Obama Aides Rip Cable News, D.C. Media And Political Elite

[KoKo]

:woohoo:

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog
Obama Aides Rip Cable News, D.C. Media And Political Elite

Here’s an interesting dynamic: The yawning gap between what the pundits say about who’s winning the stimulus war and what the polls say the public thinks has created an opening for the Obama team to reclaim Obama’s campaign outsider mantle, which had slipped away during the transition to governing.

Case in point: White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, on the presidential plane today, directly targeted cable news as out of touch with America when asked about polling on the stim package. From the White House transcript:

I think it’s illuminating because it may not necessarily be where cable television is on all of this. But, you know, we’re sort of used to that. We lost on cable television virtually every day last year. So, you know, there’s a conventional wisdom to what’s going on in America via Washington, and there’s the reality of what’s happening in America.

That’s not all. In response to another question about Obama’s scheduled rally today in Elkhart, Indiana, Gibbs directly attacked the White House press corps. “We’ll get to measure whose questions were better over the course of the day — the voters of Elkhart or the reporters of Washington,” Gibbs says.

There’s still more. According to the pool report, senior Obama adviser David Axelrod ran with this ball on the campaign plane, too, saying that the new Gallup poll proves how out of touch Beltway insiders are.

“If I had listened to the conversation in Washington during the campaign for president, I would have jumped off a building about a year and a half ago,” Axelrod said.

Obviously there’s a bit of shtick going on here. Still, the Obama team is clearly embarking on a new and more aggressive strategic effort to draw attention to the size of his popular mandate and paint Washington as a place designed to obstruct the public’s will. As Josh Marshall noted recently, Obama hadn’t been tapping the real source of his power — his popular support — as well as he might have. The Obama team is clearly trying to change that.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/stimulus-package/obama-aides-rip-cable-news-dc-media-and-political-elite/

[Elwood P Dowd]

1. Give 'em hell Gibbs.

Time to take off the gloves.

[KoKo]

3. Yeah...I missed Gibbs Presser Today...Damned...but this gives some hope to us

who have been lost in the cable wilderness for over a decade now. GO GET 'EM! Threaten 'em...then go after them with regulation from FCC. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! The cables are the Evil Empire and using all their Power since the day after Obama was inaugurated. And NPR is GETTING WORSE, too!

Plus, we watched them take down Clinton spreading lies about Hillary killing Vince Foster...promoting the RW Lunatics and then they killed off Al Gore's Presidency.

We have had enough of this!

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Bound to be some missteps coming out of the box.

But these people have always proved themselves capable of learning. How the main question I have is whether their goals are close to mine. I want a single-payer system, for example, and I want us out of Iraq, and not playing military games in Afghanistan.

[KoKo]

6. But, Jackpine...this is really about the MEDIA and their lack of reporting

or mis-reporting has led to the issues you and I care about not getting the attention they deserve...

I'm so glad to see this as a first "shot across their bow."

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Oh, yes, of course.

The missteps had to do with their earlier handling of the media. They are now fighting back very effectively, showing the media up for the biased, shallow whores that they are.

I think they are also learning a great deal about how to negotiate with Republicans from a position of strength. Obama is acknowledging he was too heavy into "nice guy" this time out.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Obama knows that his only friends are the American people right now...

And that that's a helluva trump when mobilized. And nobody - possibly in America's history - is better at mobilizing the American public than Obama.

Sounds like he's coming back all guns blazing. Those who flipped him shit had better be prepared.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. Huffington Post: was called a fringe group by CNN tonight

Because Obama answered their question on Leahy and accountability.

[KoKo]

8. Wolf Blitzer called Obama "The President of the Democrats"....I have a post up over

in GDP...and others heard it and we e-mailed CNN over his horrible statement. They seem to be going full speed to get Fox News audience. I never thought I'd hear anything like "The Democrats President" come out of anyone's mouth except Rush Limpballs...

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Well, yes, Wolf is right.

Rush Limbaugh is the President of the Republicans.

[Why Syzygy]

5. Good. They need to stfu or tell the truth. nt

[dreamnightwind]

11. not so sure about Gibbs myself

I actually think Gibbs himself may be part of the problem. He doesn't seem up to the job to me, too easily put on the defensive, and when he's on offense, it's too obvious. Not a good enough social manipulator. I despise those people, but I'd want one as press secretary for sure.

The mainstream press is a snakepit. They're owned by corporate interests and will never give the people's issues an even break.

Good luck to Obama and his people, they're going to need it.

[Elwood P Dowd]

12. He has been with Obama for 5 years,

and they are very close friends. I don't think there will be a change unless Gibbs wants one. He is getting better with the press briefings.

[dreamnightwind]

14. yes

I'm seeing some improvement this week, maybe he's going to be ok in this role. I have nothing against Gibbs, shoulda made that clear, but watching him struggle in the early days of the stimulus war as repubs controlled the message was frustrating.

[Lugnut]

13. I think he's quite capable.

I'm also willing to cut him some slack after only three weeks on the job.