Link of the Day: Q&A with Obama
Well no, not my Q&A with Obama. I did interview someone quite interesting this week, but he was not the President of the United States. More on that soon.
This interview was actually done by a razor-sharp New York Times economic writer named David Leonhardt. Through dogged reporting and mastery over his subject matter, Leonhardt has become widely known as one of the most accomplished business journalists in the country. He’s also a swell guy.
I know this because a few years ago, I met with him in New York. Our respective schedules were so jammed that we literally met on the stairwell of IBD’s midtown office building. He was writing the “Keeping Score” column for the New York Times at the time, while also doing other writing, including ramping up his work on the economy beat. I obviously shared the same interests, having aspired to becoming a sportswriter from a young age, detouring to business, and by this point making aggressive efforts to expand my reach as a sportswriter.
Leonhardt, being a nice guy, and according to him, a fan of my work (I think he felt bad for me when I told him I was an Expos fan, but whatever), offered to set me up with the NYT editor who handles the column. Thrilled, I immediately accepted. It’s been just a sporadic gig over the years. But I sure as hell remember the first time I got published in the New York Times. I’m sure my family remained (and I’m sure remains, to this day) horribly disappointed that I didn’t become a doctor, lawyer, accountant or orthodontist given my heritage. But at least this gave me a sprinkle of credibility.
Anyway, with a big thanks for his past generosity and kindness, I present David Leonhardt’s must-read Q&A with President Obama. Check it out.
Trackbacks