It was a toss up yesterday in local Washington media with 3 big stories: The stimulus package passing the House of Representatives, the weather and President Obama’s comments on the weather and DC school closings.
Talk about a sound bite. The President complained during a public photo op about his daughters’ school being closed. He basically called the decisions to close schools a bit wimpy and quoted the resident experts, “As my children pointed out, in Chicago, school is never canceled. In fact, my 7 year old pointed out, you’d go outside for recess in weather like this.”
I can vouch that with less than 2 inches of snow it was the worst driving conditions I’ve experienced in 15 years. It wasn’t the snow, it was the ice and the fact that DC isn’t Vermont. We don’t have equipment, crews or ice to treat the first or last snow flake.
So back to the media. The story was perfect. It had virtually every element that makes for news. Conflict, local color, children, pictures of people falling, car accidents, new guy telling the older residents what he would do, and not much else going on in the news except for a recession. Every TV and radio station had it, talk show phone lines burned up and even the Washington Post chimed in with an icy editorial.
Last week, everyone thought Obama walked on water. This week, he can only slip on the DC ice. PS, the roads last night weren’t much better, but the Obama-kins’ school is open.
Perhaps our new President never came across President Kennedy’s comment about Washington: “All the charm of the North and the efficiency of the South”.
It’s understandable that he has that opinion so soon after moving here after living in Chicago. I had the same attitude at first after moving here from Pennsylvania. And chances are he’s so buffered (now with Secret Service, etc.) he was oblivious to the fact of how there was much more ice than snow. And my guess is that Chicago is colder than D.C. and gets primarily snow. The press is always looking to stir the pot. If his comment in passing is a “big story” then it’s time for serious media overhaul. (But we already knew that.)
It will be interesting to see how ‘teflon’ Obama is. One week into his new home, his new job and his new city and he basically rips DC Public Works. Probably not the smartest media move, but then again, probably something that will endear him to so many people who have thought the same thing about where they now live (I live in Cincinnati, I’m from Chicago, and I’ve uttered that same line for 12 years now). But, you’re right, Cincinnati and DC are not Chicago or Vermont. Not the same comparison.
Didn’t I miss one part of this story? The private school his daughters attend was closed. DC Public Schools were open. Schools in the suburban areas were closed, but I thought DC at least tried to open.