You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s like Robert Gibbs took a graduate class in the Tiger Woods School of PR. What is he thinking?
Granted, I don’t think this story will gain much steam, but C-SPAN v. Obama reiterates a disturbing trend in the Obama administration’s PR tactics: You can’t build your entire election on the promise of transparency and then not be transparent.
This is the latest example. Back on the campaign trail, Obama promised he would be so transparent on health care reform that the negotiations would be broadcast live on C-SPAN.
Well, today C-SPAN called him on it. And the video above is how Obama’s chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, handled the issue in a press briefing today.
I remain shocked at how some of our nation’s most visible figures (Tiger and Obama) can either handcuff or hire such inept PR professionals. Why didn’t Gibbs just answer the questions today?
Why didn’t he just nip the issue in the bud and say, “Look, there’s a reason back room Washington negotiations don’t get broadcast live on national television. We’ve been as transparent as the President promised, and now we’ll get down to the nitty gritty behind closed doors. If we broadcast these tense negotiations out on live national television, you could see people either shrinking away from saying what they really think or showboating to the point of absurdity. This isn’t in the best interest of the American people, plain and simple. And you’ll be able to read every page of the final bill we hammer out before it is signed into law. People put their trust in elected officials to do the jobs they were elected for, and this situation is no different.”
THAT would have been better than what is on display in the clip above.
Barack, if you need me, shoot me an e-mail. I’m here to help buddy.
1 response so far ↓
Matthew // February 19, 2010 at 3:07 pm |
I have not been impressed with Gibbs’ work as the press secretary. In fact, sometimes I cringe because you do not know what he may say. For an administration that is trying to make a change in the approach to the media and transparency while acting in a professional and strategic manner, in my opinion Gibbs often is a detractor to that approach