American - Journalist | April 21, 1975 -
I spent a lot of time in the White House in the public areas where reporters are allowed to go, but I spoke to people about the private quarters as well. Some of the things I learned were small, novelistic details. For example, the fact that there were still pet stains on the carpets from the Bush cats when the Obamas moved in.
Jodi Kantor
TimeCatsPetPeopleSmallDetails
Candidates' wives are supposed to sit cheerfully through their husbands' appearances.
ThroughSitAppearancesSupposed
People who face too many demands - two careers, two children - often scale back somehow. The Obamas scaled up.
ChildrenPeopleFaceBackTwoUp
Interpreting anyone's marriage - a neighbor's, let alone the president's - is extremely difficult.
MarriageAloneNeighborDifficult
I would say that Barack Obama has always been a real optimist about what can be accomplished. He believes that government can be used to create systemic, long-term, real change. And the first lady is more of a skeptic.
ChangeGovernmentLadyCreateSay
First ladies, you know, we look at Michelle Obama, and we look at most first ladies, and they seem like they have it all. You know, they live in the White House, they go to state dinners, they ride on Air Force One, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But first ladies do often feel that they are given short shrift or forgotten or left at the margins.
LiveRideShortFeelYouLook
I guess there were things about the Obamas I discovered that I do think are universal to marriage. I found it very interesting in my reporting that their most difficult periods in the White House almost never seemed to coincide. When one was down, the other one was holding it together. In my experience, that's true of marriage generally.
MarriageExperienceTogetherThink
I've learned that the best political reporters never make predictions!
BestPoliticalNeverPredictions
Interpreting anyone's marriage - a neighbor's, let alone the president's - is extremely difficult. And yet, examining the first couple's relationship - their negotiations of public and private life, of conflicts and compromises - offers hints about Barack Obama the president, not just Barack Obama the husband.
LifeMarriageRelationshipAlone
Michelle Obama has gone from political skeptic to political partner to a woman with a White House agenda of her own, and an approval rating higher than the president's.
WomanPartnerPoliticalHouseWhite
One of my favorite stories is from Obama's first campaign: Michelle Obama was out there every day, collecting signatures and supervising the other people who did. If you were supposed to get 300 signatures and you only got 299, you had to face the wrath of Michelle.
DayPeopleFaceYouEvery DayFirst
Michelle has had to grapple with Hilary Clinton's legacy as First Lady... Michelle Obama never wants to be seen as the kind of First Lady who is overly involved in the West Wing.
LegacyLadyKindNeverFirstSeen
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Jodi Kantor quotes