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| Kate Bedingfield |
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield is obviously a big fan of The Clash, which released “Should I Stay or Should I Go” in 1982.
The indecisive Bedingfield shocked the White House and Washington on July 29 when she reneged on her promise to split.
Her initial decision to exit the CD job gave hope to many that her successor would launch a vigorous campaign to promote Joe Biden’s many accomplishments.
Bedingfield dashed that hope with her last-minute decision to remain in her post.
She sent an email to shocked colleagues, informing them that after much thought and reflection Bedingfield decided to stick around.
“I’m not done here and there is so much more good work to do with all of you. I couldn’t be happier and more excited about this awesome—if admittedly last-minute—development,” she wrote.
Gee, Kate. We didn’t even think that you got started.
The president’s approval ratings are in the toilet. You are responsible for some of that.
Biden passed the $1.9T American Rescue Plan (Covid-19 relief), a $1T infrastructure plan, a $280B semiconductor manufacturing program and is on the verge of passing an epic climate and clean energy bill.
He also put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and rallied US allies to support and supply Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion.
Biden has done more in less than two years than his predecessor did in four.
And yet, the president's messaging isn’t getting through.
Bedingfield, a long-time Biden aide, claims to “have a lot of gas left in the tank.” That may be so but the communications shop needs a new driver.
Biden faces major messaging challenges on inflation, recession, abortion rights, maintaining a unified front on Ukraine, the growing military threat from China and the midterm elections.
Decisive PR will be needed. That’s not going to happen with low-key Kate in charge.
Biden needs a CD who blasts The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah.”
TV news short changes climate change. A Media Matters survey of news coverage of extreme heat last month found that only 32 percent of the reports on CBS, ABC, NBC and MSNBC mentioned climate change as the reason why it was so hot everywhere.
Disney’s ABC had the highest percentage of climate change mentions, 42 percent.
Media Matters did not include Fox News in the survey due to its reputation as a climate change denier.
For the record, Fox News ran four reports during the July 16-18 survey period. None of them mentioned climate change.
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