In a Friday afternoon press conference, the liberal media continued abdicating their responsibility to engage in adversarial journalism towards the incoming Biden administration, treating President-Elect Joe Biden to his fourth round of softballs since the election. This time, five pre-selected reporters served him monotonous (and condescension-free) questions about the coronavirus, his inauguration, stimulus, and the vaccines.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz was called on first and, fresh off her colleague Jake Tapper’s cozy interview, began by wondering whether he’s “satisfied with the current plans that are underway for distributing that vaccine” and if the federal government should be “doing more.”
Saenz got two more questions with those pushing Biden to the left on cabinet appointments, fretting that he’s “facing a lot of pressure to add more diversity to your administration” from “civil rights groups and lawmakers.”
She later asked: “And so far, when it comes to secretary of state and Treasury, you have elected a white man and white woman, so looking at attorney general and the Department of Defense, would you commit to nominating a person of color for those positions?”
After years of condescending articles at The Washington Post (and in the mold of his fellow Postie Phil Rucker), Toluse Olorunnipa took Saenz’s cue to question Biden from the left on stimulus (click “expand”):
You just said a couple of minutes ago that there is no time to waste when it comes to economic stimulus, but Democrats and Republicans have been in the stalemate for several months as they have been negotiating and trying to talk about what kind of stimulus to put together. You were elected by more than 80 million people to try to break that log jam. Can you talk specifically about what you have done over these past several weeks to actually work with Democrats and Republicans, speaking to congressional leaders to get them to agree on a stimulus package? And what do you say to people like Senator Sanders on the left flank of your party who have come out against the stimulus program already? They have said that this $900 billion deal is not good enough.
(….)
There are a number of progressives, including Senator Sanders, who have criticized this deal in part because it does not include the $1,200 checks that were in the last deal. What do you say about that? They say that the American people who are hurting, maybe not the small businesses, but just the everyday families, they don't have anything in this deal. They're not getting any of the stimulus that's in this $900 billion package.
ABC senior congressional correspondent and Biden campaign sycophant Mary Bruce finally got her turn and, like Olorunnipa, expressed concern from Biden’s left flank.
Staying on stimulus negotiations, Bruce stated her concern that a Problem Solvers Caucus-backed proposal tallying $908 billion wouldn’t be treated like “a down payment” and instead be seen by Republicans as a be all, end all and thus (in her mind) keeping Americans from “additional relief.”
Bruce kept pressing with two more pleas. Here was one of them: “But it's been more than six months this fight has been going on. Mitch McConnell still hasn't even signed off yet on this compromise bill. What makes you so confident that you'll be able to get Republicans to go big once you're in office?”
For as bad as the three reporters above have been, PBS correspondent and MSNBC contributor Yamiche Alcindor has been far worse over the course of the Trump era. Alcindor, who goes about her job in the same mold as Jim Acosta, first asked Biden whether he will use executive order to provide help for Americans behind on rent and employed.
Alcindor also touched on the coronavirus vaccines and, likely due to her hatred of President Trump, gave oxygen and credibility to opposing them on the basis of race (click “expand”):
And then quickly on the coronavirus vaccine, you talked about getting it into African-American and vulnerable populations. You’ve said yourself you're willing to get the vaccine publicly in order to get people to feel safe. But there are people already telling me, well, President-Elect Biden has good health care if there’s some complications, he might have better health care than me, African Americans around the country.
What more can you do to convince people that the vaccine is safe for them and does that mean you'll at all lean on any existing members of the corona [sic] task force? I know that you have committed to having Dr. Fauci, but is there Dr. Birx? Is there anyone else that you might be leaning on to convince people?
USA Today’s Michael Collins went last and took things in a different direction, but the lack of prying questions remained. Collins first inquired about plans for January and whether Biden would have balls, a parade, and stage on the west side of the Capitol building like most past presidents have enjoyed with the difference being “scaled down” due to the pandemic.
And in the presser’s final question, Collins lobbied Biden to make Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) understand that despite “it's in America's best interest to work with you going forward” despite “the partisan nature of Congress.”
Ah, yes. What a timeless tradition of journalists insisting to Democratic allies that Republicans are the ones who need to understand the need to work with (read: acquiesce to) them and not the other way around.
To see the first three post-election press conferences, go here, here, and here.
Friday’s Biden press conference was carried on CNN and MSNBC, so it came thanks to advertisers such as Liberty Mutual (on CNN) and Pfizer (on MSNBC). Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcript from the Biden press conference on December 4, click “expand.”
Biden press conference
December 4, 2020
3:31 p.m. EasternARLETTE SAENZ: Mr. President-Elect, one of the biggest tasks that you will have when you enter office is distributing a vaccine. Your team has started to meet with the Trump administration to learn of their plans as you are set to inherit this task. Are you satisfied with the current plans that are underway for distributing that vaccine? Do you feel that the federal government is doing enough at this point, and what steps do you think need to be taken between now and when those first vaccines go out?
(….)
3:34 p.m. Eastern
SAENZ: On your cabinet, you are facing a lot of pressure to add more diversity to your administration. You have civil rights groups and lawmakers pushing you to do this, to make sure that you make good on your promise, and you look at your cabinet announcements so far and they have included some diverse figures. But I specifically want to hone in on those big four. And so far, when it comes to secretary of state and treasury, you have elected a white man and white woman. So looking at Attorney General and the Department of Defense, would you commit to nominating a person of color for those positions?
(….)
3:35 p.m. Eastern
SAENZ: So no commitment on those spots?
BIDEN: A commitment of what I just said. it will be the most diverse cabinet and the main spots in both the White House as well as the cabinet positions.
SAENZ: Thank you.
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect. You just said a couple of minutes ago that there is no time to waste when it comes to economic stimulus, but Democrats and Republicans have been in the stalemate for several months as they have been negotiating and trying to talk about what kind of stimulus to put together. You were elected by more than 80 million people to try to break that log jam. Can you talk specifically about what you have done over these past several weeks to actually work with Democrats and Republicans, speaking to congressional leaders to get them to agree on a stimulus package? And what do you say to people like Senator Sanders on the left flank of your party who have come out against the stimulus program already? They have said that this $900 billion deal is not good enough.
(….)
3:38 p.m. Eastern
OLORUNNIPA: There are a number of progressives, including Senator Sanders, who have criticized this deal in part because it does not include the $1,200 checks that were in the last deal. What do you say about that? They say that the American people who are hurting, maybe not the small businesses, but just the everyday families, they don't have anything in this deal. They're not getting any of the stimulus that's in this $900 billion package.
(….)
3:40 p.m. Eastern
MARY BRUCE: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect. You are describing this compromise bill as a down payment, that you'll push Congress to do more once you're in office, but this bill is already more than Republican leaders want to spend. What if this isn't a down payment? What if this bill is it? What are your options, then, to get Americans additional relief?
BIDEN: I never start off thinking that way. I always start off believing we’ll get it done. We'll get it done.
BRUCE: But it's been more than six months this fight has been going on. Mitch McConnell still hasn't even signed off yet on this compromise bill. What makes you so confident that you'll be able to get Republicans to go big once you're in office?
BIDEN: Well, because the country is going to be in dire, dire, dire straits if they don't.
BRUCE: Have you reached out to Leader McConnell? Have the two of you spoken yet?
BIDEN: We'll be in dire trouble if we don't get cooperation. I believe we will.
BRUCE: Thank you.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect. You noted today that one in six renters are behind in their rent. Millions of Americans remain unemployed. You say the situation is urgent. When you come into office, do you expect to pass executive orders dealing with those specific issues? And also, do you at all plan to pass trillions of dollars of aid? Is that what you have in mind when you say we need to go big, or are we looking at millions of dollars?
(….)
3:42 p.m. Eastern
ALCINDOR: And on executive orders?
(….)
3:43 p.m. Eastern
ALCINDOR: And then quickly on the coronavirus vaccine, you talked about getting it into African-American and vulnerable populations. You’ve said yourself you're willing to get the vaccine publicly in order to get people to feel safe. But there are people already telling me, well, President-Elect Biden has good health care if there’s some complications, he might have better health care than me, African Americans around the country. What more can you do to convince people that the vaccine is safe for them and does that mean you'll at all lean on any existing members of the corona [sic] task force? I know that you have committed to having Dr. Fauci, but is there Dr. Birx? Is there anyone else that you might be leaning on to convince people?
(….)
3:46 p.m. Eastern
MICHAEL COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect. A lot of people are wondering what your inauguration is going to look like considering –
BIDEN: So am I.
COLLINS: -- considering that we are still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. I would like to hear what you envision for the inauguration. Do you expect a scaled down event? Are you still planning to take the oath on the west front of the capitol? Will there be a parade? Will there be balls? What – what do you envision for your inauguration?
(….)
3:49 p.m. Eastern
COLLINS: And I also want to ask about your relationship with Senator McConnell. I know you two have a long history of actually working together on various deals. Have you talked with him since the election? And given the partisan nature of Congress right now, how do you convince him that it's in America's best interest to work with you going forward?
