Damned if he does...

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_01/021877.php

THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE 'OVEREXPOSED' TALKING POINT.... Way back during the presidential transition, then-President-elect Obama held so many press conferences and media availabilities, it seemed reporters were running out of questions.

After the inauguration, President Obama held a series of prime-time press conferences, covering a wide variety of issues. By the summer, the media was largely divided between the journalists who a) complained about the president being "overexposed"; b) complained that the news conferences were dull and unnecessary; a c) complained that the president's Q&A sessions were costing the networks too much money.

So, after a press conference in July, the White House scaled back. Now, the media that complained about too many opportunities to ask Obama questions is complaining about too few opportunities. Yesterday, Fox News had this report.

President Obama is preparing for his State of the Union address, expected sometime in the next month, but some in the White House press corps are getting antsy for him to hold a news conference with reporters, something he hasn't done since July 22, almost six months ago.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday he doesn't know when Obama may face reporters' questions again.

"I don't see one on the schedule, at least in the short term, which is precisely what I said," Gibbs said, adding, "The last time we had this conversation here about the president's media strategy, I was informed by many of you that the president was overexposed."

It wasn't, by the way, just Fox News -- real outlets ran stories about this yesterday, too.

Transcripts of White House press briefings don't tell us which reporters ask which questions, but apparently Helen Thomas got the discussion started yesterday, asking when the next news conference would be. The transcript quoted her as saying, "I mean, he's gone an obscenely long time, not holding one."

This follows a Washington Post editorial that ran over the weekend, arguing that in the wake of the failed Christmas terrorist plot, President Obama's three speeches, weekly address, security review memo, and directive on corrective actions were welcome, but what he really needs to do is hold a press conference.

I get the sense these folks are hard to please. As Mark Knoller noted, Obama has given more speeches, comments, statements, and interviews at this point in his term than any other president in modern history. It's what started the "overexposed" nonsense in the first place.

But yesterday, press secretary Robert Gibbs was nevertheless asked, "Is he avoiding us?"

—Steve Benen

[Jennicut]

1. They must be bi-polar or something.

[insanity]

14. actually they are unipolar

Conservatives

[freddie mertz]

2. When was the last full-blown press conference?

I think it is time for one, what with all the controversies of late.

[Clio the Leo]

4. you must have missed all of his sit downs.

.... what did you think of the one yesterday?

[freddie mertz]

6. Missed it! At work.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Mark Knoller was Tweeting about this this morning.....

.... I reminded him that Dan Pfeiffer posts an entry to the WH blog and I get it on my iphone five minutes later. This administration is making the WH press pool more and more obsolete.

[Cha]

5. Nah, that's not what's "obscene",

Helen.

Poor little press corp.

[monmouth]

7. I know I'll get slammed for this but it seems lately that Helen is a

bit of a flamebaiter...

[freddie mertz]

8. SIX MONTHS since the last press conference?

That is pretty bad.

[babylonsister]

9. No, what was bad was the press bitching he was overexposed, and

now complaining about it. Thus the title. Plus, we've heard plenty from Obama if you read the article.

[freddie mertz]

10. Yeah, I finally did. Still, six months is long enough to suspect he might be dodging...

"Tricky" questions on HCR, Afghanistan, etc.

[babylonsister]

15. And he might just be busy, or tired of the b.s. from "the press" who

are incapable of being satisfied.

[freddie mertz]

16. They suck, but we have to have SOME mechanism by which to hold the pres accountable.

Especially with all the controversies going on right now about HCR, wars, banks, DADT.

[babylonsister]

17. You need to add an "s" to pres, then I'll agree. But we both know

that will never happen.

And he's held accountable daily, by millions of people. I don't know that a press gaggle would change that for the worse or better.

[freddie mertz]

18. I don't trust the "press", but I don't trust the "pres" anymore either.

Sorry, but he's had his own "truthyness" issues of late.

I wish we had a responsible, informed press corps to ask about the HCR reversals and lies, for example, but I know they won;t.

I wish there was some way I could ask him myself.

[impik]

11. He can't win. No matter what he'll do, no matter what's the issue, he just can't win

And with every passing day i get more and more of the sneaky feeling that in 3 years he'll just take Michelle and the girls, and go back to Chicago. This country and the media deserves George Bush.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. If he was a dictator he could take over the media and imprison the right wingers

then we might get our single payer health system. If it were up to Obama the country would be entirely different instead he is navigating a minefield.

[TheKentuckian]

13. I wish but if he wanted something different for real then he'd strive for it

rather than further entrenching the criminal class with nearly every move. I'd think he'd also refrain from sending Bubba the enforcer over to the Hill to break balls of liberals while figuratively giving Lieberman and Nelson the best head they've ever had.

Playing not to lose at all times and compromising before you begin the conversation don't indicate significant interest in changing anything.