Gautam Raghavan - West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House

West Wingers is exceptional because of the people in it: ordinary citizens who did extraordinary work and always put the American people first. We have so much to learn from their stories.

Joe Biden

There is no calling higher than public service. West Wingers brings us inspiring stories of women and men who unselfishly answered that call, remarkable citizens who worked for President Barack Obama to shape a better future for all Americans. These deeply moving stories offer more than a fascinating view into the window of history: they show us how hope becomes real, sustainable change.

Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor to President Obama

These gifted thinkers will lead us to a better place. They will make a major contribution to our futureas a nation, as a peoplewith what they have learned working for President Obama. We all should be inspired by their involvement, their passion, and their work. Their contribution to our nation will inspire our young people to dream dreams, to be hopeful, and to never give up or give in.

Congressman John Lewis

These are essential American stories. Through diverse voices sharing their amazing experiences working to move our country forward, West Wingers creates an inspiring roadmap to a better future.

Sheryl Sandberg, New York Times bestselling author of Lean In and Option B (with Adam Grant)

There are few things more enthralling than a backstage seat in the White House, and West Wingers brings together a powerful group of Obama administration insiders to shine a spotlight on what it really takes to fight for social change.

Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B (with Sheryl Sandberg)

West Wingers gives us exactly what our country needs right now: a model for compassionate leadership and a commitment to making life better for all Americans regardless of race, class, or religion.

Van Jones, host of The Van Jones Show, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Dream Corps

Its hard to truly understand how special the Obama White House was without having been there, but West Wingers gets you as close as humanly possible. You may not have previously known the names of the amazing team contributing to this book, but you should. Our kids should. Their stories will leave you inspired and hopeful for our future.

Kal Penn, actor and former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement

West Wingers is not a typical partisan political book. Its a peek behind the curtain at the highs and lows and the joys and disappointments of working for the President of the United States. Its impossible to read without seeing the humanity in this diverse group of voices. Each fascinating chapter tells a piece of American history from a different and often overlooked perspective.

Kate Andersen Brower, New York Times bestselling author of First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents, and the Pursuit of Power, First Women, and The Residence

I loved West Wingers! Its an Obama-era version of The West Wing, featuring a cast of do-gooders, wonks, idealists, and change makers that Aaron Sorkin never could have dreamt up. Its a fascinating behind-the-curtain glimpse at a band of absurdly dedicated, mostly unknown, and unsung true believers. Not least, its a postcard from a galaxy far away: a White House mostly devoid of lying, backstabbing, leaking, or high drama.

Chris Whipple, New York Times bestselling author of The Gatekeepers

PENGUIN BOOKS

WEST WINGERS

Gautam Raghavan served as President Barack Obamas liaison to the LGBTQ community as well as the Asian American and Pacific Islander community from 2011 to 2014. Earlier in the Obama administration, he served as deputy White House liaison for the U.S. Department of Defense and as outreach lead for the Pentagons Dont Ask, Dont Tell working group. Prior to joining the Obama administration, he worked on the 2008 Obama campaign and at the Democratic National Committee. Raghavan is currently a consultant to progressive organizations focused on securing political power and social change. A first-generation immigrant, he was born in India, raised in Seattle, and graduated from Stanford University. He lives in Washington, DC, with his husband and their daughter, Maya.

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Copyright 2018 Gautam Raghavan

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ISBN 9780143133292 (paperback)

ISBN 9780525505068 (ebook)

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Cover design: Elizabeth Yaffe

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Contents

On my last day at the White House, my dad called me up and told me I should write a book.

After three years working for President Obama, I knew my parents had a more-than-slightly inflated sense of my job and importance. I imagined them telling friends at dinner parties that Barack relied on my counsel for every major decision, that I had been a key player during some of the most historic moments of the Obama presidency: the hunt for Bin Laden, the Arab Spring, the tan suit crisis.

My reality was far less glamorous. I wasnt a member of the senior staff. The President didnt know me on a first-name basis. I wasnt one of those day one folks who started at the White House on January 20, 2009, let alone one of the storied band of brothers and sisters who traced their service back to the Iowa caucuses oreven more rare and special in Obamalandthe early days in Chicago. While none of this ever bothered me because I was living my dream working for President Obama, what could I possibly have to say in a book?

I smiled, thanked my dad for the suggestion, and put it out of my mind. Until the 2016 election.

Enough has been said and written about the ongoing impact of that election, but one of the more immediate effects was that over the coming weeks I started feeling awfully nostalgic about Barack Obama and he wasnt even out of office yet. I have it on good authority that I wasnt alone in this sentiment.

By that point, I had been out of the White House for two years and I missed it like crazy. The pace and the excitement. The thrill that comes from watching history unfold and actually helping shape it as it happens. The satisfaction that comes from knowing that, even if you cant see it, your work is making a positive impact in peoples daily lives.