WASHINGTON – For months, the White House press corps has been accused of having a too-cozy relationship with the Obama administration, a friendship that even featured an off-the-record Fourth of July party at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for some 30 selected reporters.
While relations are not yet as tense as they are in Canada between the media and the Prime Minister’s Office, the U.S. brawl over health-care reform is taking its toll on the alleged love-in between President Barack Obama and the reporters who cover him.
Obama and those closest to him point the finger at the media for spreading misinformation about White House tactics aimed at winning support for his health-care overhaul.
They’re also accusing reporters of focusing too heavily on the raucous outbursts at town hall meetings instead of exposing misinformation.
For the second day in a row, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs sparred with reporters Thursday at his daily press briefing when confronted with tough questions about whether the administration is using shady techniques to win support for Obama’s sweeping health-care overhaul.
“I hesitate to give you answer, because you might impugn the motives of the answer,” Gibbs said in a tense exchange with one reporter.
[More]
Related:
Tough questions, frustrations continue in town halls
‘Town Halls’ a Chance for the President, Not the Public, to Vent
From ‘Yes, We Can,’ to ‘No! Don’t!’
Updates:
8:57 am EDT, August 14th, 2009 — On Health Care, a Populist Revolt
2:55 pm EDT, August 14th, 2009 — Obama’s Senior Moment
3:36 pm EDT, August 14th, 2009 — Is Obama being outmanoeuvred?
4:18 pm EDT, August 14th, 2009 – TSX running in the red on bad U.S. news
“Obama and those closest to him point the finger at the media for spreading misinformation about White House tactics aimed at winning support for his health-care overhaul”
There must be no dissent in the media, Obama is not George Bush, this isn’t fair.
Thus we can expect the appointment of a Czar of Newspeak momentarily. The Nominees on the short list would include Chris Mathews as soon as his leg stops tingling from listening to Obama.
Handing every piece of legislation over to the Congressional Democrats under Nancy Pelosi to craft into big government bloat is the Presidential equivalent of voting “present”. Obama reminds me of Tony Blair in that he is not a leader at all but rather a slick salesman, and the differing success rates between the two comes down only to timing. Tony Blair sold the UK on his lies during a boom economy when nobody was paying much attention to what the Labour Party was actually up to, and then had the good sense to get out of the picture before the economy faltered, but as Obama tries to take that same tack during a recession, he is running into an electorate worried about their future and therefore much more engaged in the process.
I guess the reporters, producers and editors finally realized that they would be screwed too if this thing comes to pass, and rather than have the plug pulled on them, would rather pull the plug on The Messiah. Too far, too fast, with too many lies. Nice job there, Axelrod.
Hold on – isn’t the media supposed to be in Cahoots with Obama, ACORN, Muslims, communist dictators and transgendered one-eyed dwarves to conceal the trust about healthcare so that America’s abundant wealth can be redistributed to people in dangerous neighbourhoods? Beck lied! Beck lied!
Even transgendered one-eyed dwarves need love, Cynapse…