Today was White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s last day at the White House after 15 months. She set out to restore truth, transparency, and accountability of the administration to the press, and to that end she has held 224 press briefings—together, all of former president Trump’s press secretaries combined held only 205 in his four years in office. Psaki gave her first press conference on January 20, 2021, the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, telling the press, “I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy and for the role all of you play,” before answering questions.
Thanks for starting out with the departure of Jen Psaki. I will miss her in that role but look forward to watching Karine take over. I sure hope Beto prevails and Abbott is left literally, out in the cold. And Kemp…well, he has a very formidable opponent in Stacey Abrams. I pray she kicks his ass to the curb.
Thank you for your observations on Kemp; this highlights that what some call “Reasonable Republicans” (I dubbed them “Remorseful Republicans” — for having held their noses and embraced Trump when his poll numbers read well) are still enemies of fair elections, enemies of the welfare of the people (he’s against taxation for reasonable services a government should provide), and enemies of freedom (bodily autonomy among freedoms enshrined in the Preamble of our Constitution). They simply back a slightly different stank of fascism than Trump’s clownish Gröpenführer persona.
It is an indication of Joe Biden’s executive abilities that in the midst of inflation, the Ukraine invasion, a lingering pandemic, and the constant barrage of stink bombs thrown in his direction from the GOP, that he still looks to the future by reaching out to our Asian neighbors.
I am not ready, at this point, to label Joe Biden a great president, but I will call him a goddamn good one.
I took part in a conference in Copenhagen this past weekend, with a few dozen educators, psychologists, futurists, community activists, and governmental officials across Europe. Five of our colleagues from Finland were there, so I asked them about NATO accession. Of the five, four said they'd always been against it until now. One told me she considers herself mostly a pacifist, but also feels they have no choice now, given Russia's actions (and history). All five firmly backed Finland's direction to join.
I watched Jen Psaki's last press briefing. It made me feel proud that she held her ground and stayed above the fringe at these briefings for these many months. She was the face of the White House and did well considering she was face to face with those press members that felt their only intent was to derail her every day.
I wish her well on her next journey.
Someone needs to mess with Texas. This abomination of a State needs a shake down from top to bottom. Ann Richards would be very disappointed to see what it has become.
Tonight’s letter gave me more hope than some of the recent ones. Perhaps it was Jen Psaki’s remarks about the importance of the press. Thank you for finding positive stories among the weeds!
Remember, Brian Kemp oversaw his own election when he ran as Secretary of State for Governor of Georgia against Stacy Abrams. He was and is a crooked man.
In contrast to the trump reign of terror when I only watched the SNL versions of press conferences, I thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning these past 15 months. Jen Psaki is a real pro and the mutual respect in the press room was evident from day one. As much as Psaki will be missed, I look forward to tuning in to her successor, Karine Jean-Pierre.
A split GOP is the best outcome in this moment as elections approach. The more acrimonious the better.These battles are going to play out state by state. The war really is establishment Republicans vs Trumpers. The battle lines are becoming VERY clear. Primary elections are where a species will eat it's own kind to survive. I'm really curious to see who attends this Bradley awards in DC on Tuesday night and what gets said from the podium and the round table they do. And what gets said off the stage. Last year Bill Barr was the most senior person from the former administration in the room...but he had no formal speaking role...and yes our crew all commented that he does look like Fred Flintstone in a suit.
I think J Psaki did a good job. Who would want that job ? I like the comparison you showed between the number of Psakis press conferences compared to all of Trumps press conferences over 4 years. I wish Karine Pierre much success !
O' Rourke needs to keep educating Texans about the deregulation and mismanagement of their electric grid. That was terrible what happened to those people.
That would be amazing if Finland and Sweden join NATO !
Ms Psaki will cash in on her performance as White House Press Secretary as well as all the preparatory roles she filled over 20 years off and on in government. Perhaps MSNBC will allow her to travel the world, but probably not on Air Force One. She set a different standard for the position; remember tfg's first press secretary? The ankle biter for the President, purveyor of "alternate facts", contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" and now a talk show host for NewsMax...he didn't fly quite so high, unfortunately. Money is a great seduction; history would reward her far more for a full term in office, so to speak. On the other hand, there's no reason she can't move in and out of the mainstream media just as she has moved in and out of government positions. Biden will be lucky to find similar talent in her understudy. Maybe she can become the next Rachel Maddow...
The Dems seem to be lacking a compelling theme heading through the primaries and into the general election season. Inflation, Afganistan, the border kerfuffle, failure to enact the majority of the Build Back Better agenda in a 50:50 Senate; all topics needing plenty of spin. They could be making hay with the SCOTUS's bombshell disclosure, the growing rift between MAGA and the remainder of the Republican party, the Party of NO (no to all Biden initiatives, no party platform, no consensus leader, no popular majority in recent elections) as well as touting the jobs numbers, economic growth, US brokerage of NATO resurgence, support for Ukraine, progress in supply chain bottlenecks, etc. Where are the talking heads for this message within the Democratic Party? As inane as the Republican monologue may be, quietly going about the business of governing and ignoring it means that the inane monologue is roughly all the public will hear between now and November. Who will be the megaphone for the Dems? It isn't Biden; his schtick is more like the fireside chat than the big rally leader.
Texas is one of those places that makes no sense to a European. And in passing, since Heather is a historian, the fascistic leanings of its elites aren’t new: Texaco was one of General Franco’s financiers during the Spanish Civil War.
On a slightly different note - "U.S. ties to the region after the previous administration pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact in 2017" - which actually was one of the few things that T-rump did that was good - obviously unintentionally. The Trans-Pacific Partnership has some very nasty clauses - which bode badly for the environment. Particularly, that if a signatory government enables legislation (such as a carbon tax) that could impact the profitability of companies in other signatory states, then they can be hit with very severe penalties. Don't get in the way of profit..OK???
Thanks for starting out with the departure of Jen Psaki. I will miss her in that role but look forward to watching Karine take over. I sure hope Beto prevails and Abbott is left literally, out in the cold. And Kemp…well, he has a very formidable opponent in Stacey Abrams. I pray she kicks his ass to the curb.
"I will fix the grid.” – Beto O'Rourke
A short and sweet message that should be on billboards throughout the State of Texas!
Thank you for your observations on Kemp; this highlights that what some call “Reasonable Republicans” (I dubbed them “Remorseful Republicans” — for having held their noses and embraced Trump when his poll numbers read well) are still enemies of fair elections, enemies of the welfare of the people (he’s against taxation for reasonable services a government should provide), and enemies of freedom (bodily autonomy among freedoms enshrined in the Preamble of our Constitution). They simply back a slightly different stank of fascism than Trump’s clownish Gröpenführer persona.
It is an indication of Joe Biden’s executive abilities that in the midst of inflation, the Ukraine invasion, a lingering pandemic, and the constant barrage of stink bombs thrown in his direction from the GOP, that he still looks to the future by reaching out to our Asian neighbors.
I am not ready, at this point, to label Joe Biden a great president, but I will call him a goddamn good one.
I took part in a conference in Copenhagen this past weekend, with a few dozen educators, psychologists, futurists, community activists, and governmental officials across Europe. Five of our colleagues from Finland were there, so I asked them about NATO accession. Of the five, four said they'd always been against it until now. One told me she considers herself mostly a pacifist, but also feels they have no choice now, given Russia's actions (and history). All five firmly backed Finland's direction to join.
Thank you Heather.
I watched Jen Psaki's last press briefing. It made me feel proud that she held her ground and stayed above the fringe at these briefings for these many months. She was the face of the White House and did well considering she was face to face with those press members that felt their only intent was to derail her every day.
I wish her well on her next journey.
Someone needs to mess with Texas. This abomination of a State needs a shake down from top to bottom. Ann Richards would be very disappointed to see what it has become.
Be safe. Be well.
I'd love to send Rand Paul's next door neighbor a baseball bat. (The one who punched him last year)
Tonight’s letter gave me more hope than some of the recent ones. Perhaps it was Jen Psaki’s remarks about the importance of the press. Thank you for finding positive stories among the weeds!
Remember, Brian Kemp oversaw his own election when he ran as Secretary of State for Governor of Georgia against Stacy Abrams. He was and is a crooked man.
ТЯцм₽ is doing more in Georgia than just backing political candidates. His party has election officials in line to skew the elections. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/13/trump-big-lie-georgia-election-officials
In contrast to the trump reign of terror when I only watched the SNL versions of press conferences, I thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning these past 15 months. Jen Psaki is a real pro and the mutual respect in the press room was evident from day one. As much as Psaki will be missed, I look forward to tuning in to her successor, Karine Jean-Pierre.
A split GOP is the best outcome in this moment as elections approach. The more acrimonious the better.These battles are going to play out state by state. The war really is establishment Republicans vs Trumpers. The battle lines are becoming VERY clear. Primary elections are where a species will eat it's own kind to survive. I'm really curious to see who attends this Bradley awards in DC on Tuesday night and what gets said from the podium and the round table they do. And what gets said off the stage. Last year Bill Barr was the most senior person from the former administration in the room...but he had no formal speaking role...and yes our crew all commented that he does look like Fred Flintstone in a suit.
I think J Psaki did a good job. Who would want that job ? I like the comparison you showed between the number of Psakis press conferences compared to all of Trumps press conferences over 4 years. I wish Karine Pierre much success !
O' Rourke needs to keep educating Texans about the deregulation and mismanagement of their electric grid. That was terrible what happened to those people.
That would be amazing if Finland and Sweden join NATO !
Thank you for your analysis HCR .
Ms Psaki will cash in on her performance as White House Press Secretary as well as all the preparatory roles she filled over 20 years off and on in government. Perhaps MSNBC will allow her to travel the world, but probably not on Air Force One. She set a different standard for the position; remember tfg's first press secretary? The ankle biter for the President, purveyor of "alternate facts", contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" and now a talk show host for NewsMax...he didn't fly quite so high, unfortunately. Money is a great seduction; history would reward her far more for a full term in office, so to speak. On the other hand, there's no reason she can't move in and out of the mainstream media just as she has moved in and out of government positions. Biden will be lucky to find similar talent in her understudy. Maybe she can become the next Rachel Maddow...
The Dems seem to be lacking a compelling theme heading through the primaries and into the general election season. Inflation, Afganistan, the border kerfuffle, failure to enact the majority of the Build Back Better agenda in a 50:50 Senate; all topics needing plenty of spin. They could be making hay with the SCOTUS's bombshell disclosure, the growing rift between MAGA and the remainder of the Republican party, the Party of NO (no to all Biden initiatives, no party platform, no consensus leader, no popular majority in recent elections) as well as touting the jobs numbers, economic growth, US brokerage of NATO resurgence, support for Ukraine, progress in supply chain bottlenecks, etc. Where are the talking heads for this message within the Democratic Party? As inane as the Republican monologue may be, quietly going about the business of governing and ignoring it means that the inane monologue is roughly all the public will hear between now and November. Who will be the megaphone for the Dems? It isn't Biden; his schtick is more like the fireside chat than the big rally leader.
Texas is one of those places that makes no sense to a European. And in passing, since Heather is a historian, the fascistic leanings of its elites aren’t new: Texaco was one of General Franco’s financiers during the Spanish Civil War.
On a slightly different note - "U.S. ties to the region after the previous administration pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact in 2017" - which actually was one of the few things that T-rump did that was good - obviously unintentionally. The Trans-Pacific Partnership has some very nasty clauses - which bode badly for the environment. Particularly, that if a signatory government enables legislation (such as a carbon tax) that could impact the profitability of companies in other signatory states, then they can be hit with very severe penalties. Don't get in the way of profit..OK???