Media Impotent Following Up On Obama At Last Night's Press Conference
By John Aloysius Farrell, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
The White House press corps needs to work on its follow-up questions. The reporters sounded, way too often, like Tommy Smothers last night.
Tommy was the dumb brother on the left who would come up with some outlandish statement, and then be corrected by the smarter brother, Dick.
The brothers would get their laugh as Tommy manfully struggled to cope with his embarrassment and concoct a clever comeback, which usually was..."Oh yeah?"
Followed by (sullen, with resentment), "Mom always liked you best."
A follow-up question needs to be on target, to correct a misstatement or point out that the president dodged the initial query.
The reporter's job is to elicit information, not to puff up their chest and preen for the viewers. Asking the same question over again, this time in umbrage, only allows a skilled pol like Obama to play further variations on the talking points, and chew up the clock.
CNN's Ed Henry had a good follow-up last night, when Obama tried to slide past a question about the AIG flap. Henry would not let him, and elicited a tart and memorable response from the otherwise unflappable president.
But too often the follow-uppers sounded like Tommy Smothers.
Reporter: "Critics say you are spending the country into the poor house and financial catastrophe looms."
Obama: "I hear those criticisms and I disagree. In the long run, the investments we make now in jobs, education, health care reform and energy will revitalize the economy and bring prosperity."
Reporter: "I have a follow up. (`Oh yeah?') But critics say you are spending the country into the poor house and financial catastrophe looms. (`Mom always liked you best.')"
Obama: (Smiles.)
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Tags: journalism | media | Barack Obama
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Reader Comments
A larger picture unpopular to Republicans and Democrats
In the long run, what difference does it make about who created the highest deficit? GWB or Obama. Judging by what I saw at the last tea party I attended in Greenville, SC, Conservatives have awakened even to the abuses of power by Republicans. Obama has merely stepped up those same policies to ridiculous extrmes. I have great anger towards Obama and it is difficult not to hate the man (and believe me, the only thing that keeps me from it is forcing myself to pray for him) for his RADICAL Pro-abortion stand which should shock even those who favor abortion in SOME circumstances. [Partial birth abortion which is full term and requires the baby being turned breech so the brain can be sucked out while the baby is thrashing his or her legs wildly from the pain AND killing babies born alive from failed abortions come to mind]. However, Republicans and Conservatives have all too often been guilty of being ONLY one-issue voters, taking the crumbs our candidates give us while they rape our budget. And I agree with Chris on vigilance no matter who is in office. But now that evil has totally taken over our executive, congressional, and judicial departments, we will start to see more and more that (paraphrasing Fr. John Corapi) as the morals of the country go, so goes our nation. We've had warnings in the past. Rome was once considered a great empire but fell as the empire crumbled into gross immorality. Alexis DeTocqueville, in Democracy In America, noted about our own country, while comparing our revolution to that of France, indicated that America is great because she is good and when American ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. Some say that America was never a Christian nation and they'll point to some statements made by the founders of the government citing various instances, but the significance of what history calls the great awakening can't be ignored. Prior to the founding of the Government, a vast amount of the people of America adopted the beliefs and morals of the Judeo-Christian etthic and many of them took the person of Christ into their own spirits. Should American people revolt without first changing our spirits and adopting those same principles, we will have a bloody revolution such as France did in the 1700s and will be no better off under a new government. And I'm afraid its heading that way from all the anger and hatred I see going on from both sides. So, Chris, I would add to your "be vigilant" warning, that we should also take time to feed our spirits, do right in our own hearts and in our own lives. The press will not be vigilant for us. They are part of the lie. Be angry when necessary but balance those times with doing something positive like hugging our kids, enjoying life, family, and what we have. If we are in the fight to keep our country from bankruptcy and ruin of all types, what good does it do to fight if our anger (and I'm speaking of myself when I say this) loses for us the very things we are fighting for?
Kill the messenger or check the facts for yourself
I will always encourage anyone to research anything that is said within these articles and certainly within the comments section. The "kill the messenger" cliche' always comes about when one doesn't like the message(or is too busy with spell-check).
Please go to the Congessional Budget Office website to see where our money has gone (under GWB) and more importantly, where it's going now (under the Obama's direction). Some may not care to hear the truth.
Follow-up Questions
I don't think the media ought to be allowed follow up questions of Obama. It is clear Obama said all he was going to say on the topic. I think if a reporter asks a follow-up question that is repetitive or disrespectful they should be banned from covering Washington. Obama is one of the greatest presidents ever and reporters ought to show respect to his status.
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