OPINION: Introducing President MSNBC

From Kathleen Parker, Columnist Washington Post

They came, they were adored, they conquered.

No, not the president, his family or the numerous actors and political heirs who spoke glowingly of Barack Obama during the Democratic National Convention. 

 I’m talking about the media — and especially MSNBC, whose presence and influence in Charlotte were nearly as grand as the president’s. 

 No one pretends anymore that MSNBC is an objective observer to the news. Obviously, the decision was made to be aggressively progressive. With the exception of “Morning Joe,” where Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski co-host a roundtable of commentators, politicos and actors who dispense praise and criticism equally to Democrats and Republicans, the cable network’s other political shows are unapologetically pro-Democratic, pro-Obama. 

 Thus, the powers that be correctly imagined themselves as co-players at the Democratic convention. A section of downtown Charlotte was reinvented as MSNBC Plaza, which included an open-air studio, a cafe, a lounge and the “MSNBC Experience,” for which fans stood in long lines to enter, cheering as their favorite stars appeared. A looming tower above the outdoor stage featured huge head shots of the well-known anchors. The president’s visage on T-shirts here and there was a mere comma to the anchor’s exclamation points. 

 I happened to be in the MSNBC Plaza during a daytime concert when the lead singer announced, “Chris Matthews is in the hall! Chris Matthews!” All I could think was, good thing Obama didn’t show up at the same time. He might have been ignored.

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