View the profiles of people named Ethan Gibbs. During the presidential campaign, Gibbs, 37, served as communications director and was among the few who could frankly tell Obama what needed to improve. Earnest was39 at the time of his appointment. Even at his last briefing he faced complaints that he routinely failed to get back to reporters with answers to questions that stumped him at the lectern. TIME takes a look at the associates Obama has chosen to join his cabinet and his roster of senior advisors, President-elect Barack Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs, In choosing former campaign communications director Robert Gibbs as his new White House Press Secretary, Barack Obama tapped an ultra-loyalist who has spent the past few years wedded to the candidate's side. Gibbs accompanied the Obama family on their summer vacation to Hawaii, where the couple volunteered to babysit the Gibbs' son so that Robert and his wife could have a night out. Aside from the fistbump, infectious disease specialists have suggested an elbow tap as a less risky alternative. Transgender cyclist Austin Killips wins women's Tour of the Gila next stop Olympics. I remember meeting Joe Bidens 91-year-old mother, who took pleasure in telling me how shed scolded Joe for even considering not being on the ticket. 37 years old, married to attorney Mary Catherine Gibbs. After consulting with Gibbs [communications director Robert Gibbs] and my Secret Service detail, it was agreed that the press pool downstairs would not be informed, and I took the elevator to the basement level and went out through the garage, turning left down the narrow street that ran behind my grandparents apartment building. At the time, Gibbs said, "These malicious, irresponsible charges are precisely the kind of politics the American people have grown tired of. Newly-retired White House press secretaries can rake in a year's pay in less than a month of appearances. "In retrospect, it was clear Robert was destined to make his mark.". Gibbs has had run-ins with members of the press whose stories or news organizations he felt were not being fair to his boss. The Hungarian physician, Ignaz Semmelweis is credited with discovering the links between hands and handwashing and infection rates, after he observed maternal mortality rates were lower for women treated by midwives rather than physicians, the latter of whom often tended to patients after performing autopsies. Afterwards, Gibbs frequently told reporters and political associates that he and others around Obama kept expecting the popularity to ebb, but it never did. Shaking hands may be here to stay, but having an acceptable alternative for those who want it isn't a bad idea. I'd started feeling wary about the gesture since coronavirus cases had begun to slowly tick up in Singapore in mid-February. Outgoing White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs during his daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Feb. 11, 2011. Who's running for president in 2024? It was my last day of campaigning. What dreams might she be having? In response to the "Obama is a Muslim" meme suggested by these claims, Gibbs disseminated information to other news networks that Obama is not nor has ever been Muslim. By Mark Knoller, Image Library Nicole Gibbs. His No. Her body had wasted away and her breathing was labored. He said that people who compare Obama's policies to George W. Bush's "ought to be drug tested. He was Obama's second press secretary and continued in that role following Obama's 2012 election victory giving him a second term. Suddenly no one knew how to casually say hello anymore. He'll make a living giving speeches. Also, I've met Roger Waters. Ethan Gibbs, 9, hugs his mom Christi Gibbs during an interview about his journey through cancer on Thursday, March 29 in Statesville. My mother-in-law, in particular, made no pretense of being relaxed; through the din, I noticed her sitting on the couch, her eyes fixed on the television, her expression one of disbelief. Today, the average person shakes hands 15,000 timesin their lifetime. Another time. When Are Presidential Running Mates Chosen? Gibbs had worked with Obama since 2004 and previously served as the communications director for then-Senator Obama and his campaign during the 2008 presidential election. Gibbs, a native of Auburn, Alabama and a graduate of North Carolina State University, began working with President-elect Obama in April 2004 serving as Communications Director for his United States Senate race and later as his Senate Communications Director. Tech leaders, scientists, etc., call for pause in AI development, Get a Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for a special price, Create long-form content in seconds with this award-winning content generator, Check out this perfect par bundle featuring a TopGolf gift card, now only $250, Terms After leaving the Kerry campaign, Gibbs became spokesman for a 527 political group formed to stop the presidential campaign of Howard Dean. In an interview with The Hill, Gibbs derided the "professional left" and "liberals," who "wouldn't be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president." He is a native of Virginia and graduate of Yale University, where he majored in Russian and European studies. [31], Gibbs is married to Mary Catherine Gibbs, an attorney, and lives in Alexandria, Virginia with their son, Ethan. But its still you. And the satisfaction that they get is seeing that their children and maybe their grandchildren or their great-grandchildren live a better life than they did. "Barack Obama's Press Secretaries." And in this crowd, there are a lot of quiet heroes like that mothers and fathers, grandparents, who have worked hard and sacrificed all their lives. His mother is Marilyn Hyams and his father was Erick Isaac Hyams, a well known singer and guitarist . "This dedicated and impressive group of public servants includes longtime advisers and a talented new addition to our team, and together we will work to serve our country and meet the challenges of this defining moment in history.". Throughout the world, millions of patients consume probiotic supplements and fermented foods for their perceived health benefits. According to a BBC profile, Carney began work for Time magazine in 1988 and covered the collapse of the Soviet Union as a correspondent from Russia. (2021, April 12). One of Carney's toughest jobs was defending the Obama administration in the face of intense criticism over how it handled the 2012 terrorist attack on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others. [3] He left his role as press secretary to become a campaign adviser to Obama during the 2012 presidential election. shows two soldiers clasping hands. He served in the role through the end of Obama's second term in January 2017. [25] In June 2013, it was announced that Gibbs and Ben LaBolt co-founded a strategic communications practice called The Incite Agency, where he was a partner until 2015. Infections transmitted in health-care facilities kill at least 80,000 Americans each year. I thanked him and said no. As befits a Southerner, he shares with the President-Elect a love for college football. Another life. He's not intimidated by me. Gibbs served as the communications director for Obama's successful U.S. Senate campaign in April 2004. The couple have a 5-year old son, Ethan. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the ongoing efforts in response to the severe weather and flooding in Tennessee and across the Southeast. We found that the handshake transferred 10 to 20 times more bacteria than a fist bump, says David Whitworth, a biochemistry lecturer at Aberystwyth University in Wales. [Uppdated.]. More than 200,000 people had gathered in Grant Park that night, the stage facing Chicagos glittering skyline. Further speculating on what his first day off the job will be like, Gibbs expects he'll watch Sports Center on ESPN and take a bike ride. Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, likely damaging hundreds of homes, Transgender Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr sues over censure, Debt ceiling standoff heats up over veterans' programs, Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story, NYPD officer Troy Patterson dies 33 years after being shot in robbery, Supreme Court to hear case that could curb power of federal agencies, The weirdest items passengers leave behind in Ubers. The switch will allow Mr Gibbs, 39, to spend more time with his wife, Mary, and their seven-year-old son, Ethan. Obamas high school graduation in Hawaii in 1979, with his grandparents, Madelyn (known as Toot) and Stanley Dunham, who raised him through high school. Florida pathologist James Robb, who has studied coronaviruses since the 1970s, wrote a now-viral letter in February. This was per Craigs orders, I learned later, since he knew his sister would hold him accountable if I came home with a black eye. After Browder's unsuccessful Senate campaign in 1996, Gibbs worked for several Southern Democrats and for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. [2][8][9] Nancy Gibbs would take Robert, then known as "Bobby," to local League of Women Voters meetings rather than hire a babysitter, and involved him in "voter re-identification" work at the county courthouse.[10]. Gibbs lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife, Mary Catherine, and their five-year-old son, Ethan. Gibbs, like his predecessors, conducted himself on the job in the knowledge that he worked for Pres. One of the most notable moments in Gibbs' tenure as Obama's press secretary came before the 2010 midterm elections when he lashed out at liberals who were dissatisfied with Obama's first year and a half as president. He fiercely guarded Obama's image. This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of Popular Science. Marian shrugged and kept staring at the television. "That's the reason the Washington press corps is going to relate well to him," the roommate, Shar Hendrick, told the AP recently. To order a copy for 29.75, go to guardianbookshop.com. He is married toNatalie Pyle Wyeth, a former official in the U.S. Treasury Department. Moran will head the team in charge of getting Obama's message out. It was unseasonably warm for Chicago at that time of year, almost in the mid-60s, and as we drove down Lake Shore Drive, Michelle and I were quiet, staring out the window at Lake Michigan, listening to the girls horsing around in the back seat. Around 7.30, Michelle and I cast our votes at the Beulah Shoesmith elementary school, a few blocks from our home in Hyde Park, bringing Malia and Sasha with us and sending them on to school after that. It was just private meetings."[18]. Josh Earnest, left, appears with White House press secretary Jay Carney in May 2014. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. With the healthy new gesture, however, you just bump. I laughed, realizing my daughter was right; save for our motorcade, the six lanes in both directions were completely empty. Her political experience includes planning both inaugurals for President Bill Clinton, and she has managed campaigns for governor, the U.S. Senate and House. The room erupted. 2019 TIME USA, LLC. "[19], After comments by George W. Bush to the Israeli Knesset questioning Obama's foreign policy platform's focus on international diplomacy, Gibbs responded, calling Bush's comments "astonishing" and "an unprecedented attack on foreign soil." "I look forward to serving both the president-elect as he works to get our economy moving again and the press to get what they need to cover that and other important stories," Gibbs told The Associated Press on Saturday. President Barack Obama does a fist bump with Ethan Gibbs, the son of then Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, outside the White House on April 19, 2009. Other arguments in favor of handshakes include custom, global acceptance and the importance of human touch and physical connection. And I want to welcome back to the White House this is a point of personal privilege the biggest Auburn fan I've ever met: my former press secretary Robert Gibbs is in the house (applause) along with my main man, Ethan Gibbs (laughter) who has inherited the passion for Auburn that his dad had. Spring is officially here, the sun READ THE REST. View 1 Ethan Gibbs Picture . Barack Obama Campaign Weeks Away From Election Day Campaigning for the US Senate in 2004, watched by daughter Malia. It was as good a closing argument for the campaign as I felt that I could give. Chances are good that once the threat of coronavirus settles, handshaking will continue as usual. His mother Nancy Gibbs. Gibbs attended North Carolina State University, serving as goalkeeper for the North Carolina State Wolfpack soccer team from 1990 to 1992. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. following the departure of Gibbs, Jay Carney was named Obama's press secretary in January 2011. According to a study recently published in the American Journal of Infection Control, a less formal fist bump might make a safer greeting between doctors and patients. Forming a fist and touching knuckles is faster than shaking hands and leaves less surface area exposed, reducing the chance for bacteria to spread from person to person, scientists at Aberystwyth University found. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Carney announced his resignation as Obama's press secretary in late May 2014. Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention that year sent his fame and popularity skyrocketing. Gibbs has served as one of Barack Obama's top aides since his run for the Senate in 2004. I tried to imagine what she must be thinking, having grown up just a few miles away during a time when there were still many Chicago neighborhoods that Blacks could not even safely enter; a time when office work was out of reach for most Blacks, and her father, unable to get a union card from white-controlled trade unions, had been forced to make do as an itinerant tradesman; a time when the thought of a Black US president would have seemed as far-fetched as a pig taking flight. And what's the etiquette for turning down a handshake anyway? "McDonald's hires former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs", "N.C. 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