Mirror, Mirror on the Wall (Guest Post)

“I used to live in a room full of mirrors. And all I could see is me.”- Jimi Hendrix

I stopped by the White House a little while back and did the West Wing Tour. This is not open to the general public but is by invite only by someone who has access (works with) the White House. I am fortunate to know one of these people and accepted the invite. I accepted it to offer my boss and his family the chance to go but he was unable to attend so I brought my best friend and his family instead. It is a rather informal affair– after passing through security– with the person who invited you being the defacto tour guide. Many rooms are closed off so their is limited viewing and the West Wing is not that large to start with, but I did see the Oval Office, freshly redecorated. What truly captured my attention was a series of pictures– presumably taken by the White House photographer– that hung in the hallways. There were some that showed the President looking thoughtful during cabinet meetings and others where he is shaking hands with citizens but a couple of pictures were close ups of adoring listeners. These were late teens to early twenties whites whose eyes were almost in tears, faces limp from total absorption, as they listened to Obama read from his teleprompter. They looked as if they had a schoolgirl crush on the boy across the cafeteria. I asked myself why this picture was here. This area is not open to the public and photographs are not allowed. With the exception of a few lucky tourists like me, these pictures are only seen by the White House staff. In other words these pictures are for Obama.

“So I take my hands and I smash these mirrors, now the whole world is easy to see. I said the whole world is easy to see.”- Jimi Hendrix

The words insulated and elitist are often used to describe leaders who seem to be out of touch with their citizens. I don’t know if a modern President can be in touch in any meaningful way. Even a modern day “Kitchen Cabinet” would be useless due to the overwhelming liberal slant of reporters. Going out into public and talking with people is done in Town Hall settings with screened questions and questioners thought to be “safe”. Members of Congress take underground passageways to their vehicles parked in secure underground garages– never even having a chance to run into a constituent. How are these people to hear how people feel? How can ideas get to these untouchable officials?

For starters, the White House should consider photos from outside the pep rallies and power broker sessions to hang on the wall. Maybe a picture of a foreclosure sign? Perhaps a pink slip? Or better yet a split screen with a paycheck and an unemployment check with before and after as the title. Maybe a picture of a DC public school student taking a last look at the private school he/she was able to attend with help from the pilot program Obama quashed and then an after shot of the same bored and endangered student in one of the prison molds called DC Public School. Or a picture of a cancellation notice from a health insurance “provider”…

So many pictures and so little wall space…