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Then President-elect Barack Obama eats with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty at Ben's Chili Bowl on Jan. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The first months of 2009 saw a flurry of activity as the First Family took to getting to know the place they would call home for the next four years. Before even being inaugurated, President Obama joined Mayor Adrian Fenty for a chili dog at D.C. mainstay Ben's Chili Bowl and played basketball at the Marie Reed Community Learning Center in Adams Morgan. Along with First Lady Michelle Obama, they visited a local church as they sought a place of worship (which, as far as we know, they still haven't found) and debated what school their daughters would attend.
After the inauguration, the Obamas' outreach to the District continued. A number of residents sat with the First Lady during his first address to Congress, and the Obamas surprised second graders with a visit to their charter school. Michelle Obama planted an organic vegetable garden at the White House with the aid of students from Mt. Pleasant's Bancroft Elementary, and the White House created an internship program for D.C. high school students. President Obama even tried to have a normal guy night out at a Wizards game and continued to sample local fare with a visit to Ray's Hell Burger and Five Guys.
On at least one major local issue, though, President Obama has fallen short -- D.C. voting rights. When Mayor Fenty first endorsed Obama, the then-candidate all but promised statehood for the District. But since he's been in office, not only has Obama not said much of anything about the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, he hasn't even gotten around to putting "Taxation Without Representation" license plates on the presidential limo. In a mid-summer briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs again stressed that Obama favored statehood for the District, but gave no indication of how or when the president would address that. Of course, there is only so much President Obama can do for our cause, but even a nod, a wink and a supportive statement would be helpful.
All told, the relationship between the First Family and the District over the last year has been a positive one, certainly at least compared to their predecessors, who rarely left the White House. (To be fair, Laura Bush was a supporter of D.C. public libraries, but that was pretty much it.) Though we can't expect them to dine out in a local restaurant every week, it has been a refreshing change to have a First Family that recognizes that a city exists beyond the federal government that occupies it.
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Not that it really matters where they practice thier faith or that they practice at all, but didn't the obamas pick the Camp David church?
I'm no Shrub apologist, but it's not like Bill Clinton did all that much to advance DC voting rights either, apart from put DC plates on the Presidential limo on the day he was leaving office. Obama hasn't even gotten that far. I do recall Clinton parading up Georgia Avenue in 1992 talking about how he was going to revitalize the neighborhood, which was followed by 8 years of nothing but him jogging his fat ass to McDonalds and cigarbanging a certain superabsorbent intern and parttime humidor. At least with Shrub, you knew where he stood (i.e., like a retarded monkey).
So in other words, everyone's favorite super magical half-Kenyan antichrist has done nothing substantial to advance DC voting rights except photo ops and gladhanding, but that's still "refreshing" because DC residents certainly haven't seen that every year since Boss Shepherd got his ass handed to him by Congress.
You really need to work on this whole "austermuhling" thing, because I'm really not feeling the austermuhl here.
Perhaps Obama should live up to his Kenyan pedigree, stock up on some PowerThirst...do it for the children!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs
You know who else did nothing to advance DC voting rights? Hitler. Coincidence?
Mucky is right: I don't feel properly austermuhled here. And that usually results in a long long night of me pretending that I love myself.
Whereas a good and true austermuhling might leave me feeling used -- not unlike the city herself -- I would feel used in some tawdry way, but not exactly soiled. It doesn't matter that Blanche DuBois finds herself feeling so cheap and dirty; we all know that's really Cate underneath all that tarnish!
"Why, you're not the gentleman I was expecting! Whoever you are, I've always relied upon the kindness of strangers!"
Because...dare I say it...is Martin also feeling the utter lack of hope on the issue after this latest dabacle?
*their
Point of order (or odor depending on how you look at it)
There was a voting rights bill all set to pass, but it was shot down by the voting rights folks because "think of the children!!"
Obama would have signed it too.
You forget that even the DC so called proponents could not get unified behind it. The Statehood ("Obama is an Uncle Tom",fear of success, total lack of understanding of history and politics) Green party also opposed it. The Council could also care less about voting representation/statehood.
great job laura bush did making our city's libraries better, eh?
Laura's "CK1 for Loitering Library Hobos" program was almost as successful as Ladybird Johnson's "Hugs for Thugs" campaign.
I thought LBJ ran "parks for pimps"?
I know, I know, any excuse to declare an "anniversary" and all, but . . .
You do realize that they've only been the First Family for a little over 9 months, right? Are we going to get another "first year" round up at the end of January?
of course...we will need to have another non-update about the Prez and not having Taxation/Representation license plates.
You're thinking of JFK's "Move the Stinking Hobos to the New Frontier."
This is a very one sided relationship. He doesn't love us and he is not calling back. I suggest we move on.
But we can change him! He needs us! He said all those other territories didn't mean a thing to him and I believe him!
But think of the make-up sex. With either one of them, or both.
That's some spicy bipartisanship!
I don't get the license plate thing, but despite the lip service, no one should logically believe that Obama, or any president cares enough about representation to be proactive on it. It is politically a no win issue.
It's only by geographical error that the President lives in DC. If say the capital of the United States of America was Indianapolis, I don't think POTUS would think twice about his zip code. He's got a job to do and it's got nothing to about changing the city in which he lives. Now if there's some collateral change that happens by chance, fine. But frankly I don't expect anything different for the next 3 or 7 years.
You are absolutely correct.
Abraham Lincoln said “No man is good enough to govern another, without that other’s consent.” Maybe Obama should listen to the words of a previous president and take a leadership role in rectifying this issue. We might have help elect him thanks to the 23rd Amendment, but DC residents are still governed by 535 unelected politicians.
Tiring, to say the least Martin. To think you spent so must time doing 'research' on the things the first couple have done, only to use it a filler for your bi-weekly rant and rave. Oh; and what about Guns?
hey, I am all for Martin's rants. The more illogical the better. This one just wasn't that ranty.
Looking forward to next year's anniversary article, "Two Years Before the Obama." I predict more Bens, more burgers, more "Be Cool! Stay in School!" bull$h!t. When his poll numbers sink, cut to him reading to second graders in a library with the photogs snapping away. And then when election time rolls around, more photo ops of plucky little DC urchins and claiming to be advancing voting rights in DC and accomplishing squat. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. This is your life. And it's ending one minute at a time. Did you know you can swallow a pint of blood before you get sick? And then, something happened. I let go. Lost in oblivion. Dark and silent and complete. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.