Inside the Obama Family PR Machine

[babylonsister]

Inside the Obama Family PR Machine
by Richard Wolffe



Charles Dharapak / AP Photo


As the Obamas mastered the media again this week, thanks to the rollout of their dog, Richard Wolffe reveals how the president's instincts and the first lady's discipline – and staff – are creating an image juggernaut.


Of all the picture-perfect moments of the Obama White House, few compare to the young Obama family introducing their new dog Bo to the press. There were Malia and Sasha chatting about their new pet on the South Lawn. There was the first lady on her knees petting the new addition to the family. There was the commander in chief jogging in his suit alongside a Portuguese water dog.

“Puppy me!” urged Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s Daily Show, as a respite to the president’s wonkish economic speech. Cue pictures of Obama running with his new dog, as Stewart applauded like a seal. “I really want to see the moment where he has to stop and pick up that dog’s shit. My guess is even that he will pull off in an elegant manner.”

Despite the iconic images that emanate from the White House each week, there is no Reaganesque Michael Deaver inside the West Wing.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the Obama White House is the most masterful image-making machine in politics since the Reagan era. And you’d be half right.

Despite the iconic images that emanate from the White House each week, there is no Reaganesque Michael Deaver inside the West Wing. While the president has two message guys in his inner circle – chief strategist David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs – neither of them are what you might call image-conscious, trading in words more than pictures. Their personal images underscore that point—Axelrod’s wardrobe in particular serving as a running joke inside the Obama campaign; he only started to wear a suit and tie on entering the White House—burnish that fact.

Rather, the most memorable images are often the result of opportunism and the projection powers of one Barack Obama. And the place where image control is a more disciplined business is the East Wing, among Michelle Obama's staff.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-19/inside-the-obama-family-pr-machine/full/

[uponit7771]

1. Good to see some people keep it real....