The Obama Diary

Whenever I see, hear or read about President Obama I am reminded of the comment made by the First Lady (which I am not quoting exactly) which, in essence, seemed to posit that the Presidency does not make you but rather it reveals who you are.

The following ten instances/events reveal exactly who President Obama is, I think, and so, here are my 10 most memorable things/events of 2014:

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1. Between Two Ferns appearance

This is such a clear example of PBO’s willingness to innovate , explore all the available options and not be bound by others view of propriety and tradition if it prevents him from pursuing progress.

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2. Shaking off Pres Putin with sanctions and diplomacy

….. embodied in the iconic photo taken at the G20 in Australia.

This shows his ability to out-strategise the rest in a chillingly intellectual manner.

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3. Support, investment and confidence in youth

…. the now annual Science Fair at the WH, the My Brother’s Keeper Foundation and the initiatives implemented with Native American Youth.

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4. Working for all citizens and willing to do what’s right

…. the return of Sergeant Bergdahl and other persons held in North Korea and most recently Cuba.

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5. Speech made in support of candidate for Governor Tom Wolfe

….. which laid out all the policies which were implemented, worked and was a blueprint for the Democrats, if they had had the sense to use it. This showed PBO as both a policy and political giant.

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6. What an amazing clutch player PBO is

….. He did what great champions do - bring their best game when it matters most and it did with the GOP sweeping the mid-terms. They have been put on notice that they have to re-calibrate and deal with an engaged President who won’t roll over and limp to the finish line.

After losing the midterms - climate change deal, immigration executive order, nomination of Loretta Lynch and change in relationship with Cuba. Shows he is the big boss, he runs the road - yeah he continues to be just like Lord Nelson delivering the Waterloo result to those who who keep predicting his own.

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7. Colbert Appearance

…. shows not only his important ability to take a hard look at himself but to be aware of the need for self examination and critique. His counter-punching skills were also visible as he used the superb comedic performance and interview to get his message out.

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8. The all women press conference

….. a huge drop the mic moment and ultimate exposure of the views of a whole lot of the male members of the WHPC.

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9 The Economy

9. His and his team’s smarts and tenacity that produced the 18,000 DOW, 5% GDP and all round great economic news in December 2014 BEFORE the crazy caucus takes up residence has rendered the GOP speechless - what a feat!

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10 At last, vacation time

PBO able to go on vacation on time with his family, enjoy a most deserved break and recharge for the new year.

by Japa

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(by Pete Souza)

The Timex Man

This is really an expansion of a comment I made earlier. And it is representative of how I view the year 2014 and what truly will make it, in years to come, perhaps the most memorable year of President Obama’s two terms.

I had originally told Chips that I was going to come up with a memorable moment for each month. Then I was trying to look for a memorable moment for each day. The fact is, there were not many days that did not provide its own memorable moment and some days had more than one.

So then I tried to look at the entire year to see what all those possible memorable moments had in common and what the overall theme of this year was. And quite simply, as I was doing my considering I realized what our President reminded of…the old Timex commercials.

Basically, the commercials would show a Timex watch being subjected to all kinds of abuse, then there would be a close-up showing the watch still working. The tag line was “Timex, it takes a licking but keeps on ticking.”

And that is what this year has been like for the President. It started with all the abuse he was subjected to concerning Obamacare. Some of it was hangover from the initial website problems, but it kept building because of what supposed to be a failure of sufficient enrollment. Of course, President Obama kept his cool when all others were starting to panic (except those of us who knew better). He kept on ticking.

It continued on and on. Putin invaded Crimea and all we were subjected to, from the media and the right and the left, were how strong and leaderlike Putin was and how the President had obviously been outplayed by a master. Again, we knew better, even when the rest of the country was, in their hearts, laughing at him. But he kept on ticking.

Then came the ISIS crisis. Again, we were told he was too late and too little. Some of us knew better and he kept on ticking.

Then came election season. He was excoriated by the right, with all the GOP candidates trying to make the election about the evil socialist in the White House. And of course all the Dem candidates (though not all) trying to keep an arm’s distance, and sometimes even more, from him. But he kept on ticking.

Then came all the post election analysis and how the voters rejected his policies and how the right crowed and how the left complained that he hadn’t done enough or he had hurt them by doing too much. And the media declared his next two years to be the lamest of all lame ducks. But he kept on ticking, and ticking and ticking.

Sue Duvall Smith calls him the energizer President. He is so much more, though that is definitely a side to him. He is beyond the “Keep Calm and Carry On” slogan. He is something truly special and quite possibly, more than any other year, 2014 is emblematic of just what he is and what he means to the country and specially to us at TOD.

Yes, there have been many memorable moments in 2014 and I have truly enjoyed reliving them with my fellow TODvillians. Just like there have many other instances than those I have listed above.
But to me, looking back from some point in the future, I think I will consider 2014 as the memorable year of his Presidency. He has taken a licking but he keeps on ticking.

He is The Timex Man.

by EricWolfson

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1. The first New World Pope meets the first African-American President

2. President Obama receives a tip of the hat from a WWII veteran while celebrating the 70th anniversary of D-Day at “Democracy’s Beachhead.”

3. President Obama speaks at the newly-opened National September 11th Memorial & Museum, flanked by an eerie reminder of the brave lives lost.

4. A ray of light in an otherwise tough year for African-American youth, President Obama launches his My Brother’s Keeper initiative.

5. President Obama shuts down Boehner’s lawsuit against him in 7 words or less: “I’ve got a better idea: DO SOMETHING.”

6. President Obama “set the record straight” by giving Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris a long-overdue Medal Of Honor

7. President Obama makes a rare presidential visit to Dakota Indian Country

8. President Obama became the first president to wear a tan suit EVER

9. President Obama takes French President Hollande to the home of America’s greatest Francophile—Thomas Jefferson

10. President Obama becomes the first president to do his own birthday shopping in a thrift-store

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See all the ‘2014 Most Memorable Moments’ here

by @JOBoomr

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How can we form a memory
Of just one single day
When our lives in Obama’s time
Are enriched in every way.

The universe wakes up each morning
Looking for our President’s plan
And, lo, we’re never disappointed!
What.A.Man.

President Obama is his “brother’s keeper”
And he spotlights women at the mic
He calms down babies in a warm embrace
(Let’s face it) Everything he does, we like!

He leaps tall stock markets in a single bound
He’ll even work with Cuba and the Pope!
We’re in awe when he dazzles us with another act
So this is what he meant by Change and Hope!

Our precious First Lady
In all her grandeur and appeal
I think we’d agree is best described
In just one word: R-E-A-L.

The Obama daughters and their grandma
Are family members, also, to us all
Love all their winning ways and charm
And aren’t Malia and Sasha getting tall!

“They” call us Obots or Obamadons
Or what “they” think is a slur
I’d rather be on this side of history
Than live inside the right-wing blur.

One memorable yearly moment, Chips?
I.Think.Not.
Make that 365 days of APPRECIATION
From THIS Obamabot.

Happy 2015! Can’t Wait!