Jen Psaki was clearly in a very patient mood today, even jovial, as a reporter I didn't recognize as a regular ventured to ask her some questions about Kevin McCarthy. The reporter explained he'd been to the GOP House leadership press conference on Biden's one-year anniversary in office, and she quipped with a smile, "Oh, boy! Did they have lots of good stuff to say?"
Low-key Sarcastic Psaki is my favorite Psaki.
The reporter went on to tell her about what WAS said, though it sounds like very little of it was "good stuff."
"Well, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy rejected the idea that the president floated yesterday that Republicans are blocking his agenda. He said the White House has not approached them about his agenda outside of infrastructure," he told Psaki. "What's your reaction to his words that you're not working with Republicans, and what's the pathway forward for his larger agenda items if there's gonna be a break-up of Build Back Better?"
"I would say that if Mr. McCarthy wants to come over here and have a constructive conversation about more we can do together to put people back to work, to protect people from the virus, to put in place smarter security measures at the border, we'd be happy to have that conversation," Psaki told him, but then she said, "I don't think that's a comment he made that's entirely on the level, given that we certainly have engaged with Republicans across the board, the President of the United States himself has, and so I don't think that really bears out in fact."
In other words, new reporter, KEVIN MCCARTHY LIED TO YOU. He always lies. He's a lying liar with no spine who lies.
The reporter followed up, though, saying, "Well, to his point, though, the administration, or Senate Democrats, at least, Democrats, however, proceeded with Build Back Better through reconciliation, and they approached with the intent that they would need only Democrats to get that agenda done. Again, for this question looking at chunks, what's the bipartisan plan moving forward?"
Psaki gave him the characteristic Psaki treatment: facts backed up with devastating consequences for the GOP.
"Well, look, in the history of reconciliation and the use of it, it's been bipartisan about twenty times. It's not the rule that you can't vote for it if you're from the other party, that's not the rule at all. I mean, if anyone's telling you that, it's not true," she told him. "I would say that what's perplexing to us, and maybe someone asked Mr. McCarthy this or not, is, are Republicans now against negotiating lower prescription drug prices? Are the now against lowering the cost of child care? Are they now against lowering the cost of elder care? I mean, if they allow us to claim all of those things on the Democratic side, we'll take them. But it is a little perplexing that they would allow for us to own all of the ground on that."
Remember. The new Democratic party line should be, "What are Republicans FOR?" If it's taken this long for people to realize the Democrats are the only ones interested in making life better for Americans, better late than never, I guess.
