Where's The Elegant Ms. Desiree Rogers Now?

Desiree Rogers: The New White House Wallflower


As 50,000 people attend 28 White House Christmas parties, glamorous social secretary Desiree Rogers is on the sidelines. Sandra McElwaine on the new security policies—and how her ex-husband is trying to help.

Desiree Rogers will no longer be swanning about at White House parties. Au contraire. Ever since the glamorous social secretary was hobnobbing with celebrities, oblivious to two reality-TV wannabes who were crashing the Obamas’ first State Dinner in November she has been given a timeout.

Even though her Louboutin stilettos still click down the historic hallways of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there have been no more appearances in designer gowns or pronouncements about pushing the unique Obama brand. Instead, the sophisticated Harvard MBA seems to be adapting to a more formal protocol and attempting to play a more traditional behind-the-scenes role as she oversees the care and feeding of more than 50,000 guests at 28 different holiday receptions.

Being on the sidelines is not a familiar place for the 50-year-old Rogers. The descendant of a Louisiana voodoo priestess, she has always been a star with a penchant for publicity.

Once married to a powerful hedge-fund manager, John Rogers—they remain close friends (“John is very shy, Desiree is always out front,” says a friend)—Desiree Rogers was a leading member of Chicago's business and philanthropic world. It was Rogers who introduced the Obamas to the social elite, not the other way around. (She also helped raise $200,000 for his Presidential campaign.)

“She’s a big deal in politics and the community and so well connected Obama can’t fire her,” says a well-placed Chicagoan. “I’m surprised she took this job. I didn’t know she wanted to work this hard.”

Until Desiree Rogers, White House social secretaries were considered worker bees who stayed in the shadows compiling lists, organizing events and seating charts, and averting last-minute disasters, but the high-flying business executive had no intention of playing an inconspicuous or subservient role.

From the moment she arrived, she quickly broke the mold by flaunting her upscale lifestyle and interests, sometimes outshining her boss, posing for Vogue and other glossies, and announcing a totally new agenda for the social office. “You have to think about [The Social Secretary Job], in my mind, almost like a business,” she told The Wall Street Journal in April. “Otherwise, you never get there. You get caught in linen hell and flower hell, list hell.”

Her outspokenness did not endear Rogers to the elite clique of former social secretaries. Many inside the Beltway felt she was too wedded to the Obamas’ inner circle, known as the Chicago Mafia, and much like others in new administrations, she seemed reluctant to leave her cocoon in order to learn the ways of the capital.

“They realized she never had a clue how to plan a State Dinner,” says one Washington socialite. “This is such a different environment from Chicago. You simply can’t do what you did there.”

According to one recent party goer, a visibly chastened Rogers has now had to tone down her glitzy image: “She’s out there looking like a working stiff, a fashionable one, but not dolled up like before.”

Since the Salahis incident at the State Dinner—when the Secret Service assumed responsibility for the security breach while Rogers stayed silent—there are new regulations and protocols in place at the White House.

All guests must now run a lengthy official gauntlet before entering the Presidential mansion. For starters, there are two checkpoints manned by a representative of the administration and a Secret Service officer. Next, attendees will now be asked to provide a photo ID at two other checkpoints, while aides swirl around to deter any unexpected visitors.

Finally, at the East Colonnade, guests are now greeted by Rogers, sporting a chic black suit, a standard White House identification badge around her neck, a clipboard in hand. ”Welcome to the White House on behalf of the Obamas,” she says with a dazzling smile.

Despite the new policies, there was already a kerfuffle over invitations to two of the White House press parties last week. Apparently, the invitations went out late and the White House did not issue them by name.

Rather, they sent a batch to the manager of each bureau, who doled them out to whomever they wanted. As such, a number of reporters who cover the White House for leading newspapers and other news organizations were never included. This latest misstep was blamed on press secretary Robert Gibbs, but many in Washington blame Rogers.

Another recent flap involved the White House receiving line. The Obamas decided not to shake hands and pose for pictures with every guest at every party, as their predecessors had done. Being denied a prized photo op has created considerable angst among a number of invitees—including Dee Dee Myers, President Clinton’s former press secretary, who observed: “I totally understand that doing a receiving line is exhausting, yet people have come to expect it. It means a lot to them.”

Rumors abound about plans to resurrect Rogers' reputation. Will she stay on for a grace period and then be reassigned as ambassador to some neutral country like Switzerland or Luxembourg? "Once you put yourself out there the way she has, it’s hard to come back in,” observes a friend.

Even her ex-husband has been talking to an eclectic mix of journalists about the best way to revive her fortunes. One concept under consideration: orchestrating a humorous mea culpa as Nancy Reagan did at one of the annual Gridiron Dinners.

Known for her extravagant taste and fancy outfits, the former first lady donned oversize rubber boots and a seriously frumpy dress and waltzed out on the stage singing “Second Hand Clothes” to the tune of “Second Hand Rose.” Her performance brought down the house and all was forgiven.

Might this ploy this work for the troubled social secretary? After all, Washington is a city of redemption.

Speech writer and humorist Landon Parvin, who wrote those lyrics for Nancy Reagan, doubts that frivolity will solve her problem. “She can’t get out of it with a one-liner," he says. “What she needs to redeem herself is not humor but the truth. She should admit her mistake and tell us exactly what happened. The sooner the better.”


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Sources: The Daily Beast, C-Span, Bitten & Bound, American Urban Radio Networks, Google Maps

Obama & April Ryan Addressing Specific Concerns Of Black Voters

POTUS's Outlook On Black America


President Barack Obama deflected criticism Monday that he has not been attentive enough to the African-American community, telling American Urban Radio Networks that he was unconcerned to see that kind of message coming from former supporters such as actor Danny Glover.

"If you want me to line up all the black actors, for example, who support me and put them on one side of the room and a couple who are grumbling on the other, I'm happy to have that," Pres. Obama said, adding that polls show African-Americans express "overwhelming support for what we've tried to do."

In an interview with reporter April Ryan, Obama argued that the fact of his sitting with Ryan for an interview with the Oval Office was significant on its own.

"Is there grumbling?" he asked rhetorically. "Of course, there's grumbling, because we just went through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

"We were some of the folks who were most affected by predatory lending. There's a long history of us being the last hired and the first fired.

As I said on health care, we're the ones who are in the worst position to absorb companies deciding to drop their health care plans,” Obama said. “So, should people be satisfied? Absolutely not. But let's take a look at what I've done."

Pres. Obama repeatedly used the pronoun "we" in discussing America's black community, but insisted that he shouldn't be expected to target policies exclusively to African-Americans.

"The only thing I cannot do is, by law I can't pass laws that say I'm just helping black folks," Obama said.

"I'm the president of the entire United States. What I can do is make sure that I am passing laws that help all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and most in need. That, in turn, is going to help lift up the African-American community."

The president pointed to his push for health care reform as one part of his agenda that would benefit African-Americans, along with the rest of the country.

"We've got 30 million people who are going to get health insurance because of this bill and disproportionately they will be African-American as well as Latino," Obama said. "Whether there's a public option in there or not, if you don't have health insurance, you are going to have now the option of getting it at a reasonable cost.

That's the most important thing, and as I said, nobody has a bigger stake than the African-American community in this because disproportionately we're the ones without health insurance."

As for the state of Black America, Obama said it's a mixed picture.

"I'm optimistic about the long-term future of the African-American community, but it's going to take work," Obama said. "It was never going to be done just because we elected me."



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Sources: American Urban Radio Networks, April Ryan.com, Politico, The Daily Beast, CNN, Youtube, Google Maps

April Ryan vs Robert Gibbs..."Calm Down April"

Check out C-Span's video below of the infamous heated exchange between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and American Urban Radio Network's White House Correspondent April Ryan.

(American Urban Radio Networks has an audience of more than 20 million listeners (mostly African-American) and April is a well-educated, credentialed Journalist.)

Ryan and Gibbs "bantered" about Desiree Roger's professional performance relative to the Obama Admin's first State Dinner "Party Crasher" incident.

Do you think April was a little over the top on this one or was Gibb's reply unnecessary?

I'd say both of them handled it incorrectly.

With all due respect to April, she behaved as if she were angry while posing her questions to Robert Gibbs.

While I do agree that April's concern for President Obama's safety is most definitely a serious matter, sometimes its not what you say but how you say it.

Let's face it Desiree Rogers and the Obamas are close, Chicago buddies. In addition she's quite wealthy and influential.

Its obvious they will continue to cultivate this loyal relationship with her.

Nothing Ms. Rogers does wrong or right will ever face meaningful scrutiny from the Obama Administration, so case closed on that issue.

Gibbs on the other hand is supposed to be professional enough to NOT have made such a degrading statement.

After all April is a seasoned, Journalist and White House Correspondent who was treated with great respect by Former President George W. Bush.

I've never heard him make that kind of statement to a White Female or White Male reporter regardless of their line of questioning. Hmmm. Something to think about.

Could it be Gibb's statement is a reflection of how the Obama Administration feels about African-Americans in general?

Just because an organization hires African-Americans doesn't mean that organization necessarily cares about the welfare of African-Americans or sees them as valuable, productive Human Beings.

Note:

By the way anyone concerned about Pres. Obama ever firing Robert Gibbs can forget it!

Robert is Pres. Obama's link to the South and winning over White Southern Voters.








TRANSCRIPT OF THE EXCHANGE:


APRIL RYAN: Was there a concern in this White House that she came out being, some might have called her the ‘belle of the ball,’ overshadowing the first lady at the…

ROBERT GIBBS: I don’t who some are. I’ve never heard that. Again…

RYAN: Well, it’s been bantered around Washington, and it’s been in Democratic circles as well as Republican circles, high-ranking people…

GIBBS: April, I, I, that’s not a station I live in in life.

RYAN: Just answer the question, please.

GIBBS: Are you done speaking so I can?

RYAN: Oh yes, I’m done.

GIBBS: I’ve not heard any of that criticism. I’ve not read any of that criticism. The president, the first lady, and the entire White House staff are grateful for the job that she does. And thinks she has done a terrific and wonderful job pulling off a lot of big and important events here at the White House.

RYAN: Did she invite herself to the state dinner or was she a guest? Did the president invite her or did she put her… No, that’s a real question. Do not fan it off. I’m serious.

GIBBS: I, I, Jonathan-

RYAN: No, no, no. Did she invite herself or did the president ask her? Her name was on that list, and social secretaries are the ones who put the names on the list…

GIBBS: Right. Was she at the dinner? April, April, calm down. Just take a deep breath for one second. Now see? This happens with my son. He does the same thing.

(Here there is an Audible reaction from other reporters as, Ryan mouths, “I’m older than your son.”)

RYAN: Don’t play with me. I’m being serious. Do not blow it off.

GIBBS: I’m not… And I’m giving you a serious answer. Was she at the dinner? Yes. She’s the social secretary.

RYAN: Social secretaries are not guests of the dinner.

GIBBS: She had the primary responsibility for running the dinner. I’m going to get back to weightier topics like 98,000 men and women in Afghanistan.





April Ryan's Professional Profile.


April Ryan, White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN), is a 23-year journalism veteran who has worked in that capacity since January 1997. During her tenure as White House Correspondent, Ryan has conducted one-on-one interviews with President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, Senator Barack Obama and a host of other dignitaries. Ryan has been credited by a White House historian as having the most radio interviews with President Bill Clinton during his White House years.

In February of 2008, Ryan conducted an exclusive interview on Africa with President Bush in the White House Oval Office. Ryan also conducted a one-on-one with South African President Thabo Mbeki. She has traveled to Africa on numerous Presidential missions with President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and President George W. Bush. Ryan’s exclusive coverage of Presidential visits to Africa and first-hand viewpoints were utilized in a 10-part AURN series that centered on Clinton's historic six nations African tour and was broadcast in June 1998. An exclusive interview with then First Lady Hillary Clinton followed and excerpts from the interview were not only broadcast in the news on AURN's SBN and AUN networks, but was also featured on the CBS evening news, among other national television and radio broadcasts.

Ryan traveled aboard Air Force One and interviewed President and Mrs. Bush while flying to the Gulf Coast for the Hurricane Katrina one year anniversary. In 2006, Ryan traveled with the First Lady to Mississippi where Mrs. Bush met with New Orleans Hurricane Katrina survivors. In September 2005, Ryan flew to Haiti with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and reported on America’s support for democratic elections and while there – due to the volatile political climate – was under the protection of the United Nations Blue Helmet Security forces. .

In addition to her White House coverage, Ryan also hosts “The White House Report,” a daily feature broadcast over hundreds of AURN affiliated stations nationwide. The Baltimore native has also utilized her journalistic prowess beyond the steps of Capitol Hill and has traveled to China and Switzerland for newsworthy events. In September 2005, Ryan’s breaking news coverage with First Lady Laura Bush was also highlighted on NBC’s Today show. Additionally, many of Ryan’s breaking news stories and interviews have also been spotlighted on ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and FOX as well as in some of the nation’s top newspapers.

Ryan is an esteemed member of the National Press Club and serves on the newsmakers committee. She has also garnered numerous professional accolades to include receiving an American Swiss Foundation Young Leader Award in 2004 and being named one of the Outstanding Young Women in America in 1997.

Ryan began her radio career in Baltimore, MD where she worked for several radio stations including WXYV-FM where she served as news director. She is a graduate of Morgan State University and resides in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.



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Sources: American Urban Radio Networks, C-Span, Left Coast Rebel, Bitten and Bound, Google Maps