Campaigns & Elections

The “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC offered periodic updates on Tuesday night concerning the New Hampshire primary results and hailed them in the 10:00 p.m. Eastern hour as symbolizing “an earth-shaking night in politics” with socialist Senator Bernie Sanders notching a win in his ongoing “crusade” with some “brutal coverage” ahead for Hillary Clinton. 

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd and Brian Williams on Tuesday hailed John Kasich’s second place finish in New Hampshire as evidence that the “grown-ups” and “adults” in the Republican Party had been victorious. Presumably citing Joe Scarborough, Brian Williams touted, “My friend Joe in New Jersey says he's always been the only grownup in the race.” 

On the same night Rachel Maddow dismissed the concept of the liberal media, the MSNBC host sneered that the Republican Party could turn into a “xenophobic” movement of the “hard-right.” Maddow flashed back to the 1996 presidential election and contrasted 2016: “Pitchfork populism and xenophobic nativism of a very, very hard-right cast and [Pat Buchanan] won in New Hampshire.” 

After having been up most of the day, the long day for MSNBC’s Chris Matthews dragged on into the 11:00 p.m. Eastern hour as the Hardball host argued that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is “growing in political ability and reach” with his New Hampshire victory and could court “the Democratic center right now” as well as “center right” Democrats (as if there‘s any of them left).

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Tuesday denied the existence of a vast liberal media as she anchored live coverage of the New Hampshire primary results. Just after socialist Bernie Sanders declared victory, Maddow seriously insisted, “People talk about the liberal media and they say the whole media is liberal and the whole establishment is liberal, it's not true.” 

As the voting results started streaming in tonight, MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Mika Brzezinski, and Joe Scarborough all gushed over Donald Trump's evolution in tone on the campaign trail since Iowa. Brzezinski, for example, hailed the New York real-estate developer as "more learned" and exuding less "bravado."

Commenting on Hillary Clinton’s concession speech to Bernie Sanders Tuesday night as the New Hampshire primary results came in, CNN panelists Van Jones and former Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ruled that Clinton was “learning,” “listening” and putting out a “very important” “message” despite her loss and narrow Iowa win.

Esquire columnist and frequent MSNBC guest Charles Pierce on Monday assailed Marco Rubio for attacking Barack Obama. Regarding the Republican’s assertion that Obama isn’t incompetent, but is intentionally changing America, Pierce raged, “He's saying Barack Obama is undermining the Constitution. That's an impeachable offense. You don't say that about a sitting president!”

In dual network special reports at the top of the 8:00 p.m. Eastern hour, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and NBC’s Chuck Todd expressed their amazement at the “political earthquake” by the New Hampshire primary victories from Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump that will serve as “a shot across the bow at both political parties” despite the polls long predicting this very result.

During live coverage of the New Hampshire election returns, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews bizarrely asserted that socialist Bernie Sanders comes across as “non-ideological.” The Hardball host blurted, “Bernie is so much better in the room with 200 people than on TV. He's too effusive on TV. He’s too hot. But in the room, he's logical and non-ideological.” 

Chris Matthews, for all his faults, has a rather encyclopedia knowledge of modern political history. So it's rather puzzling that during MSNBC coverage this afternoon he insisted that Ronald Reagan, like 1952 New Hampshire primary winner Dwight Eisenhower and likely 2016 New Hampshire primary winner Donald Trump, didn't get into politics until middle-age. While it's true he didn't seek elective…

Former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw provided a history lesson on the New Hampshire primary during the 4:00 p.m. Eastern hour of MSNBC’s political coverage and when describing the situation on the Democratic side in 1992, he claimed that then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton lost the Granite State “amid rumors of womanizing” despite the fact that such claims were proven true. 

MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle insisted this afternoon that Marco Rubio suffered "more than a Muskie moment" on Saturday with his repetitious exchange with Gov. Chris Christie because the moment "went viral on YouTube."

On last night’s CNN Tonight, Don Lemon sat down with former governor of Michigan (and adamant Hillary supporter) Jennifer Granholm to discuss why younger women were supporting Bernie Sanders instead of Clinton for Democratic nominee. Lemon brought up former Sec. of State Madeleine Albright’s recent comment that young women deserved “a special place in hell” if they didn’t support Hillary for…