Power Forward : My Presidential Education (9781476763361)

by Love, Reggie

  Without that growth, I would never have met President Barack Obama, who showed me not only a blueprint for tackling problems head-on, but what is possible for a man like me in this country. He has often said his story could only happen in America, and I believe him to be correct.

  Unlike that single-minded kid from North Carolina who only cared about winning basketball games, I am no longer oblivious to the world’s concerns. Nor am I naïve. But I do believe. Like my former boss, I have the audacity of hope.

  All three of these men have instilled in me the unshakable faith that our potential is limitless.

  And I know, sure as I know there is no music as beautiful as the swish of a net, that there is nothing we can’t achieve, if we just stand tall, take the ball, and power forward.

  Photo of my job description explained in a gallery outside of the Des Moines, Iowa, NPR debate on December 4, 2007.

  With then Senator Obama on our way to a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March 2007.

  The early days—with Richard Love, Richard Love Jr., Lynette Love, and me.

  AAU Team Charlotte Royals (1996).

  Duke football vs. NC State (2003).

  First career start for Duke against the Clemson Tigers in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

  Duke basketball team meeting with George W. Bush.

  Crammed in the campaign van en route to Coralville, Iowa, in December 2007.

  During the early days of the campaign, when few had even heard the name “Barack Obama,” most news coverage focused on Hillary Clinton and John McCain. I took the photo above on August 21, 2007, as the senator read a New York Times article about Clinton and McCain differing on Iraq.

  The Harkin Steak Fry in Des Moines, Iowa, 2007. Obama for America out-organized the other campaigns with a huge show of support.

  My perspective from most of the campaign rallies in 2007–2008. April 2008 rally in Greenville, South Carolina.

  February 2008 rally in Fort Worth, Texas.

  Playing basketball with President Obama at St. Bart’s Church in New York City, during downtime, Sept. 23, 2009.

  The president-elect walking out to his inauguration on January 20, 2009.

  Me on the National Mall on Inauguration Day, 2009.

  View from the Capitol during the inaugural ceremony.

  President Barack Obama and I fist bump as Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel looks on, in the Oval Office, June 16, 2009.

  In the Oval Office, me with the President, First Lady, and my parents, January 23, 2009.

  In the Oval Office—March 15, 2011.

  In the corner while POTUS waits to speak at an opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth, December 3, 2009.

  Walking back to the Oval Office after Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide visit the White House.

  At work even in a blizzard—snowmageddon in January 2010.

  Looking through the peephole in the door to the Oval Office, January 27, 2009.

  Walking with President Obama along the colonnade of the White House, December 3, 2009.

  ACKNOWLEDGING OTHERS

  One of the most important lessons I have learned is to express thanks to the people and teammates who have helped you and your team achieve success. I remember sitting in the locker room at Duke watching tape as a player for Coach K; he would often highlight when a connecting play was made—when a screen was set to create an open shot or when a comrade drew a charge. I often saw Barack Obama do the same thing at town halls and rallies when he would thank the people behind the scenes. Both he and Coach K knew that no one can shoulder the entire load. And I would be foolish to believe that my experiences are the result of my actions alone.

  My family is the best support group any person could ever have. When I was growing up, Edward and Netta Vanderhorst loved me like they were my parents, and their sons Kiawah, Jervay, and Ade were brothers to me. My cousins Jasmine, Jessica, Jennifer, and Valerie were the sisters I never had but always wanted. My cousins Lynn, Matt, and James always pushed me to keep up with them. Frankie Poole, my workout partner and motivator over the holidays, never missed a day in pushing me to get better, even on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Gloretha Mercer, Raymond Jackson, Maureen and Tim Price, my surrogate parents, the aunts and uncle who supported me every step of the way. Alice Poole, Wesley Jackson, Jimmy Mercer, and Ann Hitchcock—in their loving memory, I know they are still with me today.

  The Providence Day School community took me in with open arms and nourished my academic career at a very critical junction. I appreciate the teachers and administrators who not only pushed me but also held me accountable: Rhea Caldwell, Kay Montross, Eric Hedinger, Ted Dickson, John Patterson, David Carrier, Joe Fortier, Jim Cerbie, and Grant Coffey; and my teammates and classmates: David Callaway, Erik Stowe, Mike Dames, Derek Fricke, Brett Golembe, Brendan Rowell, Trent Cherry, Marcus Oliver, Jake Blau, Ryan Carson, Keith Fehring, and many others. The leadership of individuals like Glyn Cowlishaw, Ben Robinson, and Robert Toth has not only had an impact on me but has shown me the importance of continued investment in our youth and our community.

  Duke University is a school that I’m immensely proud to have attended. The friendships forged during the victories and defeats are ones that I will never forget, including teammates like Nate Krill, Jeremy Battier, BJ Hill, Charles Porter, Ryan Fowler, Daryl Scott, Khary Sharpe, Chris Duhon, Kyle Moore, Josh Krieder, Luke Bayer, Troy Austin, Ben Erdeljac, Cory Broadnax, Dee Bryant, Adam Smith, Spencer Romine, Bobby Campbell, Chris Dapolito, Mike Schneider, Daniel Ewing, J. J. Redick, Sheldon Williams, Lee Melchionni, Sean Dockery, Shav Randolph, Dave McClure, Mike Dunleavy, Jason Williams, Andre Buckner, Matt Christianson, Andy Borman, Andy Means, Ryan Caldbeck, Casey Sanders, Terrell Smith, Joe Pagliuca, Patrick Johnson, and every Blue Team Bomber past and present.

  The staff from the football and basketball programs often felt like family. Every word of encouragement and every piece of constructive criticism were part of my growth from an eighteen-year-old kid to a collegiate athlete and a college graduate. Without people like Chris Collins, Aubrey Hill, Steve Wojciechowski, Johnny Dawkins, David Cuttcliffe, Fred Chatham, Scottie Montgomery, and Joe DeLamielleure, I would have missed out on the most important opportunities for personal and athletic growth. And I could never forget Ms. Gerry Brown, Ms. Laura Ann Howard, Ms. Micky Laws, and Ms. Peggy Nelson. Their warm smiles and inspiring levels of energy always made a trip to the coaching offices a little homier; they were like surrogate mothers for me the first time I was really away from my own mother. And though not a coach, Malbert and the MetaMetrics family nourished my inquisitive side.

  My first journey outside of sports was the summer I spent two months in Indianapolis, where the closest I got to organized sports was running into Chris Paul while he was still in high school and competing at Nike Camp at NIFS. I couldn’t have had a better group to welcome me to a job and a city that were foreign to me than Alan and Joann Hogan, Susan and David Rimstidt and their family, John and Karen Fernandez, Angie Gates, Lori Lambert, Adairius Gardner, Kyle Willis, Betty Cochran, and Pat and Sharon Robbins. Because of your support and openness, to this day I still feel like I’m half Hoosier.

  Hello, Washington, D.C. While I walked through the halls of the Hart Senate building at twenty-three years of age in my brown, square-toed Kenneth Coles and my nondescript beige tie, my friends and colleagues never ridiculed me or looked at me sideways because of my antiquated attire, at least not that I could tell. Thanks to Kristen Jarvis, Ashley Tate-Gilmore, Michael Strautmanis, Robert Gibbs, Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Alyssa Mastromonaco, Pete Rouse, LaDarius Curtis, Karen Richardson, Emily Bokar, Mark Lippert, Danny Sepulveda, Nick Bauer, Josh DuBois, Jim Brayton, Carolyn Mosely, Jordan Kaplan, Jenny Yeager, and Tori Scarborough.

  The endless days and sleepless nights of working on the campaign and in the White House would have been far less manageable and enjoyable without the RONs: Ellie Sue Schafer, Cookie Offerman, and Dana Lewis; the Iowa state team l
ed by Paul Tewes and Emily Parcel; the scheduling advance team of Jessica Wright, Danielle Crutchfield, Emmett Beliveau, Chase Cushman, Ferial Govashiri, Brian Mosteller, Katie Johnson, Anita Decker, Greg Lorjuste, Mike Brush, Dave Cusack, Tim Hartz, Duncan Teater, and Kenny Thompson.

  To the D.C. hoops crew: who would have known there are people willing to play basketball at six in the morning without the chance of ever making a penny? True love for the game is hard to find, and when you do it is something unbelievably special. Thank you to Art Jackson, John Rice, Arne Duncan, and all of the guys in the run for letting me crash the game.

  And to my D.C. crew: thanks for keeping me grounded and not giving me too much shit when I always underestimated my arrival times—Erik Stowe, Brooks Brown, Kat Conlon, John McNaught, Shomik Dutta, Peter Friedlander, James Evans, Carissa Aiello, Julius Genachowski, and my brother, Richard Love Jr.

  To the Campathlon crew: you all are the true definition of friendship. The President is lucky to have such a loyal group of friends. I have learned so much about friendship and loyalty from you all: Marvin Nicholson, Sam Kass, Cornell McClelan, Marty Nesbitt, Eric Whitaker, Greg Orme, Michal Ramos, Bobby Titcomb, Hassan Chandoo, Wahid Hamid, and Laurent Delanney.

  To Lorenzo Roccia, Abel Navarro, Danilo Diazganado, Carlos Hajj, Guillermo Fernandez, Aaron Dowd, and the entire Transatlantic team: thanks for taking a chance on me. A great journey to date that I’m sure will only continue to get better.

  To the entire Chicago crew: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mike Faulman, Mike Ruemmler, and all of the team that continues to make Chicago one of the greatest cities; Jon Carson, Kathy Gasperine, Jim Messina, and the entire OFA team that continues to push for change from the bottom up; thanks to John Rogers, the Crown family, the Pritzker family, Les and Javon Coney, the Heymans, Bob Clark, Jim Reynolds, Richard Price, Parham, and the McKeevers.

  To Orin Kramer, Brian Mathis, Robert Wolf, Mark Gallogly, and Richard Plepler: New York is a crazy place, and I thank you for helping me learn how to navigate it.

  To Mark Emmert and my good friend Commissioner Adam Silver—thank you for nourishing and growing the game of basketball, which has not only taught me valuable life lessons but has given me so many great opportunities and a lifetime of friendships.

  To every person who worked on this book and helped make it possible: Jonathan Karp, Thomas LeBien, Julia Prosser, Jofie Ferrari-Adler, Julianna Haubner, Anna Ruch, Bob Barnett, Deneen Howell, Helen Syski, David Fisher, and the entire teams at Simon & Schuster and Williams & Connolly. And a special thanks to Allison Glock.

  To all of the NFC members and field organizers on the 2008 and 2012 campaigns: thank you for everything that you have done and all of your hard work. And to anyone whom I may have left off: I truly appreciate you all.

  Lastly but most importantly: to my father and mother, Richard and Lynette Love, and the President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama—thank you for always continuing to invest in me.

  REGGIE LOVE was the special assistant and personal aide to President Barack Obama from 2007 to 2011. Before that, he graduated from Duke University, where he was captain of the 2004–05 Duke Blue Devils basketball team and a member of the 2001 NCAA national championship team. Love graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 2013 and now serves as partner and vice president of Transatlantic Holdings.

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  Copyright © 2015 by Eighty-Four Productions, Inc.

  Insert 1 photos on pages 3, 4, and 5 courtesy Duke Photography.

  Insert 2 photos on pages 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are official White House photos by Pete Souza.

  All other photos courtesy of Reggie Love.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  One name in this book, “Cal,” is a pseudonym.

  First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition February 2015

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  Interior design by Lewelin Polanco

  Jacket design by Jonathan Bush

  Front cover photograph © Alex Brandon/Associated Press

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Love, Reggie, 1981-

  Power forward : my presidential education / Reggie Love.

  pages cm

  1. Love, Reggie, 1981– 2. Presidents—United States—Staff—Biography. 3. Obama, Barack—Friends and associates. 4. United States—Politics and government—2001-2009. 5. United States—Politics and government—2009– I. Title.

  E901.1.L68A3 2015

  320.092—dc23

  [B]

  2014040838

  ISBN 978-1-4767-6334-7

  ISBN 978-1-4767-6336-1(ebook)