**** Heads Up: Barack Obama Returns to Iowa City! Live, 2pm EDT! ****

[Clio the Leo]

.... with a new health care law in his hand!!! :applause:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream1

[jenmito]

1. Here's another one:

http://live.cnn.com/

[Clio the Leo]

2. The crowd is both "fired up" AND "ready to go!" NT

[jenmito]

3. As am I!

:D

[tishaLA]

4. Psssssst. Right now, Moment of Silence for Sen Kennedy in the Senate

[Clio the Leo]

6. It's amazing to listen to these two moments happening simultaneously.

Senators casting their final votes on this health care package as the President delivers the new law to the public.

The West Wing writers couldn't have done it any better.

[Clio the Leo]

5. Crowd: O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!!!!

[Clio the Leo]

7. Sec. Sebelius is greeted with a huge ovation. NT

[Clio the Leo]

8. jokes about Northern Iowa beating her Jayhawks.

Suddenly the President's NCAA winner makes a lot more sense. ;)

[Clio the Leo]

9. Sibelius: Its never about the pundents, it's never about the polls....

... it's how you play the game.

[Clio the Leo]

10. Sebelius: "They said it couldn't be done..."

simulaneously: Senate clerk: "Aye."

Seriously .... top THAT Aarok Sorken!!! .... I'm about to cry.

[Clio the Leo]

11. POTUS up now! NT

[quiet.american]

12. And looking great, Clio! They are fired up! nt

[azmouse]

13. This President knows how to fire up a crowd!!

:)

[Clio the Leo]

14. Jacket has been removed....

... and while Chuck Todd thinks this is an effort by the President to seem more common, I think he's probably just hot. :)

[cyberswede]

49. I was there - it was frickin' hot in there!

Here's a photo I took right after he took off his jacket:

[Clio the Leo]

15. POTUS: You all ruined my NCAA bracket, but I'm routing for you now! NT

(talking about Northern Iowa, not the University of Iowa.)

[Clio the Leo]

16. Reminds the crowd that he promised to sign health insurance reform into law...

... by the end his first term. Promised it two years ago .... "juut around the corner."

Crowd roars to their feet shouting YES WE CAN!!!

He says, "YES WE DID!"

First time *I* remember him saying "Yes we did!" (on election night, he said, "Yes we will!")

[Clio the Leo]

17. POTUS: You never lost sight of what was right and what was wrong...

... you knew this was never about one party.

The future looks brighter than it has in some time ...... BECAUSE OF YOU!

[MadBadger]

18. Was something shouting something?

[Parker CA]

19. Hahahhahahaha!! "Armageddon. So after the bill passed I looked around to see if any asteroids were

falling. It was a nice day."

Mocking the GOP for their end of the world rhetoric.

He's ON FIRE!!

[Clio the Leo]

20. "After I signed the bill, I looked around to see if there were any asteroids falling...."

"or cracks opening up in the earth. Turns out it was a nice day! Birds were chirping....."

[Parker CA]

24. That was absolutely fantastic. Push that BS right back at those fools spouting it.

[Clio the Leo]

27. It DID rain here.... I should point that out.

.... when he signed the bill, it rained.

Darned Obama ..... makin' it rain on them hoes! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dPjONDN3ZI

[Clio the Leo]

21. Turns out that if you like your plan, you can keep it!

Good to know! ;)

[Parker CA]

22. "Oops, it looks like somebody may have fainted."

[Clio the Leo]

23. Folks are fainting again.

It's like watching the Beatles perform. (only with shorter hair)

[jenmito]

25. "They said it would be Armageddon if this passed. So after I signed it into law, I looked around,

checked for any cracks in the ground...turns out it was a beautiful day-birds chirping..." :D

[Clio the Leo]

26. Repeats the benefits that will go into effect this year. NT

[Clio the Leo]

28. POTUS continues to repeat what he's been saying for weeks....

.... about what's involved in the plan.

[Clio the Leo]

29. Someone shouts "it doesn't contain a public option!"

President says, "that's not in it!" "why!" "because we couldn't get it through Congress! ....... this bill's not perfect, as this man just told you...."

Crowd cheers when he points out it will cover 32 million people.

[azmouse]

33. Could you even begin to imagine boosh handling that with such skill?

[Clio the Leo]

39. never in a million yeas. NT

[LeftyAndProud60]

30. Single Payer/Public Option crazies talking over POTUS. He gets it from alls sides. NT

[Writer]

35. I am sooo wondering if certain DU'ers live in Iowa. n/t

[Clio the Leo]

40. I didn't realize Jane Hamsher's voice was that deep. :-) NT

[Drunken Irishman]

31. Pres. Obama sure knows how to handle loud-mouths.

[Parker CA]

32. "They're actually going to run on a platform of repeal in Nov. I say go for it."

[Parker CA]

36. "This country's goin forward!"

[Clio the Leo]

34. The GOP wants to repeal this bill, I tell them, GO FOR IT!

If you want to rob the voters of the benefits this bill provides, let 'em! (paraphrased)

[Clio the Leo]

37. "If this young man thinks this bill is bad (because it doesn't have a PO), he can run to repeal it!"

Looks him straight in the eye and dares him, lumping those who want to complain about the bill because of a lack of PO in the same camp as the GOP.

I think he just dispensed with that meme .... seems suddenly trite and foolish.

Fools rush in .... where wise men fear to tread. It's never a good idea to challenge The Obama to a debate. ;)

[stranger81]

38. I love listening to Barack. Never gets old.

He's just amazing.

[Clio the Leo]

41. Walks off the stage to "Only in America!" ..... good idea

.... "Stars and Stripes" is lovely .... but nothing beats a good old fashioned campaign pop tune.

[FrenchieCat]

45. Was the seal on his podium?

Cause I know that he had said there would be a difference kept
between him campaigning and him doing Presidential business.

[Drunken Irishman]

46. This felt different than the rallies last week.

Last week, they ended with Stars & Stripes Forever.

I miss that. :(

[Clio the Leo]

48. Yeah back then insurance companies could deny coverage to us...

... things change. :)

[Clio the Leo]

47. Yeppers...

I think what you're referring to is when he's campaigning for another candidate. He's never used the seal (that I can recall) because he's campaigning for one party over another.

In any other capacity, like this one, he's acting as the President, what he's talking about affects everyones. When he's campaigning for someone else, he does it as the head of the Dem. party.

[LeftyAndProud60]

42. Those exchanges sound like a public option to me. NT

[BlueGirlRedState]

43. The Secret Service look more serious than usual

You know there's a lot of tension and worry on their part.

[Clio the Leo]

44. yeah .... and you can tell the remark made the President mad....

.... had a scrowl on his face when he was done ... kind of collected himself and started smiling again when he went to shake hands w/the crowd.