For months, the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have peddled the liberal lie that the Republican Party was trying to bring back Jim Crow via the election integrity laws being passed and worked on in many states around the country. But on Tuesday, they conveniently missed another opportunity to spread those lies and boost their Democrat pals as the Senate Rules Committee held a hearing to markup S-1, the so-called For The People Act (aka a Democratic power grab over elections).
In the past few months, ABC falsely claimed the GOP was trying to disenfranchise President Biden’s black voters, CBS gaslit viewers with smears of “Jim Crow 2.0,” and NBC touted the President’s big lies against Republicans on the subject.
And yet, they again suspiciously skipped the opportunity to smear Republicans some more and promote what Democrats on the Hill have called the only way to save the country from those evil Republicans.
Perhaps it’s because they wanted to hide the Democratic power grab to nationalize American elections. Or perhaps because they knew it was dead on arrival because even moderate Democrats weren’t going to help get it passed, which would involve killing the filibuster.
In order to waste the airtime they could have used to cover S-1, ABC’s World News Tonight talked about the weather, the CBS Evening News was busy downplaying Israeli casualties from Hamas rocket attacks, and NBC Nightly News re-upped a horse racing doping scandal.
Fortunately, Fox News Channel’s Special Report and congressional correspondent Jacqui Heinrich didn’t shy away from informing viewers about the shady bill.
“The bill would dramatically expand the federal government's role in elections. Creating automatic nationwide voter registration and expanding early voting among other things,” she explained.
She added: “Republicans say it diminishes states' rights. Guts popular safeguards against fraud like voter I.D. and tilts the power of the federal elections commission. But Democrats are urgently pushing forward while they maintain their narrow majority.”
Heinrich noted: “Republicans have 150 amendments filed. But, beyond that its future is a lot less clear.” She then cited Democratic infighting as a possible reason the bill was doomed to fail:
Democrats can't pass this unless they reform or abolish the filibuster, allowing them to pass this along a party-line vote. But moderate Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have said that they are against changes to the filibuster and also want any election reform to be bipartisan.
There were also suggestions that the bill wouldn’t be able to leave the Rules Committee because of a party-line vote.
So, it appears the broadcast networks thought it was more important to protect the Democratic Party image from the truth of S-1 than it was to smear Republicans on the subject.
This convenient omission of the Democratic election power grab was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Capital One on ABC, Neutrogena on CBS, and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their contact information in linked so you can tell them about biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
May 11, 2021
6:03:34 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: It is called the For The People Act but Republicans are warning it's actually a power grab by the Democrats. The GOP says this bill, SR-1 would greatly expand the government's role in elections. Democrats say it will help protect the right to vote for all Americans. The legislative battle ahead brought the senate minority leader out today to trade verbal blows with the majority leader. Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich is following the action from Capitol Hill.
[Cuts to video]
JACQUI HEINRICH: Rarely is a bill markup in the Senate Rules Committee the setting for fireworks or even an appearance from a party leader.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I want to be very clear today.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Stop calling our democracy broken.
HEINRICH: But today both as Democrats advanced a sweeping election reform bill and Republicans drew battle lines.
SCHUMER: The eyes of history on are on all of you.
MCCONNELL: The truth is quite simple. Our democracy is not in crisis.
HEINRICH: Democrats have made S-1, the For The People Act their top priority amid a slew of new state election laws they say restrict voting access, especially for people of color; framing it as 21st century Jim Crow. Majority Leader Shuck Schumer tied GOP opposition to the bill to former President Trump.
SCHUMER: Don't tell us these laws are about voter fraud. [Transition] Everyone knows that Donald Trump perpetrated the big lie. [Transition] But, unfortunately, it seems the price of admission in today's Republican Party is silence in the face of provable lies.
HEINRICH: Minority Leader Mitch McConnell shot back calling it a politically motivated federal takeover of the election system.
MCCONNELL: For multiple years now, Democrats have called this sweeping bill their top priority. [Transition] This has gone from an election security bill to an ethics bill to a racial justice bill. Who knows what it will be labeled tomorrow.
HEINRICH: The bill would dramatically expand the federal government's role in elections. Creating automatic nationwide voter registration and expanding early voting among other things. Republicans say it diminishes states' rights. Guts popular safeguards against fraud like voter I.D. and tilts the power of the federal elections commission. But Democrats are urgently pushing forward while they maintain their narrow majority.
[Cuts back to live]
And this is just the beginning of a marathon markup expected to continue tomorrow. Republicans have 150 amendments filed. But, beyond that its future is a lot less clear. Democrats can't pass this unless they reform or abolish the filibuster, allowing them to pass this along a party-line vote. But moderate Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have said that they are against changes to the filibuster and also want any election reform to be bipartisan. Bret?
BAIER: Jacqui Heinrich live on Capitol Hill. Jacqui, thanks.
