you seem bothered by it. i mean i’m not, and that’s fine. everybody is different. hope you survive this crushing trauma. https://t.co/NmLjaRrscT
— Peloton InfoSec Analyst (Incident Response) (@CalmSporting) March 14, 2021
Keep reading, because successful professional liar speechwriter David Frum actually has some good arguments…
Can you believe that Joe Biden has prioritized a pandemic, teetering economy, and gutted federal government over talking to the press in one specific format? https://t.co/BYXcCkBMHp
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) March 14, 2021
52 days and no #BidenPressConference. Does the White House realize how many Americans are approaching us and demanding one? In my case, zero. I’m sure I’m the exception.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) March 12, 2021
**Husband & wife sit down at the kitchen table**
H: "So we just got $2,800."
W: "And we got a vaccine faster than expected."
H: "Right, and our kids' school just got money to reopen faster."
W: "But I can't shake the feeling that Biden isn't holding enough press conferences."
— Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) March 14, 2021
preferring a presidency where the chief executive goes on television and lies to you all day over one where the president does not go on tv and doesn’t lie is hoo boy, it’s just not good.
you might start to consider the fact that you have a staggeringly amoral world view.
— Peloton InfoSec Analyst (Incident Response) (@CalmSporting) March 14, 2021
A challenge for every reporter saying Biden should hold a press conf: After he does hold one, during which at least half the questions will inevitably be about something inane, or asking Biden to play pundit, criticize the questioner for wasting time instead of doing journalism
— Isaac Chotiner (@IChotiner) March 14, 2021
WHY WON'T JOE BIDEN HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE SO I CAN ASK HIM WHAT HAS ENCHANTED HIM ABOUT BEING PRESIDENT AND ALSO HUMBLED HIM HI MOM IT'S ME I'M ON TELEVISION DID YOU REMEMBER TO HIT RECORD LIKE I TOLD YOU
— Matt Negrin, HOST OF HARDBALL AT 7PM ON MSNBC (@MattNegrin) March 14, 2021
I strongly approve of this Biden press conference reticence, and for 4 reasons, thread if you're interested … https://t.co/p4YeXVli3T
— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 14, 2021
Reason 1) Assertive presidential leadership can polarize something that otherwise would be broadly unifying. IE the reason we had a “Marshall Plan” (named after then SecState) rather than a “Truman Plan” was that President Truman’s name excited strong partisan feelings 2/x
We saw this in the Obama and Trump years over and over again. People might not have an opinion over this program or that issue. They had STRONG feelings about Obama/Trump. Attach the high-intensity name, and the merits of the program/issue got lost. 3/x
By keeping a low profile, Biden is de-escalating and de-polarizing politics – a smart move, especially at a time when the supreme national priority is to get everyone of all points of view vaccinated as fast as possible. 4/x
Reason 2) The presidency is an ensemble performance, not a one-man show. Putting a cast member on the White House press stage underscores that truth. It teaches the public how their government works – and how their government SHOULD work. 5/x
People on Twitter often complain of the “green lantern” theory of the presidency – that the president can achieve things by sheer willpower. Americans need to *see* that other people in government beside the president also make decisions – and must answer for those decisions 6/x
Reason 3) Reporters get more useful information from operational officials than they possibly can from the president – and are less tempted into performative stunts.
Nobody ever says to a reporter, “Congratulations, you really tripped up the IRS commissioner!” 7/x
When you put on the White House stage the official with direct operational responsibility – you incentivize reporters to try to extract useful information, not to generate viral video. 8/x
Reason 4) For me, a top concern about the Biden presidency was: Would this highly emotional and often over-talkative man muster the self-discipline required to succeed at the job?
By *not* talking, Biden has already answered the most urgent question I had. END
See I think that’s *your* queasy sense and that you’re projecting. https://t.co/yKLU73OIcC
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) March 14, 2021
somebody is getting paid for this “work product” https://t.co/h5g8FjvI84
— kilgore trout, ted’s travel agent (@KT_So_It_Goes) March 13, 2021