Opening their Thursday night coverage of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), ABC’s voice-over announcer couldn’t help but produce one last gushing pump-up video as he proclaimed “here we are” for “[t]his one historic moment in front of America” and the on-air personalities applauded Chelsea Clinton emphasizing Hillary as a grandmother.
Naturally, the announcer made no mention of the Bernie Sanders protesters repeatedly interrupting a slew of speakers but did spotlight Melania Trump’s plagiarism of Michelle Obama as well as Senator Ted Cruz’s “contentious” speech not endorsing Trump.
“And here we are moments away from history happening live and for Hillary Clinton, all the drama, all the history, all the high emotion of this week,” the announcer oozed in between soundbites from Bernie Sanders, and Michelle Obama singing Hillary’s praises.
Interspersed with clips of President Barack Obama’s Wednesday night address, the voice-over man concluded like a devout Clinton fan amidst huge, all-caps on-screen graphics: “Everything has led to this one night. This one historic moment in front of America.”
After Chelsea Clinton finished introducing a 12-minute movie about her mother, chief anchor, Clinton Foundation donor and former Clinton loyalist George Stephanopoulos swooned:
As that video begins, an emotional finish there for Chelsea Clinton, proud father and there was a proud mom watching backstage. Hillary Clinton sending out a tweet right away, saying, “So proud,” as she watched her daughter and Cokie Roberts, what an interesting choice for the beginning of that speech, introducing her mom as a grandma.
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A Clinton fan in her own ways, ABC/NPR analyst Cokie Roberts nodded in approval at the emphasis on Hillary as a grandmother because “[i]t is something that everybody recognizes, and can see, as someone who is loving and wise, those are thoughts that you have about grandma.”
“The story she read her, the dinner table conversation, all that rich detail, just the kind of detail we got the other night, and, of course, there's the reason for that. She wants the voters to know who she is. Voters need to know, is she like us? And there's nothing more relatable than being a mother or grandmother,” chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz added.
The relevant portions of the transcript from ABC’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention on July 28 can be found below.
ABC Democratic National Convention
July 28, 2016
10:00 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: HERE WE ARE]
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: And here we are —
INDEPENDENT SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (Vt.): I move that Hillary Clinton be selected as the nominee of the Democratic Party.
HILLARY CLINTON: We just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet.
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: — moments away from history happening live and for Hillary Clinton —
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: HILLARY CLINTON]
MICHELLE OBAMA: Because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: All the drama, all the history.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: THE HISTORY]
BILL CLINTON: She is still the best darn changemaker I have ever known.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: THE HIGH EMOTION]
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: All the high emotion of this week.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: There has never been a man or a woman, not me, not bill, nobody, more qualified than Hillary Clinton.
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: Everything —
OBAMA: I'm asking you to join me to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the united States.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: 1 NIGHT]
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: — has led to this one night.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: 1 HISTORIC MOMENT]
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER: This one historic moment in front of America.
(....)
10:15 p.m. Eastern
STEPHANOPOULOS: As that video begins, an emotional finish there for Chelsea Clinton, proud father and there was a proud mom watching backstage. Hillary Clinton sending out a tweet right away, saying, “So proud,” as she watched her daughter and Cokie Roberts, what an interesting choice for the beginning of that speech, introducing her mom as a grandma.
COKIE ROBERTS: Well, it's a term that's not political, is it? It is something that everybody recognizes, and can see, as someone who is loving and wise, those are thoughts that you have about grandma. But it's been interesting, because in focus groups, people have not thought she was an authentic grandma. So, by having Chelsea give specifics and talking about that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, that's exactly right. The detail, the granule detail in that speech, Martha Raddatz, talking about the movies she watched with her parents, talking about her mom facetiming her daughter, and the visit to dinosaur national park.
MARTHA RADDATZ: The story she read her, the dinner table conversation, all that rich detail, just the kind of detail we got the other night, and, of course, there's the reason for that. She wants the voters to know who she is. Voters need to know, is she like us? And there's nothing more relatable than being a mother or grandmother.
