“Any Plans For A Real Press Conference?”

You have to admit that the event with the Mexican leader would NOT have been the forum to ask about the other 5 issues you raised. And when a real press availabilty take place, a lot of the time is spent playing whack-a-mole with R branded disinformation tidbits.
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Also waiting 5…4…3…2…1 for someone to pipe in that this is an example of Obama ignoring the Constitution.

If you don’t like it, don’t show up.

Let’s be real here. Out of all those unasked topics you listed, the only one the WH press corps would ask about is the primary results.

If I recall, the entire first half of last year and maybe more, it was a constant barrage from every media outlet questioning over exposure of the pres. Didn’t like primetime broadcast conferences too often. The questions IMO were hardly worth getting excited over and there were reporters of all types called upon. Then there was screaming about choosing to take questions of new media sources. There were complaints about overrunning time. Now, it’s complaining that he isn’t talking enough to the press, despite the press being there on AF1 and surprise visits back. Despite town halls where you can, you know, report on policy and what is said. Despite long interviews AT the WH even with Fox. I don’t know what people want. He really is just ONE guy, with limited time. I guess I’d think 1 and 1s are fine. I mean, he didn’t pick just ONE reporter, right? If that were the case there would be a problem.

And i Have to agree, how are those the questions to be asking at the Calderon event?

Yep. Reporters in Washington have degenerated to self-important gossip reporters. People and Star would be proud.

Why ask about policy, which the reporters themselves rarely understand, when they can ask about politics (their version of gossip)?

I have to admit I would like Obama to do a press conference. Not because he hasn’t had to face any hard questions but because it would be a pleasure for me to see Obama wipe the floor with the bunch of amateurs that make up the WH press corps. But what would happen is that a question would be asked and he would answer properly with nuance and sufficient consideration that the story would be not what the answers were but how long those answers were. Exhibit 1 – the reference to the 1100 word answer to the question posed at this press conference. Has it occurred to anyone that the sorts of questions require more than soundbites? I didn’t think so…

Another whining Michael Scherer post! Awesome! A few days ago, I was gonna ask for Scherer’s gripes to be promoted to regular feature status, but then I realized they already were…

…let us consider the range of recent issues that Obama has yet to comment on…

Let us not. Instead, let us try not to pout when we aren’t picked as Helper during Circle Time.

That Obama..that nerve, to not have commented on the most contentious issue of the day just shows how much boywonder is in over his head. Clearly, Micheal Lynch deserved to be in the top three of American Idol. Casey, c’mon, I see those same pretty blues in the subway daily. Somewhere out there our founding fathers are rolling in their graves.

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That’s (almost) as absurd as your post MS. The notion that you guys would not “harp” on Obama’s lack of transferable “popularity” would be ALL you could guys would ask. But But But Mr. President, Spector, Lincoln, ….doesn’t this render you impotent? And therefore, useless? Why not just resign, Mr. President?

Amen Homer. An issue that has to deal with the potential threat of racial profiling, states overstepping the feds, the real problem of immigration problem..according to MS should be boiled down to one phrase.

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“Fix the dang fence”
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– John “Former Maverick” McCain

All recent prezzes have difficulty holding “press” conferences (as MS probably remembers). Nowadays they’re extremely orchestrated and there’s no real give-and-take anyway. You think a) he still couldn’t control the message and b) you’re gonna learn any more than what he wants you to know? One o’ these days a big network/news org will just stand up and say “no more. This has gone far enough. We’ll find news through other sources.”

Those questions are great, if not particularly applicable to the Calderon event, I would LOVE it if a WH presser had a series of questions like those that you mentioned. However, that is not the type of question Chip Reid was trying to ask – was it? He wanted to know the President’s reaction to Specter losing – in other words just more horse race jibber-jabber that he could use to spin a narrative on. I used to respect journalists so much, but your profession has deteriorated to such an extent that it cannot seem to reverse the tide.
Stop trying to protect your status and start trying to earn your reader’s respect. We don’t care where you sit in the press room, we don’t dare if you have to wait on Gibbs, we don’t care if some kid from Huff Po is being called on for a question -save your industry gripes for private conversation. Just do your job without incessantly whining that it is hard.

Oh yes, a complaint I kept hearing that was left out of my earlier post: too long of answers. Taking too much time. Even though, I for one, am happy we have a president that takes the time to deliberate and fully answer questions. It’s just, you know, it seems all people listen to are sound bytes.

Obama should be having more press conferences. Whether they are orchestrated or Obama drones a non-answer, he still should have to face direct press questions.
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This is all about transparency and access. To say that recent POTUSes didn’t do them either isn’t much of an excuse. Since we all know that Obama can handle these situations easily, why won’t he do them?

Michael, did you actually just put up a post about how journalism today seems to be composed of “look at me” journalists, and then complain that the President doesn’t answer those journalists questions???
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Seriously, out of 20 questions, just how many do you think would have been asked about serious policy issues rather than politics? And of those few policy questions, how many would have been reported in a way other than to state how long the response was?

Don’t you need a real president before you can have a real press conference? The man-child is barely qualified to work the cash register at McDonald’s.

“…called on a reporter…who asked [Obama] about the new Arizona immigration law, which Obama had addressed in part in his opening remarks…”

-followed by-

“Calderón called on a reporter…[who] reformulated the same question for Obama about the Arizona law… Obama declined to reanswer the first question…”

Lately, I’ve just about given up on watching “Meet The Press David Gregory”. Gregory’s interviewing style is to constantly interrupt the person who is (sometimes) trying to answer a question, so that he can ask his next question. Gregory apparently thinks that hearing himself ask questions is more important than letting people answer them. Sometimes I’d like to actually hear the answer to the question.

The most irritating examples of this problem typically follow the pattern:
1. A guest receives a question from Gregory that took Gregory a minute or more to ask (complete with snark and gotcha asides).
2. The guest is then interrupted after getting out two sentences and leaving us with an incomplete answer.
3. Gregory then states that “We have to move on to another subject” and asks another long winded question (that he also doesn’t really care about the answer to).

BTW, Michael, what WAS Obama’s answer to the question about the Arizona law?

Using your logic, Dubya wuld be one step above Piltdown Man. Barely.

As good as he is, Gregory’s got a long way to go to remind you of his predecessor.

would be

nflfoghorn:

Bush was far more qualified to be president than the son of a goat herder currently in the White House.

Obama has given up hoping for rational exchange with the press before the press has. The fools (present company excluded, MS) will just ask fool questions and waste time. Just deliver the message, let ‘em scribble and file their story, and screw ‘em otherwise.

The WHPC got to a point when they made snarky remarks about the President appearing to give too many pressers. Now they are taking the opposite tack. Meanwhile a bunch of them are getting personal face time for their books – which suggests an interest in cash as opposed to informing us plebes.

It is not as if the WHPC is particularly skilled at asking questions and eliciting answers. They have a gotcha mentality’; and it looks like the President has got it. I still can’t get over the offensive tone of the first four questioners: I call them “the entitled”. Chip Reid has a mighty chip on his shoulder. Jake Tapper is too full of himself… and on and on until we get to that clown from Fox….

This President gives prepared speeches several times a week but refuses to give press conferences except on very rare occasions.
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What happen to the transparency Obama said we would have if he was elected president.
Is he afraid to answer questions from the press?
Does he fear having to give answers without prepared answers on a teleprompter?
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Is it the fear that his inexperience will show through if he has to give impromptu answers to questions.
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One would think with his approval rating at 48% and congress at 22% and voters thinking the country is going in the wrong direction 77%, he would want to have press conferences to convince the American public he knows what he is doing.
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There is no good defense for Obama not having press conferences. American citizens liberal, conservative or independent deserve this opportunity to hear the President make his case for taking the country in the direction he believes is in our best interest and defend his policies in an open forum such as a press conference.

groenhagen the sequel,
The son of a goat herder that you speak of taught constitutional law at Harvard. Obama also was a U.S. Senator from Illinois. George Bush should stick to baseball and draft dodging, things he can better comprehend. Now why don’t you go and crawl back under whatever rock you came out from.

Bits, because the press corps is like a 16 yr old girl,they don’t know what they want. Within the span of a few months we have gone from Obama is too out there to he is not out there enough. And frankly, he gives more interviews than I care to see. And since we no Mr. Cautious won’t drop anything newsworthy, what’s the point? The press will just be harping that it was BORING and TOO SAFE the next day.Like what is Obama going to do, come out to the theme of We are the Champions while Biden drops memorable quotes from the Hangover as the intro?

tstar, I think the point is that Obama should still be answerable and accessible. If the press makes fools of themselves by asking silly or irrelevant questions is on them, but Obama should still have to answer unvetted, spontaneous questions from the gallery.

When Obama does give press conferences, the main topic of discussion among the pundits afterward is how boring it was because of all the boring policy discussions about all the boring problems we’re facing.

Michael Scherer:
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Yes, politicians shouldn’t decide who gets to ask them what questions.
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No, the white house press corps (and their worthless editors) shouldn’t be in charge of who asks what questions, and what gets reported how, either.
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Both actors are to blame for failing our people.

Is it the fear that his inexperience will show through if he has to give impromptu answers to questions.

Your ignorance is showing. He’s actually quite skilled in impromptu settings which you would know if you bothered to pay attention. In fact, his weakness is giving long detailed answers and tending to talk down to his questioners. THAT’S what PO’s the press corps.

Deliberately and fully answers questions? What planet have you been living on. You need 1,100 words to answer a question when you dance all around the question and answer everything BUT what the original question was about. Obama answers the question he wishes was asked, not neccessarily the one asked. It’s the same thing all politicans do.

Yet Bush STILL outperformed John Kerry at Yale. Perhaps Obama doesn’t want to release his college transcripts because he would be embarassed to be outperfomed by Bush as well. It really matters not. The point is, you guys worship Obama’s “intelligence” without any support for it other than his speeches. No grades, no transcripts (all things most presidential candidates of the past 50 years have released), no nothing. I love the gall of Obama supporters to ask for proof when they spout his superiority with little to no proof.

Really, Dirks? Do you really want to make that statement? Perhaps you missed all his, “ummm, uhhhhh” moments when asked a question he wasn’t ready for. That does NOT show skill in impromptou settings, despite your statements.

Mere weeks before the Deepwater Horizon incident, Obama says (paraphrasing here) “oil rigs don’t cause oil spills.” If Bush would have made that same statement, he would have been crucified and called completely ignorant by some of the posters here. Yet, you don’t shine the same spotlight on your beloved leader’s statements. Why the double-standard?

Because TIME is a double standard organization. They are heavily biased Left and will only print negative stuff about Republicans. Maybe one out of 100 may be some what negative towards a Democrat.