With Tuesday’s virtual DNC activities lacking an Obama on the agenda to melt the hearts of the partisan hacks in the liberal media, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC were forced to make up their own fun (if one could even call it that).
And incredibly, their topics of choice varied as ABC featured chief anchor George Stephanopoulos and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) reminiscing over their days on the Clinton campaign, CBS compared the coronavirus to Hurricane Katrina, and NBC tried to make a mountain of a molehill in Colin Powell endorsing another Democratic presidential candidate.
Oh, and NBC thought it was worth comparing sore loser Stacey Abrams to the women of the late 19th century and early 20th century that sacrificed so much for the 19th Amendment and a woman’s right to vote.
Below are a sampling of the offending quotes prior to the nightcap from Dr. Jill Biden, presented in a Notable Quotable-style format.
‘Voting Rights Advocate’ Stacey Abrams Is Just Like Women in the Suffrage Movement
“That's voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams speaking earlier this evening and that brings us to a major moment in history being celebrated today, the ratification 100 years ago today of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote.”
— NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt reacting to a clip of Abrams, 10:25 p.m. Eastern.
“And, of course, [the right to vote] goes on with people like Stacey Abrams still fighting against voter suppression and Sherrilyn Ifill and all sorts of great women leaders who started the suffrage movement and then became civil rights leaders in the emerging civil rights movement and their descendants still today.”
— NBC senior Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell, 10:26 p.m. Eastern.
Reflecting on Their Old Boss, ‘Vintage’ Bill Clinton Speaking at 11th DNC
Stephanopoulos: “Bill Clinton wrapping up his 11th Democratic convention speech, spoken at every Democratic convention since 1980. Rahm Emanuel, you and I worked with him on the 1992 campaign. In many ways, this was a vintage Clinton speech, but on a very small screen and a very small stage.”
Emanuel: “That's the understatement of the year. I mean, it was a very different point. I went back today and look at what he said in 1992, talking about the people that work hard, pay taxes, trying to raise their kids right, and know the difference between right and wrong. He actually spoke at that point after Democrats, having lost five of the last six presidential elections, he was the first Democrat to win since Franklin Roosevelt Roosevelt, not only the election, but also the re-election. He's the first president actually that also then reshifted the party to a new direction and talked about a bridge to the 21st century.”
— Conversation during ABC’s DNC coverage, 10:11 p.m. Eastern.
Americans Seem to ‘Have Just Turned’ Trump Off Since the Virus Is His Katrina
“Remember back when the financial crisis hit in 2008-2009. At some point, it seemed like you stopped seeing George W. Bush on the television and instead the Treasury Secretary was the face of the administration because that was after Katrina and Americans had lost confidence in George W. Bush's ability to manage the government. This is — feels an awful lot like one of those moments for Donald Trump. President Trump seems like he just doesn't have a handle on it, and Americans may have just turned him off[.]”
— CBS News contributor and Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
Powell Speaking at the DNC Is ‘Remarkable,’ Endorsing Biden Over ‘Erratic’ Trump
“[John Kerry and Colin Powell are] going to be talking about leadership and their view that Donald Trump has abandoned our allies, has coddled dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, and has really abandoned America's leadership around the world. You'll hear from Colin Powell the validation of someone who has endorsed the Democrats before, he's endorsed Hillary Clinton, he's endorsed Barack Obama, but he's never appeared at a Democratic convention.”
— Mitchell, 10:05 p.m. Eastern.
Today co-host Savannah Guthrie: “And just Andrea, briefly, the significance for Colin Powell to actually address a Democratic convention. As mentioned, he has voted Democratic in the last few elections, but this takes it another step.”
Mitchell: “And he sees this as a real issue of leadership. He is a general first, secretary of state and diplomat second, but he really is a military man and also the child of immigrants and he sees that Donald Trump does not meet the leadership needs of this country and he is that forcefully compelled to speak out for Joe Biden as a former Republican speaking at the Democratic National Convention. It's the first time he's done this and it's pretty remarkable.”
— Conversation during NBC’s coverage, 10:33 p.m. Eastern.
“[National Security Republicans] have come out in large numbers [for Biden]. You've seen a hollowing out of the State Department and the intelligence community. The President has taken on all of these agencies....I've seen all of these people, I've worked with them for years in different administrations. They're not partisans.”
— Mitchell, 10:49 p.m. Eastern.
Biden Would Be ‘Most Prepared Person Ever’ to Win Presidency, Would Make Adversaries ‘Nervous’
“In the situation room, Lester, he sat at the President's right hand. He was in the room for every single large decision. The drawdown in Iraq, the buildup in Afghanistan, and the drawdown, the effort to take down Osama bin Laden, the effort to go after Iran's nuclear program. Joe Biden was in all of those discussions. When he raises his right hand, Lester, and takes the oath, he will be the most prepared person ever to assume the presidency and that's again why I think the Biden team likes this contrast because Trump has been so erratic, he’s been so cozying up to dictators like Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden will make our adversaries very nervous and our allies, I think, will breathe a sigh of relief.”
— NBC News and MSNBC national security analyst and former Obama official Jeremy Bash, 10:48 p.m. Eastern.
Nets Saddened Trump Undid Obama's Foreign Policy, Kerry's ‘Crowning,’ ‘Signature’ Iran Deal
“I think what we're going to hear tonight, is America safer today? And at the center of that is the pandemic, but it's bigger than that. What is America's place in the world? What has Donald Trump done to foreign policy? And I'm sure you'll hear a lot about Iran, I'm sure you'll hear a lot about North Korea. North Korea, he made history, Donald Trump, by meeting with Kim Jong-un, but nothing has come of that in terms of denuclearization and Iran. We have John Kerry's signature deal, the Iran nuclear deal, that President Trump ripped up and again, no progress there. Iran is now violating certain parts of that agreement.”
— Chief diplomatic affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, 10:33 p.m. Eastern.
“Remember he was the negotiator in the Paris climate change agreement and for the Democrats, that is kind of the centerpiece of showing the importance of climate science, even though — even at the time, having followed it, they recognized and admitted it wasn't enough to deal with the entire issue. He'll also talk about restoring America on the world stage, this idea of trying to rebuild alliances, the damage that has been done, and part of that rebuilding alliances with Europe, even if that is a bit nostalgic, some would say, is about trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal which, of course, is his crowning achievement.”
— CBS's Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, 10:31 p.m. Eastern.
NBC: ‘Remarkable’ Far-Left Activist Speaks for All ALS Patients, ‘Needed’ ‘Voice’ on Health Care Reform’
“We're awaiting a speech this morning [sic] from someone quite remarkable. His name is Ady Barkan. In 2016, he was diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease and instead of surrendering to that illness, he actually became politically active, an advocate for health care reform, and he has traveled the country.”
— Guthrie, 10:28 p.m. Eastern.
“It's really such a remarkable story...[T]his is a man who after he was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, decided he couldn't stay silent. He became an advocate for Medicare for All, he endorsed progressive Democratic candidates. He's interviewed many of them over the course of the last few months but tonight he's going to be endorsing Joe Biden and saying that he really needs — is the person who is going to protect people's health care against President Trump, but really the focus here on his inspiring personal story.”
— NBC Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt, 10:28 p.m. Eastern.
“[T]onight he addresses the Democratic National Convention as an advocate and an activist and somebody speaking on behalf of those suffering this condition.”
— Guthrie, 10:29 p.m. Eastern.
Holt: “Ady Barkan, I can't imagine anyone who could deliver that message with more impact than him.”
Guthrie: “Yeah, Democrats looking to put a human face and voice to what is needed in this country as far as health care reform is concerned, so that obviously is — they're hoping to pack a powerful emotional punch tonight.”
— Conversation on NBC after Barkan's speech, 10:32 p.m. Eastern.
Advertisers that supported Tuesday night's liberal fluff on the “big three” included Amazon (on ABC and CBS), Ancestry (on CBS), Lysol (on NBC), Nature's Bounty (on ABC and NBC), and Volkswagen (on NBC). Follow the links to the MRC's Conservatives Fight Back page.
