Links: Barack Obama Doesn’t Want Your Vote?
Holler at your boys, Barack!
Dear Senator Obama:
First of all, greeting from the SLAM Dome. My name is Lang Whitaker and I am the executive editor of SLAM magazine. You know about SLAM, right? We’re the world’s biggest and best basketball magazine. We’ve been around over a decade, we break news, we profile players, we have a website, a MySpace page, a Wikipedia page, the whole shebang.
Anyway…I’m writing you this open letter because we have no other idea how to get in touch with you.
And we want to get in touch with you.
Really, we do. Let me explain…
I’ve been interested in you for a while. I first read about you about three years ago in the New Yorker. Then, back in July of 2004, I wrote the following on our website during the Democratic National Convention…
I’ve been watching the convention every night, because I’m into politics and that stuff. I’ve been interested in Obama for a while, ever since I read this feature on him in the New Yorker about four months ago. Sure enough, he was really impressive. (And check the Bush/Barack anecdote in that New Yorker story.)
Since your speech at the DNC, I’ve watched with interest as your star has risen, from a little-known guy running for the Senate to a Presidential candidate with a very real chance of winning your party’s nomination. You’re releasing books, appearing on television talk shows, even popping up on unlikely magazine covers.
Then, a few months ago, a slew of stories started dropping about how much you enjoy basketball. As a basketball media outlet, we dutifully covered these stories. (And I even realized who you sound suspiciously similar to, if you smell what I’m cooking.)
With your basketball jones being publicly discussed, we thought it might be a good idea to see if we could get 5-10 minutes of your time for an interview in SLAM. We do a little section each month called Dime Drop where we talk to someone who is into basketball but doesn’t, strictly speaking, work in basketball for a living. We’ve had all kinds of people in Dime Drop, from rappers (Big Boi) to chefs (Marcus Samuelsson) to comedians (Dave Chapelle) to soccer stars (Tim Howard and Thierry Henry) to football players (Reggie Bush) to baseball players (Derek Lee) to musicians (Wynton Marsalis). As you can see, it’s a pretty diverse group of people, all with one thing in common: They enjoy basketball.
Which is why we thought you’d be a perfect fit.
So we started trying to make contact with you, via your official website, through people who claimed they had connections with you…I’ve even had friends who work in politics on the case, all to no avail. We’ve had multiple people working on this and haven’t heard even a peep back from your campaign.
A few months ago, I signed up on your website to receive email updates, thinking that perhaps I could find out some way to get in touch with you that way. Now I get emails from your campaign almost every day, but I still have no clue who to even talk to in order to get you on the phone.
And look dude — I mean, Senator — we understand you’re running for President and you’re probably kind of busy and all that, but we thought perhaps you would welcome the opportunity to have a forum in front of the 1.2 million readers we have each issue. Heck, we’ll even run the longer transcript or the audio here on SLAMonline.com, which will make even more eyes and ears available to you.
Of course, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe your people have heard our requests and have just been ignoring us. Perhaps you’re thinking that our readers are too young to vote for you, and therefore the interview would be a waste of your time. Many of our readers are indeed younger, too young to vote in the 2008 election.
But you know what? A lot of our readers are going to vote. And the ones who can’t vote? Well, their parents vote, and their older brothers and sisters vote. And by 2008 (and 2012 and 2016), more and more of those young readers will be able to vote. I’m just saying…
In closing, I feel like I should point out that by inviting you to appear in the pages of SLAM, we aren’t endorsing you. We just thought you’d be an entertaining and educational interview, plus you fit right in with the whole basketball thing that we do. We’re not endorsing anyone — not yet, at least.
Anyway, I think you get our point and we’re sorry to have to do this so publicly, but we’re out of options here. Please let us know if you can find 10 minutes for us. We’d appreciate it, and I think about a million hoops-heads out there would enjoy hearing from you as well.
Thanks for your time.
–lang
Lang Whitaker
Executive Editor
SLAM Magazine
New York, NY
lang@harris-pub.com
PS: Please don’t make us have to call Kucinich.
58 Responses to “Links: Barack Obama Doesn’t Want Your Vote?”
Oct.5 at 3:05 pm
white hot eboy says:
Very nice, Senator Lang(D) from New York.
Oct.5 at 3:10 pm
Ryan Jones says:
I’ve emailed their media contact three times, Lang, without once getting a response. Maybe they’re just overwhelmed by the sheer volume of SLAM interview requests.
Oct.5 at 3:20 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I know, Ryan. I think this is our last hope.
Oct.5 at 3:22 pm
Myles Brown says:
Barack Obama doesnt care about white people with names that sound like they’re black peoples.
Oct.5 at 3:31 pm
Ron says:
“The Rock” Obama will come around now that he’s been called out publically. Thx Lang, and I can’t wait to hear the line of questioning from SLAM.
Oct.5 at 3:40 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’m voting for Bill Bradley.
Oct.5 at 3:41 pm
white hot eboy says:
Is Ryan really the representaive SLAM wants to use to try and set up a meeting? Ben, please stop the madness.
Oct.5 at 3:55 pm
SMK says:
I bet he’d drop everything and do the interview if you could hook him up with a pair of Gil Zero’s.
Oct.5 at 4:04 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
We can do better than that, we can hook him up with Gil himself and make that Obama/Arenas ticket happen.
Oct.5 at 4:10 pm
Cheryl says:
Lang, you forgot to mention your international readers. Obama says his first 100 days priorities is to reach out globally and try to heal the scars left by that stupid guy.
Oct.5 at 4:11 pm
Rubens says:
Lang, send him the shawn bradley playing golf pic…
Oct.5 at 4:12 pm
Rubens says:
cheryl, it could be worst, your pres. could be lula
Oct.5 at 4:12 pm
Rubens says:
oops: worse
Oct.5 at 4:19 pm
Rubens says:
well… scratch that…
Oct.5 at 4:23 pm
Ryan Jones says:
I got my son the Obamas/Arenas t-shirt. Best thing ever.
Oct.5 at 4:24 pm
Ben Osborne says:
I’ve tried true, White Hot. Believe it or not, this post has already yielded a response. Stay tuned…
Oct.5 at 4:31 pm
jbn74sb says:
Nice work, Lang. It’s been cool seeing your writing up here again lately. And I especially like you’re we’re not endorsing you by asking you line.
Oct.5 at 4:32 pm
Dutch Rich says:
Of all the readers on this thread, who would actually consider themselves more than 50% likely to vote for Obama.
Oct.5 at 4:35 pm
Dutch Rich says:
I would like to know, because we actually represent a miniature reflection of the mags readership, which could provide Lang with some facts and answers as to the no response. R
Oct.5 at 4:43 pm
Cheryl says:
I’d vote for him
Oct.5 at 4:45 pm
Dutch Rich says:
That’s one, make it two if they would let Dutch people vote. Thanks Cheryl, anyone else??
Oct.5 at 5:00 pm
vjm says:
from the new yorker profile:
“Obama was sipping iced tea in a busy, Caribbean-themed restaurant in a small shopping center in Hyde Park.”
calypso cafe. there’s a soul food place next door. i saw d-mcnabb walking across the parking lot a few years back.
so i’d vote for obama because he’s a hyde park/u of c guy.
lang, if you do get the q&a with obama, you have to combine it with those photos of him as a high school ball player (ny times? chi trib?). they were classic.
Oct.5 at 5:09 pm
MTLien says:
Lang — off topic, but figured youd enjoy this. Took a little longer than expected, but here it is, an article on Bryan Colangelo’s fashion sense http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/263800
Oct.5 at 5:10 pm
jbn74sb says:
I’d consider voting for him.
Oct.5 at 5:11 pm
Dutch Rich says:
This is getting more interesting than I thought.
Political Thread Blocking or everybodies gone for the day or Linkstigators really aren’t feeling Bama and Lang is not waisting his time contacting the campaign.
Oct.5 at 5:16 pm
Captain America says:
Barack will have plenty of time on his hands after the initial primaries. He might even put his US flag back on his lapel for you.
Oct.5 at 5:18 pm
jbn74sb says:
Dutch Rich - The lack of response is due to 2 things, I think. One, it is now after 5:00 on the Least Coast, and people have gone home from work. Two, everyone is in a tizzy over at Mutoni’s suicidal Lakers preview.
Oct.5 at 5:27 pm
Rubens says:
if they ler brazilians vote… i would
Oct.5 at 5:27 pm
Rubens says:
* let
Oct.5 at 6:05 pm
Barack Obama says:
Ok, OK, just holla at ya boy
Oct.5 at 6:12 pm
Kemo says:
Obama has my vote for prez. Assuming he wins the Democratic primary.
Oct.5 at 6:41 pm
The Best Yet says:
I’m voting for Pedro
Oct.5 at 7:16 pm
d.Y. says:
VP Gil would let Brazilians vote, and make everyone who buys a ticket to Rio watch City of God first. If the senator doesn’t bite, howzabout Ras Baraka?
Oct.5 at 7:45 pm
RV says:
Lang, how many of those readers subscribe to Slam?
Oct.5 at 8:03 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’d vote for B.A. Baracus.
Oct.5 at 8:34 pm
Allep says:
I’d vote for Barack. But I’m sure that surprises no one.
Oct.5 at 9:12 pm
Nadav says:
how is this NOT promoting Obama?
Oct.5 at 11:35 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Nadav: And?
Oct.6 at 2:14 am
Saku 39 says:
I really would like to vote for Obama but his lack of experience is a concern. I think he is campaigning now to raise his national profile for a shot at the 2012 election. Might want to resurrect this letter in four years…
Oct.6 at 3:10 am
Adrian Zapata says:
I think he is the worst candidate out there. Please don’t let this guy win, please.
Oct.6 at 4:50 am
Russ Bengtson says:
If Rudy Giuliani somehow wins in ‘08, there might not BE a 2012 election.
Oct.6 at 5:52 am
Nadav says:
Its cool to promote him, just dont say its not “promoting” per se.
If youre giving him a stage to get his points across, whether it only be about basketball or not, its still promoting him.
Oct.6 at 9:29 am
Krayzie Bone says:
I would vote for Obama if I lived in the states. On policy, he’s the best out of the front runners. But don’t dump on Kucinich, he has the best policy platform and he actually grew up in the ghetto in cleveland. Same hood as Bone Thugs, though 30 years previous (I mentioned this on another post, so excuse the rehashing). Gravel would be number 2, and Paul from the Republicans would be 3. Richardson 4 and Obama 5. Clinton stinks on policy, but is better than the lunatic assylum over in elephant land. America decides ‘08: Hitler or Mussolini, the choice is yours.
Oct.6 at 12:51 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Nadav, there’s a difference in “promoting” and “endorsing.” I honestly don’t care about promoting him, I just think it’s cool that we could have a president who plays basketball. Don’t think we’ve ever had that, although our publisher tried to convince me yesterday that Nixon averaged 2.6 assists per game in college.
Oct.6 at 2:01 pm
Madtice says:
Well, I’d vote for Obama, but I like Ron Paul as well. But I’m from Holland, so not much influence here. By the way, it seems like most foreigners on slamonline seem to come from Holland, or not? Go Fransisco Eye-lson, Go!
Oct.6 at 7:46 pm
Twills says:
I’d vote for Obama. Kucinich is the truth though.
Oct.6 at 8:22 pm
Cheryl says:
yeah, he may lack experience,but look who’s been in charge for 8 years. Do you REALLY think he’d do a worse job?
Oct.6 at 9:28 pm
Nadav says:
Didn’t Amercians it would be cool to have a president who you could “have a beer with”? I think Nixon was good at steals.
*SNAP*
Oct.7 at 3:24 am
Barack Obama says:
Hey guys, Barack Obama here, lol (am i doing it rite?). I’m new to this Internet thing and I was hoping someone could show me around.
Oct.7 at 7:55 pm
LordGef says:
A Kucinich Dime Drop would make my year!!
Oct.7 at 11:45 pm
Dutch Rich says:
I did a little compatibilty test on the major issues and Senator Dodd from Connecticut came in first. Barack 3rd and Killer Hill 4th.
Dodd was on Channel 13 and he seems like a very knowledgable individual with great sense of humour, witty and sharp. I Think the dems bring a number of great candidates to the table this come around. To me Hill with Barack on her ticket would be awesome but the chances that America is ready for a female and a negroid in the white house might be far too ahead of the times. And ofcourse the hillary camp is well aware of that. Unfortunately
Oct.8 at 11:47 am
Jared says:
no jokes…hill dog is the truth…the dude that talks to the dead is no joke either…give young baracka some time to shine, he has “tremendous upside” and i’m not talkin bout Kwame Brown upside
Oct.8 at 12:11 pm
steve says:
I just got my Obama/Arenas Black Presidents t-shirt last week, so why not a Obama/Arenas sit down in DC to discuss hoops and their respective plans for their presidencies? But if Barack stiffs you, how about John Edwards? He’s from North Carolina, so he must know a bit about hoops.
Oct.8 at 4:22 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
what did you say your name was??? IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!!! KNOW YOUR ROLE AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!! JABRONI!!!
Oct.8 at 6:25 pm
Sko says:
but could he get a cover in a # ‘08 USA hoops jersey, with ‘Obama’ on the back? that one’s for free
Oct.9 at 12:35 pm
rocky says:
how about obama on the cover with gil beside him?
Oct.16 at 4:49 pm
SLAM ONLINE | » Links: Odds and Ends… says:
[…] • A big shout-out goes to Barack Obama and his campaign. Two weeks ago I put it out there that Obama’s people had been spectacularly unhelpful to us thus far in our attempts to get an interview. I don’t want to jinx anything just yet, but it’s safe to say that they’re not being unhelpful anymore. […]
Dec.10 at 2:54 pm
Te-te says:
i know i`m going to win any way cause i`m better than u yo momma and my wife