President Jonathan meets President Obama at the White House on Wednesday

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to the White House

President Obama will welcome President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to the White House on Wednesday, June 8.

The President looks forward to consulting with President Jonathan on the latest regional and global developments, and deepening our strong bilateral partnership.

Half of Americans Unlikely to Vote to Re-Elect Barack Obama

President Barack Obama's killing of Osama bin Laden is not enough to re-elect him

19 May 2011 16:19 Africa/Lagos


President Obama's Job Rating Unchanged Since Early May, but Half of Americans Unlikely to Vote to Re-Elect Him

Employment/Jobs and the Economy still most important issues for government to address

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- While President Obama's job ratings may not have changed much from the gain they saw after the death of Osama Bin Laden, there are some shifts the White House probably should worry about as they pertain to his re-election numbers. Currently, 45% of Americans give the President positive ratings for the overall job he is doing while 55% give him negative ratings. Earlier this month, right after the death of the terrorist leader, 46% gave President Obama positive ratings and 54% gave him negative marks.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO)

There are two groups that give President Obama higher ratings. Among regions, 54% of Westerners give him positive marks compared to 40% of Southerners, 42% of Easterners and 44% of those in the Midwest. Almost two-thirds of those with a post graduate degree (64%) give the President positive ratings as do 49% of college graduates and half of those with some college education (50%) while just one third of those with a high school diploma or less (34%) give President Obama positive ratings.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,184 adults surveyed online between May 9 and 16, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

Congress, which did not get much of a post-Osama killing bump, also hasn't seen their ratings change much in the past two weeks. Earlier in the month, 13% of Americans gave them positive ratings while 87% gave them negative ones. Now, 12% of U.S. adults give them positive marks while 88% of U.S. adults give Congress negative ratings for their overall job.

Also slipping downward slightly is the direction of the country. Just under two in five Americans (38%) say the country is going in the right direction, down one point from earlier this month. Slightly over three in five say the country is going off on the wrong track (62%), up one point from early May. One reason for this overall sense of dissatisfaction is still the economy. One-third of Americans (33%) say that employment/jobs are one of the two most important issues for the government to address, unchanged from January. One in three U.S. adults (29%) says the most important issue is the economy overall, up from 24% who said this in January. Rounding out the top five most important issues to be addressed is healthcare (18%), the budget deficit/national debt (17%) and gas and oil prices (12% up from 1% who said this in January).

It is this worry and concern over the economy that may be driving the numbers the White House is starting to care most about – likelihood of the American public to vote for President Obama again next November. Half of Americans (49%) say they are unlikely to vote for Barack Obama if the election for president were held today, up from 47% who said this in early May. Just over two in five Americans (43%) say they are likely to vote for him, down from 46% who said so earlier this month. Even more concerning for the re-election committee is that one in five Democrats (20%) say they are not likely to vote for the President while 7% at not at all sure.

So What?

The death of Osama Bin Laden brought the country together, but the question was always how long would that cohesion last. So far, the overall job ratings for the President are holding steady, but at this point in the election cycle President Obama and his advisors are not just thinking about the current job he has, but of extending it for another four years. Come next November, voters will be asking themselves if they are better off than they were in 2009. If the answer isn't yes, there could be issues for the re-election chances of President Obama.


Click here for all the details

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Michelle Obama and Her Mother On the Cover of ESSENCE Magazine!

7 Apr 2009 13:26 Africa/Lagos

ESSENCE Magazine's White House Exclusive!

SPECIAL MAY COVER STORY FEATURES FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA AND HER MOTHER

NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- ESSENCE's May issue celebrates Mother's Day in a special way -- with two of the most popular mothers in the world! In their first interview together, First Lady Michelle Obama and her mother, Marian Shields Robinson, 71, did a sit down interview in the White House during their first photo shoot together to speak to ESSENCE editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray about retaining their family values, what it takes to raise good kids and being role models for the Black community. They were photographed exclusively for ESSENCE at the White House on February 24th.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090407/NY95539 )


In the article, A Mother's Love, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Robinson also share their personal thoughts on some of the challenges facing families today and provide practical tips for parents everywhere. In addition, the issue features a special Mother's Day message from President Barack Obama on why he is thankful for his wife and mother-in-law.


"We wanted our ESSENCE readers to see first-hand the dynamic bond between First Lady Michelle Obama and Mrs. Robinson. Both of these ladies are phenomenal women in their own right, and are each others' greatest fans. Their relationship is inspiring -- and they are a wonderful example for mothers and daughters everywhere," said Burt-Murray.


Some of the quotes from the cover story include...

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA ON...


-- ADVANCING THE ROLE OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE: "We have to talk about flex
hours and exercise and nutrition and health and what that means. And
we have to talk about values, and about our relationships with men.
All of those are part of the conversation that I think we need to
have, not just in this country but around the world."


-- COMBATING STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN: "The women
in videos and the stereotypes are just not the truth of who we are as
a community. We already know that because we are living these lives
every single day. It's nice to have this reminder in the White House,
but I would say we don't need it...all you need to do is look around
your own community and you will see this same family in churches and
in schools."

MRS. MARIAN ROBINSON ON...


-- ADVICE ON RAISING CHILDREN: "The main thing that I think needs to be
taught to children is the ability to think and make decisions. You
don't have to have a lot of information, but you have to know how to
get through the process. If you make mistakes you don't [just] decide
I will never do that again."


-- ENJOYING LIFE IN THE WHITE HOUSE: "...I really am. You want to know
why? Because my children are good parents. It makes it very easy to be
a grandmother when your children are good parents."


Visit Essence.com for more on this story and behind-the-scenes images from this photo shoot, and pick up the May 2009 issue of ESSENCE on newsstands now.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090407/NY95539
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN10
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: ESSENCE Magazine

CONTACT: Dana Baxter, +1-212-522-1634, dbaxter@essence.com, Sheila
Harris, +1-212-522-1089, sharris@essence.com, both of ESSENCE Magazine


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