White House Shutting Out Press For Unfavorable Coverage

As President Obama tours the country to raise funds for his $1 billion reelection campaign, it seems that the White House Press Office is taking this opportunity to punish news organizations for coverage it deems unfavorable. The Boston Herald has been denied access to President Obama today because the White House believes the Herald has not been treating the President “fairly.” Of course, to the White House, fair coverage would amount to simply reprinting their official statements and press releases.

Given President Obama’s penchant to be a little loose with his words at fundraisers – like when he infamously said, “It’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,” during a 2008 fundraiser in San Francisco – it should not come as a shock that the White House wants to be in a position to control the press who would report on it.

After the media failed to vet President Obama during the 2008 elections, from protecting him from Jeremiah Wright stories, to letting the birth certificate charade continue for years, to not demanding his college records,  it is more important than ever for the President and his reelection campaign to be subject to a critical press.

The mainstream media is already too cozy with this Administration, and yet the White House still feels the need to rule with an iron fist in choosing who should and shouldn’t cover the President. They want to try to go back to their glory days in 2008 when Obama could do and say anything to get elected and the media and voters would accept it uncritically.

But this time, they can’t hide President Obama’s failed policies and the American people won’t be fooled again.