On Wednesday night, the broadcast networks reminded viewers of their undying love and adoration for former President Barack Obama, hailing his 2020 DNC remarks as a “pretty amazing” speech about “democracy” and “hope” that warned the former was “at stake” in 2020.
And if that wasn’t enough, ABC claimed it would be “eloquent” and “edge” before it even happened while CBS called it afterward “the most powerful get out the vote message” in U.S. history at a convention.
So, while they made clear that they were fans of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), it was as clear as day Obama has and will continue to remain at the center of their hearts.
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt framed the speech as having been above the political fray, telling Today co-host Savannah Guthrie that while Obama spoke in support of Joe Biden and “took his shots at Donald Trump,” it was “mostly...a speech about democracy.”
Guthrie was similarly in awe, refusing to fact-check Obama’s claim that Republicans want to “take away your democracy.”
And speaking of facts, she left them in the rear view mirror as she falsely claimed the Declaration of Independence was held at Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution where Obama spoke.
Whether you’ve visited Washington D.C. or watched National Treasure, you’d know both the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are at the National Archives.
Summing up the evening, Holt boasted that the “last half hour” with both Obama and Harris “was quite fascinating,” which led longtime NBC correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell to also leave facts behind.
Mitchell said that Obama offered an “unprecedented attack” on Trump that was “something he had resisted doing until John Lewis’s funeral.”
“Pretty amazing, but he said democracy is at stake,” she added.
Whether it’s offering Facebook posts denouncing Trump policies or campaigning during the 2018 midterms, Obama has been anything but silent.
Over on ABC, chief anchor and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos touted Obama’s “[b]arely restrained passion...calling on a new generation of Americans to echo the ancestors who made our democracy work.”
Before the speech, Stephanopoulos and Nightline co-host Byron Pitts couldn’t contain their excitement (click “expand”):
STEPHANOPOULOS: Former President Barack Obama is up next, on this night three of the democratic national convention. I want to bring in Nightline anchor Byron Pitts for more on this and, Byron, if the speech is anything like we saw at the eulogy for John Lewis just a couple of weeks ago, we know that Barack Obama is coming to this convention ready to play.
PITTS: Oh yeah, George. It will be eloquent, but it’ll also have edge. Earlier, Governor Christie talked about how much President Trump doesn’t like President Obama. The feeling is mutual. We will hear some of that tonight and, George, I'm also mindful, though, in thinking about tonight, I remember the night that he accepted the nomination from the party, what that said to my mother, a black woman. I think now this historic night, his presence, what it says about his tenure, but also what it potentially says about Kamala Harris and what it says about America.
Predictably, CBS’s analysis was hand-in-hand with ABC and NBC. CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell told viewers that, in her 20 years covering conventions, she’s never seen a speech like Obama’s that went after “Donald Trump and the fact that what he is doing is going to tear democracy apart.”
Before O’Donnell hailed Obama for “offering hope and empowering” young people, 60 Minutes correspondent John Dickerson fired off the hot take about Obama giving the “most powerful get-out-the-vote message” ever at a convention (click “expand”):
DICKERSON: You can't raise the stakes any higher and when you just think the history that’s swirling around in that speech, you have the first African-American president, at the location of the document written by slave holders but a document that lives enough so that he can go back to its original principles for equality and justice and then tell the story of John Lewis who fought for the right to vote, which then allowed that African-American President to actually come into office. You cannot raise the rhetorical and historical stakes any higher. This was the most powerful get-out-the-vote message that’s ever has been delivered from a convention.
O’DONNELL: And yet Jamal, too, while not only endorsing Joe Biden in a personal sense about his empathy and kindness and being the man needed for the moment, at the same time Barack Obama imploring young people, offering hope and empowering them, essentially, which is really the Obama trademark.
The liberal media’s latest Obamagasam was brought to you by advertisers such as Claritin (on CBS), Disney (on ABC and NBC), and Progressive (on NBC). Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservative Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from August 19, click “expand.”
ABC’s The Democratic National Convention -- Your Voice/Your Vote 2020
August 19, 2020
10:25 p.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Former President Barack Obama is up next, on this night three of the democratic national convention. I want to bring in Nightline anchor Byron Pitts for more on this and, Byron, if the speech is anything like we saw at the eulogy for John Lewis just a couple of weeks ago, we know that Barack Obama is coming to this convention ready to play.
BYRON PITTS Oh yeah, George. It will be eloquent, but it’ll also have edge. Earlier, Governor Christie talked about how much President Trump doesn’t like President Obama. The feeling is mutual. We will hear some of that tonight and, George, I'm also mindful, though, in thinking about tonight, I remember the night that he accepted the nomination from the party, what that said to my mother, a black woman. I think now this historic night, his presence, what it says about his tenure, but also what it potentially says about Kamala Harris and what it says about America.
(....)
10:45 p.m. Eastern
STEPHANOPOULOS: Barely restrained passion there from Barack Obama calling on a new generation of Americans to echo the ancestors who made our democracy work and drawing a stark, stark contrast between Joe Biden, who he says believes that everybody counts, and the President of the United States “who’s shown no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself.”
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CBS News: 2020 America Decides: Democratic Convention
August 19, 2020
10:45 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama speaking in Philadelphia where our Constitution was drafted and signed and making the case that American democracy is at stake. I want to bring back in our panel and John, I’ve been going through conventions since 2000, for 20 years, this is the first virtual convention we’ve all covered for the first time. It’s always been a speech about which policy is right for America, which policy is wrong for America. This was a speech about Donald Trump and the fact that what he is doing is going to tear democracy apart.
JOHN DICKERSON: You can't raise the stakes any higher and when you just think the history that’s swirling around in that speech, you have the first African-American president, at the location of the document written by slave holders but a document that lives enough so that he can go back to its original principles for equality and justice and then tell the story of John Lewis who fought for the right to vote, which then allowed that African-American President to actually come into office. You cannot raise the rhetorical and historical stakes any higher. This was the most powerful get out the vote message that’s ever has been delivered from a convention.
O’DONNELL: And yet Jamal, too, while not only endorsing Joe Biden in a personal sense about his empathy and kindness and being the man needed for the moment, at the same time Barack Obama imploring young people, offering hope and empowering them, essentially, which is really the Obama trademark.
JAMAL SIMMONS: Yeah, you know, the history of sort of American progress is that one generation's aspirations become the next generations expectations and Barack Obama for all of his greatness was the product of a change and I think we're going to something —
O’DONNELL: Yeah and part of that change as you mentioned passing the torch.
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NBC Democratic National Convention
August 19, 2020
10:45 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Barack Obama setting the stage for Kamala Harris’s nomination. She will take the stage. Savannah, I just note he talked certainly about Joe Biden. He made me a better president. He took his shots at Donald Trump, but mostly this was a speech about democracy.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And what a setting, in Philadelphia, the city of our founding, the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the museum that holds those documents. There he was saying in the starkest terms, do not let them take away your democracy. So President Obama giving about 15 minutes of a speech and now the night turns over to Kamala Harris, the VP nominee.
(....)
11:15 p.m. Eastern
HOLT: Andrea, that last half hour was quite fascinating.
MITCHELL: It was extraordinary. Kamala Harris defining herself, saying how she was raised to be a strong black woman and that Donald Trump is costing lives and livelihoods and the unprecedented attack by Barack Obama on his predecessor is something he had resisted doing until John Lewis’s funeral but he really came out tonight against Donald Trump. Pretty amazing, but he said democracy is at stake.
HOLT: Yeah, Andrea, thanks.
