Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Inside the White House--NBC News--Extra Credit
Please make some comments about how you would feel about working in the White House. Here are some of the things you can consider. Describe the working atmosphere. What is the president's schedule like? What does it tell us about his organizational style and his ability to stay in touch with reality? How does the White House react to brewing crises like the reactions they say in the media to the Sotomayor nomination? How does Obama mesh his work life with his family life? Does he have sufficient personal time? Does Obama seem to like what he is doing and put a lot of energy into it or not? (This is an important question that tells us something about his "presidential character," a theory developed by James David Barber, that we shall see in the second chapter, pp.34-5.) Bob B
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I think that working in the White House would be an amazing experience. Everyone is constantly moving, scheduling appointments, making sure people are where they are supposed to be, screening things that come in and go out of the office, multi-tasking. The President is always on the go, he doesn't have one main office because he is needed everywhere. His favorite spot is his personal office where he is able to be with both his family and his work. Both he and his wife make sure that things are scheduled around the girls and that they are their first priority. His ability to multitask is critical to be involved in every aspect and get things accomplished. When things go wrong media wise or when any other crises arrise, the team in the White House work fast to comment on it and answer any questions that arise. I think that Obama is excited about the changes that he wants to bring to the White House and is motivated to work through issues in the years to come.
ReplyDeleteKemberly Merritt
ReplyDeleteAPLS 463
THURSDAY JUNE 6/4/09
The working atmosphere is the White House seems to be very busy, the people are constantly moving from one issue to the next. The President day is planned out from the time he gets up until the time he choose to go and spend the evening with his family. The President has to do different interviews and meeting concerning different issues of the United States and sometimes what happens in the world. The President is very organize, but stays in touch with reality. He attends his daughter soccer games which keeps him grounded as a parent. President Obama may attends different functions in the community. On the television show President Obama decided to go out to get burgers for lunch. This is how he stays in touch with reality, constantly facing the people in the world that are not in the White House, and have everything at their hand. He has the chance to come face to face with the working class. The White House was very calm to the brewing crises about the Sotomayor nomination. The White House was able to attack the problem at hand, they did not waste any time working on the issue. The people that works in the White House were very busy finding ways to attack this problem with out making a huge mistake. I think President Obama takes to time to make personal time with his family. Obama seems to like what he is doing, he is following a dream that many people could not achieve. He is working hard to uphold the promises he made while he was running for President. He taking many huge steps to get the job done, he also seems to be more involve and focus about the issues the United States is facing today
I am glad that two of you looked at this provocative and interesting view of the White House. I am disappointed that not more of you took advantage for an extra half letter grade on your midterm exam--oh well.
ReplyDeleteWorking in the White Hosue is probably more fun for the president than for most of the staff, at least those with families. As Rahm Emanuel pointed out, it is family friendly, but only for the president's family, not for those of the staff who often work 15-16 hours a day, and sometimes around the clock when there is a crisis. The problem with that kind of life is sleep deprivation reduces judgment, and loss of contact with everyday life contributes to a sense of isolation and a "we versus they" mental outlook, which is part of a very bad decision making framework called "group-think." I wonder if this is why the quality of decision-making in White Houses seems to go down as the months go by--people just get too tired. The frenetic pace and insulation of the White House are an excellent reason to continually bring in outsiders for advice. We shall see many of these things in the chapters to come. Bob B