Mastering Obama's Voice
August 28, 2018 10:20 AM   Subscribe

The Woman Behind The Presidential Curtain A charming and fascinating story about the Office of Presidential Correspondence during the Obama Administration.
posted by Shohn (10 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
Of all the things about Obama's absence that makes my heart ache, for some reason it is the OPC that hits me the hardest. He cared.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:36 AM on August 28, 2018 [2 favorites]


The OPC’s process under the current administration remains undisclosed.

Are they implying that Trump is not spending his evenings - after a long day of presidential duties - diligently reading 10 letters carefully chosen to reflect a spectrum of opinions, and crafting heartfelt personal responses?

Sad!
posted by allegedly at 11:04 AM on August 28, 2018 [5 favorites]


A couple of years ago, I was in Memphis, and needing to try some Memphis BBQ, I went to Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ. It was delicious (if overwhelming), and I felt I'd properly done a real Memphis thing.

The walls were plastered with photos of various celebrities who had come by, or awards and certificates. On the way out, one caught my eye -- a letter from Obama. Somehow, he and his bunch had Neely's Interstate BBQ on Air Force One, and he wrote to extend his thanks and appreciation. And this was no simple note. It was a proper letter, three or four substantial paragraphs in small font, fairly detailed about the food and about how Jim Neely demonstrates the best of America, and thank you kindly.

I have no idea whether Obama actually wrote the letter or not, if he directed it, or even had any hand in writing it, but I could hear him saying all these nice things. That letter had his voice down perfectly. I like to think that he wrote it, but maybe it doesn't matter. Whoever did write that letter did both Barack Obama and Jim Neely a great service.

This could have been a simple form letter, if it was sent at all. A thank you letter is probably not on the President's Urgent List. Whether Obama or someone in the OPC, they took the time, and that came shining through.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:05 AM on August 28, 2018 [8 favorites]


I miss having a president who cared about his people, this is great example of what we've lost.
posted by arcticseal at 11:37 AM on August 28, 2018 [5 favorites]




I have no idea whether Obama actually wrote the letter or not, if he directed it, or even had any hand in writing it, but I could hear him saying all these nice things. That letter had his voice down perfectly.

Today, the Trump White House communications team struggles to adopt their boss's rantings, misspellings, idiosyncratic capitalizations, etc. for Twitter.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:26 PM on August 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


It's amazing that she never met him until the end. I mean, I guess with a President of the United States you do kind of know what he wants to communicate (at least, you do with the competent ones), but I write everything that comes from my boss, the CEO of a global company, and it's not easy to learn somebody else's voice. It really says a lot about Obama that he gave young talented people a chance and trusted them to speak for him.
posted by something something at 3:07 PM on August 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


What a fascinating story! I didn't know anything about the OPC.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:08 PM on August 28, 2018


I'm sure my letter didn't actually get all the way to President Obama, but two years ago we adopted a young adult who had come to live with us a few years earlier. The White House sends out congratulations on births and adoptions, but they're aimed at the parents. And our "kid" was over 18, and a special case: trans and queer, they'd been rejected by their birth family, and also forced to leave college after some mental health troubles, including a suicide attempt. They'd been couch-surfing when we met them, but were days away from on-the-street homelessness.

Anyway, we didn't need a "Dear new parents, congrats on your adoption" letter. We wanted a letter to our trans and queer kid. So I wrote a letter to the department that does the congratulations things. Not really a letter. They have a website. I told them what was up.

In a very timely manner, our kid received a beautiful letter back. It congratulated them on finding a new family (gently referencing their past troubles), used appropriate pronouns, wished them well, and expressed the support of the entire First Family. It was lovely, and meant the world to me.

I have been very grateful the past two years that we got the adoption done during the Obama administration. I knew that a staffer wrote the letter, but it sounded like the president had written it. It felt like the president had written it. It felt like the president actually cared about what our kid had been through, and was genuinely happy for them, and for our family.

So, way to go, Obama White House letter-writers. You did a great job for a great President.
posted by Orlop at 4:22 PM on August 28, 2018 [30 favorites]


We were better, once.

Oh, that we shall be, again!
posted by Big Al 8000 at 6:27 PM on August 28, 2018 [3 favorites]


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