Rick Green, editor of the Iowa’s largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, shared in a blog post Tuesday evening that President Obama had spoken with him and the paper’s publisher — but that the conversation could not be shared because it was off-the-record.
Obama’s campaign arranged the call as part of their effort to court the paper’s endorsement.
The conference call lasted nearly 30 minutes and was an incredibly informative exchange of questions, answers and an insightful glimpse into the president’s vision for a second term. He made a genuine and passionate case for our endorsement and for reelection.
Just two weeks before Election Day, the discussion, I believe, would have been valuable to all voters, but especially those in Iowa and around the country who have yet to decide between the incumbent Democrat and his Republican opponent.
Unfortunately, what we discussed was off-the-record. It was a condition, we were told, set by the White House.
After the conversation, Green chided the campaign for not allowing the paper to share the talk with readers. From his note to the campaign:
“What the President shared with us this morning — and the manner, depth and quality of his presentation – would have been well-received by not only his base, but also undecideds. From a voter standpoint, keeping it off-the-record was a disservice.”
Green noted that the fact that the conversation was off-the-record would not influence the editors’ decision of who to endorse. Mitt Romney met for an on-the-record interview with the Register’s editorial board on Oct. 9. Their endorsement will be released online Saturday evening.
Update: Jen Psaki, Obama campaign traveling press secretary, says the campaign has given the green light to the Register to post the conversation:
Obama campaign spokes. @jrpsaki says WH has okayed Des Moines Register putting off-the-record Obama chat on web site
— Olivier Knox (@OKnox) October 24, 2012
