Politics. On Point.

WhiteHouseBlog: Securing the Vote for All Americans   By Valerie Jarrett | Whitehouse.gov   Yesterday, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez met with civil rights leaders, and state and local elected officials at the White House to discuss how to safeguard every eligible American’s right to vote in light of the recent Supreme Court decision on Shelby County vs. Holder.   President Barack Obama meets with Civil Rights Leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, July 29, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)   The Supreme Court’s decision invalidating one of the Voting Rights Act’s core provisions, upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.   President Obama acknowledged that for nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act has helped secure the right to vote for...

  From the White House. One of the cornerstones of the President’s plan to create a better bargain for the middle class is to ensure that every American who is willing to work for it will have the opportunity for a good job that pays good wages. In today’s speech, the President laid out an idea that both parties should be able to support to create jobs: a plan that simplifies the tax code for our businesses and gives working families a better deal.    Our current tax code is broken and too complex, with businesses that play by the rules paying a 35% tax rate while many corporations that can hire hundreds of lawyers pay virtually no taxes at all. That is why the President has called for a revenue-neutral simplification of our business tax code to eliminate loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas and establishes a top tax rate of 28%. Under the President’s proposal, some businesses would pay less, some corporations would pay more, but everyo...

Tracy Martin, the father of young, murder victim, Trayvon Martin testified on Capitol Hill pledging to not give up on getting justice for his son. "I think, to a man, the greatest gift from a woman is son. And to have that son taken away from you when you've molded him into becoming an upstanding citizen of this country, it's heart wrenching and something that you can never get over." Mr. Martin said his son was his hero. Mr. Martin spoke on Capitol Hill as part of a forum titled "The Status of Black Males: Ensuring Our Boys Mature Into Strong Men", created by the Congressional Black Caucus. The forum was lead by Sen. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and included Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), author and professor Micheal Eric Dyson, and former NAACP president Kwiesi Mfume. Said Ms. Norton, “ The issues are spread across the spectrum of the life of Black males in America today – clothed in stereotypes from their years as boys, as youths, and as men.  We...

  President Obama spoke today at Knox College in Chicago urging Congress not to raise the cost of student loans.   The administration is also plans to work with colleges to encourage universities to keep the costs of higher education down.   Said the president, "If you think education is expensive, wait until you see how much ignorance costs in the 21st century."   In a 21st century society, having only a high school education doesn't always garner a higher paying job (unless you become an entrepreneur).  For those seeking a higher education, help with college tuition can be a quite daunting.   In an act of bipartisan accomplishment Congress, today, came to a decision that would keep college loans rates to a minimum.   "A better bargain for the middle class means making a college education available to every single American willing to work for it", said the president.   "That’s why I applaud the wide ...

President Obama, in a Friday afternoon daily press briefing shocker, stood at the podium and finally spoke to America about the George Zimmerman verdict. The president spoke to the history of disparity in the justice system, as it relates to African Americans,  and how African Americans are treated in society as a whole.  Speaking on a personal note he said he, too, had been profiled as a young African American male. He also stated that he "could have been Trayvon Martin some thirty years ago." It was time for the president to speak out on this issue that has Americans taking yet another look at race in this country. On why African Americans feel as they do about the verdict, the president said, "African Americans have a set of experiences and history [in this country] that doesn't go away." And he is right. Question, again, continues to be, how do we make it go away? The president ( and we agree ) doesn't believe having talks and town...

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Points of Light , created by former president George W. Bush, mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world and recognizes individuals who are making a difference through service and volunteerism.   Through four innovative and dynamic enterprises:  HandsOn Network , generationOn , AmeriCorps Alums , and Points of Light Corporate Institute , Points of Light helps put people at the center of transforming their communities. " And today, thanks to those programs and others like them, and thanks to the passion of leaders like President Bush and citizens who found the same passion over the years, volunteerism has gone from something some people do some of the time to something lots of people do as a regular part of their lives", said President Obama in the East Room of the White House in a ceremony that recognized Bush and recipients of the distinguished honor. Floyd Hammer and Kathy Hamilton received the award for their work in c...

In 2013, Still Two Worlds: One Black. One White. Today's White House press briefing started out with press secretary Jay Carney telling reporters how he spent his weekend.   After telling reporters he hoped their weekend was good, he offered an unsolicited take on his own. "Since you asked", joked Carney who described his weekend as "great" and "unbelievable", "I had a great weekend". "I took my son to see Paul McCartney Friday night", Carney said, calling the experience "fantastic". "It’s just a fantastic experience because he’s amazing and his songs are amazing, but to be there with an 11-year-old who also knew all the words is pretty special." Good for you, Mr. Carney. Good for all fathers who still have their sons in their lives and can take them to baseball parks, basketball games, the movies, and Paul McCartney concerts. For one father, and for one family, those events will never happen agai...

On Wednesday, July 10, 2013 President Obama will award the 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal in the East Room.  The First Lady will also attend.    The National Endowment for the Arts was established by the Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the Federal Government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with State arts agencies, local leaders, other Federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. The National Endowment for the Humanities was created in 1965 as an independent Federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the Nation. The Endowment brings high-quality historical and cultural experiences to ...

The White House announced that Nancy Hogan will be stepping down from her position as Assistant to the President & Director of Presidential Personnel later this month. Jonathan McBride will take on the position upon her departure.   “As Director of Presidential Personnel for the last four years, Nancy Hogan has helped make sure this Administration attracts, grows and retains the most talented public servants.  More importantly, she’s made sure the American people are well-served by a group of dedicated men and women who work hard every day to uphold the public trust,” President Obama said.  “I’m grateful to Nancy for her service, and to Jonathan McBride for agreeing to take her place.  Jonathan has the judgment and the experience to help us continue to move this country forward, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”   Nancy Hogan was appointed Director of the Presidential Personnel office in August, 2009.  Prior to accepting th...