To offer an overview of how the national media are twisting the convention coverage, we're awarding a Quote of the Day to the journalist or pundit who offers the most outrageous quote or best summary of the night's media theme. On Monday night, the convention focused on the theme of keeping America safe. Unsurprisingly, the network stars felt this was a "dark" and "divisive" message. Former NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw provided the first Quote of the Day for calling out Donald Trump and his supporters for not being unifying people....as if liberals unify the country by championing angry black and Latino activists who rail against the country as a hive of racists.
The fact of the matter is, however, as you look at this audience and as you look at the message, even with Mrs. Trump saying what she said, it's a pretty divisive message. There was no attempt to really pull the country together. It’s kind of separating one against the other, which worked so successfully for him. All the pollsters say they go out and talk to groups, and they talk about some of the outrageous things he's said and the way he's challenged people even in his own party. They don't care. They like him for who he is, taking on the conventional way we do business. – Former anchorman Tom Brokaw on NBC.
Here are a few runner-ups that provide a flavor of how liberal networks thought the whole night was a “dark night” for the GOP.
“But it was the kind of unsettled emotions that Donald Trump has sparked in many people around the country. And as I say, a security breach. And the whole sense here tonight, many of the speeches from the podium, we've heard a grieving mother of one of the dead from Benghazi, the Benghazi attacks. We’ve heard a blow-by-blow description of killing people on the battlefield there in Benghazi. It has been a dark night, in many ways from the podium and it is that kind of emotion that one feels here.” – ABC correspondent Terry Moran.
"I don't understand why the Republicans would choose to put this on primetime television when they have such wonderful stories of American heroism to speak to the American people. I think it was wrong. I don't care what that woman up there [Patricia Smith], the mother has felt, her emotions are her own but for the country in choosing a leader, it's wrong to have someone get up there and tell a lie about Hillary Clinton. It's not true. It's logically not true." – MSNBC convention anchor Chris Matthews.
“The question is when do we get around to appreciating, to valuing the sanctity, the humanity, and the dignity of black life. That's what's at the stake. That’s why Black Lives Matter is in the streets protesting. I think protest has its place and when I hear the sheriff speaking about black lives matter as anarchy, first of all, I don't think that's the case, but if it is the case, then I think the Boston Tea Party is anarchy, but we wouldn't be here without it, and so I believe that at our best, America embraces the notion of peaceful non-violent protests.” – PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley on MSNBC.
“Benghazi does serve one — another political — does serve Trump in another way positively, politically, which is it's a way to unify this crowd quickly. It’s a way to get cheap unity, to put it — where he kind of needs it. Especially today given what happened this afternoon, he needs a little cheap unity here, getting things to get everybody unified....Beating up Hillary, using Benghazi to beat up Hillary is an easy way to do it. They’re doing a little Fast and Furious now. That’s another thing. It’s sort of lowest common denominator stuff that just, sort of, everybody will give you an applause line for.” – NBC chief political correspondent Chuck Todd.
