End of the Month Fav Democratic Party Highlights ~ Some Top POTUS Staff

Chief Justice Roberts swears in President Obama on January 20, 2013

Sometimes, generally speaking, I don’t think we take a minute of our time to think about and to reflect on the public servants who work every single day on our behalf from the bottom up, nationwide.

And sometimes, more specifically thinking, I don’t think we take a minute to think about and to reflect on the public servants who work every single day on our behalf in the Obama Administration. When it comes to our politics, most of our energy is focused on complaining about demanding of and not being grateful for very often.

So this week, let’s take a very brief look at the top public servants in the Obama Administration, a snapshot in fact and perhaps when an opportunity presents itself we can take a few minutes of our time to just drop a thank you on Facebook Post, Google + Post or Twitter!

We may not be of the Party of crude, rude, anti-government haters who, it seems, were raised with no manners at all but ~ we can do better.

So, in the name of good manners, let’s pause for a minute and give a shout out to a few members of our Party who just happen to take their direction from the White House. Links are provided below if you’d like to explore the work of those who are currently serving us in President Obama’s Administration.

And, I highly recommend it. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.

L to R mayors' conference in D.C, Afghanistan visit & National Security meeting in the situation room, also in D.C. 

 President Obama

 Since his inauguration in January of 2009 to January of 2015, President Obama has made approximately 39 international trips to 48 different countries (in addition to visiting Vatican City and the West Bank) in addition to trips made within the United States of which he has visited 47, with South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah being the three states he has yet to get to … but he has time.

I’m going to make a wild guess here and say that unless he is in Hawaii, Massachusetts, or taking a brief respite at Camp David in Maryland he is working on our behalf and that does not even count the White House schedule.

(I’ve provided a link below if you’d like to Google his overall schedule for more detail.)

John Kerry

Secretary of State John Kerry

The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President's chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development. On February 1, 2013, John Kerry was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States.

Secretary Kerry joined the State Department after 28 years in the United States Senate, the last four as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Just for the record!:

Susan Rice

Ambassador Susan Rice

Ambassador Susan E. Rice is the President’s National Security Advisor. She oversees the National Security Council Staff, chairs the Cabinet level National Security Principals Committee, provides the President’s daily national security briefing, and is responsible for the coordination and integration of the Administration’s foreign policy, intelligence, and military efforts.

From January 2009 until assuming the role of National Security Advisor in July 2013, Ambassador Rice served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a member of President Obama's Cabinet. At the United Nations, she worked to advance U.S. interests, defend universal values, strengthen the world’s common security and prosperity, and promote respect for human rights.

Samantha Power

Ambassador Samantha Power

Ambassador Samantha Power is the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a member of President Obama’s Cabinet.  At the United Nations, Ambassador Power works to advance U.S. interests, promote and defend universal values, and address pressing global challenges to global peace, security, and prosperity.

Prior to serving as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Power served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the National Security Staff at the White House.  In this role she focused on issues including UN reform; LGBT and women’s rights; the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities; human trafficking; and democracy and human rights.

Josh Earnest

Press Secretary Josh Earnest

Assistant to the President, Press Secretary Josh Earnest is Assistant to the President and Press Secretary in the White House Office of Communications. Mr. Earnest attended Rice University, where he majored in political science and policy studies. He joined then-Senator Obama’s presidential campaign in March 2007 as his Iowa Communications Director. The president went onto win the Iowa caucus in January 2008, his first victory on his eventual road to the Democratic nomination. He is a native of Kansas City, Missouri.



G., aka Partisan Democrat 



(*** Resources for accrediting and/or further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidential_trips_made_by_Barack_Obama

^^^ Trips by President Obama

http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/as-president-obama-has-visited-almost-all-us-states.html

^^^ More trips by President Obama

http://search.whitehouse.gov/search?affiliate=wh&form_id=usasearch_box&query=president+obama%27+schedule

^^^ A Google start on President Obama’s overall schedule

http://www.state.gov/

^^^ Secretary of State John Kerry’s work

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/author/Ambassador%20Susan%20Rice

^^^ Ambassador Rice

http://usun.state.gov/leadership/c58902.htm

^^^ Ambassador Samantha Power

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/author/Josh%20Earnest

^^^ Press Secretary Josh Earnest

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

^^^ For almost all you could want to know )

Wanted: Millennials to help move some of us from the 20th Century to the 21st Century

I find it distressing that so many young people have chosen not to engage in our political system.

One media outlet reported mid-term numbers for 2014 (13%) and for 2012 (12%) for 18-29 year young adults nationwide ~ Yikes!

I particularly find it distressing because I am so tired of listening to political chatter about our economy that can’t seem to make the shift from the 19^th - 20^th Centuries to the 21^st Century and it is holding us back.

I am not adverse to history. I totally support remembering it, referring to it and taking the best of it and leaving the rest of it as we do but Good Grief! ~

 How can we possibly invest in tomorrow if our time in the public square is spent on railing against the loss of manufacturing and/or listening to Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy and Johnson (just to touch on a few relics consistently pulled out the proverbial closet for whatever reason)?

We need to get a grip. Some things are gone. Some people are gone. Some things and people are never coming back. So, as we stand on the precipice of the destruction of our planet and/or of our system of government, it is critical that we recognize what works and continue to build on it and let go of what no longer works.

I am convinced Millennials will serve a very valuable role in finally moving us from the Industrial Revolution Era to what I am going to call the App Era, where we are applying all we have learned from the past and present to a brand new Era via technologies we could never have imagined before.

(The age frame for Millennials seems to still be up for debate but for my purposes, based on what I see with my own eyes with my own grandchildren, I’m going with 1978-1998 – digital age and digital globalization.)

I am hopeful they will do it within our system ~ in partnership with the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y categories of Americans, along with whatever the next new label of young people will be as those coming up now are already innovating like crazy!

In an effort to take my own advice I am not going to belabor the ancient debate that repeats almost exactly every time we transition from one Era to another.

 I am going to ask we open our minds to what might be possible while taking a look at just five of the new places we are headed so we can put old political thinking into perspective as we move into the 2016 presidential election. And remember when we hear old talk to ask how much of our time and energy really should be spent there.

One.

Tube Transportation Networks

… “Dreamers Are Actually Making Progress Building Elon’s Hyperloop”

" ... When Elon Musk unveiled his idea for the Hyperloop in August of 2013, no one seemed sure what the next step would be. The Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO dropped a 57-page alpha white paper on us, noting he didn’t really have the time to build a revolutionary transit system that would shoot pods full of people around the country in above-ground tubes at 800 mph. Fortunately for futurists and people who enjoy picking apart complicated plans, an El Segundo, California-based startup has taken Musk up on his challenge to develop and build the Hyperloop. ... "

Two.

Air Atmospheric Water Harvesters

"This Tower PullsDrinking Water Out of Thin Air" 

" ... It was this dilemma—supplying drinking water in a way that's both practical and convenient—that served as the impetus for a new product called Warka Water, an inexpensive, easily-assembled structure that extracts gallons of fresh water from the air. The invention from Arturo Vittori, an industrial designer, and his colleague Andreas Vogler doesn't involve complicated gadgetry or feats of engineering, but instead relies on basic elements like shape and material and the ways in which they work together. At first glance, the 30-foot-tall, vase-shaped towers, named after a fig tree native to Ethiopia, have the look and feel of a showy art installation. But every detail, from carefully-placed curves to unique materials, has a functional purpose. …”

Three.

 Space-Based Power Stations

 “Space-based power stations on the horizon”

“ … Space-based solar power could eventually prove to be an alternative source of electricity for Japan, as the country struggles to find the best energy mix to lessen its dependence on thermal and nuclear power.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been conducting studies in the hopes of erecting huge solar panels in space to generate electricity in the near future.

The basic idea is simple: Build a solar power station in geostationary orbit to gather sunlight; convert the energy to solar electricity, and then direct it via microwaves or laser beams to receiving antennas on Earth. … “

Four.

Driverless Cars

A “FirstLook at How Google's Self-Driving Car Handles City Streets”

“MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—The first rule of riding in Google's self-driving car, says Dmitri Dolgov, is not to compliment Google's self-driving car. We've been cruising the streets of Mountain View for about ten minutes. Dolgov, the car's software lead, is sitting shotgun. Brian Torcellini, the project's lead test driver (read: "driver"), is sitting behind the wheel (yes, there is a wheel). He is doing no more to guide the vehicle than I'm doing from the backseat. I have just announced that so far the trip has been "amazingly smooth." … “

Five.

3-D Printing

“5-Year-OldCharlie Gets a 3D Printed Christmas Miracle”

^^^ I do believe that photo speaks for itself!Courtesy of and story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2889393/New-arm-great-present-Charlie-5-Limb-using-3D-printer-means-schoolboy-properly-grips-gifts-year.html

If you are a Millennial we need you. If you know a Millennial, tell him or her that!

Invite them to the table…

G. aka Partisan Democrat


(*** A big shout out to  

http://www.futuristspeaker.com/2014/12/top-10-most-influential-columns-in-2014/ 

Most of what I've found looking forward comes from or is inspired by them. )

Most Anti-TPP Arguments Lack Evidence & Charges POTUS is Out to Screw America & Her People Offend

******

^^^  On December 3, 2014 President Obama delivered remarks and answered questions at the Business Roundtable in Washington, D.C.

Listen to the President speak and answer questions and then ask yourself: Is it true? Is it true that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement (TPP) is some secret negotiation he is conducting to screw America and her people or if doing more homework is really what is in order. (I always recommend reading the White House Blog, accessing information from the source as opposed to information filtered through talking heads and politicians with agendas, BTW)

Also, as an aside, since this is an updated Blog, let me encourage you to check out a new community set up to share information on the TPP or as some refer to it ~ an American values based economic integration, Pro-TPP, here: 

But, I digress, having said that, let me say up front:

One, the final agreement has not been written so you will not hear me say I know anything certain per said agreement and;

Two, I find it quite disturbing that others say they are certain they know everything per said agreement, especially when most of the time all they do is fall back on NAFTA ~ 20th  Century thinking and not 21st Century thinking having nothing to do with the current President of the United States.

I like to keep it simple so I will only touch on a few points and implore all to be a part of the process, i.e., be a part of the solution and not be a part of the problem.

(I won't even get into the Obama Doctrine, which is, simply said, a Foreign Policy that seeks to bring American Values and Principles to the global table in an effort to obtain peace and prosperity for us and for all who would like to join us in the forming of stable national economies that provide for The Common Good ~ a vision that clearly takes TPP  out of the realm of old NAFTA talking points.)

First, a large part of my volunteer work on behalf of my Party is to educate media as to the Truth of the President’s Agenda. I primarily focus on MSNBC. I hit up others as needed. In that context, I am aware that The Ed Show has been ferocious in its criticism of what it can’t possible know ~ the details of the “secret” TPP negotiations ~

Second, there is so much information on TPP at http://www.ustr.gov/tpp

   it was challenging to decide what to literally put on the Blog and what to merely provide links for and;

Third, Senator Sanders recent letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman that just happens to mention that, that alleged secret TPP process may not be so secret after all;

And, last but not least, I am linking below my April Blog on the same topic with the recommendation that if you are anti-TPP and if you are sensitive you do not read it as

I was a little irritable at the time of that Blog writing … interestingly enough neither the information available to me at the time nor my opinion at the time, or since, has changed much ~ although I am trying to be more patient with those who think it is okay to damn President Obama’s work to hell based on the past trade agreement performance of others when, frankly, I find judgments made on past trade agreement performances to be lacking in the complexity of what l require to make an informed decision for the future.

In lieu of evidence conclusively predictive of the future, it is my habit to follow along as a process unfolds and to do due diligence and then comment as I am doing that. I am just doing it in a different context than some as I am doing it based on the premise that -- President Obama has never given me reason to believe he does not work for what is best for America and her People and no one has proved, to my satisfaction, otherwise.

Let’s just take a quick look at what Ed and friends have had to say about TPP, and by extension POTUS, per his Blog and Facebook re TPP since 12.1 (there’s more prior to that date but it only took a couple of show segments to make the point that evidence is nowhere to be found within Ed’s rants):

^^^ A word cloud created from the December 8 program:

 “Why the Trans-PacificPartnership poses danger to US jobs”

"The Trans-Pacific Partnership poses the biggest threat to the growing U.S. economy. As President Obama resumes trade negotiations in D.C., Ed Schultz talks to Rep. Dan Kildee, Rep. Peter Defazio and Leo Gerard about the dangers to U.S. jobs." 

******

^^^ A word cloud created from the January 2 program:

“Why this trade agreement could 'erode wages'”

"The Trans-Pacific Partnership takes center stage in the New Year, as President Obama plans to take action on trade agreements. Ed Schultz, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Larry Cohen discuss."

******

^^^ A snippet from Ed's Facebook page the same day as the previous mentioned show.

****** And now for a quick look at some of the language in Senator Sanders' recent letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman ~ a must read letter as it just happens to mention that, that alleged secret TPP process may not be so secret after all!

^^^ A word cloud from Senator Sanders' early January 2015 letter. The article about the letter can be found here and a direct link to the letter can be found in the article. 

Finally, let's look at a copy of the TPP objectives introduction and some snippets of what can also be found here .

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Summary of U.S. Objectives:

The United States is participating in negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement with 11 other Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam) – a trade agreement that will open markets, set high-standard trade rules, and address 21st-century issues in the global economy.  By doing so, TPP will promote jobs and growth in the United States and across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Obama Administration is pursuing TPP to unlock opportunities for American manufacturers, workers, service providers, farmers, and ranchers – to support job creation and wage growth.  We are working hard to ensure that TPP will be a comprehensive deal, providing new and meaningful market access for goods and services; strong and enforceable labor standards and environmental commitments; groundbreaking new rules designed to ensure fair competition between state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private companies; commitments that will improve the transparency and consistency of the regulatory environment to make it easier for small- and medium-sized businesses to operate across the region; a robust intellectual property (IP) rights framework to promote innovation, while supporting access to innovative and generic medicines and an open Internet; and obligations that will promote a thriving digital economy, including new rules to ensure the free flow of data.

This document describes the Administration’s goals and objectives for TPP, and presents the main elements of each chapter from the United States’ perspective.  Negotiations toward a TPP Agreement are ongoing, and many of the elements detailed below are not settled.  These are our objectives; there is still work to be done to achieve them.  This document lays out the Administration’s vision, which the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is advancing, of harnessing trade as a tool for economic growth and supporting jobs, and building opportunity for Americans in the context of an agreement that will benefit all TPP countries.

We are committed to providing the public information on what we are working to achieve through trade negotiations, and we will continue to share this information through the press, social media, and at www.ustr.gov as we move forward in the TPP negotiations.


* Please go directly the the United States Trade Representative page for an accurate reading as the snippets are only meant to demonstrate the fact that information is most certainly available on this trade agreement despite what the opposition is saying.

^^^ Secret? I'm not seeing it...

And then there is this ~ care to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem? Ask a question and/or comment? Go here . 

And, of course, in the meantime our representatives in a representative government have access to the information throughout the process and they can ask questions and comment as well and we all get to do it again when the agreement is completed and it is available for public comments prior to a congressional vote for it or against it.

Addendum: 

It has come to my attention, that my lead in to some of the sites I have posted this Blog to is not clear on what I mean by ~

This is an updated Blog! Also, let me encourage you to check out a new, Pro-TPP community set up to share information on TPP or as some refer to it ~ an American values based economic integration, Pro-TPP, https://www.facebook.com/ProTPP

so allow me to elaborate, briefly ...

 The "American value" I am referring to is The Common Good and I will change those leads to reflect that. 

I appreciate the feedback!

As promised: A link to my early spring Blog on TPP. 

G. aka Partisan Democrat

Please follow me here here you can sign up for an e-mail notification when GKMTNblogs posts! TY!!!

(* This blog has been updated from the archive; 1/11/2015)

(* The creator of the top meme with the President's quote is not known to me. If anyone knows who it is, please let me know and I will credit it immediately. TY!)

First Of Month FAV Posts ~ Shareable And/Or Actionable:

It's 2015 and last month shareables are now first month shareables but, the message is the same: Democrats need to work at messaging Truth. Please feel free to share my favorite posts and please consider leaving a favorite in the comments section so I can share yours too!

Courtesy of Occupy Democrats!

Courtesy of the DNC!

Courtesy of the DNC!

Courtesy of We Love To Irritate Hateful Republicans! 

Courtesy of Raise the Minimum Wage!

Courtesy of The Reprimand Project!

Courtesy of The Party of Scrooge!

Courtesy of ERA Action!

Courtesy of me! We need to fight for the President's nominations and we need to fight for her... Please share whenever it's relevant. Decision coming soon!!! TY

G. aka Partisan Democrat...