Thursday, January 22, 2009
Talk to Barack Obama
[Although the whitehouse blog doesn't allow comments, here is where we, the people, can contact President Obama. It is done via email forms]
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/opl/
Office of Public Liason
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact
You can also call or write to the President:
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
Gifts & Items Sent to the White House
Items sent to the White House are often significantly delayed and can be irreparably harmed during the security screening process. Therefore, please do not send items of personal importance, such as family photographs, because items may not be returned.
For security reasons, please do not send consumable gifts -- such as food, flowers, and other perishable items -- to the White House. While President Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Biden, and Dr. Biden appreciate your thoughtfulness, they request that instead you look to your local community for opportunities to assist your neighbors in need.
Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD
Comments: 202-456-6213 Visitors Office: 202-456-2121
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Change has come to WhiteHouse.gov
Welcome to the new WhiteHouse.gov. I'm Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog. A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world. Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement. Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities: Communication -- Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions. Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities. Participation -- President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it. We'd also like to hear from you -- what sort of things would you find valuable from WhiteHouse.gov? If you have an idea, use this form to let us know. Like the transition website and the campaign's before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you. So thanks in advance for your patience and for your feedback. Later today, we’ll put up the video and the full text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. There will also be slideshows of the Inaugural events, the Obamas’ move into the White House, and President Obama’s first days in office. *Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
A National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation
Moments ago, in his first official act since taking the oath of office, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation, calling on Americans to serve one another and our common purpose on this National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation. Check it out below, or read it on the WhiteHouse.gov proclamations page.
* A Change Gonna Come: Whitehouse.gov Dec 27, 1996NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.
We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.
On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.
So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
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[This states that Obama signed executive orders today, though they are not on the website yet where Executive Orders can henceforth be found]A moment-by-moment look at President Obama's first full day in office: 8:35 a.m. Obama enters the Oval Office for the first time as chief executive. Alone only briefly, he reads a note left to him by former President Bush.8:45 a.m. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel enters the Oval Office to brief the president on the day's proceedings. 9:10 a.m. First Lady Michelle Obama joins the president in the Oval Office. 9:25 a.m. The Obamas walk to the presidential limousine, on the White House's south side.9:36 a.m. The presidential motorcade arrives at Washington National Cathedral for a prayer service. 10 a.m. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, enter the cathedral, with the president and first lady directly behind them. The four sit in the first row with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton. 10:16 a.m. As the cathedral organ and choir perform the national anthem, Obama places his right hand over his heart and sings with the congregation. 11:17 a.m.: Service at the cathedral ends after the Obamas, Bidens and Clintons join the congregation in singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." 11:27 a.m. The presidential motorcade leaves National Cathedral. 11:36 a.m. The motorcade arrives back at the White House. 1:18 p.m. Obama addresses staff members and Cabinet secretaries in Room 450 of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. 1:26-1:31 p.m. The president signs two executive orders and three presidential memorandums. Biden administers oaths for White House senior staffers. 2:30 p.m. Obama attends a White House open house. The president and first lady shake hands with the 200 guests in the Blue Room, which faces the Washington Monument. 3:15-3:45 p.m. Obama meets with economic advisors in a closed meeting in the Roosevelt Room. 4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. Obama meets with military commanders on Iraq in a closed meeting in the Situation Room. 7:35 p.m. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. re-administers the oath of office to Obama, at the White House. On Inauguration Day, Roberts -- and Obama repeating him -- had said the words of the oath slightly out of order. To make certain the oath met the constitutional requirement, they redid it. Both got it right this time. 8:30 p.m. Obama attends a party for White House staffers. Source: White House press pool reports. http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/executive_orders/
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