How Obama's team ensures his messages get delivered properly

Here are a couple of little windows into how the new Barack Obama administration is quietly selling itself in savvy ways:

First, the more obvious e-mail blast: Early today right after the White House announcement of the nomination of Mark Huckabee to the Supreme Court. Oh, no, wait. It's Mike Huckabee who got Sonia Sotomayor's first name wrong online today.

Anyway, right away into millions of e-mail boxes of last yearr's campaign supporters pinged a personally addressed message from Obama himself. Wow, the president really does multi-task like he promised. How does he have time to announce nominees, face down the grave North Korean threat, play golf and help Harry Reid raise a couple mill at Caesars Palace tonight while writing millions of e-mails?

What an amazing chief executive!

Here's what his e-mail says:

Judge Sotomayor has lived the America Dream. Born and raised in a South Bronx housing project, she distinguished herself in academia and then as a hard-charging New York District Attorney.

Judge Sotomayor has gone on to....

Robert Gibbs ring gets fed up ring with others' ringing ring cellphones

Other people's cellphones are really annoying, aren't they?

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs loves his, obviously. And his boss has his own beloved specially equipped BlackBerry. As does Michelle.

But today during the regular media briefing Gibbs had had enough of other people's cellphones going off and disrupting his official talking.

Watch the video and see what he does. Later, he suggested cotton candy would be added to the circus.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Chris Carlson / Associated Press; Video: C-SPAN

Elizabeth Edwards answers the real questions so many have

We've had our fun here at the Ticket these past couple of years with good old Larry King. (No, he's not really old enough to have interviewed Stonewall Jackson after the Second Battle of Manassas.)

But today we have to hand it to the veteran talker. Yes, yes, it seems like every other night he's interviewing show biz cronies who died long ago. And we don't really care about families that have walked off the set of "Cops" and put on shirts for CNN. But that's King's bookers' fault.

His most recent show had Elizabeth Edwards. Now, this is not her first broadcast appearance pushing her new book, "Resilience." But it was by far her best, thanks to the suspendered one.

In his old overnight radio days, King used to tell guests that he never read their books because he wanted to ask the questions real people would ask. Last night, he seemed to have read at least part of Edwards' book about coping with adversity.

He was curious, wondering, politely pressing. He asked the questions many spectators of her husband's marital betrayal, confession, her illness and now her promotional tour would ask.

Such as, why in the world are you doing this? How are you coping with this and with a terminal illness? Aren't you worried what the children will see/think? Have you forgiven him? Are the children angry? Do you want to meet the other woman?

People watching politics often make judgments about public figures. It is, after all, a whole lot ...

So this Obama guy walks into a banquet and...(Media Laughter/Applause)

The tradition is that the president speaks and gets a chance to poke some well-written, sometimes self-deprecating fun at himself and others in the nation's capitol, while slipping in some not so subtle suck-up to the media that helps shape his image in American minds.

We had an item and some videos from the scene of Saturday night's event here earlier today.

Here's the full text of what President Obama said at the White House Correspondents Assn. dinner at the Washington Hilton:

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Good evening. You know, I had an entire speech prepared for this wonderful occasion, but now that I'm here I think I'm going to try something a little different. Tonight I want to speak from the heart. I'm going to speak off the cuff.  (Teleprompters rise from floor.)  (Laughter and applause.)

Good evening. (Laughter.) Pause for laughter. (Laughter.) Wait a minute, this may not be working as well as I -- (laughter.)  Let me try that again. 

Good evening, everybody. (Applause.)  I would like to welcome you all to the 10-day anniversary of my first 100 days. (Laughter.)  I am Barack Obama. Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me.  (Laughter and applause.)  Apologies to the Fox table. (Laughter.)  They're -- where are they?  I have to confess I really did not want to be here tonight, but I knew I had to come -- just one more problem that I've inherited from George W. Bush. (Laughter.)

But now that I'm here, it's great to be here. It's great to see all of you. Michelle Obama is here, the First Lady of the United States.  (Applause.) Hasn't she been an outstanding First Lady?  (Applause.) She's even begun to bridge the differences that have divided us for so long, because no matter which party you belong to we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms. (Laughter and applause.)

Now Sasha and Malia aren't here tonight because they're grounded. You can't just take....

Silly John Kerry worried about online journalism, 70 million bloggers

With several print newspapers already dead in recent months, others failing or under financial threat and a crass crowd of brash, disrespectful online journalists attracting millions of readers, the jut-jawed senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry, is worried about the future of said journalism.

Why is it his business, some might ask. 

Well, for one thing, as a youngster Kerry delivered the Washington Star. That newspaper died. As an adult Democratic candidate for president five years ago, Kerry got some rough treatment from opponents and journalists both on- and offline. His campaign died. Does anyone see a pattern here?

But the contemporary reason for Kerry's journalism concern is that he chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet (SCSOCTATI). Which is probably a big deal somewhere. (See below Kerry talking with an apparent politics blogger.)

Except for celebrity nudity and public confessions of marital infidelity by elected people, few things are guaranteed to attract media attention more than discussions about itself. It's self-fulfilling. The press corps must be important if it's getting so much coverage from itself.

Especially in Washington, where the press seems to banquet itself quite regularly. Oh, look, there's another one this weekend! Watch for Sarah Palin. (Or Todd.)

So Kerry had a SCSOCTATI hearing this week.

Truth be told, congressional hearings often have less to do with anyone hearing anything and more to do with people talking. And talking. And talking.

As often happens, what anyone hears is actually written down long before it's said to be heard. People could save a lot of time by not saying all these words out loud; just e-mail them around for easier deletion.

Kerry's staff wrote up a bunch of words about journalism for him to be heard saying.

You'll never see any of these words in an actual newspaper these days because they take up way too much space that could be filled with lucrative advertisements, if they weren't disappearing too.

But because we don't have to buy newsprint here on The Ticket, we can waste all the space we want on staff-written words that come out of a senator's mouth. So we're publishing the entire Kerry statement below.

In short, here's what Kerry says:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah time we examine the future of journalism in the digital Information Age blah blah and what it means to our Republic and to our democracy.

Blah blah blah blah blah newspapers blah entertained us; they enraged us, but always, they have informed us.

Blah blah blah to keep the Boston Globe from closing. Blah blah The New York Times bought the Boston Globe for $1.1 billion in 1993, but the value of all Times stock is less than $800 million now. Blah blah blah whistling past the graveyard blah blah the path that lies ahead for news delivery, and how during a time of great creative destruction within the market for news delivery we might preserve the core societal function that is served by an independent and diverse news media.

Blah blah paper and ink have become obsolete blah blah the important question of whether....

Fashionable First Lady Michelle Obama helps the poor in $540 sneakers

Oops!

First Lady Michelle Obama, who's become quite the fashion role model with her J.Crew wear and buff-arm-spotlighting sleeveless frocks, is under scrutiny for what she wore on her feet the other day.

They're trendy Lanvin sneakers. Which look really nice and comfy and all. Trouble is, they cost $540. If you can find a pair anywhere.

And, of course, if you've got $540, plus -- what? -- 9 or 10% tax in some places. Which seems like a lot for two shoes not guaranteed to benefit your jump shot.

The other trouble is that -- wait for it -- she wore them to a poverty event, a Capitol Area Food Bank for Feeding America to provide much appreciated help and publicity to benefit the food bank.

Mrs. Obama  also has gone to serve a lunch hour at soup kitchens in Washington, where an unidentified presumably homeless person showed up with a camera cellphone to capture Mrs. Obama, who kindly posed for the man.

We have a video review below of Michelle Obama's first 100 days too.

The sharp-eyed Amy Diluna was first to spot the first lady footwear contradiction here.

Sharp-memoried politics readers will recall all the positive attention Mrs. Obama garnered during the presidential campaign for her everyday, every-woman $150 dresses from Black & White Market.

While Cindy McCain, John's wealthy wife, and some woman from Alaska both attracted negative attention for their expensive clothing, some of it reputedly borrowed.

(FYI, Michelle Obama is a Democrat. The other two women are Republicans. But what could that have to do with anything?)

Diluna also notes about Mrs. Obama: "A week ago, she shoveled dirt at a tree planting while wearing the line's chiffon tank. Dresses and strappy pumps cost upward of $1,500, while tops go for $400 to $1,000." An online poll by the N.Y. Daily news finds 59% think the shoe choice was in poor taste for a poverty event.

Now, the video below.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Top photo: Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, second from left, and volunteers at the Capitol Area Food Bank for Feeding America event. Credit: Paul Morigi / Getty Images

Bottom photo: Lanvin shoe closeup. Credit: Reuters

Out-Foxing NBC: TV drama draws a million more viewers than Obama

Well, it looks like Fox made the correct business call in opting not to broadcast President Obama's latest prime-time news conference last night. (Full transcript here, as usual.)

After 100 days and three prime-time news sessions, has the entertainment value drained out of the new guy talking for 55 minutes with no laugh track or applause? (Despite the "enchanted" president item.)

Overnight ratings show that Fox's ironically named drama "Lie to Me" easily beat NBC's coverage of Obama's Wednesday evening news conference, drawing nearly 8 million viewers to the Peacock's 6.7 million in second place.

On those broadcast networks, a little less than 19 million viewed the news conference.

Overall, about 28.8 million people watched the White House media session on 10 TV channels, a sharp 29% dropoff from the last session March 24. Nearly 50 million watched Obama's first news conference. Oh, and Fox News' Obama coverage won the ratings combat on the cable side.

"Lie to Me" is the story of a doctor (Tim Roth) who's, in effect, a living lie detector through his ability to read human expressions and nuances. We could maybe use him at some political events! Meanwhile, here's a sample.

We have a video excerpt below. Of the news conference, that is.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Ron Edmonds / Associated Press 

Barack Obama news conference -- the full transcript

(UPDATE: A statement by the Republican National Committee chairman is added at the end.)

Following is the transcript of President Barack Obama's third national news conference, April 29, 2009:

President Obama: Before we begin tonight, I just want to provide everyone with a few brief updates on some of the challenges we're dealing with right now.

First, we are continuing to closely monitor the emergency cases of the H1N1 flu virus throughout the United States. As I said this morning, this is obviously a very serious situation, and every American should know that their entire government is taking the utmost precautions and preparations.

Our public health officials have recommended that schools with confirmed or suspected cases of this flu strongly consider temporarily closing. And if more schools are forced to close, we've recommended that both parents and businesses think about contingency plans if their children do have to stay home.

I've requested an immediate $1.5 billion in emergency funding from Congress to support our ability to monitor and track this virus and to build our supply of antiviral drugs and other equipment. And we will also ensure that those materials get to where they need to be as quickly as possible.

And, finally, I've asked every American to take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you're sick; and keep your children home from school if they're sick.

We'll continue to provide regular updates to the American people as we receive more information. And everyone should rest assured that this government is prepared to do whatever it takes to control the impact of this virus.

The second thing I'd like to mention is how gratified I am that the House and the Senate passed a....

Obama celebrates 100 days by talking more in a news conference

So the 100 days have finally gotten here and the hoopla seems to be settling down to one last blast at a televised news conference that begins at 5 p.m. Los Angeles time, 8 p.m. for those of you sweating in the Eastern time zone. That's midnight GMT for our thousands of overseas reader.

Expect the same themes that President Obama laid out this morning at his town hall-style session in suburban St. Louis: The Obama administration inherited numerous problems from the Bush administration and is working very hard, with some success, to solve those difficulties in the economy and Iraq. The focus will be on the middle class, more spending for education, energy and healthcare and protecting people with sensible regulation of Wall Street. He will again warn about swine flu, using its formal name, H1N1, to avoid pushing pork prices down further.

Politically, Obama is expected to argue that we are all in this together and that he cannot do it alone and that his administration is fulfilling the promises he made during the more than two years of the presidential campaign.

Most American political experts cite FDR’s hundred days as the model for this type of accounting. That will give comfort to all and is a far cry from the 19th century version of 100 days: Napoleon’s flight from Elba to the defeat at Waterloo.

Now I'm off to tweet the news conference. Follow me on Twitter @LATimesmuskal

-- Michael Muskal

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100 days since Aretha's hat; How's the nation fared? Your chance to vote

 

Today is the 100th day since the nation experienced Aretha Franklin's huge hat.

Crime and drinking rates are back to normal. Crowds on the mall have dwindled. The Washington Nationals, an alleged major league baseball team, have lost five of the last six games. Numerous seniors have postponed retirement after reading their 401(k) statements.

Timothy Geithner, Kathleen Sebelius, Tom Daschle and Hilda Solis' husband are finally up-to-date on their taxes, which is nice and democratic. But automakers have tanked; Pontiac's been euthanized. And unemployment and the projected national debt have soared since she sang. Oh, and China's reaping immense interest income on its loans over here.

The pundits have all had their chance -- actually, several chances each, with more to come all day and after tonight's news conference -- to punditize on these 14+ whole weeks. So now it's your turn. Vote here and feel free to leave copious comments below. See how your feelings match others.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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