Jonathan Alter on How to Interview Presidents Obama, Clinton, & Nixon

From: Blank on Blank
Series: Blank on Blank
Length: 07:16

"I think it’s fair to say that helped to create the Teabaggers." - President Barack Obama during an interview with Jonathan Alter Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Jonathan Alter on How to Interview Presidents ...
From: Blank on Blank

Obama_sqaure_small We hear from journalist Jonathan Alter on how you interview a President--with rare outtakes from his Oval Office interview with President Obama in November 2009 including his take on "Teabaggers" and the GOP. Jonathan Alter writes for Bloomberg now after spending nearly three decades at Newsweek magazine. He’s interviewed every president since Nixon, except for Ronald Reagan, and we get to hear what really comes out behind closed doors while on the record.

OBAMA INTERVIEW NOTES
- Date: November 30, 2009
- The Scene: The Oval Office
- The Source: Digital Recorder
- The Book: Obama Interview became a central part of Alter’s book called “The Promise: President Obama, Year One.”

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Piece Description

We hear from journalist Jonathan Alter on how you interview a President--with rare outtakes from his Oval Office interview with President Obama in November 2009 including his take on "Teabaggers" and the GOP. Jonathan Alter writes for Bloomberg now after spending nearly three decades at Newsweek magazine. He’s interviewed every president since Nixon, except for Ronald Reagan, and we get to hear what really comes out behind closed doors while on the record.

OBAMA INTERVIEW NOTES
- Date: November 30, 2009
- The Scene: The Oval Office
- The Source: Digital Recorder
- The Book: Obama Interview became a central part of Alter’s book called “The Promise: President Obama, Year One.”

Transcript

David Gerlach: You’re listening to Blank on Blank, where lost interviews come to life. Presented by the Public Radio Exchange, PRX.org. I’m David Gerlach. Today: the art of interviewing a President. Okay. Cue the tape. This is President Barack Obama recorded in the Oval Office on Nov. 30, 2009. Right here he’s reflecting on Republicans in the House of Representatives voting unanimously against his massive economic recovery act right after he took office.

Barack Obama: That was a big deal because it really set the tenure, the tenor for the entire year and I think it’s fair to say that that helped to create the Tea Baggers and empowering that whole wing of the Republican Party to where it now basically controls the agenda for the Republicans entirely.

David Gerlach: Stop the tape...rewind that part.

Barack Obama: ...you know, the Tea Baggers

Jonathan Alter: He called them...
Read the full transcript