Meeting Barack Obama

You may have heard that last week Barack Obama came to our region.  I believe there were one or two news pieces on the event.

You may also have heard that I had the chance to sit down with him for a “one-on-one” interview.

I won’t lie.  It was pretty cool.  People want to be a part of this guy any way they can.  Did you hear the story of the woman and the water bottle cap?  While Obama was speaking in Martinsville, he dropped his cap and it rolled to her in the audience.  He asked for it back, and she wanted to keep it —but either way she wins – because he talked to her.  She had a moment with the man.

So yes, even though I’ve had chances to speak with important people from time to time in this career, it was an assignment of more than passing interest. 

As we reported, I was to have 4 minutes with Obama.  The same would be granted to the two other local stations.  Or that was what we thought. As it turned out, one of them got about 10 minutes, and the campaign attempted to cut WSLS and another station down to what amounted to a standing interview with both cameras running at the same time.  A two man news conference is not a “one-on-one” interview. So we put up a stink.  In the end we agreed to three minutes instead of four.  His handlers were not happy but they acquiesced. I never judge famous people by the way they treat the media.  None of them likes the media, and some tolerate us more than others, but I never label anyone a jerk because they treat me or my colleagues badly.  It’s kind of expected.  So no grudge against Obama, who I’m giving the benefit of the doubt by believing he had nothing to do with any slight to me.  Let’s face it, in his world, we’re not small potatoes, we’re mashed potatoes.  With that in mind, I wondered what to ask him during my 180 seconds.  I mean, do I hold him accountable for all of liberalism?  Challenge his voting record?  What does he really think of Hillary Clinton?  Come on.

I’ll tell you this…  I didn’t want to ask questions that would launch him into his talking points.  Once he got into his groove he would have talked for all 180 seconds, easily.  End of interview.  I didn’t want to toss him softballs either.  That just makes me look soft.  I mean, come on – I’m Joe Journalist.  I must be, I have a “one-on-one” with Barack Obama! Luckily, the Tim Kaine vice presidency question was looming.  Obama was in Virginia.  He had said he would announce his choice any day.  Legitimate sources had told me it was looking like Kaine.  This was the best topic available. I opened with a softball, but thought it might turn my way.  What was his favorite Olympic moment?  He said Michael Phelps winning, and that “Jamaican” who was winning 100 and 200 meter dashes.  No history there, but it was interesting.  What if he said he hadn’t watched the Olympics.  He might be the only one in America.  Would that make him unpatriotic?  Too busy?  He’s trying to relate to the “every-day American.”  He better be watching the Olympics.  OK, he was, no story.  Next question. Carlin: “Is Tim Kaine your guy?” Obama: “You’re not getting anything out of me.” New tact. Carlin: “What are you looking for in a V.P?”  Obama: “Someone who could be president if something happened to me,” blah, blah, blah.  Expected answer. Carlin: “Well what about somebody in a swing state?” Obama: “I wouldn’t want somebody who would hurt me in a swing state.” Good dodge, but a reasonably entertaining exchange.

I also asked him what he could really do, if elected, for the people of Southside who have lost furniture and textile jobs.  He had a decent answer about creating new jobs instead of bringing back the old ones.  Nothing earth shattering. Sometimes an interview is not about getting answers, nor is it about the answers themselves.  I pretty much knew what he would do with those questions.  Doesn’t matter.  If you were following the Tim Kaine story that day you wanted me to ask that.  If he dodged the direct question you wanted me to try it from another angle.  That doesn’t work how about coming in from over here?  I had to try.  At the end of my brief approach we could be collectively satisfied that he was not going to slip up on the Tim Kaine question.  His handler with the stop watch spun her finger in the air giving me the wrap sign.  At least we tried. What did my 3 minutes reveal? We know he can parry with the media.  We know he’s not ready to answer the question we all the answer to, and we know he’s watching the Olympics with the rest of us. It’s better than nothing. It’s more satisfying than picking up his bottle cap— and I did manage an extra 17 seconds.