Episode 84, with guests John Feehery and Jim Long


John Feehery and Jim Long are our guests this week.
Show produced by Katherine Caperton.
Original Air Date: January  5, 2013 on SiriusXM “POTUS” Channel 124.
Polioptics airs regularly on POTUS on Saturdays at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm.
Follow us on Twitter @Polioptics Listen to the show by clicking on the bar above.
Show also available for download on Apple iTunes by clicking here

PoliOptics kicks off our third calendar year of broadcasts with episode 84.

Adam Belmar and John Feehery in the POTUS studio taping the 1/4/13 episode of PoliOptics. photo credit: Jim Long @ NewMediaJim

Everyone is home from the holidays now — even President Obama found his way back from Hawaii.

But what happened over the holidays?

The fiscal cliff turned out to be a huge blur for most American.  Political failure on wide display is finally averted by the actions of a couple of unlikely heros.

Our first guest is part of the fabric of Capitol Hill and one of the most skilled communicators of his political generation.

John Feehery, President of QGA Public Affairs and the author of the must-read blog The Feehery Theory takes

John Feehery – President of QGA Public Affairs and author of The Feehery Theory.

Josh King and me to the proverbial white board for a play-by-play breakdown.

The focus of this sit-down with Feehery is not the policy, but rather the politics:

Is Speaker of the House John Boehner too wounded to lead?

Can Harry Reid play a meaningful role in the next round after having Vice President Biden swoop in to fix his mess?

Does President Obama realize yet the extent of the political hangover he’s suffering with regard to the 113th Congress?

Obama’s New Year’s Eve Fiscal Cliff Press Conference

John Feehery ads a great bit of historical context to conversation.

Speak of the House for the 113th Congress – John Boehner

On the question of Speaker Boehner’s leadership in particular, John Feehery has special insight.  John served another Speaker — Denis Hastert — as his chief spokesman and communications advisor for an record breaking eight years from 1999-2007.

John has the scares to prove his mettle and the unique ability to see the net/net and make it understood.

I confess right at the top of the show that I am unsure what to make of the last two weeks.  Sure, I read the Playbook everyday and even kept an ear to SXM POTUS when I was in the car.  But if you’re like me and Josh and you’re looking for the real CLIFF NOTES — this interview is for you!

*** 

Our second guest: @NewMediaJim — the D.C. twitter sensation who is a self described, “new media soul trapped in an old media body.”

Jim Long, aka @NewMediaJim

By day, Jim Long is a general assignment videographer based in the NBC News Washington D.C. Bureau.  His talent, experience and remarkable eye for the picturesque has distinguished him among his peers.  His good humor, consistency and grace

Honor First, Coffee Second
Instagram by @NewMediaJim
Afghanistan 2012

under pressure have distinguished him with White House staffers and presidents alike.  But his twitter feed and early adoption of all things digital have distinguished him with more than 75 thousand followers around the world.

Everyday, from places like Afghanistan, Iraq, The White House, Capitol Hill, Egypt and Pittsburgh, Jim Long shares his signature Instagram style.  Jim Long is a friend of mine and someone I am so excited to introduce to the PoliOptics audience.  It is quite rare to have a network photographer on the record for broadcast.  I attribute this coup to the amazing pros at NBC News, who have supported Josh King and I here at PoliOptics since our very first days on the air.

If you love the behind the scenes stuff that PoliOptics is known for — you will want to dowload this episode for permanent inclusion on your ipod.

1 comment to Episode 84, with guests John Feehery and Jim Long

  • Adam I can’t thank you and Josh enough for having me on. I appreciate the opportunity to shed light on the work of folks like me who “make the sausage” of TV news. Hope I provided valuable infotainment for your listeners! :)

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