Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Rahm
By Wyatt Earp | August 4, 2009
Hey, remember how presidential administrations would request airtime for a news conference or a POTUS speech? Apparently, that polite method was so 2007. This is the dawn of a new era of hope and change, and as President Obama’s number one man, Rahm Emanuel has no time for pleasantries. It’s either his way or the highway, and he is not above kicking network execs in the shins to get what he (and Obama) wants.
RAAAAAHHHHHM!!!
Howard Kurtz at the Washington Post sheds a little light on how Rahm F’n Emanuel leaned on network news executives to carry President Obama’s health care news conference. It’s the Chicago way:
In the days before President Obama’s last news conference, as the networks weighed whether to give up a chunk of their precious prime time, Rahm Emanuel went straight to the top.
Rather than calling ABC, the White House chief of staff phoned Bob Iger, chief executive of parent company Disney. Instead of contacting NBC, Emanuel went to Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric. He also spoke with Les Moonves, the chief executive of CBS Corp., the company spun off from Viacom.
Whether this amounted to undue pressure or plain old Chicago arm-twisting, Emanuel got results: the fourth hour of lucrative network time for his boss in six months. But network executives have been privately complaining to White House officials that they cannot afford to keep airing these sessions in the economic downturn.
The networks “absolutely” feel pressured, says Paul Friedman, CBS’s senior vice president: “It’s an enormous financial cost when the president replaces one of those prime-time hours. The news divisions also have mixed feelings about whether they are being used.”
Naw! You think!? (H/T – Michelle Malkin)
I’m sorry, but this is simply ridiculous. Barack Obama has been omnipresent since the inauguration, and spends more time on television than Vince, the ShamWow Guy. There is no need to twist the arms – and the wallets – of the networks to land another insipid press conference where the POTUS doesn’t directly answer any question!
What did we learn during the ObamaCare presser?
1. Millions of doctors perform unnecessary surgery in America.
2. The Cambridge Police Department acts “stupidly.”
For this we need to bump all prime time programming? Puh-lease.
Topics: Politics | 13 Comments »
August 4th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Obama is like a spoiled child and this country and the networks are like his overindulgent parents. He wants what he wants when he wants it, period. And NOW you want to start laying downs rules? Don’t make him have a tantrum.
August 4th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Wyatt, it’s the “Chicago way”. they are their own little Mafia and don’t mind twisting arms or putting thumbscrews to people. I am certain he was just following a direct order.
August 4th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I think Obama should hold 2-3 press conferences a week. And I think it’s the patriotic duty of the networks to broadcast all of them. It’s rerun reason, and the networks are pretty much running crap anyway. If our illustrious Prez wants to overexpose himself, I say let him. At least he’s not disrupting my TV-watching habits to do it. By the time the new fall lineup premieres, the country will be sick of him, and we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Stopped watching TV (NBC CBS ABC etc. ) years ago so
I have not seen him at all on TV. I am blessed.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Mrs. Crankipants – It’s not like this tool doesn’t get enough air time as it is.
MeToo – Oh, I’m pretty sure of that, too, but Rahm is Obama’s face o’ evil.
John D – God help him if he interrupts 24 or Heroes this fall.
Jon – Lucky bastard.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Just ask Deloris Nissen…
August 4th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I think the networks are getting their payback, Obama insists on being on the air and We the People have better things to do. We have our own affairs to tend to and do not need to be an audience to the eternal love affair between Obama and himself or Obama and the media.
Best regards,
Gail S
http:\\backyardfence.wordpress.com
August 4th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I have given up the news and press conferences.
August 4th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
eh… no big deal.. it’s not like anybody watches any of those networks for news. Considering the viewership numbers on FNC though, they should “ask” Murdoch to air it on their network.
…oh wait… they did… heh.. and Fox more or less gave Rahmbo the finger. heh. *giggle*
At least one network still has some balls…
August 4th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Randall. Randall??
August 5th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Rahm Emanuel? Totally unknown over here.
Assuming the picture was not photoshopped, he seems a real class guy!
August 5th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Alan – nope, it’s real, and that was at the Presidential inauguration!
August 5th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
#12
Thanks for the info Smite! I’m staggered!!
Yep, a real class guy. (lower class, say, D-)
You (the American people) voted for his boss.
You are welcome to both of them!