Rather than having to see Obama gloating all over the alphabet television networks pushing inflated health care sign-up numbers, folks had the option of skipping next-day stories of the Demon Dance in the Rose Garden on the Internet.
What a welcome and timely inconvenience for a president so used to always getting his way.
“White House officials sought valuable primetime air for a rare, impromptu Tuesday night address to tout the accomplishment of signing up more than 7 million people under the Affordable Care Act.
But network officials refused to make the kind of accommodation they did previously for the announcement that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, for instance, and Obama was left instead cutting into the much smaller audiences of Ellen and other daytime shows. (
Buzzfeed, April 3, 2014)
“Three sources familiar with the request confirmed the White House asked for the primetime slot in their effort both to emphasize a bright moment following the challenging roll out and, more important, to try to reintroduce the country to a law that remains unpopular. One top White House official referred BuzzFeed to another top official for comment on the conversation with networks, but the second official did not respond to a request for comment.
“People familiar with the request declined to reveal which network blocked the primetime address, but broadcast networks have traditionally been much more reluctant than cable networks to provide the White House with evening air time.
“Instead of the primetime speaking slot the White House wanted, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden lauded the accomplishment in a less formal Rose Garden address that was alternately celebratory and hard-edged.”
Some would call this brand of “hard-edged” a downright threat:
“In the end, history is not kind to those who would deny Americans their basic economic security. Nobody remembers well those who stand in the way of America’s progress or our people,” Obama said.
Besides the smaller audiences of
Ellen and other daytime shows easily manipulated by the current administration, Obama could count on Organizing for Action, which attached a short video to an email they sent out to millions overnight:
“Today, watch this short video we put together to celebrate this moment--then add your name to the permanent record of people who helped make health care reform happen,” OFA wrote on their mass email.
“We’re creating the permanent record of the people who had a hand in this landmark reform because this is something we should all remember: It’s possible to make truly lasting change when people come together to fight for it.
“And we’ll install it at OFA headquarters to serve as an official marker of this victory.”
Threats and permanent records notwithstanding, it’s going to be hard to record the seven million ObamaCare sign-ups because they never existed in the first place.
From: "Jon Carson, BarackObama.com"
info@barackobama.com
Subject: VIDEO: We made history
Date: April 3, 2014 at 5:36:08 PM EDT
To:
cfp@canadafreepress.com
Reply-To:
info@barackobama.com
Organizing for Action
Friend --
Take a minute.
The news this week about health care reform is worth celebrating.
Because millions of people like you fought for it, the Affordable Care Act is changing the course of history -- making health care in this country, and countless lives, better.
You should be so proud of your role in this fight.
Today, watch this short video we put together to celebrate this moment -- then add your name to the permanent record of people who helped make health care reform happen.
We made history together on health care.
We're creating the permanent record of the people who had a hand in this landmark reform because this is something we should all remember: It's possible to make truly lasting change when people come together to fight for it.
And we'll install it at OFA headquarters to serve as an official marker of this victory.
You helped make history, truly. Make sure your name is added:
[url=http://my.barackobama.com/We-Made-History]http://my.barackobama.com/We-Made-History[/url]
Thank you,
Jon
Jon Carson
Executive Director
Organizing for Action
Judi McLeod——
Bio and Archives
-- Judi McLeod, Founder, Owner and Editor of Canada Free Press, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in the print and online media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared throughout the ‘Net, including on Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.
