Karine Jean-Pierre’s disastrous book tour only underscores the long-running pointlessness of her former job.
Karine Jean-Pierre’s disastrous book tour only underscores the long-running pointlessness of her former job.
C ontrary to what former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre believes, her being a queer black woman is not her defining feature.
Her inability to speak in coherent sentences is.
On its own, it’s embarrassing that a woman who is paid to articulate ideas is evidently unable to articulate even her own, as Jean-Pierre’s train wreck of a book tour reminded everyone last week. As a meta-story, her elevation all the way to the Brady Room is deeply embarrassing for all involved, not least the members of the White House press corps, who were forced to pretend for more than two years that an obvious midwit was a serious person.
There’s a lot to be said about the Democratic Party and its fetish for candidates whose sole qualifications are their immutable qualities or sexual preferences, but the larger takeaway is the service Jean-Pierre unexpectedly performed in her capacity as Joe Biden’s hapless mouthpiece. She has proven once and for all — so that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind — that the daily White House press briefing is a worthless relic of a bygone era, and that it serves no serious journalistic purpose.
It’s long past time: The daily White House briefing should be eliminated. Jean-Pierre has only made this imperative obvious for all to see.
Long, long ago, the briefings produced actual, valuable information for the American public. Now, it’s mainly an opportunity for posturing reporters and unscrupulous spin doctors to show off for their respective bosses.
The reporters make a lot of noise, and many clearly enjoy being on camera. It’s a place where poetry can be cited as policy, or where questions such as “Does this administration believe [slavery] was wrong?” and “Does President Trump believe that it was a good thing that the South lost the Civil War?” are asked with a straight face, as if the interviewer expects something that will educate and inform viewers.
What’s the payoff? Perhaps a seconds-long sound bite that goes semi-viral for a day or two, only to be forgotten. But, hey — that semi-viral clip may lead to a book deal or a better-paying journalism gig! Think big picture!
Would the time and effort reporters spend sitting still and being lied to for 45-plus minutes be better spent working the phones and their sources? Yes, obviously. This is because the press secretary does not exist to illuminate, but to obscure.
Rare is the White House press secretary who offers genuinely helpful information. Why would they, when their aim is not to make news? Their goal is to say whatever is necessary to defend the boss, not admit or concede uncomfortable facts.
The daily briefing, therefore, is a place where federal mouthpieces will, with a straight face, defend such blatant lies as “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it.” It’s a place where they’ll legitimize partisan smear jobs such as the Russian collusion hoax. It’s a place where they’ll invent stories about anonymous FBI agents, only to recant later under questioning by a special counsel. It’s also a place where, as in the case of another Biden press secretary, they’ll assert confidently that the U.S. hadn’t abandoned allies in Afghanistan when it had done exactly that.
Thus, we have the daily ritual of journalists squeezing into the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to take their assigned seats, where they wait patiently until the designated spokesperson eventually emerges with a stack of talking points, then ignores, spins, or refers to another department their questions. The reporters, in some cases, will dramatize their questions in front of the cameras, then go on the shows later to recount the outrageous response or their mistreatment. Then they all meet up again at the same place to do it all over again.
It’s an entirely futile exercise in not making news, and it’s been this way for a long time, under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Brady Room briefings serve a purpose, of course, just not in the way they’re structured and scheduled today. They should be held only for national events, such as health crises and terrorist attacks, and the relevant authorities should lead the briefings. The White House press secretary should be on hand to provide context and corrections, and field the odd request for comment, rather than spend his or her time deflecting questions and sparring with reporters who themselves are engaged in daily performance.
What we have now, which is just reality TV for political junkies, is not in the public interest.
I’ve been banging on this drum for at least ten years, which is why, now, I extend a heartful thanks to Karine Jean-Pierre. There is nothing I can say that is as damning and convincing as the fact that she served as head of this obscene ritual for two years and eight months.
It’s unclear if she understands what she did and whether she could explain it back if asked. Nevertheless, the fact remains: Any institution that would have Jean-Pierre at its head is not an institution worth preserving.