During NBC News special coverage of President Biden’s divisive speech using the anniversary of the January 6 Capitol Hill riot to attack Republicans, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd absurdly claimed the screed was not partisan “if you’re pro-democracy and pro-America.” He also predictably hailed the address as Biden at his “best.”
“I thought it was an important moment that he did do this....This is important for now and it’s important for the history books here,” Todd gushed over Biden’s remarks. The journalist then promptly dismissed anyone criticizing the speech for being divisive:
I’ve noticed some want to call this – that somehow the President’s politicizing. I think you only believe this is a politicized speech or a partisan speech if you somehow accept some of former President Trump’s beliefs about what happened in this election. If you believe that this was a free and fair election, there wasn’t a lot that was partisan in this speech. This was a full-throated defense of the American democracy...
Despite the assurance from Todd that there was nothing partisan about the President’s comments, just moments later during the same coverage, correspondent Peter Alexander hailed Biden for blasting Republican voting reform measures in the speech:
But he also raised another issue about the real threat that exists going forward. And that’s the threat that exists in the states right now, where a lot of Republicans – Republican legislatures are trying to change those voter right law – the voter rights in those states – to change the laws in a way that may impact future elections. And that’s what is a real concern not just for this administration, but frankly for this country right now.
Like Todd, Alexander swooned: “The President on this day really delivering what I think was one of his most forceful, one of his most direct speeches, and perhaps one of the best he’s given to this point.”
Appearing during another NBC News Special Report in the 12:00 p.m. ET hour, Todd doubled down on his laughable assertion that Biden’s political stunt on Capitol Hill was nonpartisan:
He had to do it for history’s sake. But he had to do it, I think, for those that are on the side of the democracy....I think this was probably easily the most important speech he’s given as president, and I think it’s his best. And I’ll tell you this. If you think that speech was partisan, then you believe the former president’s lies. It’s only a partisan speech if you think there’s somehow a truthful dispute here. If you’re pro-democracy and pro-America, it is hard to look at that speech and say, “Oh, it’s politically skewed.”
In sharp contrast to Todd, CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil described Biden’s address this way: “He ended the speech with a reference to the United States of America, underlining that word ‘united.’ But much of the speech was anything but a unification message.” Though to be clear, Dokoupil wasn’t criticizing, he was thrilled: “[Biden] called the former president a defeated president and ticked off three lies that he laid at the feet of that former adversary...trying to restore the country’s attention to a particular set of facts that are important and are high-stakes for future of this nation.”
Meanwhile, during ABC’s special coverage of the presidential address, World News Tonight anchor David Muir proclaimed: “You could clearly hear the passion in his voice as he told the American people what’s at stake as we mark this one year mark since January 6th. Articulating the case that this democracy is fragile and must be protected.” Correspondent Cecilia Vega applauded: “...these were his strongest words yet on former President Trump since he has taken office....these attacks were personal and they were one after the next...”
On NBC, Todd cheered Biden as nonpartisan. On CBS and ABC, the President was celebrated for being highly divisive and launching personal attacks. Were they all watching the same speech?
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Here are transcripts of the Todd’s January 6 comments:
9:40 AM ET
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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: President Biden speaking at Statuary Hall, the site of chaos, mayhem, and bloodshed one year ago, January 6, 2021, to mark a somber occasion and remind the country of what is at stake at this very hour. The President saying, “Our democracy held, we the people endured.”
I want to bring in Chuck Todd, our political director, moderator of Meet the Press. This speech was also notable that the President really went after, in a damning indictment, the former president for his actions and lack of action that day. And a piece by piece, point by point taking down of the lies that have been told about the 2020 election, Chuck. It was pretty remarkable to see President Biden do that.
CHUCK TODD: It was, because he’s really avoided it for the first year that he’s been in office. He has wanted to, in some ways, rise above it, stay out of the fray with, as he refers to him, the former president. I didn’t think he uttered the “T” word. I want to double check, but I’m pretty sure he kept referring to him either as the former president or the defeated former president.
But in talking with some advisors to him, it was clear they believed this was the right time and the right occasion to use the bully pulpit to do what he did today. Point by point, that he went after each one of the lies. I thought, you know, using the common sense one, is how can Republicans have gained House seats on the same ballot that somehow Donald Trump doesn’t believe is accurate. So I thought it was an important moment that he did do this. He hadn’t done it before. This is important for now and it’s important for the history books here.
You know, it’s interesting, I’ve noticed some want to call this – that somehow the President’s politicizing. I think you only believe this is a politicized speech or a partisan speech if you somehow accept some of former President Trump’s beliefs about what happened in this election. If you believe that this was a free and fair election, there wasn’t a lot that was partisan in this speech. This was a full-throated defense of the American democracy in a way we’ve not heard it from this president before, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: And let me turn to Peter Alexander on that because it didn’t used to be a partisan thing, actually, to be in favor of democracy. That was the one thing Republicans and Democrats could agree on. And yet, we do see in the public opinion polls, in the Republican Party, only 71% believe that the 2020 election was somehow fraudulent, that Donald Trump is the rightful president and that Joe Biden is illegitimate. That’s not – that’s a mainstream view in the Republican Party right now.
ALEXANDER: Yeah, Savannah, that’s exactly right. But broadly across the country, nearly 4 in 10 Americans still do not believe that President Biden was rightly elected, now more than a year ago.
This was a speech that really felt like, as Chuck indicated, something the President has wanted to say for quite a time, though he has been reluctant to do it until now. And he used language that was particularly sharp about his predecessor Donald Trump, a man who liked to always cast himself as winner. On that, the President used words like “lost,” “defeated,” and “failed.”
But he also raised another issue about the real threat that exists going forward. And that’s the threat that exists in the states right now, where a lot of Republicans – Republican legislatures are trying to change those voter right law – the voter rights in those states – to change the laws in a way that may impact future elections. And that’s what is a real concern not just for this administration, but frankly for this country right now. The belief that the big lie does still exist and that they must continue to pursue that going forward in a way to try to regain power.
The President on this day really delivering what I think was one of his most forceful, one of his most direct speeches, and perhaps one of the best he’s given to this point.
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12:19 PM ET
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CHUCK TODD: I think it was something that he had been avoiding. Look, what was remarkable to me about it is that it’s gone – we went a year without him responding to this. You know, he wanted to stay above this. He – and a lot of people thought this – if you ignore some of the craziest rantings of the former president, maybe he’ll fade away. Maybe this will wear itself out. One year later, that’s not the case. That’s why the President – this President of the United States, Joe Biden, had to do what he did. He had to do it for history’s sake. But he had to do it, I think, for those that are on the side of the democracy here and want to know, is he going to be a bulwark for it?
And I think this is why a lot of people have described it. I think this was probably easily the most important speech he’s given as president, and I think it’s his best. And I’ll tell you this. If you think that speech was partisan, then you believe the former president’s lies. It’s only a partisan speech if you think there’s somehow a truthful dispute here. If you’re pro-democracy and pro-America, it is hard to look at that speech and say, “Oh, it’s politically skewed.”
And to see today some elected Republicans try to have it both ways, condemning what happened on January 6th, but then trying to memory hole how we got to January 6th, and instead, try to play politics with it, I think it just shows you, unfortunately, how powerful the former president’s hold is on approximately 30% to 40% of the American people.
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