Free The White House Press Corps!

OK, who are “the security people” and who ordered them to prevent the public from speaking to the media?

Hmm. Not cool. This isn’t typical of Obama events is it?

“Both the crowd and I had been through security screening.)”

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Considering the Political climate, perhaps the above is part of the problem? Does the Press come from society at large? Too many loony tunes out there.

This is terrible. I don’t see what the problem is beforehand if it is after security screening. I thought you tweeted that after they told you that you had to leave the building in order to talk to them. Still not right, but might be ok depending on the set-up.

I keep trying to relate these talks to the Bush speeches to hand-picked groups to promote his privatizing Social Security. Was the same thing in force then? I seem to remember at some of them the press wasn’t allowed at all, but my memory could be wrong.

Supposedly much of the audience was made up of students who had camped out overnight to get tickets. Again, what’s the problem with them talking to the press.

Same question: is this a new security protocol? If so, did you ask why the change?

No, this doesn’t make sense. I could possibly see the logic in saying “wait until after the event” because they wanted to try and control the message to whatever the President said and make that the story, but now they’ve made the story “What’s Obama hiding?”

That is surprising. If you find out the reasoning behind the decision, please let us know.

Hey, you guys are the ones who made such a stink about the Salahis. The Revenge of Desirée Rogers!!

(I kid, I kid, I agree with the others who say this is both surprising and stupid. I’d like to know who’s behind it.)

Were you in a “Free Speech Zone”?

“Does the Press come from society at large?”

The quick answer is, I hope so! The funny answer is, it depends pn whether you believe most of the press to be human.

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“what’s the problem with them talking to the press.”

The students are very likely to have health care major. Arcadia (formerly Beaver College) offers, I believe 6 degrees in the HC field. Obama can’t risk an unprogrammed response to his HC tirade. SOme of these students realize that while the number of jobs go up (with or without HC reform) their earnings are at risk (cost control).

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“What’s Obama hiding?”

Nothing. Folks know the charade but its always beneficial to have a one-sided tirade against opponents who are not able to defend themselves.

The Obama monologue continues. How long has it been since he had a press conference with questions from the press?

Yep, I’m suprised and curious as to why.

KT:
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This is wrong, no two ways about it.
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They have no justification to keep you (or me, or anyone who wants to speak to audience members, and then blog about it) away from ordinary citizens who came to attend a Presidential speech.
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What right do they have to do this?
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Whose “security” is at risk?

The people who set the policy are often a lot brighter than the ones who implement it. I’d be really surprised if this was intended by those at higher levels.

Be sure to let us know, KT.

If Michael Scherer is around, since his beat is all things Sarah Palin, you might let him know that SP admitted to sneaking into Canada and stealing socialized health care:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/sarah-palin-sees-eye-to-eye-with-albertans-in-calgary-speech/article1492634/

I find this par for the course in Chicago Politics and MSM.. don’t talk to those I paid with favors to be here, don’t give any input that could possibly put a negative spin on what I said let the MSM publish my words only. I have lived through so many years of the same propaganda in IL done the same way with Daley in Chicago.. and he gets just as mad as Obama if you critize him or tell him no he’s has a vain in his head that stands out when he yells at those who ask questions or question what he says.. What we have here is NATIONAL CHICAGO POLITICS.. how are you in the other 49 states liking it? If you don’t to bad you just don’t know what is good for you but the Politicians do..

Maybe we should hear what justification is given for doing this and then decide whether or not that justification is legitimate. I’d like to know why or how something like this happens rather than automatically assuming the worst.

No need to jump to conclusions like a bunch of hyperventilating right-wingers, right?

a vain in his head? Chicago and the other 49 states?

Governor Palin, is that you?

Gotta be a caveat to this, right?

There is no justification.

No need for conclusions when you can make excuses and rationalization for why a President who is arrogant enough to believe that only he has the answers.

No questions, no responses then impose a deadline and then insist its democracy and not socialism.

…is this all in vein?

I wonder if there was an incident or something specific behind the scenes.
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OT for this, but KT, I can’t access your latest “1000 words”, keep getting “page not found” error.

I don’t have to think about it at all. The situation as described is not O.K. The answer is, power corrupts.

As I said to you on Twitter, Karen, I understand the concern but I think it’s worth noting that if you wanted to cover the “man on the street” beat, you could have left the building to do that. I think it’s sensible NOT to burden attendees with the scrutiny of the press. Of course, there are many unanswered questions – are they supportive? Did their attitude change before and after? Were they invited? How did they get in? But all of those questions are really distractions, because at the end of the day, no single person can represent the whole group. And I don’t think that anyone restricted your freedom to leave the building… correct me if I’m wrong.

Freep, I generally bypass your spiels but I think today is a good time to respond:
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America spent eight years with a clueless leader and his subversive henchman, but only NOW with an educated, no-nonsense guy do you think his perceived “arrogance” and “socialism” (whatever you mean by that) are anathema to good leadership. May you continue to shoot first and ask questions later so that people will know what we suffered through for almost a decade.

Arcadia awards three degrees out of 55 that are health care related. Two of those physical therapy and physicians assistant are degrees preparatory to Arcadia’s graduate programs in those fields. They indicate Pre-medical, Pre-dental, etc. with asterisks indicating that they offer science course that are generally considered to be appropriate undergraduate work for professional schools.
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http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=2851
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My daughter is an alumna from some time ago and the focus of the university is on liberal arts.

Call me a hyperventilating right-winger, but First Amendment encroachments in the name of security are wrong, no matter which Administration allows them to happen, until a compelling reason, i.e. the threat of some specific attack or danger justifies shutting down normal, guaranteed liberties.
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From my shrill, liberal, Bill-of-Rights absolutist perspective, we’re to assume that these sorts of things are illegitimate until they’re justified, not that we should suspend judgment until the Executive gets its story together.
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This had better not be the default security policy.

Gotta be a caveat to this, right?
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Absolutely. Had enough of Jeff-Gannon-esque media types and hand-picked town halls during the Bush years to tolerate the same from this administration.
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There is no justification…
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Thank you for proving my earlier point, freeper.

My question: Why do we need the filter and spin of the media (and Karen, I like your work, so don’t take it personally) when the event is direct conversation between the President and the public? It reminds me a little of the old JR Ewing quote: “Are you gonna believe me or your lyin’ eyes?” We ought to be intelligent enough to know what we’re getting ourselves into and to hear the President’s direct, unfiltered remarks.

As they say in Texas, this wasn’t my first rodeo.
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In my experience as a reporter–both covering the White House and covering politics–it is highly unusual to impose a restriction like this.

I know nobody’s perfect, but if your motto is “change you can believe in” and you act just like the old guard, what’s to believe? (though I’m still waiting and hoping on a “wait, but…” to this whole scenario)

…we’re to assume that these sorts of things are illegitimate until they’re justified, not that we should suspend judgment until the Executive gets its story together.
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Guilty until proven innocent.
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How does that sit with you, Stuart?

So were you or were you not able to talk to them outside of the building?

nflfoghorn:

For all the whining about loss of freedoms under Bush, they have deteriorated much further under Obama. Educated? The “C” student from Columbia who was editor of the Harvard Law Review? Probably for the first time in history an editor who wrote nothing.

Subversive henchman? You must be talking about the class of clowns (and law breakers) Obama has brought into his administration. And of course there is no socialist bent to Obama. Say that 3 times and click your heels and you will be in Kansas Dorothy.

What motivated them to be here, and what bearing this issue might have on their individual lives — well, I can’t answer that.

I don’t mean to be a rude smart-ass, but this sounds like KT is just complaining that the security made her job inconvenient and annoying. This may be true. And the inconvenient/annoying security may even have been unnecessary, but such is life. It isn’t the Secret Service’s job to make sure that KT fleshes out her stories properly.

Maybe it means that KT has to arrive earlier or leave later. Maybe it means that Time needs to send two reporters to cover such events (one to cover the crowd and one to cover the speech). I might note that at sporting events the media does not expect to be able to move back and forth through security at will. If they want to cover a post-game celebration in a locker room and also interview tailgaters in the parking lot they have more than one person do those tasks. Presumably a Time reporter would have been allowed into the area with the public if they didn’t also expect access to the press area.

I think it’s sensible NOT to burden attendees with the scrutiny of the press.
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“Sensible” or not, that’s not the Administration’s call to make.
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I don’t think that anyone restricted your freedom to leave the building
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Nobody restricted the press’ freedom to go to the moon in pursuit of speech attendees, either, but that’s not where they were at the time of the speech. Restricting access to where speech attendees are at the time of their attendance is the issue.
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Unless there were legitimate, specific and provable security concerns, an Administration doesn’t have the right to restrict press access to the attendees of a political event at all, no matter how burdensome they might feel it would be to the people being interviewed or observed.

…it is highly unusual to impose a restriction like this.
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Unusual, but not completely unheard of, okay. When this has happened in the past, what were the given rationales?

KT does not give enough information here for one to draw any conclusions from this event. First off she says “security people” without identifying who these security people were-local or Secret Service. Nor apparently was she able to find out who gave what orders. 2nd let’s not forget the Secret Service might have a chip on their sholders since there have been myriad security breaches under their watch going back as far as when Obama began his campaign.

First of all we still have not found out from KT who actually did what. Other than some faceless and nameless security people. We don’t know if they were local or federal and on whose orders they were acting. And we may never actually find that out.

Here are the people I spoke with: one of the college volunteers, a guy from press advance (who said he checked with the head of press advance, and then told me i could talk to people on the way out, after the president left), deputy white house press secretary bill burton (who pleaded ignorance).
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so after it was over, i tried to catch people on the way out. i was approached by volunteers who told me they had been told to tell me to stop asking questions, unless i left the building. at that point, i approached a man who had been identified to me as the university provost, and he told me he couldn’t do anything to help me.
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So it was the university people/security (“people with guns” was how you put it on your tweet”) or secret service?

It was the college’s volunteers? Ha.

OK, Burton says “Not me!” while the actual problem seems to be with some volunteers. Looks like somebody in lower-middle management got a little power-happy.

I’m betting the control freak will get a stern talking-to, and that will be that. If it’s a real and continuing problem, be sure to let us know and we’ll march on the WH with torches and pitchforks.

The college volunteers were only one avenue I tried. I went up the chain, figuring there had to be a misunderstanding.

Jim, Foolish L

“a vain in his head? Chicago and the other 49 states?

Governor Palin, is that you?”
==

One with a functioning brain could figure that Chicago politics was being exported from Illinois to the other 49 states. Granted that is less than 57 states Obama said he visited on the campaign trail.

I generally don’t approach either the Secret Service or the local police on this kind of stuff. However, I do know they would have moved pretty quickly (and should have) if I had made a disturbance. At least one couple was escorted out during the event.

Oh yeah, Freep, that ACORN thing was real corrupt wasn’t it? ‘Blush’ was thisclose to flunking out and you wanna talk about C students? You seriously want to go there???

Guilty until proven innocent.
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Right.
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That should be “illegitimate use of state power to limit First Amendment rights until justified by specific threats.”
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It’s the same as any other First Amendment or Bill of Rights issue.
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Wouldn’t your first response to hearing of the wire-tapping of someone’s cell phone conversations be “That’s bad. Until they show that they had warrants, i.e. that they had the right to do so, the presumption must be of its illegitimacy“?
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The state actually must prove the necessity of its restrictions of fundamental liberties. It’s not like they’re the the defendant in a trial, they’re the state. That’s the whole point. “Guilty until proven innocent” is absurd when the subject is the state’s use of power. It’s like finding out that the government locks people up for years without charging them, and then saying “Hey, they might have had a good reason for doing it! Why don’t we just assume everything’s a-OK until we hear otherwise?”
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The state isn’t the victim here, they’re the ones exercising Bill of Rights abridging power.
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I can’t even believe I’m having this conversation with a liberal.

The whole thing (as described, I point out) reminds me of the “debate” leading up to war with Iraq.

KT-No offense but if you were talking to volunteers what evidence do you have that they had any clue WTF they were talking about and not suddely on some power trip? Maybe Burton was pleading ignorance because he truly had no clue what you were talking about. And I’m not sure what authority he would have had in that place at that time anyway?

I also took it to the White House advance detail.

Stuart, I agree with you on the issue, but I’m afraid the slithering under the radar of the renewal of the Patriot Act has eroded some of these rights (wiretaps, for ex.) I think it was on On the Media this week-end that they said the only ones left still fighting are the librarians.

Well, let’s wait till we have confirmation that this was a WH decision. Though I do thing that Burton should and could (?) have done something about it in any case.

Ivy:
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the only ones left still fighting are the librarians
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…and the ACLU…
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…and Glenn Greenwald…
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…and us, if we weren’t concerned that this kind of episode might benefit the arguments of idiot, Beckist socialism/fascism whiners and frauds.

Why do we need the filter and spin of the media…?
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We don’t. The press corps’ product often obscures rather than reveals good information.
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That said, we have the right to the choice between listening to their accounts or disregarding them.
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That choice is only available if the press (citizen journalists, too) has access that can be state-restricted solely by legitimate, specific security concerns.

This is simply further evidence that Obama is determined to force this bill on America, come hell or high water. This is patently wrong! This bill is overly complicated, has too many variables and fails to address many legitimate concerns. Talk of “passing it now” and “fixing” it later, is sheer nonsense! Go back to the drawing boards and FOCUS on what is broken in our current system. We have the best health care delivery system in the world. Can it be made better? Of course, just don’t throw out the baby with the bath water while making those adjustments. One other thing, Make SURE the medical community buys into whatever you propose, or it will NEVER work. As it stands now, we DO NOT buy in, for many good reasons. Democrats will pass this bill at their own peril.

“I also took it to the White House advance detail.”
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KT-I’m really trying to be understanding here, but took what to the White House advance detail? Were they in charge of the volunteers? Did you expect the advance detail to interject on your behalf? Did other reporters call BS on this?

nflfoghorn:

One more pointless irrational post from the left with your own “facts” tossed in for goof measure.

“‘Blush’ was thisclose to flunking out and you wanna talk about C students? You seriously want to go there??”

Bush had grades at least equal to Frenchy Kerry the last psuedo intellectual liberal to run against Bush

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/06/07/yale_grades_portray_kerry_as_a_lackluster_student/

KT Pleeeeease! I am always soooo surprised that Americans seem to have no idea what’s in the HCR bill, and then here I find that for your own personal snit, you aren’t reporting on what the President said or how it was received.

It’s no wonder we aren’t able to figure out the actual debate, the actual media is not reporting the actual story.

Wow. There is a non-article about a media person who claims that she was stopped from asking questions. I’ve been to events where President Obama spoke. Exactly how did that work…your not being able to speak to attending citizens? Because on the way out of the door, I have never seen anyone monitor who the press talks to; they could care less, in fact. Further, I sat right next to the press, talked to them before the event started, was asked for an interview going in and when leaving. So maybe, you were supposed to be there but weren’t. Kinda like the dog ate your homework. And sounds like a bit of right-biased hyperbole at best.

Karen: Here is why I have little respect for traditional media.
Liz Cheney and her buddies in the press as described on the Daily Dish.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/03/coddled-by-the-msm.html#more
It certainly helps explain her constant appearances on so many news outlets.
Do you think Dick Gregory would ever explain his relationship with Liz Cheney? Never.
This doesn’t explain your treatment at the Obama event but it does give me more incentive not to care.
The traditional media needs to clean up their own.

au contraire!

KT is reporting the story. The White House is once again putting together a colossus bill that does not accurately reflect his speeches and will try to ram through a bill destroying 1/5 of our economy before anyone knows what is fully in bill or question any of his assumptions.

I can’t even believe I’m having this conversation with a liberal.
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What’s really suprising is your knee-jerk reaction to this, Stuart. You’re usually much better about loading your gun before firing it, not after.
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In substance, I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. I only question whether this fits the definition of “illegitimate use of state power” when all Karen has told us was that volunteers told her to take it outside and the provost wasn’t responsible for it.
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Take a deep breath, Stuart.

Leaving aside the dishonest complaints of opportunistic rightists, a “personal snit” is what Sally Quinn’s columns were about.
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This is not a “personal snit.”

Will all of the rightists who are so eager to jump on the “Obama’s a secret Marxist –this episode proovez it!” bandwagon please just remember for a second that this is the “liberal media” you’re talking about, so you can’t trust a word they say about anything?
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Thanks.

Correct me if I am wrong. Is this not how it is supposed to work:
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1. Reporter asks questions.
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2. Reporter is approached by person of authority and told to stop asking questions.
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3. Reporter politely refuses, and reminds person of authority that said reporter is exercising her First Amendment rights.
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4. Person of authority calls security or local police to escort reporter out.
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5. Reporter politely but more forcefully reminds person of authority, security, police, and anyone within earshot that she is exercising her First Amendment rights and that her employer has a well-paid but under-utilized law firm on retainer that specializes in Constitutional Law. Said law firm will be more than happy in a down economy to aggressively pursue a lawsuit on the reporter’s behalf for intentionally violating her civil rights.*
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6. Reporter is handcuffed and carried out.
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7. Reporter calls editor.
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8. Editor calls lawyer.
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9. Lawyer calls University President and former Harvard Law classmate who then personally calls reporter and apologizes for the over-zealous efforts of the school’s security personnel.
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10. Reporter goes home, opens beer, and proudly reflects on her role as a tenacious journalist.

* Alternatively, police break out tazer and Reporter passes out, wakes up in hospital, sells film rights to Hollywood for movie starring Hilary Swank.

If it was our side being restricted from protesting the Republican convention in Minneapolis, I’d be having the same reaction.
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We’re supposed to be clear in our support of First Amendment protections from the get go, i.e. as soon as reporters and citizen journalists start complaining.
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If we’re ho-hum, and “wait until all the facts are in” before we make any noise, the government has the advantage.
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Since when do “volunteers” get to make calls about who reporters can and can’t talk to at a government-sponsored rally?
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Remember, it’s either that there are legitimate security concerns, or there aren’t. The state hasn’t been treading too terribly lightly as of late with that rationale, and vigilance sometimes requires swift reactions.
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Your “take a deep breath” admonishment is pretty condescending, as if I’m sobbing and rending my garments, by the way. I’m not having a panic attack, I’m being as rational as I ever am.
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It’s not that we should freak out, it’s that we should demand explanations…loudly.

Ah, the irony, if KT and her brethren had gained total access we’d be bemoaning their sh!te coverage of said faux-event. Now we’re highly upset that our wonderful WH press corps! can’t regurgitate semi-digested swill?

Yes, it’s wrong, I get that, but …

BTW, I thought this Michael’s gig.

Dick Gregory would drop her off at 3 a.m. in mid-Compton and wish her luck.

David Gregory would ask her if she wanted a cup of tea or a back rub or anything.

If it was our side being restricted from protesting the Republican convention in Minneapolis, I’d be having the same reaction.
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Well, they were. Violently, and on video.
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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/rnc-protests.html
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But we pretty much know the circumstances, yes? Do we know the ones here? How many times has this happened to an Obama event previously? Is this the norm or an outlier, like Karen has stated it is?
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Remember, it’s either that there are legitimate security concerns, or there aren’t.
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So are there or aren’t there? Do you know? Was it a volunteer being overzealous? Was there a standing direction to clear the building after the speech?
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Are you privy to some facts that others aren’t?
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Vigilance sometimes requires swift reactions.
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As does vigilantism.
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Your “take a deep breath” admonishment is pretty condescending..
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As was your “I can’t even believe I’m having this conversation with a liberal” jab, if not outright insulting.
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I’m being as rational as I ever am.
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In the interest of polite discussion, I’m leaving that one alone.
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…it’s that we should demand explanations…loudly.
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Which, oddly enough, is exactly what I’ve been doing.

Hey JC!
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The glorious Avedon Carol linked to me! (link to the glorious Avedon Carol)
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The Big Mac novella is getting a little more traction, bit by bit.

No, really, say what you mean:

I’m being as rational as I ever am.
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In the interest of polite discussion, I’m leaving that one alone.

Leaving what alone?
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Spit it out, if you have something to say.

Cool man. I’ve never read her but I’ve seen her referenced in Lessing criticism before. As I’ve said in the past, you should be posting these novellas on the Zech-blog.

Maybe so…maybe so…

The real question is whether or not a proposed Zech-blog would cut into KBS drama-watching with LB.

Good heavens, you guys watch KBS!? My wife made me watch Changumu years back–I’d naively thought there was nothing worse than Japanese d(o)rama(s) but I learned there was. They are more innocent, in a mind-numbing sort of way. The other that put me over the edge of reason was called Fuyu no Sonata (Winter Sonata). Bae Yong-joon remains the idol of millions of graying ladies in J-town. The mo-fo appears EVERYWHERE, often in lifesize cut-out cardboard form, usually looking like this:
. http://www.zimbio.com/South+Korea/articles/263/Bae+Yong+joon+Park+Jin+Young+Launch+Joint.
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I’m more often than not tempted to light them aflame. I guess this secretly means I’m attracted to him.
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Now, Korean cinema, that’s an entirely diff. proposition.

Flown: Can’t believe I typed Dick Gregory. If only. Would love to see her dropped off in Compton.

Jeez Louise, for a second I thought you were talking about the decrepit and vulgar Kim Jong Seo (link to the lamprey Jong Seo).
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LB –who is working ten hour days at a law firm, and is on schedule to be awarded her green belt in jiu jitsu this June– watches something like 20 hours a week of Korean drama, not just KBS, but MK and SBS. Everything she can get her mitts on, basically.
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(I will take this opportunity to remind readers that neither I nor Lovely Bride are Korean)
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It’s awesome, though, because we speak the Korean that we know from watching KBS to all of the Korean store-keepers in our neighborhood.
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I am working up the nerve to address the ajima who rings up our kim chee and mango slices in the honorific I’ve seen used in the Goguryeo era courts before the king (“Kur-OH-sumi-daaaaah Pae-aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!“).
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I always use the more formal (“Anyeong hashimikaaaaaah!”) to the ladies who ring us up, and sometimes address the more elderly ones (than myself) as “Sangsaengnyim!“. Of course, I always hand them the debit card with one hand whilst the other is holding up an imaginary long robe-sleeve, in the most polite fashion possible.
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It’s hilarious. The first time LB and I bowed and said “kamsa hamnidaaaah!” in near unison, they looked at us like we were talking dogs.
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We’re learning more and more Korean all of the time. Sometimes we don’t need subtitles. It’s insane.
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I just figured out how “ga” and “i” are helping syllables attached to a pronoun or subject noun to indicate that the rest of the not-conjugated verb applies to the first word in the sentence (“Mother-in-law-title ga, store going [with] friend, [this] afternoon [+ end of sentence suffix commensurate with the hierarchical relationship between the speaker, the listener and the person spoken about, probably aeyo]“).
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Yeah, I figured that out from listening and watching subtitles. LB has figured out a bunch of stuff, too. We share vocabulary tips while watching.
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The most amazing drama was “Iron Empress,” which was unbelievably subversive for any drama, let alone a historical drama.
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It was blatantly feminist, which is out of control. It posited that there was a before and after Confucianism, in which Koreans weren’t limited by Confucian gender roles, but still were completely Korean. Nuts.

sqr1:
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This is a fantastic novel.

Ha ha.
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Reminds me of Steven Colbert: “Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know, fiction! “

That was my first thought, too. WTF? If it was wrong under Bush – and it most certainly was – it’s no better under Obama.

If KT were some first-year newbie, that would be one thing. However, she’s done this quite a few times; I’m going to trust that she knows who to talk with and what to ask as far as how these things work. I won’t go so far as to say these questions are insulting to KT, but c’mon, people…

“they looked at us like we were talking dogs”
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My friend, welcome to my life. A Time Asia writer once put it: “In Japan, you always seem to be acting out a little kabuki play entitled, ‘A JAPANESE MEETS A GAIJIN [foreigner]‘”
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I’ll keep my eye out for Iron Empress, in the event KBS (or one of the other dozen stations here airing Korean dramas) runs it. That plot sounds quite risque, in uber conservative Korea or here (Japanese historical dramas too suffer from major historical blindspots re: their in-part matriarchal heritage). Mind you, these dramas romanticize the feudal lords that preyed upon the other 99%. There’s a reason why Kurosawa wasn’t regarded here until after his death.

Sure this is a dead thread, but KT yesterday afternoon our local NPR station had a clip with someone who was at the talk on the local news update and this morning NPR had at least four people speaking to Don Gonyea. There was a lot of crowd noise in the background and they indicated they were talking to people there.

Don’t know what happened to you – you didn’t even have a mike, or maybe that was the problem!

Hot Air: Obamateurism of the Day
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/03/15/obamateurism-of-the-day-229/