Obama Liberal Media Sitdown Follows Conservative Dinner

Tuesday night, President-elect Barack Obama sat down with some prominent conservative authors for dinner. Wednesday, Politico's Michael Calderone reports, he's paying a visit to the liberal side of the commentariat:

The group included the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne and Eugene Robinson, the Wall Street Journal's Gerry Seib, National Journal's Ron Brownstein, the New York Times Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd, and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, among others.

Today's meeting was held at the transition headquarters, and unlike dinner at George Will's house, I'm told there weren't refreshments. But similar to last night's, the discussion was off the record.

The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan, one of the meeting attendees, shares some thoughts:

Lots of emails from readers asking about the chat with the president-elect this morning. It was totally off the record and I'm a stickler for those rules. I can say, however, the following: it's hard to express the relief I feel that this man will be the president soon. I realize that's what I feel above all else: relief.

I may disagree with him at times, and criticize him at times, but his great gift is showing that he does not expect people to change their convictions in order to find common areas of agreement. That's the challenge he's presenting all of us with, wherever we come from ideologically. The challenge is as real for a Krugman as for a Kristol, for Rick Warren as well as Gene Robinson.

Meanwhile, Johnathan Chait points out that even before the new meeting was announced, liberals weren't upset:

They know that Obama understands far more about policy than any of his right-wing dinner companions, is used to being exposed to opposing ideas, and won't come out of that dinner telling his staff, "Hey, did you know we cut half the capital gains tax and raise more revenue?"

Comments

[wendy12]

check out these 5 comedians comment about the current economic crisis and the presidential
duel...Heck, even the comedians are optimistic about Obama!!...some of finest political comic commentary ive seen in ages!! bwahahahaaha!!
http://effinfunny.com/debates-and-bailouts

[maxfax]

Cleaning the palate?

[VJSleight]

I have traveled over seas frequently in the last 8 years and I'm finally able to say I'm proud to be an American again. January 20, 2009--the End of An Error!!!!!!

[wagthedog1001]

"His great gift is showing that he does not expect people to change their convictions in order to find common areas of agreement."

It's called being an ADULT. Let's see if more can try to do the same thing. I'm tired of the childish bickering heard nearly everywhere just because there is a disagreement in opinion on politics, religion, or even sports.

[Jinxykb]

I love this man. I really, really, love this man...

[americanalien]

Me too. I'm in love with my President.

[montecarlo408]

I'm so tired of the partisan bickering. Obama is showing America and the world that he is willing to work with everyone. Unfortunately, when you do something like that, the people on the far left and the far right make a lot of noise and complain about it. He said that he was going to do this throughout his campaign. I get the feeling sometimes that some of the far left and the far right were hoping that his assertion was one campaign promise he wouldn't keep.

[hemnebob]

i can absolutely identify that feeling of relief...ahhhhhhhhhhh.
the frustration that i have felt has lasted way too long.
for all of those who believe in the good vs. bad, and i mean real true
profound belief in good will win, this is it for me. i watched this man
make his speech at the democratic convention...(i think it was 2004?)
and was convinced at that moment that this man was not like the rest.
he wasn't a goody two shoes speaking 'at' the crowds telling them
what 'they' wanted to hear but he was genuine and compassionate speaking
to the crowds, sharing his dreams for this great country. this guy is special
and is the best thing to happen to our great country at this time,
this moment when we cannot quite see the future.
i feel very, very proud.

[JScott]

Just trying to bring civility back to public discourse.

Would be interesting if it was found out that O gave the right and the left a few choice words with a good tongue lashing (something like 'you folks gotta be more civil with less snark'), but then again that's probably not his style (you can bet that just by his attendance they GOT IT) we'll see, stay tuned..

[mamacat]

I lesson we could all stand to remember: disagreeing with someone, and being disagreeable, are not the same thing.

[americanalien]

All I can say is, Obama is striking just the right notes. He is the perfect antidote for the bitter divide that still exists in this country. He knows what he is doing and I trust him.

[BarackstarObama]

Well said... cheers.

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

There'll be a short "honeymoon" and then William Kristol et al. will rip into Obama on everything he does -- partisan hackery is all those people know. That's what they get paid to do. At least I suppose Obama can then say, "hey, I tried to reach out to those guys." It's funny because George Will played Jimmy Carter in the debate prep with Ronald Reagan in 1980 with a stolen debate book, and he didn't see anything unethical about that or telling his viewers how wonderfully Reagan performed as if he were an impartial commentator. Kristol has written so many totally unethical and intellectually dishonest pieces it defies counting. So Obama met with one group of real journalists who believe in professional standards and with another group that has no ethics.

[adamsmith3]

"partisan hackery is all those people know" says the guy who ends his comment with "So Obama met with one group of real journalists who believe in professional standards and with another group that has no ethics."

Not much self-awareness there eh?

[likeicare]

adamsmith3 --

Don't you have a spell to cast, or something?

Go away!

[AbstractImp]

Can you list George Will's journalistic ethics?
I can't.
He praised Obama one week, and then two weeks later when Colin Powell said the same things, he accused Powell of doing it "only because Obama was black".

Can you name ONE ethic of Bill Kristol?
That is, besides . . . "Keep bombing until they become Americans!"

[ckfan]

The problem with your post is that it pits one side against the other and Americans have had enough of that. Essentially that's why Obama won - because he spoke against red states vs blue states in favor of reaching across the aisle. I don't believe he is trying to win them over because he can't. He knows that, he's smarter than that. He's fulfilling a promise and making an effort for the public - the VOTING public - to see him reaching across the aisle.

I'm a liberal, but to say that conservatives aren't real journalist and liberals are is not true. How are you any different from them when you look across the aisle and say they're wrong and we're right? They're bad and we're good.

Our economy is tanking, we"ll have more families homeless this year than ever before. People are scared. Working together to fix these problems is what most Americans want. Most Americans don't care about tearing down the other team - what does that accomplish? Most just want to feel good about their future and their country again - and they're turning to Obama for reassurance not for negative rhetoric.

[Rivermont]

Agree.

Palermo is part of the problem. BO is the president of all Americans, and Palermo's divisiveness makes him look so petty.

[Pema]

give it a bit....he doesnt have a magic wand to cure these guys swarmy underhanded crap. he is trying to soften everything. Perhaps you havent read these guys, it isnt an idea, its a lifestyle. they have secured positions of power in their field due to these very ideolgalic postions, people do not give up power easily. its just the Tao.
Take the softening, if he can achieve that he has achieved alot.

[freelyb]

ckfan,

It sounds as if you have a real need to feel better in the face of the traumatic road ahead. Many of us can relate. However, I believe Palermo's experience in the journalistic world gives him quite a bit of credibility as he touches on why some people are more worth listening to than others. We simply don't have much time on the environment, on the need for financial reform and regulation, on the need for a decent health care system. It is the 12th hour on all these things, the facts are in for those who will look at them. Some of us who are dubious about Obama's seeming centrist appeasement would be less vocal about it if we had more negotiation time. But we don't.

There is real reason for your discomfort, but the only way to alleviate it is to face the scary magnitude of the problems ahead. This done, the best solutions will reveal themselves quite naturally. (Hint: they probably won't be coming from defensive people who failed to acknowledge the problems in the first place.) And we must begin immediately.

[rabiddog6708]

Maureen Dowd does not seem very liberal to me. Of course, that might be because she is so anti-Clinton. But she seldom has anything good to say about anyone for that matter.

[JZ735]

From Wikipedia, a very nice summary, I'd say, of Dowd:

Dowd's appraisal of President Clinton and his feminist supporters during the Lewinsky scandal led to her being criticized by some liberals, and more recently her strong criticism of President Bush and the war in Iraq have prompted conservatives to criticize her.[citation needed]

Shortly after she won her Pulitzer, a New York Press article analyzed Dowd's columns and concluded that Dowd appears to do little reporting and tends to "dumb down" her subject matter by viewing it through the lens of pop culture.[15] A 2002 Weekly Standard article explored Dowd's alleged narcissism and tendency to reduce "political phenomena ... to caricatures of the personalities involved."

In 2003, Dowd was accused by Spinsanity.com[16] and James Taranto of inserting ellipses to change a quotation's intended meaning.[17]

Her work was recently satirized by Justin E. H. Smith in an article for 3 Quarks Daily.

She has repeatedly been criticized by Bob Somerby of The Daily Howler for trivializing and making baseless accusations about Democratic politicians. For example, on January 31, 2007, the Howler criticized her for trivializing the campaigns of female politicians, and in particular that of Hillary Clinton.[18]

[Tulka2]

Ugh. She is awful. I particularly have contempt for her childish insistance of "Barry" when she speaks of Obama. As if. There are some people he went to high school with who can call him that, but i was carefully brought up to call people what they want to be called. Dowd would like to insinuate that "Barak" is an affectation when it is what his parents named him.

[Beninn]

The Clintons aren't liberals. Bill wasn't, and Hillary is to the right of him.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

I remember when Hillary Clinton was being called a socialist! Now people are saying she is to the right of Bill who isn't a liberal. I guess the country really is moving left.

[LeeCalif]

Ah yes, thanks for the TERRIBLE, INSULTING, comparisons of gays to pedophiles,
choice of Rick Warren that Obama pulled out of his hat and threw into my face.

Rick Warren, the man who will give the Inaugural Prayer.

Ah yes, way to go, Barry, etc., etc.

[GuyFawkes]

Groan.

[citadelgrrl05]

you know what LeCalif you need to sit and spin, oh wait you probablly do that already, anyway.. would you have preferred John McCain/Sarah Palin, who was against everything you are for, quit B***hing and get over yourself, you could have Vice president Palin right now, and see how far you would have gotten then!!

[Irish55]

Yes, let's keep harping on that - forgetting of course the inclusion of Rev Gene Robinson, Rev Lowery, the LGBT community in the Inaugural Parade and the appt of openly gay people to the Administration. Yes, let's just pounce on that 1 thing and never let it go. I'm sorry - i totally agree with your cause. But I think you are so off base on this that it's ridiculous.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

Are you also saying, "Way to go, Barry" about the fact that he is having Eugene Robinson, openly gay Episcopal Bishop, give the invoation?

[wagthedog1001]

You really need to grow up.

[freelyb]

Enough maturity crap. Real grownups face real facts, they aren't relying on Santa.

[archeDeWashington]

six days more and we will be there with Obama boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbmGiamubbI

[KataVideo]

"Obama Liberal Media Sitdown Follows Conservative Dinner"

I'll bet the Liberals had better table manners.

[Paxhope]

"Conservative Dinner" ? boiled meat n' potatoes with overcooked string beans?