Meet The New Press Secretary!

Posted on by under Biden's Staff Picks, Free Press Issues, History, Political commentary, Social commentary

I will miss Jen Psaki.  After the 4 years of the previous administration with such reprobates as the bumbling Sean Spicer, the nasty Sarah Huckabee Sanders, silent Stephanie Grisham, and the grand bimbo Kayleigh McEnany, Ms. Psaki has been as a breath of fresh air.  I shall miss her compassion and her intelligence, as well as her uncanny ability to put an antagonist in his place without missing a beat.  Would that we could make her position a lifelong appointment …

But Ms. Psaki said early in her tenure that she would not stay for the entire 4-year term of the Biden presidency, and in fact she expected to stay only a year or so, but a series of crises – the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the continuation of the pandemic, among other issues – convinced her to stay longer.  However, she has other fish to fry, and we owe her a debt of gratitude for bringing intelligence, humour and dignity back into the White House pressroom.

And now, it’s time to move on.  But my sadness over Psaki’s leaving is offset by my joy at her chosen replacement!  Allow me to introduce Ms. Karine Jean-Pierre.  Jean-Pierre has been White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary since 2021 and served as the chief of staff for vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on the 2020 United States presidential campaign.  Prior to that, she was the senior advisor and national spokeswoman for MoveOn.org and a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. She is also a former lecturer in international and public affairs at Columbia University.

Ms. Jean-Pierre’s educational background makes her a fine fit for the office of press secretary:  She is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology. She received her MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University in 2003, where she served in student government and decided to pursue politics.

She brings a combination of education and experience that far exceeds any of the four from the previous administration.  Oh yes, and she adds something else to the Biden administration:  diversity.  You see, Ms. Jean-Pierre is the first Black woman and the first openly gay person to serve in this position.  Now, I’m thrilled about the diversity, happy to see that President Biden is keeping his promise to diversify the executive branch, but I don’t want that to be the sole focus, for Ms. Jean-Pierre is more than that.  It would be unfair to assume that she only got the job because of her skin colour or gender identification.  She is a well-qualified woman who will do an excellent job … and she has a big pair of shoes to fill!

In making the announcement, President Biden said …

“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people. Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration.

Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room. I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so. I thank Jen for her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.”

Ms. Jean-Pierre and her partner, CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, are the parents of one daughter.  As she said of her work in the Obama White House …

“What’s been wonderful is that I was not the only; I was one of many. President Obama didn’t hire LGBT staffers, he hired experienced individuals who happen to be LGBT. Serving and working for President Obama where you can be openly gay has been an amazing honor. It felt incredible to be a part of an administration that prioritizes LGBT issues.”

Welcome aboard, Ms. Jean-Pierre … we look forward to seeing you in action!  And Ms. Psaki – you will be missed, and yours will be a long-lived legacy, for you restored so much to the position.  Thank you for all that you did.

Jen Psaki (right) getting ready to hand over the reins to Karina Jean-Pierre

49 thoughts on “Meet The New Press Secretary!”

      • Dubious humour aside (sorry ’bout that)
        I was suggesting a while back to Jeff that where registered Democrats know their party has little chance, they cast their vote for a moderate Republican and thus sew division, which is, I think we agree, has to be good.
        Of course, it’s a tricky business deciding who is moderate and who is playing a moderate card.
        But then the business is always messy.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Y’know … that’s not a bad idea, but the trouble is that when we get to the polls in November, there are only one democrat and one republican on the ballot, for the primaries weed out the rest of the bunch. And we can only vote in the primary for the party to which we are registered. In my case, I obviously can’t participate in any of the primaries, for I am an Independent, but even if I were a registered Democrat, I couldn’t participate in the Republican primary.

          It can be tricky business identifying who is moderate, but of late the radicals stand out like sore thumbs. Unfortunately, in the Ohio Republican primary here earlier this week, there were two radicals and one moderate. One of the radicals, J.D. Vance, was polling very low until … about two weeks before the primary when Trump endorsed him, and then he went on to win the primary, albeit only with about 30% of the vote. It is ludicrous that Trump still has that much power even after being out of office for more than a year! Sigh.

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          • I suppose the strategy is dependant on which state you are in, it is a tricky one and as you can see in some location folk will vote along strictly tribal lines, in your case solely on a trigger word ‘Trump’.
            The 30% of the vote is something I find rather prescient, it’s part of the theme of my next post.

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            • Yeah, it was part of the theme of my next post, too … how the minority is ruling over the majority. Sigh. I strongly believe this is NOT what Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and the rest had in mind.

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                    • Y’know, Roger, something occurred to me last night as I lay awake smoking, reading, playing Sudoku. Technology seems to have further eroded democracy in one sense. It has made it far too easy to get a message — even a false message — out to millions of people for only pennies. It has also made us far too reliant on something that we could lose in the snap of fingers. We no longer appreciate things such as food, for we no longer have to toil under a hot sun to grow it, but merely walk into an air-conditioned store and buy it. Most of us have everything we need and most of what we want, yet we always keep wanting more … because we are convinced by the marketers that our life will be happier with “NewProductXYZ”. So … rather than care about noble principles, care about those less fortunate, care about humanitarian rights, far too many will lick the boots of whatever politician promises them … more … more of anything, it matters not what. Or maybe I’m way off base and just in a mood.

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                    • I hear you talking!
                      I guess Jill all of our advancements are double edged. Looking at Technology at one level we have the ability for millions of folk to voice their ordinary thoughts and carry out creative projects; and the other end we have The Hate Mongers and Liars; then we have the Official Sites. You could go back and say, it’s not changed just made for ‘efficient’.
                      Of course me being on The Left, you have a supporter straight away, regarding the consumer tact and the spin-off ‘The Influencer’- talk about a First World job.
                      One new problem involving the Communications and Information services is the urge amongst a number of the younger folk to ensure they are up to date with trends, gossip, etc.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • You’re so right … it seems that anything and everything that has ever been invented by humans can be used for either good or evil.

                      People seem, as a whole, to not recognize facts as opposed to fiction, to not understand when they are being conned. Education … teach people to THINK … and teach them history so they do not go forth and repeat the same mistakes!

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • Recently a BBC radio documentary ‘Death By Conspiracy’ charted the tragic end by Covid of a fellow who thought it all a conspiracy, he was well known and liked in his town; his failing he did not believe scientists.
                      There’s your problem Jill, these folk who want to appear to be smarter than the rest or get kicks from living the fantasy.
                      They read their ‘dime a dozen’ thrill / sf / yadda-yadda books and can’t separate worn out plots from fact.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • I know it’s not nice of me, but when I read about someone who claimed Covid was a hoax and refused masks & vaccines, then catching Covid, I just roll my eyes and say, “You asked for it, you got it, Bud”. Indeed, some folk seem to want to live in a world that exists only in their own minds and cheap dimestore novels.

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                    • In the 1928 presidential election Al Smith, a catholic, ran as democratic candidate. The anti-catholic bigotry was rampant…Apparently according to some if he was elected there would be a literal tunnel dug between the Whitehouse and the Vatican.
                      Some folk just do not deserve democracy.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • Yep, the same was true when Kennedy ran … I heard that same thing about a tunnel to the Vatican and such. And yet, they will elect a ‘man’ with zero qualifications who openly admits to being an abuser of women and much more. 🙄 No, some folk do NOT deserve democracy … some folk deserve to live in a leper colony!

                      Liked by 1 person

  3. While I am thrilled to see this diversity in the replacement of Jan, I worry that certain idiotic, biased, racially and sexually prejudiced reporters will manage to throw in their nasty barbs now and again. However, having said that, I do have a strong hunch Ms. Jean-Pierre will handily put them in their place! In any event, I wish Jan Psaki continued success in her chosen path.

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    • Oh, there’s not a doubt in my mind that there will be those from Fox ‘News’ and the like who will work hard at harassing Ms. Jean-Pierre, but I strongly suspect she’s used to it and likely well prepared.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Thank you for sharing!!.. Ms. Jean-Pierre is a intelligent individual and will do well at the White House.. she represents change that is taking place in a dignified manner and I am sure there will be those (especially with the Republican ideology) with their own agenda (who are trying to hang on to the past) who will try to belittle Ms. Jean-Pierre as a professional and as a person.. and for those who will attempt to ridicule Ms. Jean-Pierre, I give them some words of advice from Mark Twain; “Sometimes it’s better to keep one’s mouth shut and appear stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt” (Mark Twain)… 🙂

    Until we meet again..
    May the road rise to meet you
    May the wind be always at your back
    May the sun shine warm upon your face
    The rains fall soft upon your fields
    May green be the grass you walk on
    May blue be the skies above you
    May pure be the joys that surround you
    May true be the hearts that love you.
    (Irish Saying)

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    • Yes, I’m sure she will get more than her share of heckling and harassment, but I suspect she’s well able to handle herself, just as Jen Psaki has been. It says far more about the antagonist than it does about the target of their behaviour. I’ve always loved that quote by Mark Twain and have used it a few times! Thank you, Dutch, for the Irish Saying … they always warm my heart.

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  8. As you say, Jen PSAKI leaves a huge pair of shoes to be filled, not least her ability to put the stupid and malicious in their place. I hope this new young lady is able to continue that legacy.

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    • I think Ms. Jean-Pierre will be a good fit … I just hope she has a thick enough skin to stand the dodos from Fox ‘News’ and the like, whose sole goal seems to be to heckle and harass.
      Cwtch

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      • And hopefully their own cultists will be listening, because the more they open their mouths, the more unbelievable the drivel that comes out. Even MAGAts have to have their limits, (I hope)!

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        • I think the magats have tuned their consciences out, maybe even sold them, and there seem to be few, if any, limits. Even sex trafficking of underage girls (Matt Gaetz) doesn’t seem to much concern them, or a former president [sic] bragging in a public forum about sexually abusing young women.

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