My Letter from Obama
Being Part of the Transition Team is Daunting Work
By Terrance Gavan
I wrote a column recently about me and the President-Elect Barack Obama.
It was about an apocryphal game of one-on-one hoops played out in a gym in South Bend, Indiana.
I sent it over to Barack’s peeps on his website about a month ago.
I didn’t expect a reply.
But I did get one which was in retrospect a little surprising. Relayed by a staffer, the letter, addressed to me personally, said that the President-Elect had read the column, liked it, and wanted to convey that to me.
I have been getting emails ever since.
Emails like the one that follows.
“Dear Terrance,
“Last Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama gave a major speech outlining his plan for getting us out of this economic slump we're in, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. It's a far-reaching and aggressive plan, and we think it's what the economy needs to get going again.
“But it's going to take a lot of work to get the plan approved, and your involvement is essential. That's why we asked some of the leading members of the Transition's policy teams to sit down and talk a bit about it -- why it's necessary, how it will work, and how we'll make sure it's as efficient and effective as it is bold.
“We're committed to keeping those promises -- and now, given the challenges we face, they're more important than ever.
“We're counting on your help and your support.
”Thanks, John”
John is John Podesta, Co-Chairman of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.
They want my input.
Heady stuff.
Hard stuff.
But all things considered, nice stuff.
Good to be respected.
Beautiful to be wanted.
I’ve been working nonstop over the past two weeks to put together some seminal thoughts.
I got another cellphone beep recently, urging me to get on it. Pronto.
Well, not so much a letter, but a quivering twitter.
From the President-elect himself.
“Gav … loved the article … man we need that input … I got a speech to write … and some things that need to be fleshed out … we are of course relying on you … to provide that insight … that acumen … that velvety nuance … counting on you man … keeping it real … always …. Bama!”
I do not, dear friends, work well under pressure.
I twittered my new best friend back.
“Hey Bam … it’s cold here in the Highlands … and I have recently been diagnosed with Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder (AOADD) … my doctor has prescribed pills … she told me how many to take … but apparently I was so engrossed in a chipmunk dancing down a hydro line outside the clinic that the dosage info that she relayed didn’t quite reach my firing synapse … so I apparently took seven pills when I got home and slept for the next 32 and a half hours … my bad Bama … a waste of quality time that could have been spent pumping out economic reform … but really, hmmm … where was I? it’s like … oh my … a bluejay … in my feeder … look Bam … I am tryin’ … I have all these suggestions for you and the team … but my editor … that scowling son-of-a-bitch Stephen Patrick … has mandated that I get my sports stuff in before I even consider changing the course of the free world as we know it … I apologize Bam my good dear friend … I lie awake at nights pondering the state of the nation … I am taking this very seriously dear Bam … oh look … a raccoon on a surfboard … YouTube … oops sorry … my pills dammit, where are those pills? … this AOADD thing Mr. President is wreaking havoc on my thought process … hah, did you know that a bear can ride a unicycle … arggh! where was I … let me add dear Bam that I am fully entrenched in this quest to get you my input … phone dammit … sorry Bam, phone call … that s.o.b. Patrick is asking for a rewrite on that curling story … let me just say that I have some suggestions that will literally blow your mind … starting with universal healthcare … and now dear Bama … I am feeling strangely tired … hey, did you know that a bulldog can pilot a skateboard? … Bama, I think I took another 7 pills by accident … and your inauguration is in an hour … oh look, a bear just fell out of a tree and onto a trampoline and now, ouch! Off the tramp and onto his noggin … god I love YouTube and bear pranks … oops, getting sleepy … have to set my PVR to the ceremony … talk to you in about 33 hours or so … I’ll have something I’m sure by then … my best to John and Joe and everyone on the Transition Team … for now … my dear Bama … it’s to sleep … perchance to dream … of policy … hah … a Dachshund on water skis, hah, goddam YouTube ... thank you lord for YouTube! … oops! ... pills more pills! dammit… Love Gav”
My cellphone twittered just before I sank to slumber.
“Gav … don’t sweat the small stuff … we love you here at Transition Central … Sleep tight good friend and peace always … your pal … Bama.”
He’s right of course. Hah. A cat has just jumped off my roof. How the hell did he get up there?
ZZZZZ....
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