The First Family returned to the White House last evening around 6:45 pm.
Earlier in the day, media was invited to witness the historic return to the White House, but due to weather concerns the president arrived via motor cade and not the usual return on the South Lawn by helo.
The arrival was downgraded to pool reporters only. Major disappointment for the press.
You'd think that the return of the president (after having just won RE-ELECTION) that 'open press' would be still be the order of the evening (there certainly were enough press there, including Politics. On Point.).
To quote Vice President Joe Biden, "this is a big f---ing deal".
But no cigar.
Even world leaders were calling President Obama to congratulate him on his re-election, the likes of which included: Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt, President Francois Hollande of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom.
Side note here: I'm willing to bet that some official from somewhere on the continent of sub-Saharan Africa called the president as well, but unfortunately was not on this list. Nelson Mandela where are you on this list?
But back to the original story line.
Even a pool reporter was amazed at the few amount of people available for the president's return:
Potus, Flotus, Malia and Sasha all motorcaded from Andrews, arriving at the White House at 6:55 p.m. Uneventful drive, there were a few people cheering the motorcade along the way.The president and Mrs. Obama were in one SUV and the girls in another. Potus appeared to be reading something—his blackberry—when his vehicle pulled onto the South Lawn driveway, stopping just in front of the south portico. A secondary pool awaited the arrival of the First Family and accompanying staffers. Besides the pool and a handful of Secret Service agents, there were few other staffers waiting to welcome Potus back home.The president got out of the SUV, and called out "How you guys doing?" at the pool. A reporter shouted "How do you feel?"Potus replied: "It's a little chilly here. It's wintertime."Another reporter shouted: "Do you feel you have a mandate?"No answer. Potus turned towards the girls, and ushered Malia into the White House.
As the Republicans have said they plan to work with President Obama this term, can't the WH media department work with those in media who actually want to cover the president, and do away with this infamous 'pool only' reporting nonsense?
Who wouldn't want to see a winning president return home?
While we weren't able to catch a glimpse of the First Family's return home ourselves, in person, we did record this video of 'the rest of us' watching in the Briefing Room on one of the room's monitors.
Even the camera guys thought it was an amazing scene to behold. "Nice!"
#Bettermediarelationsdefinitelyneeded.
Earlier in the day, media was invited to witness the historic return to the White House, but due to weather concerns the president arrived via motor cade and not the usual return on the South Lawn by helo.
The arrival was downgraded to pool reporters only. Major disappointment for the press.
You'd think that the return of the president (after having just won RE-ELECTION) that 'open press' would be still be the order of the evening (there certainly were enough press there, including Politics. On Point.).
To quote Vice President Joe Biden, "this is a big f---ing deal".
But no cigar.
Even world leaders were calling President Obama to congratulate him on his re-election, the likes of which included: Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt, President Francois Hollande of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom.
Side note here: I'm willing to bet that some official from somewhere on the continent of sub-Saharan Africa called the president as well, but unfortunately was not on this list. Nelson Mandela where are you on this list?
But back to the original story line.
Even a pool reporter was amazed at the few amount of people available for the president's return:
Potus, Flotus, Malia and Sasha all motorcaded from Andrews, arriving at the White House at 6:55 p.m. Uneventful drive, there were a few people cheering the motorcade along the way.The president and Mrs. Obama were in one SUV and the girls in another. Potus appeared to be reading something—his blackberry—when his vehicle pulled onto the South Lawn driveway, stopping just in front of the south portico. A secondary pool awaited the arrival of the First Family and accompanying staffers. Besides the pool and a handful of Secret Service agents, there were few other staffers waiting to welcome Potus back home.The president got out of the SUV, and called out "How you guys doing?" at the pool. A reporter shouted "How do you feel?"Potus replied: "It's a little chilly here. It's wintertime."Another reporter shouted: "Do you feel you have a mandate?"No answer. Potus turned towards the girls, and ushered Malia into the White House.
As the Republicans have said they plan to work with President Obama this term, can't the WH media department work with those in media who actually want to cover the president, and do away with this infamous 'pool only' reporting nonsense?
Who wouldn't want to see a winning president return home?
While we weren't able to catch a glimpse of the First Family's return home ourselves, in person, we did record this video of 'the rest of us' watching in the Briefing Room on one of the room's monitors.
Even the camera guys thought it was an amazing scene to behold. "Nice!"
#Bettermediarelationsdefinitelyneeded.
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