An observation: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has not held an on-the-record press briefing since August 9 . . . and nobody in the White House press corps or general public seems to be all that bothered by that. (Apparently democracy dies in darkness, unless it’s August vacation season.) The lack of complaints probably says something about the news value of these briefings, where Jean-Pierre contends the U.S. economy is stronger than ever, that the U.S. Supreme Court took an “unconstitutional action” by overturning Roe v. Wade, and that she has a hard time keeping up with Biden’s boundless energy level and stamina.
Jean-Pierre’s briefings are not all that useful for getting new information out of the White House, beyond basic information like updates to the president’s schedule, etc. They are somewhat useful for getting the administration’s off-the-cuff response and spin to the occasional challenging question, a response that is usually unpersuasive and often factually challenged.
The lack of briefings aligns with President Biden’s light schedule this month; if indeed Biden’s approval rating is inching up a bit, maybe it has something to do with the fact that a Covid infection and prescheduled vacations have meant Americans haven’t seen much of Biden lately. Apparently absence does make the heart grow fonder!
Speaking of people we haven’t heard from in a while… hey, Chief Justice John Roberts, how’s the hunt for the Supreme Court leaker going?