“That’s our opinion” says Gibbs
The stalwart Jake Tapper stands nearly alone among network news reporters in clinging to the apparently outworn idea of defending the press’s right to criticize a Democratic president.
In this interview he interviews Obama’s Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, voicing some obvious questions that every person in the MSM, whether of the Right or Left, ought to be asking:
Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one ”“
(Crosstalk)
Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.
Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say ”“
Gibbs: ABC –
Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?
Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.
Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” — why is that appropriate for the White House to say?
Gibbs: That’s our opinion.
Why does the Obama administration continue to say Fox isn’t a real news organization? Because, “Yes, they can.”
[NOTE: See this for more on the issue of Obama and Fox News.]
I won!
This won’t be the straw that breaks Obama’s back. Far from it.
However, it is another of those maneuvers that may in the short-term shore up Obama’s base and create an impression of toughness, but that main effect will be to cement in opposition the moderates and independents who left Obama and started watching Fox.
Obama will not be able to convince those voters to return.
Obama continues to degrade the brand that elected him — that image of a fair, intelligent, unflappable statesman. Barring extraordinary circumstances, Obama won’t be able to recover that and the Obama bandwagon will not roll again
“Yeah?, well uh, that’s just like your opinion man”. – Jeffrey Lebowski 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsogswrH6ck
The Dude abides; the Obama won’t.
Huxley: I was poking fun at Gibbs, who is not nearly as cool as he thinks he is.
The Dude abides
The Obama chides … straw men
Media imbibes
SAB: Whatevah, mon.
“The Dude abides.” I just love that line.
I saw last night that Hannity had a little message on the ‘framing’ of the TV screen, something like: Not Approved by the White House. And then Beck with the phone and Brit Hume’s comments. FNC is laughing it’s way to the bank on this.
I heard that, today, Beck brought in a cage of carrier pigeons. Heh.
Tapper = Uncommon courage … wow
Tapper’s the only one who thinks for himself in that WH press room. Let’s see if the WH decides that Jake Tapper is no longer a “real” member of the media as defined by The One. Will Tapper’s buddies stand up for him or look the other way?
’twill be interested to see if Tapper keeps his job for long. If he does, then I might conclude that Disney (ABC’s parent) is actually motivated by creation of shareholder value, rather than by the personal political beliefs of employees and executives.
Which would be a rare phenomenon in a media corporation.
Tapper will have to lose his job. Otherwise, Obama will send volunteers to Paramount theme parks instead of Disney.
By the way, who’s gonna pay for that?
I’m surprised that Jake Taper hasn’t been slapped down or frozen out by this White House already. They’ve probably tried. Tapper is one of the few remaining true journalists out there (in a high profile post, anyway). He is doing all the heavy lifting himself in that press room.
I have been watching Morning Joe on MSNBC lately and some of the “Brew Crew” (not Scarborough) continue to blast Fox news for being “hateful” and putting “clowns” on the air (by whom I presume they mean Glenn Beck). Have they never run into Keith Olbermann in the halls, I wonder?
It’s astounding how thoroughly they delude themselves….
Tapper has some guts. And apparently some sense of outrage that the Admin. has tried to strong-arm the press (not that most of them need it). I remember he alllllmost used the F-word to Robert Gibbs in one press con when Gibbsie flippantly dismissed a pointed question from Tapper as unimportant.
I think he really loathes Gibbsie. Who is the only press secretary I’ve seen who’s as hapless an idiot as Scott McClellan.
Tapper is a Democrat, but he’s one of the few with a sense of professional honor.