Just after the undercard Republican presidential debate began on Tuesday night, the “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC offered previews of the impending “freewheeling and fiery slugfest” debate and contrasted that with plenty of laudatory rhetoric for “grown up” Hillary Clinton as she spoke in Minnesota about ISIS and “slamm[ed] Republicans for fearmongering.”
ABC’s World News Tonight featured a friendly piece that began with anchor (and Saturday’s Democratic debate co-moderator) David Muir applauding Clinton for “laying out her own plan to beat ISIS” with socialist opponent Bernie Sanders offering “tough talk on ISIS as well.”
Correspondent Tom Llamas cheered Clinton’s speech as not only “pledging to target ISIS' efforts to recruit online, but also, slamming Republicans for fearmongering” while Sanders was “toughening his stance on ISIS, while telling his loyal supporters who pack those massive rallies, there are other issues, as well.”
If he hadn’t already thrown enough bones the way of Clinton and Sanders, Llamas gushed over former NBC News correspondent and Hillary’s daughter Chelsea joining the campaign trail and giving Sanders “another Clinton to worry about”: “Tonight, we've learned that Chelsea Clinton will play a bigger role in the campaign, headlining two fundraisers and she's off to the early primary states.”
Also getting in on the action was NBC Nightly News with fill-in anchor Kate Snow spinning Clinton’s speech as “detail[ing] her own plans for the White House late today” while “the Republicans duke it out” but “sav[ing] some of her toughest talk for the Republicans taking aim at her tonight.”
Clinton campaign correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell continued serving as Clinton stenographer by touting Clinton attacking “Donald Trump and the Republicans for their rhetoric, accusing them of becoming a tool for ISIS recruitment.”
Offering no sort of criticism of Clinton, Mitchell parroted talking points on how the former secretary of state and “grown up” would work to stop the radical Islamic terror group:
Her plan to stop ISIS? Foil plots, enlist Silicon Valley to attack ISIS's online recruitment, tighten screening at the border, empower Muslim communities on the front line, but while Clinton likes to portray herself as a grown up in contrast to this year’s crop of Republicans[.]
Over on the CBS Evening News, congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes actually explained why Clinton made her speech and how she selected the location for it: “Clinton unveiled her proposals in Minneapolis because it's home to the nation's largest Somali community, a top target for ISIS recruiters. A quarter of Americans who have tried to join ISIS came from Minnesota.”
As for going after the GOP, Cordes hyped that “Clinton called out Republicans like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz who she'd accused of ‘shallow sloganeering.’”
The transcript of the segment from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on December 15 can be found below.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
December 15, 2015
6:39 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Clinton on Security]
DAVID MUIR: Meantime, on the Democratic side, their big debate, right here on ABC, just days away now. Tonight, Hillary Clinton laying out her new plan to beat ISIS, saying the U.S. needs to, quote, “step up our game,” just as new polls show foreign policy, terrorism now the number one issue for voters. Meantime, Bernie Sanders, who leads in New Hampshire, with tough talk on ISIS, as well. ABC's Tom Llamas with the Democrats tonight.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Race for 2016; Taking on ISIS; Clinton Outlines Counterrorism Plan]
TOM LLAMAS: Tonight, with terror on the minds of voters, Hillary Clinton, out to prove she'll take on ISIS and protect the homeland.
HILLARY CLINTON: It is not enough to contain ISIS. We must defeat ISIS, break its momentum and then its back.
LLAMAS: The former secretary of state is pledging to target ISIS' efforts to recruit online, but also, slamming Republicans for fearmongering.
CLINTON: Bluster and bigotry are not credentials for becoming commander in chief.
LLAMAS: Clinton heads into Saturday's New Hampshire debate dominating national polls, but it's Senator Bernie Sanders, who is the one ahead in the Granite State and, he's toughening his stance on ISIS, while telling his loyal supporters who pack those massive rallies, there are other issues, as well.
SOCIALIST SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (Vt.): But obviously, ISIS and terrorism are a huge issue we have to address, but so is poverty, so is unemployment, so is education, so is health care, so is the need to protect working families.
LLAMAS: And David, next month, Sanders will have another Clinton to worry about. Tonight, we've learned that Chelsea Clinton will play a bigger role in the campaign, headlining two fundraisers and she's off to the early primary states. David?
MUIR: Tom Llamas with us tonight. Tom, thank you and we hope you'll join Martha Raddatz and me as we moderate the New Hampshire Democratic debate this Saturday night, December 19th, 8:00 p.m., 7:00 central.
