James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln notwithstanding, Newsweek has officially (and somewhat confusingly) declared openly straight Barack Obama the first gay president after last week's historic announcement on gay marriage. More of an ode to Bill Clinton being labeled the first black president than a nod to Barack's sexuality, Andrew Sullivan writes: "When you step back a little and assess the record of Obama on gay rights, you see, in fact, that this was not an aberration. It was an inevitable culmination of three years of work." Sullivan goes on to point out that Obama has much in common with LGBT ilk, noting, "He had to discover his black identity and then reconcile it with his white family, just as gays discover their homosexual identity and then have to reconcile it with their heterosexual family." more ›

In light of this week's announcement that Barack Obama supports gay marriage, making him the first-ever sitting U.S. President to make such a profound statement, response to the news has been mostly positive. Even noted conservative and Hunky Jesus hater Andrew Sullivan described himself as "uncharacteristically at a loss for words," adding, "Obama did more than make a logical step. He let go of fear. He is clearly prepared to let the political chips fall as they may. That's why we elected him. That's the change we believed in." Following are other reactions to Obama's "evolved" stance on same-sex marriage. more ›

Spare $35,800? Or need a date? Because there are few things we love more than this scene from Waiting to Exhale. And this SFist editor would like to personally thank Angela Bassett for bringing it into our world, into our simple life. See, Bassett will join President Barack Obama and actress turned celebrity chef Gwyneth Paltrow on May 9 for a special presidential fundraiser at an undisclosed San Francisco home. Which house? No idea. But it's sure to be an opulent one, we can only assume. And tickets will run at $35,800 per person. (Hey, it beats a BBQ with Toby Keith, Patricia Heaton, and Mitt Romney.) more ›

While visiting San Francisco for a couple of fundraisers on Thursday, President Barack Obama stopped off at Chinatown's Great Eastern Restaurant to grab some dim sum. Many of us have done this before, right? Right. They have some of the best dim sum in town. However, did you know that Great Eastern still sells shark fin, which was banned at the start of 2012? That's right, Obama buys dim sum at restaurants that aid in the destruction and depletion of the shark population. Classic socialist behavior. more ›

Comparing Barack Obama's campaign to "a fragile patient who must be checked on every day," noted Winfrey-esque new-age thinker Deepak Chorpa penned a piece in today's Chronicle, one that shows a reasonable fear that Obama won't get reelected. And since "no sitting President since Roosevelt has been re-elected with unemployment over 7.4%," there's a mild-to-sorta-good chance that President Romney could be on the horizon come November. But. That doesn't mean the Republican party's "ostrich with its head in the sand"-like stance on, well, almost everything won't resulting in handing Obama the election on a red, white, and blue commemorative plate. more ›

With full support from Republicans (and none from Democrats, naturally), the House voted today to subpoena the White House for any and all records regarding Solyndra, the Fremont, California-based solar company that imploded this year after receiving a $535 million loan from the Obama administration in 2009. more ›

President Barack Obama's impending San Francisco visit for a fundraiser at the W Hotel this afternoon will result in several street closures for at least one hour. If you drive or ride on the following streets at noon today, please find an alternate route: more ›

President Barack Obama will make a pitstop in the Bay Area tomorrow to attend an afternoon campaign fundraiser in San Francisco at...the W Hotel? (That's like hosting a dinner for Prince Charles at Blowfish Sushi, yes? Not that Blowfish or the W are terrible. It's just, you know, the St. Regis is but a few steps down the block. Anyway.) According to SF Appeal, "Ticket prices for the event--which will feature a performance by Jack Johnson--start at $5,000 and roughly 200 people are set to attend." more ›

Mayoral candidate Dennis Herrera's kid, Declan, wrote a letter to President Obama about the importance of making same-sex marriage legal. And it's totally cute! And sweet. And wildly accurate. It reads: "I think same sex marriage should be allowed because people love each other, then they should be able to get married no matter what. Just because they're a male or female doesn't meant they shouldn't be able to get married. because eveyobody' is differnt in one way or another. No person is exactly the same." more ›

Today in Local TV news stories: a biplane pilot flying out of Watsonville, CA on a little sightseeing trip yesterday suddenly found himself the target of an F-15 assigned to protect the President during his most recent trip to the Bay Area. The tiny propeller plane, whose top speed is apparently comparable to drivers on a traffic-free stretch of Route 101, drifted in to the 30-mile no-fly-zone and was almost immediately picked up by the fighter jet assigned to patrol the area. more ›

Monday afternoon post-lunch distraction alert: Your San Francisco Giants are currently enjoying their off day at the White House Rose Garden where President Obama is scheduled to honor the World Championship baseball team at 1 p.m. PST. more ›

Here it is. The video you've been waiting, like, three years for: Michelle Obama hands the President a crying baby. Said baby stops crying. Magical. more ›

One of the few (and perhaps only) remaining voices of untarnished activism in San Francisco, Michael Petrelis, interviewed LGBT Community Center executive director Rebecca Rolfe about the Center's unyielding support of AT&T and its pending merger with T-Mobile. Last week, if you recall, six GLAAD board members, as well as President Jarrett Barrios, were forced to resign due to the organization’s involvement in the proposed merger. (What with a Democrat sitting n the Oval Office, AT&T looks to left-learning organizations to help bend Obama's ear for merger approval. If this were the Bush era of a few years ago, AT&T would probably be hitting up the other end of the spectrum, the NRA, etc.) more ›

Let's just get this out of the way: Michelle Obama is, arguably, one of the greatest First Ladies, ever. Not only can she execute vibrant colors and exciting styles -- which, for us, is of the utmost importance in a leading lady -- but she also loves a good tamale. And how. During a Cinco de Mayo party at the White House, President Barack Obama used his wife for a few harmless food jokes. Gawker reports: "[Obama] prepared for the crowd all sorts of Mexico-related jokes, for which the First Lady served as a useful prop at times. Mexican food is Michelle's favorite, Obama said, adding that 'you do not want to be between Michelle and a tamale.' " more ›

Aside from ruining traffic around town this morning, President Obama also made multiple Town Hall-style appearances yesterday. The first happened down in Palo Alto, where speaking engagements at massive tech companies are the new speaking engagements at union rallies. Presumably feeling a little left out, Lite Gov Gavin Newsom snuck in a cameo at FacebookHQ to bask the warm, hopey glow of the President and Mark Zuckerberg. Gavin's hair can be spotted in the first 10 seconds of footage from yesterday's event, currently streaming on FacebookLive. more ›

U.S.-born citizen and President of the United States, Barack Obama, will be in San Francisco on 4/20. If you'd like to see him speak live at his campaign kickoff, and donate to his reelection campaign, you can catch him at the Nob Hill Masonic Center on Wednesday for a scant $25. Hopefully -- get it, hopefully? -- he'll talk about fulfilling some of the promises he flaked on during his first few years in the Oval Office. Expect a speech by a charismatic Obama, tunes by DJ Hope, and a performance by Goapele. More details. Nob Hill Masonic Center, 1111 California (at Taylor) more ›

When President Barack Obama comes to San Francisco later this month, you can meet the most powerful man in the world for a hefty price -- $35,000 to be exact. "Obama supporters acknowledge that the $35,800 per person San Francisco Obama Victory Fund dinner may represent a new pricetag high for political fundraising," reports the Chronicle's Carla Marinucci. "After all, loyal Dems thought the ceiling was reached last Oct. 21, when tickets to that Obama dinner in the Palo Alto home of Google executive Marissa Mayer hit an astonishing $30,800 per person." more ›

SFist commenter Mike informed us that, after SFist posted this article about an Obama supporter allegedly beaten on Monday for his left-leaning ways, said supporter wasn't all he seemed. The nerve. Mike proudly writes, "As misreported by KCBS, the SF Examiner, SFWeekly, and SFist, here are the Larouche cultists who set up shop outside the Buena Vista Bank of America branch and trolled some girl into ripping up their sign. Shockingly, they called the cops and managed to spin the story as an assault on an Obama supporter. Touché, guys, touché." more ›

SFist commenter fizzandpop captures the mule-like tone of the entertaining Tea Party sect via the following comment on President Barack Obama's re-election bid. Behold: more ›

Much to no one's surprise, President Barack Obama announced his bid for re-election in the 2012 election on Monday. "Obama formally launched his re-election campaign Monday, urging grass-roots supporters central to his first White House run to mobilize again to protect the change he's brought over the past two years" reports Associated Press. While Obama hasn't done nearly as much as one had hoped for during his brief tenure, he did manage to help erase some of the last eight years prior to his taking office. (The clumsy Bush administration, as you know, could go down as the worst eight years in modern U.S. history.) more ›

President Barack Obama will make another trip to the Bay Area in April. Why? A White House representative cryptically explained to The Chronicle that Obama "plans to strengthen our economy and win the future" during his stay here. OK then. more ›

After news broke that Obama will no longer defend DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Maeo) released the following statement: more ›

Word just came down from the White House that President Obama's administration will,, according to KRON 4 Morning News, "no longer defend a constitutional clause that bans the recognition of same-sex marriage." Which is to say, Obama will not defend DOMA. We'll update as soon as we hear more. more ›

For your viewing... pleasure? Here's a photo of President Barack Obama, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Steve Jobs, among other luminaries, having dinner on Thursday night. And, best of all, they're drinking white wine. more ›

As SFist reported yesterday, Barack Obama will hold dinner party tonight featuring a bevy of privileged dorks from Silicon Valley, who will chitchat about "[p]romoting American innovation, and [a] commitment to new investments in research and development, education and clean energy." Zzzz. more ›

President Barack Obama's visit to San Francisco this Thursday will involve a meet and greet "with a number of business leaders in fields of technology and innovation," according to NBC Bay Area. What will they discuss? The White House would only say the power group "will discuss our shared goal of promoting American innovation, and discuss his commitment to new investments in research and development, education and clean energy." more ›