3 Presidential Press Secretary
Flights on Air Force One, accompanying the President around the world, the highest security clearance that comes with access to practically any place in the United States that you please. Wait, being the Presidential Press Secretary doesn’t sound bad at all, in fact it sounds like it belongs on the list of one of the best jobs in the world. However, to gauge a job you must consider its benefits and its potential stresses, and being the punching bag for the Washington media during a time of political turmoil can make you the face that unhappy citizens direct their anger toward on a daily basis.
While the President must make the hair-graying decisions that determine his legacy, he often only has to address those decisions in prepared written statements with ample time to prepare for criticism, and he has advisers to guide his every word. The White House Press Secretary must have the improvisational ability to answer questions from reporters that are not necessarily screened beforehand, and they must also have the intellectual capacity to answer in a way that is consistent with the President’s beliefs and policies.
This can be too many balls to juggle, and the introduction of scandal or controversy into a President’s reign can mean the Press Secretary has to put his allegiances, and sometimes credibility, in the President’s boat. Deciding whether or not to go along with decisions you view as questionable or wrong by the leader of the country, and deciding how to put those decisions into words you think the American citizens will understand and agree with, can be a ferocious internal struggle for many secretaries. While most garbage men or janitors would gladly take this job for the money in a heartbeat, they likely would not be able to handle the pressure, responsibility, and constantly glaring spotlight that comes with the position.
