It’s one thing to break your own rule on your first day in office. It’s another to come up with a justification this lame after having 18 hours to prepare.
By this logic, the idiots who celebrated Biden’s victory in early November by crowding into city parks to pass around the ‘rona are also off the hook.
Here’s what she could have said: “The Lincoln Memorial isn’t an enclosed indoor space, he wasn’t in close proximity to anyone else, and he’s received both doses of the vaccine so it’s highly unlikely that he can transmit the virus. He wears the mask most of the time to set an example.” But of course, that would have raised the question of why those exceptions weren’t also written into his mask mandate.
Basically, there’s no good answer here. He broke the rule and got caught and Psaki’s got nothing.
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1352376510729113601
He set an “example” by signing the executive orders — and then breaking them?
The most you can say of her is that she wanders through her BS answer smoothly and imperturbably. I’m looking forward to being lied to again by White House spokesmen in a polished, professional, plausible-sounding way. From now on, when I’m deceived by my government, at least my intelligence won’t be insulted in the process.
I mean, no more so than in the clip.
By the way, isn’t this technically a violation of his order too?
Reporter: You set the goal at 100 million vaccines in your first 100 days? Is that bar high enough?
President Biden: “When I announced it, you all said it's not possible. C'mon, give me a break, man. It's a good start, one hundred million.” pic.twitter.com/xAp5yaPEfH
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 21, 2021
The White House is a federal building. No one expects him to wear the mask upstairs in the residence, since that’s his home now and he should feel free to unmask there. But down in the Oval, when he’s around press, aides, etc?
Come to think of it, shouldn’t Psaki be masked up when she’s addressing the press? If reporters can wear masks to protect her, the least she can do is repay the favor. Right, granted, the reporters are more than six feet away, but that’s no guarantee that viral particles won’t reach her. The entire reason aerosolized virus is a threat is that it hangs in the air and floats around.
The case of whether Biden should wear a mask diligently or not is an interesting one considering that he’s been fully vaccinated. The argument in favor is simple: He’s the president, he should set an example even if he’s unlikely to spread the virus anymore. But there’s a counterargument circulating over the past few days, that politicians and scientists are underselling the vaccine by insisting that people keep up their precautions against COVID even after they’ve been vaccinated. Being told that you’ll no longer need to wear the mask or social-distance as rigorously is a powerful incentive potentially for people to get the shot. Telling them that they need to behave afterward the same way they did beforehand eliminates that incentive.
In the end, I think Team Biden is following an ironclad rule of politics: Most people are idiots and/or ill-informed. If they see Biden without a mask, most won’t know that he’s been vaccinated or understand why he feels safe letting down his guard. The White House is playing to the lowest common denominator. But if they’re going to do that, they need to own it. Wear the mask at the Lincoln Memorial and in the briefing room. No exceptions.
I’ll leave you with this, the latest performance art from a “performance art” conservative. Maybe she can fold Biden’s violation of his own mask mandate into the articles of impeachment, which are headed straight down the toilet in the House.
I just filed Articles of Impeachment on President @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/mcwEEkKiHL
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) January 21, 2021
Join the conversation as a VIP Member