Obama is planning his post-presidency with help from stars, tech moguls, martinis

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

published 17 August 2015

Presidential legacies can mean abstract lists of accomplishments in office or hopes for doing some good after you are part of the rarified club of ex-presidents. President Obama is focusing on both, seeking out ideas over late-night dinner and drinks with tech billionaires, writers like Toni Morrison and Malcolm Gladwell, and stars like actress Eva Longoria — and that was just one night in February, The New York Times reports.

Obama's post-presidency plans center around a high-tech presidential library in Chicago that will allow the Obama story to be experienced virtually around the globe, to some extent, and building up a foundation that will allow him to make a difference in some areas, with likely candidates including prison reform, peaceful diplomacy, and working to make government more responsive and effective, report Michael D. Shear and Gardiner Harris. Obama and his allies eventually hope to raise at least $800 million for the effort. If that sounds like a lot of work, the planning doesn't sound so onerous, according to Shear and Harris:

The heart of the post-presidential planning is Mr. Obama's own outreach to eclectic, often extraordinarily rich groups of people. Several aides close to Mr. Obama said his extended conversations over the lengthy dinners — guests say his drink of choice at the gatherings is an extra-dry Grey Goose martini — reminded them of the private consultations Mr. Obama had with donors and business leaders as he sought to build a winning campaign. [New York Times]

Steven Spielberg has reportedly signed on to help come up with narrative frames for the presidential library. But if Obama has landed on a set of areas to concentrate on when he's a private citizen again, he isn't sharing the details. "His focus is on finishing this job completely, thoroughly," said senior adviser and confidante Valerie Jarrett. You can read more at The New York Times.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.