ABC Swoons Over Biden’s Buffalo Speech Trying to ‘Heal…a Very Broken Country’

All three broadcast networks aired special reports Tuesday afternoon on President Biden’s visit to Buffalo, New York following Saturday’s racist act of terror and, in the case of ABC, senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce was enthralled and almost emotional in vocalizing support for Biden’s broad strokes about white supremacy. In Bruce’s words, Biden was saddled with “a really impossible task…to heal what is still very clear a very broken country.”

Oh, there’s nothing quite like the good side to American-bashing. same veinAs CBS Mornings Gayle King was the co-host hours before.

ABC’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir teed Bruce up, boasting of Biden’s “strong words”How many are in? “the media and politics”White supremacy is being promoted “for power, political gain, and for profit.” Bruce boasted from there that there was “no question that this is the strongest condemnation yet from Joe Biden since he took office, against the hate, the racist hate that is ripping this country apart.”

She continued by touting how “really remarkable” it was for Biden to attack “members of the media and those in the political sphere.” Note how Bruce accepted Biden’s premise as fact:

It is remarkable that the President Biden called out those who allow this hatred to flourish in both the media and the political sphere. Biden called out all those who permit this hate to be used by people via the internet in order for them believe this fringe, racist theory. This was the same idea that the Buffalo shooting suspect advocated. The President stating that anyone spreading lies to gain power, political gains, or profit must be held accountable[.]

Bruce added that America’s “strong” thanks to “the diversity of this country” and such opposition to diversity at Charlottesville in 2017 was what led Biden to run for president.

It seemed as though Biden had been made a partisan by the ABC. “critics” were only the left, noting they’ve wanted him to do more and wield “his bully pulpit, his microphone, the power of the presidency and his political weight.” 

Bruce claimed that he had fulfilled those requirements on Tuesday. “to begin a really impossible task of, as a President, directing trying to respond to hate and to heal what is still very clear a very broken country.”

Muir concurred, warning that he’ll be “holding accountable those in the media, those in the politics who are using this, ‘for power, political gain, and for profit.’”

Over on CBS, correspondent Ed O’Keefe identified those who wanted Biden to do more were Democrats and demand he “cite people who work at Fox News” and “Republican leadership, especially in the House.”

O’Keefe also touched on a proposal from House Democrats to expand resources to investigate domestic terrorism, but has been stalled due to Democratic infighting about how it could backfire in the future even though they’d use it to “target [Republican] groups, perhaps closer to the white supremacy thought that the President is calling out.”

Far-left is also a feature of NBC Washington PostEugene Robinson, columnist, stated that white supremacy wasn’t just about “part of the history of this country,” However “a growing part of the present.”Also, you can look around for white supremacy everywhere!

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To see the relevant transcripts from May 17, click “expand.”

ABC News Special Report
May 17, 2022
Eastern at 12:40

DAVIDMUIR: President stating that fear and hatred are being given too much oxygen. He called out those who abuse it for political gain and power. He declared that the lies must be rejected. He said white supremacy is poison — a poison in this country, no more. Mary Bruce, our White House senior correspondent, is listening to this. These are powerful words by the President on something that he has been concerned about for a while. Yet again we witnessed this horrible scene in Buffalo. Now we know the motive, the fear and the hatred and, most definitely, white supremacy. 

MARY BRUCE. David, this condemnation of Joe Biden against hate and racism that has been tearing down this nation is unquestionable. It was clear that he called this a racism rampage. It is remarkable that the President Biden called out those who allow this hatred to flourish in both the media and the political sphere. He called out people who allow this type of hatred to spread through the internet, causing them to believe the fringe and racist alternative theory advocated by the Buffalo shooter. And the President saying that those who spread lies for power, political gain, and profit, must be called out and must stop because, of course, it is the diversity of this country, as the President noted, that — that makes it so strong. It is also important that we remember the history of this country, which you mentioned. The chants and racial chants that were being sung by those who marched through Charlottesville in Virginia inspired President Biden to run for office. This was at the core of President Biden’s campaign. And his critics have said that he has not, so far, taken enough action on this, that he hasn’t used his bully pulpit, his microphone, the power of the presidency and his political weight to call this out. He is now taking direct action to correct that criticism. Today, he attempted to start a truly impossible task as President: directing hate responses and healing what remains very clearly a very damaged country, David.

Mary Bruce watches this live from the White House. Mary, thank you. Mary noted that President Obama went further than Mary today in condemning the hateful acts of violence we see across this country. Obviously concerned about the far reaches of the internet, fringe groups, but also today signaling that he is also holding accountable those in the media, those in the politics who are using this, for power, political gain, and for profit, as Mary said moments ago.

—

CBS News Special Report
May 17, 2022
Eastern, 12:41

ED O’KEEFE: In a speech that otherwise repeats themes that he has touched on throughout his candidacy for president and throughout his presidency, he is now adding to this a concern that there is, as he put it, media, politics, and the internet helping radicalized individuals spread this racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theory and white supremacy. The speech does not mention what many Democrats want the White House to do recently, which is to name people in media and politics who spread these conspiracy theories. People who work for Fox News are cited. They also cite Republican leadership in particular. And they demand that the President and his top advisers explicitly call these people out. The President inferred them today, didn’t go quite as far, but it is, as you pointed out, an amplification.

(….)

Eastern 12:43 PM

ED O’KEEFE: In terms of domestic terrorism, there is legations that House Democrats have been trying to get passed in recent weeks that would establish new domestic terrorism offices within the Department of Homeland Security and at the FBI. There were differences among Democrats about how to proceed, amid fears that these offices might target groups such as Black Lives Matter and other liberal organizations who are trying to voice their concerns. On the flip side, there will be — there would be — there will be concern among conservatives and Republicans that such an office might unfairly target other groups, perhaps closer to the white supremacy thought that the President is calling out. And so, that’s going to spark a disagreement about how exactly — and a debate — about how exactly you police ideology and thought like this and where is the line on where4 exactly that can be monitored or policed or made illegal. This is part of Congress’s challenge, given their inability to accomplish so many other things, particularly with the midterm elections rapidly approaching.

MAJOR GARRETT : What is the line, indeed?

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NBC News Special Report
May 17, 2022
Eastern, 12:45

EUGENE ROBINSON: I was struck by a couple aspects of the President’s speech, that — that first, and — and — and Lester, it’s — it’s — it’s insane that we’re accustomed to this, right? This speech can be compared to other speeches he has given at such events in the past. Although it shouldn’t, it is. So, it was not an address about guns and gun control. We’ve had that argument for so long. The gun control opponents keep repeating the argument that “a good guy with guns is better than a bad man.” Well, there was a good guy on the scene — the former policeman, Aaron Salter, and — and yet, he, too, was killed. However, he could not kill the suspect who was covered in body armor. So — but we’re going to have that argument again and again and it’s hard to see it getting anywhere. It was striking to me how the President addressed the topic of white supremacy. In his remarks, he noted that white supremacy is the poison of our political system which fuels this surge in domestic terrorist attacks. So, let’s see what the next step is to combat this — this poisonous ideology that — sadly, it’s part of the history of this country and, tragically, is a growing part of the present of this country. We must confront white supremacy. 

LESTER HOLT: Important perspective.