J's Cafe Nette

It seems CBS’s Chip Reid and Hearst Newspapers’ Helen Thomas might be skating on thin ice and may get a new seat assignment in the press room for daring to question the Obama machine’s pre-selection of questions for his “Town Hall” meeting this afternoon.

In addition to favorable questions, unfavorable questions were pre-selected, giving Obama time to come up with a good-sounding answer.

I have to tell you I didn’t think they had it in them.

*Update:

CNS News interviewed Helen Thomas following the exchange with Robert Gibbs heard in the video above.

What she says may well signal the honeymoon is over for the Obama administration.

“Nixon didn’t try to do that,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try.

“What the hell do they think we are, puppets?” Thomas said. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.”

Thomas said she was especially concerned about the arrangement between the Obama Administration and a writer from the liberal Huffington Post Web site. The writer was invited by the White House to President Obama’s press conference last week on the understanding that he would ask Obama a question about Iran from among questions that had been sent to him by people in Iran.

“When you call the reporter the night before you know damn well what they are going to ask to control you,” Thomas said.

“I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well–for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.”

*Update 2:

It appears Helen Thomas and Chip Reid’s suspicions were correct, at least in this instance:

Via Power Line:

President Barack Obama wanted to put a human face on his plans to overhaul health care, and a Virginia supporter did just that Wednesday. Fighting back tears, Debby Smith, 53, told Obama of her kidney cancer and her inability to obtain health insurance or hold a job.

The president hugged her–she’s a volunteer for his political operation–and called her “exhibit A” in an unsustainable system that is too expensive and complex for millions of Americans. …

Smith, of Appalachia, Va., is a volunteer for Organizing for America, Obama’s political operation within the Democratic National Committee. She obtained her ticket through the White House.

[emphasis-admin]

More on the back story of the relationship between Ms. Smith and the Obama Administration here.

Welcome readers from the Tider Insider. Thanks for the link.

Written by Jeanette

Tweet This Post

Comments are closed.