Gag me with an iPhone!
Morning Joe opened Friday's show with a clip of Kamala Harris acting surprised as she was handed a phone, only to find it was -- what a shock! -- Barack and Michelle Obama on the line, expressing their endorsement!
That was about as authentic as Kamala's laugh. You'll hear Kamala enthuse: "aww: you're both together"—as if she hadn't been entirely aware in advance that such would be the case!
Substitute host Jonathan Lemire vouched for the Obamas' enthusiasm for Kamala, saying:
"There had been some chatter on the right, nonsensical, that the Obamas were having doubts about the Vice President. That could not be further from the truth."
And Lemire knows that how? He was presumably alluding to this New York Post article, which reports that Obama "doesn’t think she can beat Donald Trump."
And as National Review noted, after Biden dropped out:
"Obama expressed confidence in Democratic leaders’ ability to 'create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges' but pointedly declined to endorse Harris."
Lemire himself noted that Obama didn't endorse Kamala when others were doing so, to give room for "a process for somebody else to get in the race." If Obama hadn't had doubts about Kamala, why would he have wanted to make it easier for someone else to challenge her? So spare us, Jonathan Lemire, your claim that it is "nonsensical" to suggest that Obama isn't confident about Kamala's ability to win.
He also insisted "I think also the Obamas wanted to give room to President Joe Biden. He, of course, a friend. And yes, the Obamas behind the scenes certainly had concerns about his ability to win, but after Biden dropped out, they wanted to give him a little more space."
As Mark Halperin has mentioned on his 2Way Zooms, the MSM's all-in backing of Harris will be worth billions of dollars in advertising. Morning Joe's highlighting at the top of the show this blatantly staged phone-call endorsement is a good illustration of the liberal media's contributions in kind.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/26/24
6:02 am EDTJONATHAN LEMIRE: We'll begin this hour with a big development in the race for president here in the United States, where former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Here's a video released by the Harris campaign, showing the moment the Obamas called the Vice President to offer their full support.
BARACK OBAMA: Kamala!
KAMALA HARRIS: Hello, hi-i-i-i!
MICHELLE OBAMA: Hey there.
HARRIS: Aww: you're both together. Oh, it's good to hear you both.
MICHELLE: I, I, I can't have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.
BARACK: We called to say, Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.
HARRIS: Oh, my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I am looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both, and getting out there, being on the road.
But most of all, I just want to tell you that the words you have spoken and the friendship that you have given over all these years mean more than I can express. So thank you, both. It means so much. And we're going to have some fun with this, too, aren't we?
LEMIRE: Jen Palmieri, no surprise here. This was, of course, part of a coordinated roll-out of endorsements. Though there had been some chatter on the right, nonsensical, that the Obamas were having doubts about the Vice President. That could not be further from the truth.
So, no surprise, but still important. Tell us what you think this means.
JENNIFER PALMIERI: Well, I think, you know, one thing that's important about it is that Mrs. Obama was on the call, right? And that the president said they're both going to do everything they can. She, yu know, politics is her husband's thing. And she's been a phenomenally effective campaigner, but it
doesn't always -- she doesn't necessarily look for opportunities to spend a lot of time campaigning.But, I think, for her to be on the call, too, says how important it is to her and that she wants to help, as well. And the two of them are such a major force, and there is a, they are long-time friends.
And I think that President Obama had stepped back from endorsing, as other party leaders had, to sort of give there room to be a process for somebody else to get in the race if they wanted to, but also to show that this was -- this is a real, you know, legitimate nominating process.
And now you're at the point where both of the Obamas are fully able to express being on board and wanting to campaign for her. And that's going to be a huge help.
LEMIRE: Yeah. And Sam Stein, I think also the Obamas wanted to give room to President Joe Biden. He, of course, a friend. And yes, the Obamas behind the scenes certainly had concerns about his ability to win, but after Biden dropped out, they wanted to give him a little more space. We also shouldn't lose sight of the history here, Sam. Where this is the nation's first black president endorsing the woman who could be the second.
