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Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Inside the Obama White House
Now that you have viewed Inside the Obama White House, what did you find surprising or interesting? Would you want to live there, or be interested in working there? Why/Why Not?
After watching “Inside the Obama White House” I found a lot of things surprising and interesting. I have never seen a show about what a day in the life of a president was so this was nice to be able to watch and learn what it is like. What I found surprising was how much Obama likes to connect with the people that work with him, and also how much he likes to connect with the people living in the United States. I thought it was nice that people working under him choose ten letters from citizens in the country that he reads and responds back to. I also found it surprising that there are so many apples to promote healthy eating but many people enjoy the free m&m’s more. What I found interesting was that he is busy from the moment he wakes up to the time he goes to sleep, and the people working for him will get there as early as 7 am and stay until 7 or 8 pm. The people who work for him all seem very dedicated and take their job extremely seriously. I would want to live in the White House for a little bit, but not for a while! It would be amazing to be able to wake up and walk down halls that past presidents have walked down more than a thousand times. I would want to also work at the White House because I feel like even though the jobs are very serious, Obama seems to really connect with everyone and make a very nice and fun working environment.
Inside the Obama White House I learned that it’s more then just a house/office for the president. Its home to multiple jobs and offices of Obamas elected and chosen officials. I found it was interesting how so many different meeting were held there each day and how he allowed so many people in side. I also greatly liked the fact that the people working there were normal. They all had families and had a sense of hummer. You would think in a place like that people would be up tight and serious all the time but Obama seemed to be very connected to real life people. I would in fact want to work there as I find it cool how all-former presidents lived and worked there like J.F.K and Lincoln. Although it must be very stressful working there I think the fact that such famous and important people lived and worked there would make up for it. Living there on the other hand would just seem to over the top for me.
After watching "Inside the Obama White House" I learned about all the inner workings of the white house that are truly never shown to the public. For example the entire "west wing" of the white house manages the government and the presidential affairs such as media, international relations, and the presidents schedule and duties. I personally would not like to live in the white house, the amount of media that is on the house is overwhelming. Even if you aren't the president the amount of media constantly around would seem like you never have a minute to yourself. In my opinion the white house is run very well, all the areas that need to be covered are being covered and taken care of. All the employees that work at the white house look like they enjoy their jobs and understand the true magnitude of their jobs.
After viewing “Inside the Obama White House,” I learned many new things and found lots of things surprising. This was a show about the day in the life of the President of the United States and some of his workers. The first thing I learned was how long these people worked. I had thought that they worked a normal day like 9-5, but they work 7-7 or maybe if something needs to get 7-10pm; a 15 hour day! I would never want to work there nor would I want to live there. One, you never get to see your family and two; you never get to sleep or have a social life. The people that work in the west wing seem like they would always be stresses and always be crabby. For the amount of hours they work, they do not get payed enough. The one thing I found very interesting was how they pick ten letters a day to read and reply to everyday. These letters come for all over the United States with people saying hello, or just suggesting things. This can really change the ways something’s are and maybe for the people that work there, it can help them connect to their own life and family.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House”, I learned many out many surprising and interesting things. I had never watched something like this, where they followed the president for a day, so I never really knew exactly what the president did everyday. I never knew that the people working in the west wing had such long hours or that they rarely got to see their families. For the amount of time and effort the people working in the west wing put in every single day, working 12 hours or more, they do not get paid a lot, and I found it interesting that they would want the jobs despite that. I found it interesting that Mrs. Obama has her own staff that helps her everyday. It was interesting that 10 letters/emails were chosen everyday for the president to read and answer. I would like to live in the white house for a little while, but not long. I feel that it would be amazing waking up in the white house everyday. It would be incredible walking down the hallways that past presidents walked down and be able to live in the same house they did. But also, I wouldn’t like that there would be thousands of people walking through my house everyday and standing outside taking pictures of it.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House,” I was surprised to see how busy the president is. He had briefings and conferences all day long dealing with several issues. I thought it was interesting to see a day in the life of the president because before watching it, I wasn’t really sure of what he did. In the video it said that every morning he would reply to a select ten Americans’ letters. It was nice to see how he tries to stay connected with everyone in the country. I was surprised to see that the people working for him in the west wing worked such long hours everyday and seemed very dedicated to their job. Some of them rarely got to see their families because of that, but they continued to stay committed to helping the president. It was also interesting to find out the First Lady had her own separate staff and section of the White House. I wouldn’t want to work there because it seemed like the people there never had a break, and I wouldn’t like being away from my family all the time. However, I think living at the White House and being able to walk around one of the most famous historical buildings in the country would be an incredible experience.
I found it very interesting how Obama lacks privacy, but still keeps private from the public. He has secret service surrounding him 24/7, yet he still manages to keep the country's secrets private. Personally, I do not believe I would be compatible with life in the White House because of the lack of privacy. Although, there seems to be many benefits to White House life, I can imagine how difficult it must be. Working there on such a low salary and long hours definitely doesn't seem tempting. But working in the white house would probably look amazing on a resume.
The "Inside the Obama White House" video was extremely surprising to me. I have never thought of the White House and its members as a “real life entity”, it’s always felt like this far off fantasy to me where everyone just sits and discusses the war in Iraq and such heavy subjects. But in reality, there are so many necessary things that the President and the “West Wing” workers have to do; and these things hardly ever include actual discussion. Private de-briefing is a common occurrence, and damage control is as well. The President often has to deal with the public’s judgment or outrage, for example the Sonia-Mayor case. I never truly understood the weight of responsibility and the pressure to please everyone that crushes him. I found a lot of sympathy and proudness in my heart for the Obama family as a whole. I would never want to work in the White House for two major reasons. One is that I would never want to do anything politically oriented for a career; it would be way too frustrating and rage producing for me. The second reason is that I wouldn’t be able to have the White House be my only life. I’m sure as I get older, yoga, family and balance will become even more important to me and balance definitely doesn’t seem part of the White House agenda.
After watching "inside the white house" I learned that the white house holds much more than offices. The white house is strongly centered around its employees, and Obama made the importance of family very clear. The white house is personalized for the people who work and live there, with a basketball court, a movie theater, and even a private garden. I thought it was interesting to see how busy the life of the president really is, but I also learned that the first lady has an incredibly busy schedule as well. In general, white house employees are hard working and dedicated to their job, though the long hours and distance from family seemed taxing on everyone, which is why I dont think I would be able to handle working or living there
After watching inside the white house, I learned there is much more that goes on behind the scenes that the public does not know about. While the president and the staffers that work at the white house are always hard at work, they still have time to enjoy their jobs. It is clear that the atmosphere around the white house is full of energy seeing as many of the people who work there are young and some are even right out of college. I do not think that I would be able to handle living or working at the white house however, because I do not have enough energy to work such long hours every day and get paid so little in return. While it would be interesting to live at the white house, I do not think I would like having to be responsible for so much like the people who work there are. It was entertaining to see how the president goes on off the record trips to five guys, and it makes me want to go there sometime. It was also cool to see how the first lady has her own wing in the white house and that she has her own causes that she is involved in. Watching inside the white house allowed me to see the president and his job in a different way.
I really liked this video and I thought that it was interesting to get to see into the daily lives of the president, his family, and the White House staff. There were a lot of things that surprised me and that I didn’t know about Obama and his life in the White House like how he picked up Five Guys for his staff and that he reads ten letters from Americans every night that he will respond to personally. President Obama keeps a very friendly and personal relationship not only with the people of the United States but also with his staff. Although I wouldn’t want to work in the West Wing because of the long hours and stressful work load, I admire how President Obama tries to keep the office a fun environment for all of his staff. The group seems to be very close-knit which would help make up for how demanding the positions can be. I’m not very interested in politics, but I think that if you were this could be a great job for you because it is provides you with experience that can lead you into higher employment positions in the future. That’s why a lot of the White House Staff is so young which surprised me at first, but makes sense since they are only using the position as a stepping stone to future careers. I think that I would like to live in the East Wing, however, even if I wouldn’t want to work in the White House because it is so beautiful and filled with so much history which I think is really cool.
One of the things that I found really interesting about the documentary that we watched involving President Obama was the number of places where the White House staff did allow the camera crew to go. The white house staff obviously deals with very important issues on a daily basis, and the fact that they let the camera crew just kind of waltz into some of their meetings was a little astounding for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, there were a few times where a staffer kicked the camera out of specific, very confidential meetings, but I was surprised how much access the staff gave the camera crew and how much leeway they were allowed in filming. I think that I would enjoy working inside of the white house. I understand that both the work and the hours are brutal, but I think the pay-off from that hard work is immense and it definitely outweighs the hard work and long hours. After working in the west wing for only a few years, I could easily move into a more lucrative, successful career, while in many other career fields it takes a much longer time period to ascend the corporate ladder to a better paying job. That burden of moving into more of a leadership position would definitely be eased by the connections made while working in the white house. Also, a sense of pride must come from saying that you work in the white house. The jobs in the white house are coveted, and it seems to carry with it an air of importance and authority. Finally, I think it would be such a great experience. I can't even imagine the multitude of things that those young college grads learn while working in the white house.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House” I was actually pretty fascinated with some of the stuff that goes on. I never realized how busy the White House really was. It was cool to see some of the different rooms and people that worked there. I never actually realized how big it really was, until they talked about the east and west wing areas. It was cool to see how Obama and his workers, kind of in action. I liked the idea of how Obama talked to the public, and really opened up, so we could see all this. I also enjoyed learning about what the first lady does, and more about there family. I personally thought at first, that it was a really cool idea to work in the White House. After watching this, I realized this job definitely wouldn’t be for me. I would not like to work as earlier as 7am and work around 12 hours, (if not more), everyday. All the people that work for the president, take there job very seriously, where they can sometimes not see their families. I would really dislike not seeing my family, and working 12 hours every single day. I mean it would be cool to work for the President, but not every day! Overall, I think this video was entertaining and informative.
After viewing "inside the Obama white house" I was very surprised about some of the things that go on in everyday life at the white house. When I thought of the white house and the presidents' job, I imagined him sitting in a room all day and coming up with new laws/bills. One of the things that surprised me most was how diverse all the activities were that went on. For example, Obama could be giving a speech while his secretaries hold a meeting, all while eating a burger from five guys. I was also surprised how laid back everyone seemed for such a stressful job. I can't imagine how stressed out I would be if I had to work a 15 hour day continuously. And what a long 15 hours that would be. Everybody is working nonstop to get things done as efficiently as possible. But one thing I liked was how Obama tries to help all his workers by relieving them of their stress. He did this by giving them white house m&m's, buying them five guys, or ordering take out. Another thing I really liked about Obama was how he connects with everyone around him. Whether it's his coworkers, or civilians he always seems to brighten up their day. Overall I defininitely couldn't have the presidents job because of the stress overload, long hours, and lack of vacation time. This video just makes me respect Obama even more.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House,” I noticed a lot of interesting events that take place during the daily life inside the white house. One of the things in the white house that was surprising was how many people worked in the building. There were people who did work such as planning the president’s day, replying to his emails, and transferring phone calls. These are just three of the hundreds of jobs in the west wing of the white house. Then, President Obama has a person in charge of speaking to the reporters about current issues. I think that living in the white house would be an exciting life for a short bit of time, but after a week or two I would get annoyed by the lack of privacy and extreme stress. While I enjoy having people help me achieve certain goals, having people plan my day and need people to read my emails would get annoying. Lastly, having to be escorted everywhere by the secret service sounded enjoyable at first glance, but after a little consideration I realized that the annoyance factor of all the restrictions outweighs the excitement of an escort. Therefore, life in the white house is not suited for my lifestyle.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House” I found any many things surprising and interesting. I learned a lot about the White House that I didn’t know before watching this documentary. I never thought that the White House would be so hectic. There were constantly people moving around in the west wing getting things prepared for the President. I never noticed how much prep work there was for something like the President making a television appearance. The people working in the west wing were constantly moving taking care of new issue’s. The majority of the people working in the west wing were students right out of college. It surprised me that the majority of the workers were recently college graduates but if you think about it, it makes sense. The young workers can keep with the high energy pace of the west wing, they won’t complain about low pay and it will look great on a resume so they can easily move to a position of more power. Even with all the stress and long hours of the west wing they were able to keep a light, positive attitude with each other. I was also surprised that some of superior advisor of the west wing like Rahm Emanuel who left his family in Chicago to work for the President because the President asked him. The west wing is only one part of the White House. The west wing is completely different from the east wing. Besides the fact the west wing takes care of the President and the east wing takes care of the First Lady affairs there are many other things that make them completely different. The working atmosphere is nothing like the fast paced energy of the west wing. The east wing is more relaxed pace and more serene than the west wing. The east wing does as much work as the west wing just at a more clam and quite pace. To imagine having to spend long hours of work and to balance that with family time seems almost impossible. Even the White House seems to very well run and President Obama does a good job of balancing work with his family life and keeping things on a professional but personable level with his workers; I don’t think I would want to work or live in the White House. I wouldn’t want to work at the White House because I don’t think that I would be able to handle the long hours that come along with the job. Also, I wouldn’t want to live at the White House because I wouldn’t want the media and the people always in my house. Another reason I wouldn’t want to live at the white house is bodyguards would have to follow every move and that would annoy me. Even though the White House is an amazing place filled with so much history, I just wouldn’t want to live in a place that big.
After viewing Inside the Obama White House I found a few things surprising/interesting. I had assumed that The White House would be very busy all day, though when I thought of it, I pictured fairly uptight, serious people, working in conference rooms, constantly dealing with issues all day long. What surprised me is how, even through all the long work, the staff (who generally work at their own small desk) still manages to find time for a light side. They joke around, eat m & m’s, and go on runs to five guys for burgers. It kind of reminded me that these people are just that, regular people, who have lives outside work and families back at home. I think I would like to work in the white house. Although it is a big commitment, sometimes more then a 12 hour day with no vacation, and doesn’t pay very much, I think it would open thousands of opportunities for the future. Additionally, it would provide many connections, and it is something you can enter right out of college and keep it for a few years. This starts you on a career path as soon as you graduate, which is hard for some graduates, and allows you to advance into higher positions much quicker then most other jobs. Personally, I would prefer to work in the east wing with the first lady, as it seems more laid back, and concentrates on a few specific ideas rather then numerous issues.
Watching “Inside the Obama White House,” showed what a real day is like for President Obama. I found the whole atmosphere of the White House interesting. I expected the president and all of his workers in the west wing to be very serious and focused. However, it seemed like they managed to joke around, munch on M&M’s and even get Five Guys for lunch, despite some of the more serious issues they had to handle. With this being said, it’s still clear that all of the White House workers take their job very seriously and work hard. Also, I had no idea how long the work day lasts for these people and just how many meetings take place on any given day. If given the chance, I would not want to live or work in the White House for more than a couple days. Although it would be really cool to see history being made, it seems like a crazy place where there’s always tons of people around and something going on. I wouldn’t want literally thousands of people going through my house every day.
After seeing the Obama video I reflected upon it in many ways. For one, I was impressed with the amount of people constantly running around in the white house figuring things out and keeping everything in order. I didn’t realize how full of a schedule the workers have and how much time goes into decision making. Also, I realized that Obama is always surrounded by people and I wondered how he can enjoy that if it seems there’s barely any breathing room for him and his family. Everything is very orderly in the white house and they seem to follow a strict schedule day by day. What I found most interesting was when Obama went to Five Guys to order burgers like any ordinary person. He seemed very personable to the other customers and to the workers there. Although it’s a high stress environment, he and his staff seem to have everything under control and this country running back on track. Personally, I’d want to live in the white house for a little just to see how everything runs, but I could never work there. The days are too long and everything is very precise, I respect Obama and his staff greatly after viewing this video.
derWhile watching the special, "Inside the Obama White House," I discovered many surprising and interesting things. One of the most shocking things that I learned was how long the employees' days were. The president's day begins at seven in the morning, so the employees had to be in and ready even before that. The video also said that the days typically went on until about eight at the night or even until eleven at night sometimes. Also I learned how chaotic and busy the White House is at all times, and how every detail surrounding the President's life is planned perfectly. I wouldn't mind living or working in the White House, because they're all like one big family and it would never be boring.
This video succeeded in providing a general idea of what a typical day in the Obama White House entails. The first main thing that surprised me was the in-depth access that the cameras were granted. Although the crew was kicked out for a couple of classified meetings, most people were very cooperative with the media. It goes again to show how President Obama enjoys connecting with the people, a characteristic first revealed to me on his trip to Five Guys. Also, I found it interesting that Obama does not use the Oval Office much; rather, he prefers his small study and home office. One of the jobs I found most interesting was that of the press secretaries. For government officials, frequent interactions with the media must be pretty stressful, and I admire their poise and people-skills. That being said, I personally would not enjoy living or working at the White House. I appreciate the beauty and historical significance of the White House, but I prefer to be on the outside looking in; it’s a bit too fancy more my taste, and the lack of privacy doesn’t help much either. Also, as I have little interest in politics, the long hours and time away from family do not seem worth gaining a few political connections. However, I can understand how those more politically oriented can find the appeal in working for the president and meeting people in the inner circle of the government.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House”, I learned many surprising and interesting things about the job of the President and the way the White House runs. The West Wing of the White House is where the Obama does the various duties he has for the country. I found it very interesting that the people working in the West Wing were mostly young people. It now seems most logical because the young people did not have a family at home that they had to return to and had more energy. This is important with the long and hectic days that these workers do. The employees also try to keep their job interesting and loosen up when they can while still being able to be serious when necessary. It was also interesting how each employee in the White House has a different job but they are all important. Every employee from the Chief of Staff to the secretaries have an important job to do every day. Another surprising thing I learned was that Obama uses many offices within the White House to do his work and not just the Oval Office. I had always thought that the President used the Oval Office for the majority of his work but President Obama uses many offices. The East Wing is another very interesting part of the White House. Michelle Obama is in the East Wing most of the time and it is used to do many of the various tasks she is responsible for as the East Wing. I found it very interesting how many different tasks that Michelle Obama is responsible for as the First Lady. It was also very interesting how the White House is split into an office space with the East and West Wing, a museum, and a home. I would not want to live in the White House for many reasons. If I was living in the White House, I would most likely be a relative of a government official. This would mean that I would have to go everywhere with the Secret Service and would have very little privacy. I would not want to have such little privacy. I would not be interested in working in the White House. It would be interesting to see how everything in the White House works but it is to stressful and hectic to work there.
I honestly thought that the president would have more free time than he actually did. The entire day was rather interesting, but that fact alone really impacted me. I don't know why but, it really showed me that being the president is even harder than it already looks. Also, I like how president responds to 10 letters citizens write to him everyday. It show how he still cares. Plus the young people working hard as they can to keep the white house running. They do hard work for little pay, and that seems very noble in a way.
The MSNBC journalism piece was full of interesting footage. It was really interesting to see how a relatively overlooked group of people handle the business of one of the world’s largest nations. One of the more interesting things was looking at how the white house deals with certain media crisis. Inside the Obama White House gave its audience a look at the other side of the mass media curtain, which was very interesting. The piece also made me realize how many jobs there are to do the work of the president, and how gruesome the hours are for every one of those jobs. I also had no idea that the first lady had any staff at all. The footage also made me wonder which president began to demand white house decorated boxes of M&Ms by the hundred.
During the movie I found many things surprising. The first thing I noticed was that the presdident went to get food at five guys. I would never expect him to want to go there or even eat there. I liked this part because he is very nice to go out in public and meet all his fans. I thought the playground in the backyard was beneficial for the workers mostly because they can work without having to worry about their family and children at home. I would never expect the white house to have that in the backyard. Since the people who work in the white house have to be there all the time, about 14 to 16 hours a day, the employees become family like president Obama said. I would never like to work there because I could never be away from my family that long. I also wouldn't like to work that long in one day.
After watching "Inside the Obama White House" i found many things interesting. The amount of hours people work at the white house are very long, and the people are always busy and running around. also that president obama gets a briefing on national security every morning is interesting to me. i would not want to live/work in the white house because of the hours, and the lack of time id get to spend with my family, and there is never a moment of peace, and i like to be alone sometimes. i wouldnt want to work there also because of all the stress the jobs must put on the people that work there. it just seems like more responsibility than i would be able to handle.
After watching "inside the Obama white house" i found that while the whitehouse is extremely stressful they also find time for a little bit of humor. i was also surprised that Obama himself went out to get lunch. personally i felt like he was doing that for the cameras and to get attention. i also found it surprising that some outstanding letters from the public are selected for obama to view himself.i found that working in the white house would be an extreme commitment and that the people who work there work long days and they rarely see their families. it seemed like a very large sacrafice. i dont think i would enjoy living there. i would feel too close to my work and i feel like i wouldnt be able to unwind.
33 comments:
After watching “Inside the Obama White House” I found a lot of things surprising and interesting. I have never seen a show about what a day in the life of a president was so this was nice to be able to watch and learn what it is like. What I found surprising was how much Obama likes to connect with the people that work with him, and also how much he likes to connect with the people living in the United States. I thought it was nice that people working under him choose ten letters from citizens in the country that he reads and responds back to. I also found it surprising that there are so many apples to promote healthy eating but many people enjoy the free m&m’s more. What I found interesting was that he is busy from the moment he wakes up to the time he goes to sleep, and the people working for him will get there as early as 7 am and stay until 7 or 8 pm. The people who work for him all seem very dedicated and take their job extremely seriously. I would want to live in the White House for a little bit, but not for a while! It would be amazing to be able to wake up and walk down halls that past presidents have walked down more than a thousand times. I would want to also work at the White House because I feel like even though the jobs are very serious, Obama seems to really connect with everyone and make a very nice and fun working environment.
Inside the Obama White House I learned that it’s more then just a house/office for the president. Its home to multiple jobs and offices of Obamas elected and chosen officials. I found it was interesting how so many different meeting were held there each day and how he allowed so many people in side. I also greatly liked the fact that the people working there were normal. They all had families and had a sense of hummer. You would think in a place like that people would be up tight and serious all the time but Obama seemed to be very connected to real life people. I would in fact want to work there as I find it cool how all-former presidents lived and worked there like J.F.K and Lincoln. Although it must be very stressful working there I think the fact that such famous and important people lived and worked there would make up for it. Living there on the other hand would just seem to over the top for me.
After watching "Inside the Obama White House" I learned about all the inner workings of the white house that are truly never shown to the public. For example the entire "west wing" of the white house manages the government and the presidential affairs such as media, international relations, and the presidents schedule and duties. I personally would not like to live in the white house, the amount of media that is on the house is overwhelming. Even if you aren't the president the amount of media constantly around would seem like you never have a minute to yourself. In my opinion the white house is run very well, all the areas that need to be covered are being covered and taken care of. All the employees that work at the white house look like they enjoy their jobs and understand the true magnitude of their jobs.
After viewing “Inside the Obama White House,” I learned many new things and found lots of things surprising. This was a show about the day in the life of the President of the United States and some of his workers. The first thing I learned was how long these people worked. I had thought that they worked a normal day like 9-5, but they work 7-7 or maybe if something needs to get 7-10pm; a 15 hour day! I would never want to work there nor would I want to live there. One, you never get to see your family and two; you never get to sleep or have a social life. The people that work in the west wing seem like they would always be stresses and always be crabby. For the amount of hours they work, they do not get payed enough. The one thing I found very interesting was how they pick ten letters a day to read and reply to everyday. These letters come for all over the United States with people saying hello, or just suggesting things. This can really change the ways something’s are and maybe for the people that work there, it can help them connect to their own life and family.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House”, I learned many out many surprising and interesting things. I had never watched something like this, where they followed the president for a day, so I never really knew exactly what the president did everyday. I never knew that the people working in the west wing had such long hours or that they rarely got to see their families. For the amount of time and effort the people working in the west wing put in every single day, working 12 hours or more, they do not get paid a lot, and I found it interesting that they would want the jobs despite that. I found it interesting that Mrs. Obama has her own staff that helps her everyday. It was interesting that 10 letters/emails were chosen everyday for the president to read and answer. I would like to live in the white house for a little while, but not long. I feel that it would be amazing waking up in the white house everyday. It would be incredible walking down the hallways that past presidents walked down and be able to live in the same house they did. But also, I wouldn’t like that there would be thousands of people walking through my house everyday and standing outside taking pictures of it.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House,” I was surprised to see how busy the president is. He had briefings and conferences all day long dealing with several issues. I thought it was interesting to see a day in the life of the president because before watching it, I wasn’t really sure of what he did. In the video it said that every morning he would reply to a select ten Americans’ letters. It was nice to see how he tries to stay connected with everyone in the country. I was surprised to see that the people working for him in the west wing worked such long hours everyday and seemed very dedicated to their job. Some of them rarely got to see their families because of that, but they continued to stay committed to helping the president. It was also interesting to find out the First Lady had her own separate staff and section of the White House. I wouldn’t want to work there because it seemed like the people there never had a break, and I wouldn’t like being away from my family all the time. However, I think living at the White House and being able to walk around one of the most famous historical buildings in the country would be an incredible experience.
I found it very interesting how Obama lacks privacy, but still keeps private from the public. He has secret service surrounding him 24/7, yet he still manages to keep the country's secrets private. Personally, I do not believe I would be compatible with life in the White House because of the lack of privacy. Although, there seems to be many benefits to White House life, I can imagine how difficult it must be. Working there on such a low salary and long hours definitely doesn't seem tempting. But working in the white house would probably look amazing on a resume.
The "Inside the Obama White House" video was extremely surprising to me. I have never thought of the White House and its members as a “real life entity”, it’s always felt like this far off fantasy to me where everyone just sits and discusses the war in Iraq and such heavy subjects. But in reality, there are so many necessary things that the President and the “West Wing” workers have to do; and these things hardly ever include actual discussion. Private de-briefing is a common occurrence, and damage control is as well. The President often has to deal with the public’s judgment or outrage, for example the Sonia-Mayor case. I never truly understood the weight of responsibility and the pressure to please everyone that crushes him. I found a lot of sympathy and proudness in my heart for the Obama family as a whole. I would never want to work in the White House for two major reasons. One is that I would never want to do anything politically oriented for a career; it would be way too frustrating and rage producing for me. The second reason is that I wouldn’t be able to have the White House be my only life. I’m sure as I get older, yoga, family and balance will become even more important to me and balance definitely doesn’t seem part of the White House agenda.
After watching "inside the white house" I learned that the white house holds much more than offices. The white house is strongly centered around its employees, and Obama made the importance of family very clear. The white house is personalized for the people who work and live there, with a basketball court, a movie theater, and even a private garden. I thought it was interesting to see how busy the life of the president really is, but I also learned that the first lady has an incredibly busy schedule as well. In general, white house employees are hard working and dedicated to their job, though the long hours and distance from family seemed taxing on everyone, which is why I dont think I would be able to handle working or living there
After watching inside the white house, I learned there is much more that goes on behind the scenes that the public does not know about. While the president and the staffers that work at the white house are always hard at work, they still have time to enjoy their jobs. It is clear that the atmosphere around the white house is full of energy seeing as many of the people who work there are young and some are even right out of college. I do not think that I would be able to handle living or working at the white house however, because I do not have enough energy to work such long hours every day and get paid so little in return. While it would be interesting to live at the white house, I do not think I would like having to be responsible for so much like the people who work there are. It was entertaining to see how the president goes on off the record trips to five guys, and it makes me want to go there sometime. It was also cool to see how the first lady has her own wing in the white house and that she has her own causes that she is involved in. Watching inside the white house allowed me to see the president and his job in a different way.
I really liked this video and I thought that it was interesting to get to see into the daily lives of the president, his family, and the White House staff. There were a lot of things that surprised me and that I didn’t know about Obama and his life in the White House like how he picked up Five Guys for his staff and that he reads ten letters from Americans every night that he will respond to personally. President Obama keeps a very friendly and personal relationship not only with the people of the United States but also with his staff. Although I wouldn’t want to work in the West Wing because of the long hours and stressful work load, I admire how President Obama tries to keep the office a fun environment for all of his staff. The group seems to be very close-knit which would help make up for how demanding the positions can be. I’m not very interested in politics, but I think that if you were this could be a great job for you because it is provides you with experience that can lead you into higher employment positions in the future. That’s why a lot of the White House Staff is so young which surprised me at first, but makes sense since they are only using the position as a stepping stone to future careers. I think that I would like to live in the East Wing, however, even if I wouldn’t want to work in the White House because it is so beautiful and filled with so much history which I think is really cool.
One of the things that I found really interesting about the documentary that we watched involving President Obama was the number of places where the White House staff did allow the camera crew to go. The white house staff obviously deals with very important issues on a daily basis, and the fact that they let the camera crew just kind of waltz into some of their meetings was a little astounding for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, there were a few times where a staffer kicked the camera out of specific, very confidential meetings, but I was surprised how much access the staff gave the camera crew and how much leeway they were allowed in filming.
I think that I would enjoy working inside of the white house. I understand that both the work and the hours are brutal, but I think the pay-off from that hard work is immense and it definitely outweighs the hard work and long hours. After working in the west wing for only a few years, I could easily move into a more lucrative, successful career, while in many other career fields it takes a much longer time period to ascend the corporate ladder to a better paying job. That burden of moving into more of a leadership position would definitely be eased by the connections made while working in the white house. Also, a sense of pride must come from saying that you work in the white house. The jobs in the white house are coveted, and it seems to carry with it an air of importance and authority. Finally, I think it would be such a great experience. I can't even imagine the multitude of things that those young college grads learn while working in the white house.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House” I was actually pretty fascinated with some of the stuff that goes on. I never realized how busy the White House really was. It was cool to see some of the different rooms and people that worked there. I never actually realized how big it really was, until they talked about the east and west wing areas. It was cool to see how Obama and his workers, kind of in action. I liked the idea of how Obama talked to the public, and really opened up, so we could see all this. I also enjoyed learning about what the first lady does, and more about there family. I personally thought at first, that it was a really cool idea to work in the White House. After watching this, I realized this job definitely wouldn’t be for me. I would not like to work as earlier as 7am and work around 12 hours, (if not more), everyday. All the people that work for the president, take there job very seriously, where they can sometimes not see their families. I would really dislike not seeing my family, and working 12 hours every single day. I mean it would be cool to work for the President, but not every day! Overall, I think this video was entertaining and informative.
After viewing "inside the Obama white house" I was very surprised about some of the things that go on in everyday life at the white house. When I thought of the white house and the presidents' job, I imagined him sitting in a room all day and coming up with new laws/bills. One of the things that surprised me most was how diverse all the activities were that went on. For example, Obama could be giving a speech while his secretaries hold a meeting, all while eating a burger from five guys. I was also surprised how laid back everyone seemed for such a stressful job. I can't imagine how stressed out I would be if I had to work a 15 hour day continuously. And what a long 15 hours that would be. Everybody is working nonstop to get things done as efficiently as possible. But one thing I liked was how Obama tries to help all his workers by relieving them of their stress. He did this by giving them white house m&m's, buying them five guys, or ordering take out. Another thing I really liked about Obama was how he connects with everyone around him. Whether it's his coworkers, or civilians he always seems to brighten up their day. Overall I defininitely couldn't have the presidents job because of the stress overload, long hours, and lack of vacation time. This video just makes me respect Obama even more.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House,” I noticed a lot of interesting events that take place during the daily life inside the white house. One of the things in the white house that was surprising was how many people worked in the building. There were people who did work such as planning the president’s day, replying to his emails, and transferring phone calls. These are just three of the hundreds of jobs in the west wing of the white house. Then, President Obama has a person in charge of speaking to the reporters about current issues. I think that living in the white house would be an exciting life for a short bit of time, but after a week or two I would get annoyed by the lack of privacy and extreme stress. While I enjoy having people help me achieve certain goals, having people plan my day and need people to read my emails would get annoying. Lastly, having to be escorted everywhere by the secret service sounded enjoyable at first glance, but after a little consideration I realized that the annoyance factor of all the restrictions outweighs the excitement of an escort. Therefore, life in the white house is not suited for my lifestyle.
After watching “Inside the Obama White House” I found any many things surprising and interesting. I learned a lot about the White House that I didn’t know before watching this documentary. I never thought that the White House would be so hectic. There were constantly people moving around in the west wing getting things prepared for the President. I never noticed how much prep work there was for something like the President making a television appearance. The people working in the west wing were constantly moving taking care of new issue’s. The majority of the people working in the west wing were students right out of college. It surprised me that the majority of the workers were recently college graduates but if you think about it, it makes sense. The young workers can keep with the high energy pace of the west wing, they won’t complain about low pay and it will look great on a resume so they can easily move to a position of more power. Even with all the stress and long hours of the west wing they were able to keep a light, positive attitude with each other. I was also surprised that some of superior advisor of the west wing like Rahm Emanuel who left his family in Chicago to work for the President because the President asked him. The west wing is only one part of the White House. The west wing is completely different from the east wing. Besides the fact the west wing takes care of the President and the east wing takes care of the First Lady affairs there are many other things that make them completely different. The working atmosphere is nothing like the fast paced energy of the west wing. The east wing is more relaxed pace and more serene than the west wing. The east wing does as much work as the west wing just at a more clam and quite pace. To imagine having to spend long hours of work and to balance that with family time seems almost impossible. Even the White House seems to very well run and President Obama does a good job of balancing work with his family life and keeping things on a professional but personable level with his workers; I don’t think I would want to work or live in the White House. I wouldn’t want to work at the White House because I don’t think that I would be able to handle the long hours that come along with the job. Also, I wouldn’t want to live at the White House because I wouldn’t want the media and the people always in my house. Another reason I wouldn’t want to live at the white house is bodyguards would have to follow every move and that would annoy me. Even though the White House is an amazing place filled with so much history, I just wouldn’t want to live in a place that big.
After viewing Inside the Obama White House I found a few things surprising/interesting. I had assumed that The White House would be very busy all day, though when I thought of it, I pictured fairly uptight, serious people, working in conference rooms, constantly dealing with issues all day long. What surprised me is how, even through all the long work, the staff (who generally work at their own small desk) still manages to find time for a light side. They joke around, eat m & m’s, and go on runs to five guys for burgers. It kind of reminded me that these people are just that, regular people, who have lives outside work and families back at home. I think I would like to work in the white house. Although it is a big commitment, sometimes more then a 12 hour day with no vacation, and doesn’t pay very much, I think it would open thousands of opportunities for the future. Additionally, it would provide many connections, and it is something you can enter right out of college and keep it for a few years. This starts you on a career path as soon as you graduate, which is hard for some graduates, and allows you to advance into higher positions much quicker then most other jobs. Personally, I would prefer to work in the east wing with the first lady, as it seems more laid back, and concentrates on a few specific ideas rather then numerous issues.
Catherine Dykty
Watching “Inside the Obama White House,” showed what a real day is like for President Obama. I found the whole atmosphere of the White House interesting. I expected the president and all of his workers in the west wing to be very serious and focused. However, it seemed like they managed to joke around, munch on M&M’s and even get Five Guys for lunch, despite some of the more serious issues they had to handle. With this being said, it’s still clear that all of the White House workers take their job very seriously and work hard. Also, I had no idea how long the work day lasts for these people and just how many meetings take place on any given day. If given the chance, I would not want to live or work in the White House for more than a couple days. Although it would be really cool to see history being made, it seems like a crazy place where there’s always tons of people around and something going on. I wouldn’t want literally thousands of people going through my house every day.
After seeing the Obama video I reflected upon it in many ways. For one, I was impressed with the amount of people constantly running around in the white house figuring things out and keeping everything in order. I didn’t realize how full of a schedule the workers have and how much time goes into decision making. Also, I realized that Obama is always surrounded by people and I wondered how he can enjoy that if it seems there’s barely any breathing room for him and his family. Everything is very orderly in the white house and they seem to follow a strict schedule day by day. What I found most interesting was when Obama went to Five Guys to order burgers like any ordinary person. He seemed very personable to the other customers and to the workers there. Although it’s a high stress environment, he and his staff seem to have everything under control and this country running back on track. Personally, I’d want to live in the white house for a little just to see how everything runs, but I could never work there. The days are too long and everything is very precise, I respect Obama and his staff greatly after viewing this video.
derWhile watching the special, "Inside the Obama White House," I discovered many surprising and interesting things. One of the most shocking things that I learned was how long the employees' days were. The president's day begins at seven in the morning, so the employees had to be in and ready even before that. The video also said that the days typically went on until about eight at the night or even until eleven at night sometimes. Also I learned how chaotic and busy the White House is at all times, and how every detail surrounding the President's life is planned perfectly. I wouldn't mind living or working in the White House, because they're all like one big family and it would never be boring.
This video succeeded in providing a general idea of what a typical day in the Obama White House entails. The first main thing that surprised me was the in-depth access that the cameras were granted. Although the crew was kicked out for a couple of classified meetings, most people were very cooperative with the media. It goes again to show how President Obama enjoys connecting with the people, a characteristic first revealed to me on his trip to Five Guys. Also, I found it interesting that Obama does not use the Oval Office much; rather, he prefers his small study and home office. One of the jobs I found most interesting was that of the press secretaries. For government officials, frequent interactions with the media must be pretty stressful, and I admire their poise and people-skills. That being said, I personally would not enjoy living or working at the White House. I appreciate the beauty and historical significance of the White House, but I prefer to be on the outside looking in; it’s a bit too fancy more my taste, and the lack of privacy doesn’t help much either. Also, as I have little interest in politics, the long hours and time away from family do not seem worth gaining a few political connections. However, I can understand how those more politically oriented can find the appeal in working for the president and meeting people in the inner circle of the government.
Kelly Gunneson
After watching “Inside the Obama White House”, I learned many surprising and interesting things about the job of the President and the way the White House runs. The West Wing of the White House is where the Obama does the various duties he has for the country. I found it very interesting that the people working in the West Wing were mostly young people. It now seems most logical because the young people did not have a family at home that they had to return to and had more energy. This is important with the long and hectic days that these workers do. The employees also try to keep their job interesting and loosen up when they can while still being able to be serious when necessary. It was also interesting how each employee in the White House has a different job but they are all important. Every employee from the Chief of Staff to the secretaries have an important job to do every day. Another surprising thing I learned was that Obama uses many offices within the White House to do his work and not just the Oval Office. I had always thought that the President used the Oval Office for the majority of his work but President Obama uses many offices. The East Wing is another very interesting part of the White House. Michelle Obama is in the East Wing most of the time and it is used to do many of the various tasks she is responsible for as the East Wing. I found it very interesting how many different tasks that Michelle Obama is responsible for as the First Lady. It was also very interesting how the White House is split into an office space with the East and West Wing, a museum, and a home. I would not want to live in the White House for many reasons. If I was living in the White House, I would most likely be a relative of a government official. This would mean that I would have to go everywhere with the Secret Service and would have very little privacy. I would not want to have such little privacy. I would not be interested in working in the White House. It would be interesting to see how everything in the White House works but it is to stressful and hectic to work there.
I honestly thought that the president would have more free time than he actually did. The entire day was rather interesting, but that fact alone really impacted me. I don't know why but, it really showed me that being the president is even harder than it already looks. Also, I like how president responds to 10 letters citizens write to him everyday. It show how he still cares. Plus the young people working hard as they can to keep the white house running. They do hard work for little pay, and that seems very noble in a way.
The MSNBC journalism piece was full of interesting footage. It was really interesting to see how a relatively overlooked group of people handle the business of one of the world’s largest nations. One of the more interesting things was looking at how the white house deals with certain media crisis. Inside the Obama White House gave its audience a look at the other side of the mass media curtain, which was very interesting. The piece also made me realize how many jobs there are to do the work of the president, and how gruesome the hours are for every one of those jobs. I also had no idea that the first lady had any staff at all. The footage also made me wonder which president began to demand white house decorated boxes of M&Ms by the hundred.
During the movie I found many things surprising. The first thing I noticed was that the presdident went to get food at five guys. I would never expect him to want to go there or even eat there. I liked this part because he is very nice to go out in public and meet all his fans. I thought the playground in the backyard was beneficial for the workers mostly because they can work without having to worry about their family and children at home. I would never expect the white house to have that in the backyard. Since the people who work in the white house have to be there all the time, about 14 to 16 hours a day, the employees become family like president Obama said. I would never like to work there because I could never be away from my family that long. I also wouldn't like to work that long in one day.
After watching "Inside the Obama White House" i found many things interesting. The amount of hours people work at the white house are very long, and the people are always busy and running around. also that president obama gets a briefing on national security every morning is interesting to me. i would not want to live/work in the white house because of the hours, and the lack of time id get to spend with my family, and there is never a moment of peace, and i like to be alone sometimes. i wouldnt want to work there also because of all the stress the jobs must put on the people that work there. it just seems like more responsibility than i would be able to handle.
After watching "inside the Obama white house" i found that while the whitehouse is extremely stressful they also find time for a little bit of humor. i was also surprised that Obama himself went out to get lunch. personally i felt like he was doing that for the cameras and to get attention. i also found it surprising that some outstanding letters from the public are selected for obama to view himself.i found that working in the white house would be an extreme commitment and that the people who work there work long days and they rarely see their families. it seemed like a very large sacrafice. i dont think i would enjoy living there. i would feel too close to my work and i feel like i wouldnt be able to unwind.
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