Whom does Obama read? Ezra Klein, Taylor Branch, Bill Simmons.
President Obama escapes his White House bubble by reading widely on the web, sometimes late at night, following links like the rest of us, says senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.
President Obama escapes his White House bubble by reading widely on the web, sometimes late at night, following links like the rest of us, says senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.
President Obama doesn鈥檛 wait for a stack of clips to show up on his desk before he starts catching up on the news. Like many Americans, he鈥檚 on his iPad, grazing around the web, sometimes into the wee hours, following links, finding interesting blogs and longer-form pieces that go beyond 鈥渢he issues of the moment,鈥� 聽says senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.
That鈥檚 how the president found civil rights historian Taylor Branch鈥檚 cover story last fall in The Atlantic on the NCAA, called 鈥淭he Shame of College Sports.鈥�
鈥淗e was struck by it,鈥� said Mr. Pfeiffer, speaking at a Politico 鈥淧laybook鈥� breakfast Wednesday, noting that sometimes the president recommends articles to staff, instead of the other way around.
For a man who came into the presidency worried about getting trapped inside the White House 鈥渂ubble,鈥� Mr. Obama has clearly found his portal into the outside world through technology. Besides his iPad, he still has his trusty 鈥渂ionic鈥� BlackBerry.
Obama is also a big fan of Washington Post wunderkind Ezra Klein, who writes 鈥淲onkbook.鈥� 聽It鈥檚 鈥渁 smart look at politics and policy,鈥� says Pfeiffer, who was White House communications director before ascending in the second term to senior adviser. 鈥淚t takes serious things seriously.鈥�
As with the Taylor Branch piece, Obama鈥檚 status as a sports super-fan is reflected widely in his reading habits. 鈥淸He] likes to get away from day-to-day politics [with] ... ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, magazines like that,鈥� says Pfeiffer. 鈥淵ou need a break.鈥�
Last year, when Bill Simmons, editor of the sports site Grantland.com, invited Obama to do his podcast, the president was 鈥渧ery excited.鈥� 聽
On the issue of the president鈥檚 reputed lack of enthusiasm for press conferences, Pfeiffer pushed back 鈥� sort of. Obama likes 鈥済ood, smart reporters who ask good questions,鈥� he said.
Pfeiffer also rejected the idea that Obama cherry picks his interviewers, favoring TV personalities he and his staff think will go easy on him. 聽
"There is no such thing as a softball interview," said Pfeiffer, who points out that there鈥檚 no way to know in advance what the president will be asked. In one 鈥淭onight Show鈥� appearance, Jay Leno asked about the financial crisis, Syria, housing, and Afghanistan, Pfeiffer notes. And in an interview on 鈥淭he Daily Show鈥� in February, Jon Stewart drilled down on drone policy.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do interviews with everyone, from Jon Stewart to 'Sixty Minutes' 聽to Bill Simmons鈥� podcast and everything in between,鈥� Pfeiffer says.
Still, he didn鈥檛 offer much comfort to print reporters who would love to have a sit-down with Obama.
鈥淲e pick our interviews based on 鈥� reach,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the total audience, it鈥檚 the platform. It鈥檚 whether we think it鈥檚 going to have buzz.鈥�
The only print outlet to land an interview with Obama lately is The New Republic. But that came about through a personal connection: TNR鈥檚 new owner is Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who coordinated online organizing for Obama鈥檚 2008 presidential campaign.