ABC, CBS Praise Biden for Not Giving SOTU a ‘Partisan Edge to It’

Other than the usual segments of unity that were part of Tuesday’s State of the Union address (i.e. Ukraine and ending the opioid crisis), President Biden’s speech was filled with swipes at Republicans as he attacked them for passing tax cuts, opposing a federal takeover of elections, and being pro-life. Both CBS and ABC tried to make it seem partisan by suggesting that there wasn’t anything partisan.

“Jon, you looked at me halfway through this address and took note that The President did not appear to be partisan at all in any of the instances when he attacked the opposing party or the things that they’d done. other than the tax cut from the previous administration, but he didn’t mention the former president by name,” ABC World News TonightJonathan Karl was the chief Washington correspondent.

Karl was happy to be there “no mention of the words Donald Trump in the speech” Both asserted “it didn’t have a partisan edge to it.”

He did admit “there’s a lot in the speech that Republicans will disagree with on the policy, no question at all,” but Karl doubled down by insisting it “didn’t have a partisan edge to this speech. In fact, the overriding message was one of unity.”

Karl continued the gaslighting by suggesting that Biden tried to compromise Republicans on COVID, when in fact it was just a political calculation.

Cecilia [Vega]He mentioned COVID. I believe he meant it very important. On COVID he was repeating many of what Republicans had said about COVID and the frustrations Americans feel in both red and blue states. Two years of dealing with the pandemic and restrictions, it is time that Americans get back to work. Children must go back to school after two years. The tide is turning.

“He’s promised we’ll be prepared if there are more variants, but the message he was echoing there was one that was intended, I think, as much to speak to Republicans as to anybody else,” he said.

There was similar praise on CBS’s coverage where senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe shared the glowing response the address received from the people he spoke to at… the White House! They had apparently enjoyed a couple of beers.

Yes, and we spoke with White House aides who saw this among the empty beer cans and pizza boxes. They are happy with the bipartisan response and the bipartisan reception for this address. One aide texted me: “too many bipartisan applause points to stop for,”The president continued to eat his way through the documents. Even at the end, that unity agenda.

They might have been playing the State of the Union drinking game.

These fictitious claims about Biden’s address were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Angi on ABC and Xfinity on CBS. The following links provide their contact information.

Click “expand to view” the transcripts

ABC State of the Union
March 1, 2022
Eastern, 10:23:04

DAVIDMUIR: Jon. Jon looked at you halfway through this speech and noticed that President Obama didn’t seem to be referring to the ex-president in any of the partisan remarks.

JONATHAN KARL – There was no mention of Donald Trump’s name in the speech. It didn’t even have any partisan edge.

It’s clear that there are many things in this speech which Republicans won’t agree with. He didn’t give this speech a political edge. He was actually promoting unity.

Cecilia [Vega]He mentioned COVID. I believe he meant it very important. On COVID he was repeating many of what Republicans had said about COVID and the frustrations Americans feel in both red and blue states. Two years of dealing with the pandemic and restrictions, it is time that Americans get back to work. Children must go back to school after two years. The tide is turning.

While he promised us that we would be prepared for any additional variants of the virus, the message he was sending was meant, I believe, to both Republicans and to all other people.

(…)

CBS State of the Union
March 1, 2022
Eastern, 10:22:47

(…)

ED O’KEEFE: Yeah and speaking with aides at the White House watching this amid the pizza boxes and the empty beer cans, we saw them earlier, they are pleased with the bipartisan response, the bipartisan reception to this address. One aide texted me: “too many bipartisan applause points to stop for,” the president plodded through them. That unity agenda at the end was particularly impressive.

(…)