Here's what it's like when President Obama gets mad
When he's mad, President Barack Obama gets eerily quiet.
Reggie Love, a 26-year-old former Duke University football and basketball star improbably became then-Senator Obama's right-hand man during his first presidential campaign in 2007. Love went on to work as Obama's personal aide for five years, crisscrossing the nation with America's future president, serving him meals, carrying around his luggage, buying him clothes, challenging him on the basketball court, and babysitting for his children.
In a new memoir, " Power Forward: My Presidential Education ," Love discusses being by Obama's side "on the campaign trail when no one believed in him" and in the "seconds before stepping onstage to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America." Though most of the stories are positive, Love also shared stories of what it was like to upset the president.
Here are some of the times Love saw Obama's angry side.
Losing Obama's wallet and briefcase
In 2007 after a fundraiser in Florida, Love accidentally misplaced then-Senator Obama's Tumi briefcase containing his keys, wallet, credit cards, and notes he needed for his coming debate in South Carolina. "The plane was airborne, the bag was missing, and I proceeded to have a full-blown panic attack," Love writes. "Sweat began to bleed through my clothes. My heart raced like a cornered rabbit. In my head I prayed he wouldn't notice, that I'd have time to find the bag and by some miracle get it back to him before he realized it had vanished." Love was able to contact a campaign finance assistant who then notified a Secret Service agent about the missing bag.
The team was able to recover the Tumi briefcase and send it with a campaign member who was also en route to watch the debate in Columbia. "When we landed in Columbia, I was feeling a modicum of relief, believing maybe disaster had been averted, maybe this would all resolve without any drama, and it was precisely at that moment that the candidate turned to me and said, 'Hey Reg, where's my bag?' I went with, 'It's on its way.' ' What do you mean 'on the way? ' he asked. 'It's coming from Florida,' I said. 'You left my briefcase in Florida,' he stated, incredulous."
Love describes what seemed to be the worst part about upsetting Obama, the silence. "The silence, felt worse than being reprimanded," Love writes. "As we rode to the Columbia campaign headquarters without another word passing between us I thought, That's it, I'm fired. I kept hoping he would break the tension and yell at me."
Once they arrived at the campaign office, Obama asked for a private room so that he could have a meeting with Love. With a calm and "even and firm" voice, Obama began: "Listen, Reggie, I think you're a great guy. But, (Obama paused and leaned forward) if you're not up to doing this job, I can get someone else to do it. You have one job and if I have to worry about all this stuff, then you're not making it easy for me to do my job. "Get your act together, Reggie. Help me do my job," he said as he rose from the table and walked out of the room.
Overbooking Obama's schedule
In December 2007, Obama's schedule was filled with back-to-back campaign events that ran over the allotted time limit. Love was responsible for informing various organizations that the candidate would be tardy but was unable to do so. "Obama turned to me and said through tight teeth, 'Reggie, this is messed up.' And I, cracking from the day and the stress and the hours still left to go, stupidly replied 'Well, if you didn't stay so long at the luncheon, we wouldn't have this problem.' The air went still. It was like that eerie calm before a tornado swoops in and levels your entire house. Nobody said anything."
According to Love, Obama then turned to aide Marvin Nicholson and said "Marvin, talk to Reggie because I am not having this conversation with him."
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-president-obama-gets-mad-110000693.html
When he's mad, President Barack Obama gets eerily quiet.
Reggie Love, a 26-year-old former Duke University football and basketball star improbably became then-Senator Obama's right-hand man during his first presidential campaign in 2007. Love went on to work as Obama's personal aide for five years, crisscrossing the nation with America's future president, serving him meals, carrying around his luggage, buying him clothes, challenging him on the basketball court, and babysitting for his children.
In a new memoir, " Power Forward: My Presidential Education ," Love discusses being by Obama's side "on the campaign trail when no one believed in him" and in the "seconds before stepping onstage to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America." Though most of the stories are positive, Love also shared stories of what it was like to upset the president.
Here are some of the times Love saw Obama's angry side.
Losing Obama's wallet and briefcase
In 2007 after a fundraiser in Florida, Love accidentally misplaced then-Senator Obama's Tumi briefcase containing his keys, wallet, credit cards, and notes he needed for his coming debate in South Carolina. "The plane was airborne, the bag was missing, and I proceeded to have a full-blown panic attack," Love writes. "Sweat began to bleed through my clothes. My heart raced like a cornered rabbit. In my head I prayed he wouldn't notice, that I'd have time to find the bag and by some miracle get it back to him before he realized it had vanished." Love was able to contact a campaign finance assistant who then notified a Secret Service agent about the missing bag.
The team was able to recover the Tumi briefcase and send it with a campaign member who was also en route to watch the debate in Columbia. "When we landed in Columbia, I was feeling a modicum of relief, believing maybe disaster had been averted, maybe this would all resolve without any drama, and it was precisely at that moment that the candidate turned to me and said, 'Hey Reg, where's my bag?' I went with, 'It's on its way.' ' What do you mean 'on the way? ' he asked. 'It's coming from Florida,' I said. 'You left my briefcase in Florida,' he stated, incredulous."
Love describes what seemed to be the worst part about upsetting Obama, the silence. "The silence, felt worse than being reprimanded," Love writes. "As we rode to the Columbia campaign headquarters without another word passing between us I thought, That's it, I'm fired. I kept hoping he would break the tension and yell at me."
Once they arrived at the campaign office, Obama asked for a private room so that he could have a meeting with Love. With a calm and "even and firm" voice, Obama began: "Listen, Reggie, I think you're a great guy. But, (Obama paused and leaned forward) if you're not up to doing this job, I can get someone else to do it. You have one job and if I have to worry about all this stuff, then you're not making it easy for me to do my job. "Get your act together, Reggie. Help me do my job," he said as he rose from the table and walked out of the room.
Overbooking Obama's schedule
In December 2007, Obama's schedule was filled with back-to-back campaign events that ran over the allotted time limit. Love was responsible for informing various organizations that the candidate would be tardy but was unable to do so. "Obama turned to me and said through tight teeth, 'Reggie, this is messed up.' And I, cracking from the day and the stress and the hours still left to go, stupidly replied 'Well, if you didn't stay so long at the luncheon, we wouldn't have this problem.' The air went still. It was like that eerie calm before a tornado swoops in and levels your entire house. Nobody said anything."
According to Love, Obama then turned to aide Marvin Nicholson and said "Marvin, talk to Reggie because I am not having this conversation with him."
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-president-obama-gets-mad-110000693.html
sad day in the book world
