In a great catch by Washington Examiner’s Eddie Scarry, MSNBC aired Thursday afternoon an hysterical promo for far-left activist Al Sharpton’s PoliticsNation show that’s been relegated to Sunday mornings after low ratings at the previous weekday slot at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
The 30-second clip featured clips of Sharpton speaking to Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton with an MSNBC narrator proclaiming that, among other things, his program “is where a nation gets answers.”
Right from the start, Sharpton appeared with Sanders and wondered: “How do we deal with the economic equality issue and put race in the economic agenda?” The narrator then gushed that Sharpton’s “questions are vital questions.”
After a soundbite from Sharpton wondering to Clinton about “the police reform,” the voice-over exclaimed that “[h]is perspective is a unique perspective.”
Somehow, the commercial grew even more comical when the narrator oozed that Sharpton’s “show is where a nation gets answers” before concluding with one last soundbite from Sharpton looking into the camera to state: “An inclusive movement is the only way you can really make real change.”
The idea of MSNBC airing such nonsensical promos should come as no surprise to NewsBusters readers as we’ve chronicled a slew of them over the years, including three since November:
- My colleague Scott Whitlock spotlighted on May 5 one that showed numerous MSNBC figures with the narrator touting the claim that the liberal network “seeks different perspectives”
- Back on January 4, then-managing editor Ken Shepherd noticed how an ad for Hardball starred host Chris Matthews hailing Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) as a “gutsy” liberal with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg being a “grown-up” on gun control
- On November 10, 2015, Shepherd also chronicled how a promo for Hardball featuring Matthews touting the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy (Mass.) as a “great” “leader” who “keep[s] me going non-stop”
The transcript of the PoliticsNation promo that aired on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports from May 26 can be found below.
MSNBC’s PoliticsNation Promo
May 26, 2016
12:40 p.m. EasternREVEREND AL SHARPTON [TO BERNIE SANDERS]: How do we deal with the economic equality issue and put race in the economic agenda?
MSNBC VOICE-OVER: His questions are vital questions.
SHARPTON [TO HILLARY CLINTON]: What would as President Hillary Clinton do to deal with the police reform?
MSNBC VOICE-OVER: His perspective is a unique perspective.
SHARPTON: No candidate would do well without dealing with the Hispanic community.
MSNBC VOICE-OVER: His show is where a nation gets answers.
SHARPTON: An inclusive movement is the only way you can really make real change.
MSNBC VOICE-OVER: PoliticsNation with Reverend Al Sharpton. Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. on MSNBC.
