Amid the boringly promotional coverage masquerading as objective recaps on night one of the Democratic National Convention, Tuesday’s CBS Mornings delivered one example of a broadcast network pressing Democrats. Co-host Tony Dokoupil came through as he grilled Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison on night one’s logistical nightmares, Kamala Harris’s lack of official policy positions, and Harris avoiding questions from reporters.
Dokoupil went right to most recent kerfuffle: “Look, the scheduling ran long. Joe Biden did not give a short speech. Did you learn any lessons about how to do this on night two?”
Of course, Harrison ducked by insisting he was “overjoyed at how night one went” and claimed “part of the reason why we ran a little late is because every single person got rounds of applause for what they were saying.”
Dokoupil slightly pivoted to the reality that Democratic Party bosses forced Joe Biden to abandon a second term:
The result of those applause moments and going over time was that Joe Biden, the President, sitting President, leader of the party, at this moment, he was outside of prime time and I’m curious, have you spoken to him? How did he feel about his speaking slot? Was he upset that it ran late?
Harrison kept it cool, arguing Biden was “overjoyed” and realized “the love that he felt...was just electric”.
Dokoupil really cut to the chase with three hard-hitting questions in a row about Harris hiding from the American public from the standpoints of policy and transparency. First, the lack of policy positions:
Part of his legacy is handing the administration over to Kamala Harris, making sure she wins in the fall. We had a CBS News poll recently that found that more than a third of voters don’t know what the Vice President, Kamala Harris, stands for, and you can understand why. This is an unusual year. You’ve got a candidate that everyone is cheering for, and folks don’t yet know all of her positions. How are you going to clear that up?
After Harrison replied this is “why you have conventions”, Dokoupil wasn’t amused: “No policy section on the website, it’s been pointed out, she’s done no major press conferences, no major media interviews. Does she need to break that streak as soon as this is over?”
Harrison’s death grip on his talking points beget more questions before segueing into a bland turnout question (click “expand”):
HARRISON: Well, we know she did do a big policy debrief the other day when she rolled out some aspects of her economic policy, and she’ll continue to do that over the course of the next — the next few weeks, and of course, when she’s here on the stage on Thursday.
DOKOUPIL: But is she going to do a big media interview? Is she going to sit down with people? Can I be that person?
HARRISON: She’s already said that she’s going to do a big media interview, and we know that she’s going to and it’s going to be fantastic.
DOKOUPIL: Okay, I’ll take that as an agreement that she will be appearing on CBS. There is a lot of excitement online for Kamala Harris. How do you take that excitement among younger voters, digital voters, and turn it into real world action showing up on election day?
The interview that was otherwise filled with what could be — grading on a curve for network news — hardballs, Dokoupil used the last question to hit a lighter, softer note:
[W]e’ve been listening to rehearsals here from our perch in the stands. Beyonce’s songs have come on a couple times. The Washington delegation had Beyonce hats on. There were some cowboy Kamala sashes. I’ll leave the interpretation to all the symbols to other people. But the question, I think that lingers is, will Beyonce herself be in this arena at some point this week?
When Harrison wouldn’t say no and only remarked her song “Freedom” was been played aplenty inside the United Center on Monday, this jazzed co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King and fill-in liberal co-hosts Vladimir Duthiers and Jericka Duncan.
King in particular gushed: “You know what it sounded like to me? That sounded like a yes. That sounded like a yes to me, Tony. We shall see. We shall see.”
To see the relevant CBS transcript from August 20, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
August 20, 2024
7:37 a.m. EasternBIDEN: For 50 years, like many of you, I’ve given my heart and soul to our nation, and I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the support of the American people.
DOKOUPIL: That of course, was President Joe Biden last night in a convention speech that was a defense of his record, a love letter to this country and a celebration of Kamala Harris, his choice to lead a new generation of the Democratic Party. Democratic National Committee Chair, Jaime Harrison joins me now for more on last evening. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for being here.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Democratic National Convention; Biden Passes Torch to Harris in DNC Speech]
DNC CHAIR JAIME HARRISON: Thank you so much for having me, Tony.
DOKOUPIL: I appreciate it. Look, the scheduling ran long.
HARRISON: Yes.
DOKOUPIL: Joe Biden did not give a short speech. Did you learn any lessons about how to do this on night two?
HARRISON: Oh, well, listen, I’m overjoyed at how night one went. I mean, we had, as we said, hit after hit after hit. We had some amazing superstars of our Democratic Party, and then they culminated with the President of the United States and so we’re pleased with how things went. We were overjoyed at the love that Joe Biden got in this arena. And part of the reason why we ran a little late is because every single person got rounds of applause for what they were saying. It is time for us to make sure that we put a line in the sand that we’re fighting for our freedoms and our rights in this country.
DOKOUPIL: The result of those applause moments and going over time was that Joe Biden, the President, sitting President, leader of the party, at this moment, he was outside of prime time and I’m curious, have you spoken to him? How did he feel about his speaking slot? Was he upset that it ran late?
HARRISON: The President is overjoyed. I got a chance to spend some time with him last night, and he — I think the love that he felt in this room was, you know, it was just electric. It was so important for him to feel that people love him so much, they adore him, and they are — wanted to thank him for his selflessness, the years of service to this great nation and also to our party.
DOKOUPIL: Part of his legacy is handing the administration over to Kamala Harris, making sure she wins in the fall. We had a CBS News poll recently that found that more than a third of voters don’t know what the Vice President, Kamala Harris, stands for, and you can understand why. This is an unusual year. You’ve got a candidate that everyone is cheering for, and folks don’t yet know all of her positions. How are you going to clear that up?
HARRISON: Well, that’s why you have conventions. It’s three days that we have left and you’re going to hear the story of Kamala Harris — who she is, what she fights for, who she is fighting for, and we’re looking forward to telling that story and I think people got a little — some of the sense last night, and they will continue to get more sense of what that is and what her story is tonight and in the future days.
DOKOUPIL: No policy section on the website, it’s been pointed out, she’s done no major press conferences, no major media interviews. Does she need to break that streak as soon as this is over?
HARRISON: Well, we know she did do a big policy debrief the other day when she rolled out some aspects of her economic policy, and she’ll continue to do that over the course of the next — the next few weeks, and of course, when she’s here on the stage on Thursday.
DOKOUPIL: But is she going to do a big media interview? Is she going to sit down with people? Can I be that person?
HARRISON: She’s already said that she’s going to do a big media interview, and we know that she’s going to and it’s going to be fantastic.
DOKOUPIL: Okay, I’ll take that as an agreement that she will be appearing on CBS. There is a lot of excitement online for Kamala Harris. How do you take that excitement among younger voters, digital voters, and turn it into real world action showing up on election day?
HARRISON: Well, this is where having an infrastructure in the party comes into play. This is the thing that I’m so fortunate — we are so fortunate that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the last three-and-a-half years have been really working with me to build the infrastructure of the Democratic Party. You know, we, in all of our battleground states, we’ve had people on the ground for well over a year. These are the same people who work the midterms in 2022 and so now, with this rush of new volunteers in one state, I think, in North Carolina, 12,000 new volunteers signing up in the last few weeks. Our party infrastructure can absorb that and utilize that, put people on the grounds, knocking on doors, making phone calls so that we can win this very, very important election.
DOKOUPIL: Mr. Chairman, we’ve been listening to rehearsals here from our perch in the stands. Beyonce’s songs have come on a couple times. The Washington delegation had Beyonce hats on. There were some cowboy Kamala sashes. I’ll leave the interpretation to all the symbols to other people. But the question, I think that lingers is, will Beyonce herself be in this arena at some point this week?
HARRISON: Well, every day she’s in here singing “Freedom,” so at least we hear it across the intercom.
DOKOUPIL: Okay, all right, that’s not a no, Mr. Chairman. Jamie Harrison, thank you very much so much.
HARRISON: Thank you so much for having me.
DOKOUPIL: Vlad, Gayle, Jericka, I’ll send it back to you on that note, it sounds like a maybe.
JERICKA DUNCAN: Yes.
DUTHIERS: That’s what it sounded like to us, Tony.
KING: You know what it sounded like to me? That sounded like a yes. That sounded like a yes to me, Tony. We shall see. We shall see.
DUTHIERS: We will absolutely see. All right, Tony, thank you very much.
