The Answerer in Chief
Not only does Obama hold press conferences, he actually pays attention to the questions.
By John Dickerson
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008, at 5:05 PM ET
Obama held three press conferences on three consecutive days this week and sat for an interview with Barbara Walters. "We don't intend to stumble into the next administration," he said Tuesday, and it was clear from his regular, brisk, and commanding performances that he's not going to. But what else have we learned about our next president?
He wants to pop the bubble. Obama is smart enough to know that just having a BlackBerry isn't going to do much to battle against the insularity of the White House, nor will it remove the psychological need for consensus among White House staffers, which snuffs out alternative views. So, on Wednesday he appointed an economic advisory board to give him candid advice from outside Washington. In announcing that Paul Volcker will head it and longtime economic adviser Austan Goolsbee will coordinate with the administration, Obama repeatedly referred to the need for candor and outside-the-bubble thinking: "Sometimes policymaking in Washington can become a little bit too ingrown, a little bit too insular. The walls of the echo chamber can sometimes keep out fresh voices and new ways of thinking. You start engaging in groupthink."
Obama wants to know what he doesn't know. "He understands that, more than anything, this was a problem with the current White House, and he's determined to stay in touch with people," says incoming press secretary Robert Gibbs. One note of caution: When I interviewed his predecessor before he took office, he, too, was passionate about insularity and lack of candor in the White House.
He listens to the question. Perhaps it's the former professor coming out, but unlike other candidates and presidents, who recite talking points or ramble on to other topics, Obama seems to really listen. A local reporter referred to Obama's "friends" in local government in what sounded like a throwaway line to set up his question about budget pressure on states and cities. After a long answer on the main point, Obama circled back and noted that the reporter had mentioned his "friends." "I want to be clear," he said. "Friendship doesn't come into this. That's part of the old way of doing business." This isn't to say that he gave full answers. He didn't provide a list of budget items he'd cut, and he didn't say exactly how large he thinks the economic stimulus package should be.
He's efficient and workmanlike. Because news organizations cover the president-elect's every move, we know that Obama arrived home after his Tuesday morning workout at 9:11 a.m. He was showered and changed and back in the car by 9:28. His press conferences were nearly as brisk, averaging a little more than 20 minutes. He'll need to be this snappy if he's going to make sharp decisions from the mountains of economic advice he's going to be getting from his hordes of new advisers.
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http://www.slate.com/id/2205433/
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