Despite his protestations to the contrary, Joe Biden is doing his level best to provide America with a third Obama term. He’s not only peppered his cabinet with Obama-era rejects but has even hired Obama press adviser Jen Psaki as his press secretary.
She’s been at the job only two weeks, but she has already reverted to her previous role of White House smirker. Last week she was asked by a member of the press pool whether Biden had made a decision on the future of the Space Force. She answered the question with her patented smugness:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
She later attempted to walk back the snub, revealing that she hasn’t yet learned the lesson that there is no “later” when you’re the voice of the White House and treat some questions — and questioners — as if they’re beneath you.
An even more telling example of this occurred at yesterday’s press briefing when Fox News’s Peter Doocy had the temerity to ask this question:
When is it the Biden administration is gonna let the thousands of fossil fuel industry workers, whether it’s pipeline workers or construction workers who are either out of work or will soon be out of work because of the Biden E.O., when it is and there it is they can go for their green job? And that is something the administration has promised. There’s now a gap. So I’m just curious when that happens, when those people can count on that?”
It’s a fair question and an admittedly tough one since Biden has taken heat from Democrats as well as Republicans over the decision to kill work on the Keystone XL pipeline. Just yesterday, AFL-CIO Pres. Richard Trumka criticized Biden for taking this action on Day One of his presidency. But instead of addressing a legitimate concern shared by many Americans, Psaki put on her best smirk and shot back:
Well, I certainly welcome you to present your data of all of the thousands and thousands of people who won’t be getting a green job, maybe next time you’re here, you could present that.
The back and forth continued beyond this with Psaki talking in vague generalities about plans for “transformative investments in infrastructure … that will not only create millions of good union jobs but also help tackle the climate crisis.” This doesn’t of course address the immediate needs of the estimated 14,000 pipeline employees who have suddenly been terminated in the midst of a job-killing pandemic. But just as importantly, is this really who the administration wants as its media liaison?
