White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Archives for November 2010

Kristina Schake Joins as First Lady's Communications Director

By

Kristina Schake

Even after Susan Sher left the White House last week to return to Chicago, we can welcome a new transplant to the Beltway: Kristina Schake, co-founder of communications firm Griffin|Schake, joins the administration as First Lady Michelle Obama’s communications director.

From a press release sent out this morning:

“I’m thrilled to welcome Kristina to the team.  Kristina brings a wealth of expertise that I know will make her a tremendous asset in the East Wing,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “Kristina has done extensive work throughout her career on child nutrition and community health issues, and that paired with her experience as part of a military family will bring invaluable insight to our work on childhood obesity and our efforts to support military families.  I look forward to working with Kristina on these efforts and more in the months and years ahead.”

Schake isn’t a stranger to working for powerful heads of state as she worked with former First Lady of California Maria Shriver among tackling obesity issues, “stem cell research and early childhood education a national priority and helped change California’s political landscape on renewable energy and civil rights.”

We can expect to see Schake around Capitol Hill starting in December.

photo via Griffin|Schake

Susan Sher Exits East Wing

By

Tom Hanks and Susan Sher at The Jefferson Hotel after a screening of the HBO mini-series "The Pacific"

Susan Sher, Chief of Staff to the First Lady and longtime friend of the Obamas will be returning to Chicago after the first of the year.

“Susan has been both a colleague and a dear friend for decades, and I have been grateful every day for her leadership and wise counsel in Washington,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “I also very much appreciate her generosity in staying longer than she initially planned – spending so many months away from her family in Chicago – to help me build my office in the East Wing. I wish her all the best.”

Sher spearheaded the First Lady’s high-profile anti-obesity campaign Let’s Move! and served as the Administration’s liaison to the Jewish community. She came to Washington with the Obamas in January 2009, working in the White House Counsel’s Office to support the Office of the First Lady. In June 2009, Sher took over as Chief of Staff to the First Lady, adding stability and her own personal style to the East Wing.

Tina Fey Thanks Sarah Palin

By

From Second City to the Kennedy Center, Tina Fey still leaves them laughing.

The Emmy – Golden Globe – Screen Actors Guild – People’s Choice award-winning writer, producer, actress, and comedienne took home another statue Tuesday night: the 13th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. As only the third woman to receive this award (Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin round out the trio), Fey is also the youngest (she’s 40, for those keeping track).

She is the creator, star and Executive Producer of NBC’s 30 Rock, now in its fourth season and spent nine years as head writer and cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. But perhaps it is her eerily good impression of Sarah Palin that most folks are familiar with (even doing a little bit during a recent appearance on Late Night with David Letterman).

While accepting the award at a star-studded event at the Kennedy Center, Fey thanked Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan Governor, for her success. Palin wasn’t in the crowd, but spotted in the President’s box were David Axelrod, Stephanie Cutter and Susan Sher.

Fey’s husband, producer/composer Jeff Richmond was by her side while co-stars, colleagues and friends were on hand to pay tribute to Fey including former Mark Twain winners Steve Martin and Lorne Michaels; Date Night co-star Steve Carell; former Weekend Update co-anchor and now host of his own show, Jimmy Fallon; Mad Men and 30 Rock guest star Jon Hamm; Baby Mama co-star Amy Poehler; 30 Rock co-stars Jane Krakowski and Tracy Morgan; and the indefatigable Betty White.

Alec Baldwin who plays Fey’s “mentor” on 30 Rock appeared in a video as Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain. He wasn’t the only one people couldn’t stop talking about: people were commenting on the remarkable resemblance between Steve Martin and David Rubenstein, President of the Kennedy Center. Also spotted at the gala were National Symphony Orchestra Board Member Connie Milstein and guests Austan and Robin Goolsbee.

The event raised $1.3 million in ticket sales which will go to the Center, the largest total in the prize’s history. PBS will air the program on November 14, 2010.

Africare Celebrates 40th Anniversary

By

Some of the world’s top champions on the front lines in the fight against global poverty gathered at the National Building Museum in Washington on Friday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Africare.

The 2010 Bishop Walker Memorial Dinner, the nation’s largest annual fund raising event for Africa, honored three leaders, including a lifetime achievement award to His Excellency Nelson Mandela; the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service award to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank, and the Corporate Award to Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of the Exxon Mobil Corporation.

The crowd cheered as the daughter and grandson of Nelson Mandela accepted his award, thanking the work of Africare and challenging those in the audience by stating Mandela’s legacy is now in their hands.

Africare is the oldest and largest African-American led non-profit organization specializing in African aid. In the last forty years, Africare has delivered over $1 billion in assistance and support to over 36 countries in Africa, in more than 2,500 projects.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Nigerian Finance Minster, stirred a rousing round of applause as she called for the audience to “stop thinking of aid as aid: we must think of aid as investment.”

Conan O'Brien: The Comeback Kid

By

Welcome back to late night, Coco.

Last night the former Tonight Show host made his basic cable debut on the TBS network and it did not go unnoticed. Conan O’Brien wasted no time in reminding viewers of how his firing went down last year, literally likening the NBC Network honchos to Godfather-like hitmen.

While it may have lacked the vim and verve of O’Brien‘s dash across America as he headed towards the land of Burbank for The Tonight Show, last night’s cold open showcasing O’Brien‘s search for new employment (including cameos by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and “Guardian Angel” Larry King) proved the comedian could take a licking – and a joke.

And he’s got the last laugh: the debut of Conan won the ratings battle, beating NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman, and fellow basic cable funnymen Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Let us here at WHC Insider be the first to publicly declare our vote for Conan O’Brien as the host of the 2011 White House Correspondents Association Dinner…although maybe he should shave first? Check out the bearded-one in last night’s monologue:

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Christy Turlington Rock for the Adolescent Girls Initiative

By

All eyes and cameras were on Christy Turlington Burns dancing in the front row with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of the World Bank, to Emmanuel Jal’s music. Jal is a Sudanese former child soldier turned hip-hop artist and activist who along with Christy, was at World Bank headquarters to support the Bank’s Adolescent Girls Initiative.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick and Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iwaela hosted the event marking the second anniversary of this unique initiative which co-sponsored by the Nike Foundation. The program highlights the global struggle with maternal mortality and actress Anne Hathaway, Haitian Finance Minister Ronald Baudin and girls from around the globe who have have been empowered by this special program all spoke at the event. Dr. Iwaela described how the World Bank will ultimately work with all Bank member countries to implement the Adolescent Girls Initiative.

HBO films "WARTORN 1861-2010" Pentagon Premiere

By

A standing room only crowd watched history unfolding as the Pentagon opened its doors to premiere a very personal film for the military: the new HBO Documentary Film WARTORN 1861-2010. The film chronicles the history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through the eyes of American servicemen and women, and their families.

It was a poignant evening as the families featured in the film walked their own red carpet to share their experiences with PTSD. The film is executive produced by James Gandolfini and HBO Documentary Films President Sheila Nevins. Ms. Nevins attended the premiere, along with filmmakers Jon Alpert, Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Matthew O’Neill, Lori Shinseki and Sara Bernstein.

Opening remarks were made by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey, Jr. and HBO Co-President Richard Plepler. A special panel discussion followed the screening to bring attention to the serious efforts of the military and the Veterans Administration to help fix these problems. The panel was moderated by Doug Wilson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs| Department of Veterans Affairs. Panelists included General Peter Chiarelli, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff; Dr. Kathleen Chard, Director PTSD and Anxiety Disorder Division | Cincinnati VA Medical Center; Lt. Col. Gregory E. Harbin (Ret.), Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; Paul “Buddy” Bucha, Medal of Honor Recipient; Gregory Goldstein, Headquarters Marine Corps Combat and Operational Stress Control Program Manager.

The audience included the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, the First Lady’s Chief of Staff Susan Sher and Darienne Paige, White House liaison.

WARTORN 1861-2010 premieres on HBO this Veteran’s Day: November 11, 2010.

The Day After Mid-Terms: Dems Retain Senate, GOP Moves Into House

By

Now that the countdown for Election 2012 (733 days and counting) is kicked off the a GOP takeover of the House and the Democrats keeping the Senate; today is ripe for figuring out what happened the last few months.

ABC News’ The Note sees this as coming full circle since 2008:

In the course of one night, critical gains Democrats had made in Congress over the course of two years were erased as the party in control of the White House suffered a painful loss of nearly 60 seats. As of this morning there were still 15 seats that have not been called — all of them currently held by Democrats. The GOP is likely to pick up some of those, bringing the total number of seats gained by Republicans even higher.

Not to mention this election cycle proved the strength of the “angry vote” over the fabled “youth vote,” which was shockingly absent compared to 2008. CBS News reports that the kids weren’t all right at the polling place and voting was down 18 percent  among 18-to-29-year olds. This year? The “youth vote” comprised nine percent of total voting percentage.

The New York Times rings in with the basic question: was hoping for change too ambitious from a country that can’t wait?

The most pressing question as Mr. Obama picks through the results on Wednesday morning will be what lessons he takes from the electoral reversals. Was this the natural and unavoidable backlash in a time of historic economic distress, or was it a repudiation of a big-spending activist government? Was it primarily a failure of communications as the White House has suggested lately, or was it a fundamental disconnect with the values and priorities of the American public?

For a full list of the Senatorial, Gubernatorial and House races, ABC News has the voting results as they come in.

Your Guide To Election Day at The Mid-Way

By

It’s Election Day and we’ve got nine hours until the polls close for 2010–now we just have 734 days until the next election, and you can be sure that’ll be on the minds of every pundit as of 12:01 am Wednesday morning.

If you’re planning on watching the day’s coverage, TheWrap highlights every major network’s planned schedules–including the overtly confusing ABC/Breitbart kerfuffle.  Don’t want to wait? Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight claims a 54-55 seat gain in the House by GOP from yesterday–the GOP only need 39 to take control. But as Andrea Mitchell said today during an interview with Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss), it’s still a 34 percent pro-GOP vote and appears to be a “firing” election rather than “hiring.”

[Read more…]

The Rally To Restore Fear In Media Reasonably Successful

By

In case you missed it this weekend, a tiny rally was held on a tiny piece of land in downtown Washington, DC. And then The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear blew up in the faces of the very folks covering it, while those attending the event laughed and swayed as if at a revival.

[Read more…]