One way to make sure you don't have hard questions asked of you? Make up your own reporters.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7102502488.html

 

FEMA has truly learned the lessons of Katrina. Even its handling of the media has improved dramatically. For example, as the California wildfires raged Tuesday, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy administrator, had a 1 p.m. news briefing.

 

Reporters were given only 15 minutes' notice of the briefing, making it unlikely many could show up at FEMA's Southwest D.C. offices. They were given an 800 number to call in, though it was a "listen only" line, the notice said -- no questions. Parts of the briefing were carried live on Fox News, MSNBC and other outlets.

 

....

 

"And so I think what you're really seeing here is the benefit of experience, the benefit of good leadership and the benefit of good partnership," Johnson said, "none of which were present in Katrina." (Wasn't Michael Chertoff DHS chief then?) Very smooth, very professional. But something didn't seem right. The reporters were lobbing too many softballs. No one asked about trailers with formaldehyde for those made homeless by the fires. And the media seemed to be giving Johnson all day to wax on and on about FEMA's greatness.

 

Of course, that could be because the questions were asked by FEMA staffers playing reporters. We're told the questions were asked by Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of external affairs, and by "Mike" Widomski, the deputy director of public affairs. Director of External Affairs John "Pat" Philbin asked a question, and another came, we understand, from someone who sounds like press aide Ali Kirin.

 

Asked about this, Widomski said: "We had been getting mobbed with phone calls from reporters, and this was thrown together at the last minute."

wow!!!

One way to make sure you don't have hard questions asked of you? Make up your own reporters.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7102502488.html

 

 

Now if only Ari, Scotty, Tony, and Dana had figured out this nifty trick their lives could have been so much easier.

Maybe I should just make a new thread for everything I post...no one ever catches the ones I slip into the Dems only thread...

This one is absolutely ridiculous. What a bunch of chumps.

I think it's kinda funny.

haha, thats a great move.

 

 

If anybody ever gets a chance, Evan Greer's song "Go Call FEMA" goes along these lines of FEMA bashing -- and he put it in a much more entertaining way than I could.

I guess faking a press confrence is better than faking being a real disaster relief agency...

Heard about this a couple of days ago. Who the hell runs FEMA?

Heard about this a couple of days ago. Who the hell runs FEMA?

 

NEXT QUESTION!

I guess faking a press confrence is better than faking being a real disaster relief agency...

Zing! Nice.

 

Chertoff went off on this over the weekend. He's pretty pissed about it. Which surprises me because the guy is such a hack I figured he would have arranged it.

Chertoff went off on this over the weekend. He's pretty pissed about it. Which surprises me because the guy is such a hack I figured he would have arranged it.

 

He could be suffering from a case of Rich Daley syndrome, where he suddenly forgets who he knows, and what he agreed to...

meh most of the 'journalists' at these things are frauds anyways. who cares.

Edited October 28, 200718 yr by mr_genius

He could be suffering from a case of Rich Daley syndrome, where he suddenly forgets who he knows, and what he agreed to...

According to the Washington Post, the guy who arranged the Presser, John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of External Affairs...has already resigned.

 

Of course...resigned in these times is defined widely enough to include "promoted to Head of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence".

According to the Washington Post, the guy who arranged the Presser, John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of External Affairs...has already resigned.

 

Of course...resigned in these times is defined widely enough to include "promoted to Head of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence".

 

Not exactly true. He had been scheduled to take that job before he pulled this stupid stunt... He isn't getting the new job anymore.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/29/fem...wser/index.html

 

Paulison said the entire episode "represented egregious decision-making" by the director of external affairs for FEMA, Pat Philbin, and his staff, who, he said, "lost perspective of the core imperative that they preserve the credibility of our agency."

 

Philbin was scheduled to become director of public affairs for the director of national intelligence -- a job National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell said Philbin will not be doing.

 

It was not immediately clear whether Philbin offered his resignation or was fired just as he was set to begin the job.

 

I wonder if the staffers for Hillary that planted her softball questions will get any percentage of the scrutiny as the FEMA folks?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310417,00.html

 

I wonder if the staffers for Hillary that planted her softball questions will get any percentage of the scrutiny as the FEMA folks?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310417,00.html

Not even close to the same scale of scuzzy-ness. She didn't have a press conference filled with her staffers. It was a small percentage as bad, and accordingly, its getting a small percentage as much coverage.

 

That said, as I've noted, her repeated tendency to do this is making her more and more like W every day. Like his "town hall" meetings during the 2004 cycle where the entire crowd was sifted to be only his most ardent supporters.

 

I wonder if the staffers for Hillary that planted her softball questions will get any percentage of the scrutiny as the FEMA folks?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310417,00.html

 

Every preznitial campaign does this. Every single one. Most of them have better minders though who don't give 12 year olds questions that sound like they're coming from the mouth of a 40 year old college professor.

Not even close to the same scale of scuzzy-ness.

 

 

What if this is true? http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2007/11/1...y-team-hillary/

 

after they promise not to do it anymore they continue. no one can out scuzzy the Hillary Clinton, no one.

What if this is true? http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2007/11/1...y-team-hillary/

 

after they promise not to do it anymore they continue. no one can out scuzzy the Hillary Clinton, no one.

I wouldn't bet otherwise. I think she has yet to reach BushCo levels, but she's headed that direction.

 

I wouldn't bet otherwise. I think she has yet to reach BushCo levels, but she's headed that direction.

 

she's just getting started.

she's just getting started.

That's true. Maybe she needs more time.

 

Give her a week :-)