In His Candidate’s Voice
Obama's communications director, Robert Gibbs, called Favreau after Kerry's defeat and asked him to talk to the newly installed senator. "We're looking for a speechwriter," Gibbs told Favreau.
"Why?" asked Favreau.
"If there were 48 hours in a day, we wouldn't need a speechwriter," Gibbs said. "But he needs to work with someone."
Favreau met with Obama and Gibbs in the Senate cafeteria in the Dirksen office building on Capitol Hill on the senator's first day in his new job. Obama didn't want to know about Favreau's résumé, but he did want to know about his motivation.
"What got you into politics, what got you interested?" he asked.
Favreau told him about the social service project he started in Worcester, defending the legal rights of welfare recipients as the state tried to move people off the rolls and into work.
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Member Comments
Posted By: SurfVt @ 02/27/2008 1:28:54 PM
Comment: Barack is our national statesman. He can make every citizen understand that it is his adminstration which will draw the best minds of the world together to bring world peace through diplomacy. When he makes a few honest promises which can be kept , on schedule, he will see victory, not for himself, but for our nation. Returning veterans can be rewarded with jobs and educational opportunities created by economic development invigorated by his administration's commitment to rebuild our infrastructure first. Every man and woman in the world wants the same basic things at the end of the day. Obama has the stamina and the diplomatic intellect to begin to undo the mistakes of the last 16 years which I'm certain will take 20 years or more.
Posted By: Adelle @ 02/12/2008 3:25:50 PM
Comment: It's great that JohnTexas is so familiar with people on welfare. How many welfare recipients does he personally know? How many has he had discussions with? Has he asked anyone why s/he was receiving welfare?
Does JohnTexas have the same vitriol for corporate welfare? Growing up in South Texas, did he learn that the U.S. spends over $92 billion per year on subsidies? Does he know what subsidies are?
It's wonderful that JohnTexas is so enlightened about welfare recipients and that he has been so competent as to have never needed monetary assistance. Certainly, there are individuals who abuse the system, who are lazy, parasitic people who should immediately be cut off from receiving aid.
Nonetheless, assuming 99% of "people are welfare" are lazy, baby-popping, high school dropouts would be similar to assuming 99% South Texans are moronic, arrogant idiots.
And that would be incorrect, wouldn't it?
Posted By: JohnTexas @ 02/07/2008 3:14:05 PM
Comment: This guy needs to get a real job and work in the real world.
What in the world does defending the right of welfare recipients mean.
I grew up in South Texas and 99% of people are welfare because they are too lazy to work or they drop out of high school and start having kids that they can???t support so they rely on the rest of us.
A safety net welfare system for US citizens is fine for a few months until the person gets a job and even some continuing support if the job
does not pay enough for a single person. But if you are struggling to eat don???t have kids one after the other and except handouts.