March Madness, White House Style

President Obama has a lot on his plate these days: the ongoing economic crisis, banks run amok, health care reform efforts, two ongoing wars, and a host of other day-to-day issues that demand his attention. But, this week, he took time out to attend to a very pressing issue: March Madness.

WhiteHouse.gov today posted President Obama's NCAA Tournament brackets. He obviously gave this some considerable thought, with several changes and question marks on his personally-completed bracket sheet. Ultimately, he put Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina in his final four, with UNC coming out on top.

So, as you're preparing to enter into your own March Madness tournaments, keep checking in to see how the President is faring. Maybe you'll best the Commander-in-Chief - talk about bragging rights.

President Obama: "We Will Rebuild, We Will Recover"

Last night, Barack Obama delivered his first remarks as President to a joint session of Congress. In a State of the Union-style address, the President laid out his plans on a series of major issues, primarily focused on the economy - energy, jobs, education, health care, and more.

President Obama highlighted several actions already taken by Congress this year - passage of the economic recovery package, expanding the children's health insurance program, and signing a law to curb pay discrimination - and other actions in the works to fix our credit and banking problems.

But the bulk of his speech focused on a series of long-term investments in energy, health care, and education that he is proposing to Congress and the American people:

On energy:

"But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America."

On health care:

"Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives. It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American by seeking a cure for cancer in our time. And it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that is one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control.

"This budget builds on these reforms. It includes an historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform - a down-payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American. It's a commitment that's paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue. And it's a step we must take if we hope to bring down our deficit in the years to come.

"Let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year."

On education:

"I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country - and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

"I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country - Senator Edward Kennedy."

You can check out some of the reaction to the full speech from the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post. Or you can watch the speech here or read it here.

After the speech, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gave the Republican response, which you can watch here or read here.

So, what did you think about President Obama's address last night? What about Governor Jindal's response? Let us know in the comments section.

Watch President Obama's Speech Tonight 9pm

You know how most years the President gives a State of the Union speech? Every member of Congress is there, plus all the Supreme Court justices and cabinet secretaries (except one - he or she gets to hide out somewhere secret. Just in case.)

Well, usually there's no State of the Union in an inauguration year - which makes sense, because it's hard to fully comment of the state of the union just a few weeks after taking office. So most presidents' first SOTU happens the year after his inauguration - and President Obama is sticking with tradition and waiting til 2010 to give his first State of the Union.

That said, in lieu of the SOTU, tonight at 9pm President Obama is giving a major speech to a joint session of Congress which "will have the trappings of a State of the Union address," with a strong focus on our country's economic issues and his proposals for fixing them.

According to news reports:

With the recession well into its second year, expect the remarks to be longer on the economy than on foreign affairs...The president is expected to show Americans how all the pieces [of his plans] fit together to make the economy sound again. There's the $787 billion just-signed stimulus bill, plus an even more expensive mix of rescues for the financial industry, auto companies and troubled mortgage holders.

He will touch on other priorities he says fit into the bigger picture. Potentially eye-popping expensive plans to broaden health care coverage to eventually insure everyone. Moving the country toward greener energy sources. Expanding education opportunities. Overhauling financial industry regulation.

And, he is all but certain to talk about the national debt and budget woes, stressing the need to get what he calls "exploding deficits" under control by controlling spending. His upcoming budget request will include his goal to slice the estimated $1.3 trillion annual deficit in half by the end of his first term.

The speech will air on all television networks, live, at 9pm EST tonight. Definitely check it out - and right afterward, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will give the Republican's response to the President's speech, also aired on the networks.

Make sure to watch tonight - and then come back here and let us know in the comments section what you thought about the speech. Agree with the ideas? Disagree? Have questions? Want to know more? We'll be watching, too, and be back tomorrow and throughout the week with our thoughts on the speech and reaction from young people around the country.

President Obama Signs Economic Recovery Legislation

President Obama just signed into law the economic recovery plan, the biggest and boldest investment in America’s economy we’ve seen in 40 years.

Seriously, this is a big deal. Our economy is in freefall – we lost 3.6 million jobs in the past year – and a major fix is needed, now.

President Obama’s plan will inject billions of dollars into the economy, a move leading economists say is desperately needed to create jobs and get people spending again. Governors – Democrats and Republicans alike – have made it clear that the plan will help stop worst-case scenario job losses and budget cuts in their states.

What does this plan mean for you? Whether you’re in the workforce, in school, or both, you, your friends, and your family probably will be impacted by it. Here’s some of what the plan will do:

• Create or save 3.5 million jobs, from teachers and electricians to construction workers and police officers.
  
  
• Help 7 million students afford college by upping the maximum Pell Grant by $500, to $5350, and providing a $2,500 tax credit for college tuition.
  
  
• Direct $53.6 billion to the states to prevent cutbacks and layoffs in local school districts, and to modernize or repair public schools and higher education institutions.
  
  
• Build or fix highways and bridges, improve mass transit and high-speed rail, invest in clean energy and green jobs, and bring Internet to underserved communities.
  
  
• Help recently unemployed workers pay for health care (a.k.a. COBRA) and make ends meet until they can get new jobs.


• Cut taxes for 95% of American workers, $400 if you’re single, $800 if you’re a couple.

That’s just some of it. Check out more details at Recovery.gov, the White House’s new site about the plan and what’s happening with it. And if you want a cool visual on how it will work, check out this video from our friends at the Center for American Progress.

Of course, the plan isn’t perfect - compromises were made, and it’s only one of several steps needed on our road to recovery.

But it’s a bold, important first step, and you helped make it happen: nearly 10,000 of you contacted Congress asking them to pass the strongest bill possible, and your involvement helped restore funding to save teachers’ jobs, create green jobs, invest in higher education, and provide health care help. Nice work.

Thanks for your action on this – we’ll keep you in the loop on how the plan rolls out throughout the year.

Dear President Ahmadinejad and President Obama: Support Generation Y Diplomacy

Check out an interesting open letter, from over at the Huffington Post, by Negar Razavi, a young Iranian-American, to the leaders of the United States and Iran.

"I write to you as an Iranian, as an American, as a young person, and most importantly, as an advocate for dialogue between Iran and the United States....

"You have both publicly stated your support for U.S.-Iran dialogue, and your governments are examining ways to launch such diplomacy. But dialogue between our two countries need not wait until Tehran and Washington sit down at the negotiation table.

"You can begin the process of dialogue by facilitating exchanges between young Americans and Iranians -- those who will gain the most from such interactions, yet have the least knowledge and understanding of the other...

"I have experienced first-hand how rewarding it can be to bring these young people together. In 2004, I co-led a delegation of American students to Iran for a dialogue exchange. The university in Tehran had never hosted Americans before, and the Americans had never traveled to Iran. For some of them, this was their first trip to a Muslim country. The two groups of students debated and discussed issues as diverse and as difficult as Abu Ghraib, terrorism, the role of the media, women's rights and art. On some issues we had clear differences, while on others we found common ground. Ultimately though, the process helped us gain a more nuanced and respectful understanding of the other....

"President Obama and President Ahmadinejad, if you are truly committed to dialogue, allow the young people from your countries to get to know each other. Remove the obstacles that keep them apart. These smart, motivated and innovative young people will find ways to interact, to learn from another, and ultimately to break apart the fear and misunderstandings that have developed between the Iranian and American people."

Check out the whole letter here - it's a fascinating read. Then tell us what you think: does the best chance for U.S.-Iran diplomatic relations lie with our generation?

Obama Talks Tonight - Tune in at 8pm

The latest news on the economic recovery plan that we've been covering here is that the Senate will vote on it tomorrow afternoon.

Before that happens, though, President Obama is taking his case to the people for the strongest plan possible - earlier today he was at a town hall meeting in Elkhart, IN. Tonight, he's holding his first White House press conference.

Make sure to tune in and check out what he has to say - the press conference will be broadcast on all the major TV networks at 8pm. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

And while you're at it, pick up the phone to contact your Senators - today's your last chance! Make sure they know how important it is to pass a big and bold stimulus plan. We're all depending on it.

Wall Street Accountability

So, President Obama just announced a $500,000 pay cap for executives at companies being propped up by taxpayer (a.k.a., your) money from last fall's bailout bill.

Makes sense to hold companies to certain reasonable standards when its public money that they're spending, right?

Apparently they disagree. Check out some of the Wall Street reaction to Obama's order:

“That is pretty draconian — $500,000 is not a lot of money, particularly if there is no bonus."
James F. Reda, founder and managing director of James F. Reda & Associates

“If I didn’t pay [bonuses], the people were going to go. … These people didn’t choose to cure cancer. These people didn’t choose to do public service work… These people chose to make money.”
Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric

Really?

With today's news that almost 600,000 Americans lost their jobs last month, it's hard to feel sorry for corporate executives struggling to make ends meet on a half million dollars a year.

(And, just leaving aside the disputable argument that the "$500,000 is not a lot of money," Obama's executive order actually allows plenty of room for executives to accept bonuses, just not bonuses paid for with our tax dollars.)

What do you think? How do you think we should be keeping Wall Street accountable?

A Time for Action

Congress and the new White House are getting to work on our country's critical issues - and so are we. They're moving fast - we've already seen action on children's health care and anti-discrimination laws - and we're right in the thick of it.

As a start, Rock the Vote is diving into the debate over how to fix our failing economy (see more below); over the next few months, we'll be taking action on the issues you told us matter most to you - health care, energy, climate change, voting rights, equality issues, higher education, and more, making sure your voices are heard in the debates and keeping you in the loop on what's happening.

Up right now? The economy, big time.

Our economy's in the dumps. We all know someone who’s lost a job, can’t pay for school, or doesn’t have health insurance – or we are that person. The list goes on, and it’s scary.

Last year, you made clear that you expected our incoming president to tackle our failing economy ASAP.

Now Congress and President Obama are taking action – and they need your help to pass a strong economic recovery bill.

Rock the Vote members nationwide are mobilizing to support the strongest economic recovery bill possible - with funds for job creation and training, investment in clean energy, higher education assistance, and support for health insurance - and to ensure the needs of young American workers and students are addressed. (learn more about the bill here)

Go to our Action Center to take a stand for a strong economic recovery package, and to learn what it's all about. Email and call your Senators today, and make sure to get your friends involved, too.

Stay tuned for updates on the economic bill - and on what's happening in D.C. throughout the year. And in the comments below, let us know what you want to hear more about. Health care? Higher education? Iraq? Voting rights? Tell us and we'll keep you in the loop.