Flacks

(A Sprinkling of Things We Think You Ought to Know…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herman Cain won’t be talking with “Politico.com” anytime soon — The Daily Caller‘s Alex Pappas got a one-on-one with the conductor of the Cain Train (wreck) himself, Herman Cain. Though Cain terminated suspended his presidential campaign in early December, he continues to talk a big game. He says if he were still campaigning he would “absolutely” be the front runner going into the Iowa caucuses. He learned who the president of ”Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-beki-beki-stan” is. And there’s no way in spicy pepperoni hell the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO will be talking with Politico, or “Politico.com,” as Pappas calls it (“Have others not referred to the website that way?” he wrote us.) Cain called Politico‘s reporting a “hatchet job,” referring to the story Politico broke of sexual harassment claims filed against Cain when he was chairman of the National Restaurant Association.

Politico‘s Glenn Thrush says covering the White House is more like a redneck BBQ than fine dining — Beltway journalists are sensing some animosity from the communications office at the White House. WaPo interviewed several of them about the”overly combative” approach Jay Carney and White House press handlers are taking with reporters. But Glenn Thrush, who used to write for Newsday, said he can throw down with the best of them:

“Coming from a New York tabloid background, having a flack speak to me in an elevated tone does not make me crawl under my desk,” he said. “It does not terrify me to have someone raise their voice occasionally. The expectation in covering the White House is that it’s always going to be about using the good china. Sometimes this is about paper plates.”

Human Events picks the “Conservative of the Year”– Larry Kudlow was selected to write the glowing, sticky sweet profile on Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). He described Ryan as “earnest, serious and important” and ‘a man with smooth skin and thick hair.’ We made that last bit up, but you could believe it. Ryan was chosen by Human Events “for his relentless commitment to proposing bold, free-market reforms to rein in an out-of-control, ever-expanding government that is destroying the American economy.” Congratulations from FBDC.

That’s not Rachel Maddow’s ass- BuzzFeed published a video Thursday under the headline “Rachel Maddow caught sunbathing in a G-string.” It’s as funny as it sounds except the woman in the video isn’t Maddow, according to the real Maddow. “That is neither me, nor my butt… No, no no no no no god no,” the MSNBC anchor told Mediaite. We’re glad because there’s nothing more embarrassing than having your ass literally hang out for the whole world to see. Just ask Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.).

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ABC’s Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper tweeted the following teaser today:”A group of progressive media stars meeting with POTUS at the WH — @AriannaHuff, @WeGotEd, @EzraKlein, @KatrinaNation, @ChrisLHayes et al”

Tapper later answered a tweeter’s question about whether or not MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow was there, too, to which he replied he’d heard she was but hadn’t seen her himself.

One has to wonder who was minding the MSNBC store with so many of network hosts and guests powwowing with POTUS at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. As yet, none have let out what the purpose of the meeting was, but we can imagine. So let’s!

Arianna Huffington – She was just there to tell people she was there. Arianna loves to tell the world about the important or famous people she talks to. She’s the ultimate name-dropper, just too bad no one can understand what names she’s dropping through her thick Hungarian accent.

Ed Schultz – The President has no bigger cheerleader, especially now that Al Sharpton has dropped 100 pounds, than Schultz. There was really no reason to include Ed, it’s not like he’s going to leave the reservation or anything, but including him will stop his on-air whining about Obama refusing to be on his show. Better than having him stand outside, uninvited, yelling about how he’s going to “torch this ****ing place” for not being invited (yes, he also threatened to torch Banana Republic earlier in the day).

Ezra Klein – Oh, Ezzy. The golden boy of people who have low standards. He’s a natural choice for this meeting since anything the President says to him can be brought, carrier pigeon style, from the White House to Ezzy’s next briefing, er, “free-ranging discussion” with Senate Democratic chiefs of staff. Don’t forget, he’s a “JournoList!”

Katrina Vanden Heuvel – It’s easier to invite Katrina than to not invite Katrina. Like David Banner (a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk), you wouldn’t like her when she’s angry. But she does have a value-add beyond simply not getting on her bad side. If spontaneous choir singing breaks out, she’s have the bass parts covered.

Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow – No one on the White House staff was sure which one the President wanted to invite, since the invite list was just a bunch of headshots, so they erred on the side of caution and invited both.

No word yet on how the Oval Office floorboards dealt with the weight of so much ego, but if they held up Taft…

SKDKnickerbocker’s Andrew Shipley and wife, Laura, welcomed to the world this week Henry Cole Shipley.  Baby Henry (who looks remarkably like an elfin rapper in this picture) was born at 11.56 pm on November 15th.  He weighs 8 lbs. 10 ounces and is 21 inches in length.  Congrats to the proud parents and welcome to the Fishbowl, Henry!   h/t Drew Cole

We decided to mix things up a little with this category. But who better than FishbowlDC readers to name 2011′s Best Capitol Hill Press Secretary?  From fielding your calls to feeding you tips, these folks can make or break a journo’s day.  So which one of these fine flacks is the best press secretary (or comm. director) on Capitol Hill?

The nominees are….Michael Steel from Speaker John Boehner’s office, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s Nadeam Elshami, Charles Chamberlayne for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Vince Morris from the office of Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV).

Stephen Power is heading to the dark side.  It was announced today that the Wall Street Journal reporter plans to abandon his beat and join the wonderful world of communications as a Director in Brunswick Group’s Washington, D.C. office.

A seasoned journalist, Power has covered both energy policy and the automotive industry during his 11 year run  with WSJ.  Prior to that, he reported business and local news for The Dallas Morning News and covered the Pacific Northwest for Gannett News Service.  Power begins his new gig on August 15th.  Congrats to Stephen!

Remember when a rooftop party was more pleasure than pain?  Late last week, before the jaws of hell blew its fiery breath upon our fair city, the Online News Association (ONA) gathered on the roof of AOL/Huffington Post’s downtown office for a meet and greet with the D.C. bureau.  ONA members and guests enjoyed spectacular weather, signature cocktails and panoramic views of the monuments from the Pennsylvania Avenue rooftop.  Those were the days…

Guests included Christian Moritz from the Nat’l Manufacturers Association, Ogilvy’s Imani Greene and Jennifer Mastin, SKDK’s Emily Lenzner, AOL/HuffPo’s Peter Cherukuri,  Chris Potter, Sam Stein, Ryan Reilly, Deven Goldfarb and Amanda Whiteman, Edelman’s David Almacy, Mitzi Emrich and Mory Fontanez, Chris Choi of Bully Pulpit Interactive, The Hill’s Jamie Klatell, BPI’s Ben Burke and Mark Skidmore.

You know you’re one hell of a flack when a flock of journos bust their midday beat to break bread in your honor.  And such is the case of Kelley McCormick,  former partner at Qorvis Communications and Reese Witherspoon lookalike.  McCormick and her new role as Gibraltar Associates COO were toasted yesterday at a swanky lunch hosted by “Meet the Press” EP Betsy Fischer and the one and only Tammy Haddad.

Nearly 40 guests mingled over champagne before sitting down to a three-course wine luncheon of split pea soup with creme fraiche, bacon-garnished crab cake and tasty dessert.  Both Fischer and Haddad shared kind words about their friend before Gibraltar CEO Eric Bovim raised a glass to McCormick, gushing “I can’t imagine doing this without her.”

Attendees of the fancy-pants lunch fete included Politico’s Mike Allen, NBC White House producer Alicia Jennings, WaPo’s Amy Argetsinger, Examiner’s Nikki Schwab, The Hill’s Kate Oczypok, DC’s Karen Sommer Shalett, Janet Donovan, Cap File’s Kate Bennett and Sarah Schaffer, Huffington Post’s Christina Wilkie, Kiki Ryan, Bloomberg’s Ha Chan, Tracy Sefl, Washingtonian’s Sophie Gilbert, Washington Life‘s Michael Clements, Emily Lenzner, Poshbrood’s Elizabeth Thorp, Twitter’s Adam Sharp, WBJ‘s Jen Nycz-Conner and SELF‘s Marc Adleman.  Congrats to Kelley!

L to R: Betsy Fischer, Mike Allen, Kate Bennett, Halle Mayes, Tammy Haddad, Marc Adelman, Kelley McCormick.

*All photos courtesy of Haddad Media.

Washington Life’s Kevin Chaffee has joined Qorvis Communications as a senior adviser. In his new role Chaffee will help clients “navigate the complex and interacting levels of Washington” by applying his knowledge of the city’s social and political community.  He will also advise in the development of communications and event strategies.

Chaffee, who spent 17 years as an editor and writer for the Washington Times before joining Washington Life, will remain on board with the magazine as an editorial consultant.  Congrats to Kevin!

Congrats to two of my favorite people in Washington.  Boehner spokesman Michael Steel popped the question to FD’s Mary Kathryn Covert on the Speaker’s balcony last night…

Former Politico Click reporter Kiki Ryan has landed a new gig.  Ryan, who’s been freelancing since she left Politico late last year, has joined the communications department at Susan G Komen for the Cure, a foundation for education, research and the search for a cure to breast cancer.  In her new role, Kiki will work in media relations and public affairs for the non-profit’s local and national philanthropic initiatives.

Prior to her stint at Politico, Ryan wrote the Yeas and Nays column with Jeff Dufour at the Examiner.  She began her new job at Susan G Komen this week.  Congrats to Kiki!