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Obama for America

"Having a Meal with the President" +
  4:27 web video from June 26, 2012.

PROLOGUE
[Music]
clip of the group in front of hotel
Man (Jim Heath): Are you guys excited?
Woman (Janet Jones): Yeah, we're very excited.
Heath: Should we make our way up?  Let's go.

Jim Heath, Ohio: You can't get more grassroots than me.  I'm just a normal person in America, and here I am having lunch with the president. 

clip of the group walking
Heath: I think it's going to go by so fast.
Jones: I think it's going to go by too quickly.

Paula Matyas, Michigan: I want to hear what the president has to say, and I just expect to learn a great deal just from being with him.

clip of the group walking
Woman (audio): ...once in a lifetime experience.

Wyndi Austin, Arizona: When you press the send button to donate the money you never think in a million years that your name will be picked.

clip of the group at the table
Heath: Even after I won it, I never thought...I'd be sitting here.
Woman (Janet Jones): You never understood the reality of it.
Heath: Right.  It's real.

Janet Jones, Maryland: The vibe in this room right now is an overwhelming sense of excitement.

Woman (audio): This is crazy.

ACT I: The President Arrives and Greets the Guests
[Music up tempo]
Woman (audio): Everyone was waiting for his arrival, and then—

Obama: Hey guys.  How are you?
Janet so nice to see you.  Jones: Oh, nice to see you.

Jones (to camera): He acknowledged me by name and it was just so overwhelming you know for him to take that time to know who we are.

Obama: Jim, good to see you.  Heath: Mr. President, how are you?  Obama: Thank you so much for coming.

Matyas: Mr. President.  Obama: How are you?

Matyas (to camera): It was immediately like being with an old friend.

Obama: How are you?  Austin: Hi, Mr. President.  Obama: Good to see you.

Obama: Everybody have a seat, have a seat.


ACT II: Down to Business
Obama: Now Jim did you grow up in Ohio?
Heath: Yep.
Obama: Did you always know you wanted to be a firefighter?
Heath: I did.
Obama: We all said we we're going to be firefighters—
Heath: I've got a picture as a little boy—
Obama: You had the truck and everything and the helmet and all that—
Obama: How many guys in the station?
Heath: We used to have about 15 to 16 and now we're down to about 12.
Obama: Is that right?  That many cutbacks?
Heath: At nighttime, yeah.
Obama: It's tough.  The first two years I came in, right when the recession hit, you know the Recovery Act provided money to states to keep folks on.  The needs are still there.  It's not like suddenly there are fewer fires...
Heath: Fire doesn't go away.
Obama: ...it's not like there are fewer kids to teach—

Heath (to camera): He was genuinely interested in what I do, interested in the issues, and wanted to talk to me about it.

Heath: One of the questions I was going to ask you, being a father how do you balance your time?  I know how much time the kids need—
Obama: My commute is a one minute walk.
Heath: Upstairs?
Obama: Upstairs.  So what that means is whenever I'm in town at 6:30 we eat together.  So I've got like an hour, an hour and a half where I'm just talking to the girls, finding out what's their day, etcetera.  And you know the truth is at this age that's about as much as they can take of me.
Heath: [Laughs.]


Austin (to camera): He's just really down to earth.  He wants to know what's happening in our communities; he wants to know what's happening in our families' lives.

Obama: You are from Arizona?
Austin: I am...  We have some interesting conversations over the dinner table since some are Republican.
Obama: You tell all your Republican family members that I said hi.  They may not agree with my politics, but I'm sure that if I was sitting down with them we'd get along just fine.
Austin: My dad to be honest with you is on the fence.  I think that hi just pushed him...


Matyas (to camera): I think the fact that the president took time out of his day to spend time with us, it speaks volumes about his real interest in average citizens.

Obama: This is just such an honor to be able to do this work, and every day I meet folks like you guys who really just remind me of why I'm optimistic about the country.

You know the country's really full of good people; our political system's just, everybody's yelling and hollering all the time.  And that happens sometimes when times are tough, and hopefully as we get through this you know we'll get back to where everybody reminds ourselves we're not Democrats or Republicans first, we're Americans first.
Heath: That's what we need.

Heath (to camera): This just reaffirms to me, having the conversation with him, that I'm doing the right thing.  I'm fighting for the right guy and I'm on the right side.


ACT III: Taking Leave
Obama: Do we have lettuce in our teeth?

Austin (to camera): We knew that would go quickly but it just instilled memories that will always be there, so it was great, a great afternoon.

Obama: Maybe I'll see you guys out on the trail—

Jones (to camera): I'm calling my family, I'm calling my friends; I'm letting people know of my personal experience with the president.  He is a valuable person and a valuable leader, and we need him to continue to finish what he started. 

Obama: Thank you so much for the support.
Group: ...thank yous...
Obama: It means a lot.  Alright.  See ya.  Thanks.

Matyas (to camera): I'll remember this the rest of my life.

Notes: Compare "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" (March 29, 2012) + and ""Dinner with Barack: Two Teachers, and Army Veteran, a Small Business Owner, and The President" (Nov. 21, 2011) +.