Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton share stage: 2016 preview? 0:46 September 11, 2013 Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton share stage: 2016 preview?In Philadelphia, a possible glimpse of the 2016 presidential candidates together. Jeb Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton shared the same stage when he honored her with the Liberty Medal for her career in pubic service. Charlie Rose reports.
Showing posts with label president. Show all posts
Showing posts with label president. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Video: President Obama issues call to wait on Syria
Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton share stage: 2016 preview? 0:46 September 11, 2013 Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton share stage: 2016 preview?In Philadelphia, a possible glimpse of the 2016 presidential candidates together. Jeb Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton shared the same stage when he honored her with the Liberty Medal for her career in pubic service. Charlie Rose reports.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Video: President Obama looks to lawmakers to vote on military action against Syria
Call for military action against Syria 4:48 September 3, 2013 Call for military action against SyriaSteve Chaggaris, Executive Washington Editor for CBSNews.com, joins UTTM to discuss the Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing on Syria and Speaker of the House John Boehner calling for support of the President's call for action.Video: President Obama looks to lawmakers to vote on military action against Syria
Call for military action against Syria 4:48 September 3, 2013 Call for military action against SyriaSteve Chaggaris, Executive Washington Editor for CBSNews.com, joins UTTM to discuss the Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing on Syria and Speaker of the House John Boehner calling for support of the President's call for action.Monday, 2 September 2013
Video: President Obama speaks at the March on Wasington's 50th anniv.
Who will intervene in Syria? 5:38 August 28, 2013 Pamela Falk, CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst, joins UTTM to discuss if the US will intervene in Syria. Britain says it will seek United Nations Security Council backing for a measure condemning Syria for an alleged chemical attack.Thursday, 29 August 2013
Video: President Obama speaks at the March on Wasington's 50th anniv.
Who will intervene in Syria? 5:38 August 28, 2013 Pamela Falk, CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst, joins UTTM to discuss if the US will intervene in Syria. Britain says it will seek United Nations Security Council backing for a measure condemning Syria for an alleged chemical attack.Video: President Obama speaks on the March on Wasington's 50th anniv.
President Obama speaks on the March on Wasington's 50th anniv. 3:42 August 28, 2013 President Obama speaks on the March on Wasington's 50th anniv.Kenneth Walsh, Chief White House Correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, joins UTTM to discuss the President's speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Olivet's president 'surprised' Bears-ONU relationship has lasted this long
When Olivet Nazarene University agreed to host the Chicago Bears' summer training camp back in 2001, the school's top administrator thought it would likely be a three- to five-year arrangement.
When the series of nine one-year contracts expires at the end of the 2022 camp, the Bears will have practiced in Bourbonnais for more than two decades.
"I didn't think long term," Bowling said after Monday afternoon's news conference announcing the contract extension between the university and the storied National Football League franchise. "I'm surprised it's been 12 years. Pleasantly surprised. ... They are happy. We are happy."
That's a far different reaction than one would have received from Bowling in 2001 when the Bears began the search for a new camp site for 2002.
"My first reaction was 'This won't work,' I thought it would be a clash of cultures," Bowling said of placing together the conservative university with brash professional athletes and big-time sports.
Video: President Obama discusses aid to Egypt with advisors
Rodriguez continues to play while appealing suspension 5:06 August 20, 2013 Rodriguez continues to play while appealing suspensionSteve Eder, Reporter for The New York Times, joins UTTM to discuss the suspension of Boston Red Sox's Ryan Dempster after hitting Alex Rodriguez with a pitch last weekend.Video: President Obama discusses aid to Egypt with advisors
Rodriguez continues to play while appealing suspension 5:06 August 20, 2013 Rodriguez continues to play while appealing suspensionSteve Eder, Reporter for The New York Times, joins UTTM to discuss the suspension of Boston Red Sox's Ryan Dempster after hitting Alex Rodriguez with a pitch last weekend.Thursday, 15 August 2013
Dear Mr. President: Jackson man writes Obama every day
JACKSON — Francis M. Del Vecchio would like to have a little chat with President Barack Obama.
The 67-year-old township resident, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War and later started a family business providing industrial kitchen equipment, has been writing letters to the president every day ? save the occasional holiday ? since Nov. 18, almost two weeks after Obama defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.
Watch the video above to hear Del Vecchio talk about some of the letters he has written.
Del Vecchio, who said he suffers from throat cancer related to complications from Agent Orange exposure during his wartime service, has since compiled nearly 300 letters (and the White House?s responses) in a self-published book titled, ?Mr. President, What Are You Doing to America??
The letters, which range from exasperation to dry humor, are by no means love letters. Profoundly disappointed in the results of the election, Del Vecchio is convinced that the country he loves is in serious peril from a national populace that is becoming increasingly dependent on government entitlements. He said the country has lost the spirit of self-reliance and rugged individualism that he feels had made America great.
Nevertheless, Del Vecchio said he bears no animus towards the 44th president of the United States.
?I think he?s a good man, I really do,? Del Vecchio said. ?I think he has a lot of great qualities and I agree with a lot of the things he wants to do. But he really lacks management skills in getting them done the right way, so that?s why I write the letters.?
From his home in a gated retirement community, Del Vecchio rises before the sun each day and sits down at his computer to type out a letter based on his views relevant to the news of the day.
?Dear Mr. President,? Del Vecchio typed in his first letter to Obama on Nov. 18. ?I did not vote for you and on more than one occasion have made some very unkind remarks about you. You are an easy target to criticize, especially when I am not standing in your shoes. So, I must put my political objections aside and help my fellow American to help all Americans.?
Over the span of 300 letters, Del Vecchio shares his opinions on a range of hot button political issues: Everyone should pay something in taxes, no matter how small; government waste and inefficiency is prevalent in both political parties, as well as in the executive and legislative branches; and Obamacare is a disaster waiting to happen.
?What nerve you have telling Congress they haven?t been doing their job. They haven?t been doing their job for the last four years and the only thing they can agree on is raising the debt limit so they can get their pay check every week ,? he wrote on Dec. 29.
On Jan. 18, ?Why are we sending tanks and aircraft to Egypt? It doesn?t make any sense to me. We supply Israel, who are threatened by every nation around them and we supply the people that threaten them.? On Feb 5, ?If you think you need to drone someone or a group of people and there are Americans outside the U.S. borders, THEN DO IT. Don?t worry about Congress, when they start doing their job right, then maybe they can tell you how to do your job for the safety and preservation of this country.?
After 103 days, on March 4, Del Vecchio received his first response from the White House, dated Feb. 28, outlining the Obama administration?s position on the fiscal cliff negotiations leading to a bipartisan deal after New Year?s Day. The letter also went on about Obama?s debt reduction plan and outlined the president?s commitment to making sure that the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans paid more in taxes.
Del Vecchio was not impressed.
?The person that penned this letter must have been smoking the grass from the White House lawn,? he lamented in his daily letter. ?Referring to the tax code as the most progressive tax code in decades is a crock of donkey dust, there is nothing progressive about it. It is old and antiquated and the only thing progressive about it is the increase. It resembles a copy of some of your speeches.?
Another letter came from the White House a short time after, this one dated March 7 and typed over the president?s signature: ?Thank you for your thoughtful words. The messages I receive from Americans like you remind me of what is best about our country. ... The American people are looking for cooperation, consensus, and common sense in our government, and they have shown they want action. I intend to deliver that in the months and years ahead.?
And then something odd began to happen. Form letters from the White House began to appear in Del Vecchio?s mailbox, sometimes every day and sometimes identical to the one sent to Del Vecchio the day before, with merely the date changed on the response, each one beginning with the response, ?Thank you for writing...?
Undeterred, Del Vecchio continued his campaign, becoming more familiar in his letters and adding his two cents about whatever the hot topic of the day the president found himself mired in.
In April, after Obama was criticized for opining that California Attorney General Kamala Harris was the ?best-looking attorney general? during a speech he gave at a fundraiser they both attended, Del Vecchio offered his own take on the matter to the president.
?The attorney general in California is a pretty woman and there is nothing wrong about commenting on it,? he wrote to Obama on April 4. ?I am sure you will get some political flack over it, but worse, I don?t think (first lady) Michelle will be too happy and that is worse than any political flack. ... Just not a good move making a woman angry.?
Del Vecchio said his wife and children give him a hard time about his letters, and warn him half-seriously that he is going to find the Secret Service on his door step.
The Asbury Park Press requested a comment from White House mail officials earlier this week, but the office said they did not have enough time to respond.
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Monmouth U president Gaffney remembered as leader who gave, earned respect
WEST LONG BRANCH — During a recent three-hour standoff in Long Branch between authorities and a man waving a machete, one Twitter user suggested it was ?time for Admiral Gaffney to get back into action and take this guy down.?
Let student and alumnae chatter about him on social media tell it, Retired Vice Admiral Paul G. Gaffney II, who steps down this week as Monmouth University president, is alternately viewed as superhero or father figure.
One user on the social media platform suggested in a recent tweet that Gaffney, 67, who served in the post for 10 years, be ?re-elected.? Others express love for the university?s outgoing leader.
But Gaffney ? for more than three decades ? has been leading his troops. He said his time at Monmouth University was no different.
?Why would you do the job, if you didn?t like the students?? Gaffney asks. ?They are why we are here.?
If Gaffney is a sort of superhero, then his super power might be ?The Gaffney Grip? or ?The Gaffney Shake,? as Gaffney?s distinctive handshake is known around campus and the community. Some people say they train before they meet him but few say they are able to stand their ground as he clasps your hand while simultaneously pulling you closer by way of your elbow.
?He wants to show you he means what he says and then he grabs your elbow,? Lillian C. Borrone said of the handshake. Borrone served with Gaffney on the U.S. Ocean Policy Commission and suggested he take the Monmouth position. ?It (the handshake) is a good way to show you respect and to steer you in the right direction.?
That is Gaffney?s operating mantra, say his friends and colleagues: to get respect, you need to give respect.
?He has wonderful relationships with the trustees, faculty and, most importantly, the students,? Borrone said. ?They see these great qualities of loyalty, integrity and commitment and his ability to deliver on all these things.?
Gaffney received $639,060 from the university and another $58,082 from the university and other sources for a total of $697,142, according to 2010 IRS records, the most recent available for Monmouth University.
Gaffney left his mark on the suburban private campus, changing it in virtually every way, from additional programs and partnerships with international schools to campus additions such as the $57 million multipurpose activity center that was constructed debt-free.
?I think things are getting a little bit better every day,? Gaffney said. ?Financially, we are solid.?
Gaffney is devoted to the university?s sports teams, even taking over as announcer of its track and field events.
?Here is a man who has to have been the most accessible anywhere as a college president for the media when it came to discussing his school?s athletic programs,? said Tony Graham, the recently retired Asbury Park Press reporter who has covered Monmouth athletics on and off since 1969.
?From a reporter?s viewpoint but also from a personal one, he was special,? Graham said.
Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider recalled how Gaffney dove in to help resolve an off-campus housing issue that a decade ago troubled many city residents.
?It was his style to do things with a big grin,? the mayor said. ?You know, he went to the naval academy, served his country overseas but when you talked to him, he was a pretty down-to-earth guy.?
His student-centered philosophy often was introduced when each fall, Gaffney, in short sleeves and casual dress, appeared at the dorms to help incoming students drag in boxes of belongings, sometimes to the puzzlement of parents. Gaffney rarely disclosed his identity.
?You are the heroes here,? he said to graduates in May.
Monmouth University welcomes new president in ceremony
WEST LONG BRANCH — This is Paul R. Brown?s moment. Or more precisely, the beginning of many moments as Brown assumes the presidency of Monmouth University, succeeding Paul G. Gaffney II, who is retiring after 10 years as the leader of the 55-year-old school.
At ceremonies Wednesday in the blistering sun, as ?the two Pauls? stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the steps of historic Woodrow Wilson Hall, Brown stepped up as Gaffney bid adieu with his customary brevity and some melancholy.
Watch the video above to hear remarks from Gaffney as well as from Brown.
The university has embraced the new president and his wife, Joan G. Fishman, during the monthlong transition, said Brown, who is able to act officially today as the eighth president, selected in February after a national search that lasted nearly a year. Gaffney becomes president emeritus on the same date.
The welcoming attitude is ?truly palpable,? Brown said. ?I just feel it all the time.?
In return, said Brown, who has declined to reveal his age, ?I will give it my best shot.?
Brown said he intends to serve the students, faculty and staff and ?the wider community.?
What will be his priority over the next few months?
Anyone walking across campus should feel free to stop Brown and give him a piece of their mind but they could receive ?an earful? in reply, he said. ?I want to listen and ... learn,? he said. ?I don?t want to miss a beat.?
Brown provided a glimpse into his communication style. ?I?m pretty aggressive ? with a smile,? said Brown, with a smile. ?Aren?t we always on to the next thing?? Brown asked. ?I do it with a smile, I do it with passion and I do it with growth? in mind.
Hundreds of faculty, students, alumni and community officials and others watched as Gaffney described Monmouth University as the best job ?we? ever had, referring to himself and his wife, Linda, who already is working to get their retirement home in South Carolina up and running.
Gaffney couldn?t resist a joke at the expense of his new address, expressing gratitude to ?you all? who helped make his experience such a positive one. Then he stopped and said, ?I guess I should say y?all,? said the Massachusetts native, trying on the accent of the deep south with no success whatsoever.
Some 10 years and 10 months earlier, Gaffney described a road trip he and his wife took on a cold and rainy Thanksgiving weekend.
?It was low-level reconnaissance,? said Gaffney, a retired naval Vice Admiral with 30 years of high-level military experience behind him.
?We liked what we saw,? he said of their first view of Monmouth University, sans students because of the holiday.
Lillian C. Borrone, a colleague on the U.S. Ocean Policy Commission, had suggested Gaffney consider Monmouth University as he finished up as head of the National Defense University.
The rest is history.
?Wednesday is the last day of a dream job for us and it is the first day of a new era,? Gaffney said in deference to Brown.
?Melancholy creeps in as we are about to leave a job we had longer than any other job ... and the people who made it so good,? Gaffney said.
In another bow to his military background, he turned to Robert B. Sculthorpe, chairman of Monmouth?s board of trustees, and said, ?I am ready to be relieved, sir,? to which Sculthorpe replied, ?Your request has been granted.?
?We are sad to see President Gaffney leave but we are profoundly grateful for his 10 years of outstanding leadership,? Sculthorpe said as he presented Gaffney with a blue and white university flag that he said Gaffney could add to his collection.
NJ Senate president calls for open space vote
TRENTON — Members of the New Jersey Senate are being asked to interrupt their summer vacations to cast votes on open space preservation.
Senators will have all day Monday to return to Trenton to vote on whether to put an open space funding question on the November ballot.
Voters would be asked to change the constitution by dedicating up to $200 million a year to open space. The money would come from sales taxes already being collected.
The Senate and Assembly must pass the resolution by early August to get it on the fall ballot.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney says he is taking the unusual step of allowing all-day voting because many members will have to drive long distances from vacation.
Absentee voting by lawmakers is not allowed.
NJ Senate president calls for open space vote
TRENTON — Members of the New Jersey Senate are being asked to interrupt their summer vacations to cast votes on open space preservation.
Senators will have all day Monday to return to Trenton to vote on whether to put an open space funding question on the November ballot.
Voters would be asked to change the constitution by dedicating up to $200 million a year to open space. The money would come from sales taxes already being collected.
The Senate and Assembly must pass the resolution by early August to get it on the fall ballot.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney says he is taking the unusual step of allowing all-day voting because many members will have to drive long distances from vacation.
Absentee voting by lawmakers is not allowed.
NJ Senate president sues over Rutgers appointment
TRENTON — New Jersey?s Senate president is asking a court to remove a newly sworn-in member of the Rutgers Board of Governors.
Democrat Steve Sweeney announced the lawsuit Tuesday.
Sweeney says the seat that went to Martin Perez should have gone to a Camden County resident under a 2012 law that expanded the board to 15 members from 11.
Gov. Chris Christie?s administration says he has the right to pick one board member without approval of the state Senate.
Perez?s nomination has been contentious for months. Christie initially appointed him last December, but Senate Democrats used procedural moves to block him.
He was sworn in July 15.
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