Obama stiffs, stifles national press: Candidate who keeps most distance from national media

[DeepModem Mom]

The Politico: Obama stiffs, stifles national press
By: Carrie Budoff Brown
Feb 25, 2008


Obama largely remains a distant figure to most reporters, appearing more removed from the national media than Clinton.
(AP)

EDINBURG, Texas — For all the positive press Barack Obama receives, as he moves closer to clinching the Democratic nomination he is establishing himself as the candidate who keeps the most distance from the national media.

Reporters covering Obama can no longer move freely among the thousands of zealous supporters at his events — unless the reporter receives a staff escort through the security gates. (In one city, that meant using a port-a-potty outside because the route to the indoor plumbing ran through the crowd.)

And the traveling press corps has been shut out of monitoring Obama's satellite interviews with local media outlets, which is a normal practice on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign. On top of that, the traveling media has been tussling with Obama aides to keep conversations with the candidate on his campaign plane on the record.

In any other campaign year, the media strategy might not raise eyebrows since it is standard practice for a front-runner. But this is a year when the likely Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, has set a new standard for press accessibility, creating a potentially stark general election contrast between a reticent Democrat and the most accessible GOP nominee in decades....

***

Obama is gregarious on the occasions when he interacts with the traveling press corps. But he largely remains a distant figure to most reporters, appearing more removed from the national media than Clinton — who has never been noted for her coziness with the press....

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8685.html

[quinnox]

1. Great, reminds of Bush

Bush can't answers questions either on the fly, and has to hide from reporters.

Obama is awesome giving a speech but when thinking on his feet leaves a lot to be desired.

[avrdream]

5. True.

But Hillary was less accessible earlier in the campaign as well. The point in the OP about McCain being more accessible is a good one: we Dems certainly don't want to give the appearance of being snobs.

[quinnox]

12. agree

Its a bad signal if McCain appears to be the one happy to answer questions while Obama is ducking them.

[KittyWampus]

15. does Bush do interviews with local media outlets? Cause if you read the article, instead of

blowing crap out of your ass, you'd have read that he DOES give interviews etc, but with local media.

[leftofcool]

2. And I ask myself why? n/t

[indimuse]

3. wow...just like bush...

....

[KittyWampus]

16. Bush gives interviews with local media outlets across the country? You didn't read the article

why comment?

[indimuse]

4. wow...just like bush...

...

[JimGinPA]

6. Yeah, How Dare He Put His Supporters Ahead Of The M$M...

:eyes:

[Araxen]

7. Obama doesn't need the media

The media needs him unlike the other two candidates. They need the media due to not having alot of cash.

[Bake]

20. Surely you cannot be that stupid!

BHO doesn't NEED the media??? How about not making enemies with people who buy their ink by the drum and their video by the terabyte?????

What the hell happened to BHO's vaunted "transparency"??????

Bake

[leftynyc]

39. That's incredibly foolish

Do you really want McCain to be the only one getting positive press treatment in the GE. If he keeps the press at arms length, they will punish him for that.

[TwilightGardener]

8. He knows they're waiting to sting him. He's smart. If his press starts

going negative, he'll start schmoozing with them more--until then, he has nothing to gain and everything to lose by letting them catch him and trip him up.

[Tarheel_Dem]

36. yeah like that stupid remark by McCain,

when he said if he can't convince the american people that we're winning in iraq, he'll lose? and as soon as he said it, he wanted to take it back. obama's a smart guy, and if he's giving local media access, i don't care about the national media who are mostly inside the beltway attack dogs.

[Tess99]

9. They're dumbfounded because he doesn't need them

She shuts out the big media and yet the people still like him. They're gonna have to get used to the fact that Obama expects the press to report news, not try to make it. He's not only changing the game of politics, he's changing how it's being reported. Give local media lots of access, and make the talking heads wait their turn. Reward real reporters, only talk to fake ones when you have to. I like it. It's time a Democrat start dictating how their campaign will be covered instead of bending to their will after they've created a narrative for you.
The man is brilliant.

[CoffeeCat]

21. You hit it on the head...bingo!

Isn't it about time that a politician stopped using the media and currying favor with
the media--in order to control the media???

How many times have we heard stories about Karl Rove, Cheney and the rest of the powermongers
in the Republican party--calling up the media and complaining about media coverage of their
policies or players?

We hear the Clinton camp doing this incessantly--complaining about Hillary's coverage and urging
the media to attack Obama, etc.

Aren't we just a little sick of this incestuous relationship between politicians and the media?

Journalists are supposed to be objective. They're supposed to cover the news and report facts.
When politicians are so close--that they can call up and demand favorable coverage--the professionalism
and objectivity of the media has eroded to dust.

Obama wants reporters to just do their jobs in a normal fashion. He'll answer their questions and be
accessible, but he's not going to play these games. He's inspiring the media to behave professionally.
He's letting them know that he'll let them do their job--and he won't interfere--and he's sending a signal
that he'll be accessible--but that he won't kow tow for their need to have a new headline every hour.

I agree with you--the man is brilliant.

[Bake]

22. You really have swallowed the kool-aid

Not only changing politics singlehadedly, he's changing the media too!

The media made him; they can take him down, too.

Bake

[Tess99]

31. No, the media didn't make Obama. They made Hillary.

Hillary was THE NOMINEE, simply because the media said so. After Obama won Iowa, they changed their tune. Then after Hillary won NH because of sympathy, they changed their tune again. The fact is, because of Obama, the media has been wrong time and time again. Every election night, they are simply speechless, because they don't know what to make of a black, midwestern liberal from Chicago via Honolulu, getting the majority of white male votes. They don't know what to make of a person like him getting totally crushing a white candidate in a state like Nebraska. They can't just follow their same old script anymore, and it's because of what Obama has done in politics. Hillary is still trying to play the same old game and so is the press.

And again, you people need to step out of your Hillary cocoon, because how is it that you all claim that he's the "media darling", yet turn around and slam him because he shuts the media out. Which is it? Is he in bed with them or not? Obviously, he is not. He is liked by the people simply because he is a very likeable man. He doesn't need Russert or Tweety the way Hillary does. He's bigger than they are and so are the American people.

[tabasco]

42. LMAO.

You od'd on the stuff a long time ago.

[CoffeeCat]

10. Obama has a more professional relationship with the media...

He keeps things professional, but he also doesn't spend half of his day--instructing his
campaign aides to call up the media---complaining about coverage, suggesting what they should
cover and whining about the coverage their opponent receives.

I really like Obama's attitude toward the media. He gives them access, but he isn't kow towing to
them, in order to exploit them and create a quid-pro-quo relationship--from which he can constantly
demand that they cover him better and challenge his opponent more, etc.

The Clinton camp berates the media--constantly complaining and calling them up--whining about
Hillary's coverage and how Obama gets a free pass.

It's about time we had a candidate who treated the media like professionals who are just doing
a job--instead of creating some kind of incestuous relationship with the media, that degrades
journalism and allows politicians to have power over the media--which they shouldn't.

It's a journalists job to cover the news. They shouldn't have 24/7 access to the candidates.
Conversely, it's a politician's job to serve the people. They shouldn't be spending exorbitant
amounts of time in front of a camera and they shouldn't be able to tell reporters how to do their
jobs.

[ProSense]

11. Perfect!

I love to watch the people who claim the media loves Obama, now claiming he's just like Bush for ignoring the media.

What BS selective outrage. Bush didn't ignore the media, he paid them all off. How can anyone forget the payola scandals and propaganda? The media loves Bush paid or unpaid.

Bush ignores the public, screening audiences and having them sign loyalty oaths.

[jgraz]

13. Did y'all WATCH last night's debate??

Wouldn't YOU want to stay as far away as possible from those assholes?

[Radical Activist]

14. Whatever he's doing is working.

Thank goodness we finally have a progressive nominee who can work the press. Maybe we won't have the disasters that happened with the press piling on Gore or the swiftboating of Kerry.

I'm sure people will be petty and complain about this, but the fact that we have a nominee who gets good news coverage is the best we could hope for.

[casus belli]

17. So, is he the MSM darling, or is he shunning them?

Maybe you guys should get together more often and better coordinate these attacks.

[Bluebear]

19. "Attacks" lol. He wouldn't have to give media access to be a 'darling'

Bush didn't give media access in 2000 yet was given a free ride, for example.

[casus belli]

24. This isn't a shun of the media....

If anything it is keeping his campaign under tight reigns so that unauthorized statements don't make their way to the press. Why would he just give staffers free reign to discuss issues? We've seen how that has worked for Hillary's campaign. I wouldn't want my staffers representing my point of views either. If they have a question, let them go through proper channels to have it answered. There is no reason he should be committed to answering every question from among the thousands of reporters who are looking for statements or answers.

I don't see how this is an issue, that's the main point I'm making. It isn't as if we haven't seen our fair share of Obama coverage. I've seen arguments that say he has too much of the spotlight, and now arguments which claim he is running from the media. To me, it's all just senseless scratching at the surface looking for anything that'll stick.

And yes, I'd be saying the same if it was Hillary. In fact, I think she's be wise to tighten up who is allowed to make statements or give information to the press.

[Bluebear]

25. The main point you made is "you guys should get together more often for your attacks"

And all the OP did was post a news article. You made more sense in your followup where you actually discussed it, but your original sarcasm was confusing.

[casus belli]

28. I didn't expect anyone actually wanting to discuss the issues in earnest.

I guess my expectations have lowered somewhat with all of this GD: P nonsense.

I'm just tired of these nonissues gaining traction. On both sides. I think we can have some substantive discussions on the issues that exist without making up issues.

[jgraz]

18. Actually you're right -- he should call a press conference and go on a bug-eyed rant

That'll work. :eyes:

[Labors of Hercules]

23. gosh, just like GORE.

the MSM is a ratings driven spin machine to avoid whenever possible.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

26. Some of this sounds like security issues.

ie:Reporters covering Obama can no longer move freely among the thousands of zealous supporters at his events — unless the reporter receives a staff escort through the security gates. (In one city, that meant using a port-a-potty outside because the route to the indoor plumbing ran through the crowd.)

Must have been a secure portapotty. Some of these types decisions are done by the Secret Service, no.?

[GoldieAZ49]

27. He is a politician above all else

He is the front runner and does not want to jeopardize winning next Tuesday

He is excellent in his delivery of his stump speeches

He is less eloquent in the debates, even worse spontaneously...sometimes stumbling through a sentence just like Bush does.

He does not want a "gotcha" moment with a spontaneous question from the national press


With the local media he can saturate the press where voters will soon be going to vote Tuesday, he will address their local issues.

He is a politician above all else, and politicians tell voters what they want to hear, that doesn't work well with the national media.

[Ichingcarpenter]

29. This reporter says this all the time.. Media Matters and others reported here

Media Matters
Politicos Carrie Budoff Brown characterized Obama as "aloof" during NH event,
http://mediamatters.org/items/200712200008

Politcos Carrie Budoff Brown
More on the Obama Snub of Hillary Clinton at the SOTU
http://thedemocraticdaily.com/2008/01/29/more-on-the-obama-snub-of-hillary-clinton-at-the-sotu/


Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown says stiffs, stifles national press
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8685.html

Media Matters
Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown misrepresented Clear Channel letter on Limbaugh's "phony soldiers"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200710030005

Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown Assails Obama's Lack Of Empathy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/20/politico-assails-o_n_77740.html

[musiclawyer]

30. This is a Howard Dean tactic

talk real to the local press and make the national leeches wait until there is real news. Nothing wrong with this. Treat the national press professionally but as a hostile agent. There is no downside. When they go after him, there is little ammunition. When it is time to speak they have to report and can't spin very much.

[ClassWarrior]

33. "Talk real to the local press and make the national leeches wait ."

Howard's awesome.

NGU.

[Whisp]

34. I sure am appreciating Howard's genious more each day.

wow. he sure knows his stuff.
I have much respect for him.

one of the few good guys, imho.

[Cha]

35. Thanks for the reminder, musiclawyer.

They've learned and OTOH there's another thread complaining that Obama has had more favorable press.

[zulchzulu]

32. I saw how Fucker Carlson was trying to spin that story

He was interviewing someone in the Chicago press about "the issue" and she tried with all her might to give him "evidence". Yeah, Obama was available yesterday for some Q&A. Oh, yeah, the day before...another Q&A. Did he take a day off the campaign last week? Oh, yeah! He took off the day after his win in Wisconsin!!!! But, he did have the press available after his win to answer questions.

Oh...

[Independent-Voter]

37. Seems you left out the meat of the article. Obama's concentrating on the local press of an area

and that's only one of the 23423234 reasons he's kicking Hillary's shrill ass across the country. He's building from the ground up.

"The Obama campaign, on the other hand, is mimicking the 2004 campaign playbooks of President Bush and Democrat John Kerry, who often bypassed the national press in favor of local media, which tended to focus on local issues and yield more favorable headlines.

Obama does between six and a dozen local interviews a day, according to the campaign. By contrast, he usually meets with the national media twice a week.

This past week, however, was unusual. Following a press conference last Monday, he answered 10 minutes worth of questions Saturday in Ohio — the same amount of time reserved earlier in the day for an unthreatening interview with Entertainment Tonight — to respond to harsh criticism from Clinton about one of his mailers. He went back for more questioning Sunday.

But in general, the candidate's time is better spent with the local press, said Robert Gibbs, Obama's communications director.

"The truth is, in a lot of these little communities, most people are going to get information from their most local media source," Gibbs said."

[rodeodance]

38. Bush II-or III

[JoFerret]

40. When he has ascended the mountain top

...he won't need to be accountable to anyone.

[ieoeja]

41. Seriously bad move.

Though how you could say he's even more distant than Clinton when she won't even let reporters on her plane....

And McCain last week stopped talking to the press on the plane one day. I don't know if that was a one day tiff, or if he kept that up, however.


Regardless of what the others do, Obama should know pissing off the press is one of the worst things a candidate can do. We're talking about people who turned against Gore because GW served them better food! The cool kids may be pathetic, but they do own the microphone.