The “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC were hard pressed for time on Monday night to comment on speeches at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) by Senators Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.), but there was time after First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech to gush over her “artfully painted” address featuring “trademark...grace” in attacking Donald Trump.
Of course, the analysis wouldn’t be complete without mentioning how “there were a lot of moist eyes” on the convention floor for the “[p]olished, passionate and personal” speech that included Obama touting the White House as being built by black slaves (which actually was gutted and renovated by multiple times post-slavery).
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt came over NBC’s airwaves after the speech concluded to tout her receiving “a huge ovation from this crowd, including former President Clinton, as she artfully painted a picture drawing the comparison, drawing the contrast between Democrats and Republicans, really setting the stage what we think we're going to see this week.”
Former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw added that it was “exceptional” in the way she “built that moment” by creating a “pitch perfect...endorsement” of Hillary Clinton to which Today co-host Savannah Guthrie boasted as “a pretty succinct case for Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump but done with trademark Michelle Obama grace.”
Not surprisingly, ABC News chief anchor, Clinton Foundation donor, and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos had plenty of warm thoughts for the First Lady:
First Lady Michelle Obama. Polished, passionate and personal, said that only one person is truly qualified to be president of the United States, that is Hillary Clinton. Did not mention Donald Trump's name once, Jon Karl, but hard to argue that it wasn't a speech against Donald Trump.
“That may have been the most effective, one of the harshest speeches that we've heard against Donald Trump during the course of this campaign,” suggested chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl.
Lastly on CBS, CBS This Morning co-host Norah O’Donnell hailed the “remarkable endorsement” as well as the First Lady’s mentioning of slavery:
And not only a remarkable endorsement of Hillary Clinton, but without mentioning being the name of Donald Trump. An extremely tough speech and when she said, don't let anyone tell you this country isn't great. The imagery too of saying said I live in a house that slaves built.
Clinton campaign correspondent Nancy Cordes reported from the convention floor and was the network reporter who highlighted the tears in reaction to Michelle Obama’s address: “[W]hen she said that her two daughters now know that they have been president because of Hillary Clinton, not only did I see attention in the hall but there were a lot of moist eyes too.”
Taking a trip back in the time machine to last Monday’s coverage of the Republican National Convention (RNC), these same networks bemoaned the RNC as “dark” and “divisive” producing an emulation of “unsettled emotions” caused by Donald Trump’s candidacy.
In particular, CBS’s former Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer compared Trump to doomed 1964 GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater and 1972 Democratic nominee George McGovern.
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The relevant portion of the transcript from NBC’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention on July 25 can be found below.
NBC Democratic National Convention
July 25, 2016
10:20 p.m. Eastern
LESTER HOLT: Michelle Obama getting a huge ovation from this crowd, including former President Clinton, as she artfully painted a picture drawing the comparison, drawing the contrast between Democrats and Republicans, really setting the stage what we think we're going to see this week. Tom Brokaw, you're watching along with us. At one point, she becomes emotional as she talked about the history of her daughters playing on the White House lawn, a building built by slaves.
TOM BROKAW: And the way that she built that moment was exceptional. What she did was take on Donald Trump and put Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office, saying this is a woman who is experienced, who can handle the military, can handle the nuclear codes. She keeps coming back, she doesn't give up, and then made that graceful transition into her own experience, a young woman who grew up in Chicago, whose father worked in a municipal work part and then went to Ivy League education, came home and married this remarkable man, Barack Obama, whatever you feel about their politics, they have been an exceptional family in the White House. She conveyed all those values and said that Hillary will continue them without saying she'll continue to be what my husband set out to do as president. I think it was about as pitch perfect an endorsement you can get.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: It was a pretty succinct case for Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump but done with trademark Michelle Obama grace.
The relevant portion of the transcript from CBS’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention on July 25 can be found below.
CBS Democratic National Convention
July 25, 2016
10:20 p.m. Eastern
SCOTT PELLEY: Michelle Obama in a packed house, 20,000 seats. It doesn't look like there's a vacant seat anywhere.
NORAH O’DONNELL: And not only a remarkable endorsement of Hillary Clinton, but without mentioning being the name of Donald Trump. An extremely tough speech and when she said, don't let anyone tell you this country isn't great. The imagery too of saying said I live in a house that slaves built.
PELLEY: And now my daughters take it for granted my a woman can be president of the United States.
O’DONNELL: Nancy Cordes is on the floor. Nancy?
NANCY CORDES: Norah, Michelle Obama delivered this speech and talked about Donald Trump's rhetoric, not by name but there was no mistake being it and she did it not as a politician or politician's wife but as a mother, a mother who has famous ly raised two young daughters in the public eye that have turned out to be pretty poised and when she said that her two daughters now know that they have been president because of Hillary Clinton, not only did I see attention in the hall but there were a lot of moist eyes too.
