Clinton Steers Clear of Press Scrum

Attend a Hillary Clinton campaign event as a reporter, and it won’t be long before you get this sort of reminder from a press staffer.

“Just so everybody knows, we’re really glad you could make it. We just ask that there is no Q and A. She just kind of wants to walk around and mingle with everyone and make a good guest appearance for the house party -- so if you could just stay in here for the duration.”

In here, was a 4 x 8 roped off area far from the candidates and tucked behind a kitchen counter. Once she had everyone’s attention, press handler Lisa Chartier went on to say that access to the candidate would be better at Clinton’s next stop.

"There is an event in Salem tonight that will be a question and answer forum."

-Question and answer from reporters?

"Yes. It’s a full, open question and answer."

That Q and A never came to pass. If it had, it would have been a rarity. Such events aren’t listed on Clinton’s campaign schedule. Google the phrase “Clinton told reporters” 2007 New Hampshire and you find evidence of just one traditional, ask-whatever-you-like press availability. That was in March. Six months later, Clinton held an open conference call for local reporters on her health care plan. Beyond that, it’s hard to say for sure. Washington Post reporter Dan Balz, offered this take on Hillary Clinton’s media schedule late last month on NBC news’ Meet the Press.

"Senator Clinton has had one real press availability out on the campaign trail since she announced."

"There is a concern among any front-running campaign that the media are primarily there to take the candidate down to play gotcha."

Dean Spiliotes is a New Hampshire political scientist and analyst. He says keeping the press at bay comes with obvious advantages -- the candidate sets the agenda, and campaign doesn’t have to spend time recovering from potential missteps……But Spiliotes also notes that exerting too much control can come at a cost – particularly if it feeds existing public perception.

"If you didn’t like President Bush as a candidate, and you thought maybe he was too controlled and too secretive, you can have the same kind of concerns about Hillary Clinton – if you think the environment is too controlled and too calculated you worry about that might mean once she’s in office."

The Clinton camp dismisses such talk……..Clinton’s New Hampshire campaign co-chairman Bill Shaheen says the goal is simply to let Hillary Clinton deal directly with as many voters as possible. He says it's working.

"She’s not what the media represents her to be. There’s a certain media myth that the republicans have hammered away at for the past 15 years. It’s now evaporating."

But it remains that the topic of Clinton’s media access seems a charged one for her staff. When asked to provide the number of times Clinton has taken questions reporters’ questions here publicly without precondition, the campaign flatly refused. Clinton’s New Hampshire Press secretary Kathleen Strand did, however, say this much that evening in Salem.

"Every time Senator Clinton comes to the state she talks to the state she talks to the local press and makes sure that she is sharing her message with them every time that she comes here."

-And as for just open questions?

"Well, reporters who have questions certainly file a request through the office."

-So far as I’ve been able to put together, there has been one press conference where it’s just been ask what you want for a couple of minutes.

"We’ve done multiple events and Senator Clinton has spoken with local press and we will continue to do that – to schedule press time for her. And we’re making sure that NH press are talking to her about the question that they have but also the issues she wants to talk to NH families about."

-But so......ok, thanks.

And with that Hillary Clinton’s lead NH spokesperson walked off