President Obama To Do Interview With Ryan Seacrest

WASHINGTON -- The administration's last-minute push to turn out the vote is spurring some unconventional media outreach efforts. But none of them have been quite as unlikely as that announced on Monday -- President Obama will be doing an interview with Ryan Seacrest.

The "American Idol" co-host will be talking to Obama on Election Day for a segment on his radio show, 'On Air with Ryan Seacrest.' And in a Facebook post, he put out a solicitation for questions:

Do YOU have a question for President Obama? What issues concern you most? Let us know in the comments below and Ryan might ask it in the interview!

Ryan's interview with the President airs tomorrow at 7:15am PST in Los Angeles, and will be immediately available afterwards at RyanSeacrest.com.

What, exactly, the point is of doing an interview that will air predominantly in a state that seems to be the one Democratic holdout -- and that caters to an audience of not particularly politically-active listeners -- is unclear. But the gist seems to be that, in the 11th hour, no stone should be left unturned. Seacrests interview, a source notes, will be broadcast on other stations in addition across the country.

In addition to that interview there is this from Monday's pool report:

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says POTUS's schedule of closed meetings throughout the day will include some time to tape radio interviews set to air on election day throughout the country (Your pooler is waiting for the list of specific radio stations/programs, which will be relayed shortly).

Tonight, the president plans to make phone calls to boost the morale of activists and other party organizers in key battleground states, including Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and his native Hawaii.

Comments

[phantom65]

12:19 PM on 11/05/2010

I don't understand how someone like Ryan Seacrest has gotten as far as he has. It doesn't make sense.

[Leon Rodriguez]

09:34 AM on 11/05/2010

President Obama is a not too big and important to reach the common American wherever he may be. I honor his attempt to reach everyone no matter who or where they are. He is trying t restore decades of damage from the reicht side of the aisle. They will hate him regardless of his good intentions. They are the obstruction to progress not the President.

[InedaName]

09:37 PM on 11/02/2010

If Ryan Suckcrest moderates just one 2012 presidential debate I'm defecting to Canada!

[sonomarc]

08:00 PM on 11/02/2010

Obama. Never has any President with such a mandate done so much to make so little an impact. I'll still vote for him in 2012, but his lack of leadership is sinking the dems.

[Andrew FingerlickingGree]

05:57 PM on 11/02/2010

Ryan Seacrest?..... Jeeezzzz just go back on "The View" already!

[Salvador Doggy]

02:42 PM on 11/02/2010

So, how did the Seacrest interview go?

[America08]

01:28 PM on 11/02/2010

Are the listeners of Ryan Seacrest show of voting age? Are they Americans? So why shouldn't he talk to them? Every vote counts! And they call Obama elitist. President Obama made his way all the way to the White House by reaching out to ALL Americans. I don't see the Problem here.

[sobaytransplant]

01:41 PM on 11/02/2010

""Elitist" is just right-wing code for "Big fancy-talker that we can't understand."

[maculae]

01:55 PM on 11/02/2010

Or pretend we don't understand so we can continue pretending that everything is your fault...because we didn't hear anything you just said. It's a brilliant tactic if you think about it.

[halconnoche]

03:16 PM on 11/02/2010

Heck, I think he ought to head over to Sesame Street and talk to the viewers there and then mosey over to Nickelodeon and host the teen choice awards and then do that interview with High Times. Hey, those are all Americans and if they can't vote now, eventually they will, so why not.

[westreal]

01:28 PM on 11/02/2010

Makes sense to me. His show is syndicated, hits multiple large and small markets, and the young kids who listen to the show are probably listening with their parents. And the kids will ask their parents "are you voting" or "why haven't you voted yet".

[2farleft]

01:27 PM on 11/02/2010

Please , Ms. Clinton ; do not wait until 2016 to take control of this country !!!

2farleft

[bovine13]

01:15 PM on 11/02/2010

I thought this had to be a joke...sadly it isn't. I may not like the man himself, however I respect the office of the President of the United States....this isn't something he should be doing...Ryan Seacrest...really?

[gingerlilly]

12:47 PM on 11/02/2010

why we grown ups don't stop belittling the young, Why can't we have some modicum of respect for the youth, we were once young too. I am mother of and 18 year old and because I want to know what goes on in his world I listen to that program I listen to some of the music my son listens too. you no what we could learn a lot from them. and we could really support them to be better than they can be.

[Tyler Brown]

11:09 AM on 11/02/2010

Mass begs to differ on the "last dem holdout" quip. Sure, Scott Brown was elected, but Coakley ran a HORRIBLE campaign and wasn't a particularly good candidate to start with. California, last I checked, had the Republican Governator, no?

[NancyJeanMc]

12:04 PM on 11/02/2010

Maybe you checked the label, but you didn't check the product. He's no more of a Republican than Jerry Brown. I don't know why he chooses that moniker; he doesn't even qualify as a RINO.

[VoteThemAllOut]

10:22 AM on 11/02/2010

What next, will Obama join Andy Cohen on the question and answer 'Jerry Springer' side of the Real Housewives programs?

How much lower will the DNC sink in hopes of getting a few voted?

[commonsense333]

09:47 AM on 11/02/2010

I can understand the Pres. going on some news shows, things like that. But giving an interview to a show like American Idol? That is going too low. Who the heck is Ryan Seacrest to be interviewing the Pres? Talk about a dog and pony show. This is too much.

[maculae]

10:19 AM on 11/02/2010

I don't understand why he didn't do something like Good Morning America instead. A lot of people watch shows like that in the morning before they go to work and I'm sure a lot of those people are not too politically inclined. George Stephanopoulos, of all those people in morning shows, knows a lot about politics. Or maybe they didn't want to go on a program of an ex-Clintonite, but it would have made more sense and easier to reconcile than Seacrest.

[sigh-ence]

09:29 AM on 11/02/2010

Whaaaaaaaat? Come on, Obama...
I was happy when you went on TDS...confused when you went on The View...but SEACREST?
SEACREST?!

*head-desk*

[maculae]

10:23 AM on 11/02/2010

The View, I understand for the women. The Daily Show, I understand for younger people and also for disenfranchised liberals (and for that I am very happy Jon went at it). Leno and Letterman, I kind of understand simply because those are generally viewers that might not watch political news. But I agree, some of the appearances he's chosen make little sense to me.

[sigh-ence]

10:25 AM on 11/02/2010

Ah, yes...I agree about The View. I didn't think about it that way, but you're right.

But yeah...this interview makes absolutely no sense to me.