The media love playing up endorsements for the Democrats. On the Labor Day edition of CNN's New Day, the show hyped Brandeis University professor and sexual harassment activist Anita Hill's decision to endorse Joe Biden for President as the show previewed one of its upcoming documentaries on the presidential candidates.
As CNN's Gloria Borger relayed that Hill has hopes of working with a President Biden on issues of "gender violence," Tara Reade's accusations of sexual assault against Biden were not mentioned at all.
At 8:46 a.m. as an eight-minute segment was devoted to plugging the documentary, the first four and a half minutes were spent on Hill's reasons for deciding to vote for Biden.
After noting that Hill wished that then-Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Biden in 1991 had been more aggressive in siding with her as she publicly accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, Borger was seen asking her if her vote would be more for Biden or against President Donald Trump. Hill responded: "Actually, it's more about the survivors of gender violence. That's really what it's about."
A bit later, as Borger discussed the interview with New Day co-host John Berman and fill-in co-host Erica Hill, Borger added that Anita Hill was trying to signal that other women who have been victimized can feel comfortable voting for the Democratic nominee:
In talking to her, I think she felt she had a responsibility. I think -- as you heard her say -- there's a whole lot of women out there who are effected by gender violence and sexual harassment. And I think she wanted to give them permission to, in a way, say, 'Okay, if I can vote for Joe Biden and say it's okay, then you can.'
Even though Anita Hill's claims against Thomas were entirely about inappropriate sexual talk, in contrast with the physical assault accusations against Biden by Reade -- who used to work in his Senate office in the early 1990s -- nothing at all was mentioned about the allegations against Biden.
In the last part of the segment, as Biden's religious practices were discussed, the CNN team avoided mentioning that the reason some accuse the Democratic candidate of not being sincere in adherence to Catholicism is because he supports the left's radical agenda on abortion.
BORGER: I don't know if you've seen the clip, you know, he carries Beau's rosary with him. Senator Coons tells me in this documentary that he watched Joe Biden slip into church many times back home in Delaware announced, and that, you know, Biden is a man of faith -- which is why it is so striking to me when, during the Republican convention, there were people saying, you know, "He's not a real Catholic." He is a devout Catholic. And I remember talking to one of his staffers saying, I mean, you know, "Even when we travel abroad, we have to find somewhere where he can go to church on Sunday and pray."
This episode of CNN's New Day was sponsored by Casper. Their contact information is linked.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Labor Day edition of CNN's New Day:
8:46 a.m. Eastern
ERICA HILL: Just 57 days now until Election Day in America, the final sprint in the race between President Trump and Joe Biden. And a pair of new CNN documentaries tell the stories of both men. And during tonight's film. Joe Biden's long journey to the nomination, and we're also learning about an unlikely endorsement. Take a look.
ANITA HILL, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: It was vey scary because it was something that hadn't happened before, and the stakes were so high.
GLORIA BORGER: At stake, a seat on the Supreme Court for Clarence Thomas. The man in charge, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Joe Biden.
ANITA HILL: I expected for Joe Biden to have a fair hearing. Joe Biden's leadership was very weak.
BORGER: Almost 30 years later, Thomas sits on the Supreme Court, Biden is the Democratic nominee for President, and Anita Hill has made a decision.
ANITA HILL: I think Joe Biden is the person who should be elected in November.
BORGER: So you're going to vote for Joe Biden?
ANITA HILL: Yes.
BORGER: Would you be willing to work with him?
ANITA HILL: My commitment is to finding solutions. I am more than willing to work with him.
BORGER: Is it just about the fact that he's running against Donald Trump? Or is it more about Joe Biden?
ANITA HILL: Actually, it's more about the survivors of gender violence. That's really what it's about.
ERICA HILL: And with us now is CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger, who hosted this documentary tonight. I have to say, when I saw that, I thought, "Whoa!" because we knew that this was going to come up again for Joe Biden on the campaign trail, but the fact that Anita Hill has now said she will vote for him and work with him because of the survivors, that changes it a bit.
BORGER: Well, it was kind of stunning to me. I mean, she isn't somebody who sort of called me up and said, "Hey, I'd like to come out and say I'm for Joe Biden." She's kind of reluctant to do this and get in the political fray, but I think she feels that, look, a lot of time has passed, she had a phone call with Joe Biden when he announced he was going to run which she deemed unsatisfactory.
And then, over these last months, she's seen him in a bunch of appearances where she felt he evolved and changed and that he finally gets what she was talking about. But, honestly, I think -- when I talked to Joe Biden about it, and I said -- I didn't -- it wasn't at the point where I could talk to him about Anita Hill endorsing him specifically -- but I said, "Did you make mistakes in that hearing?" He said, "Yes," but she specifically said that he was weak and let the Republicans take charge, and he said to me, "No, no, no, that was not true." A little tension still.
(…)
In talking to her, I think she felt she had a responsibility. I think -- as you heard her say -- there's a whole lot of women out there who are effected by gender violence and sexual harassment. And I think she wanted to give them permission to, in a way, say, 'Okay, if I can vote for Joe Biden and say it's okay, then you can," although she came out and said, "Look, this isn't about Donald Trump," but, in a way, I kept saying to her, "Look, this is a binary choice in this election," and she said, "Yes, but I think that this is really now -- if I had to vote, I have to vote for Joe Biden, so be it," is the way she put it.
(…)
JOHN BERMAN: Joe Biden's faith comes up a lot in this documentary. I was struck by the picture yesterday. He went to church yesterday morning -- the President went golfing. Going to church isn't something I think is unusual for Joe Biden for whom faith has been a constant presence in his life. What did you learn there?
BORGER: Well, he is a devout Catholic, and his wife told me, even after Beau died, when she lost her faith, he did not. And I don't know if you've seen the clip, you know, he carries Beau's rosary with him. Senator Coons tells me in this documentary that he watched Joe Biden slip into church many times back home in Delaware announced, and that, you know, Biden is a man of faith -- which is why it is so striking to me when, during the Republican convention, there were people saying, you know, "He's not a real Catholic." He is a devout Catholic. And I remember talking to one of his staffers saying, I mean, you know, "Even when we travel abroad, we have to find somewhere where he can go to church on Sunday and pray."
And so he is, you know, he is somebody -- I think he will tell you -- and does tell you that his faith is important to him and helps him get through this, and he is somebody who has been through a lot -- not only the death of Beau, but also the death of his wife and young child just weeks after he was elected to the United States Senate when he was 30, 29, almost 30 years old, and that was something he really had to get through.
