I don’t go to conferences very often. It’s a blog conference phobia:
As longtime readers know, I don’t do blog conferences. There are a variety of reasons for that, but mostly it’s me, not them.
Since I wrote that in June 2012, I have attended a couple of conferences, mostly because I was invited. I’ll also go if I’m a featured speaker.
I don’t generally go to stuff just to listen.
I’d probably go to more stuff if I’d get more invitations.
So imagine my lack of surprise and sense of relief when I wasn’t invited to the gathering of conservative media at the White House.
Scott Johnson of Power Line was invited:
Entering the White House through the visitors’ entrance at the northwest corner of the grounds, I heard a uniformed Secret Service officer calling a colleague inside: “Press is coming in. Don’t let them wander around the West Wing.” Well, they’ve got my number, I thought to myself….I was surprised to find my friend Charles Kesler, Claremont Professor of Government and editor of the Claremont Review of Books…. Among the other guests whom I recognized were Laura Ingraham and two of her colleagues from Lifezette, the Weekly Standard’s Christopher Caldwell and Lee Smith, Townhall’s Katie Pavlich, the New Criterion’s Roger Kimball and talk radio hosts Mike Gallagher, Larry O’Connor and Chris Buskirk (also of the American Greatness site). I estimated that the guests totaled somewhere in the vicinity of 60.
The Hill took time out from promoting Chelsea Clinton tweets to troll the meeting, Conservative media figures disappointed with Trump meeting:
Some conservative media figures invited to an exclusive event with President Trump on Monday night left the White House frustrated and complaining that Trump’s staff had intentionally sought to limit what they could report out of the meeting…The gathering was instead meant to show the White House’s appreciation for outlets it believes are routinely ignored or marginalized by the mainstream press….“They packed us in a room and made us fight for scraps,” one source said. “It’s not exclusive if you give it to 40 journalists and then make us fight over it. Did [New York Times reporters] Maggie Haberman or Glenn Thrush have to surrender their cellphones for their interview? The White House would be better served if they called on us one by one like he does with them.”
I’ve criticized these type of conferences when Obama did them with liberal bloggers and media types. Do you think I’d apply a double standard? Moi?
Access to the President, even for a few fleeting moments? Hobnobbing with conservative media elites?
Nope, I’ll just remain here hunkered down in Ithaca, waiting for the thought police to knock on the door.
(Sean, if you are reading this, hint hint)
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