Obama, the puppet master

This article detailing Obama's obsession with puppetry is quite long so please take the time to read it and understand it based on his proven track record with the media. This all fact and reality based...

President Barack Obama is a master at limiting, shaping and manipulating media coverage of himself and his White House.

Not for the reason that conservatives suspect: namely, that a liberal press willingly and eagerly allows itself to get manipulated. Instead, the mastery mostly flows from a White House that has taken old tricks for shaping coverage (staged leaks, friendly interviews) and put them on steroids using new ones (social media, content creation, precision targeting). And it’s an equal opportunity strategy: Media across the ideological spectrum are left scrambling for access.

Obama's camp has truly mastered these new tricks. Tricks that are credited with shoring up two elections for him. Obama and his handlers changed the way the process works forever...

With more technology, and fewer resources at many media companies, the balance of power between the White House and press has tipped unmistakably toward the government. This is an arguably dangerous development, and one that the Obama White House — fluent in digital media and no fan of the mainstream press — has exploited cleverly and ruthlessly. And future presidents from both parties will undoubtedly copy and expand on this approach.

The Press Corps is getting restless...

The president has shut down interviews with many of the White House reporters who know the most and ask the toughest questions. Instead, he spends way more time talking directly to voters via friendly shows and media personalities. Why bother with The New York Times beat reporter when Obama can go on “The View”?

At the same time, this White House has greatly curtailed impromptu moments where reporters can ask tough questions after a staged event — or snap a picture of the president that was not shot by government-paid photographers.

First hand perspective from a seasoned White House reporter

The frustrated Obama press corps neared rebellion this past holiday weekend when reporters and photographers were not even allowed onto the Floridian National GolfClub, where Obama was golfing. That breached the tradition of the pool “holding” in the clubhouse and often covering — and even questioning — the president on the first and last holes.

Obama boasted Thursday during a Google+ Hangout from the White House: “This is the most transparent administration in history.” The people who cover him day to day see it very differently.

“The way the president’s availability to the press has shrunk in the last two years is a disgrace,” said ABC News White House reporter Ann Compton, who has covered every president back to Gerald R. Ford. “The president’s day-to-day policy development — on immigration, on guns — is almost totally opaque to the reporters trying to do a responsible job of covering it. There are no readouts from big meetings he has with people from the outside, and many of them aren’t even on his schedule. This is different from every president I covered. This White House goes to extreme lengths to keep the press away.”

One authentically new technique pioneered by the Obama White House is extensive government creation of content (photos of the president, videos of White House officials, blog posts written by Obama aides), which can then be instantly released to the masses through social media. They often include footage unavailable to the press.

“This administration loves to boast about how transparent they are, but they’re transparent about things they want to be transparent about,” said Mark Knoller, the veteran CBS News reporter. “He gives interviews not for our benefit, but to achieve his objective.” Knoller last talked to Obama in 2010 — and that was when Knoller was in then-press secretary Robert Gibbs’s office, and the president walked in.

Here is a good break down of the skilled puppetry

There’s the classic weekend document dump to avoid negative coverage

There is the iron-fisted control of access to White House information and officials.

They are also masters of scrutiny avoidance. The president has not granted an interview to print reporters at The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, POLITICO and others in years. These are the reporters who are often most likely to ask tough, unpredictable questions.

White House officials deny it is intentional, this administration —like its predecessors — does some good old-fashioned bullying of reporters: making clear there will be no interviews, or even questions at press conferences, if aides are displeased with their coverage.

Above all, This is the key part of this story and the number one technique used by this admin. The fact that this administration generates and distributes its own content and the Obama friendlies (state controlled) in the media world take it and run with it in an ever so gleeful manner... They actually rub noses in it just as the administration does... All with a smile and a wink...

Still, the most unique twist by this White House has been the government’s generating and distributing of content.

A number of these techniques were on vivid display two weekends ago, when the White House released a six-month-old photo of the president shooting skeet, buttressing his claim in a New Republic interview that he fires at clay pigeons “all the time” at Camp David.

Obama and his team, especially newly promoted senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer, often bemoan the media’s endless chase of superficial and distracting storylines. So how did the president’s inner circle handle the silly dust-up about whether the president really did shoot skeet?

Pfeiffer and White House press secretary Jay Carney tweeted a link to the photo, with Pfeiffer writing that it was “[f]or all the skeeters” (doubters, or “skeet birthers”). Longtime adviser David Plouffe then taunted critics on Twitter: “Attn skeet birthers. Make our day - let the photoshop conspiracies begin!” Plouffe soon followed up with: “Day made. The skeet birthers are out in full force in response to POTUS pic. Makes for most excellent, delusional reading.”

Read more: www.politico.com...

Great response to the Politico article from Breitbart...

Tough to argue with this...

What we obviously have here is a case of Battered Media Syndrome. The media obediently adore, ferociously protect, and do everything Barack tells them to do. But right now the media are feeling a little taken for granted -- battered, if you will -- but rather than stand up for themselves, the boys at Politico have composed a love letter to Obama, that says in so many words: You only treat us bad because you’re so amazing!

As we all know, the media are far from helpless; Politico is far from helpless; VandeAllen is far from helpless. Apparently, though, something brought on a wave of shame, and as a response to all this self-revulsion, VendeAllen's decided to craft a public excuse for the media that claims the institution is a victim, not an accomplice.

The Coordinated narrative

Through the power of a coordinated Narrative, time and again, we've seen the media get what they want, when they want. What we never see, though, is this Narrative turned against Obama. But I can't begin to count how many times this Narrative has been used to protect Obama.

Whether it's the Libya cover-up, the state of the economy, the BP oil spill, or whatever battle he might be in with the GOP at the time, the media are brutally effective at muscling up Narratives that punish Obama's critics, and magically turn bad economic news into good

Millions are suffering in Obama's failed economy, but the media are talking instead about the divisive social issues Obama wants to talk about (gun control, immigration).

Four Americans died in Libya; the unanswered questions are legion. But it's those who demand answers that feel the power of the media, not those who refuse to answer.

The media have plenty of power to get what it wants from Obama. But what the media want is to protect their lover; even a lover who treats them like the prostitutes they are.

Someday the very same "journalists" selling this country out will no longer be in a position to write the first draft of history. We just have to hope Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and the rest live long enough to read an objective history written about their appalling behavior in the Age of Obama.

If the media are feeling dirty and used now, just wait

INdeed... The now battered media has gotten far more than they bargained for during the 2008 campaign...and it is certainly only going to get worse for them...It's not too late however to finally start doing their jobs without regard for any White House backlash. Backlash means that you are properly doing your job by making someone a little hot under the collar.

www.breitbart.com...

I'm curious as to what happens in 2016. The media has shown itself to be willing participants.

Are they now a useful tool for the progressive movement?

What can we do to make our voices louder?

Originally posted by beezzer
I'm curious as to what happens in 2016. The media has shown itself to be willing participants.

Are they now a useful tool for the progressive movement?

What can we do to make our voices louder?

I'm hoping that the media will vet/scrutinize the candidates a little harder come the next POTUS election. That hasn't happened in the past eight years. Of course, if the Dems run Hillary, it will more than likely be same-o, same-o.

As for making our voices louder, it begins with critical thinking and electing those locally to represent us and send them forth. I don't really have my hopes up on that either.

The entitlement class is a power block now. And a force to be reckoned with.

They want more and are demanding it.

reply to post by beezzer


I just hope that the continued muzzling of the press corps by the WH will help them to see the error of their ways. But, that still leaves a whole other segment of media lapdogs to serve Obama via the Web.

History will not be kind to the Obama era that our country is currently limping through.

Imagine how Watergate would look today if Nixon was our current POTUS with a D next to his name and a crazy fan base in the media. That poor guy resigned over it. Probably the last dignified move a modern president will ever make.

reply to post by jibeho


Well, so his own fan club is now dishing up on him....its about time.
I have been expecting this, as last month Morning Joe said that
the White House was a dysfunctional place....that the POTUS was
unavailable to even Senators and Congressman. Senators?

The fact is sure looks more and more like Obama has a lot to hide,
a lot that he is not proud of and he just does not want to deal with
it, or answer for his actions!


www.youtube.com...

www.nytimes.com...

reply to post by jibeho


WaterGate is small potatoes compared to many of the scandals this Admin has foisted upon us. Notice that Fast and Furious has disappeared from the radar? Even Benghazi isn't really making the news anymore.

It's all gun control this and gun control that.

The ongoing fiscal crisis is usually a by-line. The current Government has passed a budget in years!

And this Admin are masters of Obfuscation.

It's infuriating.

reply to post by TDawgRex


The entitlement class is a "lobby" unto itself and will probably have as much say as the media in the next election.

reply to post by jibeho


Well the media has stopped reporting on the unemployment. So it must not be around 8% anymore.

reply to post by burntheships


I'm not being racist here with this reply.

But I don't see the POTUS being held accountable for quite some time. I believe that if McCain had been elected and everything that has happened over the past five years had happened on his watch, he would have been impeached by now.

It just wouldn't be politically correct to hold this POTUS accountable. History though will be the judge.

reply to post by burntheships


Such an enlightening perspective coming out of the depths of MSNBC. They nailed it...

reply to post by beezzer


And Obama has four more years to swell the size of this new entitlement class. Our nation will be flat broke and busted by 2016. ( We already are)

reply to post by TDawgRex


Yes, I would agree. Nixon was impeached for lies about burglary.

Benghazi is Obama watergate, and it may still happen. The drum is still beating,
and many dont want to let him off the hook. We will see.

And here, I dont have to say it, Joe did.

On top of the scandalous Behghazi, and Fast and Furious, now Democrat Senators
are saying Obama is unavailable!

Obama and his team “would benefit, as they begin the second term, by acknowledging that many of the biggest problems facing the administration flow directly from the man at the top. Mr. Obama is a lousy manager,” the piece asserts. “As chief executive he gets a C — and then only if graded on a curve that takes into account his predecessor’s managerial weaknesses.”

“This is the worst-kept secret in Washington,” Scarborough contended. “Every Democratic senator has complained about how he never calls them, he never reaches out. [...] We’ve heard it for four years. We’ve heard people that have been inside the White House running the White House saying it’s been a dysfunctional place.”
www.mediaite.com...://www.mediaite.com/tv/joe-scarborough -worst-kept-secret-in-washington-is-that-obama-is-a-lousy-manager/

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by burntheships

 

Such an enlightening perspective coming out of the depths of MSNBC. They nailed it...

Yes they did, and did you notice how they said its been this way for 4 years! That is letting
the cat out of the bag, they were covering for him and now they are all steamed because
the Administration is by passing them, using Facebook, Google +1, and Twitter going
directly to the people to create these scripted sound bites they play to the public
through White House releases.

Puppet Masters indeed!

The media will be as hard or soft on a candidate/politician as their Corporate bosses tell them to be. The media will cover or not cover any story their Corporate bosses tell them to. The media own politicians as much as any other Corporate lobbyists do, not the other way around.

reply to post by burntheships


Obama is biting the hand that has fed him for nearly 5 years. Amazing that it took them this long to start to get miffed about it. I smell a backlash rising from the press because the no longer have to protect Obama for a reelection bid. They just now have to set up Hillary

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by burntheships

 

Obama is biting the hand that has fed him for nearly 5 years.

Yes, and hard core at that, of course he waited till after the election was
wrapped up.

Yeah, I wonder just who is going to take the fall for Behghazi, they already
nailed Petraeus, but that was just a media circus distraction.

reply to post by jibeho


I wonder if the Whithouse has called
Mike Allen to complain about this piece?



It has 5.2k likes, ohhhh!

reply to post by neo96


Yep, the media is whining now, not over secret kill lists, drone strikes on civilians, and Americans,
not about warrantless wiretapping....its because they did'nt have any fun over the weekend,
and were denied photo shoots between a famous philanderer, and the POTUS.

Its the height of hypocrisy.