My googling ability must be lacking, because I'm having a hard time getting the numbers I seek. The last press conference I can find for Obama was in July of 09'. That seems odd..... http://blogs.middlebury.edu/presidentialpower/tag/history-press-conferences/ This was the best I could find. According to this, which was only through Dubya's first two years, he had 39...or almost 20 per year. Clinton had the most, since LBJ, but Bush the elder had the most on average.
Yes, your googling skills are lacking. If you type in "Obama press conference" and hit "search" on the first page you will find references to a press conference he held a week ago with Karzai. A press conference in March. A press conference in February. A press conference in early January. Amid all of these press conferences, you will also find articles linked to Fox and other credible sites decrying the lack of press conferences since July 2009. You see, they want to follow a very strict definition of what constitutes a press conference. The president walking into the press briefing room with the WH press corps assembled and opening up the room to questions for an hour doesn't count apparently. Whatever. Just goes to show that his enemies are truly running out of substance to hammer him on and are turning to bullshit like this. Guess what? I do care if a president makes himself available. Obama has as much as any president I remember. Unscripted town halls where you don't have to sign a loyalty oath to enter. Impromptu press Q&As. A couple of hours of 1 v. 200 congressional republicans. Many, many lengthy press interviews, including Fox from time to time. By the way, your link is wonderful. Guess who has the least by a country mile? Yep. The Great Communicator.
Wow Chris, President Transparency proves to be President Opaque and you get a bit touchy. Why exactly can’t we have a proper press conference every once in a while?
Since Chris isn't here I'll ask the Pizza dude... why can’t we have a proper press conference every once in a while?
Wow VFish. You find nothing in his post to counter and you make stuff up. Why exactly can't you see this thread for what it is? Trolling horseshit.
I'm not against the idea. I just find it comical that they try to make THIS an issue. In an ABC article decrying the lack of press conferences, they note that Obama had one more formal press conference in his first year than Dubya. They note that he has done several extended interviews on Sunday shows. It's funny that the biggest critics [cough]Fox[/cough] are the same ones who were incensed by people questioning Sarah Palin's availability to a few simple questions from reporters when she was a candidate for VP. I'm not a fan of the WH press corps. I've watched presidential press conferences and press briefings with several different press secretaries. The questions generally suck. They haven't done their job for decades and then get pissed if they don't get several weeks notice to formulate their questions. Boo hoo.
Chris M, I believe he answered two questions, when he held one with Karzai. It was July of 09', since he last held a full blown question & answer press conference. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david...e=5&show_comment_id=47250589#comment_47250589 The topic of Obama's promised transparency came up around the water cooler at work. A lefty armed with old talking points took a shot at Dubya's small number of press conferences, yet much to our surprise, we find that Obama is lagging way behind Dubya. "Outside formal press conferences, President Obama, of course, has taken questions from the press since last July; but he has done so on foreign soil, or in the company of a visiting dignitary at home. Also, these have been single-issue occasions or their subject matter has been otherwise restricted."
A year ago I distinctly remember hearing that Obama was "everywhere." So which is it? He's hiding behind a teleprompter and being cagey or he's in our face like Dancing With the Stars?
Obama not giving press conferences is threatening to take this country off the rails. Thankfully, the tea-baggers are around to keep this country from going off said rails.
this is pathetic.. you fukcing wingnuts are getting crazier by the day btw...there is a Mosque being built near ground zero...go wind your panties up and come back screaming
Again, let me state my personal position. I don't give a rat's ass if Obama or any president schedules what the press considers a "formal press conference" to appease them. When he does, he gets questions like, "what in your first 100 days has surprised you, humbled you . . . " Really? We'd get more out of an Oprah interview. You have the leader of the free world at your mercy and you get one question that can be about bank failures, two wars, auto bailouts, a complete overhaul of health care . . . and that's what we get. I am much more concerned with the presidents availability and his or her willingness to answer questions. He has done this throughout his presidency. Let me ask you something. Did you watch the televised exchange with congressional republicans on health care? Was that a good thing? Did we, the American people, learn more about his positions on health care and the opposition positions than if he held a news conference in the East Wing devoted to that topic and some idiot asks him about a Harvard professor getting hassled by a Cambridge cop on his front porch? After the Christmas bomb attempt, he held a press conference and answered questions about the government response. After the oil leak, he flew to LA and had a press conference and answered specific questions about the government response. I can't think of many issues where I WANT him to come speak out AND answer questions where he hasn't. As to your assertion that he is way behind Bush, you are once again simply, factually wrong. From a boo-hoo article critical of Obama for not having more press conferences: Obama had five news conferences at the White House last year, one more than President George W. Bush had in his first year in office. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-barack-obama-helda-press-conference-months/story?id=9549859 Would you rather have a bunch of insipid one off questions from reporters trying to ring up the scoreboard with the "gotcha" question from a press conference, or would you rather have him sit down for 30 minutes of in-depth back and forth with Bret Baier on Fox News as he did in March. Or how about the long interview with Stephanapolous in January immediately after the Scott Brown victory when everyone thought his legislative agenda was over. The real question is how available a president is for unscripted exchanges. How about this on February 9: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/02/obama_press_conference_feb_9_2.html Does this not count simply because Chuck Todd doesn't get the chance to put on his best suit and call his Mom in advance so that she can see him on TV? So, if your "concern" is transparency, I'm fine with that. I think you have a long, long row to hoe if you want to show that Obama is a recluse who shies away from unscripted exchanges. He does it all the time. And certainly not just on foreign soil. He does it here as well.
Exactly. They can't come up with a straight attack that sticks. He's a socialist. He's a fascist. He's weak, timid and inexperienced. He's a ruthless, authoritarian dictator weened on the rough and tumble Chicago way.
So now you're claiming he suffers from multiple personality disorder, too? Wonderful. That could explain him having been born in at least three counties. Or something like that.
Pure brilliance here. I remember when that good looking cnn correspondent, Malveaux (sp?) I think is her name, and how she reported the resignation of Karl Rove. She was so flattered by the fact that she was one of the six people on the email from Rove himself(!!!) that he was resigning that she couldn't actually contain her smirk when she pointed it out. Ridiculous suck ups. Truly.
That's what they talk about in front of you. When the boss is not around, they talk about why the boss won't give them health insurance.
It's been covered extensively in Canadian Mort Zuckerman's Splooge Receptacle aka NY Daily News (i have to admit I do like the sports section) for at least a week now. That Mort hates him some moo-slims something fierce.
Chris, you are the king of spin. I'll give you that. You know darn well that one of the main slams on Dubya was his lack of press conferences. You remember the old "Bush vacations too much!" "Bush plays golf!" "Bush never answers questions!" And her we have, Mr. Transparency, showing yet another example of his failures in this area. Trust me, now that we've heard Obama speak without a telepromptor, I understand his desire to stay away from questions. And then there's this.... http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20005146-503544.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody He signs the Press Freedom Act, then refuses to take any questions. I guess it's hard to answer questions, when you're not doing a good job.