{alltv} Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's odd view of Obama on 'The View'

Monday, August 2, 2010

{alltv} Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's odd view of Obama on 'The View'

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell blasted President Obama for appearing on "The View," but conveniently failed to mention he also wanted to appear on the ABC show -- and was rejected.

Rendell, appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" last week, compared "The View" to Jerry Springer's show and slammed Obama for appearing on softball programs.

"I think the president should be accessible . . . answer questions that aren't pre-screened . . . but I think there's gotta be a little dignity to the presidency," Rendell said. "I wouldn't put him on 'Jerry Springer' either, right?"

Sources close to "The View" said that in May, Rendell's camp pitched him to appear as a guest on the daytime talk show via satellite to talk about Pennsylvania's tax amnesty.

But producers turned him down because the show doesn't do remote interviews, although a source said they "left the door open" for Rendell to appear later on.

There's no word on whether that door is still open after Rendell went on "Morning Joe" and mouthed off, "I think the president of the United States has to go on serious shows. And 'The View' is -- you can make a case that 'The View' is a serious show, but also rocks and rolls a little bit. I'm not sure he has to go on 'The View' to be open to questions."

Obama appeared on the "The View" with hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters on Thursday morning, the day after he attended two $30,400-a-head fund-raisers in the city.

A Rendell spokesman said he was "not aware of" the governor's attempt to appear on "The View." The rep said, "I can't say definitively. None of our communications people who are here today are aware that we ever pitched him to be on 'The View.' " A rep for the show had no comment.