Author: Lynn Sweet

Below, from C-SPAN….Sessions are in Chicago time

LIVE on C-SPAN

Southern Republican Leadership Conference

Hilton New Orleans Riverside

Thurs, April 8 7:30 – 10pm ET

2010 Convention- Opening Session

Mary Matalin-Welcome/Intro 6:37
Liz Cheney 6:42
Newt Gingrich 7:00
Gingrich Q&A 7:45
JC Watts 8:03

Fri, April 9 1 – 4:30pm ET

2010 Convention- General Session

Tony Perkins 12:10
Sarah Palin 12:28
Chris Wilson 1:18
Gary Johnson 1:43
Bobby Jindal 1:53
Andrew Breitbart 2:33
Rick Perry 2:48

Sat, April 10 1-6pm ET

2010 Convention- General Session

Joseph Cao-Invocation/Welcome 12:01
David Vitter/intro 12:11
Rick Santorum 12:21
Steve Scalise/intro 12:46
Mike Pence 12:56
Rodney Alexander/Intro 1:21
Haley Barbour 1:26
Herman Cain 2:01
Bill Cassidy/Intro 2:21
Tim Pawlenty (video speech) 2:21
Ron Paul 2:29
John Fleming/Intro 3:09
Michael Williams 3:14
Thaddeus McCotter 3:24
Jan Larimer/intro 3:34
Michael Steele 3:39

WASHINGTON–GOP Illinois Senate nominee Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.) is reporting $2.2 million in first quarter 2010 fund-raising.

from the campaign…

* $6.6 million for the 2010 cycle with over $3 million in the bank at the close of the first quarter.

*As of April 1st, the Kirk campaign received contributions from more than 9,000 individual contributors (80% from Illinois). More than 4,200 people (85% of all contributions) donated to the campaign in the last three months alone.

Below, Kirk release…..

Kirk: “Illinois voters have a clear choice in this election to change direction, create jobs and restore integrity to the State of Illinois.”

Northbrook, Ill. – Five-term Congressman and Navy veteran Mark Kirk today reported his Illinois Senate campaign raised more than $2.2 million since January 1st and more than $6.6 million for the 2010 cycle with over $3 million in the bank at the close of the first quarter.

As of April 1st, the Kirk campaign received contributions from more than 9,000 individual contributors (80% from Illinois). More than 4,200 people (85% of all contributions) donated to the campaign in the last three months alone.

“The coming election offers the people of Illinois a clear choice to change direction,” campaign spokesman Eric Elk said. “Congressman Kirk wore the uniform of our country, fought for stem cell research and defended Lake Michigan from polluters while Alexi Giannoulias pushed risky ‘hot money’ lending schemes, authorized loans to organized crime figures like Michael ‘Jaws’ Giorango and wiped out $70 million in Bright Start college savings funds for Illinois families. After Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris, we won’t get fooled again.”

Last month, the Kirk campaign launched the first TV ad of the general election. The 30-second spot, entitled “Independent,” highlights Congressman Kirk’s independent and effective record including his support for stem cell research, strong defense of Lake Michigan, leading opposition to the “Bridge to Nowhere,” votes for lower taxes and 20-year service as a Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer.

On Friday, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Broadway Bank of Chicago loaned more than $20 million to known organized crime figures Michael “Jaws” Giorango and Demitri Stavropoulos when Alexi Giannoulias served as the bank’s Vice President and Senior Loan Officer. According to Giannoulias’ brother, the family learned of the pair’s criminal background in 2004 but continued to loan them millions of dollars anyway. The report contradicted previous statements by Giannoulias that he and his family were never aware of Giorango and Stavropoulos’ mob ties when loans were approved.

While Giannoulias made Political Action Committee (PAC) funding an issue, federal records show Alexi Giannoulias’ Campaign Chairman, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, accepted more than $6.5 million from PACs – $4.41 million from corporate PACs alone – over his career along with $663,000 from lobbyists, $1.46 million from Big Banks and Securities, and $1.45 million from the health care sector. State records show Giannoulias accepted more than $1.98 million from businesses and unions in his State Treasurer race while federal records show he already accepted $93,500 from federal PACs for his Senate campaign. Giannoulias also ignored calls to refuse contributions from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic National Committee, which can funnel millions of dollars in corporate PAC contributions to his campaign.

###

WASHINGTON–Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in a GOP primary battle, told Newsweek he was a not a “maverick” a word his own presidential campaign and biographer used to describe him. PolitiFact has the “maverick” McCain history.

WASHINGTON–Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hits Minneapolis on Wednesday, headlining a rally and fund-raisers for Rep. Michele Bachmann and the Minnesota Republican Party. More here.

WASHINGTON–New Yorker editor David Remnick talks about President Obama and his new biography on him, “The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama.” Remnick recounts the impact Chicago had on Obama’s life and political career in the book, out this week.

WASHINGTON–The house next to President Obama’s home sold for $1.4 million and my Chicago Sun-Times colleague Mark Konkol has the story here, at his blog, Konkol’s Korner. The buyer is not known. The sale closed Wednesday for the 6,000-square foot home of Bill and Jacky Grimshaw, friends of the Obama’s who lived on Greenwood near 51st since 1973–when they bought the house for $35,000.

Bill Grimshaw in the house.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010

In the morning, the President will meet with Secretary of State Clinton in the Oval Office. The President will then receive the Presidential Daily Briefing and meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office. These meetings are closed press.

In the evening, the President will travel to Prague, Czech Republic. The departure from the South Lawn is open press.

Also tomorrow at 3:30PM EDT, Obama administration officials will hold an on the record, pen and pad briefing in the White House briefing room to update reporters on the administration’s efforts on financial reform. Administration officials will include Neal Wolin, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; Michael Barr, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions; and Diana Farrell, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. Press wishing to attend must RSVP to [email protected] by 9:00AM Wednesday morning. If you are not a White House hard pass holder, please provide full name, date of birth, social security number, and country of citizenship with your RSVP for clearance.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CBS
Print: Huffington Post
Radio: FOX

Out-of-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CBS
Print: Washington Post
Radio: NPR

EDT

9:30AM In-Town Travel Pool Call Time

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT meets with Secretary of State Clinton
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:00AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:00AM THE PRESIDENT meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

7:15PM THE PRESIDENT departs The White House en route Andrews Air Force Base
South Lawn
Open Press (Pre-set 6:45PM – Final Gather 7:00PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

7:30PM THE PRESIDENT departs Andrews Air Force Base en route Prague, Czech Republic
Out-of-Town Travel Pool (Call time 6:15PM – Virginia Gate, Andrews Air Force Base)

##

WASHINGTON–GOP Illinois Senate nominee Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.) edges past Democratic rival Alexi Giannoulias in a poll released Tuesday. Read about it here.

Click below for links to poll and cross tabs.

below, from PPP…..

The last two months have not been good for Alexi Giannoulias, and Mark Kirk now leads him 37-33 in his bid to be the next Senator from Illinois.

A PPP survey taken a week and a half before the primary found Giannoulias up 42-34 on Kirk. But the closing stretch of the campaign did not go well for the Democratic nominee, with the attacks on him resulting in a final margin of victory that was a good deal less than what he had shown in earlier polls. Since then most of the news for him has been bad.

The main reason Giannoulias is behind is that he’s getting only 54% of the Democratic vote while Kirk is winning 77% of the Republican vote. It’s not that a lot of Democrats are planning to cross over and vote for Kirk, but 36% of them are undecided right now compared to just 16% of Republicans. That suggests Democratic voters don’t really know what to make of Giannoulias’ problems right now so they’re just taking a wait and see approach to the race.

It’s clear that the movement in Kirk’s direction over the last two months has nothing to do with him and everything to do with Giannoulias. A majority of voters in the state have no opinion of Kirk and his favorability spread of 24/23 is almost identical to the 27/22 he sported in late January. Giannoulias has seen his favorability drop from 31% to 21% and his unfavorability increase from 19% to 28% in that period of time.

Also not helping Giannoulias is that President Obama is not nearly as popular in the state as he once was. 50% of voters approve of the job he’s doing to 42% who disapprove. His 7% approval rating with home state Republicans is just as bad as it is with them nationally and his 81% standing with Democrat is about par for the course. He does continue to be more popular with independents in Illinois than he is in most states, with 51% of them approving of his job performance to 38% disapproving. Voters in the state express support for his health care plan by only a 46/43 margin.

The large mass of undecided Democrats are the critical bloc of voters in this race. If they come home to Giannoulias he’ll probably still win- this continues to be a very Democratic state. But if they- unhappy with both Giannoulias and Pat Quinn- decide to just stay home or even worse to vote Republican Kirk has a pretty decent shot at winning this. There may not be a state in the country where Democrats have a weaker top of the ticket at this point than Quinn and Giannoulas.

This analysis is also available on our blog:

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/04/kirk-moves-ahead.html

WASHINGTON–Another Chicagoan, Donald Stewart, former CEO of the Chicago Community Trust, was tapped Tuesday for the Obama administration.

from the White House….

Donald M. Stewart, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars

Donald M. Stewart is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies where he has taught since 2005. He previously served as CEO and President of the Chicago Community Trust. Prior to joining the Trust, Stewart was a Senior Program Officer and Special Advisor to the President at the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For over 12 years, Mr. Stewart was President and CEO of the College Board, which provides SAT and Advanced Placement assessments to help students make the transition from high school to college. Stewart is also former President of Spelman College, the 129 year old historically black women’s college in Atlanta. Stewart was a program officer in the Overseas Development Division of the Ford Foundation serving in Nigeria, Egypt and Tunisia. He is currently a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned a B.A. from Grinnell College and a M.A. from Yale University as well as Master and Doctoral degrees in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

Below, from the White House….

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2010

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key administration posts:

· Marina C. McCarthy, Chair, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· José Miguel Amaya, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Michael A. Caplin, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Martha A. Darling, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· I. King Jordan, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Colin Kippen, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Yvette Lewis, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Reginald Lewis, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Sheldon Pang, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Srinija Srinivasan, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Donald M. Stewart, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
· Cynthia Telles, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars

These individuals will join the National Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen, as members on the Commission.

President Obama said, “The Commission on Presidential Scholars is charged with recognizing the future leaders of our country and honoring them for their outstanding achievements. I am grateful that these impressive men and women have agreed to serve on this commission and help a new generation realize their potential and pursue their dreams.”

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key administration posts:

Marina C. McCarthy, Appointee for Chair, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Dr. Marina C. McCarthy has over three decades of research, teaching, administrative, and consulting experience in education. She has also taught courses in education at Harvard and Brown Universities and at Boston College. In addition, Dr. McCarthy has supervised student teachers in the Brown University teacher training program and has been a case writer for a University-wide faculty development program run by the Harvard Business School. She has served as an Allston Burr Senior Tutor (resident academic dean) at Harvard College and as a Study Group Leader on educational policy and politics at Harvard’s Institute of Politics and also taught in public and independent schools in the U.S. and Europe, and has served on a number of educational boards and committees including the MATCH Charter School in Boston. She holds an Ed.D. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard.

José Miguel Amaya, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Dr. José Amaya is currently the Director of Diversity for Hy-Vee, Inc., an employee-owned retail corporation operating 230 retail stores in eight Midwestern states. From 1997-2005, he served as an Assistant Professor of English and Latino Studies at Iowa State University where he conducted research and taught courses in American literature and Latino studies. During Dr. Amaya’s tenure at Iowa State, he also served as the President of The State of Iowa Humanities Council and the Iowa Learns Education Council, an education council convened by former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Prior to his position at Iowa State University, he was an Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University. Dr. Amaya holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in English from UCLA.

Michael A. Caplin, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Michael A. Caplin is an attorney and President of Turtle Island Consulting, which provides strategic planning advice to the non-profit community. He has been involved in a wide array of non-profit projects including programs in performing arts, social services, education, and environmental stewardship. His non-profit experience includes serving for 11 years as the Director of Eastern Operations for Childhelp USA. He also has worked as a public defender, a federal prosecutor, an educator, an entertainment attorney, and a music producer. Mr. Caplin currently serves as Chairman of the Board and a member of the faculty of the Phoenix Project, a non-profit that educates and empowers emerging social entrepreneurs; in addition, he is President of the Board of the New York Center for Children, a non-profit free clinic providing care and treatment for abused children. Mr. Caplin holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College, a J.D. from the University Virginia Law School, and an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law School.

Martha A. Darling, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
For the past decade, Martha Darling has consulted on education issues for the National Academy of Sciences and other nonprofits. She retired from The Boeing Company in Seattle, having held senior management assignments in 747 Program Management, Government Affairs, and Boeing’s Corporate Offices where she supported the CEO on education policy. Previously, Ms. Darling was Vice President for Strategic Planning at Seattle-First National Bank and Executive Director of the Washington Business Roundtable’s Education Study. She has served as a White House Fellow and Executive Assistant to Secretary of the Treasury Michael Blumenthal and as a Senior Legislative Aide to U.S. Senator Bill Bradley. Earlier, she was a free-lance consultant to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other international organizations for four years in Paris. Darling is a founding co-chair of Washtenaw County’s Success by Six early childhood initiative and serves on a variety of other boards. She is a graduate of Reed College and of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

I. King Jordan, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Dr. I. King Jordan was the first deaf President of Gallaudet University, the only university with all programs and services designed specifically for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. He first joined the faculty of Gallaudet’s Department of Psychology in 1973, in 1983 he became Chair of the Department, and three years later he was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He served as the University’s President from 1988-2006 and is presently President Emeritus. Dr. Jordan is a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Citizen’s Medal and in 1990 was appointed as the Vice Chair of the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities; he was reappointed to this position in 1993. Dr. Jordan earned a B.A. in psychology from Gallaudet in 1970. The following year he earned an M.A., and in 1973 a Ph.D., both in psychology and both from the University of Tennessee.

Colin Kippen, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Colin Kippen is currently Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council, which aims to assess and coordinate innovative education programs for Native Hawaiians and make policy recommendations to improve the education and well being of Native Hawaiians. Mr. Kippen has worked most of his professional life as an advocate for Native Americans in a number of venues. He has served as Senior Counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in the U.S. Senate, Deputy Administrator for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Chief Judge of the Suquamish Indian Tribe on the Port Madison Indian Reservation in Western Washington, Appellate Judge for several Indian tribes in Washington and Oregon, and trial attorney and Deputy Prosecutor in King County, Washington. Kippen is also the former Chairman of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation and Act (NAGPRA) Review Committee. Mr. Kippen holds a J.D. and a M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa.

Yvette Lewis, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Yvette Lewis is the founder and director of “So This is Opera,” a program that introduces young audiences to the world of opera in performance, workshop and residency settings. She is also a lyric soprano who has performed extensively, including appearances with the Washington Opera, the Baltimore Opera, the Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, the Baltimore Symphony, and at the Spoleto Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Ms. Lewis has almost fifteen years experience as an elementary general music teacher in the Baltimore City and Montgomery County, Maryland Public Schools. She also worked for a period as a staff assistant at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ms. Lewis holds a Mus.B. from Howard University and is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists.

Reginald Lewis, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Reginald Lewis currently serves as the City Administrator for the City of East Orange, New Jersey, where he oversees the complete day-to-day operations of all municipal services for 70,000 residents. As the City’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Lewis manages a workforce of nearly 1,000 employees and an annual operating budget of $131 million. From 2005 to 2006, Mr. Lewis was Executive Vice President at the United Way in Newark, New Jersey. He also previously served in senior management roles in New Jersey State Government from 2002 to 2005 as Special Assistant and Director of the Commissioner’s Office of External Affairs in the Department of Human Services and as Special Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Abbott Implementation in the Department of Education. Mr. Lewis also spent nearly eight years serving on the program staffs of various foundations as Program Assistant to the Director of the Urban Poverty Program of the Ford Foundation in New York City, Program Officer at the Victoria Foundation in Montclair, New Jersey, Program Officer for Education at the Joyce Foundation in Chicago, and Director of Policy and Program Development at the Fund for New Jersey. Mr. Lewis holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Morehouse College, and a M.A. in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

Sheldon Pang, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Sheldon Pang is currently a Vice Chairman of RBC Capital Markets, a major part of the Royal Bank of Canada’s global business. From 2004-2006, he served as President of RBC Capital Markets Pacific Group, where he was involved in developing RBC’s business in the Asian Pacific region. Prior to joining RBC, Mr. Pang spent twelve years with AIG Trading Group, first as a Vice President then as a Managing Director, providing services to international clients in commodities, foreign exchange, and fixed income trading. He started his career as a Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Pang has for years been involved in promoting educational causes, including the establishment of scholarships at MIT and Brown University, and supporting New York Huaxia Chinese School. Pang received an Sc.B. from Zhejiang University, an M.S. from Vanderbilt University, and an Sc.D. degree from MIT.

Srinija Srinivasan, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Srinija Srinivasan is Vice President and Editor in Chief at Yahoo!. Since joining the company as its fifth employee in 1995, Srinivasan has led a range of editorial and policy functions, beginning with the organization and evolution of the Yahoo! directory. She has overseen network editorial standards and original content development, guided the company’s corporate responsibility arm, and directed policy issues including privacy and data use, advertising standards, youth safety, community guidelines, and accessibility. Prior to joining Yahoo!, Srinivasan was involved with the Cyc Project, a ten-year artificial intelligence effort to build an immense database of human commonsense knowledge. She chairs the Board of Trustees for SFJAZZ, a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz creation, presentation, and education. She is also a member of the 2000 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute. She holds a B.S. with distinction from Stanford University in Symbolic Systems, and was honored as a Presidential Scholar in 1989.

Donald M. Stewart, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Donald M. Stewart is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies where he has taught since 2005. He previously served as CEO and President of the Chicago Community Trust. Prior to joining the Trust, Stewart was a Senior Program Officer and Special Advisor to the President at the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For over 12 years, Mr. Stewart was President and CEO of the College Board, which provides SAT and Advanced Placement assessments to help students make the transition from high school to college. Stewart is also former President of Spelman College, the 129 year old historically black women’s college in Atlanta. Stewart was a program officer in the Overseas Development Division of the Ford Foundation serving in Nigeria, Egypt and Tunisia. He is currently a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned a B.A. from Grinnell College and a M.A. from Yale University as well as Master and Doctoral degrees in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

Cynthia Telles, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Dr. Cynthia Ann Telles has been on the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry since 1986. She is currently the Director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Spanish-Speaking Psychosocial Clinic where she is responsible for managing the clinical operations of this model psychiatric clinic, as well as the training program, research, and budget. Among many corporate, non-profit, and public service board memberships, Dr. Telles was also appointed to the National Advisory Council of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the advisory group on Health Care Reform, and the Regional Selection Panel for the White House Fellows Program during the Clinton Administration. Dr. Telles received her B.A. from Smith College and doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Boston University.

##

below, release from Seals…..

SEALS BREAKS FUNDRAISING RECORD
Posts Strongest First Quarter in District History

(Deerfield IL)–In a major rallying of support, Democratic Congressional Candidate Dan Seals today announced a record-breaking first fundraising quarter in the race for Illinois’ 10th Congressional District.

In the April Reporting Period from January 14 to March 31, 2010, Seals received $634,076 in contributions. This figure surpasses the first quarter fundraising record of $632,144 set by Rep. Mark Kirk in the first quarter of 2008. Seals will also report nearly $460,000 cash-on-hand.

For the full quarter of January 1 to March 31, Seals raised $662,773, an advantage of more than 31% over opponent Bob Dold’s receipts of just $504,822 during the same period. Seals’ cash-on-hand figure of $460,000 also outstrips Dold’s holdings of just $377,672.

Seals is deeply honored by the outpouring of grassroots support for his campaign. “This race has always been about bringing thoughtful, moderate leadership to Illinois’ 10th Congressional District. Our success is proof that voters are ready for leadership that will focus on creating good jobs, strengthening our schools, and helping small businesses grow here in Illinois–and I will be that voice in Congress.”

Over 90% of Seals contributors are residents of Illinois.

A businessman and public policy lecturer at Northwestern University, Seals has drawn national attention and support in his race to win the seat vacated by Republican Mark Kirk.

####

WASHINGTON–Who is the president who never tossed out a pitch on a baseball opening day? That would be Jimmy Carter. President Obama on Monday threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Nationals home opener. Click below for every stat dealing with presidents and baseball.

below, from the White House/MLB…..

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TO THROW CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH ON OPENING DAY AT NATIONALS PARK

• U.S. President Barack Obama will throw the ceremonial first pitch at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. on Opening Day when the Washington Nationals host the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, April 5 at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

• Historic Event Marks the 100th Anniversary of Presidential First Pitches on Opening Day of Baseball Season

• U.S. President William Howard Taft (the 27th President of the United States) first threw an Opening Day first pitch on April 14, 1910. That day the Washington Senators defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 3-0 behind a one-hit, complete game shutout by Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson.

• Obama will be the 13th President to throw a ceremonial first pitch at the home opener of the Washington Senators or Nationals.

• This game will be the second time President Obama has thrown a ceremonial first pitch while in the White House. Obama threw the first pitch of the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis on July 14th.

• The event will mark the 48th time a President has thrown an Opening Day first pitch in Washington D.C. and the 64th time it has occurred in any city on Opening Day.

• The Senators and Nationals hold a record of 25-23 during Opening Day games when the President has thrown the first pitch.

• Six Presidents have thrown out an Opening Day First Pitch outside of Washington D.C.: Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush threw out ceremonial first pitches on Opening Day a total of 15 times in nine cities between 1973 and 2006.

• The only recent President who never threw out a ceremonial first pitch at an Opening Day game was Jimmy Carter.

THE TRADITION OF OPENING DAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Each Major League Club has its own unique celebration to mark the opening of the Major League Baseball season, but Opening Day in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., was always a special and sometimes historic event.

Washington, D.C.’s Opening Day tradition dates to April 14, 1910. William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States, attended the home opener of the Washington Senators against the Philadelphia Athletics. Numerous other government officials, including Vice President James Sherman, joined President Taft at the ballpark.

An overflow crowd of 12,000 fans–the largest baseball crowd in Washington at that time–gave President Taft an standing ovation as he made his way to his seats on the first-base side. Team president Thomas C. Noyes then took the two managers–Washington’s Jimmy McAleer and Philadelphia’s legendary Connie Mack–to meet the President.

Just prior to the start of the game, umpire Billy Evans walked over to President Taft’s box and presented him with a new baseball. Evans instructed President Taft that he was to throw the ball from his seat in the stands to Senators pitcher Walter Johnson, who was standing at home plate, to officially commence the start of the American League championship season. After giving the ball briefly to First Lady Helen Taft, the President adjusted his gloves and made a good throw to Johnson, who immediately gave the ball to catcher Charles Street to have it secured in a safe place.

President Taft watched the entire game, a 3-0 Washington victory in which Johnson hurled a one-hit, complete-game shutout. After the game, Johnson sent the historic ball to the White House accompanied by a note to President Taft asking for his autograph on the ball. President Taft returned the ball after penning the following on it:

“For Walter Johnson, with the hope that he may continue to be as formidable as in yesterday’s game. William H. Taft.”

Although President Taft was the first to throw out a ceremonial first pitch, it was not the first time a President of the United States attended a Major League Baseball game. Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd U.S. President, is believed to be the first sitting President to attend a Major League game when he witnessed a NL game between Cincinnati and Washington in June 1892. That wasn’t even the first interaction with a professional baseball team as nine years earlier President Chester A. Arthur welcomed the Cleveland franchise of the National League to the White House.

Having the President throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Washington’s home opener was such an enormous success–not only in the nation’s capital but around the country–that it led to the American League granting Washington permission to open the American League championship season one day before the rest of the League. This action was approved on December 13, 1927, in recognition of the U.S. President throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Including President Taft’s precedent-setting throw in 1910, 12 different Presidents have attended a home opener of the Washington Senators a total of 48 times. The Senators posted a 23-23 mark in home openers with a President present.

President Taft (2-0) and Woodrow Wilson (3-0), the 28th U.S. President, were the only two to never see the Senators lose. The only U.S. Presidents never to see Washington win a home opener were Lyndon Johnson (0-3) and Richard Nixon (0-2).

Following is the breakdown of Washington’s record on Opening Day, listed by President:

WASHINGTON’S RECORD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ON OPENING DAY
Woodrow Wilson (D)…………………………. 3-0 (1.000)
William Howard Taft (R)……………………. 2-0 (1.000)
George W. Bush (R)…………………………… 2-0 (1.000)
Calvin Coolidge (R)…………………………….. 3-1 (.750)
Warren Harding (R)……………………………. 2-1 (.667)
Dwight Eisenhower (R)……………………….. 4-3 (.571)
Franklin Roosevelt (D)………………………… 4-4 (.500)
Harry Truman (D)………………………………. 3-4 (.429)
John F. Kennedy (D)………………………….. 1-2 (.333)
Herbert Hoover (R)……………………………. 1-3 (.250)
Richard Nixon (R)………………………………. 0-2 (.000)
Lyndon Johnson (D)…………………………… 0-3 (.000)
TOTAL 25-23 (.521)
Democrats 11-13 (.458)
Republicans 14-10 (.583)

Prior to the Senators move to Texas in 1972, each President since Taft was in attendance for a Washington Senators home opener at least once. Several Presidents had to miss on occasion, including President Taft in 1914 because of the sinking of the Titanic and President Wilson in 1918 and 1919 because of World War I.

Since 1972, the tradition of Presidents and Opening Day has continued in other Major League cities. The only President to never throw out a ceremonial first pitch at an Opening Day game was Jimmy Carter. President George W. Bush has continued the legacy, having thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at RFK Stadium on April 14, 2005 to usher the return of baseball to the nation’s capitol. He also did the honors at Miller Park in Milwaukee in April of 2001.

With President Barack Obama now in office, note that President George W. Bush attended five Washington Nationals games in DC after baseball returned to Washington, DC in April ’05.
The Nationals went 3-2 with the 43rd President on site. While awaiting Obama’s first trip to Nationals Park, a complete list of all games attended by Bush:

Thu., April 14, 2005 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (43,861 attendance)
Final Score: WASHINGTON 5
Arizona 3
NOTE: President Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch as MLB returned to nation’s capital for first time since 1971.

Fri., June 24, 2005 vs. Toronto Blue Jays (36,689 attendance)
Final Score: WASHINGTON 3
Toronto 0
NOTE: President Bush attended with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Sat., July 8, 2006 vs. San Diego Padres (27,060 attendance)
Final Score: San Diego 5
WASHINGTON 2
NOTE: President Bush attended with Mrs. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The contest marked Mrs. Bush’s first visit to RFK Stadium for a Nationals game.

Thu., July 5, 2007 vs. Chicago Cubs (22,594 attendance)

Final Score: Chicago (NL) 4
WASHINGTON 2
NOTE: President Bush kick started his July 6 birthday with a final trip to RFK Stadium

Sun., March 30, 2008 vs. Atlanta Braves (39,389 attendance)
Final Score: Atlanta 2
WASHINGTON 3

NOTE: President Bush baptized Nationals Park with first pitch in front of national-television audience as part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Ryan Zimmerman hits game-ending solo shot in 9th inning to give Washington its initial Nationals Park win.

OPENING DAY – WASHINGTON NATIONALS/SENATORS (1901-PRESENT)

[NOTE: ALL OPPONENTS LISTED IN AL FROM 1901-1971] FIRST PITCH
YEAR DATE/SITE/OPPONENT RESULT WP LP ATT. U.S. PRESIDENT
1901 April 26 at PHI W5-1 CARRICK Fraser 10,000 —
1902 April 23 vs. BOS W7-3 ORTH Dineen 6,253 —
1903 April 22 vs. NYY W3-1 CHESBRO Orth 10,000 —
1904 April 14 vs. PHI L3-8 Plank WILSON 6,000 —
1905 April 14 vs. NYY L2-4 Chesbro PATTEN 9,161 —
1906 April 14 vs. PHI L3-4 Bender HUGHES 12,962 —
1907 April 11 vs. NYY L2-3 Orth HUGHES 12,902 —
1908 April 14 at BOS L1-3 YOUNG Smith 18,752 —
1909 April 12 vs. NYY W4-1 SMITH Newton 12,078 —
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 4-5
1910 April 14 vs. PHI W3-0 JOHNSON Plank 12,226 Taft
1911 April 12 vs. BOS W8-5 WALKER Wood 16,000 Taft
1912 April 11 at PHI L2-4 Coombs JOHNSON 15,000 —
1913 April 10 vs. NYY W2-1 JOHNSON McConnell 20,000 Wilson
1914 April 14 at BOS W3-0 JOHNSON Collins 20,000 —
1915 April 14 vs. NYY W7-0 JOHNSON Warhop 15,557 Wilson
1916 April 12 at NYY W3-2 JOHNSON Caldwell 20,000 —
1917 April 11 at PHI W3-0 W.JOHNSON R.Johnson 8,000 —
1918 April 15 vs. NYY L3-6 Mogridge JOHNSON 15,000 —
1919 April 23 vs. PHI W1-0 JOHNSON Perry 14,000 —
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 8-2
1920 April 15 at BOS L6-7 Russell JOHNSON 7,000 —
1921 April 13 vs. BOS L3-6 Jones JOHNSON 18,212 Harding
1922 April 12 vs. NYY W6-5 MOGRIDGE Jones 27,000 Harding
1923 April 18 at PHI L1-3 Harriss JOHNSON 20,000 —
1924 April 15 vs. PHI W4-0 JOHNSON Harriss 25,000 Coolidge
1925 April 14 at NYY L1-5 Shocker MOGRIDGE 50,000 —
1926 April 13 vs. PHI W1-0 JOHNSON Rommel 25,000 VP Dawes
1927 April 12 vs. BOS W6-2 COVELESKI Harriss 30,000 Coolidge
1928 April 10 vs. BOS L5-7 MacFayden GASTON 25,000 Coolidge
1929 April 17 vs. PHI L4-13 Rommel JONES 25,000 Hoover
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 4-6
1930 April 14 vs. BOS L3-4 Smith BRAXTON 20,000 Hoover
1931 April 14 vs. PHI L3-5 Grove CROWDER 32,000 Hoover
1932 April 11 vs. BOS W1-0 CROWDER MacFayden 18,000 Hoover
1933 April 12 vs. PHI W4-1 CROWDER Freitas 24,000 Roosevelt
1934 April 17 at BOS W6-5 CROWDER Johnson 33,336 —
1935 April 17 vs. PHI W4-2 WHITEHILL Cain 20,000 Roosevelt
1936 April 14 vs. NYY W1-0 NEWSOM Gomez 31,000 Roosevelt
1937 April 19 vs. PHI L3-4 Williams CASCARELLA 33,000 Roosevelt
1938 April 18 vs. PHI W12-8 FERRELL Williams 29,000 Roosevelt
1939 April 20 at PHI L0-2 Caster DESHONG 7,000 —
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 6-4
1940 April 16 vs. BOS L0-1 Grove LEONARD 31,000 Roosevelt
1941 April 14 vs. NYY L0-3 Russo LEONARD 32,000 Roosevelt
1942 April 14 vs. NYY L0-7 Ruffing HUDSON 31,000 VP Wallace
1943 April 20 vs. PHI W7-5 CARRASQUEL Christopher 25,093 —
1944 April 18 vs. PHI L2-3 Berry CANDINI 27,000 VP Wallace
1945 April 17 at PHI W14-8 LEONARD Newsom 7,846 —
1946 April 16 vs. BOS L3-6 Hughson WOLFF 30,372 Truman
1947 April 15 at BOS L6-7 Dorish WYNN 30,822 —
1948 April 19 vs. NYY L4-12 Reynolds WYNN 31,728 Truman
1949 April 18 vs. PHI W3-2 SCARBOROUGH Fowler 26,000 Truman
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 3-7
HALF CENTURY OPENING-DAY RECORD: 25-24

YEAR DATE/SITE/OPPONENT RESULT WP LP ATT. U.S. PRESIDENT
1950 April 18 vs. PHI W8-7 SCARBOROUGH Scheib 29,320 Truman
1951 April 17 at PHI W6-1 MARRERO Schantz 8,285 —
1952 April 15 vs. BOS L0-3 Parnell PORTERFIELD 25,869 Truman
1953 April 16 vs. NYY L3-6 Sain PORTERFIELD 25,112 Eisenhower
1954 April 13 vs. NYY W5-3 DIXON Reynolds 27,160 Eisenhower
1955 April 11 vs. BAL W12-5 PORTERFIELD Kretlow 26,634 Eisenhower
1956 April 17 vs. NYY L4-10 Larsen PASCUAL 27,837 Eisenhower
1957 April 15 vs. BAL L6-7 Loes PASCUAL 23,872 Eisenhower
1958 April 14 vs. BOS W5-2 RAMOS Sullivan 26,675 Eisenhower
1959 April 9 vs. BAL W9-2 RAMOS Harshman 26,850 VP Nixon
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 6-4
1960 April 18 vs. BOS W10-1 PASCUAL Sturdivant 28,327 Eisenhower
1961 April 10 vs. CWS L3-4 Baumann DONOVAN 26,725 Kennedy
1962 April 9 vs. DET W4-1 DANIELS Mossi 44,383 Kennedy
1963 April 8 vs. BAL L1-3 Barber RUDOLPH 43,022 Kennedy
1964 April 13 vs. LAA L0-4 McBride OSTEEN 40,145 Johnson
1965 April 12 vs. BOS L2-7 Monbouquette ORTEGA 43,554 Johnson
1966 April 11 vs. CLE L2-5 McDowell RICHART 44,468 VP Humphrey
1967 April 10 vs. NYY L0-8 Stottlemyre RICHART 44,382 Johnson
1968 April 10 vs. MIN L0-2 Chance PASCUAL 32,063 VP Humphrey
1969 April 7 vs. NYY L4-8 Stottlemyre PASCUAL 45,113 Nixon
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 2-8
1970 April 6 vs. DET L0-5 Lolich BOSMAN 45,015 —
1971 April 5 vs. OAK W8-0 BOSMAN Blue 45,061 —
DECADE OPENING DAY RECORD: 1-1
1972-2004 *** NO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ***
2005 April 4 at PHI L4-8 Lieber HERNANDEZ 44,080 —
2006 April 3 at NYM L2-3 Glavine HERNANDEZ 54,371 —
2007 April 2 vs. FLA L2-9 Willis PATTERSON 40,389 —
2008 March 30 vs. ATL W3-2 RAUCH Moylan 39,389 Bush
2009 April 6 at FLA L6-12 Nolasco LANNAN 34,323 —

BASEBALL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. OPENING-DAY RECORD: 35-41 (.461)

WASHINGTON, D.C. HOME OPENERS DAY WHEN SEASON BEGAN ON THE ROAD (1901-PRESENT)
[NOTE: ALL OPPONENTS LISTED IN AL FROM 1901-1971] FIRST PITCH
YEAR DATE/SITE/OPPONENT RESULT WP LP ATT. U.S. PRESIDENT
1901 April 29 vs. BAL W5-2 CARRICK McGinnity 10,000 —
1908 April 22 vs. BOS L3-5 Winter SMITH 10,000 —
1912 April 19 vs. PHI W6-0 JOHNSON Brown 9,000 VP Sherman
1914 April 23 vs. BOS L0-5 R.Johnson W.JOHNSON 18,000 —
1916 April 20 vs. NYY W12-4 JOHNSON Keating 12,000 Wilson
1917 April 20 vs. PHI L4-6 Johnson GALLIA 7,000 VP Marshall
1920 April 22 vs. BOS W8-5 ERICKSON Karr 16,000 VP Marshall
1923 April 26 vs. PHI W2-1 ZACHARY Harriss 22,000 Harding
1925 April 22 vs. NYY W10-1 JOHNSON Shocker 35,000 Coolidge
1934 April 24 vs. BOS L0-5 Welch RUSSELL 25,000 Roosevelt
1939 April 21 vs. NYY L3-6 Gomez KRAKAUSKAS 32,000 VP Garner
1945 April 20 vs. NYY L3-6 Bevens HAEFNER 24,494 —
1947 April 18 vs. NYY L0-7 Reynolds NEWSOM 28,579 *Truman
1951 April 20 vs. NYY W5-3 CONSUEGRA Byrne 27,331 Truman
2005 April 14 vs. ARI W5-3 HERNANDEZ Vazquez 43,861 George W. Bush
2006 April 11 vs. NYM L1-7 Bannister ORTIZ 40,530 VP Cheney
2009 April 13 vs. PHI L8-9 Moyer RIVERA 40,386 —
BASEBALL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. RECORD IN HOME OPENERS WHEN SEASON BEGAN ON ROAD: 8-8 (.500)

*Truman threw one ball right-handed and one left-handed.

Other nuggets:
– In the 1924 World Series, the Nationals took on famed manager John McGraw and the New York Giants. The Series was one of the closest in history as four games were decided by a single run, including the deciding Game Seven. On the strength of Walter Johnson’s four innings of relief pitching – on two days’ rest – and the Series clinching hit by Earl McNeeley in the bottom of the 12th inning, the Nationals won their first and only World Series Championship.

– United States President Calvin Coolidge, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch on three occasions during the Series, paid tribute to the hometown victors immediately following the victory:

“I have only the heartiest praise to bestow upon the individual players of both teams. Naturally, in Washington, we were pleased to see Walter Johnson finish the final game, pitching for our home team. Everybody was pleased to see him come back at the close of the last game. The three contests I witnessed maintained throughout a high degree of skill, and every evidence of high-class sportsmanship which will bring to every observer an increased respect and confidence in our national game.”

*April 14, 1910 United States President William Howard Taft became the first President to throw the first pitch prior to a Major League Baseball game.

*April 11, 1966 Emmett Ashford became the first African-American umpire to work a Major League game when he worked the Cleveland-Washington opening day game at D.C. Stadium. U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey was among the crowd of 44,468.

*April 8, 1969 NYY spoiled the managerial debut of Ted Williams at RFK Stadium in Washington, 8-4. More than 45,000 fans – including President Richard Nixon – were in attendance.

updated with filing date from Cook County Clerk’s office..

I just saw your post about Claypool entering the assessor race. http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/04/forrest_claypool_tells_why_he.html

Please know the deadline to file petitions is June 21, not June 22.
Sincerely,

Courtney Greve
Senior Public Information Officer
Cook County Clerk’s Office

Below, Claypool release…..

Claypool calls on voters to “declare their independence” from insider deals that raise property taxes
Independent candidate will be first County Assessor to refuse contributions from clout-heavy property tax lawyers

Chicago, IL – Speaking today at the Hotel Allegro with neighborhood leaders and activists from across Cook County, Commissioner Forrest Claypool declared his candidacy for Cook County Assessor.

“Those of us who’ve been fighting for years to change Cook County government are not willing to stand by and concede this office to Joe Berrios and the insider politics he represents,” said Claypool.

Claypool will seek the ballot as an Independent, requiring him to assemble 25,000 signatures from Cook County’s 2.9 million voters by June 22nd. Claypool, a proven reformer who has battled insiders in Cook County government before, pledged to bring true Independence to the office of Assessor by refusing campaign contributions from lawyers who make their living filing property tax appeals.

“If elected the independent assessor of Cook County, I’ll continue to stand up for taxpayers – not big businesses or their clout-heavy law firms. I’ll start by declaring my independence from the tax appeal lawyers who fund Joe Berrios.

“I pledge to you today: I will not take their money,” he stated.

Claypool clearly laid out the case for why voters will support his independent candidacy. He called out Berrios for his support of policies and politics that are squeezing the taxpayers of Cook County.

“Not only did he fail to support the seven-percent assessment cap, but Berrios has shifted millions of dollars in property taxes from big businesses onto the backs of average homeowners,” said Claypool

“He’s in the pocket of the special interests, and that’s affecting our pocketbooks.”

Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool, 52, is the former Superintendent of the Chicago Park District, a $400 million agency with 3,200 employees. He has also served as deputy state treasurer, deputy commissioner of the Cook County Board of (Property Tax) Appeals, and Chief of Staff to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

He was first elected to the 12th district of the Cook County Board in 2002 by standing up for taxpayers and taking on an incumbent commissioner who practiced the same insider politics that voters have grown tired of in Cook County.

On the county board, he fought against tax increases levied by both the late John Stroger and current board president Todd Stroger. He was instrumental in passing whistleblower legislation to ferret out fraud and an ordinance requiring disclosure of hidden interests in government contracts.

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you for coming here today.

Across Cook County, people and families are suffering the effects of the economic recession. Thousands of our neighbors have lost their jobs, their healthcare, even their retirement savings.

To add insult to injury, residents of Cook County are burdened with skyrocketing property taxes that make it increasingly difficult to stay in their homes.

The Cook County Assessor can be a key ally of hard-pressed residents and home-owners by using his power to work for a fairer and more transparent tax system. And for the past decade, we’ve been fortunate to have such an ally in Jim Houlihan.

Among his other efforts, Assessor Houlihan has championed the seven-percent assessment cap, which protected homeowners from huge jumps in their property taxes. The 7% cap is similar to the Save Our Homes ordinance that I introduced at the same time in the Cook County board.

The cap saved taxpayers millions of dollars. But the General Assembly allowed that cap to expire. When property tax bills are issued later this year, homeowners will suffer the consequences.

After years of effective and progressive public service, Jim Houlihan has decided to retire from office. The Democratic nominee to replace him, Joe Berrios, represents a clear threat to homeowners and senior citizens across Cook County. Those of us who care about reform and tax fairness cannot sit by and allow him to take control of this office.

The Better Government Association has called Berrios, quote, pay-to-play personified. Not only did he fail to support the seven-percent assessment cap, but Berrios has shifted millions of dollars in property taxes from big businesses onto the backs of average homeowners.

He’s in the pocket of the special interests, and that’s affecting our pocketbooks.

As a longtime member of the Cook County Board of Review, and as chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, Berrios has taken millions in campaign money from the law firms that file tax appeals before the very board that he sits on.

In return, Berrios has given tax breaks worth hundreds of millions to the businesses those law firms represent. And county residents without clout or connections have made up the difference.

It’s a cozy little arrangement. And it’s all too typical of a government of, by and for the insiders.

Despite all his campaign money and political connections, Berrios received only 39 percent of the vote in the recent Democratic primary for Assessor – just barely enough to win a three-person race.

Normally, that would be the end of the story. County Republicans have put up a nominee for Assessor who is unknown and underfunded.

But those of us who’ve been fighting for years to change Cook County government are not willing to stand by and concede this office to Joe Berrios and the insider politics he represents.

And that’s why, today, I’m announcing an independent candidacy for Cook County Assessor.

You see, I have a very different view of government from that of Mr. Berrios and his clout-heavy supporters. I believe government should work for the taxpayers – not the other way around.

As head of the Chicago Park District, I cut more than a thousand patronage jobs, eliminated a huge budget deficit, and restored hundreds of neighborhood parks that had long been neglected. I left after five years with property taxes for the parks lower than when I started.

As a Cook County Commissioner, I introduced an ordinance to cap property tax assessment hikes. I led the fight against Todd Stroger’s friends and family hiring practices. And I consistently spoke and voted against his ill-conceived county sales tax hike.

If elected the independent assessor of Cook County, I’ll continue to stand up for taxpayers – not big businesses or their clout-heavy law firms. I’ll start by declaring my independence from the tax appeal lawyers who fund Joe Berrios.

I pledge to you today: I will not take their money.

Now, I know this campaign won’t be easy – and I just made it harder. Joe Berrios will have more money. He’ll have the precinct organizations. But I’ll have some-thing more important: support from thousands of taxpayers across this county who are tired of playing second-fiddle to those with clout and connections.

I’m running to give Cook County voters a choice. You can declare your independence from politics as usual – but only if you’re willing to do your part in this campaign.

I’ll need your help to collect the signatures to get my name on the ballot.

I’ll need your help to raise the money to run an effective campaign.

I’ll need your help to battle the mud and smears that will be directed my way.

But with your help, I know we can win.

This November, we can declare independence from the politics of the past.

We can send a powerful message that we’re not going to take it anymore.

We can vote to end insider politics and put taxpayers first for a change.

Thank you.

–30–

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel shares the cover of Washington Life with actor Michael Douglas in the mag’s issue on who–besides Rahm– is on the “A” list. (hat tip, Patrick Galvin, Politico.)

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 6, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT EASTER PRAYER BREAKFAST

East Room

9:50 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. (Applause.) Thank you. Please have a seat. Have a seat. What a great honor and pleasure it is to have all of you here today. Before I begin, I want to just acknowledge two members of my Cabinet who I believe are here — Secretary Gary Locke — is that correct? Where’s Gary? There he is — our Commerce Secretary. (Applause.) And Secretary Janet Napolitano, who’s keeping us safe each and every day. (Applause.)

I also want to acknowledge the Mount Ennon Clinton Children’s Chorus for being here. They’re going to be giving us a medley later on. There they are up there, looking very serious. (Applause.)

Before I begin, I want to send my deepest condolences, our thoughts and prayers to the families and the friends of the workers who lost their lives after an explosion took place in a West Virginia mine yesterday. At this moment, there are still people missing. There are rescue teams that are searching tirelessly and courageously to find them.

I spoke with Governor Manchin of West Virginia last night and told him that the federal government stands ready to offer whatever assistance is needed in this rescue effort. So I would ask the faithful who’ve gathered here this morning to pray for the safe return of the missing, the men and women who put their lives on the line to save them, and the souls of those who have been lost in this tragic accident. May they rest in peace, and may their families find comfort in the hard days ahead.

One of my hopes upon taking this office was to make the White House a place where all people would feel welcome. To that end, we held a Seder here to mark the first Passover. We held an Iftar here with Muslim Americans to break the daily fast during Ramadan. And today, I’m particularly blessed to welcome you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for this Easter breakfast.

With us are Christian leaders from all across America, men and women who lead small-town churches and big-city congregations, and major organizations in service of others; folks whose sermons are heard and whose examples are followed by millions all across the country. So I wanted to join you for a brief moment today to continue the Easter celebration of our risen Savior, and to reflect on the work to which His promise calls all of us.

I can’t tell any of you anything about Easter that you don’t already know. (Laughter.) I can’t shed light on centuries of scriptural interpretation or bring any new understandings to those of you who reflect on Easter’s meaning each and every year and each and every day. But what I can do is tell you what draws me to this holy day and what lesson I take from Christ’s sacrifice and what inspires me about the story of the resurrection.

For even after the passage of 2,000 years, we can still picture the moment in our mind’s eye. The young man from Nazareth marched through Jerusalem; object of scorn and derision and abuse and torture by an empire. The agony of crucifixion amid the cries of thieves. The discovery, just three days later, that would forever alter our world — that the Son of Man was not to be found in His tomb and that Jesus Christ had risen.

We are awed by the grace He showed even to those who would have killed Him. We are thankful for the sacrifice He gave for the sins of humanity. And we glory in the promise of redemption in the resurrection.

And such a promise is one of life’s great blessings, because, as I am continually learning, we are, each of us, imperfect. Each of us errs — by accident or by design. Each of us falls short of how we ought to live. And selfishness and pride are vices that afflict us all.

It’s not easy to purge these afflictions, to achieve redemption. But as Christians, we believe that redemption can be delivered — by faith in Jesus Christ. And the possibility of redemption can make straight the crookedness of a character; make whole the incompleteness of a soul. Redemption makes life, however fleeting here on Earth, resound with eternal hope.

Of all the stories passed down through the gospels, this one in particular speaks to me during this season. And I think of hanging — watching Christ hang from the cross, enduring the final seconds of His passion. He summoned what remained of His strength to utter a few last words before He breathed His last breath.

“Father,” He said, “into your hands I commit my spirit.” Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. These words were spoken by our Lord and Savior, but they can just as truly be spoken by every one of us here today. Their meaning can just as truly be lived out by all of God’s children.

So, on this day, let us commit our spirit to the pursuit of a life that is true, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord. And when we falter, as we will, let redemption — through commitment and through perseverance and through faith — be our abiding hope and fervent prayer.

Many of you are living out that commitment every day. So we want to honor you through this brief program, celebrating both the meaning of Easter and the spirit of service that embodies so much of your work. And our first celebrant today is Reverend Dr. Cynthia Hale, who will deliver our opening prayer.

Thank you all for being here. (Applause.)

END 9:58 A.M. EDT

Below, release from Rush…..

Congressman Bobby L. Rush names noted political strategist and public policy expert Louanner Peters as deputy chief of staff/district director for 1st Congressional District of Illinois

CHICAGO – U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL01) has named noted public policy expert Louanner Peters as his deputy chief of staff and director of his District-wide operations in Illinois. Peters, a well known fixture in state government and national political circles, brings a wealth of leadership to the representative’s team and his constituents.

“I feel like I just got the number one player in a first round draft pick,” said Rush. “Louanner is an efficient and effective leader. For over three decades she has helped to shape public policy that has greatly improved the quality of life for millions of people across the country–particularly the poor and the young. She is a powerhouse and I am honored to work with her.”

Peters served as deputy governor in the Office of Governor Rod Blagojevich where she provided oversight and supervision for the Illinois’ Health and Social Services, Public Safety, Natural Resources, Historic Preservation and Capitol Development agencies in the areas of policy and program consistency and fiscal management. Most recently she served as chief executive officer for JLP Consulting, LLC, a full-service strategic planning, business development and public affairs firm in Springfield, IL.

Peters also worked for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)’s Voter Empowerment Project in the organization’s Baltimore headquarters where she coordinated non-partisan voter registration and education campaigns in 21 states. This is not her first time working for the U.S. House of Representatives: between 1981 and 1993, she worked in various capacities for U.S. Rep. Gus Savage (D-IL02) where she drove legislative initiatives for minority business development opportunities and public works as his chief of staff and primary advisor. Over three decades she has built an impressive resume of activism, political advocacy and fiscal management.

The savvy administrator holds a B.A. in political science from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and a master of social work from Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois in Chicago.

“I’ve spent most of my life in service of others and I am thrilled to be able to continue to serve the people of the 1st congressional District of Illinois as well as my nation,” Peters said. “This is a tremendous opportunity and an exciting time to work in Congress. I truly look forward to working with Rep. Rush, our colleagues on the Hill and with our dynamic staff as we continue to fight to put America back to work and level the playing field for so many others.”

Peters starts immediately.

###

Stephanie Gadlin | Deputy Communications Director/Press Secretary

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2010

In the morning, the President will host an Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House. Christian leaders from across the country will join the President at this breakfast for a time of prayer, reflection, and celebration of Easter. The President will also highlight the important role that Christian organizations play in serving our country. The remarks will be pooled press. The President’s remarks at the Easter Prayer Breakfast will be streamed on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

Later, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. The President and the Vice President will then receive the Economic Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. These briefings are closed press.

In the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will have lunch in the Private Dining Room. This lunch is closed press.

Later, the President will meet separately with senior advisors and Secretary of Defense Gates in the Oval Office. These meetings are closed press.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: ABC
Print: Houston Chronicle
Radio: CBS

EDT

8:00AM Pool Call Time

9:40AM THE PRESIDENT hosts an Easter Prayer Breakfast
East Room
Pooled press (Pre-set 8:00AM – Final Gather 9:20AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

10:45AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

12:00PM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the Economic Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

12:30PM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT have lunch
Private Dining Room
Closed Press

2:00PM THE PRESIDENT meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

4:30PM THE PRESIDENT meets with Secretary of Defense Gates
Oval Office
Closed Press

Briefing Schedule

1:00PM Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

##

below, from Claypool campaign…..

Claypool to Announce Independent Bid for Cook County Assessor

Who: Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool

What: Announcement of Independent campaign for Cook County Assessor

Where: Hotel Allegro
171 West Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601

Screening Room II
3rd Floor

When: Tuesday, April 6th
Start time: 9:30AM
Doors open at 9:15AM for setup