http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/us/politics/02outreach.html?th&emc=th
All,
Now here's a 'First Couple' who truly understand and appreciate the real purpose and value of cultural Democracy! The 'White House' is taking on far more color(s) every single day with the casually hip Obamas on the case...Finally, after more than two centuries of monochromatic cultural conformity in the People's House-- enforced and standardized by the doctrine of white supremacy-- the actual dynamic multiracial, multinational character of the United States is being openly acknowledged and celebrated...Long may this refreshing trend continue...and I'm sure it will...
Kofi
WHITE HOUSE MEMO
Behind the Open Door, an Exercise in Politics
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: March 1, 2009
President Obama welcomed 150 guests for a concert tribute to Stevie Wonder last week in the East Room of the White House.
WASHINGTON — With his short dreadlocks and crisp new suit, Shea Pierre, 16 and an aspiring pianist from outside New Orleans, looked nervous as he walked into the White House last week. Inside, the East Room had been transformed into a concert hall with colored lighting and a seat for Mr. Pierre right behind the president of the United States.
The White House can be inaccessible, but there's an intense effort under way to open the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to a variety of people.
For the next 60 minutes, Mr. Pierre and 150 music lovers — industry executives, students and educators along with cabinet members and senators — rocked to the sounds of a star-studded Stevie Wonder tribute, featuring Mr. Wonder himself, who belted out “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the Obama campaign theme song.
The televised concert was part of an effort by President Obama and his wife, Michelle, to throw open the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Students, teachers, chefs, community leaders, labor organizers, mayors, governors, sports celebrities, musical icons — all have been guests of the Obamas since they moved in six weeks ago.
The burst of entertaining is giving the new White House a far livelier feel than during the twilight of the Bush administration, when more people were demonstrating outside than boogieing inside. But Mr. Obama’s open-door policy is not just fun and frivolity; it is an exercise in presidential image-making to advance his political agenda, while also carefully nurturing an identity for a first family that embodies racial history, youth and a stylistic shift in leadership.
“I think they get it, when it comes to understanding the importance of the White House, that there are no boundaries in utilizing the people’s house to enhance projects that are important to you,” said Sig Rogich, a Republican media consultant who advised Ronald Reagan. “I think it’s smart.”
When the nation’s mayors held their annual conference in Washington, Mr. Obama — aware of their critical role in spending stimulus money — invited them all in, a break with President George W. Bush’s practice of having a few in at a time. “I appreciated that,” said Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte, N.C., a Republican, who described Mr. Bush’s interactions with mayors as “fairly tense.”
Some, like Mayor Elaine Walker of Bowling Green, Ky., a Democrat, had never been to the White House before; afterward, Ms. Walker gushed about rubbing elbows with cabinet secretaries in the Blue Room.
“I just got my copy of Vanity Fair magazine,” she said, “and all of their pictures are there.”
When the governors were in town, the Obamas invited Earth, Wind and Fire to perform and installed a dance floor. It was a party with a purpose, said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama.
“It was very important to us that they all come, those who supported the recovery bill and those who didn’t,” Ms. Jarrett said. “And I think, ‘Mission accomplished.’ ”
All presidents invite elected officials, as well as ordinary people, to the White House; Mr. Bush played host to tee ball games on the South Lawn and once held his own televised White House concert, a tribute to the Marine Band. But the Obamas are using the Executive Mansion — “the world’s greatest stage,” Mr. Rogich called it — and their choice of guests to spotlight the racial and generational change they represent.
So it was that Mr. Obama, during the concert on Wednesday, credited Mr. Wonder with writing “the soundtrack of my youth” and confessed to the world that “Michelle might not have dated me” had he not been a Stevie Wonder fan. Mrs. Obama, for her part, revealed that she and the president chose one of Mr. Wonder’s songs, “You and I,” for their wedding — a tidbit that brought forth “awws” from the East Room audience.
Senior White House officials say the Obamas want to bring together people whose paths might not ordinarily cross. The White House social secretary, Desirée Rogers, said an overarching question was: “How do we Obama-tize this event?”
That has meant shaking up some traditional events. The upcoming St. Patrick’s Day celebration will very intentionally include people who are not of Irish descent, Ms. Jarrett said. Ms. Rogers said she was already thinking about the annual Easter egg roll and what it might “look like under this lens.”
The Obamas are also trying to capitalize on the fascination with the workings of the White House by putting the residence staff on display. Mrs. Obama changed the usual press preview for the governors’ dinner by inviting culinary students to tour the kitchen and meet the executive chef — a move that drew plaudits from Karen Hughes, who was in charge of shaping Mr. Bush’s image during his first term.
“After I saw that,” Ms. Hughes said, “I thought, ‘There are all kinds of things like that you could do.’ ”
For Black History Month, Mrs. Obama invited schoolchildren in for a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock, an African-American a cappella ensemble. She asked retired Rear Adm. Stephen W. Rochon, the first black person to hold the job of chief White House usher, to speak.
“It was quite a surprise,” he said. “Usually we are behind the scenes.”
The Obamas’ celebrity is, of course, a huge advantage. An invitation to the Obama White House is one of the hottest tickets in town, and the intense news media attention to every aspect of the first family’s life provides new opportunities to send explicitly political messages but also more subtle social and cultural cues that aides to the president hope will enhance his reputation for inclusiveness.
For those receiving invitations, it can be quite a shock. So it was for Kyle Wedberg, interim president of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, who was floored when the social secretary’s office invited him to the Stevie Wonder concert. He asked if he could bring a student, which is how Mr. Pierre wound up attending.
Mr. Wedberg used his time to press Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, about “the need to get some public school artists of note and promise into the White House.”
For Mr. Pierre, the son of a cosmetologist and a carpenter who spent the night of Mr. Obama’s election singing Negro spirituals in church, it was “thrilling being within arm’s length of the man.” In a stroke of what Ms. Rogers might call “Obama-tizing,” the young pianist was seated during the concert next to another president, the one who runs the Berklee College of Music, a school Mr. Pierre dreams of attending.
All,
Now here's a 'First Couple' who truly understand and appreciate the real purpose and value of cultural Democracy! The 'White House' is taking on far more color(s) every single day with the casually hip Obamas on the case...Finally, after more than two centuries of monochromatic cultural conformity in the People's House-- enforced and standardized by the doctrine of white supremacy-- the actual dynamic multiracial, multinational character of the United States is being openly acknowledged and celebrated...Long may this refreshing trend continue...and I'm sure it will...
Kofi
WHITE HOUSE MEMO
Behind the Open Door, an Exercise in Politics
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: March 1, 2009
President Obama welcomed 150 guests for a concert tribute to Stevie Wonder last week in the East Room of the White House.
WASHINGTON — With his short dreadlocks and crisp new suit, Shea Pierre, 16 and an aspiring pianist from outside New Orleans, looked nervous as he walked into the White House last week. Inside, the East Room had been transformed into a concert hall with colored lighting and a seat for Mr. Pierre right behind the president of the United States.
The White House can be inaccessible, but there's an intense effort under way to open the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to a variety of people.
For the next 60 minutes, Mr. Pierre and 150 music lovers — industry executives, students and educators along with cabinet members and senators — rocked to the sounds of a star-studded Stevie Wonder tribute, featuring Mr. Wonder himself, who belted out “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the Obama campaign theme song.
The televised concert was part of an effort by President Obama and his wife, Michelle, to throw open the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Students, teachers, chefs, community leaders, labor organizers, mayors, governors, sports celebrities, musical icons — all have been guests of the Obamas since they moved in six weeks ago.
The burst of entertaining is giving the new White House a far livelier feel than during the twilight of the Bush administration, when more people were demonstrating outside than boogieing inside. But Mr. Obama’s open-door policy is not just fun and frivolity; it is an exercise in presidential image-making to advance his political agenda, while also carefully nurturing an identity for a first family that embodies racial history, youth and a stylistic shift in leadership.
“I think they get it, when it comes to understanding the importance of the White House, that there are no boundaries in utilizing the people’s house to enhance projects that are important to you,” said Sig Rogich, a Republican media consultant who advised Ronald Reagan. “I think it’s smart.”
When the nation’s mayors held their annual conference in Washington, Mr. Obama — aware of their critical role in spending stimulus money — invited them all in, a break with President George W. Bush’s practice of having a few in at a time. “I appreciated that,” said Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte, N.C., a Republican, who described Mr. Bush’s interactions with mayors as “fairly tense.”
Some, like Mayor Elaine Walker of Bowling Green, Ky., a Democrat, had never been to the White House before; afterward, Ms. Walker gushed about rubbing elbows with cabinet secretaries in the Blue Room.
“I just got my copy of Vanity Fair magazine,” she said, “and all of their pictures are there.”
When the governors were in town, the Obamas invited Earth, Wind and Fire to perform and installed a dance floor. It was a party with a purpose, said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama.
“It was very important to us that they all come, those who supported the recovery bill and those who didn’t,” Ms. Jarrett said. “And I think, ‘Mission accomplished.’ ”
All presidents invite elected officials, as well as ordinary people, to the White House; Mr. Bush played host to tee ball games on the South Lawn and once held his own televised White House concert, a tribute to the Marine Band. But the Obamas are using the Executive Mansion — “the world’s greatest stage,” Mr. Rogich called it — and their choice of guests to spotlight the racial and generational change they represent.
So it was that Mr. Obama, during the concert on Wednesday, credited Mr. Wonder with writing “the soundtrack of my youth” and confessed to the world that “Michelle might not have dated me” had he not been a Stevie Wonder fan. Mrs. Obama, for her part, revealed that she and the president chose one of Mr. Wonder’s songs, “You and I,” for their wedding — a tidbit that brought forth “awws” from the East Room audience.
Senior White House officials say the Obamas want to bring together people whose paths might not ordinarily cross. The White House social secretary, Desirée Rogers, said an overarching question was: “How do we Obama-tize this event?”
That has meant shaking up some traditional events. The upcoming St. Patrick’s Day celebration will very intentionally include people who are not of Irish descent, Ms. Jarrett said. Ms. Rogers said she was already thinking about the annual Easter egg roll and what it might “look like under this lens.”
The Obamas are also trying to capitalize on the fascination with the workings of the White House by putting the residence staff on display. Mrs. Obama changed the usual press preview for the governors’ dinner by inviting culinary students to tour the kitchen and meet the executive chef — a move that drew plaudits from Karen Hughes, who was in charge of shaping Mr. Bush’s image during his first term.
“After I saw that,” Ms. Hughes said, “I thought, ‘There are all kinds of things like that you could do.’ ”
For Black History Month, Mrs. Obama invited schoolchildren in for a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock, an African-American a cappella ensemble. She asked retired Rear Adm. Stephen W. Rochon, the first black person to hold the job of chief White House usher, to speak.
“It was quite a surprise,” he said. “Usually we are behind the scenes.”
The Obamas’ celebrity is, of course, a huge advantage. An invitation to the Obama White House is one of the hottest tickets in town, and the intense news media attention to every aspect of the first family’s life provides new opportunities to send explicitly political messages but also more subtle social and cultural cues that aides to the president hope will enhance his reputation for inclusiveness.
For those receiving invitations, it can be quite a shock. So it was for Kyle Wedberg, interim president of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, who was floored when the social secretary’s office invited him to the Stevie Wonder concert. He asked if he could bring a student, which is how Mr. Pierre wound up attending.
Mr. Wedberg used his time to press Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, about “the need to get some public school artists of note and promise into the White House.”
For Mr. Pierre, the son of a cosmetologist and a carpenter who spent the night of Mr. Obama’s election singing Negro spirituals in church, it was “thrilling being within arm’s length of the man.” In a stroke of what Ms. Rogers might call “Obama-tizing,” the young pianist was seated during the concert next to another president, the one who runs the Berklee College of Music, a school Mr. Pierre dreams of attending.
