In the days leading up to President Obama’s Guns In America townhall on CNN Thursday night, the network bent over backwards to hail the President’s side on gun control and belittle those in favor of the Second Amendment.
The hour leading into the event at George Mason University was no different as Erin Burnett OutFront and fill-in host Kate Bolduan hailed the upcoming event as “historic event” that could fundamentally change the trajectory of the President’s legacy.
Right at the top of the show at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Bolduan told viewers in the tease before opening credits:
Next, a very special edition of OutFront tonight. We're counting down to an historic event. A CNN Town Hall with President Obama. The President taking questions live on one of the most divisive issues of our time. Guns in America. Let's go OutFront.
Moments later, Bolduan hyped that the countdown clock had “just one hour” left before “President Obama joins Anderson Cooper here on the campus of George Mason University for an historic town hall event” and promised “to show you live pictures of the stage just downstairs from where I am, where the President will tackle an issue that divides Americans like no other really, gun control.”
Turning to CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta with the first report, Bolduan gushed: “Let's begin with coverage from our senior white house correspondent, Jim Acosta. So, Jim, an historic night — an historic night here and a whole lot at stake for the President, huh?”
“Absolutely Kate. The White House insists President Obama will hear from all sides here in tonight’s CNN Townhall on Guns in America. The President will no doubt hear from critics who argue his executive actions take away their constitutional right to own guns,” Acosta explained.
In the final minutes before the event began, Bolduan explained to CNN political commentator Kevin Madden and now-former Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (emphasis mine):
It shows, I mean, the uphill battle and let's look at it this way, the opportunity that the President has tonight but the risk and challenge of speaking directly not only to the folks sitting in the room, all stake holders and all who have been impacted by the gun debate but also millions beyond who could hearing from the President and where he can make these — and he’s going to be facing questions from supporters and critics alike. That doesn’t happen very often. That's why this could be a historic opportunity for everyone in this country and what can happen.
