Hey guys, don't forget Pres. Obama LIVE at 2pm today in Iowa.

[quiet.american]

Live streaming from whitehouse.gov:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live

I read somewhere on DU yesterday that there were over 16,000 requests for about 3500 available tickets! Feeling the love!

[goclark]

1. Love it!

[Cha]

2. Thank you for the set up in Iowa, QA~ Absolutely

so many people wanted tickets but I remember it as 16500 and there were only 3000 available..I read it in Impik's thread.:)

Love to see the pic of these guys who work so hard being happy.

[quiet.american]

3. Cheers, Cha - and thanks for the correct numbers! :) nt

[quiet.american]

4. They're getting started - invocation now being given, crowd already looks fired up.

Great invocation -- "...Make healthcare for all a reality. Amen."

Crowd cheers.

[quiet.american]

5. So nice to see the diversity of the crowd - black, white, asian, indian, young, older -

"This is what democracy looks like!" :)

Yeah, I may be musing to myself in this thread, but what the hey -- it's a slow day where I am. :)

[quiet.american]

6. POTUS must be coming out soon, I see the guy w/the big camera pacing down front.

[quiet.american]

7. My God, look at the size of that crowd. (Yes, I'm just in here musing to myself). :)

[quiet.american]

8. "Obama!" "Obama!""Obama!""Obama!" They are so fired up. nt

[quiet.american]

9. Nice welcome for Kathleen Sebelius.

[quiet.american]

10. Seems to me, Sebelius has really loosened up in her speaking style since becoming HHS.

Lots more smiles and animation. Great effect.

[quiet.american]

11. Nice likening of the local b-ball teams & what the pundits said to what pundits said about HCR.

[quiet.american]

12. "They said it couldn't be done. But you all didn't listen to that."

Hell yes, we didn't! :) :) :)

[quiet.american]

13. "Because you believed, on Tuesday, Pres. Obama signed comprehensive HCR."

And the crowd goes WILD.

[Cha]

14. Thanks for getting down what's

been said..I had to go get another link bc the WH audio wasn't working for me!

[quiet.american]

15. Hey, Cha -- nice to see someone else dropping by, too! :) nt

[Cha]

19. Yeah, I'm in the BOG for

Obama in Iowa~

[quiet.american]

16. Obama letting the crowd know their reps are still in DC "crossing the t's and dotting the i's".

It was a nice shout-out to Harkin, et al.

[Cha]

17. Obama's at the College..no

wonder..Senator Tom Harkin!

[quiet.american]

18. Congratulating Northern Iowa - but says they ruined his March Madness bracket! -

So, he's rooting for them all the way now.

[quiet.american]

20. "This is the state that inspired us to keep going. This is the place where change began."

I'll never forget when I saw the news that Obama had won Iowa -- it blew my mind!

[Cha]

21. Pres Obama's Military aide..was a strong

safety for the Hawkeyes!

Change began in Iowa..I'll always love Iowa for that!

[quiet.american]

22. Agreed! nt

[quiet.american]

23. I love it - Crowd on HCR: "Yes We Can!" - Obama: "Yes We DID!" nt

[quiet.american]

25. People shouting out - are those hecklers?

[Cha]

24. Health insurance reform

is the law of the land..bless his heart.

It is a Big Fucking Deal.

[Cha]

27. He signed the Bill and no asteroids were falling!

Birds were actually chirping..

the repubs give him so much material.

[quiet.american]

31. Don't they, though - that was hilarious. nt

[quiet.american]

26. No, he di'nt! "After I signed the bill, I looked around to see if there were any asteroids falling"

Lol.

[Cha]

28. Oh NO..someone fainted...Hope they're

all right!

[quiet.american]

30. Beat me to it, Cha. This seems to happen so much, Obama knows exactly how to handle it. nt

[Cha]

41. Space, water, and medics.

[quiet.american]

43. That's sums it up! nt

[quiet.american]

29. Uh-oh, someone just fainted - POTUS taking care of it like he always does.

I think people faint at these events because they are standing in advance for a long period of time. It brings to mind standing in the hot Texas sun years ago, awaiting my squadron's turn to march at our graduating parade (USAF), and our TI's screaming at us, DON'T LOCK YOUR KNEES!, DON'T LOCK YOUR KNEES! to keep us from fainting - so, if you're ever at an event where you have to stand for a long period of time - DON'T LOCK YOUR KNEES!

[quiet.american]

32. It's great to see how popular the "stay on til you're 26" provision is.

That always gets huge cheers.

[quiet.american]

33. So awesome to hear now how those afflicted WILL BE HELPED, instead of could be helped, by HCR.

As the saying goes "That's a big fucking deal."

[quiet.american]

34. Ah, single-payer advocate screaming "Medicare for All" --

Wonder which DU'er it was. :)

Obama: We couldn't get it through Congress, that's why it's not there.

And by the way, "-- no need to shout, young man."

[quiet.american]

35. Obama to GOP: You're going to run on repealing HCR? Go for it! Be my guest! nt

[Cha]

39. He handled it well..and

yes, now that you mention it..he may have been a little tired..Thinking about how hard everyone worked to get it through Congress.

[quiet.american]

42. It makes me tired just looking at these all-day and all-night sessions.

And when I think that so many Democratic Congresspersons and Senators are well into their 70's and some even well into their 80's (Louis Slaughter, I believe, is 81) - they have my utter respect for these long, long, long hours they've been putting in.

I'm glad Obama also said plainly, "We couldn't get it through Congress." No matter how lovely the plan looks - how do you get those like Blanche Lincoln and Evan Bayh to vote for it, who even in this recent marathon amendment session voted WITH Republicans on some amendments, even in the midst of all the viciousness Republicans are directing at Democrats.

If this process has forced me to do anything, it's to "grow up" politically and bring myself to understand the nature of political reality.

[Cha]

45. Louise Slaughter is looking good!

http://www.louise.house.gov/

The 8 years of bushcheney+Obama's campaign got me schooled in politics and nothing that's happened since has surprised me. Always expect the worst from repubs & now teabaggers with the wife of a SC5 justice being one of them.

[quiet.american]

36. He's eloquent as always, but have to admit, Obama seems just a little tired today.

And who can blame him? *I* haven't slept much since last Saturday! Was up until 3am last night watching the Senate GOP shenanigans.

[quiet.american]

37. "Iowa, yes we did, because of you!"

[quiet.american]

38. "God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

Wow - that went fast.

[Cha]

40. I had to just stop and

listen to the last minutes of it..

I especially liked when he said more or less.."This Bill enshines the step that everyone has the right to health care coverage."

[goclark]

44. I missed it

thanks for this thread, I'll have to check Video Forum

[Cha]

46. Something really good to look forward

to..I'd like to see it again when it's up on youtube.:)

[sandnsea]

47. Text of today's remarks

http://obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=1512

[quiet.american]

49. Thanks, Sandnsea! nt

[Cha]

50. Oh thank you, sandnsea~~~nt

[sandnsea]

51. And visit to bookstore, so cute

Along his way he picked up “No Apology” by Mitt Romney and “Courage and Consequence” by Karl Rove. “What do you think guys?” he asked the pool, holding up a hardback copy of each in his hands before setting them back down.

A few minutes later POTUS stepped up to the cash register with two books in his hands: “Journey to the River Sea” by Eva Ibbotson and “The Secret of Zoom” by Lynne Jonell for his daughters, which he said had come highly recommended. He also bought a book for Robert Gibbs, who was holding a large Star Wars pop-up book for his six-year-old son, Ethan.

“It’s a little expensive, sir,” Gibbs said to his boss as he handed it over.

POTUS showed the book to pool as the cashier rang it up for $37.44.

“I can handle it,” Obama said as Gibbs suggested he pay. “It’s for keeping his dad away for too many hours a day.”

http://obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=1516

[Cha]

52. That was the sweetest exchange..

"It’s a little expensive, sir,” Gibbs said to his boss as he handed it over.

POTUS showed the book to pool as the cashier rang it up for $37.44.

“I can handle it,” Obama said as Gibbs suggested he pay. “It’s for keeping his dad away for too many hours a day.”

[Cha]

53. That was the sweetest exchange..

"It’s a little expensive, sir,” Gibbs said to his boss as he handed it over.

POTUS showed the book to pool as the cashier rang it up for $37.44.

“I can handle it,” Obama said as Gibbs suggested he pay. “It’s for keeping his dad away for too many hours a day.”

[quiet.american]

48. Link is up on C-Span now:

Pres. Obama on Health Care at the University of Iowa
Referring back to a campaign speech made in Iowa City, Pres. Obama recalled his promise to sign a health insurance reform bill during remarks at the University of Iowa. In his speech, the President disagreed that the bill was a government takeover, saying instead, that it built on the current system. 47 min

http://cspan.org/Watch/Media/2010/03/25/HP/A/31077/Pres+Obama+on+Health+Care+at+the+University+of+Iowa.aspx