Just as they all did on night three of the Democratic National Convention with their nauseating gushing for former President Obama’s speech, the Zuckerville collective preached their prescribed consensus: Joe Biden’s closing address was “the best performance I've ever seen.” And with that, a convention night echo chamber ensued. Although, one panelist eventually gave away the game.
Immediately after the DNC allowed CNN to regain control of the broadcast, Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer praised his 2020 candidate. “[T]his was a moment for Joe Biden, the most important speech of his political career, and he was powerful in doing it,” he told shoddy journalist Jake Tapper.
“I've heard Joe Biden give, I don't know, dozens, hundreds of speeches over the years. I have to say this was one of the best, if not the best performance I've ever seen,” Tapper declared, seeding the CNN echo chamber.
Tapper heard his words rebound a few minutes later when Blitzer was cueing up Anderson Cooper. “It was truly indeed – and I agree with Jake, it may have been the best speech Joe Biden ever delivered,” he proclaimed.
Cooper built off of Blitzer’s comments:
Yeah, I mean, I've seen a number of and hear a number of remarkable speeches by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, obviously former President Obama, Michelle Obama, a number of others. And this kind of an extraordinary end to this convention, unlike any convention we've seen before.
The echo bounced back again, but this time from chief political analyst Gloria Borger. “Well, to me I agree with you. I think this may be the best speech Joe Biden has ever delivered,” she touted. “It wasn't a convention speech written for applause lines. It was a presidential address, even kind of a fireside chat.”
That “fireside chat” line was actually another echo bouncing around the liberal media. NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck documented how the line was being used by NBC’s Today co-host Savanah Guthrie and Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in their post-DNC coverage.
Back on CNN, former Obama adviser David Axelrod all but explicitly repeated the echo himself. “The words he spoke were powerful and they were strong. The way he delivered it was -- was more than met the moment,” he opined.
Axelrod also suggested Biden “didn't look like a guy who was reading a speech” and instead “looked like a president speaking to the country.” He added this on Biden’s delivery:
He owned those words. It was clear he felt those words. He expressed confidence. He brought the indictment against Trump, but he spoke with confidence about the way forward. And gave, I think, people watching the confidence that he had the energy and the vision to take them forward.
“This was the big test. He's passed it. He's got debates ahead of him. There are four big tests, this and three debates. Well, he passed this one with flying colors,” he claimed.
The fact that the same words were being used not just within one outlet, but across the media, showed their coordinated narrative. In fact, CNN political commentator Van Jones gave away the game later in the night. “And we were prepared for it to be a terrible speech. As long as he didn't embarrass himself, we were going to come out here and praise it,” he admitted. Though he added that they didn’t need to act that way after all.
CNN’s echo chamber of Biden praise was made possible because of lucrative sponsorship from Uber and Home Adviser. Their contact information is linked if you want to tell them about how they’re funning biased news.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s America's Choice 2020: Democratic National Convention
August 20, 2020
11:15:00 p.m. Eastern(…)
WOLF BLITZER: Jake, this was a moment for Joe Biden, the most important speech of his political career, and he was powerful in doing it.
JAKE TAPPER: He said President Trump failed at his number one responsibility, which is protecting the American people. And he said that was unforgivable. I've heard Joe Biden give, I don't know, dozens, hundreds of speeches over the years. I have to say this was one of the best, if not the best performance I've ever seen.
Also kind of underlining a mistake, a tactical mistake by the Trump campaign to set expectations so low, suggesting that Joe Biden was not capable of giving a speech like this meant that he would naturally exceed expectations.
(…)
11:19:19 p.m. Eastern
BLITZER: I'm just reminded of one sentence that Joe Biden said: “The choice could not be more clear.” The choice between him and the current president of the United States. He never uttered the name Trump, but he kept speaking to the current president, the current occupant, the president, but he never said the word Trump.
Anderson, it was truly indeed – and I agree with Jake, it may have been the best speech Joe Biden ever delivered.
ANDERSON COOPER: Yeah, I mean, I've seen a number of and hear a number of remarkable speeches by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, obviously former President Obama, Michelle Obama, a number of others. And this kind of an extraordinary end to this convention unlike any convention we've seen before.
(…)
11:20:39 p.m. Eastern
GLORIA BORGER: Well, to me I agree with you. I think this may be the best speech Joe Biden has ever delivered. It wasn't a convention speech written for applause lines. It was a presidential address, even kind of a fireside chat. And what struck me about Joe Biden, and I think the convention has been building up to that is the optimism in his words.
(…)
11:22:09 p.m. Eastern
DAVID AXELROD: Yeah, I -- look, I said earlier that the test was would he -- as much how he presented the speech as the words he spoke. The words he spoke were powerful and they were strong. The way he delivered it was -- was more than met the moment.
You know, what struck me was that he didn't look like a guy who was reading a speech. He looked like a president speaking to the country. He owned those words. It was clear he felt those words. He expressed confidence. He brought the indictment against Trump, but he spoke with confidence about the way forward. And gave, I think, people watching the confidence that he had the energy and the vision to take them forward.
He also delivered on what Van Jones mentioned earlier, on that populous economic message that was so important for people across this country to hear, and I think that will have great political benefit to him.
But more than anything else Joe Biden showed up, looked like a guy who was eager to be president, ready to be president, ready to lead this country out of this moment, and he desperately needed to do that here. This was the big test. He's passed it. He's got debates ahead of him. There are four big tests, this and three debates. Well, he passed this one with flying colors.
(…)
