Media Remarks on Kennedy’s Press Scolding

Photograph courtesy of C-SPAN

The networks had a field day with Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s (D-R.I.) anti-press floor speech Wednesday, the coverage of which bled into Thursday.

FNC’s Sean Hannity referred to it as a “meltdown.” Daily Caller’s S.E. Cupp compared to it former presidential hopeful Howard Dean’s horse yelp.

This morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Mike Barnicle took a more sympathetic approach to Kennedy. “I think he’s got some issues that he’s dealing with,” Barnicle said of Kennedy. “The death of his father, his issues for the last 10 years. I really didn’t like seeing that.”

At least for today, press is an oddity in Kennedy’s office. A call to the D.C. office to request comment on the speech was met with a young male receptionist who said Derek Pearce, the press secretary, works out of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island office. But a female aide in the Pawtucket office said Pearce actually works out of the D.C. office. She told me that if an intern had answered the phone he might not know that Pearce works there and not in Pawtucket.

A second call to the D.C. office to ask for Pearce got a quick transfer to his voice mail. “Derek stepped away from his desk,” a male receptionist explained.

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