11 pressers, 48 questioners

Posted: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:09 PM by Mark Murray

From NBC's Athena Jones
Based on this reporter's notes and official transcripts, Obama has responded to 48 questioners during 11 press conferences since being elected -- an average of just more than four questioners per press conference. (This only includes official pressers, not comments made in a pool situation.) The most questions he has accepted so far was nine (from nine questioners) in his first availability after election day. In five of the 11 pressers, he took questions from just three people.

Fri, Nov 7: nine questioners
Mon, Nov 24: six
Tues, Nov 25: four
Wed, Nov 26: three
Mon, Dec 1: six
Wed, Dec 3: three
Sun, Dec 7: three
Thurs, Dec 11: four
Mon, Dec 15: three
Tues, Dec 16: four
Wed, Dec 17: three

Running Total: 48 questioners

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Comments

Context for the non-reporters? How does this compare to others?

Bob, New York, NY (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:29 PM)

And the point is....? Obama has had more press conferences than Bush? 48 is a lot of questions? 48 isn't very many questions? Usually he takes about 3 questions? What is the point? The quality of the questions are usually about Blago? The quality of the questions are about who has the best basketball jumpshot? Give me a clue. What is the point.

Ron Indiana (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:29 PM)

I'm more concerned about quality than quantity. I wish the press would ask better questions. Many of the questions I've heard are of no interest to me.

Jennifer, Tallahassee, FL (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:42 PM)

so let me get this straight almost every other day since thanksgiving (and almost every day in the past week) he has gone out in front of the media and taken questions personally

and you are complaining about that.

as he is in the middle of a transition with a "todo" list that no President elect has seen in 70 years?

oy...now I understand how Joe S. is allowed to act like a petulent child for the past week... you all have come unglued.

oy

dl, exeter, nh (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:46 PM)

Maybe when the Press start act like real journalist then maybe you will get more questions.

The Press is so pathetic they create stories, exaggerate or fail to exonerate those people they accuse.

To watch “MSNBC state the Media Scrutiny Intensifies on Obama Transition Team After Blagojevich Scandal” is hilarious… Example please, because it looks like the press is only entitled to 3 to 4 questions per press conference and the rest of the story they seem to make up as they go along.

justwaitandsee (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:51 PM)

It is so depressing that the Republican party has adopted the personification as a "party of failure." They have resigned to sit on the sidelines and hope and pray that everything Obama, every program, every pick for his administration, every replacement, will fail and serve to deepen our recession. What a pathetic waste and sad place to be.

tgriff, seattle (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:51 PM)

48 questions. And 9 or so answers?

Just what are you going to name the dog Barack?

Lane Church (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 4:09 PM)

Obama continues to handle himself very well during his news conferences, and acts very Presidential. The press is never going to "shake-up Obama emotionally because, Obama is too well disciplined. It is very interesting to watch Obama handle the press though. The way Obama has left the press in "shock and awe" is very entertaining to observe. For 8 years the press has not had to deal with a smart President. My how times are changing America. That is fact!

Rock,Janesville,Wisconsin (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 4:14 PM)

Obama continues to struggle with even these dog-and-pony-show press conferences. Wait until the honeymoon is over, the press conferences will get much worse for Obama as journalists have less and less respect for this hollow man named Obama. Leftists say that Obama is smart. That's hard to understand because Obama hasn't really demonstrated one way or the other anything that takes much brains. The press gave Obama a major pass during the elections. That will change now, and even now Obama is struggling to answer simple straight forward questions. Watch for Obama to fold like a cheap lounge chair.

C. Sands, CT (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 4:25 PM)

Barack the Avoider.

He handles himself well during news conferences because he doesn't answer questions, he only preaches to the media, and they should wake up and start preaching back.

Monkberry Moon Delight (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 4:26 PM)

The problem in this country is secular progressives, people who reject the foundation of this country and want to start a new America, a land of distorted truth and the anti-American way.

Peter Percival Patterson (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 4:31 PM)

Some context. IIRC, Bush had only one or two conferences in a similar span. Obama has had eleven press conferences, for crying out loud.

Ned (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 4:45 PM)

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