BuzzFeed - Buzz Tagged "Barack Obama" http://www.buzzfeed.com BuzzFeed, Find Your New Favorite Thing en Copyright 2012 BuzzFeed, Inc. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:17:03 -0500 editor@buzzfeed.com (http://www.buzzfeed.com/about) info@buzzfeed.com (http://www.buzzfeed.com/about) When Obama Was "A Progressive Urban Democrat" http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/when-obama-was-a-progressive-urban-democrat President Obama has long positioned himself as a moderate figure. But in 2000 during his failed run against Rep. Bobby Rush he discussed being similar in political viewpoint to the former Black Panther Congressman and described himself as “progressive urban Democrat.” The video from their debate below and the three radio ads offer a sense of Obama's pitch to a very different electorate.

Source: youtube.com

Source: youtube.com

Source: youtube.com

Source: youtube.com

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]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/when-obama-was-a-progressive-urban-democrat Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:17:10 -0500 <b>President Obama has long positioned himself as a moderate figure.</b> But in 2000 during his failed run against Rep. Bobby Rush he discussed being similar in political viewpoint to the former Black Panther Congressman and described himself as "progressive urban Democrat." The video from their debate below and the three radio ads offer a sense of Obama&#39;s pitch to a very different electorate. andrewkaczynski nonadult Obama&#39;s Crowd-Pleasing Mix Tape http://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/obamas-crowd-pleasing-mix-tape The official playlist that will play during all crowd events during the Obama 2012 campaign hit internet today and, wouldn't you know it, the list is filled with great songs. The track listing ranges all over: from the classics (Al Green, Areatha Franklin, James Taylor); to Indie bands (The Arcade Fire, Wilco, Noah And The Whale); to Country (Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker); and rounds out the mix with some universally-loved songs like ELO's “Mr. Blue Sky.” In other words, it's a crowd-pleasing soundtrack that virtually anybody can — and will — enjoy.

Without further ado:

No Doubt: Different People

Earth, Wind, And Fire: "Got To Get You Into My Life"

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]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/obamas-crowd-pleasing-mix-tape Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:32:08 -0500 <b>The official playlist that will play during all crowd events during the Obama 2012 campaign hit internet today and, wouldn&#39;t you know it, the list is filled with great songs.</b> The track listing ranges all over: from the classics (Al Green, Areatha Franklin, James Taylor); to Indie bands (The Arcade Fire, Wilco, Noah And The Whale); to Country (Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker); and rounds out the mix with some universally-loved songs like ELO&#39;s "Mr. Blue Sky." In other words, it&#39;s a crowd-pleasing soundtrack that virtually <i>anybody</i> can -- and will -- enjoy. whitneyjefferson nonadult Without further ado: nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult nonadult <small>Top image created from <a href="http://freepspthemeswallpapers.blogspot.com/2011/06/barack-obama-wallpapers.html">this</a> and <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&amp;search_source=search_form&amp;version=llv1&amp;anyorall=all&amp;safesearch=1&amp;searchterm=sunglasses&amp;search_group=&amp;orient=&amp;search_cat=&amp;searchtermx=&amp;photographer_name=&amp;people_gender=&amp;people_age=&amp;people_ethnicity=&amp;people_number=&amp;commercial_ok=&amp;color=&amp;show_color_wheel=1">Shutterstock.com</a>.</small> nonadult Spotify users can listen to his mix for free <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/barackobama/playlist/6J9kgSvipjimfDLYTsCOAv">here</a>. nonadult In Chicago And Boston, Machines Prepare For War http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppinsandzekemiller/in-chicago-and-boston-machines-prepare-for-war The Romney and Obama campaigns, mirror-image juggernauts, eye each other warily. “Big, disciplined, and ruthlessly efficient.”

Forget Sparta and Athens. The 2012 presidential race is shaping up to be a battle between Sparta and Sparta.

If Mitt Romney is able to overcome Tuesday night’s caucus disappointments and win the GOP nod, the Obama/Romney general election match-up will feature two very similar campaign empires—both flush with cash and stacked with their party’s best political operatives—going to battle with the same instincts, same skill sets, and very similar battle plans.

“Both are big, disciplined, ruthlessly efficient enterprises,” said Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. “Obama is not very good at being president, but he is relentless at wanting to be president. Romney’s campaign is similarly like a bulldozer. It overwhelms opponents tactically, with money, TV, and power, crushing movable objects with irresistible force.”

The similarities are partly the fruits of imitation. The Obama campaign in 2008 redefined presidential campaigning and organizing for the Internet era, and elements of Romney's campaign (like most this cycle), from his streamlined logo to the one-upsmanship of his online fundraisers, have a touch of homage. People involved in Romney's Internet operation in particular will, when pressed, concede a grudging respect for their counterparts in Chicago.

But there are more straightforward similarities as well. Both operations are located in second cities—Romney’s in Boston, and Obama’s in Chicago—where the campaigns have tried to co-opt the local color to lend their efforts an air of authenticity. (For proof, follow the Twitter feeds of either campaign’s operatives during Bulls or Celtics games.)

And while neither campaign is headquartered in D.C., they’re each loaded with practiced Washington hands. The officials’ experience has eliminated most of the kinks and leaks that dog more amateur operations, and each campaign is run like a kind of soulless machine — devoid of spontaneity, and utterly allergic to anything that takes them off message. Take, for example, the Romney camp's firing of debate coach Brett O’Donnell after he got too much credit in the press for the candidate’s game-changing Florida debate performances.

With former newspaper reporters near the top— former Boston Herald writer Eric Fehrnstrom with Romney, former Chicago Tribune City Hall bureau chief David Axelrod with Obama—the campaigns share a similarly distant, transactional relationship with the press that belies their familiarity with journalistic mischief.

Team Romney’s stingy record of access to the candidate, dubbed the “Mittness Protection Program,” has led Romney to go several days without taking reporters’ questions. Obama, meanwhile, uses technology to avoid the White House press corps. (He’s held just 17 press conferences in his first term, more than President George W. Bush, but less than Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan at similar points in their administrations.

While reporters complain about being shut out, the shared media strategy is relentlessly effective, said Peter Daou, a senior communications staffer on Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign.

"The Romney campaign is adept at rolling out endorsements at exactly the right time, trying to step on their opponents' message...and being able to dominate the news cycle or grab it back if they feel like it's time," Daou said. "Clearly, that's something they learned from the Obama campaign."

“Both are corporate campaigns,” said Castellanos. “It is incredibly difficult to build overnight huge, multi-million dollar enterprises, businesses the size of major companies, and make them run efficiently. Both have demonstrated the ability to do that... and both campaigns have built cults around their candidates, seeing them as transformational leaders.”

But for all the campaigns’ similarities, the two candidates at the top couldn’t be more different in their management styles.

Staffers say Romney approaches politics with the same deliberate decision-making that made him a star in the investment consulting world. He crunches the numbers, then confidently makes his best bet supported by the data. To him, running a presidential campaign—like running anything else—comes down to simply math.

Obama, on the other hand, spent much of his adult life in law schools and legislatures, where a premium is put on thorough, nuanced intellectual debate. According to insider White House accounts like Ron Suskind’s Confidence Men, Obama likes to spends hours, and even days, debating tough issues with staff before eventually clearing the room and noodling out a decision based on the best arguments he’s heard.

“To make a good movie, my Hollywood friends tell me, you want the hero and villain to be similar as possible, not as different as imaginable, because they are ultimately fighting for the same thing: money, power, or the girl,” Castellanos said. “[Obama and Romney] just come at the same goal from different directions. We are making a very good movie in 2012.”

A Romney/Obama race would certainly depart from 2008, when John McCain’s by-the-seat-of-the-pants campaign kept Chicago—and the American public—guessing at what he’d do each day. Romney, by contrast, would likely never consider McCain’s Sarah Palin gambit: a high-risk, high-reward veep pick would be anathema to his consultant roots.

A preview of the upcoming battle came last week, as the web teams for both campaigns sought to one-up each other with dueling online fundraisers. The Romney campaign launched the “one-term fund” to raise $1 million, which was quickly followed by Obama’s “two-term fund” to raise $2 million. Romney’s team then held up the Obama response as an example that the president is focused on campaigning instead of government — tacitly acknowledging that the Obama fundraising machine had won the day.

In another glimpse of the campaign to come, the candidates' respective messaging gurus, Fehrnstrom and Axelrod, have often taken to Twitter to needle each other for the entire political press to see — and, of course, write about. Take, for instance, this exchange that took place last month, days before the South Carolina primary:

The two went back and forth like this for a while, exchanging barbs and statistics like two students who were trained by the same debate coach. They ended like this:

View Entire List ›

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppinsandzekemiller/in-chicago-and-boston-machines-prepare-for-war Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:02:12 -0500 <b>The Romney and Obama campaigns, mirror-image juggernauts, eye each other warily.</b> "Big, disciplined, and ruthlessly efficient." mckaycoppinsandzekemiller adult nonadult Forget Sparta and Athens. The 2012 presidential race is shaping up to be a battle between Sparta and Sparta. If Mitt Romney is able to overcome Tuesday night&rsquo;s caucus disappointments and win the GOP nod, the Obama/Romney general election match-up will feature two very similar campaign empires&mdash;both flush with cash and stacked with their party&rsquo;s best political operatives&mdash;going to battle with the same instincts, same skill sets, and very similar battle plans. &ldquo;Both are big, disciplined, ruthlessly efficient enterprises,&rdquo; said Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. &ldquo;Obama is not very good at being president, but he is relentless at wanting to be president. Romney&rsquo;s campaign is similarly like a bulldozer. It overwhelms opponents tactically, with money, TV, and power, crushing movable objects with irresistible force.&rdquo; The similarities are partly the fruits of imitation. The Obama campaign in 2008 redefined presidential campaigning and organizing for the Internet era, and elements of Romney&#39;s campaign (like most this cycle), from his streamlined logo to the one-upsmanship of his online fundraisers, have a touch of homage. People involved in Romney&#39;s Internet operation in particular will, when pressed, concede a grudging respect for their counterparts in Chicago. But there are more straightforward similarities as well. Both operations are located in second cities&mdash;Romney&rsquo;s in Boston, and Obama&rsquo;s in Chicago&mdash;where the campaigns have tried to co-opt the local color to lend their efforts an air of authenticity. (For proof, follow the Twitter feeds of either campaign&rsquo;s operatives during Bulls or Celtics games.) And while neither campaign is headquartered in D.C., they&rsquo;re each loaded with practiced Washington hands. The officials&rsquo; experience has eliminated most of the kinks and leaks that dog more amateur operations, and each campaign is run like a kind of soulless machine &mdash; devoid of spontaneity, and utterly allergic to anything that takes them off message. Take, for example, the Romney camp&#39;s firing of debate coach Brett O&rsquo;Donnell after he got too much credit in the press for the candidate&rsquo;s game-changing Florida debate performances. With former newspaper reporters near the top&mdash; former Boston Herald writer Eric Fehrnstrom with Romney, former Chicago Tribune City Hall bureau chief David Axelrod with Obama&mdash;the campaigns share a similarly distant, transactional relationship with the press that belies their familiarity with journalistic mischief. Team Romney&rsquo;s stingy record of access to the candidate, dubbed the &ldquo;Mittness Protection Program,&rdquo; has led Romney to go several days without taking reporters&rsquo; questions. Obama, meanwhile, uses technology to avoid the White House press corps. (He&rsquo;s held just 17 press conferences in his first term, more than President George W. Bush, but less than Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan at similar points in their administrations. While reporters complain about being shut out, the shared media strategy is relentlessly effective, said Peter Daou, a senior communications staffer on Hillary Clinton&#39;s 2008 campaign. "The Romney campaign is adept at rolling out endorsements at exactly the right time, trying to step on their opponents&#39; message...and being able to dominate the news cycle or grab it back if they feel like it&#39;s time," Daou said. "Clearly, that&#39;s something they learned from the Obama campaign." &ldquo;Both are corporate campaigns,&rdquo; said Castellanos. &ldquo;It is incredibly difficult to build overnight huge, multi-million dollar enterprises, businesses the size of major companies, and make them run efficiently. Both have demonstrated the ability to do that... and both campaigns have built cults around their candidates, seeing them as transformational leaders.&rdquo; But for all the campaigns&rsquo; similarities, the two candidates at the top couldn&rsquo;t be more different in their management styles. Staffers say Romney approaches politics with the same deliberate decision-making that made him a star in the investment consulting world. He crunches the numbers, then confidently makes his best bet supported by the data. To him, running a presidential campaign&mdash;like running anything else&mdash;comes down to simply math. Obama, on the other hand, spent much of his adult life in law schools and legislatures, where a premium is put on thorough, nuanced intellectual debate. According to insider White House accounts like Ron Suskind&rsquo;s Confidence Men, Obama likes to spends hours, and even days, debating tough issues with staff before eventually clearing the room and noodling out a decision based on the best arguments he&rsquo;s heard. &ldquo;To make a good movie, my Hollywood friends tell me, you want the hero and villain to be similar as possible, not as different as imaginable, because they are ultimately fighting for the same thing: money, power, or the girl,&rdquo; Castellanos said. &ldquo;[Obama and Romney] just come at the same goal from different directions. We are making a very good movie in 2012.&rdquo; A Romney/Obama race would certainly depart from 2008, when John McCain&rsquo;s by-the-seat-of-the-pants campaign kept Chicago&mdash;and the American public&mdash;guessing at what he&rsquo;d do each day. Romney, by contrast, would likely never consider McCain&rsquo;s Sarah Palin gambit: a high-risk, high-reward veep pick would be anathema to his consultant roots. A preview of the upcoming battle came last week, as the web teams for both campaigns sought to one-up each other with dueling online fundraisers. The Romney campaign launched the &ldquo;one-term fund&rdquo; to raise $1 million, which was quickly followed by Obama&rsquo;s &ldquo;two-term fund&rdquo; to raise $2 million. Romney&rsquo;s team then held up the Obama response as an example that the president is focused on campaigning instead of government &mdash; tacitly acknowledging that the Obama fundraising machine had won the day. In another glimpse of the campaign to come, the candidates&#39; respective messaging gurus, Fehrnstrom and Axelrod, have often taken to Twitter to needle each other for the entire political press to see &mdash; and, of course, write about. Take, for instance, this exchange that took place last month, days before the South Carolina primary: nonadult nonadult The two went back and forth like this for a while, exchanging barbs and statistics like two students who were trained by the same debate coach. They ended like this: nonadult nonadult Daou predicted this type of proxy war to extend through election day&mdash;with super PACs and surrogates dealing the toughest blows, while the candidate get to look like they&#39;re taking the high road. This approach, he said, is straight out of the Obama 2008 playbook. "Romney, like Obama, has tried to and succeeded to some degree in being able to be an extremely efficient attack candidate with a smile one his face," he said. "It never seems to come back to him." With two campaigns marked by striking message discipline&mdash;and two candidates who rarely roam off-script&mdash;every rare gaffe, no matter how small, will be a cue for the opponent to pounce. Already, the media is already magnifying even the smallest gaffe by Romney and Obama, and turning them into four-day stories. Take Romney&rsquo;s &ldquo;poor people&rdquo; and &ldquo;fire people&rdquo; gaffes, or Obama telling a woman he finds it &ldquo;interesting&rdquo; that her engineer husband can&rsquo;t find a job. What might be mere background noise in another campaign has become central in this race&rsquo;s back-and-forth. "I think it will be a real battle," said Daou, looking forward to the general election. "This period has been good for President Obama, but I think once Romney becomes the nominee, it becomes a much tighter, closer, more hard-fought race." "There&#39;s going to be some serious negative campaigning," he said. "But it goes back to the question of can they both keep likability up? Can they both keep a smile on their faces?" nonadult Sean Hannity Claims Obama Didn&#39;t Really Want To Kill Bin Laden http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/sean-hannity-claims-obama-didnt-really-want-to-ki “It wouldn't have happened if he had his way, and that can be proven, as well, on tape.”

Source: youtube.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/sean-hannity-claims-obama-didnt-really-want-to-ki Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:32:08 -0500 <b>"It wouldn&#39;t have happened if he had his way, and that can be proven, as well, on tape."</b> zekejmiller nonadult The Kid Behind Obama&#39;s Marshmallow Cannon Speaks http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/the-kid-behind-obamas-marshmallow-cannon-speaks Watch Joey Hudy's masterpiece in action. Not bad for a 14-year old.

Source: youtube.com

Source: drudgereport.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/the-kid-behind-obamas-marshmallow-cannon-speaks Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:02:08 -0500 <b>Watch Joey Hudy&#39;s masterpiece in action.</b> Not bad for a 14-year old. zekejmiller nonadult nonadult nonadult Obama Wants To Make Sure You Saw Donald Trump Endorse Mitt Romney Today http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/obama-wants-to-make-sure-you-saw-donald-trump-endo Democrats can't get enough of it.

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/obama-wants-to-make-sure-you-saw-donald-trump-endo Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:02:08 -0500 <b>Democrats can&#39;t get enough of it.</b> zekejmiller nonadult Cool / Not Cool http://www.buzzfeed.com/provincialelitist/cool-not-cool The 2012 presidential election would already be over if politics was more like like American Idol and high school.

Via: cbs.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/provincialelitist/cool-not-cool Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:51:31 -0500 <b>The 2012 presidential election would already be over if politics was more like like American Idol and high school.</b> provincialelitist nonadult Sing-Off: Mitt Vs. Barack http://www.buzzfeed.com/nycsouthpaw/sing-off-mitt-vs-barack Vote in the comments! It's the first real head-to-head contest of the 2012 election: A confident Mitt Romney offered a rendition of “America the Beautiful” in Florida this evening, which gives us the opportunity to compare his pipes to the President's . Who wins?

Mitt's "America The Beautiful"

Barack's "Let's Stay Together"

BONUS -- Ashcroft's "Let The Eagle Soar"

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/nycsouthpaw/sing-off-mitt-vs-barack Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:32:08 -0500 <b>Vote in the comments!</b> It&#39;s the first real head-to-head contest of the 2012 election: A <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/confident-romney-sings-america-the-beautiful">confident Mitt Romney</a> offered a rendition of "America the Beautiful" in Florida this evening, which gives us the opportunity to compare his pipes <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/provincialelitist/obama-singing-al-greens-lets-stay-toget">to the President&#39;s</a>. Who wins? nycsouthpaw nonadult Behind The Scenes: Writing The 2012 State Of The Union http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/behind-the-scenes-writing-the-2012-state-of-the-u The White House has put out this interesting behind the scenes look at crafting this year's State Of The Union Address.

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/behind-the-scenes-writing-the-2012-state-of-the-u Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:02:09 -0500 <b>The White House has put out this interesting behind the scenes look at crafting this year&#39;s State Of The Union Address.</b> jpmoore nonadult New Yorker Cover: Obama Is Enjoying This http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/new-yorker-cover-obama-is-enjoying-this He smiles as Mitt and Newt maul one another.

Source: newyorker.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/new-yorker-cover-obama-is-enjoying-this Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:43:14 -0500 <b>He smiles as Mitt and Newt maul one another.</b> andrewkaczynski nonadult The 10 Images That Democrats Want You To See http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-10-images-that-democrats-want-you-to-see These are the photos that Democrats are passing around Facebook in huge numbers.

View Entire List ›

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-10-images-that-democrats-want-you-to-see Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:02:10 -0500 <b>These are the photos that Democrats are passing around Facebook in huge numbers.</b> jpmoore nonadult The Barack Obama Incredible Hulk Action Figure http://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/the-barack-obama-incredible-hulk-action-figure Yes Hulk Can. From the mind of brilliant pop artist Ron English .

Via: bestweekever.tv

Via: popaganda.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/the-barack-obama-incredible-hulk-action-figure Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:32:09 -0500 <b>Yes Hulk Can.</b> From the mind of brilliant pop artist <a href="http://www.popaganda.com/blog1.php">Ron English</a>. whitneyjefferson nonadult The 12 Most Ridiculous Things Sold On Barack Obama&#39;s Store http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-12-most-ridiculous-things-sold-on-barack-obama If you can imagine it, you can probably buy it with Barack Obama's logo on it.

The Silver First Lady Pin

The Silver First Lady Pin

"Commemorative Michelle Obama 2012 Brooch crafted out of silver tone alloy metal, with a shiny polished real Silver finish. Over 230 genuine Czech Crystal Rhinestones are hand set for a sparkling finish. The back of the piece has a durable bar pin closure that also has a polished Silver finish."

$35

Rhodium Ball Ornament

Rhodium Ball Ornament

"Our metal ornaments are back in stock for a limited time only. "

$40

Bo Car Magnet

Bo Car Magnet

"Let everyone know who barks for Barack! Our Bo magnets will look terrific on your car or refrigerator."

$10

Spatula

Spatula

"If you're fired up and ready to grill, pick up one of our new grill spatulas. They've got sturdy wooden handles and an Obama 2012 logo etched into the metal."

$40

View Entire List ›

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-12-most-ridiculous-things-sold-on-barack-obama Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:47:08 -0500 <b>If you can imagine it, you can probably buy it with Barack Obama&#39;s logo on it.</b> jpmoore nonadult President Obama&#39;s State Of The Union Address In 12 Animated GIFs http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address-i If a picture is worth a thousand words, a GIF is worth a million. Here are a dozen that capture the most memorable moments of tonight's State of the Union Address by President Obama.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Hillary Clinton giving face.

Hillary Clinton giving face.

President Obama giving face.

President Obama giving face.

President Obama getting a bear hug from an enthusiastic female guest.

President Obama getting a bear hug from an enthusiastic female guest.

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]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address-i Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:17:08 -0500 <strong>If a picture is worth a thousand words, a GIF is worth a million.</strong> Here are a dozen that capture the most memorable moments of tonight&#39;s State of the Union Address by President Obama. mattcherette nonadult The Best Moment Of Last Year&#39;s State Of The Union, Plus Who To Watch Out For Tonight http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/the-best-moment-of-last-years-state-of-the-un “That's me!” If you aren't already familiar with Kathy Proctor—the breakout star of last year's State of the Union—then please do become acquainted with her while you wait for President Obama to deliver tonight's address.

Hey, speaking of special guests!

Here are a few of the 20 VIPs that will be seated with First Lady Michelle Obama tonight in her viewing box:

--USAF Colonel Ginger Wallace, representing the LGBT Military Community
--Debbie Bosanek, secretary to Warren Buffett
--Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs
--Mike Krieger, co-founder of Instagram
--Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Click here for the full list.

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/the-best-moment-of-last-years-state-of-the-un Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:17:08 -0500 <strong>"That&#39;s me!"</strong> If you aren&#39;t already familiar with Kathy Proctor--the <a href="http://gawker.com/5743390/meet-kathy-proctor-the-star-of-the-state-of-the-union">breakout star of last year&#39;s</a> State of the Union--then please do become acquainted with her while you wait for President Obama to deliver tonight&#39;s address. mattcherette nonadult nonadult Hey, speaking of special guests! Here are a few of the 20 VIPs that will be seated with First Lady Michelle Obama tonight in her viewing box: --USAF Colonel Ginger Wallace, representing the LGBT Military Community --Debbie Bosanek, secretary to Warren Buffett --Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs --Mike Krieger, co-founder of Instagram --Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/white-house-releases-full-state-of-the-union-guest-list/2012/01/24/gIQAv0r1NQ_blog.html">Click here</a> for the full list. nonadult The Crooner-In-Chief&#39;s Greatest Hits http://www.buzzfeed.com/elongreen/the-crooner-in-chiefs-greatest-hits-4yyh Obama sings the classics. Take advantage of this limited time offer! No CODs.

Yesterday, Obama lustily belted out a few bars of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

Buzzfeed has uncovered evidence that the President deploys this talent every so often: on Spanish radio, at rallies, and at birthday parties.

Source: youtube.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/elongreen/the-crooner-in-chiefs-greatest-hits-4yyh Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:06:00 -0500 <b>Obama sings the classics.</b> Take advantage of this limited time offer! No CODs. elongreen nonadult Yesterday, Obama lustily <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/provincialelitist/obama-singing-al-greens-lets-stay-toget">belted out</a> a few bars of Al Green&#39;s "Let&#39;s Stay Together." Buzzfeed has uncovered evidence that the President deploys this talent every so often: on Spanish radio, at rallies, and at birthday parties. nonadult nonadult 13 Photos Of Barack Obama At Disney That Will Probably Turn Up In Attack Ads http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/13-photos-of-barack-obama-at-disney-that-will-prob When your Republican opponents have already called your claims of improving the economy “a fantasy land,” it's probably a bad idea to go give a speech at Disney World in front of the entrance to “Fantasyland.”

(Getty Images)

(Reuters Pictures)

(Reuters Pictures)

(Reuters Pictures)

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]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/13-photos-of-barack-obama-at-disney-that-will-prob Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:47:09 -0500 <b>When your Republican opponents have <a href="http://www.gop.com/index.php/briefing/comments/fantasy_land">already called</a> your claims of improving the economy "a fantasy land," it&#39;s probably a bad idea to go give a speech at Disney World in front of the entrance to "Fantasyland."</b> jpmoore nonadult Barack Obama Sent Zooey Deschanel A Birthday Letter http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/barack-obama-sent-zooey-deschanel-a-birthday-lette Mr. President, my birthday is in three months. If I don't get a letter, I will take this as your way of telling me once and for all you prefer Zooey to me. (via @ZooeyDeschanel )

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/barack-obama-sent-zooey-deschanel-a-birthday-lette Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:29:41 -0500 <b>Mr. President, my birthday is in three months.</b> If I don&#39;t get a letter, I will take this as your way of telling me once and for all you prefer Zooey to me. (via <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ZooeyDeschanel/status/159437594663460865">@ZooeyDeschanel</a>) jpmoore nonadult President Obama Demands To See Betty White&#39;s Birth Certificate http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/president-obama-demands-to-see-betty-whites-birth You can never be too careful with these Hollywood types…

Via: politico.com

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/president-obama-demands-to-see-betty-whites-birth Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:50:19 -0500 <b>You can never be too careful with these Hollywood types...</b> jpmoore nonadult Newsweek Trolls The Entire Republican Party http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/newsweek-trolls-the-entire-republican-party The trololol is strong in this one. In what I can only assume is a deliberate attempt to anger the entire GOP, Newsweek's just-released cover for its upcoming issue teases an Andrew Sullivan piece by asking why President Obama's critics are “so dumb.” Will Republicans take the bait? Only (a very short amount of) time will tell! Also: Yes. (via SoupSoup )

]]> http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/newsweek-trolls-the-entire-republican-party Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:32:09 -0500 <strong>The trololol is strong in this one.</strong> In what I can only assume is a deliberate attempt to anger the entire GOP, Newsweek&#39;s just-released cover for its upcoming issue teases an Andrew Sullivan piece by asking why President Obama&#39;s critics are "so dumb." Will Republicans take the bait? Only (a very short amount of) time will tell! Also: Yes. (via <a href="http://soupsoup.tumblr.com/post/15909751244/will-they-take-the-bait">SoupSoup</a>) mattcherette nonadult