Barack needs a weekly TV show to get his message out.
I'm not talking about his weekly radio address, which is ignored by everybody except Democratic political junkies.
I'm talking about an updated version of Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, in which the president could speak directly to the American people, to explain what he's trying to do - and the forces he's up against in trying to change the status quo in Washington.
Who's to say that the president can't have a weekly show - in which he talks to invited guests about whatever's on his mind?
A Sunday night network show is the perfect forum - and video clips of the best stuff could go viral on YouTube every Monday morning. Morning Joe and Good Morning America'd probably pick up on it, too. Who knows? It could set the news agenda for the whole week if it was done right.
As has been documented by Media Matters, two thirds of the guests on the traditional media's news shows are Republicans - even though they lost the election. Obama needs to go over their heads to communicate with the public. We've seen how effective he is in articulating his positions when he's given a forum to do so. Unlike the hand-picked audiences president Bush insisted on when he appeared in public, Obama's forums are open to all.
The Barack Obama Hour could be a ratings bonanza, too. When the campaign ran its infomercial on the networks the week before the election, it was the most popular show in its time slot.
Roosevelt initiated his Fireside Chats because he faced similar opposition from the status quo of his time. Entrenched interests used their control of the media to undermine Roosevelt's message. At the time, radio was the most powerful medium in America. Today, TV is the most appropriate way for a president to get his message directly to the people.
The real drama in Washington today is the struggle to take back control of government from the Wrecking Crew installed by the Bush administration. These embedded parasites will use every means at their disposal to cling to the perks of power - and the established media has shown its unwillingness to shine a light on the inner workings of those who manipulate the public interest for private gain. Barack Obama would make the perfect host of CSI Washington, in which, each week a presidential forensics team investigates another political crime scene. Tune in to see president Obama lay bare another back channel deal in Washington that costs the taxpayers millions of dollars. All Obama needs to do is appear at the beginning of each show, then hand over the details to his crack team of investigators.
There are lots of different ways Obama could go with the idea of having his own TV show. He could do pie charts a la Ross Perot; he could interview guests at a round oak table, a la Charlie Rose; he could sit at a desk and interview celebrities like David Letterman; he could hold town town forums like the one he recently hosted in Elkhart, Indiana. He could even do a Variety Show, complete with singing and dancing, like Hugo Chavez does in Venezuela.
The point is, someone with his communication skills shouldn't be limited to the tools of the past. He should use the modern media landscape to his own advantage - especially because what he is trying to do is in direct opposition to the interests of traditional media outlets. His recent experience with "bipartisanship" should show him that the old guard will fight him any way they can. So why fight the battle on their turf?
Obama has already transformed presidential campaigning. Why not transform the presidency itself?