Despite devoting three segments to Hillary Clinton's 2016 launch, the journalists of Good Morning America on Monday totally avoided any mention of the Democrat's scandal involving deleted e-mails. Also ignored was any description of the politician as a liberal. (The same thing happened on Sunday night.) Instead, ex-Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos enthused that the wife of his old boss "is in a commanding position."
Reporter Cecilia Vega parroted the goals of the rollout, noting "...She wants to start this campaign off small." Vega added, "This morning, Hillary Clinton is already on the campaign trail. ABC News learning overnight the former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State hit the road right as she made her bid for the White House official."
Vega noted the light-hearted detail that Clinton "nicknamed [her van Scooby]. In an 8am news brief Amy Robach repeated this apparently endearing detail: "[Clinton] hit the road climbing into a van she calls Scooby." Jon Karl reiterated the official campaign talking points:
JON KARL: She told Diane Sawyer last year that the biggest mistake she made was not telling voters she needed to earn their vote. So, what's she doing this time? If you looked at last time, she said, "I" 32 times in her announcement video. This time, she doesn't even appear until halfway through. She says she wants to run as an underdog, make it clear to voters she wants to earn their vote. Heck, she is driving to Iowa, which is all part of that message.
Vega's segment did, at least, include some GOP critiques of the Democrat:
CECILIA VEGA: Republicans reacted swiftly too. From likely opponents like Jeb Bush tweeting "We must do better than Hillary." To those already in the race, Senator Rand Paul saying, "A Hillary Clinton presidency would be a disaster." Senator Ted Cruz even releasing this attack video.
TED CRUZ: Hillary Clinton represents the failed policies of the past.
But the three segments stayed away from any labeling of Clinton as a liberal or mention of ServerGate. When Ted Cruz announced on March 23, he was labeled "conservative" 13 times.
A transcript of the April 13 Jon Karl segment is below:
7:04am ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's bring in Jon Karl to talk about all this. And Jon, just a few hours in right now. But all kinds of clues from the Clinton campaign about what they learned from the loss.
JON KARL: Yeah, no question. You know, she told Diane Sawyer last year that the biggest mistake she made was not telling voters she needed to earn their vote. So, what's she doing this time? If you looked at last time, she said, "I" 32 times in her announcement video. This time, she doesn't even appear until halfway through. She says she wants to run as an underdog, make it clear to voters she wants to earn their vote. Heck, she is driving to Iowa, which is all part of that message.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That's right. In a commanding position going in. And her campaign unusual in so many ways, especially because she has to contend with not just one Democratic president, but two.
KARL: Yeah, she's joked to her friends she has to distance herself from two presidents, her husband and her former boss. But she, you know, make no mistake, Bill Clinton is not on this trip. He won't be on her next several trips to key states. But her advisers describe Bill Clinton as her most important political adviser. I'm told that he's been at every major strategy meeting that she's had with her senior staff. And as for President Obama, she has said very clearly to her staff that there is no benefit and need to distance herself from him. They will not be criticizing , at least right now.
STEPHANOPOULOS: : And they ave to hope he and the economy do well a year from now. Meanwhile, another candidate making it official, Marco Rubio making it official today.
KARL: Yeah, and he's out. He's got an announcement tweet that kind of played on the Game of Thrones theme. Very much getting overshadowed by this, but his people say they are glad. It gives a chance to set a generational contrast. He's only 43 years old and says he's the voice of the future.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Three first term Republican senators right now.
KARL: Isn't that something?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Jon Karl.
