First, half of America – by voting record – is slammed as “enemies of the people,” a Soviet phrase. Then, Biden authorizes a political FBI raid on Trump for mishandling documents – which Biden did in spades. Now, Republicans are demonized for oversight and concern about the national debt. Shameless demagoguery is hard to hear, but what else would you call it?
Last week, the White House Press Secretary – hard to listen to – did it again. Like Biden, Harris, and half the team, she just stood up and lied, attacked the integrity of questioners, and left.
At a time when the nation faces an unprecedented constellation of threats, from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran to inflation, overregulation, and public safety – from a tortured and fake remake of the nation’s history and culture to failed military recruiting – we get more lies.
The pebble that tipped the balance – for this observer – was a press conference conducted by the woke spokeswoman in fuchsia, Ms. Karine Jean-Pierre, invariably displaying a Harris-like unapologetic arrogance, stunning ignorance, adolescent prickliness, and personal pique.
No sooner had Biden’s domestic policy advisor Ms. Rice resigned and Biden issued a two-dimensional video announcing his intent to become the nation’s oldest, most muffled, shuffling chief executive for a second full term, then Ms. Jean-Pierre appeared at the podium.
Like one of Edgar Bergen’s famous handheld puppets, or a well-coiffed character from some B-comedy, she proceeded to dismiss all meaningful questions, disparage and avoid eye contact with serious reporters, demean them with “perfectly clear” nothingness, playing poorly a role it takes not much talent to play well.
But the kicker was the way she decided to slide into la-la land on national television. She first asserted the nation’s $31 trillion dollar debt is not the president’s problem, then lectured the Republican House to do their “constitutional duty” and raise the “debt limit” – which is meant to hold the national debt down.
To this she added other la-la chapters. She asserted any discussion of reducing the nation’s debt, which has rocketed trillions since Biden took office, has nothing to do with the debt ceiling – so the president will not discuss them together.
In for a dime, in for a dollar, she asserted any discussion of containing federal spending – with accelerating interest – is off the table. Moreover, if the debt ceiling is not raised without conditions, she said – with characteristic subtly – the “Republicans will crash the economy.”
As if competing with Hollywood for top fiction honors, the White House that opened borders, pushed child trafficking, made drug cartels rich, fails to hold China or Mexico accountable, and has allowed 100,000 kids to die of overdoses – plus defunded police – blamed this on the GOP.
In what media called “bizzarro” assertions, she said: “It’s clear that the Speaker’s bill breaks House Republicans’ commitment to America,” since “in the run-up to the 2022 election, House Republicans promised to put cops on the beat,” yet now “they’re fighting to put fentanyl on the street by defunding Border Patrol.” Really?
To this, she added with breathless enthusiasm, the “only things House Republicans are committed to giving to Americans are increased crime, lower economic growth and more manufacturing jobs sent back to China.” Indeed.
While social media users mocked the childish “gaslighting,” one has to remember this is a White House spokesperson, someone speaking for the President of the United States – to the world.
Lying with agility, even practiced fluidity, she said the Republican House Speaker’s “position is that, unless the president and the Senate agree to that job-killing, cost-increasing, anti-farm, anti-health care, anti-education agenda, they’re going to default and crash the economy.”
This kind of mindless blather is mind numbing. It insults reporters and average Americans as much as the GOP, and is probably why White House security collects not just cell phones, but tomatoes and eggs before entry into the press room.
Worst part of these bundled, compound sentences packed with lies is when the other shoe falls, and a priceless pretense is made to reason, as if listeners were idiots. This is called demagoguery.
What did the president’s esteemed spokeswoman next have to say? Well, she put us right. “That’s not just unreasonable, but it’s also incredibly dangerous …Instead of playing these games, they should avoid default.” Hmmm, right.
Truth is this White House is so out of touch with America that polls show most Americans think the nation is wildly off track, do not believe Biden anymore, and public trust is in freefall.
Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, or just another fiercely independent contrarian – this display was a disgrace, unworthy of the White House podium, another example of Biden’s commodium, a rolling comedy of errors, folly on a global scale.
Does any of this make America feel comfortable? No. Does it inspire confidence that America’s borders, health, growth, debt, inflation, energy, or security are well managed, justify another term? Well, you tell me.
This is the stuff nightmares are made of, to paraphrase an old white guy. This kind of nonsense from the Biden team makes average people shiver, wonder, worry, and looks disconnected.
But … that is what shameless demagoguery always look like – it is rude, crude, and accusatory, empty, disheartening, and fundamentally untrue. Then, again, what is new?
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman2 for AMAC.
