Sherman: No ‘Reset’ for Biden White House Facing ‘Brutal Reality’

Appearing on MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart Reports Tuesday morning, Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman scoffed at reports that the embattled Biden White House was going to “reset” with a new communications strategy. The political journalist delivered a hard dose of truth as he explained that no PR push could change the “brutal reality” for the flailing administration.

“And, I mean, Jake, our NBC News colleagues report the Biden administration is looking at a new messaging and communications strategy. Is that possible? And is that possibly effective?,”Jose Diaz Balart, anchor of the Anchor Jose Diaz-Balart asked. Sherman mocked the attempt in a sarcastical manner. “Well, when all else fails, you blame your communications effort, right? You blame the people who are charged at delivering the message instead of the actual reality.”

He described the political realities Democrats faced:

And the reality is, it’s very difficult to govern and it’s very difficult to govern aggressively and fulfill aggressive and lofty campaign promises, with a 50/50 Senate and a narrow margin in the House. You could communicate until you’re blue in the face about that reality, but that’s just the way it is. And you could reset and you could do whatever you’d like to try to explain that away.

Sherman was able to conclude: “I don’t know how you reset the idea that the BBB has stalled and voting rights is going nowhere….So I would take any thought about a reset with a heap of salt because you can’t reset and reframe and repackage a brutal reality for this White House.”

Sherman has been slamming the Biden government a lot recently. Last week, while again talking to Diaz-Balart about the doomed push by Democrats in Congress to enact a federal takeover of elections, Sherman called it a “show” that’s “not going anywhere,” with Biden having “absolutely no chance of winning.”

Sherman should inspire the rest of media to be skeptical of any White House new media strategy.

The January 18th exchange transcript is available here:

10.21 am ET

(…)

JOSE DIAZBALART: Jake and our NBC News colleagues reported that the Biden administration was looking into a new communication strategy. Is that possible? Is that possible? How do you cope with what people feel in this country? We have the COVID crises, which is causing havoc in this country. You know, inflation, et cetera. What can you do to reset it?

JAKE SHERMAN [PUNCHBOWL NEWS CO-FOUNDER]You can blame the communications efforts if all else fails. Instead of the reality, you blame those who deliver the message. And the reality is, it’s very difficult to govern and it’s very difficult to govern aggressively and fulfill aggressive and lofty campaign promises, with a 50/50 Senate and a narrow margin in the House. You could communicate until you’re blue in the face about that reality, but that’s just the way it is. And you could reset and you could do whatever you’d like to try to explain that away.

This administration is a success story, by the way. I mean, they have – they passed an infrastructure bill, they passed a COVID relief bill. Whether that plays or not is up to – I don’t know the answer to that.

But the reset here, I don’t know how you reset the idea that the BBB has stalled and voting rights is going nowhere. I mean, you could reset that all you want and that’s still the reality on the ground and here in the Capitol and at the White House. So I would take any thought about a reset with a heap of salt because you can’t reset and reframe and repackage a brutal reality for this White House.

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