This can be confusing: the White House Press Corps is the official group of EXTERNAL reporters who are employed by newspapers, networks, magazines, etc. to get the scoop about everything White House-esque going on. They're the ones asking penetrating questions to my man Gibbs during the pretty blue press conferences. They're the ones who tend to form a sort of relationship with the President, as they are with him all the time. As seen in Alexandra Pelosi's documentary on President George W. Bush's second run for office, yes Pelosi as in Nancy Pelosi, the press corps in any form is often seen broing out with the President on the campaign trail, making jokes with him, and even using some understood sarcasm. Yet, it's obvious that this kind of relationship has not been forged between President Obama and his Press Corps. We all saw the awkward interactions between Obama and Corps at the beginning of his term when they were being shut out of meetings or turned away from asking questions. We've all heard rumors about the questions for press conferences being planned ahead of time and even told to President Obama before he even steps behind the podium. Yet, this report is proof enough that Mr. Obama has truly created a void between him and the people who are reporting on his every move. Sure, Pres. GWB was on the campaign trail and wanted the press corps to like him and write nice things about him... but Alexandra Pelosi's mother is the devoutly liberal Speaker of the House and the last thing I could see her doing is falling for the Bush charm if it weren't genuine. So here's my first piece of advice: President Obama, learn where your bread is buttered. The more random good will events you let your pool of press-hungry friends document, the more opportunity you'll have in the future to have the media on your side... and we all know how much that helped during your campaign (cough, thanks to the 55 major newspapers who publicly endorsed Obama as opposed to the 16 newspapers that endorsed McCain ).
The second problem I have here is that one of the main characteristics of a totalitarian regime is censorship. Now I know Obama not allowing the press corps to watch the UCONN Lady Husky basketball fun does not mean that the United States is destined for authoritarianism. I just want to bring to the table the idea that this could not have happened over night. Obama's TV production of the event had logolines, it had an emblem, it had cuts, and it had interviews. This was not just a private documentation for the Library of Congress... this was a planned taping of an invent involving the very President of the United States who vowed to have more transparency in his government. Well we know there are some security issues with letting us read all of the documents that hit your desk, but at least let us see you take on the NCAA Women's National Basketball champions... who wouldn't want to see the Lady Huskies throw down with B.Obama? From Putin to Chavez, nations around the world that are associated with communism, totalitarianism, socialism, authoritarianism, fascism, any negative ism that isn't synonymous with democracy, has its own private media group that delivers the news and information regarding the state of the nation, often with out opposition newspapers/networks that will dish out a more truthful, less diluted/warped version of what is going on. So let's all just take this as a side note... I hope that twenty years from now I won't be reading my niece or my own child's dissertation on how we should've have seen it coming when the White House made it's own television network. What hurts the most is knowing that we all supported this man, we wanted a change, but the change we're getting and the man we've seen is almost like a ghost of the one whose name we selected in the voting booth. Until the next enraging headline...
CLZ
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