Aside from the commentators who count his golf rounds, few are accusing President Obama of enjoying too much “me time.” But according to Kenneth Walsh and his new book, Prisoners of the White House: The Isolation of America’s Presidents and the Crisis of Leadership (Parabola, $28), our current executive is indeed isolated, trapped in an insular “bubble” than may impede a president’s ability to function in the position.
The longtime U.S. News and World Report writer will discuss his book and lead a panel discussion tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Walsh’s panel, “Keeping it Real in the White House: Can Presidents Stay Connected?” includes Kenneth Duberstein, a chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan; Mary Kate Cary, a speechwriter in the George H.W. Bush administration; Mack McLarty, a chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton;
the presidential historian Robert Dallek; and the poll conductor Cornell Belcher, who worked for Obama’s re-election campaign last year.
The group promises to offer an “anecdote-filled” dialogue on how to keep presidents in tune with the American people. Isolation is not a new problem — Harry Truman called the White House “the great white jail” — but Walsh says some presidents do a better job at avoiding it than others. Obama and many of his predecessors have had staffs comprised of loyal admirers, an understandable but potentially alienating move that may affect the lawmaking process.
However, Walsh notes that Obama has made especially active efforts to reach outside the bubble: he follows his favorite sports, replies to friends from a personal BlackBerry, stays on top of polls, and reads 10 letters from constituents each day of the week to the first lady. It remains to be seen how these efforts might change over the course of his second term, and what future leaders will learn from his tenure.
Prisoners of the White House is Walsh’s sixth book, all of which have been about various aspects of the highest office in the land. As the White House correspondent for U.S. News, he has written on the presidency, presidential campaigns, and national politics since 1986, and has received the two top awards for White House coverage. Walsh is also an adjunct professor of journalism at the American University School of Communication.
The event will be held in the Baird Auditorium of the Natural History Museum. Tickets are $20 for Smithsonian members and $25 for non-members, and may be purchased online. While at the museum, also get your mind blown by the Evolving Universe exhibit or the latest revelation on cannibalism in the Jamestown settlement.
