"This argument against Hillary Clinton news conferences is flat-out wrong"

[Babel_17]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/02/hillary-clinton-shouldnt-do-press-conferences-because-shes-not-good-at-them-um-what/

It has been 181 days since Hillary Clinton last held a formal news conference. No big deal, writes Claire Landsbaum in a piece for "The Cut" headlined, "Stop Bugging Hillary Clinton About Giving a Press Conference."

Landsbaum's argument boils down to this: Clinton has acknowledged in the past that she isn't terribly comfortable speaking in public and, therefore, should avoid doing it.

"Part of playing the political game is knowing the best way to get your message across," Landsbaum writes. "As such, Clinton should be recognized for her pragmatism rather than being pressured to perform based on standards that don't necessarily apply across the board."

(Btw, this article is by Chris Cillizza, he's given Secretary Clinton a lot of favorable coverage)

Here's the fundamental problem with Landsbaum's argument: Clinton giving a news conference and allowing the media to ask her about anything isn't a luxury item in a democracy. It's a core principle.

[beachbum bob]

1. Sanders won't take questions on anything he doesn't

Want to answer..

[Babel_17]

2. And you can claim that because he does appear before reporters

[bettyellen]

4. And pivots to economic injustice every single time....

[winter is coming]

5. And the questions he doesn't want to answer tend to be clickbait invitations to

indulge in personal attacks. I loved the clip where some newsdroid was hell-bent on asking him about Bill Clinton's affairs and he kept on message for several iterations of the question, as the newsdroid looked more and more ridiculous.

[bettyellen]

6. Agreed! I think HRC knows that and is saving the press conference for when she can use it to her

Advantage. She's not wanted to get into the mud, and will continue to try and keep it from getting ugly.

[Babel_17]

3. "Drumbeat builds for Clinton press conference"

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281918-pressure-builds-for-clinton-press-conference

Pressure is building on Hillary Clinton to hold a press conference as she seeks to wrap up the Democratic presidential nomination.

It’s been 180 days since Clinton’s last open press conference, a fact not lost on the members of the media who cover her, or on Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

CNN’s Jake Tapper broached the topic with the former secretary of State in an interview on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after Trump held a contentious 40-minute press conference where he berated the media for questioning his donations to veterans.

“It’s been something like five or six months since you’ve held an actual press conference," Tapper said. "Is that something you will remedy soon?”

[Juicy_Bellows]

7. Well then she should avoid the office.

" Clinton has acknowledged in the past that she isn't terribly comfortable speaking in public and, therefore, should avoid doing it. "

Presidents have to speak in public ALL THE TIME - better get used to it.

[winter is coming]

9. A great way to "get used to it" would have been to conduct a lot of

unscreened, unscripted meet-and-greets. Basically, her argument for staying in the bubble is that she likes it there. That shit won't fly.

[Juicy_Bellows]

10. Absolutely.

However, that would lessen her chances to win an election. She will pick the shit up and throw it, convincing some that it is indeed flying, only to have it splat on the ground - the splatter of which will be on our collective faces.

[winter is coming]

11. I love this metaphor!

She will pick the shit up and throw it, convincing some that it is indeed flying, only to have it splat on the ground - the splatter of which will be on our collective faces.

[Juicy_Bellows]

12. Thank you!

How can we have a nominee that doesn't like public speaking!? A lot of people don't like to speak in public but they tend to avoid political careers.

Greed and avarice are a mental disorder, I don't think I'll live long enough to see it's diagnosis though.

[highprincipleswork]

8. In the oligarchy, dictatorship, or queendom to come, questions are not allowed. Anything puffing up

up the leader is "good". Anything observed that might prove negative is "bad".

You get to be incredibly gloating and can call yourself "a winner" and everyone else "a whiner" and lecture others about "math" and stuff. Puffing up the chest and acting warlike and talking about "American Exceptionalism" is not only for Republicans but for Democrats as well, all evidence about America lagging behind the world in so many measurements to the contrary. Not to mention the Climate Change that must be taken care of NOW or human life is perched on the edge of mass calamity.

You don't have to worry about things like laws or rules or wars or the economy hurting people and stuff, because it's all been taken care of, and you're in with the clan.

I'd join up, if I didn't see how much Third Way politics has hurt and is likely in the future to hurt so many people, myself included.