The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank in a scathing article illustrates the problem. He describes the candidate’s D.C. travels yesterday where he had a breathtakingly Presidential day that began with private meetings with the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, the President of Pakistan and a closed door meeting with swooning House Democrats.

Inside the House Office Building Milbank says of Obama: “Some say the supremely confident Obama — nearly 100 days from the election, he pronounces that “the odds of us winning are very good” — has become a president-in-waiting. But in truth, he doesn’t need to wait: He has already amassed the trappings of the office, without those pesky decisions.”

Milbank observes that the Obama traveled throughout D.C. with a long presidential-type motorcade that gummed up traffic in a city accustomed to presidential and diplomatic movements. Most interestingly, he is taking on the trapping of Presidential secrecy that would make a Bush advance man drool:

“Along the way, he traveled in a bubble more insulating than the actual president’s. Traffic was shut down for him as he zoomed about town in a long, presidential-style motorcade, while the public and most of the press were kept in the dark about his activities, which included a fundraiser at the Mayflower where donors paid $10,000 or more to have photos taken with him. His schedule for the day, announced Monday night, would have made Dick Cheney envious:

11:00 a.m.: En route TBA.

12:05 p.m.: En route TBA.

1:45 p.m.: En route TBA.

2:55 p.m.: En route TBA.

5:20 p.m.: En route TBA.

The 5:20 TBA turned out to be his adoration session with lawmakers in the Cannon Caucus Room, where even committee chairmen arrived early, as if for the State of the Union. Capitol Police cleared the halls — just as they do for the actual president. The Secret Service hustled him in through a side door — just as they do for the actual president.”

A friend of mine, a life long Democrat, told me yesterday he’s uneasy Obama is showing so much “hubris” before the election. Better watch out! The Prom Queen may be emerging…. and it could be dangerous for his campaign.

Let’s not forget Jeff Gannon, fake VNR’s, and the Plame Game to name just a few. And of course wmds, yellow cake, and the larger issue of lying a nation into war. (Maybe the MSM has had a new surge of responsibility after being duped so bad on that one). Old news you say? The New York Times is reporting today on the military’s efforts to control the flow of images from Iraq – which is in synch with the Administration’s ongoing ban of television coverage of returning Iraq war coffins. And, Think progress has a nice post, “McClellan: Fox News Commentators Use The ‘Talking Points’ That The White House Sends Them.” (One would assume that Fox News is outside of this MSM that is in love with Obama).

So maybe Obama’s well managed campaign points to competence in governing. That would certainly be refreshing. At least we can be certain that he is aware that Iraq has no border with Afghanistan.

]]> http://richardpollock.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/msm-love-affair/feed/ 1 dvyo http://richardpollock.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/a-prom-queen/ http://richardpollock.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/a-prom-queen/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:49:34 +0000 richardpollock http://richardpollock.wordpress.com/?p=106 ]]> Today’s New Republic says Barack Obama’s team is broadly alienating reporters for its secrecy and strong arm tactics, even against friendly reporters. Oh my! NR is saying Barack’s campaign staff is acting like an arrogant “Prom Queen.” Over the last few months earlier campaign promises for an open and transparent campaign apparently have dissolved like mist.

I don’t think the media love fest is in danger or over. But alienating fawning MSM reporters from the New York Times, the New Yorker and NBC News (including the late Tim Russert) is not a good thing for the promised reformer. Could the litany of harsh tactics outlined by the New Republic shed a little light on the tenor of a future Obama administration?

Obama was interrupted with applause 30 times in a 27 minute speech.

If Germans could vote in America. . . .

One had a budget of about 18 billion dollars, the other’s probably capped out at $140 (that’s $140, not $140 million or billion). One could have been great but got mired down in its own contrivances and the other, sublime.

Laura Zam’s HOW I GOT RICH IN A YEAR, USING THAT SECRET: A PLAY FOR BELIEVERS, SKEPTICS AND SLOBS is an amazing, witty, sardonic, and uplifting deconstruction of modern life, new age enlightenment, self help manifestos, and the scurrilous purveyors of both hope and despair amidst the inevitable outrageous slings and arrows of existence.

I’ve know Laura for many years, and she is co-writing a screenplay with me about New York City in the early 1980s. I was flattered when she boasted of our collaboration at an MPAA screening of my film, The First Basket. After seeing her solo tour-de-force, I was both giddy that I had chosen such a profound writer, and nervous that she will soon become too busy becoming a famous author to bother with the likes of my little NY stor. Laura has just been signed by a top NY literary agency to write a book based on the play, and HOW I GOT RICH is certainly the stuff of the great American post modern novel.

As we set out writing our little movie (tentatively titled A Million in Prizes), Laura made me read Robert McKee’s “Story”, on film narrative structure. I had sought Laura out exactly because I knew her to be dramaturge, and I wanted the screenplay to be structurally sound. McKee is the screen writing seminar guru in the film Adaption (hilariously portrayed by Brian Cox), and his book emphasizes very serious structural theoretics in order to express the great universal truths inherent in one’s story.

Well Laura has done McKee proud. HOW I GOT RICH is overflowing with great universal truths about the human condition. It’s also captivating, entertaining, and Laura’s no holds barred personal revelations are variously incredibly moving and funnier than Gilda Radner on nitrous. In the show she labels herself a performance artist, which she later rejects in favor of “writer and performer”. She is also a superb comedic and dramatic actress, whose stage presence is only topped by her incredible writing. HOW I GOT RICH is everything that theater (including performance art) should be and a much welcome alternative to even the best of this summer’s billion dollar blockbusters.

A number of years ago, I was Tony’s senior producer when he hosted “Fox News Sunday.” Tony was a lot of things: smart, insightful and very down to earth. But it is his humor I will remember.

We worked together in live television where things could go wrong on air — and they did. Most other hosts would fume. Tony would chuckle.

I think that’s probably what made him a great White House press secretary. Rather than get angry, Tony would smile and simply laugh.

The Onion is very, very jealous….

Imagine Barack Obama, who has been accused of lacking foreign policy experience, standing before hundreds of thousands of cheering American ex-pats and Europeans at Germany’s landmark Brandenburg Gate. This is the very gate at which President Ronald Reagan taunted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”

It would be an electrifying YouTube moment. As a former network TV producer, I admire the staging, or what we call “establishing” the shot. The idea that his campaign even would consider such bold staging is a testimony to the skill of Barack Obama’s superb advance teams that work tirelessly to find the right TV backdrop.

Television staging is not new news, but you would think it is a foreign concept when you look at the McCain camp. Obama gave his “patriot” speech in Independence, Missouri. He gave his speech on racism in Philadelphia near the Liberty Bell. Both are symbolic shrines that speak poetry and help frame Obama’s messages.

McCain’s advance team, meanwhile, has flunked most of the visual staging tests. When Obama clinched the Democratic nomination, he did so at the Minneapolis-St.Paul convention center where the Republicans will hold their nominating convention this September. McCain’s staff replied that their guy’s speech — also long in the planning — would occur in New Orleans. This, they said would serve as a definitive counterpunch.

Obama’s was a beauty shot for the camera. McCain’s audio was poor; his staging a mess and lighting was horrible. Oh, and his campaign message was a muddle. Both back-to-back events compared the talents of both campaign staffs. Obama’s team smashed McCain’s.

Meanwhile, McCain has taken two overseas trips this year. One was to Europe, the Middle East and Iraq — these are his signature issues. A second was recently to Colombia, Mexico and Canada. None had any staging and none left any YouTube moment.

Btw, this is what MSNBC filed about McCain’s European/Middle Eastern campaign tour:

John McCain wrapped up his five-country swing to the Middle East and Europe by meeting with two familiar faces- one old and one new. In London this morning, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and McCain had breakfast together at the swanky Mandarin Oriental hotel. A quick photo-op for reporters before the official visit quickly became a reflection of McCain’s recent travels.

The swanky Mandarin Oriental. That worked for me…

In seeking out the Brandenburg Gate, Barack Obama’s advance team is displaying sheer cockiness and brilliance. It still may not happen. But the fact they are scoping out these symbolic locations demonstrates that they are completely outclassing the McCain advance team. (although he does have a new team in place).

In the visually-centric world in which we live, enduring YouTube (and TV news) moments are vital. This year they could determine who is the winner and the loser for the Oval Office.

Part of the reason is that social marketing campaigns are relatively cheap to launch. Yet there is a powerful underlying strength to social marketing that makes it so attractive. Corporations and non-profits are discovering that networks like Facebook can engage real consumers and can motivate them to join their company web sites to participate in their games and contests. It leads to building brand loyalty, a vital element in this competitive world.

Tessa notes that big line companies are waking up to the new opportunities. She reports, “Carnival Cruise Lines, Dell, ‘Fast Company’ magazine, Nike, Threadless, and Toyota — are exploring the microblogging application Twitter,” a growing social media site.

The economics are forcing advertisers to explore cheaper alternatives. But the switch to social marketing may have another unexpected effect: It will grow the popularity of social media sites — and begin to the close the gap between consumers and corporations.

Here’s an interesting news flash: The PR arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards apparently faked the number of missile launches using photoshop.