying to not be too sad today, and celebrate all my brother’s extraordinary gifts. It means the world to me to share him with my TOD family.
He would have been the best PBO supporter. More than anything, he loved to engage people, particularly young people, and get them involved politically in their own future.
The last time I saw him was Thanksgivin, 2000. We invited my husband’s right-wing nephew and I asked my brother to not turn Thanksgiving into a war zone. He just smiled……. and engaged our nephew almost immediately. He was a writer (and should have pursued it as a career), he had a gift with words. But more important, he had the gift of listening before he engaged. you never felt he was preaching.
When he died a few weeks later, my nephew sent us a card, saying how sad he was to have just discovered a new uncle and then to lose him so quickly.
I’m not saying that nephew is liberal, but he is no longer right wing but a solid, thinking centrist. Just because of one conversation on one Thanksgiving.
My brother’s mantra was to get young people to vote, and to bring 5 other people to the polls. Before this was a popular idea, it was my brother’s mission.
Aw, Uncle Jerry sounds like a beautiful soul. Thanks for sharing with us. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
what a beautiful tribute to your wonderful brother! thanks for giving us this glimpse of a great soul.
Raising a glass to Jerry, 57andfemale. To happy memories and love everlasting! {{{{57}}}}
((((((((((((((((((((((((( Beautiful tribute to your loving brother, 57.)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))HZ
{{{{{57}}}}}
{{{{{Pamela}}}}} Back at ya!
President Obama meets and celebrates this years Kennedy Center Honorees - Dave Brubeck, Mel Brooks, Grace Bumbry, Robert DeNiro, and Bruce Springsteen - who share their feelings on the experience. December 10, 2025
Whoa. Sanity in Oklahoma? http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-12-05/okla-dot-court-says-abortion-laws-unconstitutional
Words really would be superfluous here…
Roses for Dave! I’m in tears.
Don’t know how I’m gonna work after watching these and listening to his music today. :-(
GOP house member work -2013 129 days-only 60 full buz days. Cost US TAXPAYERS 3.1 million to support each hse member!
Obama to Michigan Monday
By REID J. EPSTEIN | 12/5/12 1:07 PM EST
President Obama’s fiscal cliff road show continues Monday with a visit to the Detroit area, where he will host his second outside-Washington event to pressure Congress.
The event, which a White House official described as “on the economy and middle class families,” follows his Friday trip to a Pennsylvania toy factory. He also held an event last week with Washington-area middle class people to introduce #my2k, the official White House Twitter hashtag on fiscal cliff issues.
Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have not met for a face-to-face meeting on the fiscal cliff since before Thanksgiving. Obama said Wednesday at the Business Roundtable that Boehner’s refusal to consider tax rate increases for the wealthy is stalling any talks.
“The hold up right now is that Speaker Boehner took a position that we’re willing to bring in revenue but not raise rates,” Obama said.
Oregon vote by mail yields 82% voter participation: Time for America to do likewise.
http://oregonvotes.org/doc/history/nov62012/G12_Voter_Reg_Participation.pdf
GOPHOSTAGETAKERS.COM
DCCC launches website calling House Republicans ‘hostage takers’
By Cameron Joseph
————————————-
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a new website that calls 40 potentially vulnerable House Republicans “hostage takers” for refusing to sign on to a Democratic tax plan to extend middle-class tax cuts.
.
.
“We’ve seen Republicans hold the middle class hostage before — and they’re ready to do it again,” the website reads. “Don’t let the Republicans force another middle class hostage crisis. Help us reach 250,000 strong supporting President Obama’s plan to end Bush tax cuts for the rich.”
————————————-
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/271193-dccc-launches-calling-house-republicans-hostage-takers-
GOP war on women has consequences:
The Treasury Department fleshed out the White House’s push to take control of the debt limit as part of a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” Wednesday.
The Treasury is billing this arrangement as the “McConnell Provision,” after the agreement coming out of the last debt limit fight — much to the chagrin of Senate GOP leadership.
Under the White House proposal, which has been rejected out of hand by congressional Republicans, the president would have the ability to notify Congress of a pending hike to the debt limit whenever the government comes within $100 billion of the current borrowing cap. Congress would then have the opportunity to pass a resolution disapproving of the pending hike, otherwise the increase will go through automatically.
Even if a disapproval resolution is passed, the president would have the power to veto it, meaning a two-thirds majority of Congress would be needed to block any increase — long odds in any Congress.
The Hill-
-/
If we can get this it would be great!
An off-thread but interesting item from the Web: Apparently there are some Democratic interests pushing PBO and OFA to give them their donor/volunteer/support lists—e-mail, Twitter, whatever.
OK they can ask but not Demand. Those names and addresses belong to the folks to whom they were provided. Not to politicos in perpetuity that want to use what PBO has built.
If and when OFA decides to hand over our info I will be good with that.
But, please, no person or group is entitled to that treasure trove just because they claim to be Dems or Progressives.
Am I crazy with this?
If so maybe it is because our so-called Democratic Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has thrown the NYState democratic senators under the bus and has formed an alliance with the repubs. Dems friendly to progressive interests have been shut out!
Cuomo calls himself a Dem. Should PBO give him any list of any kind? I do not think so.
Gates warns Assad: Don’t ‘underestimate’ Obama
By Meghashyam Mali
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned Bashar Assad that President Obama would follow through on threats to punish the Syrian leader if he uses chemical weapons.
“One of the things about President Obama, he is very tough-minded,” said Gates, in an interview aired Wednesday on “CBS This Morning.” “I think it would be a mistake, particularly on Bashar Assad’s part, to underestimate him.”
Thank you jovie141 for this. This is so on the truth, and one person who really knows this is former Sec. of Defense, Robert Gates who worked very closely with POB and who admires POB greatly.HZ
Heads up everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/12/05/this-and-that-and-a-heads-up/