Is Obama Change and Transparency Simply A Charade?
Obama Town Hall Meetings are really Human Tele-Prompter Events
Scripted questions, pre-selected questioners and nothing Town Hall about it. Throw in bringing up to the podium an audience member that fits your agenda for a photo and story opportunity and you have the Obama administrations idea of an open forum.
The White House press corp is on the case which is a clear indication that the bloom may finally be coming off of the Obama rose! there were even comparisons of the Obama White House to the Nixon White House with the Nixon White House getting the positive nod.
“This morning, the Washington Post is reporting that “of the seven questions the president answered, four were selected by his staff from videos submitted to the White House Web site or from those responding to a request for ‘tweets.’ ” and the three audience members he called on randomly? The Post says “all turned out to be members of groups with close ties to his administration: the Service Employees International Union, Health Care for America Now, and Organizing for America, which is a part of the Democratic National Committee…
…White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, deflecting the criticism, protested that the White House was not trying to manage the questions. Thomas reminded him that the Obama administration, unlike its predecessors, calls reporters the night before a press conference to tell them they will be called on, a new way of managing the topics…” (LA Times blog)
It is time for the American public, and not the media, to wake up and call Obama on his rhetoric, and demand real answers to the tough questions of our times. Hold him to the same standards and criticisms that Bush was held to.Sphere: Related Content
Is Obama Change and Transparency Simply a Charade?