Lest we forget…..
It’s all about them you see.
Mrs Clinton would be a very good story. Though truth be told the Clinton people have been quite outstandingly good at alienating reporters. An example: a friend of mine who’s the bureau chief of a widely read foreign newspaper gave his business card to a senior Clinton person who responded, charmingly, “One more journalist whose calls I won’t have time to return!”
On the other hand David Axelrod listened patiently when I gave him the 100 reasons Obama should talk to the BBC: I am sure he was hoping I would disappear in a puff of smoke but he was polite and I appreciated it.
The other day I had to reorganise some coverage at short notice - his team could not have been friendlier and more accomodating.. Back in the day, Karl Rove was the same - mostly. I don’t mean that nice guys win in politics - of course they don’t - but you can be nasty and nice at the same time.
This the Clinton team forgot.
If she had only been a little bit nicer to the press. Can’t you all see that it is not their duty to bring us the news, it is Sen. Clinton’s duty to be nice to them? Even evil Karl Rove was at least nice. Hillary Clinton is evil AND a bitch. I have to go lie down now….
Filed under: General
What a whiny bedwetter!
Sheesh!!!
Today, I made a discover.
I was in a bookstore looking at books of Diana and Jackie O, and then it hit me. The we-think-we-are-serious press hasn’t had a major brainless story for a long time. Think of it. The Lewinsky scandal was in ‘98, and Princess Di died before then. There is no Jackie, no Grace Kelly, and they need one.
Under the guise of serious news, TIME, Newsweek, and the rest of them want to sell papers. With Hillary, they have to get bored out of their mind, b/c she earnestly will try to solve problems. She’ll numb their minds by talking percentages, figures, policy, etc.
With Obama and Michele, the press can have another Jackie, or another Diana to sell papers. Obama’s wil give nice parties, and press will attend.
Why should the correspondents waste their beautiful mind on two wars, the danger of global warming, rebuilding NOLA, dealing with global economy, problems in ME, recession and challenges like that? So boring! Do you think Russert and Matthews worked so hard to get their $5M per year anchor jobs to numb their minds on boring, depressing topics? GET REAL!
They have all the power nd yes, it is all about them.
Another thought:
Perhaps, Clinton’s people don’t return reporters’ calls b/c the press is nasty towards them? Just saying.
They have gone to local media. Chelsea answers hundreds of questions by audience, but not any by media. The media is mad, b/c how dare they be deprived of opportunity to be nasty to her, take her out of context, and trash her, all at the same time.
This reminds me a bit of “Lions for Lambs.”
Young Judith,
You are right that the media has had the power to denigrate HRC while at the same time elevating and apologizing for Obama.
However, all of their power, all the pernicious HRC attacks, all of their glorification and annointing of Obama, and all of their pontifications regarding the race being over, have failed in one critical area.
They have failed to persuade, neutralize, or nullify us. We long time Clinton supporters and astute new HRC supporters have refused to be moved, despite all of their machinations.
Now, we actually have the power. We are inured. We are determined. We are angry and insulted, and we have the power to thwart their efforts.
If we stick together, continuing to refuse to give in to the media, the DNC, or the Obama campaign , we still hold this election in our control. Either in the remainder of the primary or most defininately the GE.
Our numbers and the steadfastness of our support for HRC is driving the media, the DNC, and Obama’s minions nuts. None of them ever expected such loyalty to HRC to exist because none of them have loyalty to anything but egos, profit, and ambition.
Stay strong, determined, dedicated, proud, and confident. As I stated earlier, we actually do now hold the power over all of the other factions.
We are indispensable, we are relevant, we are now the ultimate deciders. We are the key to the outcome of the 2008 Presidential election.
This reminds me of their excuses for giving Bush great press…they are nice to us. Gee nothing about how their paymasters want them to be Bush tools…. Remember how Bush gave the press all a nic names? They pretended is was cause Bush was such a regular guy…when everyone knew Bush couldn’t be bothered to learn their names.
Anne, on May 13th, 2008 at 3:23 am Said:
…. Remember how Bush gave the press all a nic names?
Paul O’Neill, GWB’s former Sect’y of the Treasury, said he thought GWB gave nicknames as a form of bullying.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml
I have heard several times that Obama has not been giving the media access. So much for being nice to them. Lucky for him they still have a crush on him. McCain on the other hand is still schmoozing with the press.
The nickname thing is definitely a way of bullying. I could never understand why our adolescent media did not get that. Giving someone a nickname is a way of indicating that you are above them if you are in a position which makes it impossible for them to reciprocate. Imagine giving a nickname to a professional that you deal with - like your doctor. That would be wildly disrespectful as it would if he did this to you. Bush instinctively understands this, as is characteristic of bullying narcissists. Bush hates the media and always has but they are such adolescents that they have no clue that he is putting them down with his stupid nicknames. Bush and the media deserve each other. Unfortunately we don’t deserve them but we seem to be stuck with these fools. It is time we speak up to the networks, newspapers, etc. and stop passively allowing these kinds of people to control our political dialogue.
Re the press, I think the point is they don’t mind if your two-faced. Just be nice to their faces and ignore them when they leave. I guess I really didn’t think that it became this personal for professionals. But I shouldn’t be surprised, isn’t that how GWB got the press behind him?
Mike C - they may not have nullified us but they sure did neuter us.
Oh dear Justin Webb. He got the job with the brief of selling Bush’s America to the British public - and this has swelled his head to enormous proportions. He thinks he’s a bridge, you see, like Bliar (and like Obama). A bridge between us poor benighted unconverted Brits who Do Not Like Bush and the glories of the neocon imperium. He’ll be wearing a proconul’s uniform next…