Barack Obama: The Reason for Change and Hope

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Obama Speaks on the Economy (@ GMU)

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

OUR ITINERARY FOR THE INAUGURATION (MEET US AT THOSE SPOTS)

Hello All & Welcome Back to the Blog:

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but, for good reason, how can you top the evening Barack Hussein (yea, I said it!) Obama was selected to be our 44th President of the United States..

Well, that day has come, its Inauguration Time.....So, to get things started,

provided below is a itinerary I created to keep everyone involved and a "hotspot" location throughout Washington DC..

So, Welcome to DC!! The Time is Upon Us (only 13 days away)

* The blog will be updated as we move forward to this wonderful day..

**Also, a special should out to my cousin, Kim Baum (she just rec'd a "OFFICIAL" inauguration invitation...So, for those that will be staying with me and Misses, get your pads, ready, because she will be taking the opportunity to provide you her autograph (LOL!)

FRIDAY (1-16) LOCATIONS:
Late Night Happy Hour/"Hotspot" Information..........
-Option #1
11pm-2am
*21 and above after 9pm*
@ Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
701 7th Street NW
Washington DC 20001
(Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Stop)
202.347.1021
Additional Info.....The following are not permitted:
- Athletic wear, sweats or sports jerseys
- MC colors
- Excessively baggy clothing (Tuck-ins are not permitted)
- Sleeveless T-shirts
- Plain white T-shirts (short or long sleeve)
- Construction boots
- Headgear
- Chains

-OR-

Late Night Happy Hour/Hotspot Information...............
-Option #2
11pm-2am
*21 and above after 9pm*
@ Bar Louie
http://www.barlouieamerica.com/washington
701 7th Street NW
Washington DC 20001
(Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Stop)
Telephone Number 202.638.2460

SATURDAY (1-17) LOCATIONS:
Brunch Information................
11:00a-1:30p
(FYI- Brunch goes from 10am-3pm)
@ Front Page
http://www.frontpagerestaurant.com/
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
(1 Block from Dupont Circle Metro Stop)
Telephone Number 202.296.6500

Late Night Happy Hour/Hotspot Information................
10:00p-2:00a
@ Matchbox DC
http://www.matchboxdc.com/
713 H Street NW, Washington DC 20002
(1 Block from Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Stop)
Telephone Number 202.289.4441

SUNDAY (1-18) LOCATIONS:
The Official “Inauguration Kickoff” Event Information....................
Date of Event Sunday, January 18th, 2008
Time of Event • T.B.A.
@ Lincoln Memorial Monument
Independence Ave SW & 23rd St SW
Washington DC 20001
( Intersection of two streets near the Lincoln Memorial)
Additional Info.......
President-elect Barack Obama will kick off the schedule of official inaugural activities in Washington, D.C., with a welcome event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon. The event will be free and open to the public.

Event: Obama-Soca-Rama Inauguration Day Fete @ De Island Loft
"YES WE CAN, YES WE DID!"
What: Club Party
Host: East Coast Caribbean Events-Caribbean Nationals for Obama
Start Time: Sunday, January 18 at 2:00pm
End Time: Sunday, January 18 at 8:00pm
Where: De Island Loft - DC Farmer's Market District
"Plenty of Free Parking and you can also take the RED line Metro to New York Avenue and walk 2 blocks."
Food provided by the infamous Garage Boyz (DC MudMas) Chef , Captain Black Beard
Menu: Curry Goat and Dumplings, Curry Chicken, Spanish Rice and much more!
Alongside Sheldon the Corn Soup Man
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=43681247303

“The Last Sunday of the Bush Era” Happy Hour/Hotspot Information.............
6:30p-11:00p
@ Lauriol Plaza
http://www.lauriolplaza.com/
1835 18th Street NW, Washington DC 20009
(7-8 Blocks from Dupont Circle Metro Stop)
202.387.0035

MONDAY (1-19) LOCATIONS:
“MLK Had A Dream and We Are Here to See It” Happy Hour/Hotspot Information.........
5:00p-8:00p
@ Ozio Restaurant and Lounge
http://www.oziodc.com/
1813 M Street NW, Washington D.C. 20036
(7-8 Blocks from Dupont Circle Metro Stop)
Telephone Number 202.822.6000

“The Obama Era Begins” Information.........................
Date of Event Tuesday, January 20th, 2008
9:00am-til?
Obama Inauguration
Inauguration Parade
U.S. Capitol & Pennsylvania Ave -Washington DC
Additional Info.....
The President-elect and Vice President-elect and their families will participate in the traditional inaugural ceremonies and events. For the first time ever, the length of the National Mall will be open to those wishing to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Festivities will commence at 10 a.m. on the west front of the U.S. Capitol and will include:
•Musical Selections: The United States Marine Band, followed by The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus
•Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Senator Dianne Feinstein
•Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren
•Musical Selection: Aretha Franklin
•Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the Honorable John Paul Stevens
•Musical Selection: John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet)
•President-elect Barack H. Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln’s Inaugural Bible, administered by the Chief Justice of the United States, the Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.
•Inaugural Address
•Poem: Elizabeth Alexander
•Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
•The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”
After President Obama gives his Inaugural Address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House with groups traveling from all over the country to participate.

The Official Inaugural Schedule.................

The PIC will release further details about official inaugural events at a later date. You can find the latest information at www.pic2009.org

Obama, Bush and ex-presidents have 'historic moment'

President-elect Barack Obama, President Bush and all of the surviving past presidents got together Wednesday for a historic meeting at the White House.
Barack Obama meets with President Bush and past presidents in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Barack Obama meets with President Bush and past presidents in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

"One message that I have, and I think we all share, is that we want you to succeed. Whether we're Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country," Bush told Obama before lunch with the former presidents.

Bush and Obama were joined by Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Obama thanked the president for hosting them and said he was grateful for the opportunity to get "advice, good counsel and fellowship" from the group.

Obama's press secretary said the presidents had a "very constructive conversation" and Obama appreciated "the spirit of bipartisanship they showed" in wishing him success.

"The president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office, as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now. The president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years," Robert Gibbs said.

Presidential historian Doug Brinkley said it's "very smart politics for Obama to keep a channel open" with the former presidents.

"If he has a policy initiative that he wants to lead the country behind ... if he could get the signatures, the green light from all of the ex-presidents to say, 'Not only am I for this, but I have all of the ex-presidents backing me' -- that's powerful," he said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the last time all of the living presidents got together at the White House was in 1981, and she called Wednesday's meeting a "historic moment."

She said the president was "delighted" to host the luncheon.

"Each of them expressed their desire for President-elect Obama to have a very successful presidency. During the lunch, they had a wide-ranging discussion on many different issues facing the United States, and they all look forward to remaining in contact in the future," Perino said.

The meeting marked the second time Bush has hosted Obama since the election. Obama suggested the meeting with all of the former presidents when he and Bush first met in November.

Perino said earlier she didn't know what they would talk about, but she said she'd love to be able to hear it.

"I'm sure all of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation," Perino said during Tuesday's daily news briefing.

Perino speculated that they would discuss what it's like to raise children in the White House and how to protect them.

Brinkley predicted that first and foremost, the presidents would recall what it was like to be president.

"All of them will have little anecdotes. They'll see something in the White House that will bring back a memory. They'll try to bring some levity to this -- make it a very special and engaging and actually a fun afternoon for Barack Obama," he said.

Secondly, Brinkley said, the conversation would probably turn to what's going on in the Middle East.

Brinkley said that all of the men will be on their "best behavior," but, given the personalities at the luncheon, there could be some tension.

"The friction, if there is any, is between Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who are known to not like each other at all," he said, pointing out that the Clinton team did not like Carter "parachuting for peace into Bosnia, North Korea and Haiti" during Clinton's administration.

"That's the relationship that is not warm, it's not good, and if you are a body language expert, you might home in on that," he said.

President Bush may find himself the odd man out at the meeting, at least in terms of popularity.

Bush registered only a 27 percent approval rating in a December CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey.
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In contrast, Obama had an 82 percent approval rating.

A new poll out Wednesday indicates that 69 percent of adult Americans approved of how Clinton handled his job as president, while 64 percent of adult Americans gave a thumbs up to Carter and 60 percent approved of George H.W. Bush.