President Obama and Vice President Biden order hamburgers at Ray's Hell Burgers in Arlington, Virginia.
(NEWSCOM)Photos (1 of 1)
Why cover Obama’s hamburger lunch? People like it.
By Jimmy Orr | 05.06.09
Every time there’s a human interest story about the president or the first lady, there’s always criticism from “serious journalists” and “serious citizens” who can’t understand why a news outlet would devote air time or pixel space to something they consider meaningless.
Take yesterday’s hamburger run by President Obama and Vice President Biden. It got a lot of attention. As NBC’s Sara K. Smith writes, “This event was so exciting and significant that every major media outlet covered it.”
That’s true. We did. Monitor reporter Linda Feldmann was on pool duty. She blogged about it, and it was the second most read story on the web site yesterday. You can read it here.
Snoot
Some of our readers (who curiously clicked to read the story) said it was not newsworthy:
Cogito wrote, “This is news??? Good, grief…”
Nani offered, “Wow…a free lunch for biased press coverage.”
But most enjoyed the article.
Smith sarcastically said the hamburger run was the “most important event in human history since the invention of fire.” And she wondered why such events are covered.
Simple. People are interested in it. It doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in TARP or taxes or the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. There can be a balance.
Personal
There’s a lot of interest in the president’s dog. And the Queen’s iPod. And where the president and first lady had Valentine’s dinner. And whatever Joe Biden has to say.
And it’s not just this president. People were just as interested in the personal side of President George W. Bush. Just as interested.
For example, whenever a non-newsmaker appeared on “Ask the White House” (the online chat on the White House web site) traffic increased.
When the White House curator discussed ghosts in the White House, traffic spiked. Or when the chef answered questions about food, traffic soared. Whenever Barney the dog was discussed, record traffic was recorded.
People want to see the human side of the White House.
CBS
CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller knows this as well as anyone. He’s covered every president since Gerald Ford. And yesterday, he kept his followers updated on the burger run 13 times on Twitter.
It was entertaining. By the way, he also used Twitter to communicate updates on the upcoming Supreme Court nomination, health care, Obama’s meeting with Shimon Peres, and many other policy announcements.
Hamburger updates
We like the hamburger Tweets though. So, we’ll feature those (and we included a video from the event as well).
Tweet #1: Here’s a new one: Obama and VP Biden just left the White House together –they’re going out to lunch.
Tweet #2: I can’t remember a Pres and VP going out to lunch together. Certainly not Bush and Cheney, though they had a weekly lunch in the WH.
Tweet #3: Obama and Biden just arrived, by motorcade, at Ray’s Hell-Burger across the Potomac in Arlington, VA.
Tweet #4: Burgers at Ray’s are on the pricey side, but very highly regarded. Customers line up and order — no waiter service. basic burger $6.95.
Tweet #5: I’ve never been to Ray’s, but CBS News colleague Mary Hager says Ray’s got “killer burgers.” Online reviews call ‘em among the best ever.
Tweet #6: Lunch play-by-play. Press Pool reports Obama ordered a swiss mushroom burger with chili and cheese cooked medium. Paid cash.
Tweet #7: Now some of you will go nuts over this: but Obama ordered burgers for some in the press. (Payoff no doubt for standing up last week).
Tweet #8: Obama tells press: you guys are cheap dates. I cant believe I couldn’t get more people to order a burger.
Tweet #9: I do recall Pres. Clinton stopping by a place in Arkansas that served hubcap burgers — near the size of hupcaps. But VP Gore wasn’t along.
Tweet #10: You’ll see pictures and video shortly of the Pres. and VP sitting on stools at Table #42, eating burgers. So much for where’s the beef?
Tweet #11: Quick lunch. Obama back at the WH from lunch.
Tweet #12: TV POOL video shows Obama and Biden waiting patiently in line to place their burger order.
Tweet #13: Pool got it wrong: Obama really ordered a basic cheddar cheese burger, medium well with spicy mustard. also order cheesy tater puffs….
——-
Hey, although we only Tweeted once during the hamburger run yesterday, we promise to do more. So follow us on Twitter!
<< Michelle Obama’s favorite thing? Sesame Street | MainComments
2. Jim Treacher | 05.06.09
When President Obama was told they were out of the spicy mustard, he promised to bring the full force of the White House press corps down on them.
3. Tom Lydon | 05.06.09
I am a former GOP voter for 42 yrs, I voted for Pres. Obama, because I felt he was genuine, sincere and one of us. A burger run proves it as much as anything else he has done. By the way, after announcing an effort to tighten the oversees tax dodges and reduce offshore jobs rewards…he is entitled to that burger and he will need it for the battles ahead on this positive move for the citizens of the US.
4. Kathleen | 05.06.09
No, I don’t need these stories. The vmedia covers every aspect of the Obama’s except the real news.
5. artfultext | 05.06.09
What is worrisome to me is not that the burger story was covered but that the press pool initially got President Obama’s order wrong and the wrong information was tweeted…A cheddar cheese burger doesn’t even sound like a swiss mushroom burger with chili and cheese. So how did the error get transmitted? This minor mistake makes me wonder about media accuracy for stories that actually contain more substantive facts, such as TARP, foreign policy, health care reform, you name it.
6. JB | 05.06.09
If Obama was a ‘normal’ and considerate person, he would have had a staffer pick up the burgers instead of staging a photo op.
But Obama doesn’t mind spending $100,000 of tax-payer dollars for a burger jaunt.
7. Carolyn Hopper | 05.06.09
I don’t mind the coverage - there is enough bad or serious news to go around for a long time. I can’t help but wonder how many cars went with them and how many staff or secret service and if the “man on the street” was at any time inconvenienced. President Obama needs to realize that he can’t just pop in anytime anywhere like he used to do. He needs to consider the ripple effect.
I lived in Annapolis and know what it’s like when the President or his wife or the VP or his daughter comes to town.
8. Olivia | 05.06.09
I like this man’s down to earth nature, and what a brilliant, deliberative mind to boot.
9. isaac32767 | 05.06.09
People who are bugged by the nuisance value and cost of Obama’s little jaunts should consider the alternative: a leader who holes up in the White House and sees the world through a staff filter. I think we’ve had enough of that.
Mr. O has always made it clear he wasn’t going to work that way. Besides, he’s our Prez, not our prisoner.
10. Leonard | 05.06.09
I personally don’t care for this type of news but I’m really not surprised. I can see how the “average” folks would like this type of story, feel like this would illuminate Pres Obama’s folksy down-to-earth style. Fine. I can accept that. But I’ll tell you standards don’t go both ways. If any other president try to do this, people would be screaming about “What is he doing! He should be governing, not picking up hamburgers! We are in a recession, Pakistan is falling to the Taliban, joblessness is on the rise, Russia and NATO are fighting over Georgia and so on so forth. Give me a break people. Talk about about hypocrisy.
He can get all the hamburgers he wants, but he shouldn’t make a field trip out of it. This was a photo-op, plain and simple.
11. Mez | 05.06.09
An event that was stage-managed and planned to the nth degree but important symbolically for what it says about the President and his place in American life. President Obama is mingling with everyday people in an accessible place, even standing in line to order his own food. And most importantly he’s PAYING for it with cash. So he knows how much a hamburger costs.
It’s amazing how quickly public officials get out of touch with reality when everything is arranged and paid for by other people. It’s good to see the President is sending the message that he plans to stay in touch with day-to-day life. And from his writings and past behaviour, I get the impression that this is a sincerely held belief, not just something he’s putting on for the cameras.
12. Peggy | 05.07.09
How much did his hamburger run cost the taxpayers? I love Obama, I voted for Obama. If all the people that was paid for his hamburger run, would be paid anyway for just sitting on their *****, then I think way to go Obama but if this hamburger run cost the taxpayer any addtional monies , Then BOO Obamba. He could have taken the cost of that hamburger run and WHAT maybe help a single homeless mom provide shelter for her kids, even for a few months. It is a sad sad state of affairs that this country is in!!
13. Peggy | 05.07.09
How much did his hamburger run cost the taxpayers? I love Obama, I voted for Obama. If all the people that was paid for his hamburger run, would be paid anyway\, then I think way to go Obama but if this hamburger run cost the taxpayer any addtional monies , Then BOO Obamba. He could have taken the cost of that hamburger run and WHAT maybe help a single homeless mom provide shelter for her kids, even for a few months. It is a sad sad state of affairs that this country is in!!
14. Peggy | 05.07.09
We the taxpayers have allowed the government to get so huge. We have elected officials that we pay and they take lobbiest money. I want to invent a product that the congress makes by law that we must purchase. How great would that be.
16. Jerry McIntire | 05.07.09
Jimmy, thanks for a less sensational post. Stories about the ordinary side of Presidents helps keep them off the pedestal.
17. myname | 05.07.09
I respect him because he is our president, he is also human… and humans get hungry. I wish people would quit being so uptight about everything. This is “America’s President” isn’t it? How do you vote someone into the office then criticize his every move?
(sidenote: I did NOT vote for President Obama, hopefully my sarchasm was apparent in my post :D)
18. dan | 05.07.09
“But Obama doesn’t mind spending $100,000 of tax-payer dollars for a burger jaunt.”
Really JB? Lets not forget the king of photo-ops. Mission accomplished anyone?
19. Drew | 05.07.09
So because a man becomes president he can’t go get a burger with a co-worker? I don’t understand why everyone is getting upset over a man having lunch.
20. kay powers | 05.07.09
Can this phoney get any phonier? Impossible! How about the “audacity” of naming his mutt with his own initials?
21. Matthew H | 05.07.09
Anything that encourages fast food will get this nation’s undivided attention.
People are worshipping and paying tithes to every burger king, and mcdonalds in America. (Though that’s another story)
23. sad individual | 05.07.09
people are not very smart…first off, why is the press covering such a meaningless story… i eat food too and i dont have cameras everywhere. obama just likes the camera on him at all times. he loses 220 billion dollars in a bailout plan but orders a burger and he is a hero… wow… he is not a normal person. he does not live like a normal person. quite the contrary he lives like a milllionare while telling everyone that the economy is going to be ok even though it has gotten much worse since he came into office. but thank goodness he got a free burger or else who knows what would have happened
24. Realist | 05.07.09
Why don’t you guys just come right out and admit there’s absolutely nothing Obama could do that would please you? You’d criticize him no matter what he did, including things for which you praised other Presidents.
25. b. wilson | 05.08.09
I guess I’m not surprised that there’s not a single comment about Obama’s privacy; just for the man’s freedom to get away for an hour and not be hounded by the paparazzi. We Americans are not truly a freedom loving people are we. We want it but we don’t want to protect it for others. It doesn’t even cross our minds.
Me, Me, ME. GET, GET, GET!!!.
To any caring person, looking at that shot - the first thing that strikes you is that he can’t even get away for an hour without cameras being pushed in his face.
It’s non stop entertainment. The first thing we say to this is some selfish comment to rationalize why Americans need to observe every single thing the man does. “People Like It”. “We have a right to know”.
Freedom to damn well do what we want, no matter what it does for or against the other guy. Folks, guess what; Obama is doing a lot for his country. What can we do for him to make his life just a little easier. Surely, we can give him “lunch”.
26. pokey | 05.08.09
what rediculous over what someone put’s on a hamburger, is there nothing elese of interest to America’s media?
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. cmnsns | 05.06.09
Obama is good for business. Keep reporting…..