I'm not sure about your political affiliation, and I don't really care. You know who I voted for and you know what I support. I support Obama. Yes we can. All that jazz. But today, that's not what this is about.
Now - it's been about two or three weeks since the party ended. We've all thawed out from the swearing in, the tuxedos and dresses have been hung and shoved in the back of the closet, and the liquor cabinet has been shut. We are all now painfully aware of the situation at hand - we just inherited a HUGE disaster.
I've been more attentive than I have been in past years to what the president has to say. I like him a lot - but that's not important anymore. What is he going to do to fix this mess? When will the trickle-down effect make its way to me and my wallet/bank account/bank account under my mattress? I'm not watching because it's Obama. I'm watching because I'm waiting for answers, as slow-coming as they may be.
Anyway.... finally came Obama's first primetime press conference - during I was shocked, honestly, and how easy it was to sit and listen to the him speak. For essentially my entire adult life, I've listened to a man who couldn't articulate for SHIT ("If you git on that horse, you gotta ride it!"). How shockingly refreshing it was to understand what the president when he speaks.
I think he did a good job for the first go-round. I'm sure he was nervous, but he answered questions pretty clearly, even though he obviously avoided some which I will presume will be answered by Geithner later on today. He then took questions from the press and, from what I could see, called on most major media organizations like AP, Reuters, Bloomburg, and the major networks, among others.
Now before I address the subject of this note, I'd like to bring up an article I read from the Washington Times. You can read it here for yourself, if you want. It's not very long.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/10/obama-snubs-black-press-shakes-up-seating-routines/
The author makes several "interesting" comments about the way Obama handled the press conferences. The way I interpreted his argument was as such: basically, Obama not only shook up the "natural" order of things in the East Room by scrambling the journalists all over the room, rather than keeping them in their "normal" order, but he also "snubbed" the black journalists in the room (I believe BET was one of those organizations). He went on to criticize the fact that Obama "seemed not to know who was who" in terms of the various organizations present, because he was reading from a slip of paper on the podium.
Yell at me if I'm wrong, that's just the way I see it.
A couple of things. First, I don't know how things were handled in the past because I intentionally didn't watch one NANOSECOND of George W. Bush at a press conference during the last eight years, except when I saw him being mocked on youtube. So I really don't have a basis for comparison in terms of what news organizations were called on or not. Maybe someone can enlighten me.
That being said....
WHO GIVES A GOOD DAMN about the way it's been done in the past????? The past eight years, in particular, have SUCKED. Why do we even need to THINK about doing things the way we've done it before? Furthermore, who CARES if Obama switches up the order or where journalists sit?
Secondly - IT'S HIS FIRST NIGHT TIME PRESS CONFERENCE. For the love of GOD. The man has been in office less than a month and he's supposed to have memorized the faces of every journalist from ALL the major organizations already? Because that's precisely what he needs to be concerned about right now. Not the fact that banks are drying up, millions of people have lost their jobs, two wars being fought that are completely out of focus, and there is no end in site. No no, please, Mr. President - I BEG you to sit down and memorize the faces of reporters from the New York Times FIRST before you do anything else. The recession can wait.
Finally... the alleged "snubbing" of black reporters.
Now, the way I understand things... media organizations send whoever the bloody hell they want to these news conferences. Seems to me they decide who goes, and what they ask. Right? Maybe I have that wrong, but that's just the way I see it. Additionally, the president has a list of who he should call on - which are typically the major wires, the major newspapers, and the major networks. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yes? Good.
So let's add this up: if Obama has a media list, a list of people he's not seen before, and each organization sends who it wants, answer me this - how the BLOODY HELL is Obama supposed to know who's black and who's not from each outlet???
Hold on, back up the bus for a second.
Why does he CARE who's black and who's not? Is he not spending his time trying to pull this country out of an all out crisis??
Pardon my french for two seconds:
This author is out of his fucking mind.
I'm all for supporting black people, OBVIOUSLY. And, for the record, I have no idea if past presidents have called on a reporter from BET during an hour long press conference (my guess is they haven't). This is just my opinion, but I really and truly believe that is the LAST of our concerns right now. And I'm angry because, once again, someone ignorant yanks out the race card unnecessarily. Suddenly we're supposed to drop everything and concentrate on how black journalists are being treated at a news conference?? Pardon the hell out of ME. Have you seen my box of tissues? I'm feeling a little verklempt.
To add insult to injury, of the two black journalists who were called upon, the distinguished gentleman from the Washington Post has the nerve to stand up and, amidst ALL the issues this country is dealing with right now, ask the President of the United States what he thinks about Alex Rodriguez's admission of steroid use for three years.
"Mr. President, if you could just hold your thoughts on the housing crisis for juuuuuust a second and talk to us about how you feel about A-Rod's use of performance enhancing drugs? Just for- if you just have a second please sir?"
Come on.
I was embarassed not only for the Washington Post, MY hometown newspaper, but I was embarassed for black journalists. We can't do better than that?
If you're going to blame a lack of representaion among the media organizations, here's a thought - blame the organizations. Why can't the New York Times, Reuters and CBS send black reporters to a presidential news conference? Here's another one: maybe black journalists who do work for those major organizations need to step it up. Fight for your spot in that chair in the front row.
Or, maybe just one more thought... if you do get your shot, don't ask the president about BASEBALL.
(Maybe the Post gave him the question - in which case, shame on them. But did dude have to go through with it? Be independent. Use the brain God gave you.)
I'm playing devil's advocate here.
I know this is long. I'd be shocked if you made it this far. But in the end, all I'm saying is: Cry wolf long enough and after a while, credibility is dead.
Not a sermon, just a thought.
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