She’s gay.
She’s black.
She’s an immigrant.
And she used to be the spokesperson for MoveOn.org.
But with all these “qualifications,” she still seems to be struggling in front of the press corps in her efforts to promote Biden’s presidency and to justify his actions. Why?
Could it be because, like so many presidential press secretaries before her, of either party, her primary commitment is to make her boss look good – no matter what – rather than to tell the truth?
Presidents, like all people, make mistakes.
Presidential appointees, like all people, make mistakes.
But it’s hard for presidents, their appointees, and their spokespeople to publicly admit mistakes. Why? Because they’re afraid – and understandably so – that the admission of mistakes will be used against them by their political opponents. So, they lie, twist, and deny. They obfuscate. They pass the buck. They attempt to justify the unjustifiable. They say and do almost anything other than admit a truth that might be politically damaging.
Meanwhile, “we the people of the United States” are paying the salaries of the President, his Press Secretary, and all his other appointees. Imagine if telling the truth while holding public office were an express condition of employment. Imagine further: What if anyone who lied or hid the truth regarding his or her performance of the duties associated with holding public office were to be immediately subject to suspension or dismissal from office?
Would we be better off as a nation if our elected officials, and those they appoint – whether they are Democrats or Republicans – could be relied upon to tell the truth and nothing but the truth when speaking to the American people?