Pool Reports of April 5, 2022

In-town pool report 1: Good morning and event update

Good morning from a showery April day in Washington, where I'm your pool reporter today and that weather context is actually relevant to this note.

I'm checking in ahead of the 12:45 call time to share that those rainy skies have changed the plan for the 1:30 event with former President Obama. See below from the White House:

The event on the Affordable Care Act at 1:30 PM has been moved indoors due to weather and will now take place in the East Room.

It will be open to pre-credentialed media and pooled for TV.

Will be back in touch later and, as always, with any news.

In-town pool report 2: Gathering

Pool and credentialed media are gathering for the ACA event. It will be live-streamed in all the usual places, so I'll be sharing color and background if/when I get it.

In-town pool report 3: East room scene

Media is in the East Room, which is packed to the gills.

Several rows of gold chairs are placed in the room, and guests (including what appear to be some health care advocates) are mingling. Pool spotted Secretaries Haaland, Becerra and Buttigieg, as well as Sens Klobuchar and Carper and Rep Blunt-Rochester, and Jen Psaki and Neera Tanden working the room. It's about 75% unmasked in here.

The atmosphere is festive and the chatter is so loud all I can hear of the music playing is an uptempo jazzy bass line.

In-Town pool report 4: Event begins

At 1:43 pm, presidential music played and everyone stood as the announcement was made of Biden, Harris and Obama's entrance was made. A two minute cheer/applause ensued as the three entered the room standing side by side. Harris began speaking first. You're seeing it live.

(Btw, at 1:38 pm SGOTUS Emhoff was announced to applause and took his seat front row center next to Cabinet row. Across the aisle from him in the other front and center seat is Pelosi.)

Tweeting some pictures @talkopan, fyi

Guest list from WH:

Joining the President on stage for remarks on the Affordable Care Act:

The Vice President
Former President Barack Obama

Additional attendees:

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young
Administrator of the Small Business Administration Isabel Guzman
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (NY-12)
Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Senator Chris Murphy (CT)
Senator Michael Bennet (CO)
Senator Tom Carper (DE)
Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (SC-6)
Representative Angie Craig (MN-2)
Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13)
Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-7)
Representative Cindy Axne (IA-3)
Representative Colin Allred (TX-32)
Representative Elissa Slotkin (MI-8)
Representative Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8)
Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)
Representative Madeleine Dean (PA-4)
Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10)
Representative Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11)
Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)
Representative Nikema Williams (GA-5)
Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-7)
Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-13)
Representative Richie Neal (MA-1)
Representative Scott Peters (CA-52)
Representative Susan Wild (PA-7)
Representative Susie Lee (NV-3)
Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX-29)
Representative Tom Malinowski (NJ-7)
Current and former administration officials who worked on the Affordable Care Act
Constituents who were insured by the legislation

Run of Show

The Vice President
Former President Barack Obama
The President

In-town pool report 5: event over

You saw it live, jokes and all. What may or may not have been perceptible on the feed:

Obama and Biden both got standing ovations, Biden's a bit longer.

There were lots of punctuations of applause, knowing laughs, nods and murmured approval during both presidents' remarks. During Biden's riff on Republican opposition to the ACA, there was even a subtle hiss or two.

When Obama handed off the mic to Biden, he and Harris shared a warm hug, as well.

Obama and Biden are still working the room, and Obama seems to be having a blast chatting up people and greeting those he knows.

In-town pool report 6: Departure notes

Obama, Harris and Emhoff left the room at 2:29. It was very loud but NBC's Peter Alexander relays that he asked Obama about Dems worried about the midterms and Obama said: We've got a story to tell, we've just got to tell it.

Biden left about a minute later and CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked about Ukraine. Biden paused as if to answer, then said we should talk about health care and left without answering further.

In-town pool report 7: Lid

Travel/photo lid called at 5:08 pm

Have a great night, and give any foxes you might encounter a wide berth.