Black Commentators: Obama’s Press Office is Too White
EmailThere’s a factually inaccurate meme developing out there amongst some African-American commentators.
In Richard Prince’s Maynard Institute column, the commentator says: "There are no African Americans assigned so far to President Obama’s press office."
Um … yes there are.
There’s deputy press secretary Bill Burton, for one.
Plus director of African American media Corey Ealons.
More widely, on the communications staff writ large, there’s director of message events Daniella Gibbs Leger, who is African-American. And on the regional communications desk, there’s Gannett Tseggai.
CNN’s Roland Martin writes that "it’s quite telling to see the lack of diversity in the White House’s press office. I got an e-mail Tuesday listing all of the various press folks and contact information, and hardly any African-Americans or Hispanics were listed. Granted, the deputy press secretary is African-American and the director of broadcast media is Hispanic. That’s not sufficient."
Right, well, how about if in addition to director of broadcast media Dag Vega, referenced above, one were to add the other African Americans? Or the other Hispanics — such as deputy director of message events Joelle Terry, director of Hispanic media Luis Miranda, deputy director of research Margaret Olmos, or researcher David Gomez?
And what about Asian-Americans? Do they not count? There’s special assistant to the press secretary Marissa Hopkins, press assistant Priya Singh, deputy director of communications Jason Djang, and director of specialty media Shin Inouye?
I realize I’m Caucasian, and thus it’s sensitive for me to even address this, but let’s just say this meme has been noticed by those on the White House press and communications staff who aren’t white, and who think this charge is not just inaccurate, it’s insulting.
– jpt
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Is there a racial disparity between the make-up of Obama’s press staff and the country? Of the Democratic Party? Of the city of Washington, D.C.? Pick one. But quotas are for the little people, you see. Obama will tell you if you ask.
Posted by: Mesquito | February 11, 2009, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
always with the racial claim…what a great day for america LOL
Posted by: USdoomed | February 11, 2009, 2:04 pm 2:04 pm
Here we go!! Roland Martin should know better.
Posted by: geecee | February 11, 2009, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
Sounds like racism to me. Thought we were supposed to be colorblind.
Posted by: Ron | February 11, 2009, 2:13 pm 2:13 pm
Roland Martin, his ethnicity and Obama cheer-leading notwithstanding, certainly appears to be in the idiot wing of punditry.
The grim Gibbs, on the other hand, is way too “white” — vapid and pudgy and full of himself — even for most “white” people.
That said, the mostly “white” corporate, media, and Democratic Party stretch for formulaic “diversity”-by-birthday-suit, without any class or intellectual diversity.
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 2:15 pm 2:15 pm
For the love of god when are we going to stop noticing the color of a person’s skin. That is what is prolonging racisim in America. Let it go. There are just people….humans…not white, black, yellow, or purple. Crap like this drives me insane.
Posted by: Marie | February 11, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
jpt writes:
“I realize I’m Caucasian, and thus it’s sensitive for me to even address this, but … ”
That’s how the country got saddled with Obama — “Caucasian” press people going along out of Sunday-school solidarity, or out of fear of being thought/called “racist”, with the nomination of a comely-but-vapid corporate construct, a professional “birthday-suit” with lifelong ties to corporations, suspicious indulgences from the Chicago mob, and no noticeable interest in impoverished huddled masses of ANY hue.
Phonies come in all colors. Don’t get mau-mau’ed … especially not on a day when the grim Gibbs is reprising Geithner AND claiming it was the press, rather than Obama, who claimed Geithner really DID have a “plan”.
These people suck. By any color, they’re … liars. And, arguably, soft fascist.
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 2:28 pm 2:28 pm
er, does Gibbs weird positing today of “steps toward … a final solution” make some “Caucasians” feel more er Jewish? It made ME feel more Jewish …
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
“That’s how the country got saddled with Obama –”
You mean that’s how you right-wingers got saddled with Obama; the rest of the country wasn’t scared off by all the baloney and seems pretty happy with him so far, regardless of what color he is.
Posted by: Skip | February 11, 2009, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
The spectacle of Gibbs bitching about All the King’s Men having “circles under our eyes” must have the press corps slipping off its pumps and loafers for possible tossing.
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
So how often will this lie be repeated by the right wing noise machine?
Posted by: Ryan C | February 11, 2009, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm
“You mean that’s how you right-wingers got saddled with Obama”
Obama’s the covert right-winger, corporate fixer, flim-flammer of crowds, buyer of political offices.
I don’t care what color He is, but I do have COMPLETE contempt for how He’s used His birthday suit to conceal His politics, and for how the former “Democrats” have caved to giving away the store to the corporations under His Revlon-Girl “leadership”.
(And I’m no “right-winger”, but an actual Democrat from the Democratic wing.)
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 3:03 pm 3:03 pm
A story idea: Compare the number of minorities in Obama’s White House to Bush and Clinton’s. I would be interested in the results. Thanks, JPT.
Posted by: Monty Miller | February 11, 2009, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm
The weird thing about the press office TODAY is that Harry Reid replaced Gibbs’ crappy press briefing on ALL the networks … so that one assumes an Executive request for the substitution.
So … not only is Reid called in to reinterpret Obama’s “Las Vegas” insult, but to save Gibbs’ bacon by making the “press briefing” REALLY brief … all before lunch. (And the House guys are peeved at Reid for jumping the gun to make a premature announcement — presumably in ORDER to pre-empt Gibbs, as msnbc did NOT, quite, say — according to Another Network.)
Is there somewhere one can view the entire WH press briefing online?
Meanwhile, let us envision the post-bailout layout, in which we will NEVER see Harry Reid on teevee.
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
If the inaccurate meme of there being no African Americans in the WH press office has been noticed by the staff themselves, then it’s appropriate that they address it. Otherwise, more self-congratulatory individuals on their sensitivity will keep stepping up to the plate.
Posted by: kathy | February 11, 2009, 4:08 pm 4:08 pm
“There’s deputy press secretary Bill Burton…”
————
Smarmy in any hue…
Posted by: mad | February 11, 2009, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
I for one would feel better about the prospects for avoiding chaos/revolution and all that if Roland Martin were returned to his pre-Obama occasionally-talking-head status on teevee, Obama were to return to the lower levels of academia (taking Harry Reid with him for possible use as a spokesman or lawn ornament), and CNN’s Don Lemon, a perfectly beautiful-looking young man from whose televised eyes untrammeled goodness simply shines, and who seems to speak normal American English, were to take over the White House.
Just a suggestion on the cast of this drama.
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 11, 2009, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
We as afro-americans need to broaden our scopes; it requires us to look pass the counting of heads that we all do; we must look at the President as one for all – it is not just for all afro-americans; he needs to get the bes qualifed not the most with color – get Over it!!!!
Posted by: Carolyn Jones | February 11, 2009, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
Politico. Now thats a press office with very few black people.
Posted by: JMart | February 11, 2009, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
What’s with the race thing? As an African American I am insulted, not by who is in the press corp but the very fact that it is even discussed. The Obamas haven’t selected these individuals because of their color and that’s a good thing. African American fashion designers complained because they were not asked to designed Mrs. Obama’s out fit for the Inauguration and/or the Inauguration ball. I get sick of hearing these complaints. These people are entitled to hire whom ever they wish. Get over it!
Posted by: Boondock | February 11, 2009, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm
How lame are these assertions? Roland Martin and the rest of his ilk should just keep their mouths (or computers) shut. Obama’s not filling some sort of BLACK QUOTA. He’s hiring PEOPLE to do a job and I’m sure he doesn’t care what color they are.
Posted by: Julia | February 11, 2009, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm
Perhaps it is time that everyone let the news organizations that the time for promoting racial division is over! I really believe that the media promotes more of this then anyone.
Time to write and call the news and tell them the news is really old and get over it!
If they would shut the heck up I bet most people would have no problem getting past the idea of racial division a lot faster.
Posted by: Marilyn | February 11, 2009, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
Thank you Jake Tapper!
Posted by: dz | February 12, 2009, 2:40 am 2:40 am
Did Roland Martin really make a determination about the diversity (or lack of) in the Obama press operation based on names he saw listed in an email?
Posted by: James | February 12, 2009, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Jake, I usually take issue with a number of your stories, but this is a good one. Way to shine the light on these simpletons. I like Roland Martin, but this is a non-starter…don’t even fix your lips for that kind of negativity.
Posted by: BruhMan | February 12, 2009, 10:05 am 10:05 am
From Roland Martin’s article:
“I got an e-mail Tuesday listing all of the various press folks and contact information, and hardly any African-Americans or Hispanics were listed.”
and….
“Looking at the roster of other offices, I don’t believe there’s even one African-American or Hispanic who is the primary spokesman or number two at any of the major departments, such as Treasury, State, and Justice.”
From Bryan Monroe’s column:
“There are no African Americans assigned so far to President Obama’s press office, according to a memo distributed Monday by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.”
I love that these guys can tell who’s black by looking at names on a roster. Idiots.
Posted by: Brian | February 13, 2009, 10:55 am 10:55 am
Everybody needs to remember Obama’s message during the campaign. He said we must rise above partisanship, find common ground and that one is the key. We do not have time to get into our differences. It is time to look only at “common ground” until this economics mess gets fixed. Obamas supporters must remember that he said that change would not be easy. With what he is dealing with in the financial markets, we should be backing him up. He really did go to Washington for the people and he is focused on dealing only with “common ground” issues. This is what he meant when he said to bring about change, we must be willing to work together for this “common ground.” As long as we remember that he is keeping his part of the bargain he made with the American people, we must remember to keep ours which was that we would give him the help and support he needs to do the job he was given by the American people. By the way, I am African-American.
Posted by: Ruth G. McHugh | March 18, 2009, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm