Barack Obama

Transcript: Marco Rubio's Response To State Of The Union Address

editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:36:53 +0000

Full text of the GOP response to President Obama's State of the Union address as prepared for delivery and given by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.):

Good evening. I'm Marco Rubio. I'm blessed to represent Florida in the United States Senate. Let me begin by congratulating President Obama on the start of his second term. Tonight, I have the honor of responding to his State of the Union address on behalf of my fellow Republicans. And I am especially honored to be addressing our brave men and women serving in the armed forces and in diplomatic posts around the world.

What Martin Luther King Day Means To Diverse South Florida

Arianna Prothero — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:01:58 +0000

People across South Florida's diverse communities and cultures marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year is also the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Why Miami Poet Richard Blanco Embodies Obama’s Winning Coalition

Arianna Prothero — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Today, Miami poet Richard Blanco will recite the poem he has composed for President Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony.

How You Can Write A Poem For A President

Sammy Mack — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Here at WLRN, we're big fans of interactive storytelling.

President Obama On Avoiding The Fiscal Cliff: 'We Can Do It In Stages'

Mark Memmott — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:22:00 +0000

Update at 9:45 p.m. Deal Reached

Vice President Joe Biden was meeting late Monday with Senate Democrats to brief them on a proposed deal to stop sharp tax increases and spending cuts. A source told NPR the deal with congressional Democratic and Republican leaders includes a mix of both.

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have signed off on the agreement, which calls for a two-month deferral of the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester.

Obama: Why The 'Fiscal Cliff' Hurts Latin Families

Kelley Mitchell — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:37:11 +0000

White House Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Munoz voices

President Barack Obama’s concerns about what the impact of a failure to reach a budget agreement could mean for Latin families.

Campaign Polls: Why It Looks Like Obama Might Lose Florida

Rick Stone — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:33:53 +0000

Support for President Obama has declined so radically in South Florida that it will cost him the state on election day.

That's what Tony Man at the Sun Sentinel reported over the weekend after taking a look at modeling and projections prepared by Moody's Analytics. Moody's predicted Obama would win the Democratic strongholds of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties but by margins too small to leverage the rest of the state.

Lynn University Debate Takeaway: Little Daylight Between Obama, Romney

Alan Greenblatt — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:54:58 +0000

In at least one sense, the final presidential debate of the year looked a lot like the previous ones between Mitt Romney and President Obama.

Regardless of what they were asked, each offered talking points he had prepared and was determined to make. The candidates, not moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News, set both the tone and the pace of the debate.

That included switching gears far from the nominal subject of Monday's debate in Boca Raton, Fla., which was foreign policy.

Live Blog: Obama & Romney Square Off In Final Debate

Mark Memmott — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:16:00 +0000

Foreign policy proved to be a subject that kept the tone mostly substantive tonight in the third and final debate between President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney before the Nov. 6 election.

While the president was the more aggressive of the two, sometimes interrupting his opponent and several times forcefully challenging things that Romney said, for the most part the discussion was tough but civil.

Dispatch: The Server And The Cat

Kenny Malone — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:48:15 +0000

During the previous debate, our Dispatches from the Swing State team met an interesting character in a Key West pub -- a local server named Patti Wilde who is originally from Cincinnati and is something of a local celebrity.

Or, as she explains it, "I mean, I used to be. I've been here 30 years so they go, 'oh, Cincinnati Patti's here.' But now they don't do that anymore. They go, 'Larry!'"

"Larry" is Patti Wilde's cat -- a very large cat that sits calmly on the bar stool wherever she goes.

Churches Hope To Unite Flocks After Election

Marva Hinton — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:55:13 +0000

After the final vote is cast next month, the country may be in need of some healing and reconciliation.

That's the idea behind Election Day Communion.

Hundreds of churches across the country will be holding services election night and serving communion including one in South Florida.

Reverend Spencer Potter is the rector of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Palmetto Bay.

He says the service will be a time for the whole congregation to unite.

How Obama Got His Groove Back Before Last Debate In South Florida

Alan Greenblatt — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:07:38 +0000

Anyone who thought the presidential candidates couldn't get aggressive within a town hall-style format underestimated the sharp differences in policy that divide them.

President Obama and Mitt Romney remained continuously critical against one another throughout their second debate Tuesday night. Neither ever seemed to finish a statement without launching an attack against his opponent.

The two men differed over economic policy, immigration, gun control and essentially every subject that was brought up in questions from members of the audience at Hofstra University.

Taking The Political Pulse On The Smallest of Small Businesses: A Hot Dog Stand

Kenny Malone — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:15:07 +0000

Flagler County, where Palm Coast is located, has the highest unemployment rate in Florida. 1 in 8 workers there is without a job.

Our Dispatches from the Swing State project passed through Palm Coast yesterday and stopped at a hotdog stand where they met John Sabia.

Sabia works only for tips at Hot Diggity Dog. He’s helping out the owner who happens to be his son.

Sabia says when Palm Coast was booming, the hotdog stand had a line for hours and US1 was backed up with traffic.

But then, the collapse.

Obama And Romney's Big South Florida Donors

Ashley Lopez — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:31:59 +0000

Not only are South Florida's votes key to the upcoming presidential election, but its residents are some big donors to the presidential campaigns, as well.

South Florida Business Journal rounded up some of the biggest donors in the region to both President Obama and Mitt Romney's campaigns.

Now Lagging In State Polls, Obama Gets Laughs At University of Miami Rally

Deborah Acosta — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:07:50 +0000

President Obama came to Florida yesterday to find himself trailing Mitt Romney by seven points in the latest Mason-Dixon poll. Many agree, it’s the result of his lackluster debate performance last week.

And that's what the president tried to make up for during a rally at the University of Miami. Sounding confident and energetic, the president covered the points he overlooked during the debate -- passing Obamacare, killing Osama bin Laden and ending the war in Iraq.

NEWSCAST: New Florida Poll Gives Romney 7 Point Lead

Kelley Mitchell — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:38:24 +0000

Obama Adviser Says Campaign Will Make Gains With Miami Hispanics

Ashley Lopez — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:29:09 +0000

The Tampa Bay Times chatted with David Plouffe, President Obama's Senior advisor, recently. While polls show the president is struggling right now, Plouffe tells the Times that he's confident Obama will make gains in Florida-- particularly among Miami Hispanics.

Swing State Life: Obama's On His Way To Make A Nightmare Of Miami Traffic

Rick Stone — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:16:48 +0000

President Obama makes an appearance this afternoon at BankUnited Center on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus. It's a grassroots rally with free admission for those who got advance tickets. Doors open at 1 p. m.

After that, Brickell Avenue will close at Southeast Seventh Street at 4 p. m. as the president makes his way to another event at the J. W. Marriott Marquis Hotel.

He's supposed to arrive at 5. But the Miami Herald warns downtown drivers need to make three and half hours worth of plans:

Education: Obama And Romney Mostly Agree

Rick Stone — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:31:11 +0000

If there are any undecided voters left in Florida, just weeks before the election, chances are they're educators.

Many say President Obama and Mitt Romney have strong education platforms that differ so subtly it may take a teacher's practiced eye to tell them apart.

"They're both strong on testing and accountability," says Doug Tuthill, who runs a nonprofit in Tampa for low-income K-through-12 students. "They both believe that student achievement should be included in teacher evaluation systems.