Jay Carney, the Carny, Resigned Today

“Carny,” also called a “carney,” is one who works in a carnival. Think of the barker at a carnival or the midway of a circus or carnival, the hawker of a carny game, think of a huckster offering snake oil, and you get the idea. President Press Secretary Jay Carney announced today his resignation after three years as the spokesman for the Obama Administration. He couldn’t shovel it fast enough as it kept piling up: ObamaCare, NSA, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Veterans Administration. He mirrored Baghdad Bob in recent months. Even the Obama loving media in the pressroom had trouble keeping a straight face when Jay Carney tried to spin the unspinable. They alternatively tuned him out or asked confrontational questions. The usually unflappable, glib Carney face looked pained. His predecessor, Robert Gibbs, also had trouble with the spin. He often seemed dizzy. Jay Carney just kept spinning, except when he pled ignorance. The Yale graduate was counted saying “I don’t know” 1900 times, which averaged a little less than twice a day. One of the questions Jay Carney could not respond to was the most critical to the White House reporters: “Candidate Obama promised the most transparent Administration. Why is it that the Obama Administration has become the least transparent in the memory of the White House Press Corps?” He also couldn’t explain how the popularity of the reelected President with the spin spinning out of the Daily Press Briefing has plummeted to below 50%. You can only shovel so much. The carny's job is to draw you in. Carney was tuned out. The White House Press Secretary has a challenging task. Reporters expect spin, but even the best carny reaches a limit. President Obama kept digging Jay Carney deeper and deeper in an increasingly bottomless pit. You cannot defend the unindefensible. Jay Carney became a living caricature of Jay Carney.