A president in the neighbor's backyard [View All]

A president in the neighbor's backyard

The White House was looking for a middle-class family to host the president.
By Jordan Royer

When I called my friends Erik and Cynnie Foss to inform them they might be chosen for a Presidential visit, we were all sure it was a real long shot. The White House wanted to find a middle class Seattle family to host the president and have a discussion about the economy and the impact it is having on women and families.

The Foss house seemed perfect so I asked Erik if it would be OK. There was a long silence on the line and finally acquiescence — driven by his wife Cynnie. We hung up the phone knowing that it would likely never happen.

Two days later, Erik called me and said there were a bunch of people in suits in his living room and a helicopter overhead, and my wife, Julianna, and I should probably take Thursday off.

Watching Cynnie and Erik walk out of their house with the president of the United States was an incredible sight. And yet, President Obama seemed so at ease and comfortable with the surroundings, it almost felt like he was just dropping by.

The conversation that followed showed him to be extremely well versed in economics, healthcare, education reform, the media, and politics. Full disclosure: I voted for Obama and walked precincts for him and will do it again. I happened to hear about the White House's interest in a middle-class family at a party, where it was mentioned by a local political consultant.

When I had a chance to ask a question of the president on Thursday, I wanted to know his thoughts on the current state of our public debate during the election and moving forward. I wanted to ask him how he intended to address the distortions and sometimes outright lies about him personally and his policies such as the Recovery Act, healthcare reform, student loans, and the Bush tax cuts. I was concerned that the media is abdicating its watchdog role for the truth and instead becoming obsessed with the horserace, polling, and money.

http://crosscut.com/2010/10/22/whitehouse/20284/A-president-in-the-neighbor-s-backyard/

Is the person who wrote this a member here on DU? Its a good read