BY STAMPP CORBIN
Under normal circumstances a holiday party at the White House is a festive once in a lifetime party. You feel so honored to be invited that you are almost giddy with excitement. The party we attended was Dec. 14, the day of the Newtown, Conn. tragedy.
As we stood in line, most of the guests still took pictures to memorialize their trip to the White House, but many of the conversations took on a more serious tone. The Newtown tragedy was weighing heavy on many hearts.
At the party, many invitees had been surrogates for the president during the campaign. A surrogate helps the campaign by speaking to specific constituencies. For example, I am a nationally recognized figure in the LGBT community. Therefore I speak to audiences concerning the LGBT policies of President Obama or simply write about them on our Web site and in our publication.
There were also a host of celebrities, who acted as surrogates, in attendance; Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, Wilson Cruz, Kate Walsh, Angela Bassett, Aisha Tyler and Elisabeth Moss, to name a few.
As people ate from the beautiful buffet and drank libations, you could overhear conversations about the tragedy and what should be done about guns in our society. Of course, somehow the fact that it was at an elementary school, made what was already unthinkable, worse.
Many people were checking their cell phones to follow the events as they unfolded and would share the information with others gathered near them.
It must be hard sometimes being the president and first lady. At 3:15 p.m., President Obama was being our mourner-in-chief: showing an unusual amount of emotion by shedding tears when he held a press conference about the Newtown tragedy.
By 5:15 p.m., Obama was addressing a crowd at a holiday party, many of whom had flown hundreds or thousands of miles to attend. With Michelle at his side, the president needed to set the appropriate tone given the events of the day. He did not disappoint.
While still maintaining an air of the holiday season for those gathered, President Obama also acknowledged the tragic events of the day. He asked us to hold our loved ones close, particularly the children in our lives, and to tell them we loved them. You could hear a pin drop in the room.
