• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
The Screaming Moderate

Sanders to the press corps: Say pretty please

11/22/2017

3 Comments

 
At Monday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that before a reporter could ask a question he must state something he is thankful for in honor of the holiday this week. I shuddered when I heard this, which was more than a request but more like a conductor tapping her baton.

Then Ms. Sanders went on to say what she was thankful for before calling on the first reporter. I anxiously awaited a smart-ass response or his ignoring her command.  Then, that reporter actually said things he was thankful for. All the reporters called on did the same ranging from being thankful for their spouse and children to being thankful for whatever. They took her “request” seriously.

Until, she called on an ABC reporter who said what I hope I would have said: she was thankful for the First Amendment. I wish every one of those reporters called on said the same thing to use Sanders' condescending request to send a clear message to her and her boss. 

I said to a friend at the time, can you imagine Sam Donaldson, Helen Thomas or Chris Wallace going along with such a charge from a White House staffer?

I was embarrassed for the reporters as I watched. But, they did not seem embarrassed at all, one even using the opportunity to announce on national TV that he was thankful that his wife is pregnant.

Really, folks? Are you going to snap to when the press secretary makes other such requests? What if she next says, “Before you can ask a question, you must name a trait in President Trump that you admire?” or “Before you can ask a question, you must name your next born child The Donald?” or, “Can you tell me the best thing about the Fuhrer, I mean the President?”

 It might have been fun if this was a fun White House. It is not.

This morning, as the President awoke at his Florida palace, he tweeted about a college basketball player’s dad still not properly demonstrating  his thanks for the President asking the Chinese president to release his son from jail on a shoplifting charge.  Really? Did you think that if you mentioned it the Chinese president would not grant it?

And really, was it so hard a lift to ask that an American citizen be released from jail on such a minor charge that could lead to a major jail sentence, in a Chinese prison? I guess you couldn't because this was the closest you came to mentioning human rights on your swing through a bunch of countries who have little such respect for human rights. I mean, Mr. President, you do work for us. Even if the kid was guilty, which he apparently was, he didn’t deserve to be meted out Chinese justice.

And my cynical side wonders if the arrest and imprisonment didn’t happen because the American president was visiting.

But back to Ms Sanders, I was appalled first by her request and second by reporters playing along.

She played you, folks. And you let her.


3 Comments
Larz Neilson
11/22/2017 08:33:01 am

shuddered, not shuttered. I'll be thankful if I wake up and find this is just a doozey of a year-long nightmare.

Reply
B. Jay
11/22/2017 08:35:11 am

Larz, you win today's "find the typo" prize! seriously, thanks..i need to hire staff:)

Reply
Roberta Ricciardi
11/22/2017 01:48:21 pm

I'm sad that none of the reporters responded "I'm thankful I only have to put up with this utter horseshit for three more years."

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

     
    Follow @bjaycooper

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

powered by bjaycooper.com