Fred Barnes’ advice for Tony Snow

April 27, 2006

[tag]Fred Barnes[/tag], the executive editor of The Weekly Standard, seems anxious to help advise the Bush White House. A few weeks ago, he offered a four-part “keys to a successful comeback” strategy. This week, Barnes published a new list — a five-part plan for new press secretary [tag]Tony Snow[/tag] to help [tag]Bush[/tag] turn his presidency around.

Barnes acknowledges, right up front, that Snow has put himself in a “dire” position, not because he’ll be the public face of a failing White House, but because reporters are mean. Never fear, Barnes explains, he has a plan.

* “Ban TV cameras from the daily [tag]White House[/tag] briefings for the press.” Barnes says reporters “grandstand and showboat,” leading to a fight the press secretary loses.

* “Be willing to be disliked.” Barnes advises Snow to listen to reporters and then “put them in their place.”

* “Don’t address old columns.” Snow hasn’t always been kind, so he should ignore his previous comments.

* “Promote the president’s policies.” Apparently, Barnes isn’t sure Snow already knows to do this.

* “Don’t fall for the old advice that the key to recovery is giving the press more access to president.” Barnes recommends more access is a “waste of time.”

Let’s review. Barnes, the head of the leading conservative political magazine in the country and a Fox News contributor, believes the new, telegenic press secretary shouldn’t be on TV, should intentionally annoy reporters, and should deny them access as much as possible.

In other words, Barnes wants the White House to operate just as it’s been operating.

Gridlock’s Amendments to Barnes’ Five Part Plan for Press Secretary Snow:

1. Ban TV cameras amend. Leave TV cameras but ban reporters from daily WH briefings with the press. Not only will it cut down on grandstanding, it will also cut down on the number of questions to be answered.

2. Be willing to be disliked. amend. Be willing to be disliked from a distance. Having no reporters in press briefings will insulate the new Press Sec. from being disliked at close range.

3. – 5. (Please read the original post) amend. Just shut down the daily briefings and all communication to the American public. While you’re at it, eliminate your own position of Press Secretary and totally isolate the President from all media by draping him in a black cloth anytime he steps outside of the WH and into public view. Access to the Pres. should be on a “need to know” basis only.

  • Not to be pesty but if Snow followed that advice it would be in complete contradiction of the claims by the WH that they want to foster better press relations. Every single one of them would be likely to hack of a good chunck of the press corps – conservative as well as mainstream – to one degree or another at one time or another.

    As for the don’t get the press advice – I am going to assume he exempted Fox and other conservative administration mouthpieces.

  • There’s an old saying about the silliness of closing the barn door, once the animals have all escaped. In tune with this old saying, I’d note that Fred Barnes has a fixation on closing the White House door, once all the administration’s credibility has escaped.

    I’d also note that Fred Barnes is beginning to sound like an old, empty barn, as well; very hollow, some loose patches of hay here and there, and a collection of dried manure on the floor.

  • “… closing the White House door [only after] all the administration’s credibility has escaped.” – Steve

    Very nice saying. The Dems should use that

  • “A few weeks ago, he offered a four-part “keys to a successful comeback” strategy. This week, Barnes published a new list — a five-part plan for new press secretary Tony Snow to help Bush turn his presidency around.” Can’t wait to see the six-part plan for packing efficiently for prison after impeachment.

    Meanwhile, here’s what I think they’ll do. Make Faux News the “pool” network for the White House. They could hire Gannon/Guckert as their sole “reporter” and feed the other media their cut of the info gathered. Hey, we’re at war! We can’t let the terrorist reporters win!

  • It should be clear by now that a free press is a risk to national security and a threat to democracy everywhere. Who needs newspapers and magazines when we have the bible. It’s all Clinton’s fault. Trust us.

  • Interesting to see that Barnes acknowledges that providing more access to Bush works against him. I guess he wouldn’t want the press to see up close how pathetic the man is, nor how incapable he is of actually making a coherent case for his policies. The new conservative approach to handling the President, as opposed to “Let Reagan be Reagan”, is “Hide George in a cupboard.”

  • Shorter Fred Barnes: batten down the hatches!

    Glad to see Bushie’s supporters being so positive about their future.

  • “…Bushie’s supporters being so positive about their future.”—PhilW

    …and as the great leviathan’s bow slipped ever lower into the submarine oblivion; her proud stern lifting free from the dark waters so that the three massive propellers glistened in the starlight, the Titanic’s orchestra struck up a series of light waltzes and dance tunes….

  • Yet another piece of advice for Tony Snow:

    “If you need a shill to throw you a lifeline every once in a while, please, for the love of god, make sure he or she is not nor has ever been an actual prostitute. Man, was that ever embarrassing.”

  • If Tony Snow actually does all this stuff, the story the press is going to be telling about it is only going to be about how bizarrely totalitarian and 1984-ish communicating with the Whitehouse has become. All of it together would make them look like as nuts as they actually are. Just goes to show how out of touch this Weekly Standard editor is.

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