Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is apparently feeling the pressure to do more media appearances, after getting no boost from the Democrat convention, and polls showing the violence across America will affect voters’ decisions in November. Luckily for Biden, the media are willing and eager to give him lots of airtime to attack President Trump with spin and lies and no fact-checking at all.
On CNN Newsroom Thursday, fill-in host Anderson Cooper indulged Biden as he claimed Trump was “rooting for violence” in the streets and didn’t fact-check him after a number of false statements and gaffes.
While Cooper started off the interview presenting Biden with “conservative” criticism to his response, or lack thereof, to the violence in Kenosha, he quickly abandoned any pretense of journalistic integrity and spent the rest of the interview throwing softballs and protecting Biden. As the Democrat deflected criticism from himself, he claimed Trump was “rooting for violence.” Cooper ate that up:
COOPER: You think he's actually rooting for violence, that he wants violence?
BIDEN: Absolutely.
COOPER: --because it allows him to claim a law and order mantle?
BIDEN: Sure and because it takes everybody’s eye off the ball...
Repeating back what Biden said with no push back became the standard for the rest of the interview. Later on, Cooper invited Biden to speculate on *why* President Trump hadn’t spoken publicly about the shooting of Jacob Blake, suggesting of course there was nefarious reasons for not doing so.
Biden of course took the bait. While doing so the gaffe-prone candidate confused the 17-year-old Kenosha shooter with Jacob Blake. He made another, more deliberate gaffe, claiming Trump had never condemned David Duke:
Dear @ddale8 please fact-check your own airwaves.
— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) August 27, 2020
PolitiFact did in 2019.https://t.co/1Pa1hQymeG https://t.co/gPIGO9vugP
COOPER: The president has not talked about the shooting of Mr. Blake. He's talked about violence at -- protests in the wake of it. I'm wondering why you think that is he hasn't actually addressed it? There's obviously a lot we don't know about the circumstances around it but the video obviously has been out there.
BIDEN: Well, look. I don't know enough to know whether that 17-year-old kid exactly what he did, but allegedly he's part of a militia coming out of the state of Illinois. Have you ever heard this president say one negative thing about white supremacists? Have you ever heard it? That's the reason I got back in this way because of what happened in Charlottesville. People coming out of the woods carrying torches, their veins bulging. Close your eyes and remember what you saw! A young woman gets killed resisting hate and violence and the president is asked to comment on it and what's he say? He says they're very fine people on both sides. He wouldn't even condemn David Duke for God’s sake...
Cooper didn't fact-check Biden at all, even though CNN aggressively does this when a Republican is being interviewed. Maybe that's because the network needs to fact-check its own reporters. When CNN's Zeleny weighed in after the interview, he spun his own set of facts praising Biden and Harris for contacting the Blake family when Blake's mother actually thanked Trump ON CNN for calling her.
Cooper also eagerly touted Nancy Pelosi's crazy suggestion that Biden should skip the presidential debates. He asked, "Mr. Vice President, what do you think?"
It's a wonder that Cooper didn't end the interview with, "Mr. Vice President, we could just skip the election and make you president. What do you think?"
If you thought this was bad, Cooper followed the same pathetic formula MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell did with Biden earlier in the day.
CNN's blatant disregard for fact-checking when a Democrat's being interviewed was sponsored by Liberty Mutual. You can contact them by following the link above.
Read the questions from the transcript, below:
CNN Newsroom
8/27/2020
2:45:35 --2:58:21PM EST
ANDERSON COOPER: Conservatives have been attacking you for taking three days to denounce violence erupting in these protests. What do you say to that?
JOE BIDEN: Well first of all I denounced it a long time ago. I denounced it weeks ago. I've made it clear from the beginning that there's no justification whatsoever for violence, looting. Matter of fact it just flies in the face of the legitimate protests that are going on and takes away from the whole rationale for what's happening here. I've condemned the violence from the very beginning. They're just flat wrong as usual.
COOPER: The vice president echoed the president last night by telling Americans they would not be safe in Joe Biden's America.
BIDEN: Well, you know, look, if you think about it, Donald Trump saying you're not going to be safe in Joe Biden's America with all the video being played is in Donald Trump's America. Kellyanne Conway came out and was very very blunt about it today. I think I have a quote here. She said “The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence equal as -- better for a very clear choice.” These guys are rooting for violence. That's what this is all about! To prove you should be scared and they're talking about Donald Trump's America? You know I’ve made it clear from the very beginning. That there's no place for violence or looting or burning. When I spoke with Jacob Blake's mother, Julia, you guys played her on the air. She's saying that's not who we are. That's not who Jacob is. Don't do it. So, you know, he continues to root for violence. The country you know will be substantially safer when he is no longer in office. I'm going to work to calm the tensions, to root out systemic racism. I'm going to lead.
COOPER: You think he's actually rooting for violence, that he wants violence?
BIDEN: Absolutely.
COOPER: --because it allows him to claim a law and order mantle?
BIDEN: Sure and because it takes everybody’s eye off the ball...
(...)
COOPER: You talked about COVID-19, the CDC just the other day, with virtually no announcement of it, they just changed on their website, changed guidelines for who should actually get tested, moving away from actually testing people who are asymptomatic. Sources say it was pressured by the Trump administration from the top. Is that change? Every doctor I've talked to said that isn't supported by science.
(...)
COOPER: The president has not talked about the shooting of Mr. Blake. He's talked about violence at -- protests in the wake of it. I'm wondering why you think that is he hasn't actually addressed it? There's obviously a lot we don't know about the circumstances around it but the video obviously has been out there.
BIDEN: Well, look. I don't know enough to know whether that 17-year-old kid exactly what he did, but allegedly he's part of a militia coming out of the state of Illinois. Have you ever heard this president say one negative thing about white supremacists? Have you ever heard it? That's the reason I got back in this way because of what happened in Charlotesville. People coming out of the woods carrying torches, their veins bulging. Close your eyes and remember what you saw! A young woman gets killed resisting hate and violence and the president is asked to comment on it and what's he say? He says they're very fine people on both sides. He wouldn't even condemn David Duke for God’s sake. A former grand [inaudible] This is a guy who is using division and hate is the only way he stays in office. It's all about dividing, and the idea he doesn't -- [satellite out] sorry.
COOPER: I'm sorry, we have a satellite problem. What's your take on the Republican convention so far?
(...)
COOPER: We heard last night at the RNC from the McCloskeys, the couple who are facing charges for pointing guns at the peaceful protesters. They were portrayed essentially as heroes. Is that how you see them?
(...)
COOPER: We've seen athletes just in the last couple of days stepping back from actually playing any games. The president just called the NBA a political organization, the white house, Pence adviser today dismissed the protests as silly. Jared Kushner weighed in on their salaries and they can afford to take the night off. What do you make of the NBA, WNBA and MLB?
(...)
COOPER: Speaker Pelosi said today that you shouldn't debate Trump. I just want to play what she says for viewers and how do you respond.
PELOSI: I, myself, just, don't tell anybody I told you this especially don't tell Joe Biden. I don't think that there should be any debates. I do not think that the President of the United States has comported himself in a way that anybody should -- has any association with the truth, evidence, data and facts. I wouldn't -- I wouldn't legitimize a conversation with him. Nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States.
COOPER: Mr. Vice president, what do you think?
JOE BIDEN: I understand Nancy's point of view. Some of the leading columnists in the country who are mainstream leaders have indicated I shouldn't debate. Not to me but in the press. I shouldn't debate unless there's a fact checker, et cetera. Look, I'm used to dealing with bullies. I understand how they work and I'm going by the rules, play by the rules of the commission and we're going to have a debate, and I'm confident that the vast majority of the press will point out when there are just gross lies. I will mention it as well, and I'm happy to run on the record I had as a senator and as a vice president, as well as be happy to challenge his position. But I don't expect much truth to come out of that obvious podium.
COOPER: Traditionally there are three presidential debates run by the commissioner of presidential debates. Is that what you expect three?
(...)
