‘Blame Biden’ — Washington Post Ridiculed for Claiming Ketanji Jackson Not an ‘Affirmative Action Hire’

Following a Washington Post piece arguing President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, who celebrated her confirmation on Friday, was not an “affirmative action hire,” many expressed ridicule, highlighting the president’s repeated campaign pledge to specifically put a black woman on the Supreme Court.

In an essay published in the Washington Post on Sunday, titled “Sometimes, America manages to get it right,” Post columnist Jennifer Rubin claimed Jackson’s recent confirmation to the Supreme Court produced a “sense of justice” from “seeing a magnificently qualified Black woman getting what she deserves — a seat on the highest court in the nation — after absorbing so many cruel lies and attempts to blemish her dignity.” 

That’s the irony and the lie behind the disingenuous claims that Jackson is an “affirmative action hire.” She had to be so much better than the average judge to get to the Supreme Court. And she is. https://t.co/TIVw1Lgvcc

— Jennifer 'I stand with Ukraine' Rubin 🇺🇺 (@JRubinBlogger) April 10, 2022

The U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, after Biden had explicitly stated on multiple occasions he intended to appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court.

Admitting that many “deserve appreciation” for efforts to confirm Jackson, including Biden “for making a promise and sticking with it,” Rubin asserts no one should “divert the spotlight an inch from Jackson, who deserves a victory lap (or a glass of wine) for not only traversing the confirmation process but also for a career of dedication, sacrifice and excellence.”

“In the world we occupy, a Black woman does not reach this point unless she is head and shoulders above her peers — in law school, private practice and on the bench,” she wrote. “That’s the irony and the lie behind the disingenuous claims that Jackson is an ‘affirmative action hire.’” 

“She had to be so much better than the average judge to get to the Supreme Court,” she added. “And she is.”

In response, many took to Twitter to ridicule the essay, putting the blame of any association between Jackson’s nomination and affirmative action strictly on Biden.

“Jenn. You might have a point if Biden hadn’t literally said he was picking a Black woman,” one Twitter user wrote. “He has done far more damage to Jackson than anyone on the Right.”

“Then put the blame squarely where it belongs: with Joe Biden for making ‘Black woman’ the primary qualification, and with hacks such as yourself who didn’t call him out for such blatant, insulting race pandering,” another wrote.

“Biden literally said he would only consider a Black Woman. If that isn’t the definition of affirmative action hire then I don’t know what is,” wrote yet another.

“Biden did this to her. He announced he was going to only consider 7% of the population for his SCOTUS nominee,” another Twitter user wrote. “He put that label on her selection. He should’ve said I’m going to select the best qualified and selected her, then she isn’t an affirmative action hire.”

“Blame Biden,” the user added.

“Sorry, dear the lie is yours. @POTUS said he would only consider black women (~6% of Americans) — those were his words — meaning discriminating against the ~94% of jurists who do not fit that description,” wrote one Twitter user.

“It is WORSE than an ‘affirmative action’ hire — it is discrimination,” the user added.

“You can’t erase Biden’s words Jen,” wrote another.

“Jen, You might have a better argument if Biden hadn’t declared his top 2 qualifiers were that the nominee had to be Black & a woman,” another user wrote. 

“Imagine if he had said that his nominee had to be Asian & a man,” he added. “Pretty sure you’d be singing a different tune.”

Jen, You might have a better argument if Biden hadn't declared his top 2 qualifiers were that the nominee had to be Black & a woman.

Imagine if he had said that his nominee had to be Asian & a man. Pretty sure you'd be singing a different tune.

— Snoop Bailey (@realsnoopbailey) April 10, 2022

“In fairness, before her name was even announced, Biden made it clear he was making an affirmative action hire,” wrote yet another. “No point in complaining about it when people take him seriously.”

 “How is it disingenuous?” another asked. “Biden proclaimed it even before he announced her name.”

“It’s disingenuous to repeat exactly what happened? Of course you’d think this,” wrote another user.

“Okay, just because Biden admitted she’s an affirmative action hire, that doesn’t mean she’s an affirmative action hire,” mocked one Twitter user.

“Blame Joe Biden,” wrote another. “Hes the one who said had to be black and had to be a woman – whatever that is.”

“Joe Biden literally said out loud that the only criteria was black and woman, that’s not an opinion, that’s straight from his mouth,” another user wrote. 

Ironically, Rubin was also criticized for belittling affirmative action.

“Why do you speak of affirmative action in a derisive manner?” asked one Twitter user.

“He said it. It meets the actual definition of affirmative action,” wrote another. “What, is affirmative action a negative now?”

“Why does the term ‘affirmative action’ have a negative connotation?” another user asked.

Last month, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) received backlash online for charging that the nomination of a female minority was a happy coincidence.

Rubin has accused the GOP of being obsessed with “toxic” and “grotesque” masculinity over alleged Republican attempts at being “tougher than President Biden” over the current conflict in Ukraine, blasting Republicans’ “cartoonlike conception of manliness” and likening them to “little boys playing at war” ignoring “real-world consequences.”