Barack Obama

Obama’s Charm Offensive: Time-Tested Strategy

Posted on 03/11/2013 by Tamara Lytle | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsMaybe the most surprising thing about President Obama’s wining and dining of GOP lawmakers is the fact that it’s surprising. Socializing that crossed party boundaries once was the lubricant that greased political compromise in Washington. In recent years, though, lawmakers have been spending much more time back in their home districts, which means they have less time to get to know their colleagues in Washington. And the polarization of politics has led to less two-party partying. Obama drew lots of …

Obama Frames Voting Reform Around 102-Year-Old Hero

Posted on 02/13/2013 by Tamara Lytle | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsThe sheer determination of a 102-year-old Miami woman brought the U.S. government to its feet Tuesday night. In his State of the Union address, President Obama recognized Desiline Victor, a retired farmworker who voted last fall after enduring a wait that would have discouraged most voters. Lawmakers and other Washington VIPs rose to their feet and craned their necks to see Victor, sitting in the back row of the First Lady’s box. “When Desiline arrived at her polling place, she …

Rubio, in GOP Rebuttal, Says Obama Plan ‘Will Hurt Seniors’

Posted on 02/13/2013 by Tamara Lytle | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsSen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a rising star in the Republican Party, used his platform as the rebuttal speaker to the State of the Union Tuesday to talk about his personal connection to programs like Social Security and Medicare. “Mr. President, I still live in the same working class neighborhood I grew up in,” said Rubio, whose parents came from Cuba. “My neighbors aren’t millionaires. They’re retirees who depend on Social Security and Medicare. They’re workers who have to get …

Obama: Don’t Break Promises for Secure Retirement

Posted on 02/12/2013 by Tamara Lytle | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsPresident Obama told the nation Tuesday that programs aimed at retirement security need reforming but don’t offer the solution to the nation’s deficit woes. In his 2013 State of the Union speech, Obama said across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to go into effect to tackle the deficit are difficult, but cutting Medicare and Social Security benefits instead would be a worse idea. “Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population. …

At Inauguration, Hopes for a Second-Term Agenda

Posted on 01/21/2013 by Tamara Lytle | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsMilitary heroes, children of immigrants and all manner of older Americans brought their cold-weather gear and their hopes for the country to the second inauguration of President Barack Obama on Monday. Karen Narasaki, 54, is hoping to see immigration reform, an issue she says is critical for the nation’s older Americans. “Their children are the workers who are going to be supporting the Social Security system.” Narasaki, whose parents were Japanese-born U.S. citizens who were placed in internment camps during …

For Myrlie Evers-Williams, and the Nation, a Landmark Moment

Posted on 01/21/2013 by Tamara Lytle | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin TodayWhen Myrlie Evers-Williams steps to the microphone Monday to give the invocation at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, she brings her own significant career along with her place in history as the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. She raised her children, who were home the night their father was gunned down just steps from his front door. She fought for justice that took too many years to come. (White supremacist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted more than …