TresSugar

In Case You Were Wondering What TV Obama Watches . . .

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:02:43 -0700

Politico knows! And I approve, so let's discuss. Believe it or not, the president watches more than Hillary Clinton speeches. He loves HBO. His favorites? Entourage and the best drug drama ever to be set in Baltimore, The Wire.

It's hard to imagine our president of PC laughing at Entourage's agent-to-the-stars Ari Gold making racist and homophobic quips to his gay, Asian assistant Lloyd, but we're going to assume he does. After all, the duo's repartee - along with Ari's even-more-undermining apologies - are what elevate the show to a comedy and stop it (short) from drowning as a self-indulgent love letter written by and for the entertainment industry. Mostly, anyway.

Maybe the president loves the idea of a poor, good-looking guy making it big? Whatever it is, it surely couldn't hurt that Ari Gold's character was inspired by real-life agent Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff.

To see what else he watches, read more.

He loves The Wire, and anyone who's suffered valiantly through the first season (I recommend subtitles) knows a prize of a show awaits. His favorite character? Omar. Gay as the day is long, Omar is a Robin Hood figure who robs drug dealers. The words "Omar's coming" sends people hiding into apartments while he strolls through the projects, two-foot-long shotgun in hand, whistling "The Farmer in the Dell." President Obama made it clear that he doesn't approve of the character but finds him fascinating. Whatever, he has to say that; Omar is why you watch The Wire.

And then there's some mention about sports, sports, and more sports. Blah, blah, and more blah. He rarely watches the news and never watches his speeches, preferring to let friends and advisers tell him how he did.

Plus, Obama's so modern and savvy and what a Princeton history professor calls "cool" that he loves the Internet! Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "Sometimes we’ll show him like a YouTube clip or something off a website itself, and he gets a kick out of that.” Us too, Robert, us too.

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Democrats Engage Rush Limbaugh - Smart or Foolish?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:00:54 -0800

Whether you love him or hate him, Rush Limbaugh has been dominating the news cycle. Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel fired the first shot in the latest battle this weekend, calling out Rush as the head of the Republican party.

When it came to the surface that RNC chair Michael Steele criticized Rush as an incendiary "entertainer" Steele quickly apologized to Rush, just like Rahm had dictated. For a second it seemed like Rahm was the head of the Republican party!

But some progressives say the "brilliant" strategy of elevating Rush serves Rush, and the GOP. A former adviser to Hillary Clinton wrote in the Huffington Post yesterday:

The idea that making him more powerful in the hopes that it somehow illustrates the weakness of GOP ideas is too Rube Golbergy for me. Why not just conceive and implement smart, good, Dem policy, use Bush as a constant reminder of Republican failures, and let the results speak for themselves?

While some think it's smart for the Democrats to equate the GOP with extreme voices like Limbaugh, others think the White House's attention has elevated the stature of poisonous political discourse. If you're a Democrat this might not be the best thing, since Republicans could use an influential Limbaugh to do their "dirty work."

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Quiz Nation! What Do You Know About Rahm Emanuel?

LibertySugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:00:23 -0800

Yesterday I passed on a new profile of Rahm Emanuel from the newest New Yorker. The piece on President Obama's chief of staff was a good read and fertile ground for Rahm trivia. Take this quiz to find out how well you know the larger than life presidential gatekeeper!

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Health Insurance Industry Wants Insurance Mandate

LibertySugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:30:01 -0800

If a new healthcare policy will require insurance companies to accept everyone, regardless of preexisting conditions, these companies want the government to require every American to buy coverage, or suffer a tax penalty. The board of the America's Health Insurance Plans endorsed such an arrangement this week, offering support to an impending change from the current system. The president of the group said:

We're going to provide all the technical background that we have assembled, all the experience we've assembled at the state level, and we're going to work very hard with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. We want to make sure that whatever reforms are advanced, no one falls through the cracks.

Perhaps bolstered by the support from the industry that the Clintons lacked in the 90s, Barack Obama's chief-of-staff in waiting Rahm Emanuel told business leaders last night that the Obama administration will not accept incremental reform - they're looking for truly universal healthcare. He said that the Obama administration will "throw long and deep" on other major issues as well.

With the insurance companies putting down their arms, and even offering assistance, it looks like real healthcare reform could happen in the near future. Throw in the possibility of a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority, and the possibilities for change seem endless. Do you think Congress will ditch its tendency for inaction? Do you want it to?

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Rahm Emanuel Accepts Chief of Staff Position

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:06:58 -0800

Representative Rahm Emanuel has accepted the position as Barack Obama's chief of staff. The Illinois congressman called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to inform her of his decision before officially accepting. Emanuel has been a member of Congress since 2003, when he was elected to represent Illinois's fifth congressional district. He was also a senior adviser to Bill Clinton at the White House from 1993 to 1998. At only 49 years old, Rahm will bring even more youth to the Obama White House, and his connections to Congress will help Obama push his agenda.

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Rahm Emanuel Offered Role of Obama's Chief of Staff

Molly — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0800

Soon after Barack Obama was elected last night, names started floating around regarding his cabinet. His first order of business was finding a chief of staff. This morning, Obama offered the job to Rahm Emanuel, a Democratic Representative from Illinois. Early this afternoon his office denied reports he accepted.

Emanuel has been a member of Congress since 2003, when he was elected to represent Illinois's 5th congressional district. He was also a senior advisor to Bill Clinton at the White House from 1993 to 1998. We'll be hearing a lot more about him as the rest of the cabinet news unfolds and Barack Obama assembles his White House team.

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Briefing Book! Most Christmas Toys Are Made in China

LibertySugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:00:22 -0800

Christmas: Are all Christmas toys and decorations made in China? Unwrap the numbers. - Good
Economy: Would you welcome a week off without pay? Employers are starting to resort to measures other than layoffs to make it through tough times. -SavvySugar
Rahm: How relieved are you that the Obama report has exonerated Rahm of wrongdoing? Emanuel was surely relieved that his own staff chose to exonerate him. - 23/6
Sexism: Is Chuck E. Cheese sexist? Boys get "ID cards" with policemen, while girls get to be popstars. -Feministing

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Front Page: Travelers and Shoppers Face Subzero Temps Around US

CitizenSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:00:40 -0800

Subzero temperatures have hit the Midwest with high winds driving the windchill to 25 degrees below zero. Around the entire US, record snow and cold temperatures are being recorded. - AP
Toyota has projected its first loss in 70 years, the first since the Japanese car company began such reports. - San Francisco Chronicle
Muntadar al-Zaidi, the journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush, will stand trial on Dec. 31. He faces a prison term of five to 15 years for aggression against a head of state. - BBC News

Rahm Emanuel only had one "courtesy" phone conversation with Gov. Blagojevich, according to sources familiar with the Obama team's yet-to-be released report. Most of the conversation involved Rahm's House of Representative's seat, with only a passing reference to Obama's Senate seat. - ABC News

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Briefing Book! Obama Passes Stimulus to Biden

LibertySugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:00:37 -0800

Obama taps VP Biden to oversee the stimulus. - Political Intelligence
Election statistic guru fails at predicting Oscar wins. - Wonkette
Should the Sex and the City sequel ignore the recession? - SavvySugar
Kids who watch R-rated movies are more likely to smoke. - Jezebel
Did TV news miss the point in covering the stimulus plan? - Huffington Post
The New Yorker profiles chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. - The New Yorker
George Mason University crowns drag queen homecoming queen. - Feministing

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Briefing Book! Blagojevich Forcefully Defends Himself

LibertySugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:30:03 -0800

Illinois: In his closing arguments, Blagojevich says if you're going to fire me, Obama has to fire Rahm Emanuel. - Talking Points Memo
Bipartisanship: Are we post-partisan yet? Behavior of Dick Armey, a giant of the modern GOP, demonstrates why it's hard "finding common ground" with Republicans. - Salon
Stimulus: What if the stimulus bill is wrong? - Good
Obamas: Take your first family to school day! Barack, Michelle, and the First Granny visit Sasha's school. - Huffington Post
Behind the Scenes: Rep. John Boehner brings constituents behind closed doors with video. - Town Hall

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