Obama ‘versus’ the press — I disagree with Washington Monthly

Flies, honey and vinegar come to mind

On CBS News’ blogs page, Dean Reynolds says the Obama campaign could be more press-friendly, especially compared to that of McCain.

Over at Washington Monthly, Steve Benen essentially tells Reynolds to get off the wahhmbulance.

As I told Benen, I basically disagree with his take:

As someone who makes his living in the press as a day job (albeit at a non-daily outlet), I can say it is fairly, but not incredibly, dumb for Reynolds to throw in the personal/CBS corporate whine part of this.

That said, I'll assume Reynolds wrote this only after talking with Obama campaign staff once if not more than once. And, so, the rest of the blog isn't that dumb at all.

And, that said, if the complaint is not limited to Reynolds -- just that he's the only one to speak up -- it's equally stupid of the Obama campaign to not be more accommodating.

Given the way the current occupant of the WH has stiffed the press for nearly than eight years, it's not just stupid, it is a matter for a bit of concern.

Beyond that, does this reflect a larger degree of disorganization, or flying by the seat of one’s pants? Or, is it a tone-deafness to PR/marketing angles?

And, even if my assumptions about how much Reynolds talked to Obama’s staff are wrong, surely he’s not the only reporter to shuffle back and forth between campaigns and be in a position to draw comparisons.