ABC and CBS carried Special Reports Thursday afternoon as Democrats took control in the House of Representatives and neither could contain their excitement for what they were “feel[ing] here in the halls” as “a new era” began, causing “an earthquake in Trump world” and supposedly putting the Senate and White House on the defensive due to the midterm national popular vote.
Chief anchor George Stephanopoulos went to glorified liberal P.R. agent and congressional correspondent Mary Bruce, who took note of what it was like to be present with a Congress that’s “some of the youngest, most diverse and overwhelmingly the most female Congress that we have ever seen.”
After rattling off a few historical firsts, Bruce added:
Today they’re actually changing the rules so that female Muslim members can wear head scarves on the floor. George, it is a remarkable feeling the difference you can feel. 25 women in the Senate now. 102 in the House. 43 women of color and so many are so young, George. It’s remarkable. They are really changing the way that things are done here. They tweet, they post on Instagram. It truly is a new era here, George.
Stephanopoulos later boasted of a “brand new world in Washington” in tossing to senior national correspondent Terry Moran, who gushed that Democrats are “an earthquake in Trump world” because “[f]or the first time President Trump entering his third year as president is gonna face an opposition with real power in Washington.”
“That Democratic majority that Nancy Pelosi will lead is going to challenge him on policy and with investigations it could bedevil this administration and, let’s face it, Donald Trump is not a man who deals particularly well with opposition,” Moran opined.
Over on CBS, it was surprisingly the same. Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes took the opportunity to boast over the Democratic agenda:
You heard Nancy Pelosi in her speech talk about some policy initiatives by the majority that the we, frankly, didn't see in the last few years. She's talking about legislation the leader of to address climate change, legislation to address gun safety loopholes. These are the kinds of initiatives that you will now see now that there is Democratic control of the House for the first time in eight years and setting up a big battle royale not just between the house and the President but the House and the Senate.
Chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett followed up with a nonsensical line about the national midterm popular vote which, like the one in presidential elections, means absolutely nothing. It means even less when taking into account uncontested races and then California with their top two primary system.
Garrett hyped that “Nancy Pelosi is Speaker because Democrats won more than eight million more votes in this midterm election than Republicans did,” which was “[t]he largest popular vote total differential since 1974, months after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency.”
In turn, Garrett argued that it represented “a mandate for the Pelosi style of approaching this White House and she said this morning, no money for the border wall, zero” so Democrats are operating from “a position of strength” despite only having one half of one third of the federal government.
As my colleague Rich Noyes noted earlier Thursday, Republicans weren’t given the same welcoming embrace by the media when they took over the House in 2010 and the Senate in 2014.
To see the relevant transcript from the January 3 ABC News Special Report, click “expand.”
ABC News Special Report
January 3, 2019
2:51 p.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mary Bruce, as everything comes to order, congressional correspondent, this Congress she is about to swear in, the most diverse in history.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: For the children.
MARY BRUCE: — you can actually feel here in the halls. This new Congress is some of the youngest, most diverse and overwhelmingly the most female Congress that we have ever seen. Right now being sworn in here today, you have the first native American women ever to serve, the first Muslim women ever to serve and they are already leaving a mark on the institution. Today they’re actually changing the rules so that female Muslim members can wear head scarves on the floor. George, it is a remarkable feeling the difference you can feel. 25 women in the Senate now. 102 in the House. 43 women of color and so many are so young, George. It’s remarkable. They are really changing the way that things are done here. They tweet, they post on Instagram. It truly is a new era here, George.
(....)
STEPHANOPOULOS: And there you have it. 63rd Congress [sic] has now been sworn in. Brand new world in Washington. Nancy Pelosi calling this what she says will be a transformative Congress. I want to bring in our senior national correspondent Terry Moran at the White House. And Terry, in her speech to that new House, a pointed reminder to everyone — Congress, a co-equal branch of government now challenging the President.
TERRY MORAN: That’s right and this is an earthquake in Trump World. No question about it. For the first time President Trump entering his third year as president is gonna face an opposition with real power in Washington. That Democratic majority that Nancy Pelosi will lead is going to challenge him on policy and with investigations it could bedevil this administration and, let’s face it, Donald Trump is not a man who deals particularly well with opposition. That said, we are told by people close to him that he actually likes Nancy Pelosi. He — he gets along with her. He gets her. She is a big city Democrat, originally from Baltimore and he understands her. He is on the same wave length with her, but they are on such opposite polls and then the looming specter of possible impeachment depending on what Special Counsel Robert Mueller comes in with. So, this is a brand new world and a new challenge to get anything done for the country, the art of the deal is going to be essential on both sides.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Dealing with an immediate challenge heading into the 14th day of a government shutdown. There you have it right there. New Congress has been sworn in.
To see the relevant transcript from the January 3 CBS News Special Report, click “expand.”
CBS News Special Report
January 3, 2019
2:45 p.m. EasternJEFF GLOR: This Congress will include more racial diversity, more women, and more LGBT members than ever before. It will also include the most military veterans in a decade and all of this as we watch this today happens during a government shutdown, now in it's 13th day. The Democrats will first work to approve a bill to reopen the government. President Trump has said he will not sign any bill that does not contain significant money for a border wall. As we watch Nancy Pelosi speak after she was just re-elected Speaker of the House, joining me now is Nancy Cordes here at the table and also Major Garrett. We have Ed O’Keefe on Capitol Hill. Nancy, big day on Capitol Hill, convulsive day on Capitol Hill.
NANCY CORDES: And we're already seeing the results of that. You heard Nancy Pelosi in her speech talk about some policy initiatives by the majority that the we, frankly, didn't see in the last few years. She's talking about legislation the leader of to address climate change, legislation to address gun safety loopholes. These are the kinds of initiatives that you will now see now that there is Democratic control of the House for the first time in eight years and setting up a big battle royale not just between the house and the President but the House and the Senate.
GLOR: And not to mention activity to the potentially investigate the President then, Major.
MAJOR GARRETT: Sure. And let's set the investigation idea across for just a second and look at the shutdown. This is an unusual situation, a new congress sworn in in the midst of a partial government shutdown. That’s very new and the white house perspective is now they can negotiate. Why didn't the White House really believe it could negotiate before this date? Because the President said Nancy Pelosi needs to get elected speaker. Once she's elected speaker, then she'll have flexibility. That's an assumption the White House has. I'm not sure it fits with the reality. Nancy Pelosi is Speaker because Democrats won more than eight million more votes in this midterm election than Republicans did. The largest popular vote total differential since 1974, months after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency. That is a mandate for the Pelosi style of approaching this White House and she said this morning, no money for the border wall, zero. That's where we are. The White House thinks they negotiate now. But Pelosi with her speakership is in a position of strength.
GLOR: And as we debate these enormous, serious, and heavy topics, it is also, we should mention, a joyous day on the Hill for both parties.
CORDES: Both parties.
GLOR: For all members as the children join the newly elected Speaker of the House. There was that famous picture, you may remember, from 2007 when Nancy Pelosi was first elected. She was up there with, I think it was five grandkids at the time. She now has nine grandkids.
CORDES: It looks like —
GLOR: And five children, including — you see other grandchildren and other kids up there. We've been watching this whole — all of this today, and there's been many nods to the future and there's — you hear cries in the audience, I mean babies crying, not you know —
CORDES: And one of the notable things here is the fact for the first time there are more than 100 women in the House of Representatives and a lot of these women are mothers of young children. You know, when Nancy Pelosi was first elected to Congress back in the early '90s, there were only 23 women in Congress. And she herself only went to Congress after her five children were grown and out of the house. That has changed. You’ve got a lot of young mothers who are here with their children, young fathers, of course, as well, but that really represents a sea change in congress.
GLOR: And Major, there is a kinship among representatives and senators who were elected in the same year no matter what you believe.
