Download - Wake Up to Politics - April 29, 2013
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THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL
From the Editors Desk
Hello and happy Monday! Heres some photos from my trip last week:
Consultation on ConscienceI was in Washington, D.C. to attend the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaisms Consultation on Conscience with
my dad. With the Consultation, we heard from a very impressive slate of speakers, including UN Ambassador Susan Rice,
NEC Director Gene Sperling, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Mark Warner (D-VA), and Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD),
Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Henry Waxman (D-CA).
Me with Gene Sperling Lindsey Graham Joe Kennedy III
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Arlington National CemeteryWe also went to the Arlington National Cemetery and saw where Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy,
Bobby and Teddy Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, and many others are buried. While we were there, we were also able to
see the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
President Kennedys grave and the
Eternal Flame
Ted Kennedys grave Bobby Kennedys grave
The Changing of the Guard at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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The White House and EEOBWhile in Washington, I was very fortunate to be able to meet with Ronnie Cho, Associate Director of the White House
Office of Public Engagement and White House Liaison to Young Americans, and Danielle Borrin, Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and Deputy Director of Public Engagement the Office of the Vice President. We talked with
Mr. Cho and Ms. Borrin at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), the building by the White House where
many staffers work, and they also showed us the Vice Presidents Ceremonial Office at the EEOB. Vice President Biden
was speaking in the building while we were there and we got to hear him too, which was very cool.
The White House Me at the EEOB
Me at the Vice Presidents Ceremonial Office in the
EEOB with Mr. Cho and Ms. Borrin
The White House Me at the EEOB
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U.S. Capitol At the Capitol, we were able to meet with Congressman Lacy Clay of Missouri, who gave us passes to the House gallery.
We were able to witness the Senate and House in action, and we saw Sens. Reid, Schumer, Boxer, Manchin, and Coburn
debating the sequester and the FAA, which they just solved a few days ago.
The Capitol The Capitol at night My dad, Congressman Clay, and I
Mount VernonOne of the coolest things was going to George Washingtons beloved home, Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon was where
Washington lived and retired to (three times), and it was originally built in the 1741 by Washingtons half-brother
Lawrence, who named it after British Admiral Edward Vernon, although the family had owned the land since 1674.
George inherited Mount Vernon in 1754, and he was the one who expanded the house and planted a number of
gardens. At Mount Vernon, you can go in the house and also see a museum with lots of artifacts and exhibits on
aaWashingtons life and times.
Mount Vernon
Panorama of Mount Vernon and surrounding buildings
Washingtons Tomb
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Other Sites
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx speaks at the 2012
Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
sjsa
White House Watch
The Presidents Schedule At 11:20 AM, President Obama will speak at the
150th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.
Obama to Roll Out New Transportation
Secy., Meet Anthony Foxx President
Obama is set to announce his new nominee
for Secretary of Transportation today,
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. Foxx, who
will turn 42 tomorrow, is widely considered
a rising star in the Democratic Party, a
point that was proved in part when he
snagged the Democratic National
Convention for Charlotte in 2012.
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument FDR Memorial
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Mayor Foxx will replace Secy. Ray LaHood, a former Republican
congressman who has served since the beginning of President Obamas first
term. Foxx beat out other potential candidates for the post like Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, National Transportation Safety Board
chairwoman Debbie Hersman, Rep. Jim Clybrun (D-SC), and Deputy Secy.
John Porcari. Tapping Foxx will help Obama with diversity that his second-
term Cabinet, unlike his first one, sorely needs. The Charlotte mayor will
become one of just two African-Americans in the new Obama Cabinet,
along with Attorney Gen. Eric Holder who has served since January 2009
and will stay on for a quite a bit.
This week, President Obama is expected to finish filling the seats in his
second-term Cabinet table, with the announcements of Penny Pritzker for
Commerce Secretary and White House Deputy National Security Advisor
Mike Froman for U.S. Trade Representative to come later in the week.
Election Central
2013 SC: Sanford and Colbert-Busch Face Off in Only Debate On this
side, weve got former two-term South Carolina Gov., deep in scandal,
introducingRepublican Mark Sanford! And over here, we have the
underdog turned frontrunner, shes new to politics, and has a famous
brother, introducingDemocrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch.
Those are the candidates for the May 7th special election in South Carolinas
2nd
congressional district. Sanford and Colbert-Busch are vying to replace
Tim Scott, who represented the House district before being appointed to the
Senate by Gov. Nikki Haley a few months ago.
In this heavily Republican district, Gov. Sanford began as the solid
frontrunner when the race began. But armed with Sanfords affair and new
developments with his ex-wife, as well as money from her brother, Comedy
Central host Stephen Colbert, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch has slowly turned
from an underdog with no chance to the favorite in the race. New polls show
Colbert-Busch with leads up to 9% on Sanford.
Now, tonight, the two candidates will face off in their one and only debate.
The debate will be live from The Citadel in Charleston at 6:30 PM, with
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panelists Shawn Drury, Political Editor of the South Carolina Patch; Ashley
Byrd, News Director at SCRN; and WCBD-TV Anchor Brendan Clark.
There will be more than 500 quests in the audience to see Sanford and
Colbert-Busch debate, including media at the local and national levels.
Question of the Day
Todays Question Yesterday was the day that our fifth President, James
Monroe, would have turned 255, if he wasntyou knowkind of dead.
Anyways, Monroes presidential tenure was known was the Era of Good
Feelings, and when he ran for re-election in 1820, feelings were so good
that he won all but one vote in the Electoral College. Why did that one
elector vote for John Quincy Adams instead?
Email me at [email protected] with the answer to todays trivia
question, or with any comments, questions, or tips on politics and history.
Also, if you have had any trouble receiving or opening todays or other
editions of Wake Up To Politics, or would like me to add anyone to the
mailing list, PLEASE EMAIL ME! Thanks!