Obamaist Round-Up

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 26, 2008 9:15PM

Just because it's a short holiday week doesn't mean the President-Elect is resting on his laurels. It's been a busy week for Obama, especially in the news.

• Obama held his third press conference of the week today to announce that he's tapped Paul Volcker and Austan Goolsbee to lead his President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

  Volcker is a legendary central banker who raised interest rates and restricted the money supply to tame raging inflation in the 1980s. It was a painful prescription that helped send the economy into one of the nation's worst recessions.

  "He pulls no punches," Obama said of Volcker. "He seems to be fairly opinionated."

  Goolsbee, 39, helped shape Obama's technology-centric campaign and positions, and is part of the University of Chicago's new generation of economists who focus on data-driven, empirical theories, and how people's behavior influences monetary decisions.

• Sources indicate that it's very likely Obama will keep current Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the same role within his administration.

• And you thought stadium names were getting bad: Steve Rhodes has a look at some of the donations by corporations that have brought corporate sponsorship to the Inaugural Gala. "This special edition inaugural bean dip brought to by Peoples Gas."

• International Business Consultant Marvin Zonis isn't so sure having Obama as President will bring the Olympic Games to Chicago in 2016: "Obama has to overcome extraordinary ill will towards this country because the world believes that we caused the economic crisis."

• After the aforementioned press conference, Obama took the family down to St. Columbanus on the South Side where they handed out food to the needy with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. "I want them to know how fortunate they are and that they have to give back," Obama said of getting his daughters to volunteer.

• McClatchy Newspapers reporter Steven Thomma was the recipient of a unique apology from the Pres-Elect. You see, ever the Chicago sports fan, Obama separates the press gallery into two sections: one labeled "Cubs" and one labeled "White Sox." No word if the Cubs section has an obstructed view. It seems Thomma, a die-hard Sox fan like Obama, was seated in the "Cubs" section on Monday but found himself back in the "Sox" section on Tuesday which led to this exchange at yesterday's presser:

  Obama: I understand that as a lifelong White Sox fan, you were placed in the Cubs section yesterday. I want to apologize for that...This is also part of the new way of doing business. When we make mistakes we admit them.

  Thomma: Well, thank you, sir. That's the change we need.

• Looking for more Obama? Michelle and Barack talk to Barbara Walters tonight at 9 p.m. on ABC 7. It appears the President-Elect is already wary of the girls getting a "girly" dog and has made it clear they'll "scoop the poop" off the White House lawn.