On Thursday, the NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows all happily seized on President Biden issuing a supposed “warning” about how “extreme” the Republican Party has become when it comes to standing up for the rights of unborn children. Rather than challenge or fact-check the nasty, partisan, and divisive rhetoric coming from the President, the networks simply cited him as if he were a neutral expert stating a fact.
“The question this morning, what happens next if the Supreme Court follows through on its leaked draft opinion that overturns Roe v. Wade?,” correspondent Peter Alexander fretted on NBC’s Today show. He then touted “President Biden slamming the draft” and “warning the conservative court could unravel other privacy rights, like same-sex marriage and contraception.”
Alexander also applauded Biden “taking aim at former President Trump’s MAGA movement.” A soundbite followed of the President ranting on Wednesday: “Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history – in recent American history.”
Rather than push back on such an outrageous statement, Alexander instead declared: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slamming the draft as an ‘assault on women.’” Of course no mention was made of the “assault” on the over 63 million babies that have been killed through abortion since the Roe v. Wade decision was issued in 1973.
Repeating the network media hype from Wednesday, Alexander added: “And with Democrats fearing that they’re poised to lose control of the House and Senate this fall, I spoke to a top Biden adviser who says that they are hoping this threat to abortion rights right now serves as a call to action that will reenergize their base.”
“New political fallout from that stunning Supreme Court leak, now President Biden’s warning. Could this be the beginning of the rollback of certain rights?,” co-host Robin Roberts announced at the top of ABC’s Good Morning America, parroting the President’s shameless fearmongering as if it were factual.
In the report that followed minutes later, correspondent Terry Moran worried:
Take a look for a moment at this eight-foot security fence and gone up all around the Court. I’ve been coming up here for decades. I’ve never seen the Court locked down like this. Just across the street here, same kind of fencing put up around the Capitol after January 6th. It’s a sign of how deep and sharp the divisions in this country are, that have been deepened and sharpened by the leak of that Supreme Court opinion.
However, the reporter then went on to promote: “President Biden, echoing legal scholars on the left, is warning that the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe vs. Wade could be just the beginning of the rollback of rights.”
A wildly offensive clip ran of Biden irresponsibly arguing: “What happens if you have states change the laws saying that children who are LGBTQ can’t be in classrooms with other children? Is that legit under the way that the decision is written?”
Moran enthused: “Biden says that the followers of former President Donald Trump will push Republicans to go further, using some of the toughest political language of his presidency.”
Following the incendiary soundbite of Biden wailing that “this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history,” Moran made no connection between that kind of reckless rhetoric and the “deep and sharp...divisions” he was lamenting moments earlier.
On CBS Mornings, correspondent Ed O’Keefe heralded:
The Biden administration and Democrats now trying to figure out how to protect abortion rights. And it’s set to become a major issue in the fall’s midterm elections, with voters now – at least the President thinks – voters now have a clear choice to make....President Biden is now warning of what could come.
The infamous Biden remark ran once more: “What are the next things that are going to be attacked? Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history – in recent American history.”
If a Republican president came out and labeled the Democratic Party – which supported slavery and caused the U.S. Civil War – “the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history,” would the left-wing press simply tout the claim like a fact and move on? Not likely.
NBC’s enthusiasm for Biden’s mean-spirited hackery was brought to viewers by Cadillac, it was brought to ABC viewers by Macy’s, and brought to CBS viewers by Johnson & Johnson. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here are transcripts of excerpts from the May 5 coverage on the NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows:
Today
7:04 AM ET(...)
PETER ALEXANDER: The question this morning, what happens next if the Supreme Court follows through on its leaked draft opinion that overturns Roe v. Wade? President Biden slamming the draft.
JOE BIDEN: This is about a lot more than abortion.
ALEXANDER: Warning the conservative court could unravel other privacy rights, like same-sex marriage and contraception. And taking aim at former President Trump’s MAGA movement.
BIDEN: Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history – in recent American history.
ALEXANDER: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slamming the draft as an “assault on women.”
NANCY PELOSI: Did violence not only to women but to the Constitution of the United States.
(...)
7:06 AM ET
HODA KOTB: And Peter this draft ruling has prompted Democrats to think of other strategies to try and help protect abortion rights, what do they have in mind?
PETER ALEXANDER: Yeah, Hoda, that’s right. Senate Democrats right now are on track to hold a vote next week that would guarantee abortion rights nationwide, even though they don't have the votes and it is doomed to fail. But their goal here is to try to force every senator to put their position on this issue on the record.
And with Democrats fearing that they’re poised to lose control of the House and Senate this fall, I spoke to a top Biden adviser who says that they are hoping this threat to abortion rights right now serves as a call to action that will reenergize their base.
(...)
Good Morning America
7:00 AM ETROBIN ROBERTS: New political fallout from that stunning Supreme Court leak, now President Biden’s warning. Could this be the beginning of the rollback of certain rights?
(...)
7:06 AM ET
TERRY MORAN: Take a look for a moment at this eight-foot security fence and gone up all around the Court. I’ve been coming up here for decades. I’ve never seen the Court locked down like this. Just across the street here, same kind of fencing put up around the Capitol after January 6th. It’s a sign of how deep and sharp the divisions in this country are, that have been deepened and sharpened by the leak of that Supreme Court opinion.
President Biden, echoing legal scholars on the left, is warning that the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe vs. Wade could be just the beginning of the rollback of rights.
JOE BIDEN: What happens if you have states change the laws saying that children who are LGBTQ can’t be in classrooms with other children? Is that legit under the way that the decision is written?
MORAN: Biden says that the followers of former President Donald Trump will push Republicans to go further, using some of the toughest political language of his presidency.
BIDEN: Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history – in recent American history.
(...)
CBS Mornings
7:00 AM ET(...)
TONY DOKOUPIL: Protesters demand action while Democrats look to make abortion rights a key issue in the upcoming midterm elections.
JOE BIDEN: This MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed....in recent American history.
(...)
7:08 AM ET
ED O’KEEFE: The Biden administration and Democrats now trying to figure out how to protect abortion rights. And it’s set to become a major issue in the fall’s midterm elections, with voters now – at least the President thinks – voters now have a clear choice to make.
Democrats across the country are now under pressure from abortion rights advocates to take action after that bombshell leaked draft majority opinion shows the Supreme Court could soon overturn Roe vs. Wade.
(...)
O’KEEFE: President Biden is now warning of what could come.
JOE BIDEN: What are the next things that are going to be attacked? Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history – in recent American history.
O’KEEFE: The White House says it’s exploring options for what it might do once Roe vs. Wade is overturned but doesn’t want to preview them until or unless the Court actually overturns that original ruling.
(...)
