- Heard
Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.
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By
Lynn Sweet
With the Obamas now living here, here’s a field guide to their Illinois ties.
Michelle Obama Title: First Lady Connections: Former U of Chicago Medical Center vice president for community and external affairs. Former lawyer in Mayor Daley’s city hall, hired by Valerie Jarrett. Mother of former U of Chicago Lab School students. Former member of U of Chicago Lab School board. Valerie Jarrett Titles: Senior adviser and assistant to the President for intergovernmental relations and public liaison; First Friend. Connections: POTUS, FLOTUS confidante. While at Mayor Daley’s city hall, hired Michelle. Cochair of Obama’s presidential transition team. Former board chair of U of Chicago Medical Center, where Michelle worked. Parents live down the street from the Obama Chicago home. Attended U of Chicago Lab School. David Axelrod Title: White House senior adviser Connections: Top strategist for Obama presidential, senate campaigns. Political clients include Rahm Emanuel, Mayor Daley. A public-affairs firm Axelrod founded, ASK Strategies, had a consulting contract with the U of Chicago Medical Center. U of Chicago graduate. Rahm Emanuel Title: White House chief of staff Connections: Washington and Chicago politics; worked with Obama when Emanuel ran the House political operation. David Axelrod is a friend and political adviser.
Desiree Rogers Title: White House social secretary Connections: Former Chicago business executive is close friend of POTUS, FLOTUS, and Jarrett. Former wife of John Rogers Jr. John Rogers Jr. Title: Friend. Cochair, presidential inauguration committee. Cochair, presidential campaign Illinois finance committee Connections: Raised down the street from the Obama Chicago home. Grew up with Jarrett. Attended U of Chicago Lab school. Basketball buddy of Michelle’s brother, Craig, at Princeton. Member, U of Chicago board, U of Chicago Lab School board. Christina Tchen Title: White House director of public liaison. Connections: Jarrett friend. Served on U of Chicago Medical Center board. Arne Duncan Title: Secretary of Education Connections: Raised in Hyde Park. U of Chicago Lab School graduate. Basketball buddy. Former Chicago Public Schools chief. James Crown Title: Cochair, presidential campaign Illinois finance committee Connections: Friend; chair of the U of Chicago Board of Trustees. Susan Sher Title: White House associate counsel Connections: U of Chicago Medical Center vice president for legal and governmental affairs and general counsel. While a corporate counsel in Mayor Daley’s city hall, she passed Michelle’s résumé to Jarrett, who hired her. Former member, U of Chicago Lab School board. Elena Kagan Title: Solicitor general Connections: Friend of the Obamas’ since her days at the U of Chicago law school, where she was on the faculty. Eric Whitaker Title: First Friend Connections: Met Obama at Harvard Law. Campaign-trail, vacation pal. U of Chicago Medical Center executive. Former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Penny Pritzker Title: Cochair, presidential inauguration committee; economic transition-team adviser Connections: Billionaire business mogul was Obama presidential campaign national finance chair. Member, U of Chicago Lab School Board. Marty Nesbitt Title: First Friend Connections: Obama’s presidential campaign treasurer. Campaign-trail, vacation pal. U of Chicago business-school grad and president of the Parking Spot; Pritzker is company board chair. Member, U of Chicago Lab School board. Married to Anita Blanchard, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U of Chicago Medical Center, who delivered both Obama children. Cass Sunstein Title: Administrator, Office of Management and Budget office of information and regulatory affairs Connections: Informal Obama campaign adviser. Before moving to Harvard last year, taught at the U of Chicago Law School, where Obama was on the faculty. Last summer married Obama adviser Samantha Power. William Daley Title: Adviser; cochair, presidential inaugural committee; cochair, transition-team advisory board Connections: The former Commerce secretary and brother of Chicago mayor Richard Daley was a campaign and transition adviser. Close to Axelrod, Emanuel. This article first appeared in the February 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here. More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
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By
Bekah Grant
A small, intimate dinner Tuesday night attracted high-profile guests including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and author Margaret Atwood. The dinner was in honor of BirdLife International, an organization that works to preserve biodiversity and protect bird habitats and sites. Atwood and novelist Graeme Gibson, also in attendance, are the honorary presidents of the Rare Bird Club, a division of the organization. The event took place on the sixth floor of the Canadian Embassy and began with a cocktail hour, where the 35 or so guests mingled quietly before dinner.
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After many years of dreaming and seven years of building, the Hill will start a new chapter in welcoming visitors when the US Capitol Visitor Center finally opens on December 2.
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By
Nicole Duncan
Truthiness, Jon Stewart, porn stars, and Rahm Emanuel’s middle finger were all subjects of the 20th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida honoring Stephen Colbert.
Stephen Colbert, Mark Shields, Orrin Hatch and Rahm Emanuel. Photo by Paul Morigi, courtesy the Spina Bifida Association.
Pundits and politicians were in attendance in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton—the same room where Colbert flayed President Bush at the Correspondents’ Dinner two years ago. The event, which included a silent auction, raffle, dinner, and roast, raised more than $450,000 for the Spina Bifida Association.
“We’re hosting the great Stephen Colbert, but I guess we couldn’t get Jon Stewart,” quipped press secretary Dana Perino, causing Colbert to pour himself a tall glass of wine. For someone who spends her days in front of a podium, Perino seemed in a rush to do her comedic bit and sit back down.
In addition to Perino, this year’s panel of roasters included Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Senator Orrin Hatch, and Representative Rahm Emanuel.
Before the four politicos had their chance to turn the tables on the late-night comedian, Scott Price, the president of the Spina Bifida Association, gave a brief introduction to the event.
Syndicated columnist and pundit Mark Shields, who served as master of ceremonies, sparked the fire of insults that would befall Colbert. “He became an icon by belittling our city in general and Congress in particular,” Shields said, noting that Colbert was a narcissistic, loud-mouthed, creative genius.
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By
Emily Leaman
Much of Washington celebrated the historic election last night, as crowds gathered throughout the region to watch the returns. We want to hear what happened where you live, and see your photos of the madness! Send them in, and we may publish them in an issue of Washingtonian Magazine.
The crowds at 14th and U streets, Northwest. Photo by Flickr user Alex Barth Last night marked an historic moment in US history—an African-American won the presidency. Though Barack Obama will officially take office at the end of January, Washingtonians started the celebration en masse last night.
Obama won easily in Maryland and the District, where he secured 61- and 93-percent of the vote, respectively. But Virginia remained “too close to call” for several hours. Just after 11 PM, with West Coast polls showing clear Obama wins in California, Washington, and Oregon, CNN and other networks felt comfortable declaring Obama the president-elect. Minutes later, Virigina’s results were finally decided—Obama eked by with 52-percent of the vote.
The streets of Washington erupted. We were driving back to the city from a watch-party in Virginia around 11:30 and were greeted by good-natured honks of car horns and pockets of boisterous young people headed, we quickly realized, to the White House.
Crowds formed all over the city. A friend in Northeast said that he saw fireworks. From P Street, Northwest, we heard the cheers of the crowd on U Street, five blocks away.
Were you part of the celebration last night? What was going on in Virginia and Maryland? We want to hear your stories and see your photos! Leave us your version of the events in the comments, and send photos to eleaman@washingtonian.com. We’ll start a slideshow to document our readers’ perspective of last night’s historic occasion. See also: Tell Barack Obama where he should dine when he arrives in Washington.
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By
Rachel Cothran
Lights, camera, action! The Blond Charity Mafia—and their camera crew—hit the Fabretto Foundation benefit Saturday night.
What: The Canary Foundation’s—er, no, wait!—the Fabretto Foundation’s Casino Night and Masquerade Ball. (The charity beneficiary was changed at the last minute on Wednesday).
Where: Teatro Goldoni.
When: Saturday, September 27. The evening was divided into two events: a charity poker tournament from 5 to 10 followed by a black-tie masquerade ball from 10 to 1.
Who: The invitation announced a small crew of hosts, including Teatro Goldoni owners Michael Kosmides and Jose Garcia, but the focus of the evening was on Katherine Kennedy and her Blonde Charity Mafia costars Krista Johnson and Sophie Pyle—and their camera crew.
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