The White House is doing something with its local TV interviews that it could not easily get away with in encounters with the White House press corps, which President Obama has been studiously ignoring: choosing the topic about which President Obama and the reporter will talk.
In interviews with three local TV stations Monday, two from states critical to Obama’s reelection effort, Obama held forth on the possibility of “sequestration” if he and Congress fail to reach a budget deal, allowing him to make his favorite political point that Republicans are willing to cause grievous harm to the economy and jobs in order to protect the rich from tax increases.
Obama Monday threw the White House press corps a bone by suddenly appearing in the briefing room for 22 minutes and taking questions from a total of four reporters. It was his first press conference at the White House – albeit in miniature – since March, and only his second of the year. Obama before Monday had taken exactly one substantive question from White House reporters since June.
But the three other interviews Obama also held Monday pointed to the advantage he gets by focusing on local press, with whom he has been speaking more regularly.
Under sequestration, if a budget deal is not reached by the end of the year, harsh automatic spending cuts will occur. Each of the network reporters were from cities with major military facilities that could be unduly impacted if sequestration occurs.
Two of the reporters were from Norfolk, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, both presidential battleground states. The third was from San Diego.
The reporters mostly made no effort to hide the arrangement. “The president invited me to talk about sequestration,” NBC 7 San Diego’s reporter told her audience. In the interview, she set Obama up with a perfectly pitched softball the president couldn’t have been more eager to take a swing at:
“What do you want individual San Diegans to know about sequestration?” she asked.
Donna Deegan of FCN Jacksonville initially seemed to apologize for not broaching the appointed subject right away.
“Mr. President, I know we were asked to talk about sequestration today,” she said, but then added she wanted to talk about something else first. Finally, she got to it:
“Let’s talk a little bit about sequestration, because I know that’s why you invited us here,” she said.
Obama used an interview with WVEC Norfolk to specifically bash Republicans.
“The only thing that’s standing in the way of us getting this done right now is the unwillingess on the part of some members of Congress, and folks in in the Republican Party, to give up on some tax breaks for people like me who don’t need them,” he said.
The reporters were able to ask about other topics. But with their face time with the president limited to under ten minutes, and Obama well rehearsed to discuss at length his favored topic, there was little room for much else to come up.
668 thoughts on “White House Sets Ground Rules for Local Interviews”
Its so frustrating – I wish when he says that “The only thing that’s standing in the way of us getting this done right now is the unwillingess on the part of some members of Congress, and folks in in the Republican Party, to give up on some tax breaks for people like me who don’t need them,” he said.
Someone would ask him – why do you take the tax breaks? You have a decision to determine if you want to pay more taxes. Why do you take advantage of the tax code if you want to pay more taxes?
The problem is his spending and he is using this to cover his egregious actions.
This is SOP for every administration, which makes it all the more funny to watch the lemmings in the comment section complain about the so-called “MSM.”
You people are fucking clueless!
Speaking of clueless…. do you think the press would have obliged George Bush in furthering HIS agenda?
You are so right, some people here ARE clueless…. Should I refer to you as Mr Clueless or just HOMER?
This is how Stalin gave his interviews except with Stalin if he did not like your question you were sent up North to a ‘Gulag’. Give Obama four more years and be prepared for that winter journey…..So much for promised Transparency !
Who is John Galt?
Hopefully this classless pos will be gone come January and this country can begin recovering from his socialist love affair with his we-hate-america friends and acquaintances. A vote for Obama is a vote for becoming Greece.
This nothing more than State Controlled Media. When will people wake up from this nightmare of a presidency?
The GOP ticket needs to explain that a tax increase on any of us is a tax increase on ALL of us. If you increase the tax rates on small, medium, and even large businesses, these costs MUST be included in the price of their product or service. This means that we ALL pay higher prices for everything we buy.
Tax increases. Bad for business. Bad for People. Bad for America.
that was exactly what happened at the very staged “impromptu” briefing the other day. if you just listened and didn’t see what was going on you’d have thought it was his own staff asking him “questions”
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That’s why they’re called presstitutes.
What a shock!! They haven’t been journalists for years, it is now official, they are merely stenographers.
This POS makes me wanna puke! UGH!!! I cringe at the sound of his voice. Yeah no tingles here. Nov 6th GET HERE!!!
Jeez, and they accuse Romney of being up to something because he won’t release his tax returns. I don’t get why Obama’s supporters can’t see the double standard. It took 2 years to get a birth certificate, we still can’t see his college thesis and now he won’t talk to reporters unless he gets to pick the questions. I guess they are just so enamored with him that their powers of critical thought have just abandoned them.
LOL! You really think we ‘got’ the Birth Certificate? How naive are you? What Hussein ‘gave’ was a photoshopped POS that anyone with an hour’s worth of experience could see through was a complete fraud. Educate yourself.
It was rather obvious to see the students were named to ask their question when Imam Obama would look down and read their name from a list. Just another Hollywood script written by a director from the white POTUS house.
What’s next, White House teleprompters for reporters to read approved questions to Hussein?
Dear Leader is a real Wussy-Pussy!
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Fortunately, we who live in the Hampton Roads Area have a wonderful newspaper, The Virginian-Pilot, that gives balanced news in their reporting. Unfortunately, some folks don’t read the paper or the website and get all their news from TV which is mainly biased towards Obama.
The good news is that most military folks tend to be moderate to conservative so they tend to listen to many different news outlets. Obama’s spin and manipulation of the press to tailor his message is wrong, just plain wrong.
Are you kidding?? The Virginian Pilot is a very LEFT LEANING rag!!! I do agree with your second paragraph though.
I own a small business. Who the heck is he to say “I don’t need” the money I bust my hump for?
Welcome to Obamerica.
The press has become a herd of neutered sheep. At this point, it doesn’t matter whether we have freedom of the press or not: there is no one in the mainstream media willing to write the truth or even seek the truth.
Heil DerObaMeinFuhrer. Just hand out bibs to the press corps (note to Duh Won: pronounced core) and they’ll verbally fellate you like a $5 crack wh0re.
Der Fuhrer Obama and his propaganda minister Reich Minister Axelrod must not allow real questions to be asked. Thorough briefing is necessary before one is allowed to stand in the presence of the Der Fuhrer. Ve have vays of making you ask questions ve vant to answer.
He is practicing for being a Dictator after Jan 20,2013
How many hundred trillion dollars do you have in your bank account? The country of Zimbabwe is now printing $100,000,000,000,000 notes because of their lack of fiscal discipline, which led to bankruptcy, which in turn led to hyperinflation, and when this happened in Germany, people needed a wheel-barrow to carry enough Reich Marks to buy a loaf of bread.
Thanks to Barrack Hussein Obama’s refusal to agree to any reductions in his insane spending spree, we are on the same path as Zimbabwe and Germany. He is in the process of bankrupting this country, either intentionally, or because he just doesn’t care what happens to America. Maybe he wants it to go bankrupt so it can become a part of the World Communist Order.
If he is reelected for four more years he will succeed, and any money you have in the bank, in your 401K, stock market, CD’s, or bonds will be worthless.
At this point people will be killing in the street for food and water, and you can kiss your beloved United States of America good bye. Do you want your children and grandchildren facing this kind of terror? It will be your choice in less than three months.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan to get spending under control, make us energy independent, and save this great nation. Please give them a chance to do it. Obama has had his chance and he failed. There was an abundance of change, but now no hope unless we remove this individual from the office of the presidency. If he is reelected we will be bankrupt before 2016. Please go to this link below and see how long you can watch it your country fall without getting nervous: usadebtclock.com
HAH! I KNEW it! What a thin-skinned paranoid ___ (the blank is preferable here: he lends himself to vulgarity) we have, trying to pass himself off as a POTUS.
I can’t WAIT for the interview where the local guy acts like he’s gonna throw him fluff-ball questions, then starts hammering him hard. It’s gonna happen sooner or later.
Stalinism.
So much for Mr. Transparency.
NEWSPEAK
The real danger to America is not gay Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a filthy sodomite like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary,commonsense ,Godliness and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a filthy sodomite as President.
The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr.gay Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America . Blaming the prince of the gay fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. “The Republic can survive a gay Obama, who is, after all, merely a gay fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president.”
These media outlets should be refusing to interview any candidate who thinks they should set the limits of what questions can be asked. If he doesn’t want to answer he can “no comment”. State controlled media outlets is NOT conducive to democracy, and the media should not tolerate it!
Wow sounds like obama is a true communist and a marxist. Hitler did the same thing he controlled everything that was written and spoken and how did that work out for Germany??? In-fact Hitler started wars with every country he could I imagine that obumbnuts would not be that stupid but then again.
He has started taking things over and now the media well they would follow obumbnuts into the bathroom to lick his a*ss after a dump.
So, what Obama is really saying, is the only thing from keeping this happening is for Obama and the Democrats to agree for tax breaks for everyone instead of demonizing a small group. So it’s under his complete control whether or not this happens, and he is choosing to sit on principle to keep it from happening.
See Mr. President how that obstructionist argument works both ways? Are you really that stupid to not realize it?? Or do you hope the American people are too dumb to notice?? Either ways is enough grounds for me to not vote for you.
Scripted press briefings, selected audiences for speeches, everyone knows how non-transparent this administration actually is…
And the liberals complained about Mr. Bush. Guess it is all about whose horse is being gored. I am old enough to remember when different segments were not in bed with particular political parties.
Lap dogs like you even when you treat them bad. That is all the MSM is today.
“…allowing him to make his favorite political point that Republicans are willing to cause grievous harm to the economy and jobs in order to protect the rich from tax increases”
Hmm, since there has been no budget passed in almost 3 years, thanks to Harry Reid (D) in the Senate, and since things are proceeding during the Republicans’ control of the House pretty much as they were during the overwhelming, total control of both House and Senate by Democrats under the “leadership” of Barry Obama, except for massive statist programs not getting passed with the clever observation, “We have to pass the bill if we want to see what’s in the bill,” about the only point Obama could make is that the Republicans are continuing Barry’s status quo antes. Can no reporter simply call him on the terrific load of BS he continues to dump on the public in these appearances?
But don’t you dare accuse the media of being liberal.
I read the comments on how many people are upset about the mainstream media, yet tonight they will watch their favorite show on these networks. If you want real journalism, quit watching their shows or subscribing to their services.
These media outlets may be suck-ups to Obama, but their first love is money. No money, no media.
When there is a vacuum, real journalism will return and they will know their true master is the consumer.
Sad; Obama has to go into interviews with memorized answers to questions.
The only thing that’s standing in the way of us getting this done right now is the unwillingess on the part of some members of Congress, and folks in in the Republican Party, to give up on some tax breaks for people like me who don’t need them,
if you like giving your money to these criminals in d.c. so they can blow it on parties and buying votes mail them a check every month you m o r o n,… but don’t try to group yourself with me,.. i work for every penny i get and i want to keep every bit of it. i need every tax break i can get,… a s s clown!!!!
What else would you expect from “dear leader” who’s lost without a teleprompter loaded with propaganda by David Axelrod?
President Obama is nearly out of chips. I think the closing days of his campaigning will be his last feeble and failed attempt to stay in office.
After the recent nearly four years, voters surely will not base their votes on only campaign rhetoric, media reports, celebrity endorsements, peer influences, charisma and appearance.
White House Insider states that the “surprise” press conference was pre-arranged.
Get this pathetic excuse for a leader out of the white house.
The President is a coward! If he had any backbone at all he would not only let the Press ask him questions, he would embrace difficult questions. He is a self-righteous piece of garbage and a disgrace. The day Romney kicks his butt in the election can’t come sooner for me. I hear the man’s voice and I get sick and then her husband speaks and I just cringe. I’m sick of Michelle and her large butt telling the rest of us we need to watch what we eat.
This is so frustrating. I wish when he says
“The only thing that’s standing in the way of us getting this done right now is the unwillingess on the part of some members of Congress, and folks in in the Republican Party, to give up on some tax breaks for people like me who don’t need them,” he said.
That someone would ask why he takes all the tax breaks? He doesn’t have to if he wants to pay more taxes.
In addition, his raising taxes (all liberals love to do) will hurt the economy and WILL NOT resolve his spending. The spending has to stop and get lower. And guess what, if more people returned to work then more taxes would be collected – what a concept
He is trying to divert from his egregious actions and the problems he has caused.
DICTATORSHIP! Dictatorship!
DICTATORSHIP! Dictatorship!
The Americans are not in Bagdad! We will kill them if they attempt to invade our land.
Oh sorry wrong prompter!
The economy is growing things are on the mend but the problem lies in congress where the republicans are blocking me & giving their rich friends shelter.
What a Joke this President is.. Looks like the puppet master has a couple strings lose
Don’t fool yourself. The White House press corp also was told which questions to ask when he “unexpectedly” arrived.
Nice work if you can get it. And of course the media finds nothing unusual with this – I’ll talk to you about the news, only if you ask me the scripted question and I give you the scripted answer. Non-reporting of non-news. The freedom of the press remains intact, but the relevance of the press, right up there with Obamagirl, 2008. Obama bashes Republicans, details at 11:00. I’ll be sure to wait up for that. And they wonder why their numbers are down. I am shocked, shocked, to see people not paying attention to our news.
Could you imaging wanting to be a journalist nowadays. First you grow up believing in getting out the story in a balanced way. Over time you are influenced by colleagues and coworkers to skew your ideals so you push for a one sided view.
Then you are given the questions to ask by the interviewee who is supposedly so transparent they will answer anything. (except you are not allowed to ask).
I would hate to compromise my morals, beliefs and supposedly neutral position in some shallow belief that I am helping to create history while merely parroting someone else.
Could you imaging a Woodward and Burnstein working on the current Administration, I haven’t seen this much media trickery since Nixon.
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