Obama Friend: "Plain Old Barack Is Gone"

The Washington Post talks to friends of President-elect Barack Obama about the inevitable changes in his life:

A familiar number showed up on Terry Link's cellphone last week, the one that belonged to the friend he tutored in politics, dominated in golf and sometimes referred to playfully as "Ears." At least once each week for almost a decade, the Illinois state senator had talked on the phone to Barack Obama, but now the number seemed to belong to somebody else.

"This time I answered, 'Hello, Mr. President,' " Link said. "When he called, it used to just be 'Hey, Barack. What's going on?' But plain old Barack is gone."

Obama's home in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood has become a compound guarded ever more closely by bomb-sniffing dogs and Secret Service agents who peer through binoculars at neighboring rooftops. When he travels around the city, it is in an armored limousine and 20-car motorcade, so he has mainly stayed bunkered at home or a downtown transition office. Last week, Obama told one friend that he felt "a little boxed in."

This is only the beginning of the transformation that awaits the president-elect and his family. In two months, they will move into a sterile house in a unfamiliar city where they have never felt particularly comfortable. Friends say Obama is savoring these final weeks in Chicago and spending as much time as possible with his family before he takes the oath of office Jan. 20.

During his political rise, Obama safeguarded times of normalcy and credited them for keeping him sane. A run on the treadmill in the early morning. An evening meander through 57th Street Books. Date night with his wife, Michelle, at one of their favorite restaurants. Pickup basketball at a gym downtown.

Obama already has learned that his mundane routine will be difficult to replicate as president, but his friends say that establishing some kind of similar comfort zone is critical to his success in Washington. They consider it one of the most pressing -- and most challenging -- issues of Obama's transition: How can he create a life as president that keeps him happy?

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[tchristin]

I met someone from Chicago over Thanksgiving. At the dinner we attended this woman talked about hearing Obama speak years ago when he was just a "community organizer" and she said everyone who was there that day left knowing that this man was gifted and would end up as President some day. My son is now talking about some kind of community service as a career. My niece talked about being at a rally at her college the night of the election and how there was a great cheer that went up when the results were announced. She talked about all the student spilling out and filling the street and in the night they sang the national anthem. It is hard to believe that with that kind of support, Obama couldn't actually and really effect change, but I am home today and thinking that the biggest change may have already happened and it has happened in the hearts and minds of the population.

[nick53]

well obviously things aint gonna be the same now! the man's president! and not just any president, but a president who's promised to be much more than that www.spinwhip.com/obamaa).. so it's gonna be tough, and he's gotta be almost super human!

[tchristin]

FYI - That's an empty link. When you say " who's promised to be much more than that" what you mean. .

[z78pb45]

HIstory Channel is running a very unique behind the scenes view of life in the White House. The staff is going to love the Obama's and help them make the adjustment. They will find a way to carve out their own life but from now on Obama never will be the old Barack again. His friends just have to accept that.. Obama is an American History freak and he's gonna be in heaven there plus feel inspired during those dark challenging moments all presidents will face. I heard Obama's daughter insisted that she gets to do her homework in the Lincoln Bedroom on the desk where Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation. Any modern American kid that tells her dad "I'm doing my homework on Lincoln's desk" is beyond a cool kid. That says a lot about the type of Americans the MIchele and Barack are. I'm not happy with Obama's administration picks so far but I love that this family is moving into the White House.

(I shouldn't be posting on Turkey Day. Peace.)

[love5pets]

First I stewed and worried that he wouldn't get elected. Now I stew and worry that something will happen to him or his family.

Get him fitted with a bullet-proof vest no matter where he goes and increase the SS gusy by another 100!

[bbc3341]

I think this is one of the most fascinating things about our politics. We really treat our Presidents like royalty. The difference is that it isn't the man or woman (someday, right?) that we revere - it is the office of the President. There is also the reality that we have to keep our President safe. WIth this comes a huge change in the life of the newly elected. I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it's healthy to have a certain respect for our leaders. I remember being in London and hearing a guy criticize Clinton for his affairs. I agreed with the criticism, but my reaction was "Hey buddy, that's MY President you're talking about."

[snarkopolitan]

Presidential Happiness Recommendation #1: a good, large, independent bookstore, with lots of used books. Here in NY, we have the Strand, among others. Who can recommend a good DC bookstore?

An hour or so in the Strand is better than being massaged with hot stones.

[Gladys1963]

I love the Strand . . . a mecca of great books!

[Fleisch]

This guy Link is part of the reason "plain old Barack" is gone; he CHOSE to call Obama "Mr. President" instead of Barack. I'm sure if he said "Hey, Barack," Obama would respond as he always did. If your friends, for instance, earn a doctorate or medical degree, you might call them "Dr." once to recognize their achievement, or in public at a formal occasion, or later on to yank their chain, but if you call them Dr. all the time and no longer treat them as your friends, it's not because they're no longer regular people, but because you are weirdly deferential and rank-conscious.

[Tyrione]

Exactly.

[Alaskan4alaska]

I'm already pleased with him and he isn't the President yet! It is just so great having someone that is on our side. I know that it's a stretch, but perhaps some politicians will learn that the very best way to get the electorate to beleive that they are looking out for the people's best interests is to actually do just that.

[ltyr2002]

No one who goes through what he, Hillary, or even McCain has gone through is what we normal people would call sane.
The pressure must be unbearable! Much as I hate the guy, look at how W has aged. Look at how Clinton aged in eight years, or pictures of Carter, or Lincoln...

Poor Barack. The guy has America and the world riding piggy-back on his skinny shoulders.

Pray! Pray for the man!

[mero909]

I agree. We should always support and pray for our President.

[protagonia]

Depending on their behavior.

The great neo con curse - synthetic equality..

[strandwolf]

I think that the election of Obama is the best thing to happen to America in a long time. Face it, though, 8 years in one's middle age takes its visual toll. And as far as W goes, he's put a lifetime worth of entirely unjustified agony on hundreds of thousands of people. No mercy on him.

[mazzotti]

Hey President Obama is the man now... I was a Hillary supporter and I don’t think she could have done what he is doing and about to do! This guy seems loyal to no one and in the same voice, LOYAL to everyone! I will take great pleasure in listening to this president explain the GOOD TIMES and the BAD TIMES! I get a sense that whatever the subject, this president will process the information and disseminate it to us in a professional and responsible matter!

[yankeetwo]

THAT is one of the things I like about Barack Obama, that he knows himself, and is his own master. I like how he is oh so quietly, and openly, carving out a place for himself in Washington. I think he is masterful in the way he does things. I feel like I can trust him to embark on a course for social justice, and stay that course, against all odds, and despite a "Cabinet of adversaries."

That cool manner is a clear reflection of his character, bespeaking calm assurance and sure confidence, not to mention great competence. He also projects a great deal of warmth, including his obvious love for his family, and of his country. I believe he has no other motive than to serve in a socially responsible way. And he clearly has a will, strong enough to succeed at anything. He's about the best combination of competence and good, egalitarian, fair minded character I can imagine.

One has to admit, his approach, and his execution, can't be beat. He is in an excellent position to become the greatest of all American presidents, ever. Wow! Go for it, Barack!

I can't think of anyone, real or imagined, who could better lead us out of this morass, than Sen. Obama. I'm very pleased that he is our president - such a switch from the other one, who still works full time as a saboteur!

My only reservation about Barack Obama, that he may not go far enough.

[Marmann]

I've noticed that President-Elect Obama has many more gray hairs now than when he first began campaigning.

If he's reelected, I'd be willing to bet that eight years from now, he'll be entirely gray/white.

[tom ellison]

Who would want the job, honestly? He will age quickly and who can blame him?

[love5pets]

I thought I was the only one who noticed President-Elect Obama's gray hairs.

Yes, if reelected, he'll be "entirely gray/white."

[apoliticalchick]

Maybe Obama can take a few hints from his predecessor on how to stay happy while in the White House:
http://democralypsenow.blogspot.com/

[daveishere]

I hope not, remember the drawn out vacations to Texas during times of crisis, or the endless weekend getaways to Massachusetts? Bush was not only the worst president we have had, but the laziest as well. President-Elect Obama will do fine figuring out how to make time for himself just fine by himself.

[crisluda12]

Doesn't Obama's reluctance remind you of Lincoln's presidency? It makes me think of all the sacrifices Abe made to heal a house divided.

[Marilynleigh34]

LOL . Obama is Obama. He isn't Roosevelt...or Lincoln.....or Jesus, or anybody else. He Is Obama.
Maybe he'll do great things as President, maybe he won't.....but he will always be Obama. Isn't that good enough?

[crisluda12]

I said "remind you". If you know Lincoln, you would notice similarities in their behavior.

[Marmann]

True, but he's got a larger burden to bear than former presidents because he is the first black American President. He can't just be "good enough." He must be excellent. If he isn't, there may never be a second black American President.

[yankeetwo]

I am hoping that, in years to come, we'll speak of Barack Obama the same way we speak of Lincoln and Roosevelt. I'm hoping that he accepts the challenge, and forges a Presidency, and perhaps even a new nation, that outshines all others (instead of out-muscling them). He HAS the mandate. If he can lead us out of this abyss we are falling into, and create a new and better paradigm, one of social and economic justice, and equality for all, plus of course a stable environment, and maybe a bit of old fashioned prosperity, for all of course, he will have earned the title of "greatest president ever!" How's that for a paradigm shift?!

Hey Barack! You up to the challenge?

[Smoothsail]

I am so baffled as to why people compare him to Linclon or JFK or Jesus.
This man spent a year in the senate where mostly voted "present" in a calculated manner so that no one could challenge his recored. What has done that is so huge and awesome??
Fill us in because 1/2 the country are wondering why you are mesmorized by him.
We worry about you.

[BoardsOfCanada]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I just read "Lincolns Melancholy", and theirs a quite a few similarities between the two,besides depression of course.

[Bendersky]

Sometimes the question arises: Would one give up any sense of privacy for the fame and fortune of, say, a movie or rock star? For me the answer would have been "yes" when i was younger and "no way" now, at age 48. The guy is giving up a lot to be where he is, and god bless him on his way. I know he won't be as far to the left as I lot of us would like, but compared to our neo-nazi rule for the last eight years, he is probably the best person to be in the White House at this most dire of times.

[snarkopolitan]

My feelings exactly. He's a centrist, and I'm not, but I'll take it. A decent man with a fine mind and a calm, even temperament is more than I dared hope for a couple of years ago. And here he is. Whatever mistakes he makes, they won't be from carelessness. Just the person to handle a crisis.

[Smoothsail]

How does lying blantantly to the public make you a decent man?
You lost me on that one.