During the Trump administration, reporters stood up to the President, telling us that “democracy dies in darkness.” Well, democracy must being doing just fine as hack journalists have turned back into stenographers now that Joe Biden is President-Elect.
NBC News Now anchor Kate Snow on Tuesday parroted, with no skepticism, the talking points of a Biden press conference: “The message from the President-Elect was ‘help is on the way,’ trying to paint a picture of an economic team that will be able to really help this economy.”
She continued the spin, repeating what her Democratic leaders wanted to hear: “And in terms of equality as well. Making sure all Americans have a better future.” Treasury Secretary nominee Jessica Yellen on Tuesday said she would focus on “gender disparities” and the “climate crisis.” That’s the focus that Snow thinks is simply “making sure all Americans have a better future.”
Reporter Geoff Bennett agreed and simply described Democratic talking points as facts:
You're right about that, Kate. And these roll outs are really carefully choreographed to do a couple of things. One to signal Joe Biden's priorities as you just laid out, but also to allow his designees, his nominees, appointees, to introduce themselves directly to the American people, to really use the force of their personal stories to help blunt partisan attacks.
Listen to this quote from Bennett. Does it sound like a reporter or someone from the DNC? Or is the difference indistinguishable at this point?
One of the things you heard Joe Biden say was that it's not for the government to solve our problems. It's for the government to understand our problems. Well, Neera Tanden herself is a daughter of Indian immigrants, raised by a single mother who for a time relied on federal housing assistance and food stamps when Tanden was a young girl and now if she is confirmed to lead that agency she will be responsible for those sort of big government programs that she once relied upon.
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A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
NBC News Now
12/1/2020
1:28 PM ETKATE SNOW: Kate Snow with you here in New York. We've been watching announcements by President-Elect Joe Biden of his some of his economic team. Let's go to Geoff Bennett who is with the President-Elect in Wilmington. Geoff the message from the President-Elect was “help is on the way,” trying to paint a picture of an economic team that will be able to really help this economy. And in terms of equality as well. Making sure all Americans have a better future.
GEOFF BENNETT: You're right about that, Kate. And these roll outs are really carefully choreographed to do a couple of things. One to signal Joe Biden's priorities as you just laid out, but also to allow his designees, his nominees, appointees, to introduce themselves directly to the American people, to really use the force of their personal stories to help blunt partisan attacks and that's especially important for those jobs with so many of these are which are Senate confirm-able and that's particularly important for people like Neera Tanden Joe, Biden's choice to lead the Office of Management and Budget who has found herself on the receiving end of criticism from some progressives and some Republicans for some controversial things she said on Twitter and elsewhere. One of the things you heard Joe Biden say was that it's not for the government to solve our problems. It's for the government to understand our problems. Well, Neera Tanden herself is a daughter of Indian immigrants, raised by a single mother who for a time relied on federal housing assistance and food stamps when Tanden was a young girl and now if she is confirmed to lead that agency she will be responsible for those sort of big government programs that she once relied upon.
So these six people for the people who have been tasked by Joe Biden to do the hard thinking the heavy lifting to help re-order the economy is Biden puts it to work for working people. And these are also folks who based on their past work in their public comments believe in promoting labor unions, believe in raising the minimum wage believe in instituting paid leave, a whole host of things. Another thing that's important to note here in Joe Biden spoke about this himself is the level of diversity Wally Adeyemo, if confirmed to be the first black person to serve as Deputy Treasury Secretary. Cecilia Rouse professor, Doctor Cecilia Rouse from Princeton University will be the first black woman to leave the Council of Economic Advisers. And then Janet Yellen would be the first woman in the history of the republic to lead the Treasury Department. Think about that. The Treasury Department was signed into law by George Washington. He signed the bill that created the Treasury Department. And now if confirmed, she would be the first woman to leave that department. Kate?
