Is the White House Press Secretery really a pretty crappy job?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, the White House needs to put out the Help Wanted sign for a new press secretery. Again. (Interestingly, this is happening on the same day Shinseki got shitcanned over the VA hospital debacle. But that’s not germain this this question.)

It seems to me that, as far back as I can remember, these guys typically last only a couple of years before they quit. Why? Is this job really that soul-crushing? I’m sure that having to defend whatever blatant lie or stupid statement the president made last night has got to get old after a while, but these guys are professional media types, right? Is the job of White House Press Seceretery a lot more stressful that it appears to outsiders?

2

I suspect they can make a heck of a lot more money in the private sector, which may explain why they come and go as often as they do.

Any job in Washington is harder than it looks, but keeping a straight face when saying the things the press secretary has to say may be even more stressful than the norm.

Regards,
Shodan

3

Fortunately, doing the job for the current president does not require lying one’s ass off.

4

I think it’s extremely stressful, which is why they rarely last more than a couple of years. Also, it’s one of those jobs in which one takes a ton of heat for bad stuff happening and rarely gets credit for the good stuff.

5

It sounds pretty rough to me, but I actually have a soul (figuratively at least) and a compulsion to tell the truth.

6

I won’t say “they couldn’t pay me enough” because I am sure I have a figure that would make all the slime and rotten fruit smell wash off.

But I CAN say “they would never pay me enough” because I would require way more money that whatever Carney is being paid.

7

They don’t need to advertise for someone new. As your link indicates, they have already chosen a successor. And his last name is Earnest. He is an Earnest man. That’s too perfect. I am NOT going to stop being amused by that for, uh, probably as long as he’s got the job.

8

Yeah, but his first name is Josh. Haha!

9

After a 1-2 year stint, they can go on to a job that gives them more money, more influence* and less flak.

*They defend what they want to.

10

A press secretary has little control over what happens to him or her. The secretary has to be able to answer probing, sometimes hostile questions without knowing in advance what they will be. The secretary has to represent the administration’s positions even when he or she doesn’t agree with them. The administration will sometimes deliberately keep the press secretary in the dark, which can make the person look bad when the truth comes out.

Also consider that the press secretary isn’t in charge of anything. A cabinet member may take a lot of heat, but can also get recognition and a feeling of accomplishment from the way he or she runs a department. A press secretary can’t claim credit for anything.

A classic recipe for stress is responsibility without authority. It seems to me that a press secretary’s job has this in spades.

11

My own take is that the secretary really doesn’t have that much stress-he probably has stock answers, and can always ask for sources, etc…enough to throw off hostile situations. Finally, they can say “I’m unaware…” and then get back with them later.
Isn’t a press secretary really just a human news release?

12

How long can anyone be expected to lie their ass off day after day? Jay Carney (and Robert Gibbs) served their time in ethics hell and now it’s time for them to kick back and maybe rebuild their reputations.