Campaigns & Elections

With still nothing definitively known about the identity of the Munich, Germany attacker or attackers early Friday night, MSNBC’s MTP Daily ushered the Brexit vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union into the conversation as an example of anti-refugee sentiment that, in their speculations, was behind the mall shooting in Germany.

MSNBC on Friday used the unfolding shooting spree in Munich to bash the Republican Party and connect the GOP convention to it. Regarding terror, Daily Beast editor Christopher Dickey talked to Brian Williams and lectured, “What we're looking at now in Europe and, to some extent, at the Republican convention and in the discourse in the United States, is a lot of talk about war as if we're talking…

In the midst of MSNBC’s rolling coverage Friday afternoon of what appeared to be an act of terrorism in Germany, breaking news anchor Brian Williams and NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel used the occasion to lament the rise of “a rightward tilt” in Europe of “intolerant” ideologies and parties against Muslims and Middle Eastern refugees. 

After a week of trashing Republicans as racist and “mutinous,” a giddy Chris Matthews ended MSNBC’s GOP convention on a high note, eagerly anticipating the way more “fun” Democratic convention next wee. Late Thursday night, Matthews enthused, “Philly’s going to be fun. I think it’s going to be a lot more celebrities, a lot more Hollywood, a lot more bold print.” 

Apparently, Washington Post fashion writer Robin Givhan isn’t the only newspaper dress-grader to drop political bombs into her critiques. Philadelphia Inquirer critic Elizabeth Wellington loved Melania Trump’s dress as an “an exquisitely put together if not angelic look.” But on a strictly political note, it apparently underlines her husband’s view that “white is always right.” She was a “not-so-…

Friday on Morning Joe, co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski sparred over the uncanny similarities between the reception of Barack Obama the candidate and Donald Trump the candidate. Scarborough reminded viewers that back in 2008, Obama supporters blindly followed the candidate’s promise of “hope” and “change” to the polls. Contrast that with Donald Trump in 2016, who is constantly…

Speculating over Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate on Friday, NBC’s Today fretted that the leading contender – Virginia Senator Tim Kaine – might be too moderate for the left-wing base of the Democratic Party. In a report on the topic, correspondent Kristen Welker noted: “A former governor who also has national security experience, Kaine has emerged as the frontrunner. Some…

On Thursday evening, the curtains closed after the final act of the Republican National Convention. On Friday, the Morning Joe crew spent significant time dissecting the highly anticipated speech by GOP nominee Donald Trump, who channeled the modern day fears of Americans. Willie Geist hyperbolized the speech as one where Trump painted “a picture of an almost dystopian, Mad Max America.”…

New York Times reporter Farhad Manjoo and his editors apparently are so insulated in their politically correct bubble that they fail to recognize embarrassing text anyone outside of that bubble with two eyes and and ounce of sense can clearly see. In a Wednesday piece (Thursday print edition, Page B1) designed to portray Republican National Convention speaker, Donald Trump supporter and PayPal…

There are occasions when HBO star Bill Maher is unintentionally funny, like when he claims to stand for decency in our politics. Maher has been one of America’s leading champions of nasty insults and rhetorical indecency, not to mention sexual indecency. Even last night, as he stood for civility, it came right after he insisted the Republican convention crowd was a mob of mentally challenged…

On Thursday night’s The Daily Show, broadcast live from the RNC in Cleveland, host Trevor Noah brought on another journalist as his special guest to discuss the Republican convention. Wednesday it was CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Thursday it was former MSNBC anchor Alex Wagner and current Senior Editor of left-wing publication The Atlantic. During the brief interview, Wagner ironically…

The headline at Dan Zak's Arts & Entertainment column at the Washington Post early Thursday evening: "We were promised a riot. In Cleveland, we got a block party instead." (There were occasional exceptions.) Though his article's tone was generally positive, he did complain that "Cleveland is basically a police state this week." Gosh, I didn't know police states had so much freedom of speech…

Reacting to Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday night, on Friday morning, the hosts and correspondents of NBC’s Today scolded the GOP nominee for his “dark” tone of “doom and gloom.” Opening the broadcast, co-host Matt Lauer proclaimed: “Donald Trump closes out the Republican National Convention in a speech that was both fiery...and dark.”

PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff was awarded an interview with Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence for Thursday night's newscast, and she questioned Pence from the right about whether Trump can be someone social conservatives can support. But what really stood out was Woodruff's repeated protests against "pretty harsh criticism" of Hillary Clinton. She said "Last question," and then…