Bloggers, new media gurus, policy wonks and the like have signed a new petition pushing for regular televised question-and-answer sessions between President Obama and the House Republicans.
The push for a regular “question time,” as it’s called in Britain, began last week after Obama’s surprisingly successful Q&A with House Republicans during their annual retreat.
The petition, at DemandQuestionTime.com, has 111 signatures so far and reads, in part:
America could use more of this — an unfettered and public airing of political differences by our elected representatives. So we call on President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader John Boehner to hold these sessions regularly — and allow them to be broadcast and webcast live and without commercial interruption, sponsorship or intermediaries. We also urge the President and the Republican Senate caucus to follow suit.
It also encourages such meetings with Democrats. (Obama held a similar Q&A this morning with Senate Democrats.)
But White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod told Politico that such a scenario is unlikely.
“The thing that made Friday interesting was the spontaneity,” Axelrod said. “If you slip into a kind of convention, then conventionality will overtake the freshness of that.”
The White House did announce today that the President will hold a meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders from Congress on Feb. 9. It will be the first in a series of monthly meetings Obama promised in his State of the Union address.
But Press Secretary Robert Gibbs tells TPMDC that coverage is not likely beyond a pool spray, which usually amounts to a quick photo op with brief comments.
