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Obama's Misguided Media Blitz
Rick Bowmer / AP Photo
The president is focusing on the wrong audience with Wednesday's press conference, says veteran White House correspondent Sam Donaldson. Why he should step away from the microphones and work the halls of Congress.
There is something to the old showbiz rule that you leave ‘em wanting more. But that doesn’t apply when you are selling something.
Since President Obama is trying to sell health-care reform—a huge undertaking, and perhaps a “do or die” proposition for his ability to get things done in the future—it’s hard to fault him for leveraging his bully pulpit and beating the drum at every opportunity, including Wednesday’s prime-time press conference.
But a good salesman knows both what the market will buy and how to ramp up the pressure to close the deal.
Sometimes the one thing worse than herding cats is to wait for the cats to herd themselves.
Ronald Reagan tried to sell aid to the Nicaraguan Contras long after it was apparent that the public didn’t care enough, and Congress wasn’t buying (never mind what was going on in the back room). George W. Bush tried to sell private accounts for Social Security long after his own party leaders told him the market wasn’t there. In both cases, all the exposure, all the salesmanship couldn’t, and didn’t, help. People didn’t want to hear the message and simply tuned it out.
This time, the market is there. The public wants a health-care overhaul, so misjudging the market is not President Obama’s problem. Closing the sale by “putting the screws” to his own party is, and his performance on the second hurdle will go a long way toward determining if he can turn political popularity into meaningful legislation.
In an effort to avoid the Clinton mistake of sending up a piece of “take it or leave it” legislation, the president set out some broad goals and then left it to Congress. But he should have seen what Congress did with the stimulus bill, and taken that as a warning: Sometimes the one thing worse than herding cats is to wait for the cats to herd themselves.
It is one thing to say let’s move forward together and trade ideas back and forth in the early stages of debate—always moving the cats forward—and quite another to wait until different segments announce different approaches as “done deals” and then try to intervene. Rather than selling, you’re haggling. On their turf, no less.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
A Tactical Half of a Loaf
Sam Donaldson worked at ABC News for over 40 years as a correspondent and anchor.
Progressive2
Yes PUBLIC OPTION NOW!!
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
grasiv
I wonder if the title of the article belongs to Mr Donaldson or TDB. I've often noticed that titles of TDB articles change from day to day, each one more sensational than the last. Me thinks this may be the doing of TDB editors.
al-nafs
Actually, re-read the article. He doesn't have a problem with the President. He's just saying that if Obama wants to accomplish the goal of health care reform, he needs to outline specific goals and take it to Congress, instead of waiting. Sam Donaldson was outlining a change in strategy, he wasn't shooting down the objective.
TaxTheRich
Well said Mr. Donaldson. Use reconciliation if necessary. Forget trying to get the support of a GOP that will never support it...jam it down their hypocritical throats. Just do it! Now!
GPatton
If this goes the porkulus route, Palin will be the next US President, and sooner rather than later! George Patton
jdx60009
No one is really that interested in your fantasy life, GPatton.
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jdx60009
Looks like Banjo1 stopped in to comment.
allonfla
Have some respect for Sam Donaldson guys! No need for personal insults.
In any case, Mr. Donaldson, how do you know that the President is not wheeling and dealing behind the scenes? I think he should do a press conference because the media is doing a piss poor job of giving the facts to the American people. All the media does is talk about cost, but fail to report how perverted the health care system and how private companies are screwing them everyday.
Piscesprincess
Good Question allonfla, Good question. There have been a ton of pundits on MSM lately who are supposedly "independent" telling the President what he should be doing, when, in actuality, if they would pay Attention, they would see, he Actually Is doing just those very Things. thanks again.
Andreams
Agree totally - watching MSNBC is like watching Fox these days. None of the media outlets talk about anything positive. I'm tired of hearing how much a new bill will cost without hearing how much inaction already costs and how much it continue to rise. Do these people honestly think there will be no increase in the next 10 years if nothing is done?
77% of my income now goes for health insurance, no frills, high deductible policy. That 77% does not include the deductible, etc.
jq2122
The public wants health care reform. The public does NOT want the health care reform Obama and the liberal Democrats are proposing. That is why he can't get the moderate Democrats on board ... their constituents DON'T WANT THIS BILL.
Go talk to Great Britan, France, and Canada about their socialized health care systems and why it's so ineffective that millions of their citizens come to the US every year to get the medical care they need. Then go back to the drawing board.Come up with something that doesn't cost $1.6 trillion, won't force anyone to give up their private insurance, won't lead to health care rationing, and won't reduce the quality of medical care available, and then come back and talk to me about a 1000-page bill you want to pass in 2 weeks.
dgteaneck
"The public wants a health-care overhaul". 70% are satisfied with their coverage. Sam misread public sentiment his entire reporting career as does this site.
Cymatic
Maybe that's because those are the 70% who aren't sick and aren't trying to wrestle money out of insurance companies, or very well off and have silver plated plans.
I question those stats, but regardless, the numbers are very different when people are asked about whether the system itself needs reform. People might be comfortable with their "level" of coverage but most are worried that they will be left penniless should the insurance companies screw them over.
Piscesprincess
not a matter of "should the insurance cos screw them but When they will do that. Let's face it. Even our new President's mother had to fight to get her coverage before she died. tsk.
Cymatic
I didn't know that about Obama's mother. I think that would make this more personal for him. That is so cold.
jdx60009
That's why health insurance coverage is Obama's big issue.
He watched his mother struggle to get coverage, and fight on the
phone as she was dying of cancer.
JohnnyAces
According to a Washington Post poll in late June 62% of Americans support a public option for healthcare. Only 33% oppose it. Sam was right.
Andreams
I'm one of the 70% satisfied with the coverage but I'm one of the many, many people who are not happy with the cost. If I could find anything less costly with less coverage, I'd love to have it.
Depends on how the question is asked. Same with the one about being satisfied with the President's handling of healthcare. I'm not satisfied but that's because I want him to get down and dirty and get this thing passed. I'm tired of the "can't we all get along" phase.
al-nafs
I'm a single young male professional who is quite happy with his health care. And I also want health care reform. It isn't for me, its for the fiscal health of my country.
xlntcat
Good for you.
xlntcat
There is a hugd discrepancy between levels of satisfaction between those who are healthy and those who aren't. The healthy ones don't use their insurance very often or to the degree that would allow them to discover that they didn't have the coverage they thought that they had or that even if they did, they might have to hire an attorney to make the insurance company pay.
Even those who now have insurance that is living up to its contract may very well find themselves without as their employers decides they can no longer afford the rising cost or because the rising cost is being passed on to them. Just as the federal government will not be able to sustain the mounting cost of medicare, business will no longer be able to sustain the cost of rising healthcare premiums. Pretending that this doesn't affect you, is just pretending.
PoconoJoe
Although Sam might want this draconian health care legislation "Rahmed" through, it's not the Health care reform "We The People" want or need. Maybe Sam could tackle this... If it's not good enough for Congress or Unions, it's not good enough for the rest of us. (Or does that get filed into another taboo subject the media won't touch?)
Womentoo
He that has an open ear let him hear what Mr. President is saying to United States of America. If you are still listening by a small radio sitting on the porch and wiping your butts on leaves I do understand very well.
Fella568
"...Ronald Reagan tried to sell aid to the Nicaraguan Contras long after it was apparent that the public didn't care enough, and Congress wasn't buying (never mind what was going on in the back room). George W. Bush tried to sell private accounts for Social Security long after his own party leaders told him the market wasn't there. In both cases, all the exposure, all the salesmanship couldn't, and didn't, help..."
There you go again Sammy. Thinking and yaking like the "get paid as you go throat" of the Repuglican party.
Bush and Reagan couldn't sell their wants because they were way off the mark of what the people wanted. Obama isn't.
jq2122
Obama IS way off on this issue. That's why he can't get moderate Democrats on board. It's not reform that people have a problem. Republicans tried to push through lots of health care reform bills under Bush (and Obama voted against every one of them, by the way). The problem people have with this bill is that it costs too much and threatens freedom of choice.
A large majority of Americans have health insurance and are happy with it. If he wanted a slam-dunk issue to assert his power, he picked the wrong one.
sonofloud
But then the democrats would have to actually lead, and you know they would much rather continue pandering to the right wing.
jq2122
Democrats control both legislative chambers. Why would any of them feel the need to "pander" to the "right wing?"
politicomom
The President is doing the exact right thing. We finally have a President who realizes the people do have more power then we have ever been given credit for. Since the election he has inspired many to become more involved in the political process. I am one of those. The people banning together is the only voice louder then the lobbiest. He knows this. Americans are taking ownership in the conversation instead of just sitting back and complaining. The only way this will pass is to get us to stand together against the big money. Grassroots is how he won and what he does best. It is changing how our country operates which is great. And he is still working directly with the Hill.
mrcarter
I agree that the people have more influnce than we give them credit for but I did not really see a grassroots effort involved in getting the president elected.
What I saw were the ACORN people and the black panthers. hardly grass roots.
Healthcare needs to be fixed no doubt but if the public option is in the bill then getting soaked by the insurance companies will be the least of your worries.
Through rationing they will just kill you
djanimaequeen
mrcarter
More people donated to his campaign then any elected official in American history. Obama DID have a grassroots campaign thanks to the internet.
al-nafs
Hi. I am j-random-californian who donated to the Obama campaign and voted for him. I'm not ACORN and I'm certainly not one of the so-called new black panthers. ( although I am black, incidentally ).
This is a random message from a complete stranger. There are many more people who supported Obama as I did. It's about as grassroots as you can get.
xlntcat
That is undoubtedly the most bigoted, uninformed paranoid thing I have ever read. Have you consulted a mental health professional.
Cymatic
I'm sure Obama is working 12 hour days. Taking a few hours to address the public and use public opinion to leverage pressure on those democrats that are sucking the %&@# of the insurance companies. The insurance companies are throwing all sorts of money at anyone willing to take their side. Obama is showing that he is willing to rake these people over the coals publicly should they take the side of the insurance companies. There is a lot of political gamesmanship going. If Obama ceded the airwaves to the opposition, it would be a big mistake. I think tactically speaking he's right on the money.
insidertrading
He needs to do both, he's losing public support rapidly as the status quo supporters win in the public sphere.
Piscesprincess
Indeed. So much for the MSM being liberal. tsk.
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n--Y--CharlestonDoverjdx60009
You lost me long ago with your one-sided biased comments. Bye bye.
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n--Y--CharlestonDoverjdx60009
CharlestonDover
That was a bye bye to you. Silly man.
Thank you.
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