But there are rules, ya know... ;)
Posted on 07/01/2009 2:10:46 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Oh, Dear: Helen Thomas Now Fretting About Obama White House's Control of Media
I find it not at all "shocking," as Thomas asserts, that the White House would hold a town hall event tailored to suit its needs, so she's going down the road to Loopytown on that one, but some of this exchange definitely goes in the Helen's "even a broken clock" file. At least both she and Chip Reid show some proper skepticism and awareness of the White House's orchestration of such events, unlike the NYT.
What's more convincing than her dismay at the idea that an administration would orchestrate a town hall, which she seems to imply is more devious than anything Bush pulled (!)— "The point is the control. We have never had that in the White House. We have had some control, but not (unintelligible)..."— is her dig at the Obama White House for failing to live up to its own promises.
"I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency, and you have control," she said before delving back into the Nico Pitney/HuffPo controversy. "It's a pattern of controlling the press. Your formal engagements are pre-packaged."
"How so?" retorted Gibbs.
"By calling reporters the night before to tell them they're going to be called on. It's shocking," she said.
Gibbs' responses were peppered, as always, with dismissive laughter— a tone I usually admire when taken with Thomas— but she and Chip Reid of CBS were actually on the right track this time around. Watch the hilarity, below:
Surreal. Utterly surreal.
I’m going back to debugging my @#$%^& project now.
As frustrating as it can be, there’s comfort in something that works logically.
Yeah, right. Like Helen Thomas is still alive.
I just watched the video, Helen was ON IT!!! LOL!! Geez, I’d like to back-hand Gibbs!
You got what you wanted Helen. Now STFU and do as you’re told.
“”I’m amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency, and you have control,” she said before delving back into the Nico Pitney/HuffPo controversy. “It’s a pattern of controlling the press. Your formal engagements are pre-packaged.”
If it’s enough to make Helen Thomas irked, imagine how phony it must look up close and in person!
Does the President still use teleprompters are press conferences? If so, how does the media still think he is so brilliant? Maybe President Bush wouldn’t have stumbled on his words so much if he used a teleprompter to answer a damn question.
I had to self-censor my first reply. It would never have passed the scrutiny of the moderators. Heck, I would have deleted it myself. The image was just TOO appalling.
Uh, oh. I suspect there may be a freak accident in Helen’s future.
Inconceivable!
We do live in interesting times...
Is she off her meds?
In any case, she won’t have that front-row seat at future press conferences.
Dear Helen:
If you are now being surprised by all of this you must have been comatose for the last 40+ years.
From your dear friend whom you have excoriated many times over the years for suggesting this, a conservative man.
Before I read all of this, the title makes me think that I might need some heart medicine for the shock.....
Everything about NObama is staged and rehearsed. It is all Kubuki Theatre. When will the Hari-Kari sword present itself??? Probably not soon enough.,
Amazing- NObama didn’t even carry this farce for a full 6 months!!!!!!
She’s got it backward. The media controls Obama.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.