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Obama to Appear on The View

By James Poniewozik | @poniewozik | July 26, 2010 | +

This Thursday, Barack Obama will appear on The View for the first time since becoming President. (The episode will tape on Wednesday while Obama visits New York City.) Brian Stelter at the New York Times has more on the decision, noting it as an example of the White House’s longtime strategy of courting “nontraditional” media.

The fact that The View is nontraditional media, however, and a daytime show at that, does not necessarily make it “soft media” or an easy interview. It’s true that the last time Obama went on the program, as a Presidential candidate, Barbara Walters called him “sexy.” But he also got a grilling from Elisabeth Hasselbeck over the Jeremiah Wright scandal; and The View had a notoriously tough interview during the 2008 interview with Sen. John McCain, in which Joy Behar charged him with lying in his campaign ads.

In some ways, I wrote at the time, The View did better in 2008 than some traditional media did. And they certainly have plenty of material to work with now.

Related Topics: Barack Obama, politics, the view, News Media

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  • carolmr

    The ladies of “The View” will not ask tough questions of President Obama. OK, maybe semi-conservative Elisabeth will. They have already admitted that they were toughter on McCain than Obama because when McCain was on the show he had already been chosen as the Republican candidate for president, whereas when Obama appeared he had not yet been chosen as the Democratic candidate. OK, whatever. What’s sad is that President Obama is not speaking in person to the Boy Scouts of America, of whom he is the Honorary Chairman, on its 100th anniversary, because he has to tape “The View” on Wednesday. The president of the Boy Scouts was told that Obama had “scheduling conflicts.” He will, however, send a taped message to the Scouts. What’s next for the president? An appearance on “The Jersey Shore”?

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