While night three of the Democratic National Convention featured vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaking not once but twice, CNN’s Zuckerville collective had a hard time focusing on anything other than former President Barack Obama’s address.
And immediately following CNN’s airing of Wednesday night’s convention in its entirety (no breaks what so ever), host Wolf Blitzer (who last night bragged about spending “quality time” with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter last year) declared Obama’s address “the most powerful address he ever gave.” Bloviating:
We also saw a truly unprecedented moment. The former president of the United States, Barack Obama delivering a scathing, a scathing attack against the current president of the United States, President Trump. This was a moment that we anticipated that this would unfold, but not to the degree that it has unfolded.
I've been watching President Obama, for example, since 2004 deliver speeches. This may have been the most powerful address he ever gave, a presidential address to the nation, not only strongly supporting the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, right now, but going after the sitting President of the United States.
Shoddy CNN host Jake Tapper pumped the breaks a bit to make sure they took a few seconds to commend Harris, but he too then swooned for his former President.
“As you noted Wolf, it was an unprecedented speech to have the immediate past president go -- speak at a convention and talk about basically this is a four-alarm fire. You have to defeat this guy,” Tapper said.
Reiterating Obama’s “stunning” argument, chief political correspondent Dana Bash noted that “he believes that this is an existential threat. And when I say ‘This,’ he was talking about his successor, the man in the White House right now.”
She also suggested it was “a ‘break glass in case of an emergency’ moment and he was breaking the glass. Saying this isn't just about politics, this is about the fundamentals of democracy.”
Blitzer eventually jumped in again to praise Obama’s speaking ability. “[Y]ou know, he's always been a great speaker. He's always been a great orator, but he really delivered tonight in going -- in making it clear that he loves Joe Biden and he thinks that Joe Biden will be a great president.”
He then took some time to admired Obama’s attacks against President Trump:
But in going after the sitting president of the United States, suggesting that the failures of President Trump, the failures have resulted in 170,000 American lives lost from coronavirus, suggested the failures of President Trump have resulted now in millions of Americans losing their jobs. And he says the failures of President Trump are now endangering the American democracy.
Abby, these were powerful words from the former President of the United States. He didn't mince any of that, and I think it was truly historic.
It may not be a good sign that CNN has repeatedly now put swooning for the Obamas ahead of promoting their 2020 ticket.
This swooning for Obama was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Uber and Home Adviser. Their contact information is linked if you want to tell them about what they’re funding.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s America's Choice 2020: Democratic National Convention
August 19, 2020
11:12:55 p.m. Eastern(…)
WOLF BLITZER: We also saw a truly unprecedented moment. The former president of the United States, Barack Obama delivering a scathing, a scathing attack against the current president of the United States, President Trump. This was a moment that we anticipated that this would unfold, but not to the degree that it has unfolded.
I've been watching President Obama, for example, since 2004 deliver speeches. This may have been the most powerful address he ever gave, a presidential address to the nation, not only strongly supporting the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, right now, but going after the sitting President of the United States.
And, Jake, you don't see that very often. I've studied American history a long time. I don't remember a time when the immediate past president was going after the sitting president the way he did.
JAKE TAPPER: No, I agree, and I'll talk about President Obama in a second. But first, I don't think we can overstate how significant a moment it is for the girls and women and people of color in the United States and around the world watching this event tonight. What an historic moment for Kamala Harris, the senator from California, to get the party nomination for vice president. It really is truly historic. And one of these moments that is going to change people's lives and inspire people because of the groundbreaking nature of that.
In terms of the contents of her speech, it was interesting. She introduced herself to the American people. There was a lot of very progressive messaging going on there in terms of systemic racism and ideas like that. For the younger people, for the progressives, I think, that the Democrats need to turn out, talking more about problems in America than about problems with President Trump. I think she only mentioned trump by name once. On the other hand, perhaps, she thought she didn't really need to go after him, given all the work that President Obama did going after Donald Trump, basically saying that democracy is at stake.
As you noted Wolf, it was an unprecedented speech to have the immediate past president go -- speak at a convention and talk about basically this is a four-alarm fire. You have to defeat this guy. And, Dana, I mean, I -- I don't know that this has happened any time in the last quarter – half-century.
DANA BASH: No, I mean President Obama made clear he believes that this is an existential threat. And when I say "This," he was talking about his successor, the man in the White House right now. I mean, you almost saw it as a ‘break glass in case of an emergency’ moment and he was breaking the glass. Saying this isn't just about politics, this is about the fundamentals of democracy.
And you're exactly right. It wasn't just about really, you know, going at Donald Trump, which he did in a pretty stunning way, but it was much bigger, much broader.
(…)
11:20:48 p.m. Eastern
BLITZER: And President Obama, you know, he's always been a great speaker. He's always been a great orator, but he really delivered tonight in going -- in making it clear that he loves Joe Biden and he thinks that Joe Biden will be a great president. He loves Kamala Harris. Thinks she'll be a great vice president.
But in going after the sitting president of the United States, suggesting that the failures of President Trump, the failures have resulted in 170,000 American lives lost from coronavirus, suggested the failures of President Trump have resulted now in millions of Americans losing their jobs. And he says the failures of President Trump are now endangering the American democracy.
Abby, these were powerful words from the former President of the United States. He didn't mince any of that, and I think it was truly historic.
(…)
