In today’s Impromptus, I comment a bit on the relationship between President Obama and the press. I say that I particularly appreciate Obama for something he said early in his presidency. It was at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2009.
He said, “Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me.”
I have a further memory, which I’d like to share here in the Corner. In 1988, Bruce Babbitt, who had been Arizona’s governor, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. The public did not respond to him so much. But the press — they practically fell in love.
Babbitt started to joke — in a variation on the slogan “Let the people decide!” — “Let the press decide!” And, when he got out of the race, he drew on an old line from Richard Nixon. You recall that, when the former vice president lost the California gubernatorial election, he said to the press, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”
Well, the Arizonan told the press, “You won’t have Babbitt to puff up anymore.”
Journalists tend to be liberal (particularly on cultural issues) but their political views rarely inform their reporting. Media World is more like high school: some people are cool and some people aren't.
Uncool Democrats:
Bill Clinton (after he was elected)
Hillary Clinton (until recently)
Al Gore ("You wouldn't want to have a beer with him"; Mr. Smarty-Pants)
John Kerry (very French)
Cool Democrats:
Bill Clinton (before he was elected)
Bill Clinton (now)
Barack Obama
Uncool Republicans:
George H.W. Bush (when he ran against Clinton)
Bob Dole
Mitt Romney
Cool Republicans:
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRonald Reagan (Hollywood glamor; post-Carter optimism)
George H.W. Bush (right after Gulf War)
George W. Bush ("You'd like to have a beer with him"; war swagger)
John McCain
Obama and the press?? are you kdding? He's got the whole advertising, corporate leadership, and their money wrapped up. Did you see the SuperBowl ads? The
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDemocrats seized the moment while the GOP snoozed.
If the GOP doesn't wake up and play hard ball with this man we are definitely in
for another "second half" with Clint Eastwood's image superimposed onto Obama's
I don't hear the outcry by the FCC. What happened to any election funds regulations?
Unbelievable.
Your article is the understatement of the year. The Obama campaign sealed its
victory with regulation free campaign ads to the largest audience in a confined time
slot. Obama has the press, has the whole communications megaphone, but you know
what? He earned it. The opposition is the one out of touch and if we don't wake up
it will be too late. I'm outraged...at the GOP for missing an obvious opportunity in this
new world of no rules, use the ignorance of the masses to manipulate them, dress up the Marxist redistribution ideology with cartoon characters (!) (it worked), present it to an anesthesized people ...everyone should have security? did you see that? in 30 seconds the Occupy philosophy gained national credibility...et tu, Met Life.