Lynn Sweet: Obama tells Ellen DeGeneres being president "is really cool."

Feb 28, 2008
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/02/sweet_obama_tells_ellen_degene.html

AUSTIN, TEXAS--Barack Obama told Ellen DeGeneres that his poll numbers went up after he danced on her show....Day One as president would be "really cool" and chewing on the stop-smoking Nicorette "tastes like you’re chewing on ground pepper – but it does help."

from the Obama campaign...

Barack Obama did an interview with Ellen DeGeneres today. Below is the press release with excerpts sent out by Time Warner.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres continues talking politics with the 2008 Presidential candidates when she chats with Senator Barack Obama during a live interview via satellite during an event at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, TX. This interview will air on Thursday, February 28, 2008 (check your local listings). Senator Obama discusses dancing, quitting smoking and what his first day in office would be like if he were to be elected. Ellen also asks about running a clean campaign and why he thinks people should vote for him.

On dancing

Ellen: …Hello, and the next question is: any new dance moves since I’ve been with you last?

Barack: I just want to say that we were kind of in a slump until I was dancing on the show – my poll numbers skyrocketed after that.

Everybody saw me bust a move on Ellen – that’s all it took.

On quitting smoking

Ellen: Alright, here’s the big question: Have you been able to not smoke when there’s so much pressure and so much stress – to try to do such a –it’s such a horrible, hard habit to break, and I know ‘cause I’ve struggled with it myself. Have you been able to stop?

Barack: I’ve been able to do it. I’ve been chewing on this Nicorette, which tastes like you’re chewing on ground pepper – but it does help.

And this was a deal-breaker for Michelle. I had been sneaking three cigarettes, four cigarettes a day for awhile, and she said if you’re going to do this you’ve got to stop – precisely because the stress was going increase, and it’ll just get worse. So that’s an example of my wife making me a better man once again.

On what his first day would be like if elected

Ellen: Wow, that’s great, that’s great. Now questions about politics. Hilary says that she is ready on day one. And you say you are ready on day one as well. So my question is, number one: are you ready? What is day one like? Do you wake up at eight? Do you get breakfast.? What’s your day one?

Barack: Well, first of all I think I’ll just go into the Oval Office and sit at the desk and say,”Wow, this is really cool.” Actually, the first day after I’m sworn in and I don’t know whether that counts as day one or not, I think the day after the inauguration if I were lucky enough to serve it would be to call in the joint chiefs of staff to really start talking about how do we get our troops out of Iraq in an honorable, careful, responsible way..I am a strong believer that we need to bring this war to an end.

On running a clean campaign

Ellen: Yes, I agree with that. Alright, and now everyone is saying this has been a clean campaign, as campaigns go, it’s been pretty clean…but let’s talk about the fliers in Ohio that Hillary says didn’t represent her properly. They misrepresent her. Did they? And, what do you say about that?

Barack: Well, obviously I think that they represented her position properly which is that she supported in the past NAFTA, which has been pretty hard on Ohio, and we’ve had an ongoing discussion about healthcare. Both of us want to provide healthcare to all Americans. There’s a slight difference, and her plan is a good one. But, she mandates that everybody buy healthcare. She’d have the government force that every individual buy insurance and I don’t have such a mandate because I don’t think the problem is that people don’t want health insurance, it’s that they can’t afford it. I focus more on lowering costs. This is a modest difference. But, it’s one that she’s (Hillary) tried to elevate, arguing that because I don’t force people to buy healthcare that I’m not insuring everybody. If things were that easy, I could mandate everybody to buy a house, and that would solve the problem of homelessness. It doesn’t. But this is a philosophical disagreement that we have and it’s one that we’re going to continue to talk about. Overall though, as you said (Ellen), this has been a relatively clean campaign. I have enormous respect for Senator Clinton and I’m looking forward to working with her to make sure that Democrats win in November.

On why should people vote for Senator Obama

Ellen: Now here’s the thing. And, I’m sure you hear this. I really like you. I really like Hillary. And I think a lot of people feel the same way. I think that sometimes it’s a very clear-cut thing when you have two people running, you go, “I am absolutely for this person.” But I think a lot of people like both of you. So when you have people that like both of you, and are saying, “Look I’d be happy if either one of them won,” why vote for you?

Barack: Well, I think that we’re at a moment in history where, in order to solve big problems, to provide healthcare to people who really need it, to make college more affordable, to help families save a little bit of money for retirement…we’ve got to bring the country together. And I think I have a better chance at getting Democrats and Independents and Republicans to come together and put aside some partisan bickering that has been going on for a long time now that the Clintons were involved in.

Ellen: Well Senator Obama this has been a pleasure talking to you. I know you’re busy and you took time out and I appreciate it so very much. We’re going to play some music. I’m going to dance. If you hear the music, I hope you’re going to boogie a tiny bit. You said it helps.

(Music plays; Ellen and Barack dance)