I haven’t been following Crashergate that closely, so I only recently became aware of the grave threat that Desiree Rogers poses to our civilization. About half-way through this article (GOS via TNC), it hit me, she’s black, right?
The 50-year-old Rogers arrived in Washington this year to great fanfare, no small amount of it of her own making. She entered the East Wing in a whirlwind of media exposure. She was featured in the glossy pages of Vogue — beating the first lady’s appearance in the fashion bible by a month. For a profile in WSJ, the Wall Street Journal’s slick magazine, stylists outfitted Rogers in luxury fashions from Prada and Jil Sander and she posed in the first lady’s garden tossing a flirtatious smile over her shoulder.
Early in her tenure, Rogers made a trip to New York City during February’s fashion week. She sat in the front row of runway shows such as Donna Karan and smiled for the flock of photographers who descended on the striking Obama gatekeeper with her pixie cut, stylish wardrobe and high-altitude heels. She dabbled in a world of hipsters and art scene know-it-alls in her attempt to bring a contemporary gleam to the White House. And she seemed to thrive on all the attention. She has come across as a big-picture manager, not one focused on details.
It’s not entirely accurate to say that WaPo would never write about a white person this way, because they certainly wrote about the Clintons this way. It’s also true that they wouldn’t write about, say, Condi Rice, this way (what with all the figure skating and concert-piano playing and Stanford provosting and whatnot).
But what this article is really saying is that Desiree Rogers isn’t the right kind of person. That’s what Socksgate and Travelgate and all that other bullshit was about too — the Clintons weren’t the right kind of people. It’s what all the bullshit about Michelle Obama’s iPod and bare arms is about too.
I hate to go on and on about this, but it’s pretty remarkable that the media insisted the Clintons being investigated for using White House postage to send letters form from their cat and that the Obama White House be investigated because two weirdos crashed a White House party, but that the Bush White House should never be investigated for torture, politicizing the DOJ, falsifying intelligence, and (not that that I think this one is important but it is similar to the kinds of trivialities that are deemed important when they happen under Clinton or Obama) having a male prostitute show up to lob softball questions at Wthie House briefings.
It’s just plain weird.
geg6
I just can’t be bothered with this manufactured outrage of the week. What I am finding a lot of fun today is that it seems some of our Dem congresscritters seem to have finally learned how to play hardball with the Party of No:
thinkprogress.org/2009/12/04/coburn-vitter-public-plan/
This is a beautiful thing. Sherrod Brown is teh awesome.
In other news, looks like BOB’s boyfriend isn’t pulling in the big crowds:
rawstory.com/2009/12/glenn-beck-christmas-sweater-movie-flops-big-cities/
Zifnab
(D)
(R)
You’re a smart guy. You can figure this out.
What’s amazing is that the Republicans can turn a molehill into a mountain and drag in people from across the nation to turn a Congressional testimony on Christmas Cards into the most important threat to civilization since the Soviets got the bomb.
But the Democrats can get page A26 to talk about Single Payer Health Care.
The GOP talking point continues to absolutely dominate the media environment.
valdivia
Amen. This is disgusting.
Ian
Modernity=bad
bago
letters form a cat?
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
If they ain’t white they ain’t right, end of story. White conservative people can do this and look the part, black people (and Democrats!) can only pretend to. Rich is real, everything else is pretentious.
If anything, I think the article is written so the thin-lipped will press their lips together, frown and think (or say) How dare they!
It’s R&R, Rich and Republican, that is right. Everything else is wrong.
Leelee for Obama
Not weird, it is just standard procedure.
They thrive because people still read their shit. I refuse, except in cases like this, when you put the gist in a post. No clicks for them. I hope they sink soon. All of ’em. I used to think the media we have was better than nothing, but I’ve decided I was wrong, and I’m a big enough person to admit it. They can bark.
Also, if Keith keeps going after Woods every night, I’m not gonna watch him either. Too.
That is all. Thanks for listening.
eric
random thought: i think that the singular fundamental key to understanding modern chirstian conservatism is to understand that god’s will is to be done here as it is in heaven such that everyone on earth gets what he deserves. thus, any one that succeeds in getting beyond his proper reward here on earth is evil and anyone that gets less than what his moral worth suggests he should is a victim of a crime against God. so, these “losers” blame their situation on evil and consider their lower station heresy against their god. they are fighting a holy war to maintian their perceived privilege as a means of honoring their god.
eric
Midnight Marauder
@bago:
Duh. Haven’t you heard all those stories about Alphabet Voltron Cat?
Noonan
Shorter WaPo: Like Obama, she’s a celebrity. Where have all the serious (white) people gone?
AngusTheGodOfMeat
Call me whatever, but what’s weird to me is that after the last 20 years, anyone would think that Crashergate is weird.
Crashergate is standard, everyday Beltway/MSM stuff. It can’t possibly surprise anyone.
Redshirt
IOKIYAAR – It’s OK If You Are A Republican
A handy catchphrase that explains almost everything coming out of the MSM these days.
licensed to kill time
I don’t know, it seems to me that the media focuses on silly stuff that Joe and Jane Sixpack all feel qualified to have an opinion on, rather than the hard questions that no one wants to think about. It’s easier for the press, it gets them a lot of viewers, and no one has to bother their beautiful minds over the fact that we Americans have allowed some pretty rank politicians to subvert our Constitution and might not be as Exceptional as we think we are just by virtue of being American.
Infotainment loves trivialities.
Dr. Loveless
@geg6:
All attendees were charged $20 — a figure that Beck surely hoped was affordable for the “little guy,” who he often claims to stand up for.
$20? To see a movie???
Proof positive that Beck, et al., know their supporters are rubes to be milked for everything they’ve got.
KG
@Zifnab: I don’t think it has much to do with the party affiliation. This is really about the aristocracy protecting the aristocracy. The Clintons and the Obamas do not come from the right bloodlines. The Bushs and Kennedys (as another example) do. Actually having something that resembles a meritocracy as Hamilton envisioned is a threat to those in power because they won the genetic lottery. It’s sort of a new money/old money thing.
The Clintons and Obamas didn’t put in their time, they didn’t have parents and grandparents and great-grandparents that were very powerful people. They are commoners and that is unacceptable to the aristocracy because it threatens there power. I mean, if they can’t control who gets to be president, the next thing you know, they won’t be able to control who gets to be Senators and Representatives, or judges, or governors… and then, they might actually have the law apply equally to them. And then what would all the work that their ancestors did be worth?
mk3872
@Zifnab:
Bravo, Zif, you nailed it. I stopped typing my own because your words were spot-on.
Summary: if the Repubs can drive the media cycles, so can the Dems.
The Dems just have no message discipline and no idea HOW to make headlines.
Jay in Oregon
@Dr. Loveless:
Of course, if it was the motion picture adaptation of “Going Rogue”, the movie would have ended 5 minutes into the second reel.
(Yes, I am picking the low-hanging fruit today; why do you ask?)
kay
I’m going to disagree. I agree that it’s not a huge issue. I agree that there is a double standard for Democrats and Republicans.
I have to say though, if you hire someone to plan and host events, if that person’s entire role and utility is to be concerned for the guests, there is something questionable about self-promoting behavior, and real or perceived lack of concern for the guests.
Rogers shouldn’t get slammed for “breaching security”.
She should get slammed for not having staffers up front to help the Secret Service get the guests in out of the rain.
She should get slammed for making comments that imply she thinks concern for things like napkins and flowers and menus and keeping people out of the rain is not important.
Keeping people out of the rain is important. It’s also her job, and I don’t think being a really great host is an easy job, either.
karen
The article you linked to was originally written for the Washington Post by their style section fashion reporter – Robin Givhan – who is black.
So, more than political, I think this story is driven by snark.
SiubhanDuinne
@bago:
Certainly. The letters C, A, and T.
Frankblack
Off topic, but since we’re talking about assholes
Church Lady
Frank, you’re just a little late to the party.
Kris
They are just jealous of Desiree. The haters wish they could look as good as Desiree does at 50.
Remember, black don’t crack.
I’m looking at you Sally Quinn.
Just Some Fuckhead
You don’t have to leave in the strike-out “form”. It just makes it confusing to read.
Aaron Hall
Here’s an “Oh snap, oh no you didn’t” moment during a recent WH press briefing. A reporter grills Gibbs about Desiree Rogers and he responds with a rather condescending remark, to the groaning cringes of the press corps. She was over the top, but he didn’t have to throw in the “works with my son” line. People need to chill.
youtube.com/watch?v=2rKhbzJ8YeU
kay
“She has come across as a big-picture manager, not one focused on details. ”
In other words, I think the writer is saying that Rogers isn’t the right kind of person for this job. I read a little about her. She’s had some big, high profile jobs, and that’s great, but that’s not this job.
The essential quality for this job is that it’s not about the host. It’s about the guests.
What has amazed me about the whole gate-crasher hoopla is how little concern there has been for the guest of honor, that guy from India that everyone forgot about, so Rogers isn’t alone in maybe not getting the point of going to to all this trouble, and having these dinners.
Bulworth
“The 50-year-old Rogers arrived in Washington this year to great fanfare…”
I’ll admit, that in the midst of all my news junky-ism, I had failed to recognize this great “fanfare”.
Rhoda
They accepted Bush as the President and Laura Bush as an acceptable First Lady.
They can accept Barack Obama; but this Desiree Rogers thing is all about Michelle Obama and dinging the West Wing too.
This author has gone hard at the First Lady from go; she was the one who started that whole shorts-gate w/Michelle when she went to the Grand Canyon. She’s black and she was at Princeton the same time as the First Lady. Suffice to say; Givhan has been a subject of conversation for a while and this whole thing came as no surprise.
This Crashergate is a bank shot: ding Michelle, ding Barack Obama, and start the congressional inquries into the administration.
If the Republicans ever regan control of the House and Senate we will be screwed as the White House is bombarded with investigation after investigation. Ten to one they would have gone hard if they had subpoena power at Gitmo, at Craig leaving, at the #2 guy at DOJ and any number of issues.
And the village would lap it all up; in it’s element. That’s what is at stake in 2010.
Jon H
“It’s also true that they wouldn’t write about, say, Condi Rice, this way”
Actually, I think Condi’s style *did* get some comment through the 8 years.
I also recall her shopping getting some coverage.
Case in point: washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51640-2005Feb24.html#
Legalize
And, as if on cue, Gibbs responds to the stupid as he should.
Rhoda
Here is Ms. Givhan on the Today show about the “shorts controversy” she helped launch.
Legalize
The answer is really simple. The Obamas are cooler than the assholes who think they’re really fucking cool for attending the right parties and knowing the right people. Yet the Obamas appear to be pleasant people. The beltway chattering class hates that shit.
kay
@Rhoda:
Thanks. I didn’t know there was a history.
Again, though, while it’s not of major importance, I would suggest that any wedding planner anywhere would check the spelling on a menu, and get some blowback if it was not right.
Because people probably take a state dinner menu home.
While this is not of major importance to me, it should be of interest to Rogers. That’s the job.
Original Lee
@kay: I believe Rogers’ job is more as a manager of the people who actually are supposed to sweat the details. In which case, she needs to do more management, as the detail people are not doing their jobs.
Leelee for Obama
@Original Lee: No exactly sure where the ball-dropping happened. Supposedly, the “Person who Stands with the Secret Service Agent at that checkpoint” was told her position was not too necessary because the economy precluded many Posh Dinners at the Obama WH. So, she resigned, one assumes the snit factor.
Bottom line-Secret Service dropped the only ball that counts- and they admit it and that should be the end of it, but of course, there isn’t anything more important to talk about.
4tehlulz
Oh yay. I get to relive the 1990s.
kay
@Original Lee:
I just wasn’t impressed with her response. I understand that the SS are responsible for security. She’ s responsible for everything else, though, and I’m not fond of people who won’t appear and apologize. Because they took responsibility does not mean she can’t own up to her part. She didn’t do that.
Particularly because the White House had to issue a statement announcing “new” rules, thereby all but admitting she was partially at fault.
I would get rid of her, if she worked for me. Not for the mistake, but for the response to the mistake.
She’s going to have to work closely with the SS for the rest of her tenure. If I were them, I would no longer trust 1. her ability to hold up her end, and 2. her ability to take responsibility when she drops it.
That also speaks to her management skills, by the way.
Spike
Hold on a sec. My trusty Wingnut Faux Outrage Scorecard must be obsolete. What could possibly be wrong with Michelle Obama’s iPod?
tomvox1
@karen:
Oh, this Robin Givhan: Michelle O’s Shorts
Snark it is!
Legalize
I think she gave the Queen of England an iPod with some of that icky rap hop, and other assorted non-white-people music on it. Teh Queen of course, thought it was charming to hang out with the hip kids from America and listen to their funky-ass beats. The wingers thought it was treason, however.
gravie
I remember clearly Sally Quinn’s HUGE long WaPo Style section article in the 1990s sometime, in which she came right out and said that the Clintons weren’t the right kind of people and that’s why none of her crowd liked them. The Post also ran a lengthy, nasty piece immediately after Clinton’s first inauguration in which they made fun of, among other things, Clinton’s wristwatch and Hillary’s legs and hats. So I’m not surprised that the insiders are gunning for the Obamas, since they’re likewise outsiders.
And because Robin Givhan writes ridiculous, petty tripe on an ongoing basis her opinions are quite irrelevant on any topic.
aimai
Wait a minute–I think you guys are missing the obvious subtext here–Robin Givahn, the writer of the piece, is *also black.* Over at Ta Nehisi Coates’ commentary thread on this topic the black commentariat put this down to inter-black female competitition. Desiree Rogers is personally extremely well educated and wealthy–until Obama became a Senator and then President I think Rogers would probably have been considered to outrank both Obama and Michelle in a social sense.
What’s weird about the article is that it assumes you know that she is personally wealthy enough to have always gone to those fashion shows, and always dressed the way she does and then criticizes her for it. She hasn’t jumped up in social status in taking this job and she’s not some kind of poseur or wannabe. She’s the real deal, socially speaking. The article is incoherent because it throws all this stuff together as criticism when it seems like rather pro-forma for the role.
aimai
lou
To be fair, Givhan also gave candidate Hillary Clinton grief about her cleavage and more importantly, Dick “Dick” Cheney grief over his sloppy parka and hiking boots at a holocaust memorial service in Europe.
But there does seem to be a special edge to her columns on Michelle and friends…
sbjules
I prefer to call the crashers grifters. They’re more than petty crooks.
tinat
Desiree went to Fashion week in Mrs. Obamas place. Michelle was the one invited but the designers, at least the two I know, were just happy to have someone close to Mrs. Obama there in the audience in hopes she’d take back a good review and they’d get their clothes worn by the most watched First Lady ever……..But a cat fight just is so much more delightful to report, no?
scudbucket
Kay, relax and slowly put down the spatula. The woman made a mistake. I’m getting the impression you think Desiree isn’t the right kind of people.
ET
Sure it’s weird. But more importantly do you know what else it is? Easy and Safe.
Spending time of this shit so much easier and much, much safer. With the added bonus that it may catch on and they can look like they were out in front of a story. At which time they can pat themselves on the back for being reporters.
Writing real stories on the abuses of the Bush administration means putting themselves out there and the WaPo and other inside the beltway media are a hugely risk averse crew as a general rule. I would love the WaPo to get out there and be the paper that they could be but that paper died in the 1980’s. It was killed by the “liberal media” meme with a big assist from the promise of increased access and prestiege.
HRA
This was not one person putting the wrong fork in the wrong place. It was a very serious mistake and/or failing in security due to mismanagement. Mismanagement can do great harm in any scenario. The potential for the greatest harm was at this dinner.
Anyone who has been in a managerial position knows the heat rises to the top. It makes no difference who you are by race, creed or anything else. I matters how you take responsibility for the good as well as the bad in your job.
chrome agnomen
@HRA
party certainly does matter. there wasn’t a hell of a lot of that kind of heat rising for the first two presidential terms of this millennium.
Nellcote
They’re trying to “Van Jones” Ms. Rogers.
She and the assistants were working the party, and were not guests, though Ms. Rogers did get to eat dinner. They weren’t at the gates but were immediately available via cell to deal with any problems. The SS was supposed to call one of them if there was an issue at the gate. But they didn’t. So BOO on the SS for not doing their job.
And an interesting take by Michael Sherer, of all people!
HRA
@chrome agnomen:
Certainly you are right about party. My focus is not on party. It is getting a job done. It is the severity of what could have occurred due to this job not being done correctly.
You believe opposition party politics are the engine of this coverage. I have come to the conclusion it does not have to be opposition party politics. The long presidential primary told us it can also be the same party politics.
mk3872
Doug – you hit this one straight-on. That WaPo hit piece made me wanna barf. Apparently, the DC Villager press does not believe that Desiree Rodgers belongs anywhere near the fashion elite, so stay away! Good God, that is one nasty piece …
Ian
@mk3872:
But should they? I think the very concept of a party message machine like faux news is immoral