Bolten: White House Needs To Regain Momentum And Maybe End TV Press Briefings
The White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten says it’s time for the administration to regain the momentum — and he outlined a variety of measures.
One is sure to raise a firestorm of a controversy if it takes place: ending televised press briefings. If this happens, look for poll numbers to erode more since it will please Republicans and solidify Democratic and exiting independents support of the administration. The reason: it will be portrayed (and seen) as unabashed information control.
Bolten’s comments came in an interview with Fox News network:
It’s time for the White House to go on offense and “get our mojo back.” Josh Bolten said Sunday in his first interview since taking over as the president’s chief of staff.Bolten made no promises of pulling up President Bush’s all-time low approval ratings, but he said he and Bush have decided they want to be more open with the media and the public.
OK. That’s a useful and positive goal: being more open. Bolten made it clear in the interview that being more open doesn’t necessarily mean the President’s policies are going to change. So how does he suggest regaining the momentum?
“I don’t think we need to change, but we do need to refresh and re-energize,” Bolten said.For example, he said the White House is “thinking actively” about immigration and putting the president out front on an issue that has split him off from some in his own party. Bolten added that it is vital that the White House communicate effectively about the importance of the fight against terrorism so Americans will support the mission.
So it sounds like it means putting GWB out there to make more public statements and speeches, perhaps taking more definitive stands on those issues.
“What the change does provide is an opportunity for the White House to step back, refresh, re-energize at a time when we’re 5 1/2 years into an administration – normally a slow point, a low point, in many administrations – and a chance for us to get our mojo back, to go back more on the offensive and to get people within the White House to look at our operations, re-energize them for the next six months up through the election, the next 1,000 days through the end of this president’s term,” Bolten said.
In other words, it sounds more like working to ensure a more effective public relations operation — info and explanations that would be more consistent, more efficiently delivered and repeated more often.
And, indeed, there have been complaints from GOPers, including Republicans in Congress, that the administration needs to get its act together in the messages it sends out.
So that sounds like Bolten is responding to criticism that has been out there.
But this next idea spells d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r for the White House:
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 [newly named press secretary Tony] 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.
Note to Mr. Bolten: the fact is that televised press briefings are now a part of the political/news media culture — and they have been for many years.
If you decide to end them now when the President’s poll numbers are languishing it will be widely interpreted, perceived and portrayed as a sign that the White House is going into hiding mode — trying to avoid the public scrutiny that voters see when they watch a press spokesman stand up to tough (if at times inane and lack-of-follow-up) questioning.
If you or Snow decide to scrap televised press briefings the question will arise:
Then why did the White House feel it had to hire a high-profile communicator like Fox News anchor Snow, anyway, if the idea is to keep his puss off TV screens because unpleasant questions would be shouted out at him? Can’t Tony Snow handle it?
What next: doing away with Presidential press conferences?
25 Responses to “Bolten: White House Needs To Regain Momentum And Maybe End TV Press Briefings”
I think he’s onto something. Most of the problems that Bush has had have been with the biased liberal media asking questions solely to formulate a negative story.
If they stopped taking the questions, it would leave little opening for the media to beat the drum of negativity.
Yes, dictatorship is great! No reason to deal with that pesky media. If not for them, Dear Leader would have approval ratings of 70%!
What a stupid goal! The reason for this adiministration’s popularity drop is exactly because it has already been [on the] offensive for 5 1/2 years!
It’s the fault of the media? I thought it was Clinton! I just can’t remember who to blame, maybe that is why I failed the Ditto Head home study course. What conservatives need to do is come up with an Excel speadsheet of problems and who to blame so I can keep this straight.
What he really wants to do is go to Fox with all press briefings. 24/7 of good news for Bush from Fox, with no News from Iraq or NO all is great.
Let me get this straight-Bolton thinks the way to achieve MORE openness with the public is to end daily televised press briefings? Stroke of genius–curtailing information coming out of the White House will definitely help Bush’s credibility gap.
Now, no member of the public will ever again be forced to endure the sight of sweat beading up on the press secretary’s face as he loyally asserts the Bush Talking Points, or view the stymied disbelief on the faces of the White House press corps when his responses verge on fantasy. We’ll all learn Bushspeak and mindlessly repeat its happy talk!
I’m definitely in favor of stifling the negative flow of news coming from the MSM.
In my opinion, the founding fathers erred grievously when they allowed for freedom of the press—-obviously not having the foresight that such an amendment could aid our enemies in time of war, or aid the opposition party in an election year!
nice to see liberals trolling like usual… I guess thats the reason I shut the tv news off several years ago and refuse to turn it on.
It’s the liberal media which has taken sound bites and put them in reverse order and such which is causing this country to fall apart.
The government doesn’t run this country… the media does…
Interesting how anytime a member of the ever decreasing 32% of koolaid drinker ditto heads who still support Dubya read someting negative about the Bush Administration they still foam at the mouth over the “liberal media” and then go back to watching the obviously (and unabashed about it) biased Fox network… I think these folks need to take a look in the mirror where they will see the real fools who are being “influenced” by a biased media…
Meanwhile, good idea Bolton! I think this really could be the answer to raising Bush’s popularity numbers – don’t answer the American people’s questions on tv. Keep us all in the dark about the unending string os massive mistakes – ignorance is bliss!
Hey-Apasserby,
No need to shut off the tv–just keep it tuned to Fox News Channel, and the government’s viewpoint will be broadcast, independent of thoughtful analysis by those liberal, Commie journalists. Happy talk will ensue 24/7!
Also, if you tune into listen to Rush or Hannity you’ll get liberal sound bites in reverse order, so the sanity of the universe will be restored!
I think the white house needs a mojor policy review rather than media blocking. Yes, they are trying to be more open to the public by avoiding to air the daily WH press. I guess the Fox news genious anchor didn’t feel to ask the question ” How do you plan to be open to the public and End TV Press Briefings?” oh. I get it. so we can get our news from FOX. Just Great
Liberal media? WHAT liberal media? CNN? Clear Channel? Fox News? MSNBC? Even the ‘liberal’ Village Voice is now owned by a corporation out of Phoenix with their own political agenda, and they’ve fired the Village Voice’s top investigative reporters!
Haven’t you ever been told that a corporation is not a democracy? That’s what my CEO would remind me when I’d ask questions. Well, that’s what news channels are now. Big corporations.
Even Fox news reporters are under scrutiny. Two Fox news reporters were fired because they investigated questionable business practices of Monsanto – a Fox customer. Their story was, of course, squashed.
Investigative reporters are being pushed out and corporate yes-men are all that’s left. Every CNN story has to be approved in Atlanta. Why do you think that is?
FUNNY HOW MUCH MONEY FLOWS INTO LIBERAL CANDIDATE CAMPAIGNS FROM THE TV/FILM INDUSTRIES. THE LIBS SEEM TO IGNORE THE SUBSTANTIAL INFLUENCE OF CBS,NBC AND ABC, ETC. ON THE SKEWING OF NEWS. HOW OFTEN DO YOU SEE ANY REPORTING OF POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ? SO YOU REALLY THINK ITS A WIN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IF FAILURE PREVAILS IN IRAQ? TALK ABOUT IGNORANCE BEING BLISS! THE EVIL DOERS ACTUALLY WOULD LOVE TO CONTROL SA, IRAQ IRAN, KUWAIT, UAE, ETC.. WHEN/IF THAT HAPPENS, THEY WILL GAIN ASTRONOMICAL WEALTH TO FUND GLOBAL AMBITIONS. I KNOW, I’M PROBABLY JUST A PARANOID KOOL-AID DRINKER. ITS PROBABLY MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON DUKE RAPE ALLEGATIONS, CONGRESSWOMAN HARRASSMENT BY CAPITOL POLICE OR THE POOR IMMIGRANTS WHO ALL COME TO DO THE WORK AMERICANS WON’T DO, RIGHT? WAKE UP IDIOTS, THE UN IS IMPOTENT WHILE THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC DISREGARDS INTERNATIONAL CONCERN OVER ITS NUCLEAR(NUCULAR) AMBITIONS. IF THE OIL PRODUCING/EXPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE IS MARGINALIZED BY A MAJOR ATTACK/STRIKE, WE COULD SEE 20$ GALLON GAS. WAKE UP, I REALLY DIDN’T CARE IF PRISONERS AT ABU GARIB WERE FRIGHTENED BY WEARING PANTIES ON THEIR HEADS, OR THREATENED BY GUARD DOGS. I WAS MUCH MORE CONCERNED BY THE HORRIFIC BEHEADINGS BY THE VALIANT INSURGENTS. THIS RANT PROBABLY SOUNDS QUAINT TO YOU TWENTY SOMETHINGS WHO THINK YOU’VE GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT. WE ACTUALLY DESERVED 9/11 RIGHT? OR WAS IT A ZIONIST CONSPIRACY? PLEASE PUT DOWN THE BONG, GO DOWN TO YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSTORE AND BUY YOURSELF A COPY OF THE QURAN(KORAN) AND GET FAMILIAR WITH THE TEACHINGS OF THE HONORABLE MUHAMMAD, BECAUSE I BELIEVE YOUR FUTURE MAY REQUIRE AN INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL RELIGION KNOWN AS ISLAM(SUBMISSION).
Just what we need, a right-wing fear monger! So much for intelligent, reasoned discourse on the Moderate Voice! If liberals are not gung-ho over Bush’s war in Iraq, maybe it has something to do with the fact that he and the neocons were planning it right after his inauguration, not after 9/11. Maybe liberals think that Rumsfeld’s bungled occupation of Iraq is the best recruiting tool Al-Queda has! Maybe the destruction of a country , the loss of priceless antiquities, 100,000+ Iraqi civilian deaths, more than 2,600 American lives lost, a monetary cost of over $400 billion is too high a cost for whatever good is being accomplished there. And, if you are complaining about the price of oil, watch it go sky-high if we attack Iran! Our standing in the world has never been lower, and even our traditional allies want no part of any plans for Iran. That is the road George Bush’s administration has taken this country on, and to not object would be unconscionable and unpatriotic!
“If it bleeds, it leads.” is the motto of every form of “traditional” media I know. Whether this characterization is fair or not, it applies to Iraq and Afghanistan as much as it applies to local TV news broadcasts about accidents and murders. Good news out of Iraq isn’t sensational enough to lead news stories.
And the reason is that sensationalism sells, and in this age of corporatized media, news is as much a branded product as Tommy Hilfiger clothing. If “the public” demanded that the sensationalism ended, it would, because the corporations would realize that their product wasn’t selling as well.
HEY BRAD. THIS IS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THERE’S A LITTLE BUTTON ON YOUR KEYBOARD THAT ALLOWS YOU THE OPTION OF WRITING IN LETTERS THAT AREN’T SO BIG. FOR ONE THING BIG LETTERS ARE BAD ON THE EYES SO CHANCE ARE PEOPLE WON’T READ EVERYTHING YOU WROTE NO MATTER HOW INTELLIGENT OR DUMB IT MAY BE. ALSO BIG LETTERS IS LIKE SHOUTING.
get it?
IF KRITTER THINKS THAT SUPPORTING HAMAS, ISLAMIC JIHAD, AL AQKSA MARTYR BRIGADES, AL QAEDA, ETC. IS FEAR MONGERING BY THIS RIGHT WING FANATIC SO BE IT. WHY DIDN’T THE UN IN ALL ITS WISDOM ATTEND TO SADDAM? AFTER DESERT STORM, THEN THE NO FLY ZONES TO PROTECT SHIA AND KURDS, AND STILL NO COOPERATION ON INSPECTIONS BY IAEA OR UNSCOM. I GUESS THE OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM WAS AN EFFICIENT WAY FOR THE UN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POOR AND NEEDY IN IRAQ WHO WERE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE SANCTIONS/EMBARGO OF THE 90s, RECEIVED COMPASSIONATE HELP. IT IS ACCEPTED THAT AS MANY AS HALF A MILLION CHILDREN DIED AS A RESULT OF THE SANCTIONS IMPOSED BY THE UN/US WHICH OCCURED DURING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION. I GUESS ITS FEAR MONGERING THAT RUSSIA, CHINA, CUBA, LIBYA AND EVEN VENEZUELA FEEL THAT IRAN SHOULD BE PERMITTED TO DEVELOP A NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT PROGRAM , FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES OF COURSE. WASN’T IT THE SAME FOLKS WHO OPPOSED NEUTERING SADDAM? I WAS A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT UNTIL 9/11. JUST IMAGINE THAT JUMPING TO YOUR DEATH FROM A SKYSCRAPER SEEMED LIKE YOUR BEST OPTION? I WILL SUPPORT AN INDIE, REPUB OR DEM BASED ON A REASONABLE APPROACH/SOLUTION TO THIS GLOBAL CONFLICT. IT MAY BE EASY TO SCAPEGOAT OUR GOVERNMENT FOR THE DISDAIN FELT TOWARD THE US AROUND THE WORLD. I PERSONALLY THINK IT HAS ALOT TO DO WITH THE CULTURAL EROSION OF THE US/WEST, AND THE INFLUENCE THROUGH THE MEDIA INTO TRADITIONAL/MORAL CULTURES. MANY ISLAMIC SOCIETIES ARBITRATE GRIEVENCES AT A LOCAL/MULLAH LEVEL. ADULTERY, HOMOSEXUALITY, DRUG USE, ATHEISM ALL HAVE VERY SPECIFIC PUNISHMENTS AS ORDAINED IN SHARIA LAW. LETS JUST SAY THEY HAVE VERY, VERY FEW VIOLATIONS OF THESE LAWS. WOMEN CANNOT VOTE, OWN PROPERTY, LEAVE THE HOME UNESCORTED, SHOW ANYTHING MORE THAN HANDS/EYES. SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF FUN, HUH? OH YEAH, IF YOU’RE CONVICTED OF STEALING, YOU LOSE A HAND. I GUESS OUR LAWS ARE’NT SO DRACONIC AFTER ALL. WE MUST SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF ALL COUNTRIES, OR THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE VAST CULTURAL DIVISIONS BETWEEN MODERN STATES AND RELIGIOUS REPUBLICS. IF YOU BELIEVE THERE WAS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN SADDAM AND AL-QAEDA, CAN YOU GIVE SPECIFICS ON HIS CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. DID YOU HAPPEN TO SEE PEACE CORPS, UNICEF, RED CROSS, GREENPEACE? PLEASE CORRECT ME IF YOU FIND ERRORS IN MY STATEMENT.
Brad, stop shouting. It’s hard to read your stuff, and you DO want us to read it, right? Otherwise why spend the time?
I could read only part of what you’re saying. I do have one comment, though. Before we invaded, Sadam was contained. Iraq is a small country with a GNP about the size of Missouri (just guessing, but it sounds right). Just hear me out….
The only reason I see for us going in there was to make sure that Exxon-Mobile could get a piece of the action, and in doing so, take away some of the oil business that was going France’s way. Since we’ve occupied that country, the only people benefiting are the corporations now in there, including Halliburton and Bechtel.
This isn’t a right or left-wing issue at all, and it is one reason why Cindy Sheehan is so pissed. Her son died for our freedom? Do you really think Iraq was ready to invade New Jersey? Her son died at the hands of Sadr’s henchmen, and where is Sadr now? Is he being held accountable? Of course not. Where’s the justice in that?
This whole effort in Iraq stinks. In the meantime, I just got back from China. In 25 years, if things keep on going the way they are, China will OWN us. That is, unless we attack them first, and if Bush’s cronies stay in power, that’s probably what we’ll do. Eventually. Bush is not a conservative. He is a complete and utter disaster.
K Gregory, thanks i’ll heed your advice!
Hey Mediapunkin, You seem to revel in Bush’s ineptness. President Bush and his neocon cronies are exactly like most polititians, corrupt and subject to error. I voted for Bush in 04, Gore in 2000, Clinton 96, Clinton 92, Dukakis 88, etc., so I’m not a Moral Majority leftover. How would a President Mediapunkin handle the middle east/Israel conflict?
That’s much better. People really do stop reading if its all in caps!
Air America’s Randy Rhodes predicted this (ceasing to televise the gaggle), as well as that the gaggle would be closed to all but “accredited journalists” on her show as soon as Bolton started to shove his weight around and Snow was being discussed as the new press-critter.
Brad, thanks. That’s better. Sounds like your voting record is not much different from mine.
Well, how is New Zealand handling the Middle East/Israeli conflict? Norway? Belgium? China?
We’re like a bull in a China shop, and a really stupid bull at that, though those who got us into this mess are reaping the benefits at our expense through obscene profits. It isn’t Bush that pisses me off as much as the misguided principle that we’re over there so that we can be free. So if that’s true, then why isn’t Sweden over there? And Spain? Don’t they want to be free? We invaded Iraq so that we wouldn’t be forced to speak Arabic?
Actually, you ask a good question, and it’s a loaded one. You’re right. Everyone makes mistakes, and a president is no exception. But comeon. Would Dukakis, Clinton, or Reagan think out loud that Pakistan is an Arab country?
Brad—No, I do not support Hamas or Islamic Jihad or Al Queda. I just don’t happen to think that invading Iraq was a reasonable use of our limited resources to fight terrorism. As for spreading democracy—that hasn’t worked too well either. Now we have a democratically elected Hamas, and the radical Muslim Brotherhood has gained power in Egyptian elections. Afghanistan and Iraq—the new models of democracy in the Middle East are now theocracies—-Islamic law still rules. That is why Condi Rice had to personally intervene to keep that Christian convert from being executed, just for the crime of conversion.
I don’t have all the answers about fighting terrorism, but I think Iraq was a huge mistake, a war that was ill-conceived and poorly engineered, with no clear exit strategy. I believe, from everything I have read, that Rumsfeld wants the troops out of Iraq, so that they can deal with the bigger problem in Iran.
There are no simple answers to the problems of our country, I just think Americans are, at the very least, owed the truth. The Bush administration has been deceitful and secretive, and I dislike the way they are cracking down on the press. They are not to blame for Bush’s unpopularity. His policies are.
I haven’t made up my mind about the merits of televised briefings, but I read a recent article by Ari Fleisher in which he argued that back when press briefings were not televised they were more informative.
As an aside: the best possible solutions would be to adopt a Parliamentary system in which the President and his cabinet have to sit down everyday in a public legislature and take questions from members of opposition parties. That would increase public accountability, which is a good thing regardless of which party controls the White House, Congress, etc.
Mediapunkin, thanks for your response to the challenge of solving mid-east peace. As far as going it alone in Iraq, there are about 20 countries providing troops or military personnel. I can only speculate that Sweden, having a very low risk of attack, has an annual military expense of about 4.4 billion$. The US has a 466 billion$ annual expense, so some countries are very strained by assisting in international conflicts/threats. As far as what China, Norway, Belgium and New Zealand are doing regarding the middle-east, I will elaborate. China has 0 international deployments, so their game is purely defensive militarily. I don’t think that China has a pony in the race as far as supporting Israel(Only democracy in mid-east). Norway and Belgium(unlike Sweden) are NATO members and with annual military budgets of 3 billion$ each don’t have a heck of alot to offer except their support for NATO member responsibilities in particular and for democatic priciples in general. Spain on the other hand had a bombing of its trains in Madrid, and the elections were perhaps won by the socialist/isolationist candidate, hence their pullout from Iraq. Terrorism is indeed a powerful force, carried out by desperate highly motivated individuals and groups. Gotta run, comments? P.S.–New Zealand’s annual military budget is one-half billion$, with current troop deployments of 20 in only Singapore and Australia, so mid-east is not really worth risking involvement, since there is close proximity to the largest Islamic population nearby in Indonesia. Brad
PING:
TITLE: Josh Bolten – ‘President Bush Lost His Mojo!’ (Insert Austin Powers Joke Here)
BLOG NAME: RightWinged.com
Newly appointed White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has said that the administration plans to get their “mojo” back. Too…. many….. Austin Powers jokes…. can’t decide….. Oh well, enjoy this photoshop (click for full size): WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s…