On Tuesday night, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC applauded the victory Monday night by the leftist Liberal Party in Canada and leader Justin Trudeau, whom they declared to be the country’s “young, new leader” possessing “a little northern star power.”
In contrast, when looking at reelection victories earlier in the year by the right-leaning David Cameron in the United Kingdom and Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, the networks were far less kind and chastised the pair for an “undercurrent of nastiness” and “hard-line rhetoric” coming “at a price.”
Concerning Trudeau, ABC’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir hyped that President Obama called Trudeau to congratulate him and running on “a message of optimism, saying Canda beat fear with hope.” Muir further touted a previous stunt by Trudeau by taking party “in a celebrity boxing match” along with his famous father in former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley offered a similar take, hailing Canada’s “left turn” and the Liberal Party’s “landslide” on “promises to tackle climate change, boost the economy, and legalize marijuana.”
The plethora of the pro-Trudeau rhetoric came on NBC Nightly News as the newscast offered a full story on the elections. Anchor Lester Holt described Trudeau as “a relative newcomer to politics but one with a legendary name” with a pledge to make “some big changes.”
Filing from Montreal, correspondent Gabe Gutierrez drooled that Trudeau is “Canada’s future and its past” with some famous parents:
The son of Pierre and Margaret Trudeau, the charismatic former prime minister and his former flower child bride. Canada’s glamorous power couple in the 70s and 80s, Justin grew up in that spotlight and last night, claimed it for himself. His Liberal Party winning a stunning upset.
Gutierrez continued with the fawning language by promoting his relatively recent formal entrance into politics after bouncing between a variety of jobs: “He got into politics just eight years ago after trying his hand as a snowboard instructor, a nightclub bouncer, and a high school teacher.”
With all that, Gutierrez exclaimed that “Trudeau insisted he was ready and the voters agreed, sending Conservative incumbent Stephen Harper packing.”
After promoting his “promises to cut taxes, spend billions to boost the economy, act against climate change, legalize marijuana and leave the U.S.-led air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria,” Gutierrez teed up Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, who expressed relief that Trudeau lines up more politically with U.S. President Obama:
We now have a Canadian government that is politically more in line with the American government. Does that mean better relations. Relations have always been good, but they actually have not been so great of late. Will they now get better? That is why Americans should care.
The NBC correspondent then concluded with this gooey gem: “A young new leader, a familiar old name, and perhaps, a little northern star power.”
Back when the Conservative Party and David Cameron beat the polls and were reelected with an outright majority on May 7, ABC failed to cover it while CBS and NBC did their parts to throw cold water on the win. Compared to their Trudeau coverage, NBC only had a 16-second news brief the day after the election on May 8.
Meanwhile, the CBS Evening News only had a full story from senior foreign correspondent Mark Phillips following the results on May 8. In it, Phillips lamented that the campaign “had an undercurrent of nastiness” with the Conservative press being “ruthless” toward Labour Party opponent Ed Miliband.
Phillips also brought in GOP pollster and CBS News contributor Frank Luntz to chide the campaign for having “no civility” and “no respect” that created “an electorate that’s just plain cynical.”
When it came to “Bibi” Netanyahu and his Likud Party beating back challenges from the left on March 17, the networks were livid and went about trashing the Israeli Prime Minister.
NBC’s Lester Holt blasted Netanyahu that evening for trying to “destroy any chance” of peace with Obama as Andrea Mitchell scolded Netanyahu’s “desperate appeal to his hard-line base” in campaign promises regarding the Palestinians. Similarly, CBS correspondent Barry Petersen played up Netanyahu critics who portrayed him as “racist” and lamented that there’s “not a lot of optimism” for peace if Netanyahu won.
The next day, CBS and NBC were in meltdown mode. Pelley explained that “Netanyahu’s hard-line rhetoric help[ed] him win reelection, but at a price” while Petersen warned that Bibby would “likely bring new tension between Israel and the United States.”
Just as she did the night before, Mitchell complained the results “hit” Palestinians “hard” in that they “reacted with anger and frustration to Netanyahu's decisive victory, especially his election eve declaration that he's now against the creation of a Palestinian state.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from October 20's NBC Nightly News can be found below.
NBC Nightly News
October 20, 2015
7:09 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Family Dynasty]
LESTER HOLT: The U.S. presidential campaign, of course, has been underway for months and still has more than a year to go, but Canada has just chosen a new leader in a campaign that lasted a mere 11 weeks and that’s long for them. The winner, in an upset, is a 43-year-old Justin Trudeau, a relative newcomer to politics but one with a legendary name and he promises some big changes. NBC's Gabe Guiterrez has his story.
INCOMING PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU: I have a simple message for you, on behalf of 35 million Canadians, we're back.
GABE GUTIERREZ: Justin Trudeau is Canada's future and its past. The son of Pierre and Margaret Trudeau, the charismatic former prime minister and his former flower child bride. Canada’s glamorous power couple in the 70s and 80s, Justin grew up in that spotlight and last night, claimed it for himself. His Liberal Party winning a stunning upset.
TRUDEAU: It is time for a change in this country, my friends. A real change.
GUTIERREZ: Trudeau is 43, married to a former television host and model. He got into politics just eight years ago after trying his hand as a snowboard instructor, a nightclub bouncer, and a high school teacher. His critics called his resume thin.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN IN CONSERVATIVE PARTY AD: Being Prime Minister is not an entry level job.
GUTIERREZ: But Trudeau insisted he was ready and the voters agreed, sending Conservative incumbent Stephen Harper packing.
OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER: The people are never wrong.
GUTIERREZ: Trudeau promises to cut taxes, spend billions to boost the economy, act against climate change, legalize marijuana and leave the U.S.-led air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Why should Americans care about Canadian politics?
MEET THE PRESS MODERATOR CHUCK TODD: We now have a Canadian government that is politically more in line with the American government. Does that mean better relations. Relations have always been good, but they actually have not been so great of late. Will they now get better? That is why Americans should care.
GUTIERREZ A young new leader, a familiar old name, and perhaps, a little northern star power. Gabe Guiterrez, NBC News, Montreal.
