Obama meeting Friday with economic advisers
CHICAGO -- President-elect Barack Obama was tackling the struggling U.S. economy as his first order of business, meeting Friday with leaders of business, government and academia before he holds his first press conference since the election.
Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden were to meet with 17 members of their transition economic advisory board. Members include former presidential Cabinet officials and executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc., Google Inc. and the Hyatt hotel company. Investor Warren Buffett was participating by telephone.
Friday's press conference will be Obama's first public appearance since he trounced Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election to become America's first black president.
Exit polls from the election showed that the economy was far and away the top issue for voters. Obama has been using the time for private meetings with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from U.S. allies and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government.
His first choice, for White House chief of staff, was Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan unafraid of breaking glass and hurting feelings. The choice of Emanuel is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" surrounded himself with during the campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned to visit the White House on Monday at President Bush's invitation.
Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign and the rush of Tuesday night's victory. He is planning a family getaway to Hawaii in December before they move to the White House, and to honor his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who died Sunday at her home there.
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