Hillary is not hiding from the press
by Dave Winer Thursday, August 25, 2016

When reporters interview Clinton people they always bring up the topic of a press conference. They're being tricky, and I as a voter know it. 

The big question: When are you going to have a press conference?

The Clinton person gives a decent answer, she's done 300 interviews this year. And there have been plenty of gotchas and fake controversies. That's why reporters want to interview her. To help perpetuate the idea that she can't be trusted and won't give a straight answer. Which is both ridiculous and not news. She does answer the questions, answers that they would be delighted to get from her opponent, who rarely answers any of their questions, when they can get an interview, and these days he won't even be interviewed by any reporter, unless you count Fox News people as reporters (they're more like PR people or campaign flacks).

And her opponent has real controversies not these bullshit ones. Is he owned by Russia? Where are the tax returns? How badly did he screw the Trump U students? Was he raised as a member of the KKK? Why did it take him so long to disavow their support? That's just the beginning! And what are you worried about with Hillary? It's so stupid I can't even find words to describe it.

Look I don't give a shit if you trust her. You're so confused about what's real and not that your trust doesn't mean anything. 90 percent of the time you're just interviewing each other about optics and impressions as if they had any substance. I have an almost permanent eyeroll as I watch you guys discuss politics. You just recite the same bullshit over and over. You never get an expert in to tell us what it might be like to have a Russian puppet in the White House or a President who's just now learning what the Constitution is. 

Has anyone looked into his education? Did he learn anything in school? Ask him a basic history question next time you're granted an interview and see if he can answer it. Hey Trump, can you name 10 former US presidents? I would be surprised if he could. Name the wars the US has fought in in the 20th century. What year was the Constitution signed? Who was the second president? Third? First?

And where are the fucking tax returns?

Anyway, reporters, I think people who care know exactly what you're doing. The only difference between a one-on-one interview and a press conference is that in a press conference there are 50 reporters asking gotcha questions and in a one-on-one interview there's only one. The number of ridiculous questions is exactly the same, either way. 

If your listeners were stupid, your tricks might work, but even the dumbest among us have probably figured it out, because you've repeated the same bullshit over and over. 

Reporters who ask about a Clinton press conf are like post-truth Repubs. She's running a good campaign. That's why you're so stuck.

BTW, my guess as to why no press conferences is that she doesn't like them. But your thesis that she's hiding from the press is a lie. She's not hiding from the press.