Tom Brokaw Cheers Obama Inauguration Like 'Velvet Revolution'

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By Geoffrey Dickens (Bio | Archive)
January 20, 2009 - 17:27 ET
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Reflecting on the mood of the crowd at Barack Obama's Inauguration, NBC's Tom Brokaw likened it to when he was present for the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. During NBC's live coverage of Obama's swearing-in on Tuesday, Brokaw declared, "It reminds me of the Velvet Revolution," and while Brokaw noted "a communist regime," was not being overthrown he pointed out, "an unpopular president is leaving and people have been waiting for this moment." [audio available here]

The following Brokaw blurb was aired at around 10:02am EST on NBC's January 20 pre-Inaugural speech coverage:

TOM BROKAW: You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of the Velvet Revolution. I was in Prague when that happened. And Vaclev Havel was a generational leader and was in the square in Prague and the streets were filled with joy. And we're not overthrowing a communist regime here, obviously, but an unpopular president is leaving and people have been waiting for this moment. And there's that same sense of joyfulness and possibility even though, as in Czechoslovakia, they had enormous problems and we do as well.


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Exhibit No.

January 20, 2009 - 17:40 ET by TE

Exhibit No. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001 of leftist political activists in the Washington/New York press corps conveniently substituting the word "people" for the word "leftists":  Tom Brokaw asserting that "people have been waiting for this moment."  "[P]eople"?

Other points of view?

January 20, 2009 - 17:52 ET by KC Mulville

At the very least, has any of the (dozens of) network media figures expressed any skepticism? They were overwhelmed with cautious pessimism when Bush was inaugurated - see any evidence of it now?

None that I've heard of.

 

Uh ho geezus H.Christ.

January 20, 2009 - 17:49 ET by supercon

Listen to the pampered millionaire talking as if he was just released from some sort of gulag.What a candy ass.

 

Because with a name like Obama... you know it has to be good.

Press was a rebel faction

January 20, 2009 - 18:13 ET by nkviking75

If it's a revolution, one major rebel faction is the press.  In any other country the government would muzzle the press.  Here the press muzzled the Administration and undermined its legitimacy while sabotaging our foreign policy and openly sabotaging our military.   Most of the MSM will be acting as state run media for Obama.

Welcome to the era of unity, you racist!

Don't worry

January 20, 2009 - 18:20 ET by richb313

Don't worry. The MSM have overhyped Obama so much that a serious case of buyers remorse is sure to set in. It happens every time something is hyped as much as Obama has been. No matter how much the media are in the tank for him they still need viewers to survive. The American public can only be fooled for a limited period of time before they become aware of the con job that the MSM has pulled. You can fool all the people some of the time but not all of the time.

Brokaw proves beyond a doubt

January 20, 2009 - 21:49 ET by c5then

That he is an asshole. Trying to equate the smooth and regular transition of power of a democratic republic that has happened 43 times before, all without a problem, to the bloodless overthrow of a communist dictatorship????!!!!!

Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!

Alan Keyes / Sarah Palin - 2012

uhmm, If I didn't know any

January 20, 2009 - 22:42 ET by TN Mom

uhmm, If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Brokaw is reading the right-wing blogs and he knows that many accuse Obama of being socialist/communist, and Brokaw is pointing the communist label at the right, to deflect. Attack MSM Media is sneaky.

Speaking of communism, all the gushing, slobbering, adornment over obama reminds me of Hitler's adoring crowd of fans. Creepy!

 

What a crock

January 21, 2009 - 00:25 ET by well99

I remember guarding the E.German and Czech border.Brokaw seems to forget that the Communist kept people in not out.What a arrogant idiot.There is no comparison but the elite lack the common sense a rock has.

I am still waiting..........

January 21, 2009 - 05:45 ET by old cro

for the nazi regeme comparison. Maybe today's talking points substituted commie for nazi.