Friday, May 4, 2012
Remarks as released by the White House.
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Generals! (Applause.) Hello, Virginia! (Applause.) Well, let me first of all say, following Amirah is kind of tough. (Laughter.) She is really good. Give her a big round of applause for the great introduction. (Applause.) There are a couple of other people I want to introduce who are here today. First of all, my Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is here. Give him a round of applause. (Applause.) Your Congressman, Jim Moran, is here. (Applause.) And before we came out, I had a chance to meet with Amirah and her mom, but also a couple other of your classmates. Brendan Craig is here, and his dad. (Applause.) And also Rina Castaneda and her mom. (Applause.) Let me just say, they represented you …
Juniors, seniors each allowed to bring one parent.
President Barack Obama spoke to Washington-Lee High School juniors and seniors on Friday. Obama received a rock star's welcome from the crowd of more than 1,000. The speech he delivered was designed to put pressure on Congress to extend interest rate cuts to student loans past July 1, at which point they are set to expire.
Students, adults enamored with president's visit to Washington-Lee High School on Friday.
President Barack Obama's visit to Washington-Lee High School on Friday at times seemed more like a pep rally — or, at least, a campaign visit — rather than official White House business. Students pushed forward and cheered as if they were awaiting a rock star to take the stage any time someone would check the mic or there was a hint of activity just out of sight. About a half-dozen protesters stood outside before, during and after the president's speech. A woman posted at the school's main entrance pointed reporters to them for the "Republican response." One held a sign that stated, "Where is the recovery, Mr. President?" Inside, the students cheered at every applause line — and a few that weren't meant to be — and laughed when Obama …
The president spoke Friday before more than 1,000 students, parents, teachers and area officials.
President Barack Obama seemed to strike all the right notes Friday at Washington-Lee High School when he delivered a speech designed to put pressure on Congress to keep student loan interest rates down. The president spoke before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 1,000 junior and senior high school students, parents, faculty and local elected officials. Nearly 94 percent of Washington-Lee students go on to some sort of higher education upon graduation. Obama spoke briefly about the economy in general before specifically talking about college affordability. On July 1, a student loan interest rate cut will expire — effectively doubling rates overnight — unless Congress acts, Obama said. He was answered with resounding "boos." "That's like a…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Public Policy Polling released the results of a new survey Tuesday; Romney is campaigning in Chantilly Wednesday.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney trails President Barack Obama by eight points in a poll of Virginia voters by Public Policy Polling. PPP released the poll results Tuesday; Romney is visiting a company in Chantilly Wednesday on a campaign stop. Obama leads Romney 51 – 43 percent, up slightly from PPP’s poll in December when Obama led by six points (48 – 42). In the late April poll, 6 percent of respondents said they were undecided. PPP surveyed 680 Virginia voters through an automated telephone interview system from April 26 to April 29. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.8 percent. “We have polled Virginia six times this election cycle and have found Barack Obama with a decent sized lead over Mitt Romney every single time,” …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Contributions still many times the national average by ZIP code.
While political contributions out of Arlington County so far during the 2012 election cycle amount to only one-third of what was donated four years ago, contributions made here are still many times the national average. Eleven ZIP codes cover Arlington. Political contributions by ZIP code available at OpenSecrets.org show that collectively Arlington County residents have given about $7.2 million so far this election cycle. That’s a huge drop from the $22.3 million contributed four years ago. Much of the difference can be accounted by the fact that this is a heavily blue area and President Barack Obama is running uncontested for his party’s nomination. The Obama-Clinton rivalry drew voters, and their wallets, out in droves during the last …
Friday, February 3, 2012
President unveiled proposals at Arlington Fire Station No. 5.
Jacob Johnson joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 11, 2000 – exactly one year before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He served two tours in Iraq – combined, 13 months overseas – and considers himself fortunate to have been hired by the Arlington County Fire Department in 2005. “Transitioning out of the Marine Corps was one of the most difficult challenges in my life,” Johnson, now a lieutenant in the department, told a crowd of about 150 people Friday in Arlington Fire Station No. 5. The crowd consisted largely of veterans who now work as area police officers, firefighters or with the National Park Service, plus a few local dignitaries. That building, on South Hayes Street near the Pentagon City and Crystal City Metro …
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Plan would save 'responsible' American families $3,000 a year.
President Barack Obama spoke to hundreds of Northern Virginia residents Wednesday in Falls Church about his plan to revitalize the current housing market. He said the housing crisis has been the biggest drag against getting the United States out of a recession. He said people were purchasing homes they could not afford and went into foreclosure while some homeowners went into debt refinancing their homes. “We need to do everything we can to make responsible families whole again,” Obama said to the large group inside the James Lee Community Center. “The truth is it’s going to take longer for us to get out of this housing crisis and the government can’t do it alone.” Obama rolled out a proposal to the Falls Church crowd that drew roaring …
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Congressman: President is doing 'a good job.'
U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., has no plans to abandon President Barack Obama next year as both seek re-election to their respective offices. "I'm not," Moran said in a recent interview at the Arlington Food Assistance Center. "I think President Obama is doing a good job under challenging circumstances." Moran added: "He has a majority in the House of Representatives that would rather see him fail than the country succeed." Moran's comments contribute to the epilogue of this year's state and local elections -- a year in which some Virginia Democrats distanced themselves from or were blatantly critical of the president. Still, Republicans were successful in wresting outright control of the state General Assembly from Democrats. The 2011 races …
Friday, November 11, 2011
As distributed by the White House
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, November 11, 2011
Thank you, Ric Shinseki, for your extraordinary service to our country and your tireless commitment to our veterans; to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; to Chairman Dempsey and Mrs. Dempsey; to our wonderful veterans service organizations for the extraordinary work that you do for our nation’s heroes; to all who tend to and watch over this sacred cemetery; and above all, to every active duty member, Guardsman, Reservist, and veteran of the United States Armed Forces. There are many honors and responsibilities that come with this job. But none are more humbling than serving as your Commander-in-Chief. And I’m proud to be with so many of you here today. Here, where our heroes come to rest, we come to show our gratitude. A few moments …
JamesOnThePotomac
10:35 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
What a nutter! more ›