White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Washington Women in Technology Network Welcome Bloomberg's Jonathan Alter

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Jonathan Alter, author of the first 2012 campaign book “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies,” came to the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C. to meet with the Washington Women in Technology Network.

Alter went into stories not reported as in-depth outside of Washington. He discussed how the Romney campaign rejected strategies from a top Republican digital expert. He went in depth into anecdotes about both campaigns; their competing digital strategies and offered to have readers call him out on events–like he was on Friday by Fox’s Roger Ailes in Politico.

Speaking to a luncheon co-hosted by Hilary Rosen, Becky Fischer-Martin, Constance Milstein, Holly Page and Kim Kinglsey. Guests included Facebook’s Marne Levine and Sarah Feinberg, Regina Hopper, Kelley McCormick, Emily Goodin, Stephanie Green and Kim Kingsley.

The full interview below:

You can see more photos from Monday’s luncheon here:

Obama Would Probably Chose The Horse-Sized Duck

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President Barack Obama made the toughest decision of his political career when he managed to break Reddit during the 2012 campaign. He’d fight the horse-sized duck. Maybe.

The answer is just as strange as the question, but since it’s a staple meme on Reddit it comes as a surprise to no one. Buzzfeed released another chapter from their upcoming campaign e-book, “Panic 2012: The Sublime and Terrifying Inside Story of Obama’s Final Campaign.” The chapter is dedicated to the day that Obama took to Reddit on his own AMA, or Ask Me Anything. The president showed the importance of “being yourself” on social media, but only days later did his digital campaign team notice one forgotten question: would he fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?
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GQ's Least Influential Skirts The White House

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First Family

Can we really claim Michelle Obama is the seventh least influential person in the world? Does that mean she’s more or less influential than pop earworms like Gotye or the constant influence of Madonna on the world stage? If Mitt Romney is first is that because he lost the 2012 election or because he’s barely recognized while at a CVS?

These are the sorts of questions that plague us as we go through all 25 choices on GQ’s list of The Least Influential People of 2012. The list’s a mix of pop culture mainstays, but the additions of the political choices seem to sting a bit much. Especially when going after the First Lady:

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How Did MSNBC "Win" The Election Coverage?

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Joe Scarborough & Mika Brzezinski

If Nate Silver won the official election of who’s right, then who took home the popular vote? If you ask Brian Stelter, it was clearly MSNBC.

In a parallel from from years ago, it seems like the 24-hour news channel has bulked up and turned itself around since the last presidential election. The channel’s rough start as “a CNN also-ran to an Anti-Fox” came to a huge change for the 2012 election as channel has morphed into a true counter-brand to Fox News. It required a four-year re-branding message, including a series of ads where notable on-air talent like Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow stand before historic or iconic images–not to mention most were originally shot by Spike Lee.

It could be that the tides are changing, as even Variety has Fox News as a major winner and loser on election night. Buried almost the the end in the lavish praise comes the always tantalizing anonymous sources familiar with all manners of media matter.  Supposedly The Washington Post’s Ezra Miller is being eyed for a possible weekend show along with Chris Hayes, or the coveted 8pm slot.  But that’s neither how, now or why. What’s important is recognizing that MSNBC is skewing itself to a younger market. Whether they’re accomplishing it by not having real-time debate reactions like CNN or eshewing making everything as “Extreme” as Fox News is still up in the air. There’s a shift to get rid of the old weekend documentaries (the “Lockup” series included) and tune to constant political coverage, or even discussion like The Cycle which kicks off seven hours of specialized talking heads.

Either way, it seems like Fox News may have inadvertently followed the plot of Mean Girls too closely. The only question worth answering in the follow-up must be which network is Lindsey Lohan and which is Rachel McAdams. Maybe we’ll find out at next year’s White House Correspondents Dinner?

CURE Epilepsy Announces Slash The 'Stache

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Joe Scarborough and Susan Axelrod

It may be  Movember, but CURE Epilepsy raised the bar for slashing mustaches.

Earlier today on Morning Joe, David Axelrod came calling after last week’s on-air bet when the senior adviser to Obama’s reelection campaign put up his prized flavor saver if the president lost Pennslvania, Michigan or Minnesota.  But Scarborough would have to grow his own ‘stache if the president swept all three and took North Carolina or Florida.

While the votes are still being sorted in Florida, it was looking likely that Scarborough would have a warm upper lip. As he got a few pop culture examples (the Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation, the Borat, the Dali), Axelrod offered to let the MSNBC morning host off the hook by donating to CURE Epilepsy’s new campaign: Slash the ‘Stache. Within seconds, Mika and Joe offered $10,000 for the cause, which you can donate here.

In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, David Axelrod will follow through with the original bet and shave the mustache that he’s had for the last 40 years–but only if donations reach $1 million. Slash the ‘Stache will culminate with CURE’s Boston event on the 28th, where we’ll find out if Joe and Mika get the first attempt at shaving off the greatest mustache in modern politics–and help  Susan Axelrod see her husband sans ‘stache.

See the original announcement from Morning Joe:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

VP Gore Launches Political Comeback

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As published in the Huffington Post:

Vice President Al Gore made a stunning, unexpected return to politics for the 2012 Iowa Caucus as a political analyst for his own cable channel, Current TV.

For those who migrated over to watch Keith Olbermann, there was a moment of shock and awe as the former vice president and 2000 presidential candidate gave his political views on the Republican candidates, Supreme Court decisions, Karl Rove, the Koch brothers and the perils of being called a “flip flopper.”

With hands pressed together, fingers intertwined, and wearing a sports coat with an open collar French blue shirt, VP Gore pointed out the “most significant endorsement of the day” occurred outside of Iowa: Rupert Murdoch electrified the Twitteratti with his tacit endorsement of candidate Rick Santorum as the “only candidate with genuine big vision” for the United States. Gore went on to point out the political impact for all the candidates of the Murdoch tweets saying, “Romney cannot be very happy.” With his analyst hat squarely on his head, Gore reminded the audience of Senator Santorum’s very big loss in his re-election bid in Pennsylvania: “For an incumbent to lose by 18 points…. the vulnerabilities in his record is responsible for the 18-point loss.”

Gore was angry when he talked about Ron Paul’s comments about race saying, “The messages were so shockingly racist, outright racist. It’s just not enough to let that stand there when there are things beyond the newsletters…. I think we are kidding ourselves.”

Surrounded by unidentified “Young Turks” and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Gore reminded the audience of how his re-election campaign bloodied GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole “in 1996 because the Clinton Gore campaign ran a lot of ads in the heartland… against Dole.”

He compared it to the negative ads run by independent groups against Gingrich in Iowa saying, “that opened the proverbial flood gates… devastating on Newt Gingrich.”

The former vice president seemed to struggle to be measured about Gingrich, stating, “He has an interesting mind. I am trying to be charitable. I don’t think we have seen the last of him. Unlike the proverbial cat he probably only has three lives… he has a role to play in this unfolding drama.”

When asked by Current TV host Cenk Uygur if Gingrich will survive this, Gore replied, “He still has something to say,” and with a nod “the media on all sides has an interest in keeping this going. He will go to South Carolina and probably Florida.”

Gore spoke directly to Democrats saying that, “Should they count so much corporate money and special interest money trying to defeat president Obama we cannot lose sight of how it tilts the playing field,” with this final warning, “And nobody knows where it comes from.”

Like the veteran vote counter he is, Gore points out: “It’s no long winner take all before March 1 on the republican side. It stays that way… that is the delegates they will get and it still gives a slingshot effect. The person that wins, gets the prize. It’s still a significant thing to come in first.” No one in politics knows the pain and truth of these words more than Vice President Gore.

Welcome back to politics, Mr. Vice President.

Tammy Haddad, President, Haddad Media, co-founder, White House Correspondents Insider, and former MSNBC Vice President for Washington.


Watch the Bloomberg/Washington Post/Dartmouth College Republican Presidential Debate

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Dartmouth College will host, along with Bloomberg and the Washington Post, the Republican presidential candidates tonight to debate the U.S. Economy in what is being tagged as #econdebate.   This is yet another stop on the road to the 2012 election for the candidates who have been debating for the last few months hoping to take a lead in the polls.

“We are pleased to host Republican presidential candidates at Dartmouth,” said President Jim Yong Kim. “The debate on the U.S. economy will take on critical issues of national importance and help us all make informed decisions on Election Day.”

You can watch the debate which begins at 8:00 PM ET  online or on a Bloomberg Television station in your area.

via Politisite.com

Latest from Iowa in the Final Countdown Before the Iowa Straw Poll

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The Huffington Post‘s Jon Ward reports that Texas Governor, Rick Perry’s likelihood of showing up at Ames is 50/50, according to Craig Schoenfeld who quit the Gingrich campaign earlier in the year to join Americans for Rick Perry.  On August 13th, Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, will host a straw poll which may determine a frontrunner in the 2012 GOP Presidential race.

Read the whole article here.