Evolution

There are a couple of interesting trends emerging in the Obama White House. No, we're not referring to the return of Big Government, or wide-open public works expenditures, or rampant environmentalism, although all of those also are very much on the agenda just now. The trends we're referring to have to do with the way the new president is communicating with Americans, and who is covering him.
Much has been made in the press, especially since the Inauguration, of Obama's communications style. Would he, commentators have asked, model his approach on that of Franklin Roosevelt, the last president to enter office in the middle of a Depression? In addition to emulating FDR's prescription for fighting economic crisis with wads of federal money, would he also seek to emulate FDR's communications strategy of holding regular fireside chats with Americans? It's still early days for the new president but the answer to the latter question is already in, and it is a resounding yes. Since taking office, Obama has been on TV and radio pretty much every day, talking about the economic crisis and what he wants to do about it. There have been some missteps and already some in the so-called chattering classes are dismissing all this message work as boring, old hat, or spin. But setting aside the predictable complaints, what is more interesting is the way the president is adapting his successful campaign tactics to his new situation. Of particular note was the town hall session on the economy Obama staged this past Monday, Feb. 9 in Elkhart, Indiana. I didn't catch all of it, but the clip I did see had the president, looking very relaxed and in his element, wandering the stage in the centre of a large, responsive crowd, mic in hand, talking about the eocnomy and the government's plans. Two things jumped out at me: I believe this was exactly how Obama used to conduct community sessions back in Chicago when he was a community organizer. Facing a big challenge, you build support for your leadership and your plan by talking to your community openly, not by communicating through intermediaries or the media. The format is perfect for a president who needs to build consensus and cultivate the appearance of openness without allowing himself to get bogged down in inside politics or the agendas of others. The president can sell his plan, and appear to be taking questions without actually doing so. It also looks great on TV. Here's a prediction that the town hall format will end up being Obama's version of the fireside chat. Secondly, the folks covering the new president are a notably different group than the old White House press gallery. Whereas Bush and previous presidents mostly faced a press pack made up of representatives of mainstream news outlets, the new group includes fewer newspaper and TV network reps, and many more people from so-called niche publications, many of which serve specialized audiences interested in coverage of particular issues. Some of these audiences are paying big bucks for quality information on their areas of interest, and many of the news outlets are delivering their information online. This, of course, means coverage will be more immediate, probing and critical, at least in the interest areas of the publications involved. But the overall White House news report is also likely to be more fragmented and, frankly, less interesting and useful to general audiences. This may well create major agenda-setting opportunities for a president who is already proving adept at getting his message out. But it may not end up serving the general public well, particularly in terms of making the new administration accountable on issues of concern to the broad community. Watching this situation play out over the next couple of years should prove very interesting.