Day: June 19, 2009

President Obama tonight put on quite a comedy show at the annual dinner of the Radio and TV Correspondents Association, with lots of quips,  and also ability to laugh in a nice way that makes people like him as a human being.

Obama displays great charm and excellent timing in his delivery of his jokes, and he made fun of everyone imaginable, including those who are his critics, but of course the audience took it in good cheer.

In the midst of great stress and turmoil in this country and overseas, it is refreshing to be able to stop for a while and just laugh and smile and be appreciative of the talents and abilities of the 44th President of the United States!

A real surprise is the announcement by conservative activist Ken Starr, the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton and played a major role in the promotion of his impeachment in 1998, that he was backing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

Despite the fact that Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, other conservative talk show hosts, Senator James Inhofe, Senator Pat Roberts, former Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese and many other conservatives and Republicans are organizing to fight her nomination, Starr declared that he "thinks very well" of Sotomayor, although he wants her statements and record fully investigated, of course.

It is clear that there will be some conservatives and Republicans, including some in the Senate, who will recognize the superior credentials of Sotomayor, and will vote to confirm her after hearings in July, conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The character assassination that is going on about her will ultimately fail, and we will get the first Hispanic woman on the Supreme Court, a body which has only seen two African American men, two women, and only seven Jewish justices, and only a small number of Catholics in its 220 year history.  It is time for diversity on the Court, even more than just Sotomayor herself. 

The country is changing in its population, and the Supreme Court over time needs to reflect that change!

As if he did not have enough on his plate already for the first year of his Presidency, President Obama indicated today that he wanted to tackle what seems like an intractable problem–immigration– particularly the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants that live within our country.

He seems ready to pursue a bill similar to the one proposed by President Bush and backed in its details by Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy, but gaining great opposition in  2007 and failing to pass.

This bill would provide for illegal immigrants (undocumented workers) to pay a penalty and back taxes, be required to learn English, and to go to the "back of the pack" behind those immigrants who played by the rules and came into the country legally.  This would be combined with greater border security,  and enforcement measures for a "temporary worker" program.

The chances for passage of such a series of measures seems doubtful, but again, Obama is not missing a beat in pursuing all of the goals he set forth during his Presidential campaign in 2008.  It will be interesting to see if he can overcome what I call the "Tom Tancredo" lobby, which is vehemently opposed to any so called "amnesty" of illegal immigrants and any temporary worker program.  Tancredo, of course, is the former Colorado Congressman who was one of the many GOP candidates for the Presidential nomination of 2008, and has come out vehemently against the nomination of Hispanic judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.  It is likely the sparks will fly on this issue when and if it comes up for debate in both houses of Congress.

President Obama today held an event at the White House commemorating Fathers Day, and emphasizing the importance of dads in the lives of their children.

Obama pointed out how, with the absence of his father from a young age, his male role model was his stepfather and his maternal grandfather, but that 23 percent of all children today do not have a dad or father figure at home as they grow up, and that at least half of African American children face this reality.

He talked about the joys of fatherhood, and how it is the most enjoyable aspect of life, and that no role or job is as important as a dad being part of the household.

This event highlighted how the President is trying his best not only to set himself up as a role model, but to be, in a sense, the "Father In Chief", giving advice and counsel to the many men who have shirked their duty to be there for their children.  This kind of campaign, certainly, cannot be faulted by anyone.  So let’s give plaudits to the President of the United States on this issue!  🙂