Despite a four hour run time, NBC’s Today on Wednesday skipped a dire new poll showing Bernie Slanders crushing Hillary Clinton by 27 points in New Hampshire. ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning, in contrast, both covered the surprising development. GMA co-host Amy Robach marveled at “the stunning new poll showing her free-falling in New Hampshire.”
A few minutes later, Robach repeated herself, informing viewers of “that stunning new CNN poll showing Bernie Sanders with a nearly 30-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.” Were the GMA journalists were rattled by the survey? Later, Cecilia Vega fretted, “The numbers especially damaging to Clinton in a state where she has been on the offensive, dispatching her most powerful surrogates, from Bill and Chelsea.”
Over on CBS This Morning, Gayle King bluntly declared, “The latest poll in New Hampshire finds the Democratic primary there is turning into no contest at all.” Reporter Nancy Cordes called Sanders’s margin an “enormous lead.”
Yet, NBC’s Today offered no story. The program also skipped the latest damaging news on Clinton’s e-mails. The four hour show did devote almost nine minutes to the subject of how to get rid of clutter in your home. Clearly, there was time available to look at bad news for Clinton.
A transcript of the GMA segment, which aired at 7:07am ET, is below:
7am tease
AMY ROBACH: Sarah Palin backing the billionaire for president, firing up his supporters and delivering a blow to Ted Cruz as Hillary Clinton feels the burn. The stunning new poll showing her free-falling in New Hampshire.
...
7:07am ET
ROBACH: And as you mentioned, there's also big news for Democrats this morning. That stunning new poll showing Bernie Sanders with a nearly 30-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. ABC's Cecilia Vega is here with that story. Good morning, Cecilia.
CECILIA VEGA: Amy, good morning to you. There is no way to describe these new New Hampshire numbers other than stunning. Bernie Sanders, that Democratic socialist senator from Vermont, now has nearly double the support over the candidate who many assumed would glide right into this nomination. Should Hillary Clinton be nervous?
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah, I would be nervous.
VEGA: This morning, Bernie Sanders enjoying a massive lead in New Hampshire and already looking past the granite state, Iowa.
SANDERS: [Pretends to slip on the snow.] Just kidding.
VEGA: And beyond.
SANDERS: I believe we have the momentum and I think we stand a very good chance to win in both states.
VEGA: That new poll showing the Vermont senator with his biggest New Hampshire lead yet, 27 points over Clinton. And another shocker, 91 percent of new Hampshire Democrats view Sanders favorably. For Clinton, 65 percent. The numbers especially damaging to Clinton in a state where she has been on the offensive, dispatching her most powerful surrogates, from Bill and Chelsea to a long list of celebrities like Girls star Lena Dunham and soccer star Abby Wambach. In Sanders’s celebrity corner, Ben from Ben & Jerry's. But now, Hillary Clinton feeling the burn.
HILLARY CLINTON: I'm going to keep working as hard as I can to reach as many people of all ages.
VEGA: The race in New Hampshire and Iowa so dire, she issued a plea to donors with this concession, “There's a real possibility we could lose those contests.” A real reality check this morning and there were polls this time back in 2008 that showed Barack Obama with a big lead in New Hampshire over Hillary Clinton. That was back then. We do, of course, know she ended up winning that state. Guys, her campaign calling polls this morning, quote, “meaningless.”
ROBACH: Wait, just Ben, not Jerry?
VEGA: just Ben.
ROBACH: Okay, all right, just checking.
VEGA: Just the chunky, not the monkey, right.
