(CNN) — President Barack Obama said Friday that children from communities wracked by poverty and violence need help from the government, schools, family and clergy to have a chance to climb “ladders of opportunity” to reach the middle class and beyond. Speaking at a Chicago high school near where he used to live, Obama cited…
WASHINGTON – Thirty-seven United States senators, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, have today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to issue an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Because of a lack of federal protections, it remains legal to fire or…
As with any State of the Union address, President Barack Obama this year had several audiences and there were multiple aims for the White House: To show that he understands the economy is still struggling and that he will do more to help the unemployed find jobs, and to portray a different side of himself…
WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, has unveiled a new banner on its national headquarters in Washington, D.C., to commemorate President Obama’s historic inclusion of LGBT equality in his second inaugural address. In his speech last month, the President cited Stonewall and went on to say that “Our journey is not complete until our gay…
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall … Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like…
“To err is human, to forgive, divine.” This famous quote came to mind as I thought about the overall tone in America and in our city. The ability to forgive can be a powerful human emotion, but sometimes it is the hardest thing for a person or community to do. As President Obama awaits confirmation…
In a 2012 interview with CBS, President Obama said that the biggest mistake of his first term was that he didn’t translate his policies into a story that would give the American people a sense of unity and purpose. He was right. The tragedy at Sandy Hook has handed him the perfect narrative for his…
(CNN) — The R-rated insult House Speaker John Boehner hurled upon Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week at the White House was a deviation from the normally diplomatic language of official Washington. After all, it isn’t every day that reports emerge of a top lawmaker telling another to “Go f*** yourself.” But it’s certainly…
BY STAMPP CORBIN Under normal circumstances a holiday party at the White House is a festive once in a lifetime party. You feel so honored to be invited that you are almost giddy with excitement. The party we attended was Dec. 14, the day of the Newtown, Conn. tragedy. As we stood in line, most…
When Washington politicians give something a catchy name, it usually means one of two things: they want to confuse you, or they want to distract you. The now ubiquitous “Fiscal Cliff” does some of both. Cliffs are extant geographic features, left by God or erosion, beyond which is a fall to near certain death. Neither…
