Barack Obama loves babies...
December 30, 2015 4:19 PM   Subscribe

 
WTH Matthew Lesko
posted by angrycat at 4:36 PM on December 30, 2015 [4 favorites]


Oh man, I am normally a total grump about children but seeing Obama with kids and babies warms even my grinchy heart to the core.
posted by TwoStride at 4:46 PM on December 30, 2015 [10 favorites]


that dude is gonna be a hell of a grandpa someday
posted by palomar at 4:47 PM on December 30, 2015 [24 favorites]


WTH Matthew Lesko

Lesko! God, I hadn't thought about that goofball since I stopped working a reference desk. Dude's gettin' old.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 4:53 PM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


I am normally a total grump about children but seeing Obama with kids and babies warms even my grinchy heart to the core.

Ahem. Donald Trump is also good with babies.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:56 PM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


that photoset did exactly what it was supposed to do, which is make me love him all the more.

I love the September 4th one of the little boy looking up at him and and the March 27th one of him and Michelle. Adorable.
posted by Anonymous at 4:58 PM on December 30, 2015


Ahem. Donald Trump is also good with babies. Trump looks like he's gonna pop the kid's head off. It's no Justin Trudeau and his baby-balancing trick!
posted by TwoStride at 5:06 PM on December 30, 2015 [4 favorites]


Barack Obama loves babies, and salmon love Barack Obama.
posted by ostro at 5:14 PM on December 30, 2015 [8 favorites]


I love the babies ones but he's also so sweet with his family as well.
posted by sweetkid at 5:18 PM on December 30, 2015 [9 favorites]


I like that this is now a country where this is a photo of the President and his niece.
posted by Guy Smiley at 5:18 PM on December 30, 2015 [65 favorites]


In one photo from October, we see a small plaque on his desk that says simply "Hard things are hard."

Wow.

(Also, he just loves those little kids! And his kids! And his wife!)
posted by jillithd at 5:24 PM on December 30, 2015 [6 favorites]


This is delightful. I love that he makes an effort to surprise senior staff with a cake on their birthday. What a cool boss!
posted by torisaur at 5:29 PM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]




Had to look up evidence of Trudeau's talent in balancing babies. To my surprise, this wasn't a one time thing.
posted by honestcoyote at 5:35 PM on December 30, 2015 [10 favorites]


Some great optics here--Matt Lesko as the Riddler, Angela Merkel informing the POTUS that the hills are, indeed, alive with music--but my main takeaway from this is that Joe Biden has a granddaughter named Finnegan.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:41 PM on December 30, 2015 [9 favorites]


I have to say, the kid's Pope costume was adorable, and the little red baby shoes took it to the next level, but it was the mini-Popemobile that achieved greatness (even if Papa Francesco prefers a black Fiat, as the other picture showed).
posted by Zonker at 5:41 PM on December 30, 2015 [6 favorites]


As usual I fall for him all over again. Two real standout photos in this great group -- along with the heartwarming kid pix -- are the rainbow and Racing Presidents shots.
posted by bearwife at 5:42 PM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


I loved the Treme one.
posted by biggreenplant at 5:44 PM on December 30, 2015 [2 favorites]


For all his successes, I'm still as disappointed in Obama's presidency as anyone, but I still really like the guy, for reasons that I'd probably be embarrassed to think too deeply about (because it would make me feel like a marketing dupe, I guess).

No matter who gets into the American White House next year, there's a great big swath of semi-youthful joyful (or even, possibly, to try to stay a bit cynical, faux-joyful) stuff like this that is just going to disappear again, I think.

At least we Canucks have Trudeau II to pick up the photogenic slack. I can only hope Justin's government is as successful in doing good things as he is in being charming.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:48 PM on December 30, 2015 [14 favorites]


If you, like most people, are hard-wired to socially approve of people who are good at taking care of kids, then looking at photos of politicians with babies will do exactly what it's designed to do—manipulate you to approve of them more. Or if you're cynical and see it all as a photo-op, you'll dislike them more. Either way, it's difficult/impossible to prevent your judgement of their personality from affecting your judgement of their policies. So why look at them at all? If you just want adorable pictures, go on /r/aww or something.
posted by Rangi at 5:55 PM on December 30, 2015 [4 favorites]


i think there will be Clinton grandchildren in the White House pics in 2017 and that's pretty cute.
posted by sweetkid at 6:03 PM on December 30, 2015 [2 favorites]


His face so genuinely lights up when he's holding a baby.

If he only took one tenth as much pleasure in arm-twisting congress, I would be a lot more impressed with his presidency. He just doesn't seem to be able to fake an interest in some of that stuff, and it has shown in what got done and what did not.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:05 PM on December 30, 2015


Being the President is like being trapped inside a bizarre dream. Bomb the encampment! Shake hands with this robot! Now you're holding a fish! Look, here comes the Pope!

I know a lot of people complain that election race coverage is all about personality instead of policy, but the job seems to mainly be meeting 200 strangers a day and making them your buddy.

That coffee table in the oval office is terrible.
posted by theodolite at 6:30 PM on December 30, 2015 [39 favorites]


Over 100 photos and not a single "next page" button in sight. Amazing.
posted by that's how you get ants at 6:45 PM on December 30, 2015 [46 favorites]


His genuine authentic delight at and respect for little kids makes me fiercely defensive of Obama in ways I can't really explain. Dude isn't perfect, dude's presidency is what it is, but I am profoundly grateful to be alive during his terms. I really am.
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:56 PM on December 30, 2015 [37 favorites]


It's interesting that Souza and Michael Kappeler took such similar photos of Angela Merkel standing arms outstretched before a manspreading Barack Obama. I had to go back and see if it was Souza's image in the Guardian top pic piece.
posted by Flashman at 7:16 PM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


I am disappointed in Obama as a president, but I also understand much of that wasn't his fault. Some of it was, sure, but I also find it hard to blame him as a person for his failures. He came into a mess and tried to fix it. Just because he couldn't, well ...

I see those photos and I think "This man is our president! That's so cool!" This is a person I want to represent me. (Sadly, I think much of the problem is that so many people see him and think the exact opposite.) And that family is gorgeous and delightful in a way that makes me so happy. There seems to be so much love there.

I hope history treats him well. I think it will. I still feel honored that we picked this man to lead us (twice, even!). I think his post-presidency will also lead to great things.
posted by darksong at 7:33 PM on December 30, 2015 [12 favorites]


Ahhhh I love these every year. Extra points for the Hamilton mention.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:03 PM on December 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


I, too, am not crazy about the decor in the Oval Office. There was a Mefi thread when they debuted it, and I'm on the record back then as not liking all the brown. Needs more blue! And the cushy furniture looks like my living room. It's the formal office of one of the world's most powerful leaders, stiffer chairs and couches are in order, IMO.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:16 PM on December 30, 2015


Extra points for the Hamilton mention.

The expression on Leslie Odom Jr.'s face in that picture is just completely perfect.
posted by bakerina at 8:50 PM on December 30, 2015 [4 favorites]


Obama: So Angela, I hear you like fishing
Merkel: Ja, last week I caught one that was THIS BIG
posted by GuyZero at 9:01 PM on December 30, 2015 [8 favorites]


There are several highlights for me. One, look at the secret service men in the background while he shoots 3s at Georgia Tech. Two, the fact that he stopped to take his picture with the racing presidents (from Washington Nationals games) is simultaneously endearing, odd and funny.

But the picture that I just cannot figure out is this one. THe gentleman on the left has something very odd going on with his suit jacket or there is something wrong with the photo or it is a cutout for a weapon maybe? Anyone know what is going on there?
posted by AugustWest at 9:32 PM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


I think that's a computer monitor in the foreground of the guy on the lef, AugustWest.
posted by TwoStride at 9:40 PM on December 30, 2015 [2 favorites]


I don't know much about photography, but I feel like Pete Souza is pretty good at his job. His explanation of the Biden presidential campaign decision (10/21/2015) is wonderful, and that photo is lovely even without it.

Michelle's face in the 3/27/2015 shot and in other photos makes me like the president almost as much as the adorable baby pictures do. Their marriage looks happy and strong and loving, and I really hope that's true. I know I'm being manipulated by these, but I like having a warm feeling about the president too much to mind.
posted by gladly at 10:09 PM on December 30, 2015 [2 favorites]


You have to love a world leader who will stop his motorcade to go hang out with giant 'presidential' heads. And, while all politicians love (or pretend to love) babies, I can't remember ever seeing a photo showing someone in office actually getting down on the floor to hang out with one.

On a less-heartwarming note, I am somewhat stunned, as one of the captions mentions, that no sitting president, before this summer, ever visited a federal prison.
posted by LeLiLo at 11:20 PM on December 30, 2015 [3 favorites]


Every picture of Obama and babies/young children just...makes me cry? In this weird involuntary way that surpasses any of my (real!) political disillusionment, frustrations, complaints, etc. It's profound and involuntary, and it kicks me riiiight in the ovaries.
posted by Charity Garfein at 12:42 AM on December 31, 2015 [3 favorites]


In a recent "interview" (aka the first episode of the new "Comedians in Cars getting Coffee" season; released today) with Jerry Seinfeld, Obama confirmed that he is indeed very popular with the 0-8 age demographic. Spoiler: It's mostly because of his ears.
posted by KMB at 2:18 AM on December 31, 2015 [11 favorites]


Souza and his crew do excellent work. I want to know more about their techniques.
posted by tommyD at 4:43 AM on December 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter: Now you're holding a fish! Look, here comes the Pope!
posted by Mayor West at 5:16 AM on December 31, 2015 [6 favorites]


Being the President is like being trapped inside a bizarre dream. Bomb the encampment! Shake hands with this robot! Now you're holding a fish! Look, here comes the Pope!

I know a lot of people complain that election race coverage is all about personality instead of policy, but the job seems to mainly be meeting 200 strangers a day and making them your buddy.


This was my main takeaway from when I read Ronald Reagan's diaries (because of course that was the president who wrote down everything that happened to him almost every single day). I have no love for Reagan or his policies, but his diaries were so fascinating to me because a large chunk of them were, "Today I had breakfast with my Chiefs of Staff, then I met the poster child for muscular dystrophy, then I called Japan on the phone, then I looked over my speech for this afternoon, then I had a National Security meeting, then I did a photo op with the men's Olympic gymnastics team, then Nancy and I discussed her drugs initiative, then I signed letters to kids in an inner city school, then I gave a speech, then I called India, then I shook hands with the most recent Nobel Prize winners . . ."

How does the President EVER have time to eat a sandwich or something??? I mean, I'm a teacher and even I don't interact with this many people and do this many different things every day.
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:36 AM on December 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


There are lots of great photos in there, but I love the one with Shaq. The president looks totally starstruck.
posted by 256 at 5:59 AM on December 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


Souza and his crew do excellent work. I want to know more about their techniques.

National Geographic did a nice behind-the-scenes video.

Their Flickr photos usually (if not always) include metadata so you can see the settings that were used. But the #1 rule of photojournalism isn't about settings, it's "get close."
posted by starman at 6:07 AM on December 31, 2015 [3 favorites]


Am I totally misinterpreting or is that a rainbow/pride thing on Malia's keychain?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:45 AM on December 31, 2015


It just looks like a mini hackey-sack to me. And I think it's only three colours.
posted by 256 at 6:50 AM on December 31, 2015


But the #1 rule of photojournalism isn't about settings, it's "get close."

The descriptions are full of "and then I sprinted through the convoy" and "I hid behind the planter on the balcony" -- I'd be worried about being accidentally shot by a Secret Service sniper when you pop up from the vegetation aiming your camera at the president.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:00 AM on December 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


Also it's great to see so many women in positions of authority. More of this please.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:07 AM on December 31, 2015 [6 favorites]


That Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee episode was harder to watch than I expected. Jerry's trying to get Obama out of his comfort zone by asking about his undies. Huh. I wonder if there was some good insight that got cut out, because Obama did let in a little bit about how he's no longer anonymous and he's asking Jerry how he handles it. I think the most fun we see Obama have is when he is finally driving the Corvette himself.
posted by jillithd at 7:14 AM on December 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


For all his successes, I'm still as disappointed in Obama's presidency as anyone, but I still really like the guy, for reasons that I'd probably be embarrassed to think too deeply about (because it would make me feel like a marketing dupe, I guess).

I've found that almost any time he says something, my first thought is to think about what embarrassingly inarticulate thing Dubya would have said in the same circumstances.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:20 AM on December 31, 2015 [4 favorites]


Mod note: A few comments deleted. Aelfwine Evenstar, knock it off.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:58 AM on December 31, 2015


The picture from June 4, of Malik Hall looking at the President, complete gobsmacked, made me cry. That kid now knows that someone who looks like him could be President.
posted by suelac at 9:31 AM on December 31, 2015 [9 favorites]


These are great. I follow Pete Souza's instagram and he has some really amazing photos of his travels with the President.
posted by numaner at 11:54 AM on December 31, 2015


Ditto, suelac--that is exactly what I thought as I broke into tears at that one!
posted by bookmammal at 11:55 AM on December 31, 2015


Starman, thanks for pointing out the exif metadata; I had never thought to look. Looks like he likes wide apertures, high ISO and no flash for most of his indoor shots.
posted by craven_morhead at 1:41 PM on December 31, 2015


Photos of Obama with babies, photos of the Obamas with Girl Scouts, that's all I need.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:09 AM on January 1, 2016


I find the photo of the Selma march really powerful. I just feel the weight of history with that one.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


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