On Friday's The 11th Hour, MSNBC host Brian Williams concluded his show by not only mocking Vice President Mike Pence over his recent announcements about the new Space Force branch of the military, but he even made a crack about the Vice President receiving his vaccine publicly in front of cameras even though vaccination advocates have asked public leaders to do.
Williams immediately snarked at Pence over his public vaccination as he began:
Last thing before we go tonight, this was a big day for both Mike Pence and the Space Force. Let's start with Mike Pence who started his day at the gun show getting his vaccine against the virus that he assured us was under control six months ago, baring his arms before a nation that hadn't asked to see them. Later, and wearing his most serious Pence face, he celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Space Force where he announced the answer to a question no one had been asking.
Williams recalled that, in a speech commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Space Force's creation, the Vice President had divulged that members of the agency would be called "guardians," which the MSNBC host cracked had ended "fake suspense."
After a clip of Pence from his speech, Williams found a way to work in a reference to The Handmaid's Tale Netflix series which has been used repeatedly by liberals to mock religious conservatives: "Well, at that point, social media said to Mike Pence, 'We'll take it from here.' Along came the cursory reminders of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the reminder that 'guardians' are the authoritarian soldiers in (The) Handmaid's Tale, so there's that."
Williams then suggested that anything about President Donald Trump or Vice President Pence is worthy of mockery:
And with that, let's talk for just a moment here about the Space Force. The tragedy is, while their mission is serious business, in part because they are a Trump-Pence production, everything about it lends itself to comedy. From the logo to the spin-off series on Netflix. The truth about the Space Force is slightly less grandiose than the image that Mike Pence likes to put forward.
After hinting that the Space Force is not necessary, noting the activities of other military branches, Williams talked up the possibility that President Joe Biden will end the program:
They further point out, "there has been no progress on integrating the Army's or Navy's space missions. Not to crush any dreams here, but to the kids out there growing up with big dreams of becoming a guardian someday, let's just wait and see what the Biden administration plans to do with the Space Force. And until then, kids, may it live within you.
This episode of The 11th Hour with Brian Williams was sponsored in part by Sandals. Their contact information is linked.
Complete transcript is provided:
MSNBC
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
December 18, 2020
11:57 p.m. Eastern
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Last thing before we go tonight, this was a big day for both Mike Pence and the Space Force. Let's start with Mike Pence who started his day at the gun show getting his vaccine against the virus that he assured us was under control six months ago, baring his arms before a nation that hadn't asked to see them. Later, and wearing his most serious Pence face, he celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Space Force where he announced the answer to a question no one had been asking.
And here it is: Since we refer to those in other branches of the military as soldiers, sailors, marine, airmen, coast guard, what would we call Space Forcians? Well, today Pence ended the fake suspense.
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: It is my honor, on behalf of the President of the United States, to announce that henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as "guardians."
WILLIAMS: Well, at that point, social media said to Mike Pence, "We'll take it from here." Along came the cursory reminders of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the reminder that "guardians" are the authoritarian soldiers in Handmaid's Tale, so there's that.
And with that, let's talk for just a moment here about the Space Force. The tragedy is, while their mission is serious business, in part because they are a Trump-Pence production, everything about it lends itself to comedy. From the logo to the spin-off series on Netflix. The truth about the Space Force is slightly less grandiose than the image that Mike Pence likes to put forward.
In many ways, it's a logo in search of a service branch because its mission to defend us in space is something our air force has always done and continues to do. And in a Department of Defense with over 2 million people, it's really more of a boutique clothing label. The L.A. Times points out, "technically it's part of the Air Force just as the Marine Corps is part of the Navy. Consisting of about 2,100 people as of November 1st the Space Force commanded a budget of about $40 million for its operations and maintenance in the fiscal year 2020."
They further point out, "there has been no progress on integrating the Army's or Navy's space missions. Not to crush any dreams here, but to the kids out there growing up with big dreams of becoming a guardian someday, let's just wait and see what the Biden administration plans to do with the Space Force. And until then, kids, may it live within you.
