Vicious alert: "Knives come out for Obama's 'preening' social secretary"

[snagglepuss]

Source - The Independent (UK)

snip


Unfortunately, her critics say, somewhere along the way, Ms Rogers seems to have stopped paying attention to the nitty gritty of her job – like making sure a person from her office was at the White House entrance on occasions like a state dinner, to make sure people who said they were invited actually had been.

Instead, it is said, the Bush administration appointee who had that task was demoted by Ms Rogers, and finally left the White House in June. That fact too was inevitably seized upon, as proof that the new social secretary was just another Chicago operator. According to The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, she was "unnecessarily politicising an office that required old pros". In The Huffington Post, meanwhile, Jacob Heilbrunn damned her as "a figure out of Vanity Fair – preening and self-indulgent, lording it over her table at the state dinner, while ignoring her own mundane duties".

At one level, the simultaneous assault by two sharp-tongued writers in the goldfish bowl of the capital should not be taken over-seriously. Washington delights in cutting pushy outsiders down to size. Social secretaries are meant to be demure. The present one summons many epithets to mind, but "demure" is rarely among them.

But the episode is also a warning, another small sign of how the mood is starting to sour on the "brand Obama" that Ms Rogers came to Washington so intent on promoting. Among the complaints is that Mr Obama has brought with him his own mafia, an incarnation of the infamous Chicago machine – but a machine that can't even run a state dinner properly.



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/knives-come-out-for-obamas-preening-social-secretary-1833861.html

[tabatha]

1. fluff

[BrklynLiberal]

2. oops. it seems someone has made some enemies in DC

[snagglepuss]

5. It would seem so. I wonder what's behind the hostility? Perhaps the reason

Social Secretaries are usually demur is that a demur attitude soothes hurt feelings because emotions run high when it comes to being on or left off a guest list. Perhaps "I'm just a humble servant" attitude would be a better strategy.

[charlie]

3. Travel Office redux?

Whatever did or didn't happen, that bit about Obama's Chicage mafia sounds like the stuff they flung at Clinton. The Arkansas Hillbilly replaced seasoned pros with smalltown hicks or wet-eared kids, remember?

[snagglepuss]

13. Yeah that line stood out. From a purely stragetic point of view how does it

help to have a Social Secertary who is used to being in the spotlight?

[CTyankee]

4. Some say "uppity" under their breath...nt

[snagglepuss]

7. That could be the extent of it but on the other hand given the Washington social scene and

the probably insane levels of desire to get on the WH guest list, perhaps her attitude isn't diplomatic enough to soothe hurt egos.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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

[CTyankee]

9. Just saying that I never heard such language before...really now.

Of course, it never happened when white people were in charge of stuff in the White House, now did it?

[winstars]

22. CTyankee is right!!!

In my opinion, most of this is racial!!! BTW did you know that the President is Black??? Yes, they did fuck up, that's obvious; but this ongoing bullshit now is just stupid. Janeane Gagafolo was right when she said on KO that 90% of this crap is racist garbage. That's in my opinion, a 50 year old male white boy!!! Come on man, the horrible distain and just the look on their usless fucking faces when Obama comes (on the TeeVee or at home) busts them so bad. Sorry, but even when we would talk about the Chimp, our tone or words were not like this shit. And lets not forget the REAL LESSON HERE: our guy ain't really being protected like we would have hoped!!! That's the fucking point. Hello President Biden--- OH NOOOOOO!!! Please do not let my low post count fool you, I have been here since November 2000

[chollybocker]

6. Remember when hustler Jeff Gannon was admitted to the Press Corps?

Oh yeah, this is so much worse...

:eyes:

[snagglepuss]

12. The knives are directed at Rogers not the gate-crashers and I don't think

the hostility is due to gate-crashers. What I found interesting is the comment that Social Secretaries are usually demur and that Rogers dismissed that notion. Given the incredible influence a Social Secretary wields I wonder whether there is a sound reason for assuming a demur attitude when someone has such a role?

[malaise]

10. Why the hell would Obama keep the Bush appointee?

Clearly there was a mess up but the Rethugs never know when to STFU.

[snagglepuss]

16. That was a particularly inane remark.

That said given that this was the first State dinner I think Rogers should have stayed behind scenes just to insure it went smoothly. I think this was a time for being extra cautious. I also wonder whether her less than cautious attitude affected the Secret Service, perhaps she set the wrong tone behind the scenes? It would be interesting to know if this was the first state dinner for the agents on duty that night.

[RoyGBiv]

11. What utter crap n/t

[high density]

14. WTF does Chicago have to do anything?

I see Chicago and I stop reading. I don't recall geographical criticism of Bush's appointees and staff.

[madrchsod]

17. i thought you knew....

we just ain`t "sofistcated"out here between the coasts.

[anonymous171]

15. I have wondered why the Chicago trained Obama sucks so much at politics

I thought Chicago pols were ruthless?

[varelse]

18. is that a couple pairs of really REALLY green eyes I see

My suggestion would be to look for *what* went wrong before looking for a scapegoat. The security of the President is important: a full investigation needs to be conducted and ALL gaps need to be closed.

[stopbush]

19. Sorry, but I expect a social secretary to preen.

Do they expect her to act like a lumberjack?

[FarCenter]

20. I love it -- the females of the species are the most vicious!!!

From the article:

As Robin Givhan, the fashion critic of The Washington Post, tartly wrote after Crashergate broke, Ms Rogers "arrived in Washington this year to great fanfare, no small amount of it of her own making".

[RoyGBiv]

21. Tartly, eh?

I wonder how one writes "tartly."

I suppose there's some connection between the writing hand and the ovaries of which I am currently unaware.

[blogslut]

25. Oh really, Ms. Fashion thang?

I seem to remember article after article about Desiree Rogers and her "fresh" approach. The press built her up and now they're tearing her down. This crap is as predictable as tears at the prom.

[Blue_Tires]

23. FFS...there's that "Chicago machine/mafia" meme again...that shit needs to die

I still don't know what that's really supposed to mean...codeword for
"urban?" "black?" "gritty?" "cutthroat?" "corrupt?"

Texas politics are pretty corrupt; were Bush-Cheney ever attached to the description of "Texas machine??" Hell, I know a lot of people gloss over the fact, but politics in most city/state levels is more dirty and backroom than most want to admit...

[amandabeech]

28. It's code for cutthroat and corrupt and until recently, very white.

It's level of corruption over the years has been tough to top.

When a place produces folks like Blago and Hizzoner, the first Mayor Daly (you can google him), it's got to be a legend unto itself.

[Number23]

24. A black person with a Harvard degree is a target for barely concealed racist

criticism that comes **this close** to calling them "uppity" and of "not knowing their place"??? Say it ain't so! :eyes:

[CTyankee]

27. As someone who grew up in segregation in Texas, I couldn't agree more.

Deja vu...

[Major Hogwash]

26. I like her.

So, I think she can "preen" all she wants as far as I'm concerned.

Besides, it was the shhh services' fault for admitting those 2 bozoes in the first place.