Uh, Robert Gibbs. Uh, I'm here as the former White House press secretary, uh, and, uh, do speaking and consulting.
Could you tell us about your charity?
I'm playing for, uh, Pine Hills Literacy Project. It's a, uh, nonprofit charity that I started in my hometown, uh, that helps, uh, teach first through sixth graders, uh, greater reading skills, and a love for reading, uh, at--from students with the Boys and Girls Club.
What impact would $50,000 have on your charity?
It--it--it means, uh, we--we keep our teacher for next year, uh, we buy these kids more books, uh, that they can not just read in the classroom that we've set up, but, uh, check out and take home, uh, and hopefully read with their parents.
How did preparing for Jeopardy! compare to preparing for a press conference?
It's funny. I, uh--I--somebody asked me how I was prepping, and I joked that I was reading the encyclopedia... which they thought I was being serious about. Uh, the best thing was, uh, my eight-year-old son said to me--when we were talking about this, and he started giggling when I told him I was going to be on Jeopardy!--and I said, "W-what's so funny?" And he said, uh, "Do you even know facts?" So I don't--I don't--I--[laughs] I don't think there's any real way to prepare. You just sort of hope you, uh, paid attention the day that some of the answers come up.
...
What impact would $50,000 have on your charity?
It's going to mean a lot in the lives of these children. Uh, I think the first thing we're going to do is go out and buy a lot of books. We've already got a few thousand. Uh, these books they can read with the teacher in the classroom, and/or, more importantly, they can check them out and take them home and read them with their parents, and, uh, they're going to have a lot of books now. So we're excited.
Any observations about your competition?
Yes, I was--well, of course nervous. Uh, both of them were great. Uh, Lizzie knew YOGA, and Chris and I were just kind of watching for a whole column of, uh, of answers. You know, what was great was, it was a good close game. It was a lot of fun.
Did you wake up this morning expecting to win your game?
I hoped to win. Because--and the truth is you're nervous mostly because of your first question, which is "How is this going to impact the lives of these kids?" And it took me several minutes to make a Final wager because, uh, even if I got the question--if I got the question right, I-I didn't necessarily want to win as much as I wanted to take home as much as I could for the charity. So it--it worked out great. I'm thrilled, and more importantly, I think, uh, these--it's going to change the lives of these kids, and that's what's most important. |
"In 2004, he joined Barack Obama's senatorial campaign as communications director, and later served the president as his White House press secretary. Please welcome..."
2012 Power Players Week winner: $50,000.
Playing for Pine Hills Literacy Project.
Robert Gibbs has been an advisor and strategist to President Obama from the early days of Obama's 2004 Senate race to his sweep to the White House.
Most recently, Gibbs has served as President Obama's Press Secretary, presiding over daily press briefings at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Mr. Gibbs joined Barack Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign as Communications Director in mid-April 2004 and held the same title at the onset of the 2008 presidential campaign until becoming Senior Strategist for Communications and Message during the general election.
During the four years of intense campaigning and close contact, Mr. Gibbs became an integral part of President Obama's team. According to The New York Times, Mr. Gibbs advised President Obama on politics, strategy and messaging. On November 22, 2008, Mr. Gibbs was announced as the press secretary of the Obama administration, and assumed the role on January 20, 2009.
Mr. Gibbs also served as press secretary of John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and has previously specialized in Senate campaigns, having served as press secretary for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and for four individual Senate campaigns, including those of Obama in 2004 and Fritz Hollings in 1998. |
