President’s Speech To Catholic Health Association

The White House

On Tuesday, U.S. President Obama spoke about America’s healthcare in a speech to the Catholic Health Association’s annual assembly, in Washington, DC.  He attempted to make the case that The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is an integral part of the country’s social safety net, much like Social Security or Medicare.

He condemned opponents of his signature health care law as “cynical” partisans seeking to deprive Americans of an important benefit, writes The New York Times. He built a tough political case against Republicans as the Supreme Court weighs whether to strike down a key element of the Affordable Care Act in the case of King v. Burwell.

“This is now part of the fabric of how we care for one another — this is health care in America,” the president said in a speech to the Catholic Health Association, an organization that championed the law and has written a brief asking the high court to uphold it. “It seems so cynical to want to take health care away from millions of people.”

Who Is Larry Lessig?

TYT Network

Larry Lessig is a professor at Harvard Law School who has been instrumental in the fight for getting money out of politics (campaign finance reform).

Wikipedia states:

“Lawrence ‘Larry’ Lessig (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic and political activist. He is a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive reform of government with a Second Constitutional Convention.  In May 2014, he launched a crowd-funded political action committee which he termed Mayday PAC with the purpose of electing candidates to Congress who would pass campaign finance reform.

“Lessig is director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and a professor of law at Harvard Law School. Previously, he was a professor of law at Stanford Law School and founder of the Center for Internet and Society. Lessig is a founding board member of Creative Commons and the founder of Rootstrikers, and is on the board of MapLight.  He is on the advisory boards of the Democracy Café, Sunlight Foundation, and Americans Elect.  He is a former board member of the Free Software Foundation, Software Freedom Law Center, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.”

Could Lessig be a good write-in candidate for President of the United States?

(Updated article)

Former Olympic Figure Skater Joins Clinton Campaign Staff

Michelle Kwan, a two-time Olympic medalist figure skater, has joined Hillary Clinton’s campaign as a full-time and permanent staffer, according to a Clinton aide.  Kwan was a five-time world champion figure skater and is a decorated medalist from the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, writes CNN

Kwan will work on “surrogate outreach” and will engage surrogates “to help reach key constituencies and discuss the issues that matter most to working families,” the aide said Wednesday.

Kwan has worked with Clinton before as a State Department aide and worked as an adviser to Women-Lead, an initiative that facilitated high level U.S.-Chinese dialogue on women and girls.

(Updated article for credits)

NBC News: O’Malley May Be The Best Democrat To Take On Clinton

According to the Associated Press, former Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley declared his candidacy for U.S. President today, May 30th.  He will be running under the Democratic ticket and will face Hillary Clinton in the primaries.

Recently, NBC News wrote that former Maryland Governor is the strongest candidate to take on Hillary Clinton.

Throughout last year, O’Malley has been making appearances in Iowa and New Hampshire and giving speeches around the country to tout himself as a potential Democratic presidential candidate.

The former governor has been trying to cast himself as the alternative to Hillary Clinton for Democrats who either are tired of the Clinton family or prefer a more liberal candidate.

O’Malley is probably the strongest candidate in the Democratic field to take on Clinton, writes NBC News.  Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and ex-Virginia Senator Jim Webb are also seeking the nomination, and former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee is expected to jump in the race as well.

(Updated articfle)

http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/martin-omalley-clintons-strongest-rival-hes-still-way-behind-her-n366046

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/30/politics/martin-omalley-2016-presidential-announcement/index.html

Bernie Sanders On Face The Nation: I can beat Hillary Clinton

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont – a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist – says he can beat Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

On CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Sanders said he thinks he can get rid of the former Secretary of State because, “there is, in my view, massive dissatisfaction in this country today with corporate establishment and the greed of corporate America and the incredibly unequal distribution of wealth and income, which currently exists.”

“We won’t outspend Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush, but we will raise the kind of money needed to run a strong campaign,” he said.  Sanders promised on Sunday that he would not have a super PAC to raise money for his campaign, according to The Huffington Post.  Sanders stated that he has received nearly 90,000 contributions, averaging about $43, since announcing his candidacy a week and a half ago.

Sanders described himself as “the most progressive member of the U.S. Senate.”

He said that if elected, he would try to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United and rein in campaign spending.

Such campaign spending has been called “legalized bribery” by some left-wing pundits.

Sanders voiced his respect and admiration for Hillary Clinton, but pointed out that she voted in favor of the 2003 Iraq War and has avoided taking a stance on the Keystone XL pipeline.

Sanders opposed both, and has also led the fight against a bill that would grant the president fast-track authority on trade agreements.

Sanders said his record on that issue over the past 25 years shows that he has led the way in standing up for working families and taking on “the billionaire class,” Wall Street, private insurance companies, and drug companies.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-i-can-beat-hillary-clinton/

The Young Turks Network Looks At Hillary’s Announcement To Run For President

The Young Turks

Hillary Rodham Clinton announced on Sunday that she would seek the presidency for a second time, establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee, according to The New York Times.

“I’m running for president,” she said with a smile near the end of a two-minute video released just after 3 p.m. Sunday.

“Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion,” Mrs. Clinton said. “So I’m hitting the road to earn your vote — because it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join me on this journey.”

Where does Hillary fit on the political spectrum?

(Updated article)

Neo-Conservative Bill Kristol Suggests Dick Cheney Runs For President

During a Sunday panel discussion on ABC, host George Stephanopolous had asked guests to name “the most promising Republican candidate not in the race yet,” according to Raw Story.

Vehement Neo-Con, co-sponsor of the Iraq war, and Editor of the right-wing publication The Weekly Standard Bill Kristol said, “If they get to nominate Hillary Clinton, why don’t we get to nominate Dick Cheney?” as other panelists laughed. “I mean, he has a much… he has a much better record.”

On Tuesday, Newsmax host Steve Malzberg asked Kristol if Cheney could defeat Clinton in a 2016 race.

Kristol tried to explain his suggestion that Dick Cheney should run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and argued that the former vice president was just an “everyday American.”

(Updated post)

Ouch: Will Rubio Be The Guy The Republican Party ‘Talks About’ But Never Elects?

Sam Seder

Recently, U.S. Senator from Florida Marco Rubio announced that he will run for U.S. President.

Ouch: The Majority Report discusses Rubio’s decision, and they claim he will be the guy “talked about” to entice the Latino community and put the party in a good light, but the right-wing will just choose two white guys anyway.

De Blasio Gives His Real Opinion, Gets Bullied By Hillary Campaign?

TYT Network

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (a Democrat) said Sunday on Meet The Press that he would not back Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign until she clarifies her message for voters, according to The Hill magazine.

De Blasio was still confident that she would make a good candidate, and referred to her as “one of the most qualified out of everyone that had announced their bid for the Presidency.”

However, Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist and supporter of Mrs. Clinton, chastised Mr. de Blasio on Twitter, writing that Mrs. Clinton fought for the middle class and poor families long before the mayor “could even articulate any vision at all,” states the Wall Street Journal.

Ms. Rosen wrote that Mr. de Blasio’s “self-aggrandizing” won’t go unnoticed. Later, she wrote she meant no disrespect to the mayor but thought he should have been more sensitive on her announcement day.

(Updated video)

Michele Bachmann Compares President To Co-Pilot Of Germanwings Flight

TYT Network

Former Republican Representative of Minnesota Michele Bachmann took to social media and her Facebook wall to compare Barack Obama to Andreas Lubitz, the suicidal co-pilot of the crashed Germanwings flight 9525 that resulted in the needless deaths of 150 people.

Bachmann actually made a run for president in 2012.

Does the GOP tolerate this kind of speech from its members?  Is Bachmann good for the GOP?  Does this kind of speech make the GOP look dumb?