NBC Uses Obama Re-election Bid to Pressure GOP Candidates to Announce; No Mention of President’s Weak Poll Numbers
At the top of Monday's Today on NBC, co-host Matt Lauer touted “breaking news” of President Obama announcing his re-election bid: “…the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars.” Lauer then added: “Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well?” While fill-in co-host Ann Curry noted the announcement was “not a surprise” the broadcast still lead with a full report on the topic. Like Lauer, White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie highlighted Obama's fundraising efforts while noting the lack of formal announcements from Republican candidates: “The President is already planning fundraising trips this month to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, while the Republican race is still off to a slower start.” A sound bite was featured from Washington Post political analyst Chris Cillizza, who predicted: “I think the President announcing or forming his committee to raise money will, in fact, be an alarm, a wake-up call for some of these Republicans to say, 'I better get in now because I'm starting to lag behind and that's always dangerous.'” Meanwhile, the report failed to discuss the President's actual chances for re-election, making no mention of his weak poll numbers. The latest Gallup poll shows Obama's approval and disapproval ratings tied at 46%, hardly a strong position for an incumbent president. Here is a full transcript of the April 4 segment: 7:00AM ET TEASE: MATT LAUER: He's in. President Obama has kicked off his re-election bid in a new web video this morning. And the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars. Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well? [ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News] 7:03AM ET TEASE: ANN CURRY: And today's announcement that the President will seek re-election is not a surprise, but the timing is a bit unexpected, Matt. MATT LAUER: That's right, the new web video was posted on the campaign website overnight and now NBC News has learned the President plans to file the appropriate paperwork this morning, making it all official. Again, not unexpected. We'll get the very latest from the White House in a live report coming up straight ahead.
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NBC Uses Obama Re-election Bid to Pressure GOP Candidates to Announce; No Mention of President’s Weak Poll Numbers
At the top of Monday's Today on NBC, co-host Matt Lauer touted “breaking news” of President Obama announcing his re-election bid: “…the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars.” Lauer then added: “Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well?” While fill-in co-host Ann Curry noted the announcement was “not a surprise” the broadcast still lead with a full report on the topic. Like Lauer, White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie highlighted Obama's fundraising efforts while noting the lack of formal announcements from Republican candidates: “The President is already planning fundraising trips this month to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, while the Republican race is still off to a slower start.” A sound bite was featured from Washington Post political analyst Chris Cillizza, who predicted: “I think the President announcing or forming his committee to raise money will, in fact, be an alarm, a wake-up call for some of these Republicans to say, 'I better get in now because I'm starting to lag behind and that's always dangerous.'” Meanwhile, the report failed to discuss the President's actual chances for re-election, making no mention of his weak poll numbers. The latest Gallup poll shows Obama's approval and disapproval ratings tied at 46%, hardly a strong position for an incumbent president. Here is a full transcript of the April 4 segment: 7:00AM ET TEASE: MATT LAUER: He's in. President Obama has kicked off his re-election bid in a new web video this morning. And the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars. Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well? [ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News] 7:03AM ET TEASE: ANN CURRY: And today's announcement that the President will seek re-election is not a surprise, but the timing is a bit unexpected, Matt. MATT LAUER: That's right, the new web video was posted on the campaign website overnight and now NBC News has learned the President plans to file the appropriate paperwork this morning, making it all official. Again, not unexpected. We'll get the very latest from the White House in a live report coming up straight ahead.
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on April 4, 2011. Filed under News, Politics.
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NBC Uses Obama Re-election Bid to Pressure GOP Candidates to Announce; No Mention of President’s Weak Poll Numbers
At the top of Monday's Today on NBC, co-host Matt Lauer touted “breaking news” of President Obama announcing his re-election bid: “…the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars.” Lauer then added: “Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well?” While fill-in co-host Ann Curry noted the announcement was “not a surprise” the broadcast still lead with a full report on the topic. Like Lauer, White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie highlighted Obama's fundraising efforts while noting the lack of formal announcements from Republican candidates: “The President is already planning fundraising trips this month to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, while the Republican race is still off to a slower start.” A sound bite was featured from Washington Post political analyst Chris Cillizza, who predicted: “I think the President announcing or forming his committee to raise money will, in fact, be an alarm, a wake-up call for some of these Republicans to say, 'I better get in now because I'm starting to lag behind and that's always dangerous.'” Meanwhile, the report failed to discuss the President's actual chances for re-election, making no mention of his weak poll numbers. The latest Gallup poll shows Obama's approval and disapproval ratings tied at 46%, hardly a strong position for an incumbent president. Here is a full transcript of the April 4 segment: 7:00AM ET TEASE: MATT LAUER: He's in. President Obama has kicked off his re-election bid in a new web video this morning. And the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars. Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well? [ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News] 7:03AM ET TEASE: ANN CURRY: And today's announcement that the President will seek re-election is not a surprise, but the timing is a bit unexpected, Matt. MATT LAUER: That's right, the new web video was posted on the campaign website overnight and now NBC News has learned the President plans to file the appropriate paperwork this morning, making it all official. Again, not unexpected. We'll get the very latest from the White House in a live report coming up straight ahead.
