On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded a question that represents a new low from the right-wing media.
“Since when does the vice president have what sounds like a Southern accent?” said Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. When asked to explain, he added, “Well, she was talking about unions in Detroit using one tone of voice. … She used the same line in Pittsburgh, and it sounded like she at least had some kind of Southern drawl.”
"I mean, do you hear the question that you're—do you think Americans seriously think that this is an important question?” Jean-Pierre asked Doocy.
“You know what they care about?” she continued. “They care about the economy. They care about lowering costs. They care about health care. That's what Americans care about."
On Labor Day, Harris delivered a great speech about the importance of unions, and since then, the right-wing-o-sphere has tried its darndest to make racist hay out of Harris’ code-switching. “Code-switching” is the often unconscious switching of dialects based on one’s situation, and the history of it is as old as groups of people interacting with one another. Historically, Black Americans have done it to manage other Americans’ anxieties—and that’s what makes Doocy’s question so desperate and craven.
"The question is just insane,” Jean-Pierre said while Doocy muddled through a response. "Peter, we're moving on,” she added. “We're so moving on."
If getting your ass handed to you by a press secretary were an Olympic sport, Doocy would be its Michael Phelps.
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