New York Times reporter Ashley Parker, who specializes in soft profiles of Obama's staff, certainly made the president look good in her Monday look at Mike Kelleher, director of the Office of Correspondence at the White House -- he reads letters sent to the White House and passes a fortunate few on to Obama himself.
Parker passed along a couple of tear-jerking anecdotes from the White House PR machine in "Picking Letters, 10 a Day, That Reach the President."
The task of keeping a president in touch with his public is daunting, as Mike Kelleher well knows.
Tens of thousands of letters, e-mail messages and faxes arrive at the White House every day. A few hundred are culled and end up each weekday afternoon on a round wooden table in the office of Mr. Kelleher, the director of the White House Office of Correspondence.
He chooses 10 letters, which are slipped into a purple folder and put in the daily briefing book that is delivered to President Obama at the White House residence. Designed to offer a sampling of what Americans are thinking, the letters are read by the president, and he sometimes answers them by hand, in black ink on azure paper.
"We pick messages that are compelling, things people say that, when you read it, you get a chill," said Mr. Kelleher, 47. "I send him letters that are uncomfortable messages."
The ritual offers Mr. Obama a way to move beyond the White House bubble, and occasionally leads to moments when his composure cracks, advisers said. "I remember once he was particularly quiet," said Mr. Obama's senior adviser, David Axelrod, "and I asked him what he was thinking about, and he said, ‘These letters just tear you up.' It was after getting a poignant letter from a struggling family."
Aww! Obama tears up! The Times evidently never did a similar soft story about President George W. Bush's inspiring fan mail in his first few months in office, a Nexis search suggests.
Parker printed another anecdote fed to her by the White House that made an anti-war argument as a bank shot. Cynthia Arnold wrote to Obama concerned about her son being deployed to the Middle East:
"He was calling to ask me who should make his funeral arrangements in the event of his death, his father or me," Mrs. Arnold wrote. "He advised me that it should probably be his father since I could barely make it through the call. He was calling to ask me where he should convalesce in the event of his being injured, there in Texas or at home in Pennsylvania."
Using enlarged type to make sure the president would "be able to read it," she urged him to "please make our troops one of your priorities." A few weeks after she mailed the letter, Mrs. Arnold received a handwritten note from Mr. Obama.
"I will do everything in my power to make troops like Matthew my priority," the president wrote. "Please tell him ‘thank you for your service' from his commander in chief!"
He signed the note "Barack Obama," with a big looping B and O. Mrs. Arnold said she was so overwhelmed that the president had called her son by his first name that she "just burst into tears." She is storing the letter in a safe deposit box until she can have it framed.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times.
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Comments Policy
Mashed Potato and Gravy Boat
April 22, 2009 - 10:44 ET by Mitchell BlattI hope he read the letter from the kid who wanted him to fill the White House with mashed potatos and drive a boat around it. It certainly would be a better use of the White House than what he's been using it for thus far.
Marie Antoinette
April 22, 2009 - 11:04 ET by slickwillie2001Yep, it's now clear that BFO is very worried about Marie Antoinette syndrome and have a plan to address it. Probably a result of the Wagyu beef parties, and the pizza delivery from St.Louis to the White House. Expect more stories on the dog and the kids as well, carefully skirting the Sidwell Friends problem.
Exactly, slick
April 22, 2009 - 11:39 ET by BlondeAnd an excellent point, as well.
Everything this administration does is spin, spin, spin. Obama's little $100MM budget cut ruse was in response to the Tea Parties. The list goes on.
Obama & his posse are even worse than the Clinton's in their wet-finger-in-the-air reactions to anything and everything (no surprise there, w/all the Clinton retreads).
That's a helluva way to govern, seeking which way the wind blows.
I hope he fails, too.
LOL
April 22, 2009 - 11:10 ET by 10ksnookerWho selects the propaganda to hand him?
What American's Are Thinking? What Marketer Dreamed That Up?
April 22, 2009 - 11:17 ET by lareeIf the President wants to know what Americans are thinking especially from New York, he should listen to Imus in the Morning. It isn't a secret what Americans are thinking.
Imus and Charles Tag Team Mike Lupica this morning FUN.
Imus has a problem with President Obama's recent international tour,
where he points out our flaws, on his Dixie Chicks tour but none of our
accomplishments. Imus sites Michael Goodwins's article in the New York
Daily News. You can read "If President Obama Won't Defend The U.S. Who
Will".
Mike Lupica doesn't think Obama has to put his criticisms into context on his first grand apology tour.
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/04/imus-guest-mike-lupica-wanders-into.html
Picking Letters?
April 22, 2009 - 11:20 ET by Covert OpsOn March 31, 2009, millions of Pro-Lifers sent empty red envelopes to the WH, addressed to BO. Written on the outside of the envelope was a statement saying the envelope represented an aborted baby.
I doubt Mr. Kelleher placed 10 of these on BO's desk. I doubt
these red envelopes would have made any in the WH cry. The
only report of the amount received at the WH (2.5 million) came
from World Net Daily.
Awww. He signed the note
April 22, 2009 - 11:24 ET by SickofLibsAwww. He signed the note "Barack Obama."
WTF was he supposed to sign it, "Ralph Kramden?"
And no disrespect intended, but the kid mentioned in this anecdote doesn't appear to be too mentally prepared for his deployment if he's writing his mother and getting her upset about how to handle his impending funeral arrangements.
ZERO
April 22, 2009 - 12:41 ET by 10ksnookerZERO
Clay.... George H. W. Bush and mail
April 22, 2009 - 11:35 ET by Gary HallYea, I was searching around the othere day and.. well, let's just admit it; if President George Bush was reading 100 letters a day and responding to them, our national media would have been the last folks to be curious about it.
I did run across "one" bit from Pres. George H. W. Bush's term, which noted that he was reading arond 300 pieces of mail from the public a week - that would be 42-43 per day. It will be interesing to see if Obama picks up the pace, or if he stops (of course, if he stops we won't hear about it - unless they can make the case that the pressures of the office were just to great, because of what he inherited.)
In the end of Pres. George Bush's term, at long last, we found out that he was a book-worm - in a book reading contest with Rove - and that he and Cheney spent much time not only visiting with families of soldiers killed in war and that they both spent much time penning personal letters to the families.
PS - on the tearing up issue. President George Bush was often seen getting emotional, and fighting to keep from tearing up with the cameras rolling. Sometimes we'd see him actually biting his lip trying to hold it back.
On the other hand, and I think Rush did a spot on this once when he had his TV show, President Bill Clinton was caught numerous times fighting to bring up the tears, often just before he was being introduced to speak. One would be that infamous stunt he pulled at Sec. Ron Brown's funeral. He needed to be seen as actually caring about others, instead of just himself. Someone suggested that he practiced in front of a mirror.
(;~/ gary
Symbolism over Substance
April 22, 2009 - 11:44 ET by UtherpendEnough said on that, the man will never get out of campaign mode and will forever be worried about his image instead of his job.
"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security."
show us !
April 22, 2009 - 11:50 ET by rowdygirlStop giving us these pathetic examples of "how much like us" he is and let's see some action where it really counts. If he thinks that a little sweet press is going to erase the image of him throwing us to the wolves in Europe, he needs a better image consultant.
I don't trust him, and hearing about him reading a measly 10 pre-selected letters a day, does nothing to inspire confidence for me.
I love America.. I just wish our president did too.
I read this headline fast
April 22, 2009 - 12:18 ET by StarAZI thought it said TARES up, not TEERS up...Ooops.
Tingles thinks Obama is not
April 22, 2009 - 12:29 ET by SickofLibsTingles thinks Obama is not just "like us", he IS us!
Scan 10 letters a day = 3 minutes. Whoop.
I understand completely...
April 22, 2009 - 12:32 ET by JTPI tear up everytime I hear O'Bama speak.
"Now isnt the time for an on the job training president". joe biden
I wish he'd find something more recent to weep about than....
April 22, 2009 - 12:48 ET by jazboa smoking related death from Jimmy Carter's time.
Those who believe in nothing will believe anything.
None of mine
April 22, 2009 - 13:13 ET by DingbatDon't think he got any of mine because I doubt that he'd tear up over them.
I usually start out with something endearing like: "What arrogant ass you are" and close with "at least Jimmy Carter is happy with you since in his life time he got to see a worse president than himself."
These bring tears to my eyes.
As part of a school
April 22, 2009 - 13:58 ET by TruthMattersAs part of a school assignment, my son had to email a question to the President. I helped him with the assignment and the following question was submitted:
"'What things in life are worth preserving and at what cost to the nation, the community, and the people."
...still no response from our leader
my letter
April 22, 2009 - 14:36 ET by katainkentDr Sir.
I still see people losing their jobs every day. Where are those jobs you promised with all those billions of tax dollars you've spent? Mortgage rates for VA loans still remain rediculously high comparative to those being refinanced by people who chose not to finance an amount they could afford. Every other week a new "tax idea" gets floated through congress. I am watching several now. I hope you intend to veto them.
I also feel far less safe since you've decided to show your backside to the world with a signed apology taped to it. The terrorists probably feel humored that they are simply man-caused disasters.
I am concerned with what you are doing to politicize the census. I am very concerned what you might be doing with our gun rights and Mexico.
I want you to please leave our health care alone. It was bad enough you floated the idea that Veterans should start paying for our own wounded's care. Please don't force the rest of country to endure government run medicine. They won't like it. Trust me.
And I am lastly concerned about a giant spike in our energy bill with the cap and trade program you are trying to push on us. I fear my husband's greatly reduced hours will not allow us to cut another item from our budget to deal with it.
thank you.
~a concerned american
(still waiting for my reply.)