When the name Karine Jean-Pierre was first mentioned on Ethics Alarms (here, Item 4), it was after the lead-in, “Biden’s not even trying to be responsible at this point.” Her major qualification to take over the press secretary job—aka “Pofficial paid liar”— from the unbearable Jen Psaki, it seemed, was that Jean-Pierre is a black lesbian, which White House flacks (echoed by the mainstream media of course, boot-licking as usual) hailed as “historic.” (My reaction, then and now: who cares?) She also has a major conflict of interest, being married to CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Later, after non-bootlicking reporters did some digging, we learned that she has been a habitual race-baiter. The New York Post reported that between 2015 and 2020 the new voice of the White House had accused people, policies, ideas, or words of being “racist” 57 times on Twitter and 43 times in TV appearances on CNN and MSNBC.
To be fair, being a knee-jerk race-baiter is a valid qualification for being a Democratic President’s press secretary in 2022.
However, the main objective in appointing Jean-Pierre, as with any job, has to be that she be able to do it competently. That means lie, which is what people in her position do and have done since the role came into being. The job is easier now that it has been for many past occupants of the position, because, as already noted, most of the reporters likely to toss questions at a Democrat President’s paid liar aren’t seeking the truth, and nearly completely unwilling to make her boss look bad. (That might risk his losing re-election, which, we are told daily, would endanger democracy.)
So I just assumed that this historic black lesbian race-baiting Democrat was at least skilled at ducking, weaving, spinning, and otherwise lying her head off to explain this President’s regular fantasies, falsehoods, inexplicable babbling unintentional damning admissions and never-ending policy failures.
Here was her exchange yesterday with Fox News’ Peter Doocy:
DOOCY: “The president’s Twitter account posted the other day if you wanna bring down inflation, let’s make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share. How does raising taxes on corporations reduce inflation?” [The exact tweet was, as he clarified for Jean-Pierre, “You want to bring down inflation? Let’s make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share.”]
JEAN-PIERRE: “Look, we have talked about, um, we have talked about this past year, about making sure that the wealthiest among us are paying their fair share, and that is important to do. That is something the president has been working on everyday when we talk about inflation and lowering costs, so it’s very important that as we’re seeing costs rise, as we’re talking about how to, you know, build an America that’s equal for everyone and doesn’t leave anyone behind, that is an important part of that as well.”
DOOCY: “But how does raising taxes on corporations lower the cost of gas, the cost of a used car, the cost of food for everyday Americans?”
JEAN-PIERRE: “So I think we encourage those who have done very well, especially those who care about climate change, to support a fairer tax code that doesn’t charge manufacturers workers, cops, builders a higher percentage of their earnings, that the most fortunate people in our nation, and not let that stand in the way of reducing energy costs and fighting an existential problem if you think about it, that is an example. To support basic collective bargaining rights as well. But look, by not, without, having a fairer tax code, which is what I’m talking about, then all, like, manufacture workers, cops, you know, it’s not fair for them to have to pay higher taxes than the folks who are not paying taxes at al.”
Oh! WHAT????
DOOCY: “But what does that have to do with inflation? The President said if you want to bring down inflation let’s make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share. Jeff Bezos came out and tweeted about that, he said ‘the newly created disinformation board should review this tweet.’ Would you be okay with that?”
JEAN-PIERRE: “Look, it’s not a huge mystery why one of the wealthiest individuals on earth, right, opposes an economic agenda that is for the middle class, that cuts some of the biggest costs families face, fights inflation for the long haul, right, and that’s what we’re talking about, that’s why we’re talking about lowering inflation here, and adds to the historic deficit reduction the president is achieving by asking the richest taxpayers and corporations to pay their fair share. That’s what we’re talking about.”
Maybe she should be Vice-President Harris’s press secretary.
I think we can all agree that Jean-Pierre’s performance here was spectacularly terrible, and objectively incompetent. One obvious requirement of the job is to prepare for likely questions. Presidential tweets that make no sense are obvious targets, especially after the Trump Tweets years. She wasn’t ready for that question from Doocy, and delivered a “huminahumina” response for the ages.
Furthermore, this isn’t a job that is hard to vet. Auditions and simulations will quickly reveal if a candidate is up to it or not. Wasn’t she tested, drilled, and trained? Wouldn’t it become quickly obvious that she was neither skilled at throwing up dust (like Psaki) nor sufficiently articulate and creative to weave momentarily credible explanations for Biden nonsense to handle the job?
Even giving her the benefit of many doubts—she was nervous, this was her first day on the job, Biden’s tweet was unusually fatuous, even for whatever Cub Scout is charged with pretending to be the President on social media—that was a performance of signature significance. No competent White House spokesperson delivers bad lying like that, even once. Climate change? Collective bargaining?
I thought President Trump made the worst appointments and hires of any President in my lifetime, but at least he had the excuse that his available talent pool was small, once 90% of the competent, experienced Washington hands had been bullied and intimidated out of giving an elected President of the United States the assistance he desperately needed (and that the nation needed him to have). Trump’s first two press secretaries were inept, especially Sean Spicer, but not this inept.
Moreover, how can Biden get rid of a “historic” black, lesbian woman whose first line of defense has been to cry “Racist!”? No President has ever needed a dazzling spokesperson more than Biden right now, and yet he (or his puppet-masters) appointed someone with no relevant skills whatsoever. How could this happen?
It’s almost as if they really believe that race, gender and sexual orientation are the most important qualifications for demanding jobs.
Ethics Alarms 
“It’s almost as if they really believe that race, gender and sexual orientation are the most important qualifications for demanding jobs.”
They do. What’s more, they believe it’s all you need. Supposedly Congressman “Good TIme” Charlie Wilson said of his consistently hot secretaries “you can teach ’em to type, but you can’t teach ’em to grow tits.” At least he bothered trying to teach them the necessary skills for the job. This is someone who they have not taught the relevant skills and, I believe, probably won’t teach the relevant skills to. Instead, they will rely on her melanin level and who she likes to kiss to insulate her from criticism, no matter how bad a job she does. She could talk like a stroke victim and the mainstream media would close ranks around her. Why even try to be competent when you can just use color and gender to deflect criticism?
I’ll give Jean-Pierre this much (which I determined back when she was pinch-hitting for Psaki a few times): she has an affability to her that Psaki could only dream about. Where Psaki was prickly and brought to mind the Ice Queen, Jean-Pierre has a warmth to her. She’s also considerably more telegenic.
These observations are, of course, all about projected persona, and have nothing to do with values, intelligence or competence. It’s clear that Jean-Pierre is just another social justice warrior who managed to land a plum gig. But if one adds up the difference in charm and the progressive boxes checked off vs. her predecessor, I suspect that Jean-Pierre will prove to be a far more dangerous to the republic.
Excellent point, AIM. I agree: her vibe is positive. I sensed that she was getting the substitute teacher treatment before, when she stood in for Psaki, or maybe she was just lucky and no tough questions were in the offing those days. Being appealing is a big plus (it avoids the Ron Ziegler trap) but still: if she can’t spin better than she did yesterday, the only one she’ll endanger is Biden.
I have no specific memory of a Dana Perino press conference, but I would be willing to bet that running a few vids of hers, in comparison, would not be advantageous for the dems.
Dana was good. Not Tony Snow good, but very good.
Agreed. Snow was interesting, because although he was flakking for a Republican president, even the progs in the press corps respected him first and foremost as a journalist. He got light treatment accordingly. But Perrino was damned good. And as far as I’m concerned, Ari Fleischer still sits atop my list as best at the job in the last 20 or 30 years..
I forgot about Ari. I was on a panel with him once!
I also thought Mike McCurry did a remarkable job under difficult circumstances.
Meritocracy? What meritocracy?
To be fair to Karine, it’s her first week, and we’ve seen people grow into the position before, but at the level of White House press secretary, you’d assume you’d get a seasoned and competent operative out of the gate.
The worst part about this, in my opinion, is that there’s probably a black lesbian out there that could do the job well. The fact that she lies isn’t really relevant, or even bad, that’s the job, and lamenting that the position of paid liar is filled by a paid liar kind of misses the forest for the trees. We’re getting close to the same point with a Democrats choosing to tick as many DIE boxes (bonus points for “historic”) with new hires… That’s just what they do. But while this is, in essence, affirmative action in employment and while that’s almost designed never to get the *best* candidates, you’d figure that while you might not get the *best* candidate, you’d at least get a competent one. Donna Brazile can lie like a rug, she eats carpet, and she’s out of work! Unless she’s still saying she’s the Governor of Georgia in exile (Like I said: AMAZING liar.)
I’ve often noticed that when people get used to being able to lie with impunity, they become terrible at crafting believable lies. You see this with the Chinese government, when they tell you dozens of “terrorists” attacked a police station and were shot dead, every last one of them, none of them wounded, none of them captured unharmed. You see it when CNN reporters stand in front of a burning building and describe the scene as a peaceful protest. They know they don’t have to make an effort, so they don’t.
I give the woman credit for not succumbing to her default and calling Doocy a racist because you know darn well that word was on the tip of her tongue the entire press conference and only required the right trigger to escape the clutches of her restraint.
Restraint may be something she can build on as she grows into the job.
Biden’s new Justice also has refused to condemn the Supreme Court leak and the protests outside of Justice’s homes. Pretty much anyone that Biden appoints always seems to hold extreme positions.
“Q: What was your response when you when you saw the draft leak [of a Supreme Court opinion that would strike down Roe v. Wade]?
A: Everybody who is familiar with the court and the way in which it works was shocked by that. Such a departure from normal order.
Q: Do you think it was a good thing or a bad thing?
A: I can’t answer that.”
She can’t answer if leaking an opinion is a bad or good thing, and she can’t answer what a woman is.
“Q: What do you think about peaceful protests outside of Supreme Court justices’ homes?
A: I don’t have any comment.”
She also has “no comment” on the protests outside Justice’s homes. Maybe I’m missing something, but I feel like she should’ve taken a stronger stance. This doesn’t seem to bode well for what type of Justice she will be.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/05/16/ketanji-brown-jackson-interview/
It is possible that both issues might end up before very court she now sits on in one form or another. If someone were arrested for peacefully protesting outside a justices house, and appeals it all the way up to to the Supreme Court, she then boxed herself in. Same if any prosecution related to the leak, or another high profile leak, gets appealed to the court. She has a mark on her back, and every public statement will be parsed to high heaven. Declining to comment on hot button issues shouldn’t be seen too harshly when public trust in the court is actively damaged by the leak and open political threats.
That could possibly be a defense to commenting on the protests, but there is no defense for not condemning the leak. Justice Roberts condemned the leak.
It’s difficult to find any way to justify the linkage of inflation and corporate tax rate in the way that tweet does. (Insert lefty mode here) Indeed, to the extent that much of inflation is the result of corporate price gouging (oil companies posting record profits while the price at the pump soars, for example), the opposite is likely to be true. Take some of that money out of their metaphorical pockets, and they’ll seek to make it up by… raising prices.
Oops. So it’s little wonder that Jean-Pierre struggled to come up with a good response.
(Back to quotidian cynicism) Still, I wish to apply for the job, despite the fact that I meet none of the presumed requirements for the position—I’m not affable, I’m not in the same area code as telegenic, and the closest I come to being an oppressed minority is that I’m left-handed. Insert Paul Simon lyric about being “communist ‘cuz I’m left-handed” here. (I also tend to be honest, which of course is a deal-breaker.)
Still, I have spent nearly half a century on college and university campuses, where the fine art of… erm… bovine feces is practiced on a regular basis at all levels. So I do have experience, mostly as recipient, but occasionally as perpetrator. I was the press agent for a summer stock company, too, mumblemumble years ago.
Here’s my audition piece:
“Well, we’re talking about a tweet, here, so there’s not a lot of room to tease out nuance. It’s clear that one of the most important issues we face in economic terms is inflation. Another, somewhat linked idea, is that big corporations are focused on making the most profit they can, even when that impulse is at odds with the well-being of the country as a whole. This is understandable, of course, but we in government need to keep the focus on everyday people and their needs. They expect us to look out for them, and that’s what we intend to do.
“Obviously, addressing these two issues is part of a larger strategy this administration has adopted to restore the economy to the robust status it occupied a few years ago. The unemployment rate has been cut almost in half since President Biden took office, and we are now in position to concentrate on other issues.
“The staffer who posted that tweet, which of course needs to be very brief, seems to have conflated two concepts related to corporate responsibility, tax avoidance and market manipulation, resulting in the confusion you mention, Mr. Doocy. We are doing everything in our power to bring both inflation and these issues under control, and we shall continue to do so in the months and years ahead.”
How was that? I’m particularly proud of avoiding any mention of COVID as a contributing factor to economic woes. Was there sufficient bobbing and weaving, or did I accidentally actually say something?
You… basically admitted that the tweet was wrong, but successfully made it seem like no big deal. Which, to be fair, it shouldn’t be a big deal if tweets are a little off. I mean, there’s zero chance the media let any stupid trump tweets go, but it is about the right response I think.
Admitting to minor issues is a great approach that neither of our last two presidential administrations seems to have grasped, so you wouldn’t be hired with that response though.
I think that was the only sort-of respectable escape the White House had, but I also would hold any statement that purports to come from POTUS to a higher standard. By definition, if POTUS says or writes it publicly, it’s a big deal. One of the many MANY reasons I detested Trump’s tweets is that they devalued the office’s seriousness and significance. (I felt the same way, though less strongly, about Barack Obama making a big deal out of the Final Four brackets.)
I am indeed a broken record, but the issue is trust. Biden’s tweet is economic nonsense. How can anyone trust a leader who is a large part of determining national economic policy who thinks raising taxes on corporations will fix inflation? That makes the tweet a big deal…not as big a deal as, say, “I’m beginning to think we should bomb the hell out of Moscow!’ but big nonetheless.
Trump made an obvious twitter typo cum mis-fire when he tweeted “Despite the constant negative press covfefe” Yet even though what had happened was obvious, the news media, Democrats and Trump-haters were still mocking it a full year later…and that tweet had no significance at all. Biden’s tweet is far more idiotic and disturbing, because it purports to lay out policy. And yet the best spin on it the Left can manage is “no big deal.”
Your audition was excellent, Curmie. And you demonstrate exactly the skills that any POTUS should seek in that role. What is needed is a facility with critical thinking and language, basic knowledge, and the ability to improvise. A partisan isn’t required. I don’t know why a journalist or political hack is always chosen, frankly, since journalists aren’t all that bright in general, and political hacks/ideologues are so biased (or cynical) that they can’t be trusted. (Karine is in the latter category). I’d want a good trial lawyer.
“…corporate price gouging…”
Is it price gouging when a producer, absent colluding with others to set prices or limit availability, accepts the open market offers for its product, just as it normally would? Considering the limits on supply (or anticipated supply) are partly (greatly, in the US?) the result of the policies of Biden or his puppeteers, it seems another bit of hypocritical blame-shifting. Even the “solution” is disingenuous; will the corporations, their employees, and their shareholders not pay taxes on any extra income?
I wonder how many have had to make do while running up extra debt on their high interest credit cards recently? Haven’t yet seen SloJo’s proposal for extra taxes on his long-time masters in Delaware.
My only quibble with your audition piece is the reference to “staffer who posted the tweet”. This told the world that the tweets from the White House are not the work of POTUS but of some unnamed staffer who just demonstrated a poor understanding of both inflation and tax policy. Otherwise,very good; you missed your calling.
If corporations are gouging why has my Fidelity stock account dropped 15% in value since January?
That is an awesome response.
jvb
Maybe the Democrats live in oppositeworld. Recent policies that have been explained.
Let’s raise taxes on companies to cause them to increase prices. We are doing this to fix inflation.
also
We need to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer available so farmers will use more environmentally friendly alternatives like manure. We also will be reducing the amount of livestock raised in the US.
The Democratic Party has stated that the US is evil and they hate it for decades. You can claim all this is incompetence, but if they really wanted to destroy this country, what would they be doing different?
I agree. Her answer was simply standard issue Authentic Frontier Gibberish of the lefty variety. This is like politicians spouting talking points in a completely non-responsive answer to a question. The lefty response to this woman’s answer would be, “She’s right! Billionaires need to pay their fair share. I mean, Bernie has been saying that ever since he came back from his honeymoon in the Soviet Union! Think of the guy from Omaha and his secretary! If that’s not fixed, nothing will ever be right. And if we don’t cut back on fossil fuels, we’ll all be dead!”
My point is, she’ll never be called incompetent as long as she’s spouting lefty platitudes. Criticizing her for spouting cant is no way to go through life. She’s preaching to the choir and doing a damn fine job of it.
I don’t think this was entirely ad-libbed. She keeps referring to her papers, and at some points is reading verbatim from them (she even stumbles, substituting a similar-looking, but not similar-meaning, word for the one she means, a couple times – the sort of mistake you only make when reading aloud, not when speaking extemporaneously). She had notes for this! They anticipated the question would come up, and this is the best they could do. That’s so much worse than a rookie fucking up while they’re learning the ropes. Curmie just came up with a better deflection off the top of his head in a blog comment than these “communications professionals” could come up with in three days of preparation. No offense, Curmie, but that’s pretty pathetic.
That’s it. I’m calling it. There must be a group of deep-cover Ultra-MAGAs working inside this administration to sabotage every effort they make. There’s no other explanation. You cannot be this incompetent at everything. Just mathematically, you’d get something right at least once a year. I have no medical training whatsoever, but if you put me to work in a hospital, at least one of my patients would survive at some point, just from random chance. These idiots are even killing the patients with ingrown toenails and skinned knees. Mere incompetence cannot explain how bad these people are at their jobs.
You cannot be this incompetent at everything.
Jeff. The people running the Biden administration are not doing these things by accident. They are true believers. And they’re convinced they can spout lefty cant and their co-conspirators in the media will not raise an objection. They have the run of the place. They are intent on revolutionizing the country. Who needs competence? This is deflection as propaganda. It’s intentional.
It must be intentional, the logic of it is deeply flawed. Maybe the plan is to wreck everything and lay the blame on senile old Biden and comically inept Harris. Once the country is damaged beyond repair, the progressives can come in and offer “solutions”? That seems like a long shot and a big gamble. Ask the leaders of Sri Lanka today how the public feels about incompetent government destroying people’s lives.
I think that’s probably what these people think they’re going to do, but good lord, they’re at least two orders of magnitude too stupid to pull that off. They really think they can destroy the economic stability of the country and just blame it on Republicans because “racism” or something, and somehow they’ll be the heroes when they fix the damage that they caused themselves. That’s delusional, and not just because they’re incapable of fixing the problems they’ve created.
Sweet mercy, we’re in a bad place when the best hope for avoiding a total collapse of the country is the steaming hot garbage pile called the Republican Party…
Guys, we might be fucked.
I think I laughed all the way through that. Simultaneously hilarious and tragic.
It is unethical for the government to lie to the people so why would you want the press secretary to be good at lying? Surely, having a press secretary that is bad at lying would make it easier for even the dimmest of people know that the government is lying.