In the only Thursday evening network newscast story on the 2016 Democratic field, the CBS Evening News chose to make no mention of Hillary Clinton’s numerous scandals as she’s losing ground in polls to Bernie Sanders but provided her a soundbite to self-servingly claim she’s merely “moderate and center” in her political ideology.
Fill-in anchor Jim Axelrod introduced the segment on how “Hillary Clinton's once-commanding lead in Iowa has evaporated” with zero consideration as to why that’s the case before tossing to congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes for more “on the Sanders surge” as he now leads Clinton in numerous polls.
Devoting the first half of the piece to Sanders, Cordes explained how “Sanders was considered such a long shot” for some time but no longer has that label after having “surged” in the polls “in part because of his liberal leanings.”
Following a train of thought that the media would rarely portray as a positive for conservative candidates, Cordes pointed to a recent Quinnipiac University poll out of Iowa that she believed could showcase why Sanders has closed the gap on Clinton: “So are nearly six in 10 of the Democrats Quinnipiacs polled in Iowa. 57 percent describe themselves as very or somewhat liberal, compared to 36 percent who describe themselves as moderate.”
Cordes continued on that theme of moderates when she teed up a clip of Clinton stating earlier in the day in Ohio that: “You know, I get accused of being kind of moderate and center. I plead guilty.”
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The CBS reporter chalked that up to possibly “help[ing] her in a general election, but for now, Sanders is exciting the base.”
Looking take an indirect swipe at Sanders, Cordes told viewers that the former secretary of state “has begun using this subtle dig” that she’s “proud to be a Democrat” in order “to remind voters that Sanders considers himself not a Democrat but a socialist.”
In her conclusion, Cordes ended the e-mail scandal-free report by touting the Clinton campaign line: “The Clinton camp argues it's organization, not just energy, that wins elections. They now have 80 paid operatives in Iowa alone, nearly as many people, Jim, as the Sanders campaign employs nationwide.”
The transcript of the segment from the CBS Evening News on September 10 can be found below.
CBS Evening News
September 10, 2015
6:36 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Clinton Slide]
JIM AXELROD: Now to the Democrats. Hillary Clinton's once-commanding lead in Iowa has evaporated. A new poll out today finds senator Bernie Sanders has pulled into a virtual tie with the former secretary of state and other polls have Sanders ahead in New Hampshire. Nancy Cordes now on the Sanders surge.
SANDERS SUPPORTERS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE PARADE: We stand with Bernie! We stand with Bernie!
NANCY CORDES: Until recently, Bernie Sanders was considered such a long shot, he hadn't been endorsed by a single member of Congress despite his 24 years here, but no one's calling him a long shot now. [TO SANDERS] Are you starting to see signs that the Democratic establishment is taking you more seriously, either in the ways that they help you or work against you?
INDEPENDENT BERNIE SANDERS (Vt.): I think we have a whole lot of momentum in this campaign. What we are now going to be doing is starting to put some resources into states beyond Iowa, beyond New Hampshire, states that will be coming up on super Tuesday.
CORDES: Sanders has surged in part because of his liberal leanings.
SANDERS: I am a proud progressive.
CORDES: So are nearly six in 10 of the Democrats Quinnipiacs polled in Iowa. 57 percent describe themselves as very or somewhat liberal, compared to 36 percent who describe themselves as moderate, as his opponent Hillary Clinton did in Ohio today.
HILLARY CLINTON: You know, I get accused of being kind of moderate and center. I plead guilty.
CORDES: That could help her in a general election, but for now, Sanders is exciting the base.
SANDERS: We need an economy for working families north just for billionaires.
CORDES: So Clinton has begun using this subtle dig to remind voters that Sanders considers himself not a Democrat but a socialist.
CLINTON: I am proud to be a Democrat. I am a true Democrat.
CORDES: The Clinton camp argues it's organization, not just energy, that wins elections. They now have 80 paid operatives in Iowa alone, nearly as many people, Jim, as the Sanders campaign employs nationwide.
AXELROD: Nancy, thank you.
