Thursday marks the one year anniversary of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Although the Democratic president has suffered from several policy missteps and is unpopular, many journalists were optimistic about January 2021. They compared the Democrat to Abraham Lincoln, called him our “papa-in-chief,” hailed the return of “facts and truth.” It’s quite the contrast to the actual results of the President who has begun to poll in the mid 30s.
On inauguration day, Chuck Todd gushed, “He is the better angel president. Joe Biden believes – he’s eternally optimistic. He’s not cynical.” Todd rhapsodized, “[Biden is]Never be cynical. He still thinks the better angels exist, and it was just such an important moment.”
According to George Stephanopoulos on ABC, “Unity [is]He stated, “My whole soul is in this, bringing America together.” This was clearly the theme of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. He said, my whole soul is in this, bringing America together.” Stephanopoulos found Biden to be Lincoln-esque in his inauguration speech:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS [A]Jon Karl just mentioned, Abe Lincoln echoes right there.
PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, MARK UPDEGROVE: Echoes of Lincoln on the eve of Civil War in 1861, the worst domestic crisis that we’ve ever faced as a nation….This, today, was a triumph of democracy.
CBS on inauguration day found the new president to be like a “priest” delivering a “homily.”
In the middle, it was almost like a sermon. It was a breaking down all the big language into simple, colloquial terms. ‘I’m just talking to you. I’m in this vaunted position.’ But like a priest explaining something from the Bible or something.
Geoff Dickens, MRC Director for Media Analysis, compiled top inauguration quotes, both from that day and the days before. Here’s a sampling: According to CNN, Biden gave America a “big hug.”
“Those lights that are, that are just shooting out from the Lincoln Memorial along the reflecting pool….It’s like almost extensions of Joe Biden’s arms embracing America. This was the moment when the President of the United States came to visit and kind of congregated the country at this time of rememberance.”
— CNN Political Director David Chalian on CNN’s Inauguration coverage, January 19, 2021.Correspondent Byron Pitts “Watching this moment, today’s inauguration felt more like a church service, right? And we see there, right after the sermon, the congregation doesn’t want to go home. Many people hug and shake hands. Today, I was thinking from Joe Biden. He was certainly commander-in chief, but he also was papa-in Chief. He gave a speech to comfort the nation.”
— ABC News’s live coverage of Joe Biden Inauguration, January 20.“It was interesting as Trump’s plane was taking off, it started to snow exactly at that moment where I am, and it was almost like the Earth was being cleansed of this putridity.”
— Co-host Joy Behar on ABC’s The View21 January
President of the better angels Papa Biden? Do you metaphorically hug American citizens? This is what Biden’s predictions of Biden look like after a year. Don’t worry journalists will not learn and continue to help President Biden.
More examples are available from the FLASHBACK series (which we call NewsBusters Time Machine). Go here.
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