Protocol, The First Family, Uncategorized, White House History, White House Staff
Screencap from NY Daily News. Pete Souza/White House
For the 49th birthday of the President of the United States, you’d think it was the saddest day ever if you were the New York Daily News.
The Gotham tabloid started this piece about the President’s special day in true fashion: “It’s your party, Mr. President. You can cry if you want to.” It doesn’t hurt to run a file photo of the President staring at a plate of cupcakes like it was a handful of oil.
Back to the plate at hand: the photo (left) shares a strange similarity to when Helen Thomas celebrated her 89th birthday and received a plate of cupcakes from the President (and he’s smiling too!)
In fact, the photo is from last year while Obama “watches the flame on the candle as he walks to the Brady Briefing Room to present cupcakes to Hearst White House columnist Helen Thomas in honor of her birthday, Aug. 4, 2009.”
So if you thought the President was sad due to A-Rod’s 600th hit or his birth date still being debated, don’t fret. Even if he didn’t get to eat his cake from the AFL-CIO according to Yahoo, we’re sure he’ll enjoy Wendy Williams’ Gift Bag and a birthday tweet (via Savannah Gutherie) from Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
DC, News, News Media, White House History, White House Staff
Obama’s premiere Oval Office speech last week was the worst of social media and the best of social media.
Mashable ran “Obama Speech on BP Oil Not A Hit with Facebook and Twitter Users” after taking data provided by Crimson Hexagon from “83,000 Tweets and public Facebook comments” over a nine hour shift. But taking such things into account can provide little feedback, especially when 15 percent of the poll were annoyed they missed So You Think You Can Dance and the other five questioned why so many people would anonymously make fun of the president.
Visitors have commented on the lack of personal touches to the Oval Office and the absence of family photos. The spartan look was on dramatic display during NBC News’ unprecedented two-hour, behind-the-scenes special with President Obama in the White House.
Even President Obama’s Air Force One office has a noticeable lack of “stuff.”
But Obama has finally put his own touch on the Oval Office: fresh fruit has replaced cut flowers, family photos are now on display along with Native American pottery and some small technological devices from the mid-19th century on loan from the National Museum of American History’s patent collection.
He’s even added some tchotchkes, including a penholder that was a gift from Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Check out the photos and article by Erin Loechner of “Design for Mankind” on AOL’s ShelterPop blog by clicking here.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
President Barack Obama became the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize this morning.
The Nobel committee cited Obama’s “extradorinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy,” in announcing the award in Oslo, Norway.
The White House heard of the announcement via a wire report to in the Situation Room overnight and Obama is expected to talk to reporters in the Rose Garden about the award this morning.
Click here for Politico’s story, with reactions from world leaders and former Nobel laureates.
In part two of our interview with White House Visitors Office Director Ellie Schafer, she tells us about learning the history of the White House, meeting guests like Captain Richard Phillips, who came for a tour and visit with the president after being freed from Somali pirates.
Ellie Schafer at the White House from whcinsider on Vimeo.
Ellie told us she has to “pinch herself” to remember she is really at the White House; it’s been quite a trip for a woman who started out with President Obama in 2007, working on his advance.
Even a bad day is “still a pretty good day at the White House,” Ellie said. And that’s easy to see — her office contains photos of her with First Lady Michelle Obama, with the President, and Nancy Reagan. President Reagan and Ellie’s grandfather were racheros together: that’s some history! Ellie brings a pretty impressive sports history to the Visitors office. She played Mushball (it’s a Chicago thing), and her softball team won the league championship – they went all the way to the Gay Softball World Series!
Check out more photos here.
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.Before a pool was installed for FDR, the Press Briefing Room space was a laundry room, shown here in 1909.
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