Author Archives: Carlyn Reichel

About Carlyn Reichel

Carlyn Reichel joins the State Department having recently completed a Master’s degree in public policy. || While writing has long been one of Carlyn’s hobbies, it wasn’t until graduate school that she presumed she had something to say worth sharing – even when she didn’t. She previously worked in public relations and continues to be a political junkie, a history and literature nerd, and a concerned global citizen.

White House Launches Startup America Partnership

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Last week in his State of the Union address, President Obama emphasized the need for investment and innovation to drive America’s continued economic recovery.  Today, the White House and several senior cabinet members are joining some of the country’s leading entrepreneurs to launch the Startup America Partnership to help achieve Obama’s goal.

Bringing together partners from the public and private sectors, Startup America will help spur entrepreneurial development and increase both the number and success of high-growth startup ventures in the United States.  The Partnership is cofounded by the Kauffman Foundation, an organization dedicated to entrepreneurship, and the Case Foundation, a group founded to encourage civic engagement and philanthropy. 

So far, several American corporations have also pledged their support to the partnership and made commitments including:

  • $200 million of new investment in U.S. companies from Intel and advice on best practices from Intel’s senior leadership.
  • $150 million in investment in 2011 from IBM to fund programs that promote entrepreneurs and new business opportunities in the United States.
  • More than $4 million in 2011 from HP for their Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs, a program to help small business owners build commercial opportunities.
  • A new Facebook initiative called Startup Days to help entrepreneurs connect with business expertise, resources and engineers to accelerate their businesses. 

At the launch event, Obama highlighted the connection between entrepreneurship in America and a thriving economy.  “Entrepreneurs embody the promise of America: the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard and see it through, you can succeed in this country. And in fulfilling this promise, entrepreneurs also play a critical role in expanding our economy and creating jobs.”

Learn more about Startup America.

Administration Continues to Monitor Situation in Egypt

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President Obama and several senior members of his administration worked the phones over the weekend as they monitored unfolding developments in Egypt.  Media report that Obama has been communicating concrete steps for reform to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, including communicating with the opposition and lifting an emergency law in place since 1981 that gives the Egyptian government great power over the Egyptian people.  

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, and other Obama administration officials were also in contact with their counterparts in Egypt and other leaders in the region to promote communication and stability.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on several Sunday morning news shows to express American support for “an orderly transition” in Egypt to a more politically and economically open democracy.  (Read more.)

President Obama spoke to the media about the evolving situation late Friday afternoon.  Obama called on both sides to refrain from violence and urged the Egyptian government to reverse steps it had taken to crack down on protestors, including restoring internet and cellular communication networks. 

“The people of Egypt have rights that are universal,” Obama said in his statement. “That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and the ability to determine their own destiny.  These are human rights.  And the United States will stand up for them everywhere.”

Obama closed his remarks by hearkening back to the speech he delivered in Cairo in June 2009.  “When I was in Cairo, shortly after I was elected President, I said that all governments must maintain power through consent, not coercion. That is the single standard by which the people of Egypt will achieve the future they deserve.”

President Obama’s statement on the situation in Egypt.

President Obama’s June 2009 address in Cairo.

President Obama’s Cairo address translated into 17 languages.  

More Changes to White House Staff

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Vice President Biden with outgoing White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (right) and Jay Carney (center), who will replace Gibbs in early February.

Press reported yesterday that Jay Carney would replace Robert Gibbs as press secretary to President Obama.  Gibbs, who announced that he would be leaving the White House earlier this month, has been a long-time counselor to Obama and has said he will continue to be an outside advisor to the President’s re-election campaign for 2012. 

Carney has served as Vice President Biden’s communications director for the last two years, but has worked in and around Washington media for decades.  Prior to joining the Obama administration, he was a reporter and Washington bureau chief for TIME magazine for 20 years.  Carney will take over as the White House’s primary face to the media in early February.

The staffing changes were announced in an email to staff from White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, himself new to the position.  Several other internal staffing changes were also announced. 

You can read about previous White House staff changes here.  The choice of Carney as Gibbs’ replacement is expected to close out the staffing shake-up following the 2010 elections.  Such mid-term changes are typical occurrences for presidents half-way through their first terms.

Obama Answers YouTube Questions

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President Obama spent 40 minutes yesterday afternoon answering questions from the public on his State of the Union address submitted via YouTube.  According to Steve Grove, YouTube’s director of news and politics who used the questions to interview Obama, Americans submitted over 140,000 questions and cast over 1 million votes for which questions the President should answer. 

YouTube users submitted questions on substantive policy issues ranging from job creation for veterans and recent college graduates, to specifics on how the United States will pay for his State of the Union proposals for investment, to foreign policy and drug control policy.

During a rapid-fire round called “Get To Know Your President,” Obama answered more personal questions, including what the best and worst parts of his job are. 

“The best part of being President,” Obama said, “is every once in a while you do something that you know has a direct impact on somebody,” citing a woman who had been able to get her cancer treatment and keep her house because of health care reform.  “Toughest thing about being president is the bubble. I can’t go for a walk. I can’t go to the corner coffee shop. I can’t leave the house and not shave and have my sweats on. That is something that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.”  

The president also discussed his most memorable college class, gave a shout-out to some of his favorite scientists, and joked about Valentine’s Day plans with his wife. 

Watch President Obama’s YouTube interview.

Obama and the Snowstorm

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This morning, Washington is digging out from a winter storm that hit yesterday evening, covering the region in 8-12 inches of snow. The storm even affected President Obama’s return from a day trip to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, yesterday. 

Obama was in Wisconsin to discuss the policies he laid out in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night and stress the need for investment in clean energy.  On the production floor of Orion Energy Systems, a local firm that specializes in solar energy and energy-efficient technologies, Obama addressed workers and highlighted an unexpected tie-in to his speech the night before where he challenged the American people to seize a new “Sputnik moment” to spur innovation and development. 

“It was right here, almost 50 years ago — I couldn’t have made this up.  It wasn’t until I was on my way here that I found out that a chunk of metal came crashing down to the Earth right here…It turns out that it was part of a satellite called Sputnik that landed right here, and that set the Space Race into motion.  So I want to say to you today that it is here, more than 50 years later, that the race for the 21st century will be won.”

Obama toured Orion Energy and two other renewable energy factories in Wisconsin before departing ahead of schedule in an attempt to beat the snow storm hitting the East Coast of the United States.  Like many other D.C. commuters attempting to get home last night, however, Obama got stuck in traffic trying to get from Andrews Air Force Base, where the President’s plane lands, to the White House.  A trip that usually takes only 20 minutes took over an hour because the White House and police chose not to close streets for the President’s motorcade, which would have diverted resources from handling the snow emergency.

Read the full text of Obama’s speech on the American economy from Manitowoc.

Michelle Obama’s Letter to Parents

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In the wake of the attempted assassination of Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, many have asked what drives a person to open fire on a peacefully assembled crowd and what something like this says about the United States.  For children these questions can be particularly confusing and difficult.  To help cope, first lady Michelle Obama released an open letter to parents across the United States yesterday offering ways to talk to children about the heartbreaking events in Arizona and lessons we can all take away from the tragedy. 

“In the days and weeks ahead, as we struggle with these issues ourselves, many of us will find that our children are struggling with them as well.  The questions my daughters have asked are the same ones that many of your children will have – and they don’t lend themselves to easy answers.  But they will provide an opportunity for us as parents to teach some valuable lessons – about the character of our country, about the values we hold dear, and about finding hope at a time when it seems far away.

“We can teach our children that here in America, we embrace each other, and support each other, in times of crisis.  And we can help them do that in their own small way – whether it’s by sending a letter, or saying a prayer, or just keeping the victims and their families in their thoughts.

“We can teach them the value of tolerance – the practice of assuming the best, rather than the worst, about those around us.  We can teach them to give others the benefit of the doubt, particularly those with whom they disagree. 

“We can also teach our children about the tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women who serve our country and by their families.  We can explain to them that although we might not always agree with those who represent us, anyone who enters public life does so because they love their country and want to serve it.” 

Read the full letter.

Vice President Biden Visits Troops in Iraq

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After making a surprise visit to Afghanistan earlier this week, Vice President Biden rounded out his trip with a stop in Iraq, meeting with leaders of the newly formed Iraqi government and visiting with some of the remaining American troops stationed in the country.  Biden spoke about the work American troops are still doing in Iraq to train Iraqi forces and to help establish a strong foundation for Iraq’s infrastructure.  Continue reading →

Religious Freedom Day

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Freedom of religion is an establishing principle in the United States.  The Pilgrims who sailed from England to settle in the New World sought an escape from persecution and the ability to practice their religion freely and openly.  The separation of church and state was ensured at the federal level early on by the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  Ratified in 1791, the Founders adopted the first amendment and the Bill of Rights to ensure that certain basic human freedoms, including the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, and the freedom of religion, could never be abridged in the United States.  Continue reading →

A Nation in Mourning

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President Obama addressed a crowded stadium of mourners at the University of Arizona last night during a memorial ceremony for the victims of Saturday’s shooting in Tucson, Arizona.  Obama eulogized the six victims who lost their lives when a gunman open fired at an event in a grocery store parking lot in an alleged attempt to assassinate U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.  He also shared the hopeful news that, after surviving a point-blank gunshot wound to the head, Congresswoman Giffords had just opened her eyes for the first time since the shooting.  Continue reading →

Signing Off for Now

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This will be my last blog post to By the People for a while. Like Tanya before me, I’m off on a detail assignment for a few months to explore and better understand the workings of the State Department and the role we play in U.S. democracy. I will be back soon enough, and in the mean time, the rest of the team will continue to probe the depths of democracy and respond to your questions.

I will miss blogging though because it requires me to think more deeply about the big questions of democracy than I normally do in my day-to-day life. Putting my thoughts about democratic government into words for you all to read forces me to examine what lies at the heart of my beliefs and question if it is logically consistent or just something I heard once somewhere. Since one of those core beliefs is that constantly questioning received wisdom and the status quo is a crucial part of any healthy, functioning democracy, this blog has been something of an exercise in personal democracy for me.

The weekly challenge of coming up with something new to write about has also brought into clearer focus several of the issues democracy still faces here in the U.S.  The challenges of separating democratic governance from electoral politics, of respectfully considering and discussing opinions vastly different and even directly opposed to one’s own, of balancing the need for collective security while maintaining individual freedoms do not get any easier even in well-established democracies. Often times, they become even more complex and difficult to maneuver.

Democracy is inherently a very personal subject, and not just for us bloggers. Democracy affects everyone on multiple fronts, and everyone is charged to be an active participant. After all, it is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The personal nature of this subject often makes it a passionate one, and it is this passion that explains why men and women around the world stand up in the face of oppression, or how people who agree on 90 percent of things can argue so bitterly about the remaining 10 percent. It is just democracy in action.

We want to see your personality and your passion in the comments – so keep them coming! Until next time then…