Obama Snubs New York Times, Breaks Pre-Inauguration Tradition

Although New York Times columnists David Brooks and Bill Kristol sat down with Barack Obama last night, the paper's White House team still hasn't had the opportunity to do so since Election Day.

Unlike recent White House occupants--such as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton--Obama has yet to provide The Times with the sort of free-wheeling, pre-Inauguration interview the paper's come to expect. And there's little expectation it will happen before Tuesday.

"We would certainly like it to happen," said Times political editor Dick Stevenson, "but the days are running short at this point."

Stevenson said that although The Times has put in multiple requests to the Obama team, and "pointed out the historical precedent for this," they've had no luck securing a sit-down.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[nick1936]

Good for him they will just stab him in the back the first chance they get

[KeysDan]

Yes, although the NYTimes supported Mr. Obama for the presidency, he is much better off with such loyalists as neocon war mongers, Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and David Brooks.

[buckbuck11]

No, that was really stupid. Obama is going to have to learn the futility of this whole "reaching across the aisle" fantasy that he has the hard way, I'm afraid....­.while salving the metaphorical knife wounds to come. "Et tu, George Will?"

[reverendadam]

Umm... Kristol and Brooks write for the Times, dude. And for the record, he hasn't granted them freewheeling interviews either.

[TandalynNeff]

Obama has his hands full. No other president has inherited the mess he has. I think the Times is not on his list of priorities and rightly so. Give him a pass on this, he just might be a little busy !!!!

[JTCan]

thank you for that.....I agree

[K-Dog76]

TandalynNeff,

you know little of history if you think Obama has been handed the worst mess...

Vietnam... that was a huge mess, arguably bigger than Bush's mess...
how about WWII???
how about the great Depression? we don't have thousands of people living in boxes in Central Park or eating sawdust bread.
The freakin reconstruction period after Lincoln was assassinated, that was a HUGE mess, we jsut got done killing each other for years and there is rabid racism in the south etc etc etc...

[Independent voter]

Well he had enough time to hang out in Hawaii, eh?

[AddyGmom]

Bet Obama takes less time off than the dubyaBag that's hung out in the WH the last 8 years.

AND unfortunately, Obama hasn't been inaugurated in my world. More is the pity.

[MaryanneAZ]

If you call a funeral service for one's grandmother fun--then a good time was had by all. Also, until he is sworn in, Obama is a private citizen who can vacation where he pleases. A lot of people go home and visit family on their holidays. The Hawaii trip just sounds exotic to those of us who see it as a vacation only destination. To Obama, Hawaii is just a place where he was born and that he called home for a lot of years.

[Furby]

Next best thing to selling papers by having an interview with Obama is selling papers by complaining that you didn't get an interview with Obama. But the old nag's going down, no doubt about it.

[K-Dog76]

Furby,

breathe deep... the NYT didn't complain in the article, if you even read it... no need too be so angry.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

He shouldn't give them an interview. Trust me, when Obama becomes president next week, the press will be all over him, trashing him from day one (including the NYTimes). They'll say "oh, we were too timid during the Bush years, now that he's gone, we're going to bring down Obama".

Of course, they were timid with Bush because they wanted to be.

[SpaceCadet]

Exactly. They're going to compensate for being Bush's lap dogs for 8 years by acting like a pack of rabid Chihuahuas while Obama is president.

[K-Dog76]

Janeane...

wow... NYT endorsed Obama, and is considered the most liberal "MSM" rag in the country... but lets not split hairs.

I suppose we should all just not criticize the president at all... thats healthy.

Obama will give plenty of interviews, so sorry he's not the sore winner that you seem to be.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

K-Dog...

Totally wrong. The NYTimes may have endorsed Obama, but they recently ran an article saying he's got a good chance at being a one term president. So they're already getting out the knives. Eventually, he wil grant them an interview, but he should let them stew for a while. Clinton was very friendly towards the press, and they skewered him.

Bush treated the press like dog manure, and they loved him.

And when did I say anything about not criticising the incoming president?

[helgathewitch]

And so, who really cares if the NYTs gets an interview? Will any of us even notice?

[Mayoyo]

They are going to tear him apart anyway...i­t seems that every newspaper including the Times, are taking out their failures with the Bush administration on Obama....

[Grunty1]

That's an excuse only. Just more proof that the media has serious bias problems, but that it isn't a "liberal bias"

[Telemachus]

Thank you!

[lthuedk 1]

In our run-up to mission accomplished the New York Times played a crucial role. What they've done since to legitimize their commentary pales in comparison to the lasting damage caused by the dictatorship's gravest crimes THEY facilitated.

Thanks again for warning America about the true nature of the rag.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/she_died_for_neocon_schemes.html

Thanks for Iraq.

[K-Dog76]

ugh,

why bother explaining that dictators aren't elected, nor to you get to vote for them every for years, nor does the NYT endorse Bush.

But damn the facts...

[TrooAmerican]

Which happens first? Obama not re-elected in 2012, or NYT liquidating and disappearing?

[Furby]

Too easy, NYT meltdown.

[SMP]

Change is in the air.....an­d the breeze has left you behind!!!!!

[Savanna]

Can anyone tell me if the 10:00 time for the activities to began on Tuesday is an Eastern time. I am assuming that it is, hopefully I am right.

[Bwine]

yes

[dezzertguy]

Is the NYT being punished? Did they report something Obama did not like or did not approve? It will be interesting to see if he meets with another paper before the 20th. Perhaps, Obama thinks the NYT will fail shortly and he no longer needs them.

[K-Dog76]

nah dezzert, there won't be an interview between now and the election. As Obama's team has stated they have had more news conferences than an previous administration heading to office. The only paper that has gotten an Obama exclusive recently is his home-town Trib, which is a decidedly conservative paper. Chicago ties are the only reason they got it. Obama won't punish the NYT. The Times did a lot to help him get elected.

[dezzertguy]

The Trib has not been conservative since 1969 and endorsed Obama in the general election. The broke the seal of the Ryan divorce that basically gave Obama the IL senate seat. The NYT has said that Obama may be an one time president. I think Obama wants they to pay a bit for their saying such a thing about him.

[Madmac]

Man's been busy trying to keep things afloat while the alleged president is on permanent vacation. Give him time..

[starfire426]

You see NYT...this is what change is all about...bu­cking tradition.­..and you get to play a significant role in it!!!! Deservedly so!!!!

[Changeizgood]

Why would we put our president in your stinking rag? It is shown to be political. We are United, so guess we wouldn't fit your divisive BS and boost your membership. There will be interviews and do your best to try and smear him, as you did during some of the campaign. It won't work.

You will be tamed just as fox was, if it's rabid vocal negative BS.

We have work to do, go get the story. Chase it down like a real journalist is supposed to do. Make request as we asked for truth.

[K-Dog76]

Changeizgood

wow, now tell us how you really feel.

"smear him, as you did during some of the campaign" please cite an example of a smear from the NYT.

We have work to do, go get the story. Chase it down like a real journalist is supposed to do. Make request as we asked for truth. Tall order from someone who reads an opinion site like Huffpo. There is no news on this cite, its all editorial, where do you get your unbiased news?

[Deparis]

Remember this line: "Business as usual is over"? Guess what pal, he has not done an interview with The Huffington Post either. Should every media organization whine about not getting their interview with him? We did not elect him to follow a tradition of giving an interview to the NYT during the transition, WE ELECTED HIM TO FOLLOW THE TRADITION OF GREAT PRESIDENTS BEFORE HIM WHO PUT COUNTRY FIRST AND BUILT THIS COUNTRY BY WORKING WITH AND FOR THE PEOPLE.
Any tradition contrary to this is business as usual and should be gotten rid of. ' nuff said.

[K-Dog76]

Deparis,

1st Huffpo is not an international paper.

2nd NYT didn't whine about this, the original article doesn't appear in the Times.

No need to be hostile

I do like your zeal about the president putting the country first. I think he already is and he hasn't taken office yet

[4real]

Well according to the Times Obama will be a one term president so why do they need to interview him?

[K-Dog76]

4real, come on one person says that and thats the opinion of the paper???

They freakin endorsed the guy

[claudiam]

Hey - he is a busy guy! More important things to attend to. claudiatucsonaz