Updates from President Obama’s 4-hour Seattle visit

(President Obama at the Paramount; photos courtesy Cindy S)
11:58 AM: According to our friends at KING 5, President Obama has just arrived at Boeing Field – which means you might encounter motorcade traffic. (Watch their coverage here.) He’s scheduled to head first to a fundraiser on the Eastside and then to another one at the Paramount Theater downtown. According to Seattle Times (WSB partner) political reporter Jim Brunner via Twitter, the president’s welcoming party at Boeing Field includes King County Executive Dow Constantine as well as Mayor McGinn and Governor Gregoire (among others).

1:03 PM: Roads are open right now since the President is in Medina for fundraiser #1, but he’ll be heading back across the lake before too long, and on to the Paramount event. For minute-by-minute traffic updates, check this KING 5 page; also remember we have an array of West Seattle-and-vicinity “live” cameras on the WSB Traffic page.

3:21 PM: Per KING, the President is headed back to Boeing Field right now, after finishing his speech at the Paramount downtown. (Added above – Cindy S’s photo of NBA Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkens, who introduced him.)

3:58 PM: After four hours on the ground, Air Force One has taken off and President Obama is off to the Bay Area.

Reports on today’s visit: Seattle Times here; LA Times here

Tkchamp September 25, 2011 (12:18 pm)

Thank you WSB! I’ve been sitting here on I5 wondering what’s going on and sure enough I get the answer from you! :)

Diane September 25, 2011 (12:28 pm)

I’m surprised they actually shut down traffic on I-5 for the motorcade; don’t remember that as usual protocol
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and makes me crazy that we live in a culture where golf & football are more important for tv stations to cover than LIVE footage of the President of the Unites States in Seattle; grrrrr

WSB September 25, 2011 (12:35 pm)

Unfortunately, the football games are by contract. Before we moved here 20 years ago, the Gulf War broke out with Scud missile attacks during a sporting event and I swear the TV station for which I worked did split-screen coverage. Really.

Jiggers September 25, 2011 (1:08 pm)

Who cares about Obama..

Christi September 25, 2011 (1:43 pm)

FYI, you’ve got the wrong jim brunner linked.

correct is: http://twitter.com/#!/Jim_Brunner

WSB September 25, 2011 (2:39 pm)

yeah, I noticed that a short time ago, Christi, my fault for not just linking the exact tweet, fixing – TR

Wayne September 25, 2011 (2:04 pm)

How about a culture that elects a president that thinks golf and vacations are more important than the nation.

Diane September 25, 2011 (2:08 pm)

thanks TR; those are crazy twisted priorities
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how insane is it that the President is here, and zero live tv coverage; thank god for my friends on facebook posting pics and updates from inside the Paramount

marty September 25, 2011 (2:21 pm)

The football games are PUBLIC events, this Presidential visit is a PRIVATE event.

foyboy September 25, 2011 (2:30 pm)

They had to close I5 down so the prez could get to all his billionare contributor friends tea party. There he will talk about how in touch they are with the little man.

Diane September 25, 2011 (3:06 pm)

no marty; our President’s visit is a PUBLIC event, at the Paramount

Noelle September 25, 2011 (4:04 pm)

Wouldn’t detailed live coverage of the Prez on any trip be a bit of a security/safety issue?

WSB September 25, 2011 (4:22 pm)

Noelle – live video of speeches wouldn’t be out of the question. At least the Paramount one. But this is a whole different media world. The main TV signal is just not where you’re going to get most live news events unless they are gigantic, massive, etc., and you can argue both sides of this one. What I don’t know is whether it was carried live anywhere – even on the White House’s own website, which I doubt, since it was considered NOT a public event OFFICIALLY, as it is a campaign trip and not an official-business trip. Lots of TV reporters were tweeting about it so I’m sure excerpts will be on the evening newscasts – maybe somebody rolled video on the whole thing and will put that up “raw” on a website, if it’s not there already – TR

Rob September 25, 2011 (4:10 pm)

It was also a private event on the eastside. $35,800 per couple to hear him speak.

Adam September 25, 2011 (4:28 pm)

The traffic jam created by the I-5 closure was spectacular – they closed it around noon, an hour before the Seahawks game. Anyone trying to get to Sodo was screwed. I was driving east on I90 (avoiding this mess, luckily) and traffic in the other direction was at a standstill from I-5 to mercer island.

Mn September 25, 2011 (5:03 pm)

Can Obama still do no wrong!!!
Don’t think so

Jiggers September 25, 2011 (5:14 pm)

Isn’t that money donated deductibile?

rosenlaw September 25, 2011 (5:51 pm)

What? Dear Leader was here, and nobody told me?

Of course, even if I was interested in that kind of pinko nonsense, I’m not in the league of the snotty Medina crowd to be able to donate to his campaign.

I’d love to read a list of all the attendees for THAT little function. I’m sure it would totally blow the tired argument that only republicans have deep pocket, big business doners. Because we don’t have anyone like THAT around here, right?

WSB September 25, 2011 (6:16 pm)

I don’t know that the whole 65-attendee list will turn up anywhere, but from KING’s story, besides the host, a former Microsoft executive: “Noteworthy attendees at the Medina event included Bill Neukom, the San Francisco Giants general manager; Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco, and Gerald Grinstein, strategic director Madrona Venture Group, previously CEO of Delta.”

Neighbor September 25, 2011 (6:41 pm)

According to that list I would hardly say anyone on it’s “pinko”, instead the list seems to cover the corporate, 1% crowd that has benefitted from this, oh so great capitalistic free for all we’ve been deluded by.
Now if the Boeing unions, or hell if Tacoma Teachers Union were there then maybe I’d agree that the hall was filled a bunch of “pinkos” that teach our kids and keep our military flying were present in the crowd.
If the teabaggers weren’t such a racist, ignorant group of clowns they might actually realize the unions and the pinkos are right in what is wrong with this country, too bad they are so willing to be played by the corporatists all in the name of freedom. Orwell was just off a couple of years.

Rob September 25, 2011 (7:18 pm)

He comes to town, jacks up traffic and collects $2,275,000. Then he takes off. Wouldn’t it be something if politicians re- invested all the money they make to help us?

Admiral Lady September 25, 2011 (7:30 pm)

I agree w/ Rob. Seems there is a lot of disposable income around here and it goes to this clown?

Mn September 25, 2011 (7:41 pm)

Well said admiral lady

metrognome September 25, 2011 (7:54 pm)

yeah, I’m really glad that faux good ol’ boy and hardworking cattle rancher and brush cutter George Dubya Bush never tried nuthin like this when he was pretending to be president. We shore woulda been tuff on that rascal if he slipped into town, jammed the freeways and fled just so he could fleece the uber wealthy in Medina and not have any words with us regular folk.
What? This ‘common man’ who bought a ranch just before he ran for prez and put it up for sale the day he left office and never had any cattle on it did exactly that? A couple of times? Never saw anyone but the wealthy? And some staged press events at a military base so he would look like the CIC and a former military man? Oh. Never mind.

RG September 25, 2011 (7:59 pm)

TR, didn’t the White House have to pre-empt the Presidential Address last year because it conflicted with the season premere of the tv show Lost? That was just plain sad.
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Today I saw AF1 and it was really awesome because it flew low and there was also a bald eagle flying in the sky at the same time. I wish I had my camera at the ready.

McGinn One Term mayor September 25, 2011 (8:13 pm)

God Bless President Obama and God Bless the USA.

He inherited a horrible mess, he is slowly cleaning it up.

Wayne September 25, 2011 (8:56 pm)

I saw the President’s motorcade. His limo had the bumper sticker “I’d rather be golfing”

Kate K September 25, 2011 (9:17 pm)

I’d like to see campaign finance reform and take the money out of politics so politicians can serve the public that elected them instead of fundraising all the time.

Mack September 25, 2011 (9:35 pm)

During his presidency, I remember George W. Bush coming to Bellevue twice for fundraising. Both times it happened on a weekday, and neither time did Bush appear at a public venue. Oh yeah, the residual traffic jam was horrible.

Terry September 25, 2011 (9:41 pm)

Tool. Hope you had a good time in SeaTown on our dime. Maybe next timw we will take a peek at the resume before electing a clown to run the free world.

marty September 25, 2011 (9:42 pm)

Diane: If the Paramount was a public event, this quote from the Times must be wrong and you must be right.
“Unlike his last visit to Seattle in October, Obama’s trip included no public events. Instead, the president took his message to an exclusive audience at a posh Medina estate and to a larger crowd inside the Paramount Theatre as part of a West Coast fundraising swing expected to raise millions.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016315301_obamavisit26m.html

Jiggers September 25, 2011 (11:13 pm)

Hey Rob..Don’t you know that politicians don’t care about us on Main Street by now.

C. Porter September 25, 2011 (11:28 pm)

While I respect that every one has an opinion, when did we reach a point where being the President of the United States relegated you to criticism worthy of a criminal: “clown”, “Pinko”, “Who cares about Obama”. If we stop and think about the message we are sending: You can’t disagree with someone unless you tear them apart, how can we ever expect anyone to take responsibility for anything. I grew up with the understanding that respect is something you offer because you are civil and kind human being. I was always allowed to disagree but in a respectful manner because that is what civilized people do. If you don’t like the President you do not have to vote for him, but at least show some level of decency for the leader of your country that has a tremendous amount of work to do on your behalf – whether you know that or not.

Obama.who? September 26, 2011 (12:06 am)

@mcginn one time mayor-
Yeah Ty Obama for the rising debt, the 14 million unemployed, the never bringing all the troops home, and the finger pointing to everyone in dc but yourself. Ty for the 4 years of service but it’s time for you to go. I’m willing to try a new liar out as a president than to re-elect you.

Obama.who? September 26, 2011 (12:10 am)

@ porter
Just because you think our president is great doesn’t mean every one else does. I voted for McCain and the last few years the only thing I’ve liked from Obama was the skits of jokes from Leno. The only thing he has done is bail the banks and car companies out. Which didn’t benefit any of his voters. The American people are tired of all the talking we want results!!

knarlos September 26, 2011 (12:44 am)

Hey jiggers, dont you have some fox news to watch?

Mn September 26, 2011 (5:50 am)

C.porter
Whilst you raise your argument so eloquently it is refreshing to finally hear some jabs thrown at a democrat
As a republican in Seattle it is nothing short of disgusting what I have to listen to on a daily basis daily with regards to mean
spirited comments
Just sayin!!

Kayleigh September 26, 2011 (9:13 am)

The petty and meanspirited comments on this thread are obnoxious.I think I will go re-read the outpouring of support on the hate crime story to remind me that many of my neighbors do, in fact, do have live, beating, progressive, caring hearts.

Jiggers September 26, 2011 (9:25 am)

Yep..I only watch the hotties on Fox, but turn the volume off and watch their lips move.lol Don’t let the wool be pulled over your eyes.

Diane September 26, 2011 (1:07 pm)

Seattle Times is often wrong
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this is where I got info about Obama event; looks like anyone/public could have attended, if they could afford a ticket
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http://bit.ly/nNIgp8
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just as sports events/football games are open to anyone/public who can afford to buy a ticket
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doesn’t look to me like the Paramount event was invite only/private

marty September 26, 2011 (4:27 pm)

Diane: This is from your source:

There, at the Paramount Theatre, the president hosts an “Obama Victory Fund 2012 – Lunch with President Obama” event catered by Tom Douglas. General admission runs $1,000.

I guess you think an entry fee of $1,000 made it a public event. I don’t….