President Obama Plans (Another) Prime-Time News Conference
Mark Impomeni
Contributor
Posted:
04/24/09
The White House says that President Barack Obama plans to address the nation and take questions from the media next Wednesday in the third prime-time news conference of his 100-day old presidency. The president earlier held news conferences in February and March. While the first two were called so that Obama could press for passage of his economic stimulus package and to update the country on the state of the economy, this news conference seems to have no political purpose other than to mark the president's 100th day in office.President Obama is personally very popular, and has been the subject of celebrity-like treatment from the mainstream media. Magazine cover after magazine cover bears his and or First Lady Michelle Obama's picture, and Americans are treated to news coverage of virtually every movement of the first family. But Americans appreciate a certain degree of detachment from their leaders as well. In the first three months of the Obama Administration, the new president has been a fixture in Americans' lives.
Some of this can be attributed to the honeymoon period that the Administration has enjoyed. Some of it, though, is a deliberate strategy of the Administration. The White House is trying to take advantage of President Obama's personal popularity to push through as much of his agenda as it can while the public remains in thrall with him. There is a risk, however. Continually placing the president in Americans' living rooms, could cause them to view him as an attention seeker, more interested in the spotlight than the hard work of governing. Three news conferences in three months seems to come close to the fine line between openness and overexposure.