Friends, family and colleagues of Eric Lesser, director of strategic planning in the president’s Council of Economic Advisers and the former right-hand-man to David Axelrod, gathered at Tammy Haddad’s Palisades home to toast him last night. Axelrod flew in from Chicago for the gathering. After serving as both the “ground logistics coordinator” (a.k.a. “bag boy”) on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and in various roles at the White House, Lesser is heading to Harvard Law School in the fall. Along with his fiancee, Alison Silber, Lesser enjoyed some roasting (and toasting) from friends Herbie Ziskend, Josh Lipsky and Jake Levine (all either current or former White House staffers). The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny offered a few words on behalf of the traveling Obama press corps, whose bags were handled by Lesser in 2008. As Zeleny put it, “We knew he was destined for greatness when he always delegated the bag handling.” Current boss Austan Goolsbee said Lesser handled all of his jobs with “aplomb” but joked that he always had an eye toward the future. “We need to start a hedge fund -- no I'm serious!” Goolsbee said, quoting Lesser. And Axelrod, who began his toast with, “the two years that I worked FOR Eric," presented his former assistant with a framed copy of Jon Bon Jovi’s hand-written lyrics to “Work for the Working Man.” “It’s not the easiest job in the world being my assistant. He wasn't always nice to me...he was to the outside world,” Axelrod said. “But Eric Lesser is a great guy.” And Lesser’s take-away from his years on the trail and the White House: “I've become less cynical after working in Washington and I've become more idealistic.” Among those bidding Lesser farewell last night were Dan Pfeiffer, Jen Pskai, Sam Tubman, Dag Vega, Ali Campoverdi, Maureen Dowd, Mark Leibovich, Peter Baker, Jim Courtovich, Hillary Rosen, Ed Henry, Mike Dorning, Christi Parsons, John McCormick, Julianna Goldman, Amie Parnes and Kate Balcerzak.
Work for the Working Man is probably the worst song off the Circle for me personally. I remember the first time I heard it was shortly after Bon Jovi announced the Circle Tour dates, and prices. I was also unemployed at the time. I thought how Jon had made just short of $200 million in 2008 and how dare he even think he could relate to what us normal people are going through. I still think that way. Honestly between Jon & Bruce and you hate to compare them, but I believe Bruce's songwriting comes from a more purer place, Work For The Working Man seems very forced.
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