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Andrea Mitchell
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell has interviewed many prominent people in the nearly five decades she's been in the media business, and her interview with former Vice President Joe Biden Thursday was a shining example of her thorough and patient interviewing style.
The week after Biden officially accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention, and a few hours before President Donald Trump would do the same at the Republican National Convention, the interview could not have been more timely.
Mitchell asked serious questions, clearly well-researched on the latest developments in both the Trump and Biden campaigns, and the news around the country at large. These are topics about which American voters deserve to hear the candidates speak in detail and on the record, and Mitchell asked follow up questions where needed to get a full response from Biden.
The interview ranged from Biden's response to the RNC speeches so far, the Trump campaign's accusations that Biden wanted to defund the police, his thoughts about the shooting of Jacob Blake and ensuing protests and violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that Biden should skip debating Trump.
Pelosi's role as a senior figure in the Democratic Party meant that any words from her carry weight, and it was valuable to hear Biden's response, as it was to hear him use clear and direct language to condemn the violence and looting in Kenosha.
It strikes us as slightly odd to praise a journalist for simply doing her job and asking thoughtful, timely questions, but in an era when partisan players offer sycophantic flattery to the politicians on their side of the aisle, and attempt combative "gotcha" attacks or Twitter cancellations on those who aren't, Mitchell's cool competency is a welcome relief.
Mitchell's interview with a man seeking to be our next president was neither a puff piece nor an abrasive duel, and sets a fine example for how reporters should approach both candidates over the next few months. 6.5.0 |
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 | MEDIA LOSER:
Kenosha Shooter Defenders
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old man who allegedly shot three protesters in Kenosha, killing two, has attracted a lot of online attention, and an odd number of conservative defenders.
We named Fox News host Tucker Carlson Thursday's Media Loser of the Day for his attempt to excuse Rittenhouse's actions, attempting to blame his alleged violence on a failure of police. Carlson hasn't backed down from his comments, so congrats, Tucker, you got a special carry-forward today, joined by a number of prominent conservatives who tweeted their own cheerleading for a young man now facing first-degree murder charges.
Townhall's Kurt Schlichter shared a meme with a photo of Rittenhouse and a fake quote claiming that his response to being asked what it was like to take a human life was "I wouldn't know, I've only ever killed communists." Schlichter retweeted the meme with the comment, "Ice."
The Federalist's Jesse Kelly posted (and then deleted) his own tweet noting that Rittenhouse would be turning 18 soon, and predicted that he would be wealthy from defamation lawsuits and was "gonna have to fight off conservative chicks with a bat." In another tweet, he bizarrely characterized Rittenhouse's alleged victims as "dead pedophiles."
Ann Coulter had her own vile (and also now-deleted) tweet, saying that she wanted Rittenhouse as her president.
Everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence until they are proven guilty, and prosecutors have yet to make their case against Rittenhouse, but multiple video clips have circulated showing him before the shooting claiming "my job is to protect this business," when, no, it wasn't actually his job, no one invited this teenager to arm himself and drive over from Illinois. Other video clips show the horrifying chaos around and after the shootings.
His legal guilt has not yet been determined but there also isn't anything justifying the lionization of this young man. Defending Rittenhouse does not defend the Second Amendment; he might just be one of the worst examples ever to be used to promote gun rights. 6.5.0 |
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| DON'T MISS THE LATEST EPISODE OF 'THE INTERVIEW' |
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| RNC NIGHT FOUR: Trump trolls and triumphs It was Trump's big night, as he officially accepted the nomination on the South Lawn of the White House, but there was a lot of righteous indignation, heartstring-pulling, and political theater to be had first...
South Lawn Superspreader
CNN's Jake Tapper was among those expressing dismay at the scene at the White House Thursday, as staffers were seen setting up chairs for the expected 2,000 audience members, all very close together. As guests began to arrive, very few were wearing face masks, a key CDC recommendation to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
This "looks like a potential superspreader event," said Tapper.
The White House had a very weird explanation. Heartbreaking Two of the most powerful speeches Thursday night didn't come from politicians, but instead regular Americans who had lost loved ones and had been spurred to action by their grief.
Ann Dorn, the widow of St. Louis police chief David Dorn who was murdered by looters, and Carl and Marsha Mueller, whose daughter Kayla Mueller was held hostage and killed by ISIS terrorists, delivered poignant and gut-wrenching speeches, sharing the stories of their losses with America.
Not a new convert A video shown early in the evening's proceedings included several "Democrats Now Supporting Trump," but at least one of them is a longtime conservative activist and radio host, who has been an open conservative for over a decade. The video implied that everyone was a new convert, swayed to the GOP's side by Trump. Rudy rants
At this point, if former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered a speech that wasn't an unhinged, wild, screaming rant, that would be newsworthy, but hey, points to Giuliani for his consistency. Watch his six-minute performance here.
Ivanka
First daughter Ivanka Trump got the favorite child treatment, delivering the primetime speech introducing her father for his acceptance speech. She had a possibly questionable story about some LEGO blocks, and Mary Trump attacked her remarks as being delivered more elegantly than others but still "lies" that were "equally vicious."
TRUMPTRUMPTRUMP
The president's big moment finally arrived, and he delivered a 70-minute diatribe that attacked the Biden and the Democrats with a laundry list of alleged sins.
Several commentators -- including Fox News' Chris Wallace -- criticized him as drawling on far too long, and occasionally dropping into a flat and "low energy" tone, but from promising a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year to shouting his devotion to "law and order!" the speech was full of red meat for his supporters.
Explosive finale
The use of the White House for the RNC drew critics for usurping the presidential residence into a nakedly political purpose, but it was undoubtedly a picturesque scene, with large screens displaying the Trump campaign logo, and ending with fireworks illuminating the sky, silhouetting the Washington Monument in the background, as an opera singer sang "Hallelujah" and other songs.
The fireworks spelling out "Trump" at the end were very much in the style of a president who loved putting his name on buildings.
Don't tell Trump that the DNC beat his party in the ratings.
But it's not all bad news for the president -- polls seem to be showing a positive bump for him, and several of the betting websites are feeling a bit more bullish about his prospects for reelection.
 Echoes of his father
Martin Luther King III delivered a moving speech at the March on Washington Thursday, evoking his slain father Martin Luther King Jr. in both subject and tone.
King urged listeners to find a way to take action themselves -- "if you’re looking for a savior, get up and find a mirror. We must become the heroes of the history we are making" -- and spoke of the unbeatable power of love. "I refuse to allow them everyone to reduce me to hatred. I’m every man’s brother." It's well worth taking a few minutes to watch for yourself.
"Where's the Masks?"
A few hours before the RNC festivities kicked off, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted several photos from a meeting of the coronavirus task force. Twitter users quickly noticed the lack of masks and social distancing, from the group that's been recommending America do both.
"Swipe Carefully!"
The DNC is so concerned about political saboteurs trapping their staffers into disclosing information on dating apps that they sent out a mass email warning them to "swipe carefully."
Gaffigan Goes Gonzo Comedian Jim Gaffigan had some strong opinions about Trump on Thursday. And a Twitter account. Read his viral rant here, and see some of the Twitter reaction here. 6.5.0 |
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| "Oh, that's it?"
Late Thursday, CNN's Daniel Dale delivered a brutal fact-check on Trump’s RNC speech, tearing through 21 false claims in just three minutes.
Dale told Anderson Cooper that Trump was "a serial liar, and he serially lied tonight," and then launched into a rant that channeled the rapid-fire delivery of the old Micro Machines ads.
"Oh, that's it?" Cooper quipped after Dale finally paused for breath.
Watch the efficiently-delivered fact check here, and if you like that, check out MSNBC's Rachel Maddow doing her best auctioneer impersonation with her own light speed fact check. |
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