Ben LaBolt discusses his contributions to the communications strategy and activities of Barack Obama's Senate Office, presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012, and White House from 2009 to 2010. LaBolt describes the development of the 2008 campaign's messaging, providing details about key events including primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Ohio, and the selection of Sarah Palin as Senator John Mc Cain's running mate. LaBolt outlines the White House's treatment to important events of the first term, paying particular attention to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Copenhagen Climate Conference, and ongoing investigations by the Department of Justice. LaBolt also reflects on the differences between the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, focusing on changes in the media landscape and their impact on campaign communications strategy
Presidents--United States; Presidential campaigns--United States; Presidential press secretaries; BP Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Oil Spill; LaBolt, Ben; Obama, Barack; Sotomayor, Sonia, 1954-; Kagan, Elena, 1960-; Conference of the Parties (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) (15th : Copenhagen, Denmark) 2009; Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
53 pages
Note (Biographical)
Ben LaBolt worked as Senator Barack Obama's press secretary, deputy press secretary for the 2008 presidential campaign, deputy White House press secretary, a spokesperson for the confirmation of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, and national p ress secretary for the 2012 Obama-Biden campaign. At the time of the interview, he was a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive
Note
Interviewed by Nicole R. Hemmer on July 14, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Ben LaBolt, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022