The incoming first lady was the subject of a Wall Street Journal opinion article suggesting she stop using the title “Dr.” because she is not a physician. Biden received her doctorate in education in 2007.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The editor of TheWall StreetJournal‘seditorial page has waded into the fracas surrounding the paper’s controversial decision to run an opinion piece on incoming first lady Jill Biden that was widely criticized as sexist and demeaning.
Paul Gigot, who is responsible for the paper’s opinion section, defended the decision to run an op-ed published Friday by Joseph Epstein, who suggested that she should drop the “Dr.” title she uses because her doctorate is not in the field of medicine.
Epstein broadened his criticism to include anyone using the title who is not a physician, and universities more generally for “the erosion of seriousness and the relaxation of standards” when it comes to granting degrees.
Biden earned a doctorate in education, Ed.D., from the University of Delaware in 2007.
The opinion piece drew widespread condemnation from many women in academia, Biden supporters and members of the incoming administration on social media.
In his own opinion write-up Sunday titled “The Biden Team Strikes Back,” Gigot writes that Biden supporters reacted in a “very Trumpian” way.
“The complaints (about the article) began as a trickle but became a torrent after the Biden media team elevated Mr. Epstein’s work in what was clearly a political strategy,” writes Gigot.
“Why go to such lengths to highlight a single op-ed on a relatively minor issue? My guess is that the Biden team concluded it was a chance to use the big gun of identity politics to send a message to critics as it prepares to take power. There’s nothing like playing the race or gender card to stifle criticism,” Gigot writes.
It was not just Biden surrogates he took issue with.
Gigot also pointed to the world of academia, particularly Northwestern University where Epstein, the original op-ed writer, taught for decades.
As NPR’s Rachel Treisman writes, both the university and its English department condemned Epstein’s comments as the backlash grew more intense. The university has since removed Epstein from its page of emeritus professors, according to Gigot.
“This is how cancel culture works,” Gigot writes.
Epstein opens his piece by addressing the soon-to-be first lady in various ways, with the exception of “Dr. Jill Biden,” referring to her use of the title as both “fraudulent” and “a touch comic.”
“Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter,” Epstein writes. “Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name?”
Some critics especially took issue with “kiddo,” characterizing Epstein’s choice of words as chauvinist and dismissive.
Gigot points to the 2012 Democratic National Convention where then-Vice President Joe Biden refers to his wife that very way as he tells an anecdote on how many times he proposed before she said yes.
“Five times. I don’t know what I would have done, kiddo, had you on that fifth time said ‘no,’ ” Biden said. “I love you. You’re the love of my life and the life of my love.”
Gigot vowed to continue to publish “provocative” opinion pieces and said that the incoming first lady is not a restricted subject.
“Mrs. Biden is now America’s most prominent doctorate holder and is taking a leading role in education policy. She can’t be off-limits for commentary,” Gigot writes.
NPR follows The Associated Press Stylebook: “Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary medicine.”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
