2012 Democratic Convention

NPR Political Director Oozes Over Clinton Speech: As 'Robust and Effective' As He Could Imagine
By Tim Graham | September 6, 2012 | 11:45 PM EDT

On Thursday's Diane Rehm show on NPR stations, NPR political director Ron Elving was truly beside himself in praising the Bill Clinton speech on Wednesday night,  going so far that he presumed Democrats said to themselves at every pause for the next gem of wisdom, "What'll that be, Daddy?"

Elving began by oozing "That was about as full-throated, robust and effective, to use your word, a defense of President Obama as I can imagine. I don't know very many people who were seeing it as inadequate last night... frankly, there are things Barack Obama can do as a speaker. We all know that. But he has not been particularly good at his own defense. This was hiring the right attorney at the right time in the right courtroom."

Report: Journalists at DNC Using Fake Names to Purchase Obama Merchandise
By Matthew Sheffield | September 6, 2012 | 10:34 PM EDT

Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. Sometimes, it's just as strange. Who knew that just a few days after our colleagues at MRCTV attracted a mob at the DNC passing out t-shirts bearing the phrase "Journalists for Obama" that we'd see a report of journalists actually trying to do the very same thing?

But then again, this is the press that has so overwhelmingly favored Barack Obama since he began his candidacy for president in 2007 that it isn't exactly surprising.

MSNBC Omitted Dem Party-Jumper Artur Davis, Showcased Ex-GOPer Charlie Crist
By Matt Vespa | September 6, 2012 | 10:07 PM EDT

MSNBC graciously broadcasted Republican exile and former Governor of Florida Charlie Crist’s address to the Democratic Convention during their Thursday night coverage.   However, that courtesy was not given to Democrat turned Republican former Congressman Artur Davis during the Republican Convention last week.

As my colleague Ken Shepherd noted on August 29, Maddow tore into Davis during what was to be only the post speech commentary and portrayed Davis as “bitter” – thus the event that precipitated his departure from the Republican Party:

Pelley and Williams Zinged Mrs. Romney from Left, But Avoid Contentious Politics with Mrs. Obama
By Brent Baker | September 6, 2012 | 9:31 PM EDT

Last week in Tampa, CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley and NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, both hit Ann Romney with a pointed political contention from the left, but tonight (Thursday) in Charlotte, neither challenged Michelle Obama with any political argument forwarded by conservatives.

Williams posed a long-winded question about the Obama daughters and cued up the First Lady to assess a New York Times reporter’s take that President Obama is “‘a proud yet humbled President, a confident yet scarred President, a dreamer mugged by reality.’ Does that resemble the man you know?”

CBS This Morning Fawns Over Obama's Oratory Skills, Wonders If Kennedys Are 'Magic'
By Ryan Robertson | September 6, 2012 | 4:45 PM EDT

Immediately following Bill Plante's declaration on Thursday that Barack Obama is "one of the greatest orators of his generation," CBS This Morning co-anchors Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell conducted an interview with Caroline Kennedy. Instead of discussing her upcoming speech at the Democratic National Convention, they excessively flattered her family and party affiliation.

While reminiscing about the last presidential campaign season, O'Donnell spoke of the transference of "Kennedy magic" to Obama when he received an official endorsement from the former president's daughter and her more recently deceased uncle in 2008.  [See video below.  MP3 audio here.]

NYT's 'Fact Check' Instead Uncovers 'Startling Truth' From Bill Clinton Against Romney
By Clay Waters | September 6, 2012 | 3:53 PM EDT

A week after the comprehensively nitpicking and partisan "fact-checking" of Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention, the New York Times didn't ignore Democratic misstatements made from the podium Wednesday night under the odd headline: "A Startling Truth Amid the Hyperbole," by Michael Cooper, Scott Shane, and Annie Lowery. The original online headline was sharper: "Democrats Stretch the Truth in Talk and Text."

But the paper made an exception for the rambling speech by Bill Clinton, who the Times actually credited with truth-telling in the headline and the text. (The paper's criticism-free front-page story on Clinton's "stirring plea" nominating Obama characterized it as "poignant evening" for the president.)

Nagourney in NYTimes: 'Wednesday Evening, Rep. Barney Frank...Was One of the Prime-Time Speakers.' Nope
By Clay Waters | September 6, 2012 | 1:31 PM EDT

Oops. While celebrating in Thursday's New York Times the spotlight shown on gay issues during this week's Democratic National Convention, reporter Adam Nagourney (who is openly gay) wrote that gay Rep. Barney Frank spoke to the convention on Wednesday night. Nope: Frank was actually bumped when the program ran long and will deliver his speech tonight instead.

Politico Catches Team Obama in Double-Talk Over Boss's God-Jerusalem Platform Knowledge; AP Whitewashes
By Tom Blumer | September 6, 2012 | 12:50 PM EDT

In a rare moment of reluctant semi-journalism which didn't name names, the Politico's Reid Epstein, in reporting about the God-Jerusalem debacle at the Democratic Convention Wednesday night, buried the lede, waiting until his third paragraph to tell readers (belated HT to Weasel Zippers) that "While the campaign at first said Obama had seen the language prior to the convention, it later said he did not learn of the issue until Wednesday morning, when he became aware of seeing news coverage of the issue." (Sidebar: Does that mean Dear Leader watches the despised Fox News?)

Then Epstein just let the disclosure sit there with no additional follow-up. His story has what is in my view a deliberately "this is boring" headline ("Division over platform at DNC" ... zzz). However, it would appear that the folks over at the Associated Press got to Epstein's third paragraph, and went into full-keister-covering mode.

NBC on DNC: 'Life of the Party' Bill Clinton 'Owned the Room,' Speech Was 'Height of Political Stagecraft'
By Kyle Drennen | September 6, 2012 | 12:42 PM EDT

On Thursday, the hosts of NBC's Today could barely contain their glee over former President Bill Clinton addressing the Democratic National Convention, with Savannah Guthrie proclaiming: "Life of the party. Former President Bill Clinton delivers a powerful and partisan speech....blasting Republicans, and in the throes of a bad economy, making the case for four more years." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Moments later, Matt Lauer gushed that President Obama had "a really tough act to follow after what was an enthusiastic and powerful endorsement" from Clinton. In a later report, Meet the Press host David Gregory joined in the Clinton lovefest with his own rave review: "Bill Clinton simply owned the room here, stayed longer than he was supposed to, but nobody seemed to mind....it was an appearance that was the height of political stagecraft."

Gregory excitedly added: "Here was one of the party's biggest heros leveraging his enormous popularity to vouch for President Obama..." And observed that Clinton "was happier than ever in the spotlight."

CNN Washington Bureau Chief: MSNBC's Convention Coverage 'A Cheering Section for the Democrats'
By Noel Sheppard | September 6, 2012 | 9:07 AM EDT

"If you watch MSNBC during convention coverage, you have a cheering section for the Democrats."

Such was quite accurately said by CNN's Washington bureau chief Sam Feist Tuesday.

CNN's Piers Morgan Panders to Fluke, Doesn't Press Rep. Israel on His Inaccurate Statement about House GOP
By Matt Vespa | September 6, 2012 | 6:31 AM EDT

During early Thursday morning's coverage of the Democratic National Convention, CNN’s Piers Morgan interviewed Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), liberal activist Sandra Fluke, and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards.  It turned out to be a massive pandering to Fluke and nice vehicle for Rep. Israel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), to disseminate falsehoods that Morgan allowed to skirt by.  

Matthews After Midnight: If Bill Clinton Landed on Mars, He'd Quickly Figure Out How to 'Reproduce' with Them
By Ken Shepherd | September 6, 2012 | 2:18 AM EDT

I guess when Chris Matthews stays up past his bedtime, he gets really goofy. In a chat with former Saturday Night Live star Darrell Hammond -- best known for his skits impersonating Bill Clinton -- Matthews gushed of Clinton that he's such a natural politician and conversationalist that you could put him on Mars and he'd find a way to quickly seduce the Martians.

"I always figured that if Bill Clinton landed on Mars, he would know how to do it with them, he would know how to reproduce, he would know everything. He'd just instinctively know how to talk to people," Matthews gushed. [MP3 audio here; video follows page break]