Right On Cue, The White House Press Corps Awakens From Its Bush Slumber

Pulling a collective Rip Van Winkle, the White House press corps has awakened from its extended nap just in time to aggressively press the new Democratic administration, just as it dogged the last Democratic president during his first days in office back in the 1990s. Conveniently skipped over during the press corps' extended bout of shut-eye? The Bush years, of course.

Suddenly revved up and vowing to keep a hawk-like watch on the Obama administration ("I want to hold these guys accountable for what they say and do") and all of a sudden obsessed with trivia, while glomming onto nitpicking, gotcha-style critiques, Beltway reporters have tossed aside the blanket of calm that had descended on them during the previous administration, a blanket of calm that defined their Bush coverage.

In other words, one set of rules for Clinton and Obama, another for Bush. One standard for the Democrats; a separate, safer one for the Republican.

Read the full Media Matters column here.

Comments

[LizM]

Whether they are trying to cover a Republican administration or a Democratic one, the media/blogosphere/punditocracy prove time and again that they are nothing if not incompetent and inept.

[Clavis]

You people are fools. Obviously the media is liberally-biased -- after all, the media is owned by enormous corporations like General Electric, and we know that nothing's more liberally-biased than enormous corporations, right?

[Shawn0965]

The MSM is irrelevent. The WSJ is now just another Murdock rag, and the NYT is about as relevent to a political discussion as Nickelodian magazine.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

To add to my comment, the MSM & WH Press Core have a long ways to go in order get the respect that they lost eight years ago. We will hold you accountable for your actions.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

One thing is for sure The Dem don't cry about media coverage (Rethuglicans) because they aren't afraid of the truth and criticism. Unlike the other party that lies and murders. So the press core are spineless fools who have prove be nothing more than lap dogs for the Rethuglicans.

[norrinradd2]

"The Dem's are simply easier prey."

We are all still just natural animals at the core.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

Ohhhh! I like that
"We are all still just natural animals at the core"

Mind if i use that!

[SEQUOIABISON]

Well said Eric, the Fourth Estate failed the American people miserably, allowing the Bush administration to lie us into a war, the press corp became stenographers instead of investigative reporters, it took a foreign reporter to actually show some gumption and tell Bush what the world really thinks of his phony lying news conference by throwing his shoes at him.

The American press was too intimidated by W to stand up and question his various incoherent explanations for taking the country into an unnecessary war, and gave him a pass, out of fear that Rove would slander them as being unpatriotic.

All of a sudden the press has found their voice and disrespectfully try to push Obama to answer questions during a get acquainted friendly visit, perhaps if they had done this during W's rein I could be more sympathetic to this type of behavior.

[calichic]

The repub tactic of claiming the corporate owned and controlled media is liberal (what a joke) is working. The media is so cowed for fear of seeming to have a liberal bias that they go out of their way to protect the status quo---corporate interests above all else.

[totalliberal]

They'll do exactly what they have always done. Take dictation.
Their bosses quiver in fear of anyone who is in charge. Years ago journalists had fun with their jobs but now they are just members of the snot-ball elite.

Obama has been watching and learning. Fear not.

[SteinL]

What a surprise.
How many media owners are Dem's, and how many are Republican? Guess that's clue number one.
And then Cheney was excellent at intimidating people, while the journo's knew that Bush would simply ignore their questions for a whole term if they got under his skin.

The Dem's are simply easier prey - or have been, until recently. Also watch for the Dem's in Congress to give Obama a much tougher time than the Repub's ever did give Bush.

[midwesthousewife]

Ironic, isn't it, that a President who is setting up the most transparent administration in our history now has to be held accountable by the press? What a joke the White House press are!

[writeaway]

If you were to question the Bush administration too closely, you lost your invitation to the party.. The Bushies took names as did the corporate media owners.

[XME]

...about 7 years too late.

[tomfact]

Mr Boehlert,

Please describe the color of the sky in your world. It must be amazing!!

[mommadona]

They have "Daddy" issues......

They knew their phones were tapped......

They saw what was happening to reporters in Russia.....

They got a mojo back.......

They actually woke up and realized they had a job to do.......

I remember the plaintive question when they found out the White House Press Room was going to be closed for renovation....

"Are you going to let us back in?"

That actually happened.

[BachelorJohnnyCool]

Well, gee whiz, who can blame them? Some far-right, mouth breathing commentators might accuse them of being liberal.

[KaLaPa111]

Oh trust me, Johnny. I don't think ANYONE is gonna be accusing them of that anytime soon.

[Clavis]

The accusations continue to fly from the loopy right-wingers.

Then again, they're also screaming that Obama doesn't have a birth certificate and that he's a secret socialist who hates America and wants to destroy it.

Republicans do not play fair. It's that simple. They cry "wolf" and then demand that the press forget they did it.