Mike Allen's Birthday Cake

Politico Playbook Editor Turns 45

Politico’s Mike Allen celebrated his birthday on Wednesday. The h/t goes to the 150+ people who turned out on a cold and damp evening for a man who is what Harry Truman called a rare Washington commodity: a friend.

The cake (candles lit by Austan Goolsbee) — and lapel pins — carried an image knocked off from another president, fitting for the editor of Politico’s Playbook.

Mike Allen Birthday Speech from whcinsider on Vimeo.

(Surprise) Birthday Invite

Hosts John Harris and Ann O’Hanlon, Jim and Autumn VandeHei, Mike Feldman, Betsy Fischer, Jonathan Karl, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Hilary Rosen, Jonathan Martin, and Tammy Haddad kept the birthday boy in the dark about the true reason for the party with an invite highlighting 160 days of media coverage.

Check out all the photos from Mike Allen’s birthday party:

Did too much birthday celebration interfere with Allen’s “Morning Joe” appearance the next day? No one’s telling.

Read more…

lrozett News Media, Washington Events Add new tag, Ann Compton, Ann O'Hanlon, Austan Goolsbee, Autumn VandeHei, Ben Bradlee, Betsy Fischer, Bill Burton, Bob Barnett, Bob Stevenson, Campbell Spender, Courtney Diesel, Debbie Dingell, Dee Dee Myers, Fred Hochberg, Geoff Morrell, Greta Van Susteren, Hilary Rosen, Jake Siewert, Jay Carson, Jim VandeHei, John Coale, John Feehery, John Harris, Jonathan Karl, Jonathan Martin, Juleanna Glover Weiss, Kim Kingsley, Laura Capps, Lois Romano, Maralee Schwartz, Marc Adelman, Margaret Carlson, Michael Allen, Mike Allen, Mike Feldman, Natalie Ravitz, Norah O'Donnell, Rita Braver, Rob Collins, Robert Allbritton, Ron Bonjean, Sally Quinn, Sam Feist, Sarah Feinberg, Savannah Guthrie, Stephanie Cutter, Steve Rattner, Tammy Haddad, Taylor Griffin, Todd Purdum

Jennifer Loven with President George Bush at the 2008 WHCD.

The White House Correspondents Association “represents the White House press corps in its dealings with the administration on coverage-related issues,” the WHCA Web site says. Spearheading that duty is the WHCA president — currently Jennifer Loven, who covers 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for the Associated Press.

What does the duty involve? “As president of the association, you’re the go-to person between the White House and the reporters,” past-president Steve Scully of C-Span tells WHCInsider. (Loven declined to talk.)

“You mediate on issues like travel, or seating, on just about everything,” Scully continues. “And you really have to ride herd on the White House to get answers on anything that might come up.”

If anyone can get answers, it’s likely Loven. As NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd recently told WHCInsider, “Jennifer Loven decides when the briefings begin and end. [White House press secretary] Robert Gibbs knows. When it appears the pertinent questions of the day have been asked and everybody has gotten a shot, she closes it down.” Read more…

BTriplett Correspondents Ann Compton, Associated Press, Chuck Todd, jennifer loven, Robert Gibbs, Steve Scully