Biden must answer real questions
Doddering behind closed doors does nothing for his image
In commemoration of President Biden passing the 50-day mark, let’s break down his first few months by the numbers.
One air strike in Syria. Two First Dogs banished to Delaware. Thirty-four executive orders.
And zero solo press conferences.
That last number, the goose egg, has some Republicans concerned. After four years of nonstop coverage of Donald Trump, Neanderthals around the country are asking: What happened to our once-impassioned and aggressive press corps?
But I have news for these haters who are weaponizing, pouncing and seizing on Joe’s absence: According to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden has in fact “answered questions” almost 40 times.
Let’s review some of these exchanges Psaki is referring to.
The day before Valentine’s Day, weeks before Major’s biting “incident,” Dr. Jill and President Biden took a romantic stroll in front of a gaggle of fawning reporters.
Joe, dressed like Maverick from Top Gun, awkwardly surveyed the large cardboard hearts scattered on the White House lawn.
Dr. Jill had commissioned the hearts which had words like “love” and “unity.”
As Joe and Jill sipped their morning coffee, the crack scribes worked up the nerve to toss out some questions. One intrepid reporter asked Joe what he was planning on giving the good doctor for Valentine’s Day.
Biden was tight-lipped as always, but that did not discourage the correspondents from continuing to pepper him inquiries.
At one point as the sweethearts meandered, one man shouted that he loved Biden’s dogs.
The other groupies — I mean reporters — giggled in delight.
The media seemed more like they were watching the Beatles land in America rather than a senile old man dressed up as Fonzie puttering around his driveway.
When Biden thanked him, the exuberant reporter continued with the third degree and asked, “Which one is the old one?”
At this point even Biden was unimpressed with the propaganda machines and followed Major’s tail back inside the White House.
The reporters rushed back to their laptops to send out a few slobbering puff pieces on Joe and Jill’s promenade.
There is one person in the White House press pool who asks legitimate questions. Fox News’ Peter Doocy, whom Biden once described as a “one horse pony,” has managed to occasionally steer the conversations away from ice cream.
Back in January when Biden was finished signing another executive order, Doocy asked, “Mr. President, what did you talk to Vladimir Putin about?”
Biden replied, “You. He sent his best.”
This snap back garnered big laughs from Joe’s fan club.
While Peter Doocy has become, as the LA Times put it, a “noisy fixture in the briefing room,” his fellow reporters know better.
Not even late night TV show audiences are as well trained as Joe’s clapping seals.
Given that the reporters give Joe such little push back, the sycophants can’t actually be surprised that Joe has grown accustomed to this soft treatment.
Earlier this month, after the president delivered remarks on COVID-19, a reporter asked, “Did you receive a briefing about the border today?”
He answered, “Yes, I did.” The reporter followed up with, “What did you learn?” Joe’s answer?
“A lot.”
When asked if he thinks his administration is dealing with a crisis at the border, he replied, “No — we will be able to handle it, God willing.”
He then doddered behind closed doors as his handlers aggressively ushered reporters out of sight.
With these kinds of thoughtful and informative Q-and-A’s, do we really need a solo press conference?
Regardless, Psaki has assured us that Biden will hold one … eventually.
So what will Biden’s loyal cheerleaders and pom-pom wavers ask him once they finally get the chance?
If the press had any semblance of dignity (spoiler alert — they don’t), they might ask Biden about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual-harassment scandal.
Does Biden believe the seven women who are accusing the governor of everything from inappropriate comments to groping?
If he believes them, should Andrew Cuomo resign?
Does Biden worry that the influx of undocumented aliens will cause an uptick in COVID-19 cases?
Should unaccompanied minors be receiving in-person learning?
Why won’t Biden stand up to the teachers’ unions so that American children can also have in-person learning, just like the illegals get?
If all else fails though, maybe CNN can bring Jim Acosta out of retirement to ask Biden his famous Obama-era softball: “I wanted to ask you about what some people are calling your ‘best week ever’ last week.”
Biden could handle that whopper — God willing.