Show is the president of television Mary McNamara Los Angeles Times Let the pundits wail and gnash their teeth about federally funded fat cat bonuses Let the columnists dissect the stimulus package explaining with scholarly why it is or isn't the return of the New Deal why the new administration is hewing dangerously left perilously right or just altogether lost President Barack is not a product of media opinion or analysis hes he's a child of television and although hes he's not above writing a widely distributed op-ed op piece rallying all nations to the G 20 summit it is in television he trusts In the last two weeks alone he surprised the traditional Washington press corps by passing on its annual Gridiron Club dinner only to make unprecedented appearances on where he picked his Tournament bracket favorites and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno where he committed his biggest presidential gaffe to date before returning to 60 Minutes for a tough-questions tough interview with Steve Kroft Tuesday night he held his second time prime-time news conference in 65 days during which he not only answered policy questions with bountiful detail but also offered a glimpse of the elusive temper When a reporter continued to needle him about his delayed response to the AIG bonuses shut him down It took me a couple of days because I like to know what Im I'm talking about before I speak OK Not everyone approves of all this exposure of course Many critics professional and not see high visibility as a sign of narcissism or ineptitude They complain that the man needs to stop campaigning and start being president But this is apparently exactly how defines being president Unlike the previous administration and perhaps because of it he seems to consider it part of his job to maintain the conversation he began with the American people at the 2004 Democratic National Convention Television launched him from Chicago politician to presidential candidate and if it aint broke dont don't fix it In all his recent appearances the president was able to display his extraordinary talent for lucidly explaining complex issues while exuding the calm and easy dignity Americans watched him develop during the presidential race Distilled now to a resolutely optimistic and charm chann his screen on persona at its best plays to the American desire for fora a real-guy real president a la Michael Douglas in An American President At its it's worst fills its owner with the they-love-me they euphoria that led to the blunder on Leno When in inan inan inan an attempt to be self- self deprecating compared his modest bowling ability to the Special Olympics critics fell over themselves to point out that this is why presidents should stick unions the to and the occasional news conference While it would be surprising if and his team paid any heed it will be interesting to see how they download this new information limit self-deprecating self asides to self into the evolving ever-evolving hologram of the new-media new president The one who understands that part of his job is to keep the populace engaged as he did on Lenos Leno's couch by comparing Washington to American Idol except everyone is Simon Cowell The one who is unapologetically re-defining re the word presidential Certainly isn't the first to tinker with the image or to circumvent the traditional gatekeepers As the first real television president John F. F Kennedy managed to make even civil service seem glamorous Bill Clinton tried to replace news conferences with town townhall townhall townhall hall meetings though that ended rather disastrously with very little national resonance and a super- super miffed Washington press corps And then there was The Great Communicator who brought a movie stars star's savvy to his appearances employing big screen backdrops gentle humor and a grandfatherly tone to speak over the and directly to the folks eager for morning in America Pre-dating Pre them all was Franklin D. D Fireside Chat Roosevelt who used radio as is using TV to his best advantage Radio brought him into American homes on a regular basis and suited Roosevelt's calming patrician tones But video killed the radio star years ago These days if it didn't happen on TV if it cant can't be found in highlight form fonn on or a network Web site it might as well have not happened at all Which is why sent a video statement to Iran last week as opposed to a masterfully written letter Appearances on Leno and even 60 Minutes allows the president to control his image and his message in ina a way the traditional news conference with its barrage of disparate questions and personalities does not Still many find the act of hanging out on Lenos Leno's couch or showing up on less than presidential Historically part of the job is to hold the office and oneself above the common touch to offer the thc illusion that though the shirt sleeves may be figuratively rolled up they arent aren't literally because you know the jacket is still on Certainly if decides to make night late-night appearances a regular part of his schedule he will need to curb his tendency toward sarcasm which doesn't play well in a president But overall the its just not presidential jibe is hard to make when a self-parodying self appearance on Saturday Night Live is now as important to a campaign as taking New Hampshire or Iowa Part of the change seems to consider his mandate is establishing a amore amore amore more intimate and equitable relationship with the citizenry Short of his own page television is as close as it gets Put it all together and he is the total package the ultimate Ready for Prime Time President an American leader in the era of reality television He came of age in front of cameras and digital screens he understands not just their power but their nature Americans these days want to make up their own minds whether its about the next American Idol or what the presidents president's responsibility is toward those outrageous bonuses understands the definition of reality as seen on TV where the most important thing is your brand The brand brandis is about calm amid chaos strength through humility and transparency through television On your screen in your living room hes he's just a regular guy someone you might know the parent of one of your daughters daughter's friends Except that oh yeah hes he's also the president |