(CNN) – President Obama is taking some flak from a fellow Democrat over his plans to appear on daytime gabfest The View later this week.
Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell suggested the ABC talk-show - which often directs its focus on tabloid stories and celebrity mishaps - may not be an appropriate forum for a sitting President of the United States.
"I think the president should be accessible, should answer questions that aren't pre-screened, but I think there should be a little bit of dignity to the presidency," Rendell said. (Video via Matt Lewis at Politics Daily)
Rendell, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, also likened The View to the Jerry Springer Show – the famed program that has long spotlighted dysfunctional family situations.
"I think there are some shows - I wouldn't put him on Jerry Springer either," said Rendell.
"It is different a little bit. But I think the President of the United States has to go on serious shows."
But Rendell, who will leave the governor's office at the end of the year, conceded The View will provide Obama with a good opportunity to go off the teleprompter – something Rendell says the president should do more often.
"If I was advising President Obama, I'd say do as much ad hoc as you can do," he said. "He doesn't have to scripted, he doesn't have to be telepromptered."
Obama will sit down with The View cohosts for a pre-taped interview Wednesday, the first sitting president to appear on a daytime talk show. The segment is scheduled to air Thursday.
Obama appeared on the program in 2008 when he was a presidential candidate and Vice President Joe Biden was a guest last April.
From CNN Politics
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I disagree with Gov. Rendell on "The View." The president has already been on "The Tonight Show" and "Late Show with David Letterman," why not "The View"? Remember, women make up more than half of the electorate. I agree with the governor that the president should not appear on "The Jerry Springer Show," however. No serious person should appear on that show.
Why would anyone, especially the sitting President consent to appearing on this show????? The only show more worthless than the View is Paris Hilton's, BBF. Those silly women disrepected one of Americas hero's. You do not have to like John McCains politics but, you should reprect his service to this country and the unbelievable atrocities he suffered during the VietNam war.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if the President was invited to go on and declined, he'd be accused of being "elistist".
Whatever ...
OF COURSE IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE!! You have the leader of the free world who needs to represent himself as a leader and defender of freedom. Not to "chit-chat" about the color of Barbera Walter's hair!! It degrades the office of the presidency.
Of course Obama lives for the opportunity to read a teleprompter and/or talk about himself so this is not a suprise. However, he has already degraded the office of the presidency so far already that he might as well make a cameo appearance on the Kardashians. He can't degrade the office any more than he already has so what is the freakin' difference:(
Obama is an incompetent farce and a LIAR ! Hillary for President !!!
The President can appear on any show that he likes. The American voters are measuring this President by either his success or lack thereof, and they will vote accordingly. What shows he appears on and how many vacations he decides to take could or could not be measurements in that decision. Do do know of two current things that are working afainst him. One, his continuing blame game. Don't blame, brag on success or talk about how something can be improved that is not working. Two, people are tired of hearing about how much worse it could be. You are not in office to keep it from being worse. You are in office to make it better.
This administration just keeps getting more and more chaotic. With everything going on currently here at home and in the world, the President and his staff decide that the best way forward is to sit and chat with Whoopi and the rest? Honest to God, didn't 92,000 classified documents just get leaked? Isn't there still an oil crisis going on in the Gulf? Aren't we still involved in two wars? Please Mr. President, at the very least, please give us the impression that you care!!
So then I guess we are to assume that all the golf links in the area were booked, and so this is how he then fills his time? What a bad bad joke.
I think the last thing Rendell should be doing is advising anyone.
What do you expect .. His ratings are tanking so he goes on a show with a bunch of cackles to boost his popularity.. Problem solved... while the country tanks.
Obama neeeds to hold more press conferences and answer questions directly to the American people. He should go on hard news programs as well. If he is truely unafriad of Fox news he should go on Fox. I think Chris Wallace or Bret Bair would be very fair to him. Facing your critics in hard but only being avaialbe to your supporters doesn't give the President an accurate perspective of his leadership.
Why not sit down with ladies of the "View"? He will get all the adoration the "chosen one" craves and none of the critical questions. The four dimwits are the only base Barry has left. He is ruining the country not fast enough for the lefties and too fast for the real Americans.
I actually agree with Fast Eddy! Going on a show like The View tarnishes the presidency.
Obama also seems to be in constant campaign mode. A sitting president should focus on their job instead of politics!
It would be nice if our elected officials would spend less time pointing fingers and saying everything they can about how other people are doing things wrong... and actually get to work on improving the country.
Would be nice.
Completely inappropriate! This is just another venue to campaign and complain about "the mess Bush got us into". Surely there is something else he could waste his time on. Just a few suggestions: Jobs, Economy, War, Oil Spill, Tax Hikes, More Beer Summits.
The View is a pretty rank show; I think he's just doing this to make the GOP's heads explode.
Going on a second-rate tabloid show is a bad idea.....
Why aren't his handlers stepping in? Somebody tell me the staff doesn't think this is a good idea.....
Come on, Mr. President..... have some freaking dignity...
"I think the president should be accessible, should answer questions that aren't pre-screened, but I think there should be a little bit of dignity to the presidency," Rendell said.
This could be the campaign slogan for any candidate thinking of running in '12. This guy we call president will be looked back on years from now as the joke of not only our country but the very system of gov't we preach to the world as being just and fair.
Please. Open your eyes America...before there's a tax on that too.
Okay..come on...Can't this man do anything without geting criticized for it?.
Agreed...Rendell is right.
The money picture that will get him out of office.
i wish ed were in congress instead of some of these (all of them) uppish bonehead clowns
he is right, although i dont like obama, The View should be beneith him at this point..............
obama policy in short
S pend
C ampaign
U ndermind
M anipulate
I cant spell it out any better than that people
Well I must say, my life will be complete watching the Commander in Chief of the United States of America – pandering to the audience of a bunch of clucking hens. Talk about slumming...
Rendall says there should be a little dignity to the presidency.
Nothing to worry about.
This president has shown he has no dignity so no one should be disappointed.
Just more of the same.
Egomaniac Obama needs his media attention fix.
Well there seems to be so much dignity in politics lately this seems like a natural fit.
I totallly disagree with Ed..This is 2010 and he needs to get with the program...I think it is wondeful for Pres Obama to be out there with regular folks, and let us see him as the real person he really is..No body wants to be in DC all the time...And I would hardly compare The View which by the way is Barbara Walter's baby to the likes of Jerry Springer..that is is like talking about oil and vinegar..Ed might think about going on there, it sure in the heck beats making the rounds on the daily same old talk shows...Who knows he may even enjoy it !!!