Background: it’s more or less just coming out now that in October of 2009 the White House hosted an Alice-in-Wonderland-themed party put on by Tim Burton and Johnny Depp – which was, to quote Jodi Kantor, author of a new tell-all book (The Obamas), deliberately not publicized: “White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans or their representatives in Congress, who would soon vote on health care that the event was not discussed publicly and Burton’s and Depp’s contributions went unacknowledged…”
More here, here, and here. To get this out of the way… yes, the White House was correct: it would have looked bad if it had come out at the time. It looks a good bit worse now – frankly, hiding this was stupid. As is the flailing about trying to pretend that this was never a big deal in the first place; which it might not have been, if they had just admitted that the Obamas had a couple of Hollywood people over to throw them a themed Halloween party. Then again, obviously the White House knew that this was a bad idea from the start, which is why they felt the need to cover it up.
But, you know? I’m not all that angry at the White House for this. I was already aware that they’re collectively a bunch of sullen teenagers over there with no sense of other people’s property and a raging case of entitlement issues. No, what bugs me is that the media let them get away with it. Yes, publishing a story on this would have sparked a certain amount of justified outrage. So what? Contrary to popular belief – and, alas, popular usage – it’s not the media’s job to keep the population from being outraged. It’s the media’s job to tell us what the heck is going on. A lot of the White House press pool acted unprofessionally, here.
Moe Lane
PS: I don’t even want people fired; I just want them to admit that they screwed up. Which they did. And I want them to do better in the future. Which they have no history of doing. And that’s why half the country doesn’t trust the media.
“And that’s why half the country doesn’t trust the media.”
That’s the smart half. The other half that do trust them are mostly Democrats.
You don’t want them fired??..the media poodles, you mean??…I sure as hell do
“it’s not the media’s job to keep the population from being outraged.”
No, it’s the media’s job to blame Republicans for _everything_. I guess they just couldn’t find a way to do it in this case, hence the need to not report it at all.
At least now they might be able to spin it as “look at those right-wingers complaining about a Halloween party when there’s so much _important_ stuff for our dear leader to worry about”.
The lib media covered it up on purpose to protect their little precious in the White House. They could care less about it since they have no shame and as long as it helped their incompetent little precious, they are happy they did it. The only thing to be done is to defeat these people.
At least we know at some point they had a (small) sense of shame.
“White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans or their representatives in Congress, who would soon vote on health care that the event was not discussed publicly and Burton’s and Depp’s contributions went unacknowledged…”
Yeah, that’s what it was. It wasn’t because they threw an Alice In Wonderland tea party in the year the tea party started.
But they didn’t screwup…they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
To make sure no one found out about it.
They’re simply an arm of the Democratic Party.
Frankly, I was always more upset with Axelrod’s laughingly saying that Obama insisted the White House be kept at “hothouse orchid temperature” so he could work in his shirtsleeves.
The rest of us that winter were keeping our thermostats low and wearing sweaters and layering because utility rates were rising so fast.
Obama’s never cared much what we the little people thought about their excesses, even that first year.
This has to be one of the more ridiculous news stories of this new year. Maybe even last year. Big secret? A White House party for military families? How scandalous. I’ve seen online photos from this, several times. Vindictive politics are making people behave like idiots.
Terry: dude. It’s not our fault that the Obama White House was stupid enough to turn a perfectly normal (for Democrats) conspicuous consumption party into a ‘bury the photos for two years’ conspiracy. But, since I’m guessing that you didn’t vote for McCain, it’s kind of yours. Think before you vote next time, OK?
Yeah, whatever happened to that “afflicting the comfortable” crap?
I expect the leftist media to cover it up, but why was FoxNews silent?
Terry: Big secret? A White House party for military families?
Except it wasn’t just that. Not after they went behind closed doors to have their little private party. You are smug and arrogant in your ignorance, but thanks for making my point.
“If your stock broker withheld information about Enron from you, would you still use him? And yet, people still choose information brokers like the NYTs and CNN to get their news”.
The irony is that Terry and his ilk are still buying up worthless carbon credits. Stupid proles that swallow whatever MiniTru shovels them.
If the media screwed up, and there’s no reason to think they won’t keep doing it, and we can’t trust them because of it, why shouldn’t they be fired?
I fired the media…. about 5 minutes after Dan Rather got busted trying to steal the election. Fortunately there’s the internet.
I have a response from a client of mine, someone who has worked there many times, not at this specific event but at similar parties at the White House:
“This was a private party, in the White House residence, and the last time I checked no family in America is required to invite the press to a private party.
No tax dollars were spent. The White House staff involved were doing their normal jobs, paid by the White House household budget, and the rest were all volunteers.
The event was for 300 military families, who were by far the majority of people at the event. The Obamas typically have a few close friends and family there and that’s it. They are the hosts.
Disney & performers do it on their own dime – it’s a prestige gig, which is BIG currency in Hollywood.
Thousands of Americans, from Hollywood performers paying their on airfare and hotels, to military personnel taking leave time to help out, to citizens donating airline miles so military families could fly in from around the country, put this together at their own expense. That’s worthy of praise, not ridicule.”
And the guy who wrote the above has been a professional entertainer for two decades, and is, last I heard from him, disgusted with the current Republican candidate field because none of them are conservative enough.
The media isn’t trying to prevent outrage, but instead to determine what the public is outraged about. Don’t be outraged about Obama’s extravagant star-studded entertainment on the taxpayer’s dime, but do be outraged about how much the GOP spent out of its own pocket for Sarah Palin’s wardrobe. That’s the job of propaganda – er – a Free Press!
To paraphrase James M. Cox, newspaper publisher and 1920 Democratic presidential nominee, “The business of newspapers is to buy newsprint at $7.00 a ton and sell it at $100 a ton.” If I were managing the news organizations, I would ask them what impact (lost revenue) that decision to NOT publish had on the bottom line of the corporation. Then I would dock it from their pay, or get them to resign.
Eventually, the desire to make money will trump the desire to obfuscate the news. Just like Branch Rickey’s Dodgers desire to win in baseball eventually trumped the Dodger’s desire to discriminate.
The coverup seems strange all around. They did it for the kids! And military kids at that. Why not trumpet it?
“I expect the leftist media to cover it up, but why was FoxNews silent?”
Because Fox’s freedom from the clutches of leftism is mostly marketing. Fox staffers still want to go to the same parties all the cool kids get to go to.
I agree with craig, Fox is slightly more honest then the rest of the lying gits, but you still can’t trust any of them. In the end all of them are corrupt.
I’ve been catching bits and pieces that perhaps these people were not listed in the White House guest logs either. Isn’t that the bigger issue with regards to the party?