Brace yourselves for the oncoming "Obama doesn't give press briefings" outrage...

[Clio the Leo]

ewwwweee! You can tell it's been a long, snow dampened slow news weekend with another snow day of nothing to report to come! lol

The blogosphere is warming up to the notion that "Obama doesn't give press briefings! Wahhh!" (This article is getting lots of Twitter tweetage...)

White House press corps feels bypassed by Obama in favor of TV shows, YouTube

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 8, 2010

Six months ago, network executives were complaining that the White House was costing them tens of millions of dollars by pressing them to carry presidential news conferences in prime time.

Problem solved: President Obama hasn't held a full-scale news conference since July. Instead, he answered a dozen people's questions last week on YouTube, most of them easily finessed and -- extra bonus! -- no annoying follow-ups of the kind posed by real, live journalists.

It would be hard -- impossible, actually -- to argue that Obama hasn't been accessible to the media, not with his constant television interviews. The man has even done color commentary at a Georgetown basketball game. But the decision to bypass the White House press corps is no accident.

"It's a source of great frustration here," says Chip Reid, CBS's White House correspondent. "It's important for us to hold the president's feet to the fire."

NBC White House reporter Chuck Todd calls the situation a "shame," saying the administration is trying to control the message rather than allowing Obama to be seen "unscripted."

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, counters: "We have probably done more interviews with more reporters at this point in our presidency than anybody else has. We have hardly been a shrinking violet when it comes to turning on your TV and seeing Barack Obama." The president, he says, finds news conferences to be an "important way of communicating," but the next one will be during the day, carried only on cable, not in prime time. "We get that going to that well too many times doesn't make sense for anybody," Gibbs says.

(more)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020702693.html

And do you all know WHY specifically why there haven't been more pressers? Remember what happened at the last one? He wanted to spend the bulk of the time talking about HCR and what did we end up talking about? Beer-gate!

If the press corps has their feelings hurt because they're being "ignored" I STRONGLY suggest they start REPORTING THE NEWS and stop trying to play "punk the President."

[The_Commonist]

1. Whiners!

Chuck Todd, of all people.
What a maroon...

[valerief]

5. He's an evil POS puppet. nt

[freddie mertz]

2. Best way to shut this down is to hold some press conferences.

The president is good on his feet, and can surely handle the nonsense flung by the Washington press corps.

Just hold a conference and get it over with.

[Whisp]

17. they're still on the Reverend Wright thing.

maybe they should prove that they have some legitimate questionss first. I don't blame Obama for not wanting to engage with these (for the most part)newstertainment gotcha assholes.

feet to the fire my hairy ass, chippy. George's feet look fine and supple and pink and soft.

(and get a new name while you at this foot fetish of yours, you're not 11 anymore. Chip... hahahahahahahaha!)

[Thrill]

24. Why? Just a couple months ago they were claiming, he was doing

too many appearances and interviews.

[freddie mertz]

33. Because the president should make himself available, in public, for questioning.

This is not a dictatorship, at least not yet.

[DrDan]

3. and what would be wrong with some press conferences - we were certainly critical of

junior because of his lack of press conferences.

Seems like we would expect the same when we come in to power.

[Arkana]

16. Because I'd much prefer pure, uncut Obama

rather than Obama laced with MSNBC, CNN, and Fox's own brand of LSD?

[DrDan]

18. really . . .I can't imagine letting anyone control their message to that extent

must be nice to have such trust . . . .

[Arkana]

19. So you'd rather let the media slice and dice Obama's message

rather than listen to him and formulate your own opinion?

Got it.

[DrDan]

21. nice thing about press conferences is that the press asks questions - the President responds

and the listener gets to listen to both.

No sliding and dicing.

got it?

[Arkana]

25. The press asks shitty questions.

They're more interested in writing a good story than actually getting the truth.

I'd rather listen to Obama directly and derive my opinions based on that rather than what the paid morons on cable news tell me to think.

[DrDan]

26. that is SUCH a generalization

of course there are good and bad in the press. No one denies that.

But you have some that are willing to challenge - such as Helen.

But you go ahead and stick to a sole source for the message. I am sure you will get the unvarnished, 100% truth - the full scope of it. (Not unlike our friends on the other side who swear by pigboy's every word - after all, he would n't lie, would he.)

[freddie mertz]

30. So, do you think the president should never be questioned?

Shitty questions or not, there is some need for the leaders to be held accountable.

How should it be done, then, if not by the press corps?

Yes, the networks send nitwits.

But Helen Thomas is good, and so are many print and international reporters.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[freddie mertz]

32. Well, that is certainly not a very civil response now, is it?

Meanwhile, what do you propose as a solution to this impasse?

Do you think the president should be able to choose or appoint the reporters allowed to ask questions?

Should the questions be screened in advance, like they are for Sarah Palin on Fox news?

I despise the mediocrity of the american press as much as anyone does.

But I don't think the solution is to stop taking unscripted questions altogether.

I criticized Bush when he avoided press conferences, and will continue to do so in this case.

[suzie]

37. +1

[Peacetrain]

4. Seriously.. do they get dizzy from turning on that dime..

Wasn't it last month he was being skewered for being out there too much, not talking to the people enough?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. "...no annoying follow-ups of the kind posed by real, live journalists."

:rofl:

[rocktivity]

7. "By Howard Kurtz..."

:boring:
rocktivity

[FrenchieCat]

12. Boring AND funny!

:rofl: :boring:

[WI_DEM]

8. The msm like to pretend they are interested in news instead of trying to create it.

[Jennicut]

9. Oh, are their feelings hurt now? What a bunch of babies.

Their need to be constantly coddled never ceases to amaze me. The press in America is pathetic.

[rocktivity]

10. Sounds like a gig for the DU "Cry Me A River" String Quartet

Bush didn't have press conferences because he COULDN'T handle it without scripted questions--don't recall Kurtz complaining about that. And if Obama IS lying about something, you don't need to wait until he holds a press conference to write a story about it!

:nopity::nopity::nopity::nopity:
rocktivity

[FrenchieCat]

11. "It's important for us to hold the president's feet to the fire."!!!!!

a concept that escaped for 8 damnable years! :eyes:

[ErinBerin84]

13. I don't get it

aren't they spending half the time complaining that he is over-exposed? Are they trying to claim that the many interviews he grants with them are pre-screened for questions....it doesn't sound like that's their complaint. Maybe they are just mad that the interviews give them less time to showboat.

[Phx_Dem]

14. Last I heard they wanted him to get off the TV! He's overexposed!

Be careful what you ask for, wingnuts!

[Arkana]

15. Poor babies!

They don't like that they can't filter the content before it reaches the people.

[CLANG]

20. Fuck You Todd! WAAAAAAAA!!!!!

[timeforpeace]

22. Who needs press briefings? The press? Screw them!

[Thrill]

23. First they were crying about how he was too visible. Remember that just a few weeks ago

You can't make this crap up.

[Cali_Democrat]

27. Chuck Todd and Chip Reid

Two douchebags who aren't even worthy of having a press pass to the White House.

Fuck 'em.

[Cha]

28. The US White House Press Corp..

:nopity:

[freddie mertz]

29. I get the feeling that some folks just don't think this president should ever be questioned.

Not by the press, not by the blogs, not by posters in forums like these, not by citizens in the streets, not by anyone.

Why do I get that feeling here?

:shrug: :hide:

[sonofabush]

34. He doesn't dare to give any press briefings

Because he's afraid Helen Thomas will chew him up and spit him out on account of his war-mongering.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=898236

And she would be right to do it, too. Helen kicks ass, and she's been around enough presidents in her day to know bullshit when she sees it.

[freddie mertz]

35. You hit it right on the head.

They are not avoiding press conferences because they think the press corps are nitwits.

The ones they want to avoid are the SMART ones like Helen.

This admin does not really like to answer questions.

Watch the daily briefings sometime.

[JBoy]

36. Here's Howard Kurtz back in August saying Obama was overexposed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9jv2pm4aiE

Caution, he's on Lou Dobbs. The segment starts off with Dobbs saying "President Obama has held more prime time press conferences in just his first few months in office than his predecessor, George W. Bush, held in eight years."