There once was a time when leftists viewed Biden White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as a “trailblazing” figure who possessed the unique “talent” necessary to field softball questions from sycophantic “reporters.” But now that she’s (supposedly) trading in her Democrat Party badge, some of these figures are suddenly willing to acknowledge that Ms. Incompetence was bad at her job.
The sudden about-face comes as the result of Jean-Pierre announcing earlier this week that she is switching party affiliations to become an independent, saying in a statement that she is “determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes.”
The move, which Politico dubbed an “attention-grabbing ploy,” coincidentally comes as part of the launch for the former press secretary’s new book. It’s also happening at the same time two notable media hacks are hawking their “tell-all” book about the Joe Biden cover-up — of which they and Jean-Pierre were participants.
Yet for all the attention she clearly sought to gain from this little stunt, Jean-Pierre is facing a wave of backlash from Democrats, who suddenly decided it was OK to criticize the former press secretary after downplaying her incompetence for years. Former White House colleagues and congressional Democrats have since come out of the woodworks (anonymously, of course) to tell their media allies about how feckless Jean-Pierre was at her job — a reality many Americans recognized years ago.
One House Democrat reportedly told left-wing rag Axios that Jean-Pierre’s “explanation for this move is as confusing and disjointed as her answers in her White House press briefings.” Another purportedly echoed similar sentiments while taking a jab at former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, saying, “Other than Sean Spicer … she was the worst press secretary in American history.”
Former colleagues have also chastised Biden’s chief spokeswoman.
According to Politico, one Biden administration staffer said of Jean-Pierre’s book launch, “Everyone thinks this is a grift.” “She didn’t know how to manage a team, didn’t know how to shape or deliver a message, and often created more problems than she solved,” a former White House official reportedly told Axios.
Those sentiments are quite the reversal from the position the party had when Jean-Pierre was standing at the White House podium for more than two years on behalf of America’s befuddled 46th president. Anyone who so much as suggested that she wasn’t up to the task was attacked and often met with phony accusations of “racism” and “homophobia.” (Jean-Pierre is the nation’s first black female and openly LGBT press secretary.)
While left-wing hypocrisy isn’t a new concept, Democrats’ sudden flip-flop on Jean-Pierre’s competence demonstrates how the party weaponizes identity politics to silence its critics.
Before, Jean-Pierre was viewed as a member of the cool kids’ club, and therefore, publicly acknowledging her ineffectual job performance was considered off limits. While clearly recognizing her stupidity behind the scenes, the party did what it normally does to obfuscate their political ally’s incompetence: use Jean-Pierre’s personal characteristics (in this case, her race and sexual orientation) to silence those who dare to point it out.
Now that she’s switched teams (no pun intended), Jean-Pierre is no longer considered useful to the party, and the truth about her failings as press secretary can be told for the world to hear.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood