The Need to "Adapt the Presidency"

As we learned from Neustadt, the power of the presidency is the power to persuade. Well, what if the forum to persuade is limited?

On 60 Minutes tonight, in President Obama's first interview since the election last week, he addresses this confinement. Here's a short excerpt from the transcript:


NARRATION: ONE THAT HAS NOT BEEN OK WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE, HAS BEEN HIS EAGERNESS TO SPREAD HIS GOSPEL TO THE FAR REACHES OF BROADCAST /CABLE UNIVERSE. IT SEEMS LIKE HE HAS BEEN ALMOST EVERYWHERE. LENO AND LETTERMAN. MTV AND COMEDY CENTRAL, AMERICAS’ MOST WANTED AND THE VIEW. SOME HAVE FOUND IT DEMEANING AND UN-PRESIDENTIAL.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The challenge right now, and you know this better than I do, than I do, Steve, is that—it used to be a President could call a press conference and the three major networks would come and he’d talk to them, and you pretty much reached everybody in America. And these days— the closest I can get to that is being on 60 Minutes.

But there are a whole bunch of folks— who watch The Daily Show¸ or watch The View. And— so I’ve got to adapt the presidency to reach as many people as possible— in as many— settings as possible so that they can hear directly from me.

Um, You know, but this is an example of where— on the one hand folks say, “Well, you know he’s a little too remote.” Then if I’m on The View, “Well, you know, he shouldn’t be— you know— on some daytime TV show

My attitude is— if I’m reaching people, if I’m talking to them, I’m willing to take the risks of— overexposure on that front.
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"Adapt the presidency". Obama's words suggest that he sees the need to re-shape the presidency as an institution. And in doing so, he furthers his effectiveness at the only power Neustadt suggests he has -- the power to persuade.

FDR used fireside chats. Kennedy was the first to hold a televised press conference. Embracing new media to shape public opinion is inevitable - so why is Obama villainized for going on The View?

-Shannon Ritchie