During NBC News special coverage of President Biden’s divisive speech using the anniversary of the January 6 Capitol Hill riot to attack Republicans, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd absurdly claimed the screed was not partisan “if you’re pro-democracy and pro-America.” He also predictably hailed the address as Biden at his “best.”
“I thought it was an important moment that he did do this….This is important for now and it’s important for the history books here,” Todd gushed over Biden’s remarks. In response, the journalist dismissed all criticisms about Biden’s speech.
I’ve noticed some want to call this – that somehow the President’s politicizing. I think you only believe this is a politicized speech or a partisan speech if you somehow accept some of former President Trump’s beliefsFind out what actually happened during this election. If you believe that this was a free and fair election, there wasn’t a lot that was partisan in this speech. It was an open defense of American democracy…
Despite the assurance from Todd that there was nothing partisan about the President’s comments, just moments later during the same coverage, correspondent Peter Alexander hailed Biden for blasting Republican voting reform measures in the speech:
He also addressed another concern about the future threat. And that’s the threat that exists in the states right now, where a lot of Republicans – Republican legislatures are trying to change those voter right law – the voter rights in those states – to change the laws in a way that may impact future elections. And that’s what is a real concern not just for this administration, but frankly for this country right now.
Like Todd, Alexander swooned: “The President on this day really delivering what I think was one of his most forceful, one of his most direct speeches, and perhaps one of the best he’s given to this point.”
NBC News Special Report at 12:00 p.m. ET hour, Todd doubled down on his laughable assertion that Biden’s political stunt on Capitol Hill was nonpartisan:
He had to do it for history’s sake. But he had to do it, I think, for those that are on the side of the democracy….I think this was probably easily the most important speech he’s given as president, and I think it’s his best. And I’ll tell you this. If you think that speech was partisan, then you believe the former president’s lies. It’s only a partisan speech if you think there’s somehow a truthful dispute here. If you’re pro-democracy and pro-America, it is hard to look at that speech and say, “Oh, it’s politically skewed.”
Contrast to Todd CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil described Biden’s address this way: “He ended the speech with a reference to the United States of America, underlining that word ‘united.’ But much of the speech was anything but a unification message.” Though to be clear, Dokoupil wasn’t criticizing, he was thrilled: “[Biden] called the former president a defeated president and ticked off three lies that he laid at the feet of that former adversary…trying to restore the country’s attention to a particular set of facts that are important and are high-stakes for future of this nation.”
Meanwhile, during ABC’s special coverage of the presidential address, World News Tonight anchor David Muir proclaimed: “You could clearly hear the passion in his voice as he told the American people what’s at stake as we mark this one year mark since January 6th. Articulating the case that this democracy is fragile and must be protected.” Correspondent Cecilia Vega applauded: “…these were his strongest words yet on former President Trump since he has taken office….these attacks were personal and they were one after the next…”
Todd cheered Biden on NBC as being nonpartisan. CBS and ABC both celebrated the President for being divisive, and using personal attacks. They were all watching the speech together?
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Here are transcripts of the Todd’s January 6 comments:
9:00 AM ET
(…)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE – President Biden speaks at Statuary Hall in Washington, where there was chaos, mayhem and bloodshed one calendar year ago. He is speaking to remind the nation of the importance of this moment. The President saying, “Our democracy held, we the people endured.”
Chuck Todd, our moderator and political director, is someone I would like to invite. Meet the Press. The President took a strong indictment against the former president in this speech. Chuck, piece by piece, took down the lies about 2020 election. That was quite extraordinary.
CHUCK TODD: It was, because he’s really avoided it for the first year that he’s been in office. He wanted to be able to transcend it. To avoid the chaos with his former president, he calls him. I didn’t think he uttered the “T” word. I want to double check, but I’m pretty sure he kept referring to him either as the former president or the defeated former president.
However, he spoke with advisors who confirmed that he believed today was the right moment and opportunity to take advantage of the bully pulpit. Each lie was exposed and he pursued them all. I thought, you know, using the common sense one, is how can Republicans have gained House seats on the same ballot that somehow Donald Trump doesn’t believe is accurate. It was a significant moment for me that he had done this. He hadn’t done it before. This is important for now and it’s important for the history books here.
You know, it’s interesting, I’ve noticed some want to call this – that somehow the President’s politicizing. I think you only believe this is a politicized speech or a partisan speech if you somehow accept some of former President Trump’s beliefs about what happened in this election. If you believe that this was a free and fair election, there wasn’t a lot that was partisan in this speech. This was a full-throated defense of the American democracy in a way we’ve not heard it from this president before, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: And let me turn to Peter Alexander on that because it didn’t used to be a partisan thing, actually, to be in favor of democracy. This was the only thing Republicans and Democrats agreed on. We do find that 71% of the Republican Party believe that 2020’s election was fraudulent and that Donald Trump is the correctful president. Only 61% think Joe Biden has illegitimacy. That’s not – that’s a mainstream view in the Republican Party right now.
ALEXANDER: Yeah, Savannah, that’s exactly right. However, almost 4 out 10 Americans believe President Biden wasn’t rightly elected. This is a significant difference from a year ago.
It was an emotional speech, which, Chuck said, felt very much like something that the President wanted to give for a long time but has been reluctant until now. He used words that were particularly harsh about Donald Trump’s predecessor, who was a man who likes to be the winner. On that, the President used words like “lost,” “defeated,” and “failed.”
He also addressed another concern about the future threat. And that’s the threat that exists in the states right now, where a lot of Republicans – Republican legislatures are trying to change those voter right law – the voter rights in those states – to change the laws in a way that may impact future elections. And that’s what is a real concern not just for this administration, but frankly for this country right now. It is the belief that the “big lie” exists still and they need to continue to promote it in order to get back to power.
The President on this day really delivering what I think was one of his most forceful, one of his most direct speeches, and perhaps one of the best he’s given to this point.
(…)
12:19 ET
(…)
CHUCK TODD (My understanding is that it was an issue he’d been trying to avoid). Look, what was remarkable to me about it is that it’s gone – we went a year without him responding to this. He was determined to avoid this. He – and a lot of people thought this – if you ignore some of the craziest rantings of the former president, maybe he’ll fade away. This may wear out. One year later, that’s not the case. That’s why the President – this President of the United States, Joe Biden, had to do what he did. He had to do it for history’s sake. He had to, but it was necessary for the sake of history.
It is this that I believe a lot people have described. I think this was probably easily the most important speech he’s given as president, and I think it’s his best. And I’ll tell you this. If you think that speech was partisan, then you believe the former president’s lies. It’s only a partisan speech if you think there’s somehow a truthful dispute here. If you’re pro-democracy and pro-America, it is hard to look at that speech and say, “Oh, it’s politically skewed.”
And to see today some elected Republicans try to have it both ways, condemning what happened on January 6th, but then trying to memory hole how we got to January 6th, and instead, try to play politics with it, I think it just shows you, unfortunately, how powerful the former president’s hold is on approximately 30% to 40% of the American people.
(…)
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