Episode 3, with guests Joe Lockhart and Ari Fleischer, Former White House Press Secretaries

Joe Lockhart and Ari Fleischer are our interview guests this week.
Show produced by Katherine Caperton
Original Air Date: March 26, 2011 on SiriusXM Satellite Radio “POTUS” Channel 124.  Click above to listen.

In this week’s Polioptics broadcast on P.O.T.U.S. on Sirius XM, against the backdrop of catastrophe in Japan and hostilities in Libya, Adam Belmar and I talked with two of the most seasoned Presidential spokesmen of the past two administrations: Joe Lockhart, who served as White House Press Secretary under Bill Clinton, and Ari Fleischer, who was the first to hold that role under George W. Bush.  We took the opportunity to jump from today’s headlines to examine parallels in prior decades, producing an hour of insightful conversation about what it takes to deliver the President’s message from behind the podium of the White House press briefing room.

As two practitioners who have spent years helping to craft a politician’s message, we also took time to remember the passing of David Broder, a giant of the journalism profession who passed away at the age of 81 on March 9.  In the days and weeks following his death, Broder was lionized by members of his profession, but Adam and I offered a different take: that of the political staffer whose fortunes rose and fell based on how Broder viewed our events.  Indeed, having him on one of our sites was like playing host to a rock star, the ultimate observer or critic of politics in action.  If you were a musician, having Broder, notebook in hand in the press area, was like having Paul McCartney in the front row.

To give a final salute to this surefire inductee into the American Political Hall of Fame (if, alas, there ever is one, have a read of Broder’s final column in the February 6, 2011 edition of The Washington Post.

Have a listen by clicking on the link just below the headline for this post and join us via satellite for future broadcasts. POLIOPTICS airs every Saturday at 6am, 12pm and 6pm EST on Sirius|XM Satellite Radio’s P.O.T.U.S. channel — Sirius 110 | XM 130.

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