Convention Watch

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:

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."

MSNBC Hosts See Clinton Hitting 'Haters' in GOP, Matthews Cites Churchill Lambasting Nazis
By Brad Wilmouth | September 6, 2012 | 8:22 AM EDT

During the midnight hour of MSNBC coverage of the Democratic National Convention, Chris Matthews and Howard Fineman went after what they viewed as "hate" on the Republican side, with Matthews raising the topic by reciting Bill Clinton's contention that he never felt "hate" for his opponents. A bit earlier, Matthews also managed to bring in a reference to Nazi Germany as he admired Clinton because he "belittled" Republicans. Matthews:

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.  

MSNBC's Klein Dismisses Harm of High Tax Rates, Clinton is 'Missile' for Obama
By Brad Wilmouth | September 6, 2012 | 5:34 AM EDT

As Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst Ezra Klein appeared during the midnight hour of Wednesday night's Democratic National Convention coverage on MSNBC, he described former President Bill Clinton as a "missile" for the Obama administration, and argued that high tax rates have not harmed the economy in the past.

But, as he pointed to periods of high growth while marginal tax rates were higher than modern times, he neglected to mention that the existence of more tax shelters often kept effective tax rates from being as high as they might have appeared, whereas many of those tax shelters were removed in the 1980s. He also did not note that the capital gains tax was cut in the mid-1990s during the Clinton presidency after Republicans took control of Congress.

Referring to Clinton's speech, Klein began:

CNN Lavishes Praise on 'Oratorical Genius' Bill Clinton
By Matt Hadro | September 6, 2012 | 1:21 AM EDT

Piers Morgan couldn't contain himself on Wednesday night as he adulated President Clinton as an "oratorical genius" who is "right up there with Churchill, Kennedy, MLK, and Mandela." CNN wasn't called the "Clinton News Network" for nothing.

"[T]hat was pound for pound, dollar for dollar, one of the great modern political speeches I have ever heard," sounded Morgan later on his show. He even asked on Twitter if Clinton could be British prime minister.

Randy Johnson Lives High on DNC, Union Dime, After Bain 'Devastated His Family'
By Matt Vespa | September 6, 2012 | 12:48 AM EDT

During Wednesday night’s convention coverage, the Democratic National Convention decided to roll out a trio of workers allegedly kicked to the curb by Bain Capital, the  private equity firm co-founded by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.   One of them was Randy Johnson.  According to Adam Kredo’s August 28 column in The Washington Free Beacon, Johnson “worked at American Pad & Paper (Ampad) after Bain purchased the company in the early nineties” and “maintains that the investment firm callously managed the mill with an eye only towards profits.”

Bewitched by Bill: ABC Raves Over Clinton's Speech
By Matt Hadro | September 6, 2012 | 12:20 AM EDT

After hyping that Bill Clinton might deliver "his patented rocket fuel" to the DNC on Wednesday night, ABC swooned over his "perfect tone" and compared him to an "old pro."

"Strikes me, George, like one of those movies where the old pro comes out of retirement, filled with vitality, and does he know how to ride the waves inside this arena," gushed Diane Sawyer. Former Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos called it "the best nomination a man could hope for."

ABC Hypes DNC Enthusiasm as Unprecedented for Dems
By Matt Hadro | September 5, 2012 | 11:29 PM EDT

A day after CNN salivated over Michelle Obama's DNC address, ABC hyped the enthusiasm at the Democratic Convention as hitting unprecedented levels on Wednesday night.

"Look, I have never seen a Democratic convention like this," insisted commentator Cokie Roberts. "When the President, the former President, comes out, they – it is going to be a moment like no moment you've seen."

Hannity Hits Tom Brokaw on Liberal Bias, Former NBC Anchor Feebly Responds
By Geoffrey Dickens | September 5, 2012 | 10:40 PM EDT

At the same time his company’s cable outlet MSNBC was having a Democratic  lovefest during the DNC, NBC’s Tom Brokaw had the audacity to deny liberal bias was a problem right to Sean Hannity’s face.

Appearing on Wednesday’s edition of FNC’s Hannity the former NBC Nightly News anchor was challenged by Hannity about his industry’s “bias.” Brokaw, initially tried to deflect the question as he charged: “I think you have a bias to the right” and then resorted to semantics as he feebly countered: “bias is the wrong word.” (video after the jump)

Paul Ryan Schools Piers Morgan: Obama Has 'Made Things Worse'
By Matt Hadro | September 5, 2012 | 9:26 PM EDT

When CNN's Piers Morgan argued that President Obama needed time to fix the economy, Paul Ryan answered him on Wednesday that Obama slowed what should have been a quick recovery.

"You have to give President Obama a bit of time just to get things back on track," the liberal CNN host pushed. Ryan countered that "usually when we have a deep recession in America, we come bounding out of it with fast economic growth and quick job creation," before adding "We're limping out of this recession right now."

NBC Touts Betty White for DNC After Clint Eastwood 'Gave Elderly People a Bad Name' at RNC
By Kyle Drennen | September 5, 2012 | 4:45 PM EDT

During the Today's Professionals panel segment on Wednesday's NBC Today, fill-in co-host Tamron Hall promoted an online petition to get 90-year-old actress Betty White to appear at the Democratic National Convention, noting that the creator of the petition, "is concerned that Clint Eastwood gave elderly people a bad name with what he did" at the Republican convention.

Advertising executive Donny Deutsch declared that "Republicans still have egg on their face from the Clint Eastwood thing" and urged the Democrats not to do it. NBC medical editor Nancy Snyderman added: "I would not counter something that didn't go well." Attorney Star Jones rounded out the discussion by calling on Democrats to "Let the stench stay over there," meaning on the Republican side.