President Barack Obama wowed the crowd at the Orange County Fairgrounds today. I heard that the first local elected official he introduced was Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Interesting. I expect Pulido is still begging to be appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
State Senator Lou Correa was introduces as “Jose Correa.” No bueno! Assemblyman Jose Solorio was there so perhaps Obama got confused – he doesn’t have that many Latinos in his administration after all.
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez was there but the Representative in Costa Mesa, Dana Rohrabacher, was not invited. Obama addressed this, apologizing for sending a late invite to Rohrabacher. Probably just as well. No one there wanted to see Rohrabacher, I don’t think.
As I was driving home, I heard OC GOP consultant Adam Probolsky get interviewd on KNX. He said that a quarter of the audience was made up of Republicans, as he recognized many of them. Probolsky was asked if Obama could win Orange County and he flipped out. But Obama almost won the O.C. last year. If he does turn our economy around he might very well carry the O.C. in four years.
As one might expect, there were some tasteless Republicans there too. Here is what the O.C. Register reported about the GOP protesters:
“Outside the fairgrounds on the sidewalk along Fairview Road, some 35 protestors waved signs and jeered as the heavy blades of Marine One and three other beige choppers sounded overhead.
“Go back home, leave us alone!” said Elisa Mohr, her head titled up. “Go back to Chicago. We don’t want you here!”
“How about, ‘go back to Kenya,” Bobby Florentz suggested.
Mohr, of Costa Mesa, stood with her two daughters, while her husband maneuvered through a nearby parking lot. The family carried wide, white banners. Hers read, “BOGUS POTUS,” as in President of the United States.
The one in 8-year-old Isabella’s hands read, “Gimme free cocaine cuz I wanna grow up like you.”
I am told that Fullerton Council Woman Pam Keller was there but I am not sure what other prominent Democrats were there.
A Santa Ana school teacher who got laid off showed up and asked Obama about the issue of teacher’s losing their jobs. Here is how the L.A. Times reported this:
A teacher from Santa Ana said she got her “RIF notice.” (That’s a “reduction in force” notice.)
Obama: “A pink slip!”
Teacher: “I’m so nervous. Thank you for coming.”
Obama: “You’re doing great.”
Teacher: “I just love you.”
She calmed herself long enough to ask how he planned to retain good teachers, given the fact that in her district, the teacher of the year just got pink slipped too.
Obama assured her there is money going to the states for teacher retention, school construction and innovation. “But,” he said, “the biggest chunk is for teacher retention.”
He mentioned that “your school superintendent is here.” Maybe it was for the best that he did not mention California Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell by name, since the crowd erupted in scattered boos.
Of course those boos weren’t for O’Connell, they were for SAUSD Superintendent Jane Russo, who richly deserved the boos!
SAUSD Trustee Jane Russo, driving Republican SAUSD Trustees Rosie Avila and Rob Richardson
Finally, she got booed. I don’t think she took ANY pay cuts. I wish Obama would’ve answered her question. Will the teachers be rescinded with the stimulus $$$ or will the SAUSD continue to blow the $$$ on desks and office renovations?
Word is that the teleprompter-in-chief was having a DOS glitch and Obama couldnt read the name.
there was no teleprompter.
Mr. Freedom,
I too am wishing that Obama had George Bush’s oratory skills.
WTF??
Art,
I think Lou first name is Jose and his middle name is Luis.
I heard Probolsky and he sounded like he had something in his mouth. Couldn’t understand much of what he was saying intially, perhaps he needs to change his phone carrier or stop eating Subway’s $5 Subs when being interviewed.
The Costa Mesa mom is a great role model, exposing her daughter to the issue of drugs and the US Presidency. Didn’t George Bush admit to doing some “cocain” in his growing years?I’m glad these idiots gave the OC REgister their names so their neighbors know what “racist” neighbors they have living in the OC. “Going back to Kenya”, from some idiot that probably wouldn’t understand that everybody here migrated from somewhere.
Santa Ana School Administrators, Boardmembers, and many parents deserve all the “Boos” for failing many generations of students in Santa Ana. Too many parents in Santa Ana would rather have their kids playing weekday socccer or watch Novelas, or run around outside then give their kids an opportunity to succeed. Obama said it right,read to your kids.
Many parents in Santa Ana have failed their kids and now their kids are suffering most.That’s not the School fault, too many parents either are too ignorant based on their SES status coming to America to understand the values of Education and how it greatly improves their family’s status or the schools have failed telling parents the benefits of public school education.
Either way, I’m for vouchers because it allows the parents who care and/or understand the importance of sending their children to better acheiving schools, thereby allowing all the other kids to be taught in a considerably less impacted enviroment that will have a better teacher/student ratio.
To be fair I’m not sure who the boos were for. Obama hushed the crowd and said not to blame “him” since it wasn’t “his” fault. Perhaps the Prez didn’t realize who the boos were intended for. I hope they were for Russo but as far as I’m concerned O’Connell is just as bad at managing the county as Russo is at SAUSD.
Oh and #3 here’s a picture including the teleprompter the prez used in his prepared remarks. http://www.ocregister.com/photos/obama-hall-county-2339652-people-one/pid2339653
Granted he didn’t use it for the questions but then again he didn’t really answer the questions either. I’m sure the teacher from SAUSD was very happy to hear money was earmarked for teacher retention while the majority of the rest of the answer was spent talking about money for higher education.
Does anyone have any video clip of the exchange? I would like to see who the boos were for. Thank you.
#7,
Try these links:
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/politics/Video_President_Obama_Town_Hall_20090318
http://www.truveo.com/President-Holds-Town-Hall-Meeting-In-Orange-County/id/974614220
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/livenow?id=6716976
Mr. Freedom, calling Obama “the teleprompter in chief” is so incredible. Do you not have eyes to see. Of all our recent presidents including Clinton, he is probably the best rehearsed and capable on his feet without prompting. I don’t think Bush could physically stand without slouching over a podium, much less utter a phrase without prompting. Not so with Obama. “Teleprompter in-chief” Ha. Nice Try.
Open your eyes to see what’s in front of you, not what you think you see because of your political leanings.
G Dub and oratory skills????
I hope WTF means what the #$%^ I think it means.
Do Tell.
I’m certainly for not blocking vouchers or other options . And I ‘m a union teacher. In Santa Ana we have some “fundamental” schools as a possible answer to city schools that are overrun with , oh, everything. These fundamental schools seem to run more smoothly for the time being and supposedly have a higher degree of parental interaction and support. Responsible parents make the school. When they are disconnected and irresponsible, I don’t see how a school system can run. When they depend on their student children to be the liaisons with the schools, the fight is over. Everything that is bad about adolescence wins; Brittney Spears wins, entertainment wins. iPods and F’s in school win.
Art — you weren’t even there, how do you know who the boo’s were directly too? you couldn’t score a ticket when every other blog in town could. So much for being the number 1 political blog in OC
apple,
Please. I could have scored a ticket easily. But I had to work that day.
I am a self employed safety consultant. I cannot afford to turn down work so that I can go to an event.
BTW, no less than the L.A. Times reported that the audience booed at the mention of the teacher’s Superintendent – and that person is the overpaid hack Jane Russo.
The timing of Obama’s latest school children indoctrination speech is no coincidence. September 8, 2009 is meaningful to Obama for an entirely different reason. (See below.)
Something of Interest, posted elsewhere on the Net:
“Discovery hearing” re: Obama’s Kenyan BC, request for depositions of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates scheduled for September 8th, 8am.
08/21/2009 44 MINUTES OF IN CHAMBERS ORDER by Judge David O. Carter: ORDER SETTING SEPTEMBER 8, 2009 HEARING ON MOTIONS: (See document for details.) In summary, the Court sets for hearing at 8:00 a.m. on September 8, 2009, (1) the Discovery Motion, (2) the Service Notice, and (3) the Ex Parte Application. All parties are ordered to be present.
The Clerk shall serve this minute order on all parties to the action. (rla) (Entered: 08/21/2009)
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This entry was posted on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 at 6:05 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed”