Obama Family Interview

Sasha and Malia Obama

From the first press conference as President-elect, Obama made it clear that his daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, would be defining factors of his presidency. He talked about the dog he promised the girls that would be coming with them to the White House. The first issue: the dog must be hypoallergenic to accommodate Malia’s allergies.

"On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog," he said. "But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me. So the -- so, whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household."

Beyond gaining a new dog, the girls will gain a new life in Washington, leaving their Hyde Park community and prestigious University of Chicago Laboratory School. Michelle Obama chose another prestigious elementary school Sidwell Friends School, similar to Lab. Quakers founded Sidwell in 1883 and educated generations of DC’s elite.

The scrutiny and spotlight will be a difficult burden to bear, but with the resume and stability of Chelsea Clinton, the White House can definitely bring advantages to childhood.

(1) http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1268791,obama-press-conference-dog-110908.article

(2) http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-education/2008/11/24/obama-girls-opt-for-a-posh-private-school.html

(3) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5086243.ece

Bad Blago

Before Tuesday, Illinois questioned who would fill the seat of their fast-rising Senate superstar. Post Tuesday, Illinois wonders if we’ll have the opportunity to replace current governor Rod Blagojevich. On Tuesday, reports surfaced that Blagojevich planned to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder, and FBI agents arrested the scandal-plagued Democrat.

The 76-page indictment also outlines that Blagojevich demanded Obama appoint him Secretary of Health and Human Services in exchange for a senate seat filled to Obama’s liking.

Obama and other Illinois politicians face questioning over their relationship with Blagojevich. Included in that list are Illinois US House members Danny Davis, Jesse Jackson Jr., and Jan Schakowsky, all of which have been angling to fill the President-elect’s Senate seat.

The Illinois General Assembly will consider legislation Monday that could produce a special election to fill Obama's seat until 2010. Unfortunately, Blagojevich is still governor and could veto the bill.

Whoever does end up filling the position will face public scrutiny, no matter how well they serve in the Senate. Thanks, Blago. But what more could you expect from an Illinois governor?


Sources:

(1) http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1865370,00.html

(2) http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/12/10/blagojevich/index1.html

(3) http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/388841/

(4) http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/10/blagojevich.senate.seat/index.html

(5) http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/12/10/dcl.hornick.chicago.politics.cnn

Michelle Obama

Born Michelle Robinson to a loving family on Chicago’s South Side, the future First Lady grew up in a stable home, unlike her husband. Her mother, Marian, was a stay-at-home mom. Her father, Fraser, worked at the municipal water department and was a precinct captain. Michelle succeeded in school skipping the second grade, but she never performed as well as her brother Craig. He headed off to Princeton, and college counselors discouraged her from even applying. Her persistence brought her an acceptance letter (3).

At Princeton, Michelle pursued a Sociology major and an African American Studies minor. The racial divide on campus inspired her senior thesis paper on “Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community”. She went on to receive her Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School (3).

She began working at Sidley & Austin, a corporate-law firm in Chicago. In 1989, she was assigned to mentor a summer associate, Barack Obama. After originally refusing the confident mentee’s advances, Michelle and Barack had their first date at one of Barack’s community-organizing sessions in a church basement. The two married in 1992 (3).

Obama switched from corporate law to working in the public sector. In 1996, Obama served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago where she developed the University's Community Service Center. Six years later, Michelle began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals (3).

With a resume unlike any other first lady’s, Michelle Obama will redefine the role of First Lady. From the beginning of the campaign, Michelle proved she wouldn’t be the traditional first lady with her edgy humor and confident demeanor. At a speech in Wisconsin, “the excited young woman introducing Michelle flubbed her line, saying she was ‘honored to introduce the next president!’ Michelle strode to the podium with a big smile. ‘I like that promotion that I got,’ she told the crowd. ‘I don't know if Barack knows yet. We can announce it on the news tonight. He's going to be the First Lady (3).’”

Beyond redefining the role of the first lady, Mrs. Obama redefines the role of the black woman. Traditionally, black women are discouraged from staying at home to raise their children. African American women hold a long history of being pulled away from the home. During times of slavery, African women either worked the fields or cared for the children of the plantation owner. Little changed after slavery ended. Black women left their children at home to work in the homes of wealthy white families. Today, the African American community views a stay-at-home mom with a college degree as a waste of education (1). Princeton and Harvard Educated Obama left her six-figure salary at the University of Chicago to aid her husband’s campaign. She plans to dedicate her time in Washington to being Mom-in-Chief to the youngest residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since Amy Carter. By example, Michelle Obama may bring black women back home.

Cherie Blair, wife of Tony Blair, publicly advised Michelle “to learn to like the back seat” (5). With a history of changing her world by taking matters into her own hands, I hope Mrs. Obama drives her own car.





(1) http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/24/ivey.first.lady/index.html

(2) http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/11/24/roesgen.michelle.obama.first.lady.cnn

(3) http://www.newsweek.com/id/112849/page/1

(4) http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/11/24/roesgen.michelle.obama.first.lady.cnn

(5) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/cherie_blair/article5149542.ece

Election Day: A Beautiful Weather for Democracy

I sat on an Amtrak headed to Union Station across from two classmates from my political science class. All proudly bearing “I Voted” stickers and Obama-Biden pins, our first presidential election evoked a sense of personal history with the public reflecting the same notion. November 4, 2008 was a different kind of Election Day. The candidates wore a different kind of face, the campaigns cut down new paths, the air breathed foreshadowing warmth, and I cast a ballot.

Chicago screamed Obama. Every third person wore some form of Obama pride. Street vendors abandoned their knock off Louis Vouitton purses, while the city flocked to purchase overpriced Obama pins. Overstuffed Starbucks handed complimentary coffees to quick moving line flashing their election gear. And I waited in the middle of Columbus drive starting at three pm – an occurrence reserved only for Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza. My Election Night ticket stated that gates would not open until 8:30pm, but with a line forming at one pm, the city started allowing Obama fans to wait at closer checkpoints.

Grant Park held the familiar comforts with foreign elements. An army of press with flashbulbs as their ammo replaced the scattered music journalists sneaking in front of crowds at Lollapalooza. Well-suited Secret Service men replaced the Chicago Park District employees in tees at Taste. Chicago remained Chicago with sophisticated pride.

I sat with my family and 200,000 others watching a jumbo screen of CNN while one family member held down our stage-view spots. Every time a state turned blue, the crowd cheered, and the energy elevated. After Pennsylvania, our smiles couldn’t be suppressed. After Ohio, our hope tiptoed to reality. At 9:59:55pm, the crowd chanted, “5-4-3-2-1”. And with the final polls closed, Anderson Cooper announced Barack Obama the President-elect.

In pandemonium, strangers embraced, tears shed, and America flipped to a new chapter. When President-elect Obama walked on stage with his family and running mate, the crowd waved their American flags vigorously. Obama’s victory refreshed my hope in politics. A grassroots movement can put a man in the Oval Office; we do have a voice.
His speech was the cherry on top of an election sundae, proving that “in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it”.

After an evening of Chicago pride, I wish the White House relocated to 1600 S. Michigan.

Happy One Week Anniversary, New Era.

Jeff Tweedy on The Colbert Report

Sarah Palin

I sat in the sixth row of a 200-person lecture when I read the news. Avoiding learning about phonemes, I delved into a much more exciting world of the New York Times political webpage. “McCain Said to Choose Alaska’s Palin”

My jaw dropped. After a week of DNC excitement and Obama-rific hope, McCain’s stiletto strategy crushed my democratic dreams. Based off of Palin’s skirt, I thought McCain would be unstoppable. The unknown governor probably had the poise of Pelosi, the credentials of Clinton, and palpable prettiness (and youth). Before America got to know Sarah Palin, I feared her potential. Today, I cringe at the face Palin’s made of the American woman.

After reading one article on McCain’s VP choice, I knew Palin was not the Republican’s Hillary. She opposes basic civil liberties required by any feminist. Palin opposes abortion even in cases of incest and rape and supports abstinence-only sex education. (With an unwed, teenaged, and pregnant daughter, Palin’s home proves her ideals on educating youth on sex are flawed, to say the least.) Despite her policies, the Republicans believed Palin could sway Hillary-lovers to their side. Palin began praising Hillary as her hero frequently mentioning Hillary’s 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling. If the GOP believes “we don’t care about issues or experience; we just want someone with the same reproductive parts as ours (2)” they have another thing coming, doggone it.

Palin’s connects with the Joe Six-Packs of America (3). She’s just one of the folks; your average American hockey mom, don’t cha kno. And while the McCain-Palin ticket capitalizes on her ability to connect with everyday Americans, she isn’t your everyday mom. Palin sits on a six figure salary, a husband with enough job flexibility to be considered a stay at home dad, and a support network of siblings and parents waiting for her call to pick the kids up from practice. The reality of most Americans: 37 percent of the family’s after-tax income on center-based child care with 30 percent of working families headed by single moms (1). Without mention of affordable child care or equal pay for women on the republican ticket, Palin’s against the average American mom.

Palin made a face for herself in this election, redefining the American woman. But am I ashamed and a little repulsed by this rifle holding, bikini flaunting version? You betcha.

(1) Marsh, Katherine. "Whine Not." The New Republic 24 SEP 2008: 9-11.

(2) Cottle, Michelle. "Shattered." The New Republic 24 SEP 2008: 7-9.

(3) Meacham, Jon. "The Palin Problem." Newsweek 13 OCT 2008: 40-45.

(4) Thornburgh, Nathan. "Call of the Wild." Time 15 SEP 2008: 25-30.

Rock for Barack

Since December 2007, my favorite musician, Jeff Tweedy, has held several fundraisers with his band, Wilco, in honor of Barack Obama. Wilco headlined the concert-based fundraiser for Obama titled “Change Rocks” in December. At a concert in Washington in February, Tweedy introduced the song "The Thanks I Get" as the "Obama fight song." The refrain repeats "we can make it better” (1).

Wilco does not alone in the room of rockers that support Obama. Jay Z played free shows to encourage voters to choose Obama in Miami and Detroit (2). Justin Timberlake appeared at an Obama rally in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

“We’ve never been so inspired by one person,” Timberlake stated alongside girlfriend Jessica Biel (3).

Gigwise.com realized the massive Obama support within the music industry and compiled a list of “40 Music Stars Who Endorse Barack Obama!” This article published in July 2008, but more musicians have outwardly declared their support since then (4).

Many musicians have incorporated their support of Obama into their set lists. When Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC) played Assembly Hall October 12, Obama stickers decorated an array of their gear. Toronto-based Broken Social Scene followed DCFC’s lead last night when they asked the crowd “to vote for the right candidate” and made a hand motion in the shape of an O.

All the Obama support created difficulty for the McCain camp. In August, Van Halen objected to the McCain campaign’s use their song “Right Now” for McCain’s entrance at a Rally in Dayton, Ohio. A week later, Heart objected to McCain’s use of their track “Barracuda” during rallies and events. The campaign continued to use the song after repeated requests to stop.

"The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," Heart said in a statement. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."

In early October, the McCain camp struck again with the unauthorized use of “My Hero” by the Foo Fighters. The publicist of the band released a statement on October 8.

“. . . we hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song — and start asking artists' permission in general" (5).

Sources:
(1) http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/12/obama_3_wilco.html
(2) http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098989A001600993A53/
(3) http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098989A001600994216/
(4) http://www.gigwise.com/article.php?id=43749&image=3#gallery
(5) http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098989A001600993DF5/

Campaign for Voting

Tuesday, October 7 marked the final day for Illinois residents to register to vote (1). This date echoed across the country as the final chance for numerous states to secure a spot in this November’s historic election. As many Americans scrambled to their local libraries to register, campaigns pushed them there. This past week, the main campaign hasn’t been for John McCain or Barack Obama, but America’s newest sweetheart – voting.

The Obama and McCain camps focused much of their campaigns on registering citizens to vote during the past months. Michelle Obama paid particular attention to the importance of voting. In appearances on The View and Larry King Live, she lingered on the subject for a considerable amount of time. In September, she held a conference call with various college newspapers stressing the same importance (2). Mrs. Obama spent the week preceding the largest voter registration deadline, Oct. 7, at college campuses in battleground states encouraging students to vote, even if it isn’t for her husband (3).

Nonpartisan voting campaigns shined their spotlights on the youth vote. Declare Yourself is a campaign initiated in 2004 to encourage particularly young people to register to vote. Celebrities and technology drive these campaigns. The opening page on the Declare Yourself website hosts a photograph of Jessica Alba with her mouth and body bound by black tape and a statement: “only you can silence yourself.” Declare Yourself offers free concerts by Death Cab for Cutie or The Decemberists for the college campus that registers the most students (4).

A campaign run by MTV uses similar celebrity appeal. Choose or Loose helps students register their peers to vote along with providing celeb-fused election related articles and information on the candidates for students. For instance, Choose or Lose brought attention to the Public Service Announcement on voting created by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and other stars (5). Countless organizations with the same celebrity tactics including the WWE (6) and the Rock the Vote campaign (7) don't care who youth vote for as long as they're voting.

Is the celebrity appeal working? Are WE, the youth of America, going to exercise our right to vote? November 4 holds the answers.



Celeb-Fused PSA on Voting



Michelle Obama on Larry King Live



Sources:

(1) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1072705/deadlines_and_how_to_register_to_vote.html

(2) http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/26269

(3) http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/2008/oct/01/michelle-obama-urges-cu-students-vote/

(4) http://www.declareyourself.com/index.php

(5) http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098989A001600993A6C/

(6) http://vote.wwe.com/

(7) http://www.rockthevote.com/home.html

Tangled Party Ties

When Bill Clinton made claims that Obama was strictly an “establishment” candidate last January, it was expected; the man was his wife’s current opponent (1). But after the democratic community, including President Clinton’s wife, rounded together in support of their chance to regain the white house, Clinton’s statements continued with a bit of a shock.

When speaking in a forum with foreign leaders, Clinton’s words entered an arena of disloyalty to his party:

"Suppose you're a voter, and you've got candidate X and candidate Y. Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don't think that candidate can deliver on anything at all. Candidate Y you agree with on about half the issues, but he can deliver. Which candidate are you going to vote for?" Clinton asked (2).

After realizing that his comments may be interpreted as a blow to Obama, he clarified that his remarks were unrelated to this election.

The David Letterman show shined a spotlight on this topic (3). On September 22, 2008, Clinton appeared with commentary proving halfhearted support. He refused to speak Obama’s name and danced around the topic of the democrats’ current nominee. Chris Rock followed the appearance and openly criticized Clinton:

“Is it me, or he [Clinton] didn’t want to say the name Barack Obama?”

On Saturday Night Live September 27, 2008, Weekend Update parodied Clinton’s feeble support. During the skit, Clinton avoids saying Obama’s name (like he did on Letterman) while speaking highly of his “buddy” John McCain (4).

The Democrats aren’t the only ones with unenthusiastic supporters. When Nancy Reagan walked into her driveway holding onto McCain’s arm, she pledged her support to McCain. During the 5-minute photo op, Reagan made one remark.

"Ronnie and I always waited until everything was decided and then we endorsed," Mrs. Reagan stated. “Well obviously this is the nominee of the party.”

McCain’s divorce put a strain on his relationship with the Reagans whose loyalty went to his first wife, Carol Shepp. Five weeks after McCain split from Shepp, he married a former cheerleader 17 years his junior. Nancy Reagan then hired Shepp as her press assistant (5) and helped find her a new home (6).




(1) http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-15-bill-clinton-nevada_N.htm
(2) http://www.nypost.com/seven/08272008/news/nationalnews/bubba_in_a_blabfest_boomerang_126293.htm
(3) http://blow.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/chris-rock-loudly-questions-bill-clintons-tepid-support-of-obama/?scp=1&sq=bill%20clinton%20obama%20support&st=cse
(4) http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/so-funny-its-true/?scp=2&sq=saturday%20night%20live&st=cse
(5) http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_john_mccain_cheat_on_his_first.html
(6) http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/11/nation/na-divorce11





David Letterman - Sept. 22, 2008