The battle to secure President-elect Barack Obama as a party guest doesn't start inauguration week. Competition got underway the moment the first family arrived in the nation's capital this weekend to begin their official residence, and The New York Times reported, not surprisingly, that Obama's presence now is the most sought-after element of any dinner, party, or event in the city.
There's no accurate way to predict what the new president's social calendar might look like once he's in office, but The Times does look at the approach recent administrations have taken, from solitary (Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush) to extremely active (Ronald Reagan).
Regardless of Obama's approach, there are a few strategies planners can take to increase the chances of nabbing him as a guest—one of which is to honor one of his top aids or assosiates instead of the president himself. That strategy worked for Obama's incoming social secretary, Desirée Rogers, when she got him to come to a birthday party in Chicago for his senior adviser and friend Valerie Jarrett just after the election.
