Monday, August 4, 2014

FOD 2014.08.04

Today we have two perspectives on obama and the press. First is a nice little short piece pointing out an 'inconsistency' (an inconsistency - that's what my father would call a "damned lie") in barry's comments about media reports.

Obama: I don't watch the news because 'whatever they're reporting about, usually I know'
President Obama said at a fundraiser in Seattle on Tuesday that he doesn't tune in for TV news, because there's little such programs can inform him of that he's not already aware of. "Whatever they're reporting about, usually I know," the president reportedly said.

As conservative critics have been quick to point out, this is a surprising statement, because Obama has racked up an extensive record in recent years of claiming ignorance of major developments until seeing them reported in the media. The list of topics on which he or his staff have claimed such ignorance include the Petraeus investigation, the DOJ seizure of AP phone records, health insurance cancellations, ObamaCare website troubles, requests for additional security in Benghazi, IRS targeting of political groups, and the Fast and Furious scandal. Additionally, the NSA denied on Obama's behalf his knowledge of the agency's spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(Go to the source for links to obama's specific claims of ignorance.)
Liar, liar, pants on fire...

Next up is a commentary on 'the most transparent administration in history.'

Barack Obama locks out the press — again
President Barack Obama went to the West Coast to meet donors from two top Democratic super PACs, but the press wasn’t invited.

“We think these fundraisers ought to be open to at least some scrutiny, because the president’s participation in them is fundamentally public in nature,” said Christi Parsons, the new president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. “Denying access to him in that setting undermines the public’s ability to independently monitor and see what its government is doing. It’s of special concern as these events and the donors they attract become more influential in the political process.”

Despite constant complaints from the press corps and promises from White House officials, access to the president continues to be limited. The constantly repeated line that they’re running the “most transparent administration in history” tends to prompt snickers. Halfway through Obama’s West Coast swing, it’s tipping toward outrage.

The decision by Obama and his staff to take the secrecy approach to super PAC appearances has aggravated the concerns even further. This was, after all, the president who stepped away from State of the Union tradition in 2010 to directly attack the Supreme Court for the Citizens United ruling that helped spur the dramatic rise in campaign spending...

But Obama has attended three super PAC events in the past week: one in New York last Thursday and the two on the West Coast.

How many people Obama met with was a secret. How much they paid to get in was a secret. Finding out who the people were? Forget it. Even a general account of what the president said to them? Not from this White House.

Parsons said the WHCA has asked the White House to reconsider its position regarding access, but has not yet filed a formal complaint.

All this as the White House, like previous administrations, looks for as much free media as it can get, sending the president out to lunch with people who’ve written him letters, and capitalizes on D.C. reporters’ Twitter excitement with unannounced stops at Starbucks and Chipotle.
While I share the general outrage at obama's lack of transparency, I have a hard time dredging up any sympathy for the media. After all, they've shielded this guy from scrutiny for so many years that he's come to expect it from them. It's their own damn fault...

1 comment:

Well Seasoned Fool said...

In their heart of hearts, they know they've been slickered (to use an old country term). They just can't bring themselves to admit it.