President Obama in GQ Magazine

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

I know this is a few weeks old, but I just read this interview today and wanted to pass it along to all of my friends here on DU who may not have seen it. It is a great interview that highlights his calm under pressure demeanor along with his wit and humor!

In January, Obama will begin his eighth and final year on the job. It’s an era now.
http://www.gq.com/story/president-obama-bill-simmons-interview-gq-men-of-the-year

And I think that this photo is one of the best ones taken of him recently! Note to the GOP: This is what a leader looks like!

Photo courtesy of GQ Magazine

[Awknid]

1. K&R!

[teach1st]

2. Great reading

Thanks for posting!

[Skittles]

3. very nice

[sheshe2]

4. Hey Matt!

It has been awhile since I have talked to you. First Great OP! I love that image of Obama.



So how are you and how is school?

I have missed you.

she~

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

5. Hey!

I've been great! So glad to be back on DU! Doing well in college! Last time I posted on here I was a freshman, and now I am a junior already! Hard to believe! I've become very active in the local Democratic Party, and we were very successful a few weeks ago in the local elections!

Hope everything is going well with you!

[sheshe2]

6. Things are okay here.

Thanks.

You, you are our future. Go get them!

[brer cat]

7. Great photo

and an interesting read. Nice relaxed interview.

[Boomerproud]

8. Yes, the hair is gray but his face is surprisingly serene considering the stress he's under

at every turn every day. I'd love to know his secret, and feel grateful for his demeanor in these frankly insane times.

[ailsagirl]

9. Love that smile and his innate elegance

Honestly, I've never seen a bad photo of him.

[lovemydog]

10. Really fascinating interview.

Here's a small part.

Q. So you’re like Gregg Popovich. Although he does get mad at sideline reporters.

A. [laughs] He does. So do I. [laughs] Yeah. Or maybe [Aaron] Rodgers in the pocket, in the sense of you can’t be distracted by what’s around you, you’ve got to be looking downfield. And I think that’s a quality that I have—not getting flustered in what’s around me. So there was never a point, even early on—even in the first six months, where we weren’t sure whether we were going to dip into another Great Depression, we weren’t sure whether the steps we were taking on rescuing the auto industry or stabilizing the financial system were going to work—there weren’t moments where I thought, “Sheesh, feels like we’re in over our head.”

But what I didn’t fully appreciate, and nobody can appreciate until they’re in the position, is how decentralized power is in this system. When you’re in the seat and you’re seeing the housing market collapse and you are seeing unemployment skyrocketing and you have a sense of what the right thing to do is, then you realize, “Okay, not only do I have to persuade my own party, not only do I have to prevent the other party from blocking what the right thing to do is, but now I can anticipate this lawsuit, this lobbying taking place, and this federal agency that technically is independent, so I can’t tell them what to do. I’ve got the Federal Reserve, and I’m hoping that they do the right thing—and by the way, since the economy now is global, I’ve got to make sure that the Europeans, the Asians, the Chinese, everybody is on board.” A lot of the work is not just identifying the right policy but now constantly building these ever shifting coalitions to be able to actually implement and execute and get it done.


Glad to hear you're doing well and are involved in the democratic party, Pennsylvania Matt!

[passiveporcupine]

11. Just love this picture

Beautiful smile. Elegant shot!

[MadDAsHell]

12. "This is what a leader looks like!"

Leaders don't "look" like anything. They can be any gender identity, any race or ethnicity, etc.

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

13. You're absolutely right...

Just a figure of speech to illustrate that no one in the GOP field right now can hold a candle to President Obama, who still keeps his head up and a smile on his face during tough times and even tougher opposition.

[treestar]

14. Great article/interview!

This says a lot:

But what I didn’t fully appreciate, and nobody can appreciate until they’re in the position, is how decentralized power is in this system. When you’re in the seat and you’re seeing the housing market collapse and you are seeing unemployment skyrocketing and you have a sense of what the right thing to do is, then you realize, “Okay, not only do I have to persuade my own party, not only do I have to prevent the other party from blocking what the right thing to do is, but now I can anticipate this lawsuit, this lobbying taking place, and this federal agency that technically is independent, so I can’t tell them what to do. I’ve got the Federal Reserve, and I’m hoping that they do the right thing—and by the way, since the economy now is global, I’ve got to make sure that the Europeans, the Asians, the Chinese, everybody is on board.” A lot of the work is not just identifying the right policy but now constantly building these ever shifting coalitions to be able to actually implement and execute and get it done.