<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><i class="">Great work by CWA, the AFL-CIO and others on this...</i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-interviews-local-journalists-veer-from-script-118642.html" class="">http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-interviews-local-journalists-veer-from-script-118642.html</a><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="story-intro format-s" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-right: 789.9375px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="summary" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><header style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2.5em; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; font-family: tablet-gothic-condensed, 'Arial Narrow', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Obama's interviews with local journalists don't go as planned</h1><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; font-size: 1.375em;" class="">A handful of the regional interviewers invited to the White House didn't make it easy on the president.</div></header><footer class="meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0.5em;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; display: inline; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="">By <span class="vcard" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/SarahWheaton.html" rel="author" class="url fn" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: 700;">SARAH WHEATON</a></span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; display: inline; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="">6/4/15 11:15 AM EDT</div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; display: inline; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="">Updated <time datetime="2015-06-04T17:25-05:00" style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">6/4/15 5:25 PM EDT</time></div></footer></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">The “Live from the White House” series is usually President Barack Obama’s show. But not all of his interviews with anchors from regional TV stations this week worked out quite as planned.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">The usual drill goes as follows: The president invites local interviewers — often journalists unaccustomed to the daily joust with spokesman Josh Earnest — to the White House. They get a tour and a wonky Roosevelt Room briefing from senior administration officials and a live shot from the North Lawn. And the president gets to answer some predictable questions on a topic of his choice, beamed straight to his target constituency.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">But at least a couple of the five regional interviewers invited to the White House on Wednesday for a pep talk about the benefits of Obama’s Pacific free-trade agreement didn’t quite follow the pattern.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Take his <a href="http://www.kvia.com/news/president-obama-and-congressman-orourke-comment-on-tpp/33389604" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class="">interview with Estela Casas</a> of KVIA, the ABC affiliate in El Paso, Texas. Her package gave Obama only 25 seconds worth of boilerplate, in which he asserted that the pact would ensure the United States is “able to compete on a world stage and that we are able to sell our products made in America to the world.”</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">The segment then cuts off the president midthought on how the Trans-Pacific Partnership has “a lot of safeguards that weren’t there before” to give nearly equal time to an opponent, Rafael Navar, national political director of the Communications Workers of America. With the White House in the background, Navar describes how previous trade agreements hurt El Paso’s economy and concludes: “This trade deal is really detrimental to working people.”</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">The most important member of Obama’s target audience in El Paso, Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, says in the package’s final segment that he’ll keep mulling over it until it’s time to vote.</div><aside class="story-related" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); padding: 0.625em 0px; margin: 0px 789.9375px 1em 0px; overflow: hidden; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><article class="format-sm story-frag" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table; width: 718px; table-layout: fixed;"><figure class="thumb" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; vertical-align: top; width: 5.625em;"><div class="fig-graphic" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/john-boehner-aligned-group-plans-1m-ad-blitz-for-trade-bill-118617.html?ml=ri" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class=""><img alt="House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks to members of the media during his weekly news Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; display: block;" apple-inline="yes" id="CDE5A80C-987B-46D6-AB57-EB0D99F748C6" height="49" width="90" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:D2C65DB4-C4A5-4E9D-B289-3C153D661ECA@hsd1.pa.comcast.net." class=""></a></div></figure><div class="summary" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 1.2; display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; padding-left: 0.625em;"><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;" class=""><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/john-boehner-aligned-group-plans-1m-ad-blitz-for-trade-bill-118617.html?ml=ri" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(183, 0, 0);" class="">ALSO ON POLITICO</a></div><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.25em; margin: 0px; font-family: tablet-gothic-condensed, 'Arial Narrow', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/john-boehner-aligned-group-plans-1m-ad-blitz-for-trade-bill-118617.html?ml=ri" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">Boehner-aligned group plans $1M ad blitz for trade bill</a></h3></header><footer class="meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 1;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 0.75em; display: inline;" class=""><a href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/JakeSherman.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: 700;" class="">JAKE SHERMAN</a> and <a href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/AnnaPalmer.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: 700;" class="">ANNA PALMER</a></div></footer></div></article></aside><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">KVIA did run the <a href="http://www.kvia.com/news/watch-estela-casas-oneonone-interview-with-president-obama-during-todays-newscasts/33384076" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class="">full interview</a> online, so it’s possible to see how Obama’s unadulterated pitch was crafted, as did <a href="http://www.king5.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/03/pres-obama-talks-about-international-trade-plans/28436993/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class="">Seattle’s KING 5</a> News, where Obama is trying to win Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer’s support.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“Other than maybe the CEO of Boeing, I don’t know anybody who’s done more to sell Boeing planes than me in this administration,” Obama said, insisting to manufacturing workers that their jobs won’t move abroad. He later added, “If you’re a winemaker, if you’re a farmer, if you are part of an IT company in Washington, this is going to open up markets for you.”</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">In Dallas-Fort Worth, there was a more <a href="http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/06/03/president-obama-takes-trade-with-cbs11s-karen-borta/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class="">traditional package</a>, with clips of two small business owners on opposite sides of the debate — as well as a local union rep — teeing up the president.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">San Diego’s CBS 8 ran just a <a href="http://www.cbs8.com/story/29234244/barbara-lee-interviews-president-obama" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class="">preview</a> of its anchor’s interview on Wednesday with a promise to show the rest on Friday. A local AFL-CIO official predicted the president would have little effect on the area’s voters, or on Democratic Reps. Scott Peters and Susan Davis.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“It just illustrates how far removed he is from our local situation and our conversation with our local representatives,” said Richard Barrera, secretary-treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, in a phone interview.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Obama isn’t just trying to make the substantive case for the TPP. He’s also trying to show in advance that he’ll make good on a commitment to help Democrats who support a top priority of his term’s fourth quarter when the fast-track authority he wants to seal the deal comes up for a vote as early as next week in the House.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“The president has made very clear, both in public and in private, a willingness to stand with Democrats who stand with him on the trade argument,” Earnest told the regular White House press corps on Wednesday. “They can count on the support of President Barack Obama in a Democratic primary if they need it.”</div><aside class="story-related" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); padding: 0.625em 0px; margin: 0px 789.9375px 1em 0px; overflow: hidden; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><article class="format-sm story-frag" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table; width: 1508px; table-layout: fixed;"><figure class="thumb" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; vertical-align: top; width: 5.625em;"><div class="fig-graphic" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/dennis-hastert-lobbying-firm-118603.html?ml=ri" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class=""><img alt="WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 17: U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) leaves the House Republican Conference leadership elections alone on Capitol Hill November 17, 2006 in Washington, DC. Hastert is the longest-serving Speaker of the House but is now scorned for losing control of the House to the Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; display: block;" apple-inline="yes" id="E27B24FF-FBF3-4768-8E69-306309E6146F" height="49" width="90" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:203822BA-CB6F-44ED-97D2-6BEFD80CE2FC@hsd1.pa.comcast.net." class=""></a></div></figure><div class="summary" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 1.2; display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; padding-left: 0.625em;"><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;" class=""><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/dennis-hastert-lobbying-firm-118603.html?ml=ri" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(183, 0, 0);" class="">ALSO ON POLITICO</a></div><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.25em; margin: 0px; font-family: tablet-gothic-condensed, 'Arial Narrow', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/dennis-hastert-lobbying-firm-118603.html?ml=ri" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">Hastert's lobbying firm reeling after indictment</a></h3></header><footer class="meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 1;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 0.75em; display: inline;" class=""><a href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/TariniParti.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: 700;" class="">TARINI PARTI</a> and <a href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/AnnaPalmer.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: 700;" class="">ANNA PALMER</a></div></footer></div></article></aside><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Indeed, Obama went out of his way to give a shout-out to Rep. Ami Bera, a Sacramento-area Democrat who is already taking a beating from unions over his planned yes vote. In response to a question about California’s drought, Obama called Bera “terrific on these issues” and added that both men are “progressive Democrats” working to “expand opportunity.” However, if Obama committed to campaigning for Bera when the local NBC anchor <a href="http://www.kcra.com/politics/transpacific-negotiations-edie-sits-down-with-president-obama/33388310" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 124, 196);" class="">Edie Lambert asked</a> if he’d show up to the district, the clip is on the cutting-room floor.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Bera will likely be vulnerable beyond the primary. He beat his Republican challenger by less than 1 percent in November. Labor unions around the country have threatened to sit out campaigns for pro-trade Democrats, if not actively work against them.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“Local members of Congress know for certain who’s going be here and who shares their values,” said Barrera, the San Diego union official. As for Obama’s promise of electoral support for Democrats who vote for the trade deal, Barrera said: “Nobody can evaluate what it’s going to mean to a lame duck president who’s got some pretty heavy-duty issues to deal with.”</div><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Read more: <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-interviews-local-journalists-veer-from-script-118642.html#ixzz3cBv0k9ZQ" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: all 0.25s ease; -webkit-transition: all 0.25s ease; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153);" class="">http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-interviews-local-journalists-veer-from-script-118642.html#ixzz3cBv0k9ZQ</a></span></div></body></html>