I knew it, I knew it, I knew it: WH will cease daily press briefings

[CatWoman]

you just watch.

I saw the idea (well, heard about it) from Britt Hume right after Snow accepted the press secretary job:

Bolten said it may be worth considering whether to end the daily televised press briefings where reporters and the press secretary frequently air disputes in front of the cameras, but he will leave that decision up to Snow.

"I think that will be Tony Snow's first test — to see what kind of power player he really is and whether he's able to establish the right kind of relationship with the press that we need going forward," Bolten said, appearing on the same show that Snow hosted for seven years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060430/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_s_new_chief_1

[joemurphy]

1. A Press Secretary that doesn't talk to the Press!

What a novel idea! That shakes me up!

It reminds me of the Major Major character from Catch-22 -- the one who was "not in" if he was in and if he was not in was "in".

[radfringe]

23. it's because SNOW has a second job

as a bartender...

[mike_c]

2. yep, they're circling the wagons now....

The pigs are becoming desperate.

[Lars39]

3. DU was ahead of the curve in a way...

I remember it kind of jokingly being discussed when they first announced that the WH press corps was getting new offices.

[peekaloo]

4. They'll teleconference.......just like Max Headroom!

:rofl:

[JDPriestly]

5. They are going to contol access as a reward and punishment

for the kinds of stories that are written and published. If the press puts up with this, it will lose its dwindling audience even faster. The big TV channels will get the access and the little guys will be squeezed out unless they are very, very good -- to Bush.

[Eric J in MN]

6. Randi Rhodes (AAR) predicted that they would end televised

briefings.

[salin]

7. That would be folly for the WH - a miscalculation.

Just as the press is finally, after four years, starting to get a voice - reporting stories even when the WH doesn't feed it to them. To deny voice from the WH means that their "spin/side" will not be a part of many stories - esp in secondary media sources (smaller markets) that do not have direct open contact with the WH. They think this is still 2004. With approval ratings in the 30s there is more demand on the corporate media for critical stories (demand = what people watch and thus what advertisers will buy per viewership) - and those stories will proceed without WH spin.

Granted the media still seems tilted right and pro-bush - there is much more activity that is critical than in past years since 911. The WH would be arrogant and stupid to play "hard ball" (as in take my ball and go home if you don't play it my way) at this moment in time.

Not that I would complain if there was no WH response on a daily basis to the next unfolding story that doesn't paint bush in a positive light. :evilgrin:

[CatWoman]

9. actually, I view hiring Tony Snow a major miscalculation

I've seen and heard nothing but ridicule about it.

:hi: Salin

Bush really needs to start acknowledging the 62 percent.

[salin]

16. Given Bush's personality - it will never happen.

(acknowledging the 62 - 68 % that disapprove of his presidential policies). Now it appears that Mehlman and the GOPs in Congress are choosing to be fools by hitching their futures to this arrogant train wreck. In the past month it has dawned on me that we may be in one of those rare historical eras where on major political party diminishes to the point of being over taken by some other party (and God knows what that would look like.) Seems like the Bush playbook is to arrogantly assume that they can reclaim dominance over Congress and the media without regard to the depth with which public sentiment has shifted - and in doing so to potentially take the entire party down. In the Nixon era it was thre administration that fell, and the party took a minor hit (and came back six years later with the Reagan years). Indications now are that the Bushco is willing to sacrifice the long-term standing of the entire party in order to try to get some short term gains for the presidency... but their political strategies for reclaiming 'short term popularity' are increasingly flawed and almost doomed for failur. May they take the entire corrupt party down with them.

btw :hi:

[tblue37]

25. They aren't worried.

They own the voiting machines.

[C_U_L8R]

8. The Tony No-Show

[Junkdrawer]

10. The WH reporters better watch. Soon the WH will have a direct feed...

to the newspaper linotype machines and then where will they be? :shrug:

[deminks]

11. Faux will have the main access. Others will have to kiss up

to get anything. I think we are already seeing this.

[shadowknows69]

14. I have to hand it to them sometimes

This was a master stroke. Fox has exclusive rights to ignore all the administrations wrongdoings.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

12. Then they will have more time to "just type"

Like Colbert said

[msongs]

13. white house "press corps" is a buncha pathetic losers....

I could ask better questions than they can, then again, so could my neighbor's dog.

the answers are all lies so good riddance to the whole crapping mess.

have a nice day mr. snow :-)

Msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art
mugs and shirts

[Ms. Clio]

15. "Make. Announce. Type." n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

17. Oh, BIG surprise. :yawn: nt

[Catrina]

18. The WH Press Corps should have walked out a long time ago as soon

as they knew they were being lied to on a daily basis. That would have given THEM the upper hand. No one in DC seems to be able to 'strategize' when it comes to this administration.

Imo, the main reason why they are even thinking of stopping the daily briefings is because there is so much trouble ahead. Like indictments, maybe even of the VP. They are circling the wagons and will only speak to Fox, their propaganda arm.

After all the sucking up and the leaning to the right, CNN, MSNBC et al, are going to be kicked in the teeth anyway. They should have told us the truth, they were never going to get access, or the truth out of this cabal.

[DanCa]

19. They don't have white house tours anymore do they.

Freedoms on the march.

[Jemmons]

20. The Sovjet Union never died - it just quietly relocated

In a few years we will be trying to deficer esoteric statements from the administration, which will stonewall any questioning and avoid any responsibility to the public.

[rucky]

21. And we got so much information from those sessions.

I guess we'll just have to tune into FOX News for the latest.

[CoffeeCat]

22. Wow, pretty soon--Junior will be up on a big screen...

...just like the "great and powerful Oz."

He'll speak when he damn well feels like it, and we'll be forced to 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.'

I guess we're not in Kansas anymore.

[rman]

24. Just keep digging that hole, W

[smoogatz]

26. The key word is TELEVISED. They've only been televising them since

Clinton, when Mike McCurry was his press secretary. They'll still have them, they just won't be live on CSpan.

[Chiyo-chichi]

27. Why hire a TV guy and then do away with televised briefings?

Although it makes as much sense as anything else this misadministration has done.

[paparush]

28. Doesn't Matter thanks to Faux....

Bush and Berlusconi have more in common than lust for power...they both have GIGANTIC media outlets ready to do their bidding.

Whatever backlash there is in the printed press will be more than lunted by the daily deluge of filth gushing forth from Faux.

They are the #1 rated news TV in America...and TV is all that matters to Mr & Mrs Taxpayer.