

Why, why, why


Every few weeks or so, I look forward to stepping into my house and spotting the new Rolling Stone magazine on the kitchen table amongst the rest of the mail.

What I find most interesting is the cover page. It usually highlights a musician, actress, or celebrity in a glamorous photo perfected specifically for this prestigious publication. To my surprise, I was not as enthused this week when I received the October 15 issue.

Barack Obama, what are you doing in Rolling Stone magazine?

This isn’t even the first time he’s appeared here; it’s actually the third. (As if once wasn’t enough). I’m just perplexed by this, honestly. Next thing you know, people will be reading People magazine to learn about candidates instead of watching the CNN nightly news or a 60 minutes episode featuring the presidential election.

If you’re the President of the United States where could you possibly find the time to be doing things such as being interviewed for an entertainment-based publication? But hey, I decided to calm down and read the article to see for myself if there was any value to it.

The last time I checked, Barack Obama was the Democratic candidate, not Republican. I only feel the need to state this somewhat obvious fact after reading the interview between President Obama and Jann S. Wenner for Rolling Stone. In the Q&A formatted article, she asks questions like “What do you think the Republican party stands for today?”

I’m not sure if I even need to say much else, the whole article left me in more or less words…speechless. I’m looking for another response to this. Someone who can simply help me make sense of this at all, or someone who could knock some sense into me and tell me that my thought process is way off. Discussion is encouraged and opinions are always welcomed, just like in the world of politics, right? (Not). Help me understand why a democratic citizen is being questioned about the other political parties out there. Or better yet, perhaps why the President of our country is nonchalantly chatting with a pop-culture magazine writer instead of solving problems that our nation (and the rest of the world) is in dire need of solutions for. Thank you, and goodnight America.

Taylor Rao

8 Responses

  1. TU says:

    I completely agree. Our economy is in the tank, and he has time to be a celebrity, hmmmm something isn’t right. Obviously being President of the United States has it’s perks, but I don’t think the Rolling Stone should be one of them.

  2. cat says:

    Hey, good job. You are absolutely right about celebrety flair of our president. However, if you think it’s much easier to pose for the photo in entertainment magazine than to govern the country. To manage a country it’s just a pain in the a..To pose for the magazine and talk about the OTHER party just more fun.

  3. Angie says:

    Personally, I think it is beneath the office of the President to do these type of interviews — not to mention that I have seen him way more than I believe necessary. However, given the fact that this is a midterm election year, which typically doesn’t see great #’s show at polls — and that these elections are a referendum on the President and his policies, which he is losing popularity even among his base supporters, offering up himself to Rolling Stone allows him to reach an important voting base — young voters. But will it motivate young people like you to go to the polls, and if you do will it be for or against Democrats?

  4. Samantha Chichester says:

    You bring up good points. What I find odd is the President is willing to sit down with Jann Wenner- the same man who ok’d an article that destroyed the president’s choice in Stanley McChrystal. Remember that scandal? And even if he says he’s making amends with Rolling Stone- I’d like to see if he would do the same thing with other media outlets (which, of course, would never happen).

  5. Anne-Marie Sheehan says:

    Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of Rolling Stone magazine as a “pop culture magazine.” Rolling Stone is no US Weekly. It was launched in 1967 to cover the topics of politics, music and pop culture – often in that order. In recent years, to address its declining readership, it began focusing more on celebrities and less on politics. But in its heyday the magazine covered controversial and hard hitting news topics. It also helped launch the careers of writers such as Gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson, Cameron Crowe and P.J. O’Rourke.

    But now it looks like Rolling Stone is returning to its roots. Last July the magazine published a controversial article on General McChrystal that included quotes of the General criticizing the Obama administration. As a result of those remarks, McChrystal was forced to resign. It also recently published an informative profile of the Tea Party. I suppose if you subscribed to Rolling Stone for its coverage of music, celebrities and film, you have a right to be disappointed, but the magazine features some of the best writing you’ll find anywhere, and the writers are skilled enough to make the most mundane topics interesting. Just my opinion!

  6. Pamela Townsend says:

    This is a new low for Rolling Stone. Great writing!

  7. makay joyce says:

    Very insightful Taylor!
    Kudos to a young person who actually is paying attention to our nations plight and downfall!…Rolling Stone has always been a mixture of pop and news and culture and politics and by all rights I enjoy when they interview such high profile individuals as our President, but you are so correct in pointing out that once would have been more than enough….especially right now. I dont believe you need any sense knocked into you at all, as a matter of fact you made more sense in that blog than most politicians make to me EVER…Most seniors in high school and alot of college aged people dont even have a clue as to what is going on with our country right now and after meeting a 44 year old man the other day who told me that he has NEVER voted because politicians are corrupt, It scared the life out of me, I told him that HE is part of the reason this country is in shambles….there are so many more people than we know who do not excersise their right to vote and what you read in Rolling Stone is the result of that. He got elected because most Americans are lazy, and ignorant. So maybe it was a good thing that he be interviewed in Rolling Stone because maybe some of those people will read it and be enlightened. We know for sure they dont watch CNN or FOX or any news for that matter let alone read Newsweek or Time!
    I completely agree that President Obama needs to be spending a lot more time attempting to fixing the mess that this country is in, and a lot less time playing golf (52 times in two years…I havent played 52 times in my entire life!) and sitting down with entertainment publications.
    How about he sits down with his strategists and gets to work!
    Very impressive Taylor!

  8. Taylor Rao says:

    This was a very thoughtful response, thank you! And hearing things like that he golfs 52 times in two years and middle-aged men in this country have exiled themselves from retaining any knowledge on the political state this country is in is pretty alarming news. Thank you for commenting, keep reading!