The personalities hosting Good Morning America made little effort to hide their joy over the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling, Wednesday. During live coverage of the case on the west coast version of the program, news anchor George Stephanopoulos tossed the story to the openly gay Sam Champion, hyping his same sex nuptials: "You and Rubem [Robierb] married in December. I can only imagine what this day feels like to you." Champion marveled at the result: "My heart is pounding, like really thumping in my chest." He then lectured, "It's very easy to discount this into a legal brief or... continue reading
During live coverage of the Supreme Court's gay marriage rulings on Wednesday, NBC legal analyst Lisa Bloom could barely contain her enthusiasm at the decisions overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8: "There is no question that this is a sweeping historic decision for gay rights.... I think this is only the beginning, by the way. This is the decision today, but this is going to engender many more cases to come to further protect gay rights." [ Listen to the audio ] Bloom went on to praise the liberal justices making up the majority opinion: "...all three... continue reading
NBC and ABC journalists on Tuesday lamented a Supreme Court decision to strike down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act as unconstitutional. But it was Nightly News anchor Brian Williams who offered the most hyperbolic summery. He opened the show by fretting, " As one reporter put it today, the U.S. Supreme Court has driven a stake through the heart of the most important civil rights law ever enacted, the Voting Rights Act. " [MP3 audio here .] Williams didn't explain who this "one reporter" was. (Perhaps he meant journalists at USA Today .) In a preview... continue reading
On Tuesday's All In show, Chris Hayes used an over the top metaphor of violence to recount the day's Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, as the MSNBC host opened the show by asserting that Chief Justice John Roberts had driven a "knife" into the "soft underbelly" of the act and "dragged the gasping, dying body across the street onto the steps of the Capitol." Hayes: But we begin tonight with the truly stunning decision by the Supreme Court where, if I may speak metaphorically, I believe John Roberts took out a knife and plunged it into the... continue reading
A smiling Terry Moran made little effort to contain his excitement on Wednesday, hyping the Supreme Court's pro-gay marriage decisions as "poetic" and a "declaration" for "equal dignity." During live coverage, Moran and other journalists kept cutting to California, touting the cheering and celebrations there. Minutes after the Court struck down key provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, Moran thrilled, "And there is ringing language in here affirming the equal dignity and the equal rights of gay Americans under federal law." The grinning journalist said of Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion, "He wrote one case in language that is almost... continue reading
The always hyperbolic Chris Matthews on Tuesday touted Barack Obama's call for action on global warming with a rambling warning. The Hardball anchor hyperventilated, " And why did President Obama try to move the ball on global warming and climate change today? Well, because cities like Miami are about to turn into Atlantis if we don't do something about this. " [MP3 audio here .] He added, " They're only five feet in the air, Atlantis – I mean Miami ." If one assumes that Matthews knows Atlantis isn't real, he presumably meant that Miami is only a few feet... continue reading
On Tuesday, successive MSNBC hosts used the failing health of former South African president Nelson Mandela to promote President Obama's upcoming trip to Africa. Daily Rundown host Chuck Todd lead the way when he announced: "We have some developing news that we just have to share. Nelson Mandela's daughter, Zindzi Mandela, tells NBC that she was with Nelson Mandela, that she told him of President Obama's upcoming visit to South Africa. And in Zindzi's words, she told him, quote, 'Obama is coming, and he opened his eyes and gave me a smile.'" [ Listen to the audio ] After that... continue reading
Charlie Rose forwarded the latest liberal spin about the IRS scandal on Tuesday's CBS This Morning . The anchor hyped how the agency apparently placed liberal groups on "be-on-the-lookout" lists, and asked Rep. Paul Ryan, " Does it look less partisan with this new information? " Moments earlier in the morning newscast, correspondent Nancy Cordes reported that "groups were flagged for a whole variety of reasons when they applied for tax-exempt status, and Democrats say that's proof that there was no partisan agenda at the IRS ." [audio clips available here ; video below ] As he introduced his guest,... continue reading
It's over. There's nothing left to see regarding the IRS Tea Party scandal. Well at least that was the opinion Rachel Maddow issued on her self-titled MSNBC show on Monday night. Citing a November 2010 IRS document released by House Democrats, that listed "progressive" as one of the keywords agents should watch out for, Maddow claimed it proved the tax agency was "scrutinizing" groups "both on the conservative side and on the liberal side." Maddow then went on to boast: "Which means this whole thing is over now. Right?" However, that argument is a red herring. As even the USA... continue reading
Appearing on MSNBC moments after the Supreme Court handed down its decision on the Voting Rights Act, NBC News chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd wrung his hands over the prospect of Congress having to make adjustments to the 1965 law: "I don't think Congress is mature enough to do this right now, to be perfectly blunt. That the political, ideological, sort of the way some of these members conduct themselves, I am a pessimist on their ability to do something like this." [ Listen to the audio ] Was Todd referring to both Republicans and Democrats? His remarks seconds... continue reading