Sunday, January 11, 2009

A blast from the past on Obama from NPR

Listen and enjoy....

2004: Obama's Branding Problem

In May 2004, after the similarity between "Obama" and "Osama" caused some confusion, Wait, Wait wanted to know: How do you get elected to office if your name sounds exactly like Public Enemy No. 1? Bob Garfield, public radio host and longtime columnist for Advertising Age magazine, offers Obama some unsolicited advice and zippy slogans to help him connect with the voters.

2006: Obama's 'Wait, Wait' Exclusive

In 2006, Obama publicly apologizes — on tape — to Nick Lovelady, a reporter for the Henry Daily Herald in Henry County, Ga., who was holding a grudge against the then-Illinois senator.

Lovelady says he was trying to impress a female news intern — and doing a pretty good job of it — when Obama mistook him for a student journalist at a press conference. "You have such a baby face," Obama explained. Lovelady never heard from the intern again.

In a Wait, Wait exclusive, Obama tells Lovelady that he is deeply sorry for "messing up [his] game."

2005: Obama Plays 'Not My Job'

In August 2005, Obama played "Not My Job," the NPR News Quiz. He talks with Peter Sagal about what it's like to be 99th in seniority in the U.S. Senate and reveals that the underground train "is one of the bigger thrills in the Capitol."

Obama admits that he has been tempted to spray-paint his name inside his Senate desk (all the previous senators have carved their names) and explains his stance against eighth-grade graduations ("Guys, it's eighth grade. You shouldn't have the cap and gowns ... Get your butt down and study. You've got a long way to go").

Wait, Wait poses three questions to Obama about the superstitions of Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. The senator remains unfazed: "I know my sports stuff," he says.

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