Fire Hydrant Marking

by digby

Julia from Sisyphus Shrugged has discovered an interesting pattern in the media that may just explain some of the attitude we’ve ben seeing (via email):

Between Politico’s whining about Obama not answering his question during a press room visit, then when Jonathan Martin was mocked for being a whiner Ana Marie Cox announced that Obama’s visit was a big evil plan to make some reporter “look like an asshole,” Chuck Todd’s pressroom-as-Gitmo, the Times’ remarkably blunt warning that if he didn’t go to their dinner parties the villagers were going to shank him:

A new president’s first foray into the social scene in the capital can be heavy with symbolism, a hint of how the first couple plan to engage with unofficial Washington. Failing to do so could mean missing an opportunity to meet the press, make bipartisan overtures and advance the White House political agenda, as other presidents have discovered…

“The Carters made the vow that they would never get tangled up in Georgetown dinner parties, and indeed they did not,” said Diana McLellan, the author and onetime Washington gossip columnist. “They alienated their base, and it created a huge dislike of Carter. It was catastrophic.”

… and (non-churchgoer) Sally Quinn’s demand that he attend the church her friends go to. this looks a lot less like ideology and more like Broder/Roberts-style “this is our place” hydrant marking.

Obviously they’d like their “centrism” validated by someone the country actually has some respect for (in a country with sane politics, how tight you are with Rush Limbaugh probably wouldn’t be a big resume builder), but I suspect for most of them a few nicknames and some basketball would do just as well.

That makes sense. Obama doesn’t come from a proper blue blood family and isn’t a Republican, either of which would be sufficient for a lovely honeymoon. He’s got some serious work to do to prove to the village tabbies that he’s worthy of them. After all, they represent Real Americans…

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