He’s been on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “60 Minutes,” graced the cover of dozens of magazines and is the inspiration for even more books. In fact, President Obama is the subject of at least 30 children books, more than any other President in his first term.
As he makes his second major news conference tonight, we ask the question, do you think President Obama is overexposed? See what ESSENCE.com readers like you had to say.
Age: 24
Hometown: Bronx, New York
“I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing a Black man as president, so, no, I don’t think he is overexposed.”
Age: 22
Hometown: Queens, New York
“To a certain degree, yes, the President is overexposed, but it’s nice to see your President on shows like ‘The Tonight Show.’”
Age: 28
Hometown: New York, New York
“There can never be enough exposure for President Barack Obama. I think he deserves it because of the message that he sends.”
Age: 30
Hometown: New York, New York
“I think people are still curious about him, and we need that level of exposure from our President so we can have the confidence to move in the right direction in this country.”
He may be popular, but during his interview last Sunday on “60 Minutes,” journalist Steve Kroft thought that President Obama’s laid-back exterior might be sending the wrong message.
“You’re sitting here, snd you are laughing,” Kroft said. “You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people gonna look at this and say, ‘I mean, he’s sitting there just making jokes about money.’ How do you explain the…mood and your laughter… Are you punch drunk?”
“No, no. There’s gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day,” the President explained. “You know, sometimes my team talks about the fact that if you had said to us a year ago that the least of my problems would be Iraq, which is still a pretty serious problem, I don’t think anybody would have believed it. But we’ve got a lot on our plate. And a lot of difficult decisions that we’re gonna have to make.”
Age: 24
Hometown: Bronx, New York
“Yes … I have never seen another president who has been everywhere.”
Age: 24
Hometown: Brooklyn
“I think it’s healthy for him to be overexposed, so that way he can blend in and experience the presidential life.”
President Obama has been on the cover of Rolling Stone twice and just about every major magazine (including ESSENCE) where he has talked about personal aspects of his life.
In the Rolling Stone interview, we discover that he’s a fan of Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and Jay-Z. Wonder and Crow have already been invited to the White House. Could Mr. Carter be next?
Age: 21
Hometown: California
“He is kind of a commodity. I think in a lot of ways he is pop icon and people want to hear a lot more about him, so I’m fine with it.”
Age: 61
Hometown: Brooklyn
“He is trying to mix with the people. I think he is trying to get to know the American people more, that’s it.”
Age: 27
Hometown: Bronx, New York
“I don’t believe there’s such a thing as the President being overexposed in the media. If he were exposed as being more of a social person like Paris Hilton, then I would say it’s too much. The exposure that he is getting right now is all based on what he’s doing for the country.”
President Obama graces the cover of Men’s Vogue, where he was treated to an eight-page feature.
Age: 33
Hometown: Bronx, New York
“He is out taking care of business and doing his job.”
Age: 24
Hometown: California
“I like seeing the President and I like hearing his voice. I will never get tired of him because he is positive and real.”
Age: 26
Hometown: Dallas
“Everybody needs to calm down and let the man do his job. The media is putting too much focus on him.”
Time magazine was one of the first to look ahead to an Obama administration. Now that he’s in office, the President has appointed a number of emissaries who are working on his behalf. Do you think we should be seeing more of the people who work with the President rather than the President himself? Let us know your thoughts below.
More on Obama’s historic presidency »
As told to: Chinyere Osuala and Jenisha Watts
