The President doesn't have a way to overcome the media as Reagan did. He can't demand air time like Reagan....the media has caught onto that and won't give time for speeches.
I think the reason that the President gives speeches during the day is that he is pretty sure to get coverage on cable; at night Fox would probably not pre-empt O'Reilly, given their recent track record, and MSNBC and CNN also can't be depended upon for evening coverage.
Those who should be dependable in defending the President are not. Many of the pundits (and we all know who they are) are more concerned with getting air time and book sales than in defending the President. The pundit coverage of Katrina was disgusting. Most jumped immediately on the "blame Bush" bandwagon.
And the Senators are even worse. Although there are some great senators who should be out there talking, they aren't invited to the shows. Instead, we get the same group of over-the-hill Bush-bashers, and thus the Republicans have low approval ratings as well as the President. I mean, if all I knew about Republicans was gleaned from watching Lugar and Warner, I would have a low approval rating for Republicans myself.
We REALLY need to think about how to counteract this problem, and I don't mean by letters to the editor. TV watchers don't read letters, for the most part. The doownturn in approval is with people who only watch the news.
President Bush is well-liked. That is hy he isn't shown much on network television. When people see and hear him, they like him and his numbers go up.
How can we get better people on the talk shows? How can we get more coverage of the President and the troops? THOSE are the questions that need answers. I still say teaming up with Angelina Jolie isn't a bad idea.
You are right...and the Angelina Jolie comment is right on...do you know why I know that???
Because...of all of the stories that I have seen on Fox today, the one that made the most impression on me was the one with Angelina and Brad Pitt with Musharaff in Pakistan...and I was ready to come on FR and defend her, if she was blasted at all...which, luckily no one on FR has done, that I know of.
SO...if I (who really looks for biased reporting)...picked this story out...then you KNOW that casual viewers zeroed in on her story also.
BTW...I am just now getting to watch the Fox Sunday Show..and Chris DID attempt to get Levin to admit that Levin and his cronies have totally "misled and mischaracterized" Bush's remarks leading up to the war...but, Levin never even acknowledged anything that Wallace said...
BRICKS, I say...it is like talking to bricks!!!
"How can we get better people on the talk shows? How can we get more coverage of the President and the troops? THOSE are the questions that need answers. I still say teaming up with Angelina Jolie isn't a bad idea."
I hope you come up with some ideas. I am still amazed at the number of movies and TV shows that I see that have Bill Clinton inserted into the show in a favorable light. He got so much free publicity, it's staggering.
Well said, and I agree we need to make News to get the Media to pay attention. I will call up all those lightweight or backstabbing GOP Senators and tell them I will not support you for DOg Catcher if you do not stay off the media where you are useless to the GOP and yourselves. I will instruct them that I will work against them and get every pubbie I know to work against them, and the biggest reason is they are egotistical media suckups, and may well be named "Quisling" for all their trustworthiness.
Good luck to you trying to work this conduit. Really sad. Clinton really did destroy the Presidency. Not about doing the right thing and leadership. Not about telling the truth to those around us even when it is uncomfortable for us. Doing our part to get the message out, Now we spend all our time on "how can we get the President to better manage the other sides spin machine". I got a better idea. How about we work real hard to destroy the Dinosaur Media rather then try to dream up ways to use it? Know what I really would like to see? Simply cut off the Press Corps. Kick them out of the WH. No more press briefings. No contact. Then spend all the time you waste on these bozo enemies giving one on one interviews to local radio and TV hosts, Bloggers and Talk Radio hosts. Simple freeze out the National Media. We don't need them, they DO need access to the WH. Use access as your weapon. Force them to cover what you say to Rush Limbaugh so that Rush can put the 1st spin on it rather then the hostiles in the Dinosaur Media. Quiting taking their calls, quit granting them interviews and put the fear of God into the leaker. The reward people like Brit Hume who are tough but fair with interviews and scoops. Simply treat them like the enemy they are.
Miss Marple, this isn't Bush's fight in total. I'm not trying to blame him for anything. At this point it's merely an observation that the left fields people who are ready for prime time and we don't. The House and Senate leadership need to get involved. Yes there is only so much you can do, but our side is not doing all they can.
If Hagel and company want to act like Democrats, let's take away their committee seats and stop backing them in their respective primaries. If they choose to go become Democrats, at least we'll be able to fight as a unified group for a change.
We have cooperated with these willing accomplicies of the left long enough.
You are wrong about there being some good Senators. There may be some otherwise good people in the Senate, but there are no good Senators. The US Senate is the most useless political body ever assembled. Pompous gasbags who hem and haw and bluster. Not one of them can accomplish anything. Your local letter carrier does more good for this country than all 100 of those oxygen thieves put together.