What they did get was a presidential co*k-up of the first order. This was the take-away alluded to above, it was as big a digression as is imaginable, and it succeeded in completely undoing everything the press conference was meant to achieve. This, of course, was the president's foolish commentary on the Henry Louis Gates debacle. Why he needed to wade into the waters of the particulars of a minor league arrest by a small-town police department (as opposed to, say, a discussion of racial profiling in the abstract) is beyond me, as is why he employed the inflammatory language that he did, especially since he noted then and has conceded in his subsequent apology that part of the problem may have been inappropriate behavior on the part of Gates, not just the cop who (yes, stupidly) arrested him.
But even had Obama not erred so egregiously, there is a broader strategic question here, which underpins the circumstance leading to this ignominious scene. And that question is, why -- even beyond the fact that Obama's performance is usually only okay at press conferences -- why in the world would the White House be using press conferences to sell their agenda??? The very nature of the forum is built around the concept that the audience in the room controls the event. The press not only control what themes get asked about (what if Obama had gotten questions on Iraq, Afghanistan, the Gates affair, or global warming -- and none about healthcare?), but they also choose what specific questions to ask, and how to frame those questions. Maybe the president wanted to talk about getting universal coverage for the public, but the press asked instead about the party politics of the legislation on Capitol Hill. Maybe Obama wanted to exert leadership on the topic, but the press asked questions that made him out to have lost control of the issue's agenda.
The point is that, even if Obama was especially skilled at press conferences, like Jack Kennedy was, this is absolutely the wrong forum for the purpose of rallying support around an issue critical to both the nation and the fate of his presidency. Instead, you give a televised address from the Oval Office, or a high profile speech somewhere appropriate. By doing so, you control the content, you think out ahead of time precisely what you want to say, you pick the emotional pitch of the delivery, you design the setting to maximize the impact of whatever message you're trying to get across, you get the bonus of presidential gravitas inherent to the setting, and you stage manage everything about the presentation to align with the communications goals for it that you pre-establish before the first word of the speech is even composed. Alternatively, if you utilize the press conference format instead, you lose every single one of these benefits, in part or in whole.
The second most astonishing thing about the failure of the Obama people to get this is that presidents have understood these principles at least since FDR gave his fireside chats. Moreover, ever since Michael Deaver and Ronald Reagan brought Hollywood methods (and values) to the presidency, political pros have not only understood these principles, but have mastered them to enormous effect (and often enormously pernicious effect -- a la Reagan, or Bush with the bullhorn on the World Trade Center pile). How is it possible, in 2009, that the Obama people don't know how to do the same? I mean, picking the appropriate medium for the message you're trying to convey is Presidential Communications 101.
Which brings us to the first most astonishing aspect of this failure. Are these really the same people -- including Obama himself -- who brought this guy out of nowhere and got him to the White House?!?! Are these really the same folks who ran a strategically brilliant, highly disciplined and nearly flawless campaign, one that no one saw coming, and one in which a relative unknown whose national experience consisted of one big speech and two years time in the Senate managed to topple a shoe-in heir-apparent and vanquish a highly regarded war hero?!?! Really?
I don't even recognize these people anymore. It's disappointing enough that their politics are so dismal (why bother toppling Hillary, only to reprise Bill, who's hardly any different than George?). But could they really be so incompetent and anemic at the basics of governing as well?
Of course, the two questions are not unrelated.
Indeed, it may well be that the Obama administration is so weak at marketing precisely because it realizes that a strong marketing campaign would instantly reveal that they actually have almost nothing to sell.
But even had Obama not erred so egregiously, there is a broader strategic question here, which underpins the circumstance leading to this ignominious scene. And that question is, why -- even beyond the fact that Obama's performance is usually only okay at press conferences -- why in the world would the White House be using press conferences to sell their agenda??? The very nature of the forum is built around the concept that the audience in the room controls the event. The press not only control what themes get asked about (what if Obama had gotten questions on Iraq, Afghanistan, the Gates affair, or global warming -- and none about healthcare?), but they also choose what specific questions to ask, and how to frame those questions. Maybe the president wanted to talk about getting universal coverage for the public, but the press asked instead about the party politics of the legislation on Capitol Hill. Maybe Obama wanted to exert leadership on the topic, but the press asked questions that made him out to have lost control of the issue's agenda.
The point is that, even if Obama was especially skilled at press conferences, like Jack Kennedy was, this is absolutely the wrong forum for the purpose of rallying support around an issue critical to both the nation and the fate of his presidency. Instead, you give a televised address from the Oval Office, or a high profile speech somewhere appropriate. By doing so, you control the content, you think out ahead of time precisely what you want to say, you pick the emotional pitch of the delivery, you design the setting to maximize the impact of whatever message you're trying to get across, you get the bonus of presidential gravitas inherent to the setting, and you stage manage everything about the presentation to align with the communications goals for it that you pre-establish before the first word of the speech is even composed. Alternatively, if you utilize the press conference format instead, you lose every single one of these benefits, in part or in whole.
The second most astonishing thing about the failure of the Obama people to get this is that presidents have understood these principles at least since FDR gave his fireside chats. Moreover, ever since Michael Deaver and Ronald Reagan brought Hollywood methods (and values) to the presidency, political pros have not only understood these principles, but have mastered them to enormous effect (and often enormously pernicious effect -- a la Reagan, or Bush with the bullhorn on the World Trade Center pile). How is it possible, in 2009, that the Obama people don't know how to do the same? I mean, picking the appropriate medium for the message you're trying to convey is Presidential Communications 101.
I don't even recognize these people anymore. It's disappointing enough that their politics are so dismal (why bother toppling Hillary, only to reprise Bill, who's hardly any different than George?). But could they really be so incompetent and anemic at the basics of governing as well?
Of course, the two questions are not unrelated.
Indeed, it may well be that the Obama administration is so weak at marketing precisely because it realizes that a strong marketing campaign would instantly reveal that they actually have almost nothing to sell.
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