Newest whine of the day via politico: Obamas won't schmooze

[babylonsister]

with the DC journalists or elite. Ugh. This is a problem, when there are so many others to address? On a.m. schmo.

[zbdent]

1. next up ... why Obama is such a wuss for not

rolling around on broken glass and rusty nails ...

[mediaman007]

2. Oh, no! They won't join the "Beltway" crowd! They are outsiders!

Take that Mara Liasson, Cokie Roberts, Andrea Mitchell and the various lobbyists.

[young but wise]

3. Good for the Obamas.

[GoCubsGo]

4. Jeezus, what a bunch of thin-skinned, petty ninnies.

They expect the President to suck up to them, rather than dealing with the terrible issues this country faces? Really? They are despicable, to grossly understate it.

[Dinger]

5. politico should be banned here (DU)

Why promote them?

[Lugnut]

15. +100 n/t

[Dinger]

18. Thank You:)

[MBS]

6. I think that reporting on many politicians with integrity

has suffered just because of this juvenile s____. In addition to Obama, press coverage of many worthy politicians (Kerry comes to mind, but there are also many others) has also suffered, for similar reasons. Conversely, many other lesser politicians have gotten excessively favorable coverage because they schmoozed with the press (McCain, at least in his former persona) or because they made things easy for them (Reagan, because he never deviated from his script, so reporters didn't have to listen) or because of their perceived entertainment/headline value (Palin,Bachman, and other denizens of the far right)
I try to remember that there are good journalists out there, but the White House press corps, in particular, has too many members who are lazy, insecure and/or too influenced by what they perceive to be the power-center, and/or conventional wisdom.
Someone on DU said a few weeks ago that nothing will change politically in this country until the media start doing their job. I agree (though I'd add that it's also high time that our fellow citizens start doing their job, too -- starting by demanding higher standards of the media, and by casting informed votes in elections)

[karynnj]

7. So true and beautifully said

It is interesting how "won't smooze with the press" quickly becomes a charge of being elitist, when nothing can be less true. No group is more elitist that the beltway media.

[awoke_in_2003]

16. "politicians with integrity"...

excuse me- my mind melted after reading that sentence :)

[senseandsensibility]

8. That was a stated reason why they hated Gore too.

They weren't even embarrassed to admit it. But I always thought they were just following orders when they smeared Gore.

[Jennicut]

11. Partly orders from the corporate bigwigs and partly from not having their egos constantly stroked.

Remember W.'s nicknames for people in the media? The WH press liked it. They liked the extra attention. Blah, it seems like high school crap with the WH press. They need to grow up already.

[niceypoo]

9. Had he schmoozed....

...he would be decried as an ass kissing wimp. Pay no mind to the morons behind the curtain, Mr. President.

[AndrewP]

10. One of the reasons they jumped ugly with Clinton early in 1993 was for this reason

[Raine]

17. Yup, Sally Quinn put the Clintons on her shit list

effectively excluding them from the Washington insider "elites". x(

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Question: I don't recall George W. Bush schmoozing at Georgetown cocktail parties.

Am I wrong? So it's okay with Sally Quinn and the self-important Inside-the-Beltway media hacks if Republicans don't "schmooze"? But Clinton, Gore and Obama are supposed to suck up to them?

In fact, looking back through the decades, is there a President since JFK, who graced a few parties in Georgetown (and had a house there), who did hang with them?

[Canuckistanian]

13. He probably would if he thought it could do him any good

But he knows that less than 48hrs after a good "schmoozing" with Beltway journos, they'd be back slamming him.

He really can't win.

[eleny]

14. Yeah, he's got two children who need him more