We haven’t even experienced a week of the new presidential administration and it’s already obvious that hopes for a better relationship between the Obama Administration and the press than there was during the Bush Administration were misguided. Now that we are no longer bound by Bush era secrecy, Republicans need to foster a relationship with the press and drive a wedge between the Democrats and the “traditionally liberal” media.
On Thursday night, President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps but when a reporter actually had the nerve to ask him a question. Call me crazy, but getting upset at a reporter for asking a question is like getting upset at a teacher for teaching, at an actor for acting, or at Vice President Biden for talking too much. This is what they’re meant to do. But you ask our President a meaningful question and he gets flustered.
Then Obama told Republican leaders that they need to quit listening Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with his administration. Really, Mr. President? Limbaugh is the most listened to radio talk show host in the nation, with tens of millions of Americans tuning in to his show on a regular basis. Are you going to make sure those people quit listening to Limbaugh too or are you just going to ignore those Americans. I’m not a huge fan of Limbaugh’s show or talk radio in general, but to ignore its influence and tell opponents to the same is beyond arrogant.
This is a sign of things to come. The Bush Administration got hammered for keeping secrets. The Obama Administration will eventually get hammered for refusing to answer questions and tuning out the opposing side. Even if they get an especially long grace period from the liberal media, and even if MSNBC remains the de-facto Ministry of Obama Propaganda, most journalists will eventually get frustrated with the administration and it will begin to show.
How should Republicans take advantage of this? Simple, we need to remake ourselves into a party that is open to media. Being in the opposition gives us the best opportunity to do this. We need to accept every interview invitation, answer every question in an honest and straightforward manner, and we need to make sure we have our best and brightest representing our views on the air.
We also have to discontinue our attitude towards the press. Yes, they do lean, if not fall, to the left. Yes, they tend to cut Democrats slack while not giving us a break, but regaining our prominence will be a lot easier if we don’t have to fight the Democrats and the media at the same time.
We cannot come across as obstructing the administration’s plans. If we do and we fail to stop them we will look insignificant and if we actually succeed in stopping them and things get worse we will get the blame. We need to come across as the wise Greek chorus warning the audience of things to come when “heroes” let hubris get in the way. Democrats are going to have to spin everything that happens in the next four years as either completely positive or the fault of Republicans. Republicans don’t have to spin at all. We just have to speak the truth and make sure we’re listened to. Playing nice with the media is the best to get this accomplished.
Last 5 posts by Abel S. Delgado
- Let’s Support the Cantwell-McCain Bill - January 6th, 2010
- Deeds Gets Dirty, Doesn’t Win Anyway - November 2nd, 2009
- Obama & The Berlin Wall - October 25th, 2009
- The Nobel Prom King - October 11th, 2009
- Bureaucratizing Interrogations a Horrible Idea - August 28th, 2009
When do Republicans speak the truth? Every once in a while I suppose, but most in Congress are just government shills like the rest of the democrats. Not a SINGLE, well I take that back, there is one Republican in Congress, but besides him not a single Republican tells the press or the American people specifically why this bailout is bad for the economy. Either they don’t know and thus are unable to, or they don’t believe its bad. How can they speak truth when they don’t know the truth, or believe otherwise? Simple, they can’t, at least not most of them. When politicians on both sides of the aisle come on TV and start explaining why we are in the current economic climate we hear words thrown around that are sheer buffoonery, such as \greed\, and \Wall Street\, never once looking at themselves as a possible problem. Can you imagine what would happen if the big wig House Repubs came out, held a major press conference, and spilled ALL the beans on what the government did to initiate, sustain, and fully inflate the housing bubble? And then say what policies are being implemented to further inflate the bust. All hell would break loose. The dems would be sitting there looking utterly idiotic. Throw it on Obama hard. He’d be forced to react in a manner somewhat respectable towards taxpayers at that point. Of course this will never happen from the Repubs, as they are complicit in most of this.