On Sunday afternoon after President Biden’s handlers posted for him on social media that he won’t run for reelection, CBS blew ABC and NBC out of the water with nearly four hours of airtime (roughly 3:55) fawning over Biden as someone embedded in “the American story” and set to live “in very rarefied air” of U.S. history and decrying even policy criticisms of likely Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, as sexist.
Below is Notable Quotables-style compilation of the worst moments, aside from this segment blogged by our Alex Christy about BET anchor Ed Gordon deploying the race card and then this doozy flagged by our Jorge Bonilla of John Dickerson comparing Biden to George Washington.
‘Watching the Waves’, ‘Ice Cream Stands’; Costa Gets WEIRD About Biden’s Rehoboth ‘Retreat’
“If you could...respectfully, put aside your role as a United States senator, and talk about Joe Biden, the President of the United States. You, more than anyone perhaps I’ve ever covered, understand his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This is a retreat he goes to...He went to Rehoboth Beach, your home state, to be with Jill, to talk with family members. Tells us about the importance of the site of this momentous decision in American history. Him watching the waves of Rehoboth Beach, down the street from the boardwalk and ice cream stands, a place that he has gone decade after decade, after personal highs, political humiliation, he always goes back to Rehoboth, back to Delaware, back to the family. I know this was a heart-wrenching decision...Give us a candid, candid assessment what this has really been like for him.”
— Chief campaign and election correspondent Robert Costa to Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), 3:25 p.m. Eastern.
“But he decided to make this decision from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a place that is so special to him, a retreat for him personally and politically, going back a half century. He is there with his family, thinking through all of this.”
— Costa, 2:05 p.m. Eastern.
“President Biden, especially his close advisers and family members, are unhappy they feel he was put in a corner to make this decision. Often, they feel, his hand was forced by those close to President Obama...President Obama knows that President Biden is now in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, making the biggest decision of his career with a statement because he’s coughing as he looks at the shore with his family, because he’s recovering from Covid...[T]here is a real belief that, in the Biden camp, that Obama didn’t play this as they would have hoped.”
— Costa, 5:18 p.m. Eastern.
WH Reporter Insists Biden Only Started Losing It ‘In Perhaps the Last Two Months’
“But just recently in perhaps the last two months, I would say, we’ve really seen him slow down a step. You obviously saw it at the debate, but not just at the debate. He seemed to have more difficulty, not just physically, but also remembering names, remembering facts, being able to summon facts as quickly as he once had. This is an individual who was once known as a great orator, perhaps one of the greatest orators in the Senate who was having trouble completing sentences, not in every situation, but in some situations[.]”
— Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes, 2:09 p.m. Eastern.
Noticing Kamala Has Had High Staff Turnover Is SEXIST!
Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan: “She had this illustrious career in California...[T]here will be a lot of criticism, if you remember, Norah, from the early part of the Biden administration about how she is as a manager and the turnover in her office. It will be recombing over all of those stories about what does it indicate in terms of her leadership style, executive leadership style. I am sure Ashley [Etienne] knows something about that.”
CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell: “They may fall under the criticism that is leveled at a lot of women sometimes, stereotypical criticism that no doubt she will that Hillary Clinton faced about her style as well during the campaign in 2016.”
Brennan: “Yes. Senator Klobuchar, as well.”
O’Donnell: “Senator Klobuchar, who — who joined us earlier.”
— Conversation about staffing, 5:55 p.m. Eastern.
Kamala Brings ‘More Vigor and Energy’, ‘New Excitement’ to America
“And there was no way President Biden could do seven speeches a day....We’re not in Covid lockdown. You can’t run like that. So, in the end, you did need someone with more vigor and energy and Vice President Harris has shown that...[S]he’s been at 21 countries abroad. And yet she’s not known by a lot of Americans. So they’ll be a new excitement of this notion of the prosecutor going against the felon. That is how the Harris-Biden team are going to position her.”
— Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, 4:23 p.m. Eastern.
Biden Stepping Down ‘Is an Incredible Sacrifice...in Rarified Air’ of U.S. History
“This is an incredible personal sacrifice that he’s making and it bookends a personal sacrifice that he made in 2020 when he ran for the presidency by his own narration because of what happened in Charlottesville and his concern about the future of democracy, and so it’s in many ways, it’s very appropriate that he would end this chapter of his political career focused again, not on himself, but on the American people. That is the story that will be told not just within the Democratic Pary, but I think millions of Americans will see this as the selfless act that I think it’s designed to be...[T]his will put him in very rarefied air, not just again in Democratic politics, but really just in the annals of presidential history. This is a pretty remarkable turn of events, but also a remarkable, you know, decision by Joe Biden, someone who has been in the public space for five decades...went through a storied career interwoven with personal crisis and tragedy...and at this late stage in his career became president and now, after achieving this goal for so long, has decided to step aside for the betterment of the country. It’s a pretty remarkable story.”
— CBS News contributor and Democratic strategist Joel Payne, 2:18 p.m. Eastern.
‘Onslaught’ of Criticism of Kamala by GOP Is Meant ‘To Undermine Faith in’ Democracy
“You are about to see an onslaught aimed at the Vice President and to undermine faith in the process, the primary process in this election here, but at this moment in time, it is worth noting that Joe Biden has come to a very painful decision for a 50-year legacy in Washington at such a consequential time[.]”
— Brennan, 2:50 p.m. Eastern.
Biden’s Life of ‘Tragedy’ ‘Span[s] So much of the American Story’ Adds New, ‘Painful’ Chapter
“This is a tumultuous moment, a decision that was so personal for President Biden. I was being told as late as yesterday and this morning, that the President wanted to stay in the race. He had been chasing the presidency really since he was elected to the Senate in 1972, had endured personal tragedy when his wife and child were killed in a car accident. This is another moment in a career that spanned so much of the American story and, now, President Biden withdrawing from the Democratic presidential race.”
— Costa, 2:06 p.m. Eastern.
“He’s in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware right now. This is a personal retreat for him, a place for — a place where he goes to contemplation many — many — very often, for many weekends, and I can’t underscore what Margaret said. This is painful for President Biden. He loves being in the political arena, now stepping out. He will not resign the presidency and he said he will serve his term that ends in January 2025 as he continues to manage foreign policy and domestic policy.
— Costa, 2:52 p.m. Eastern.
GOP Is Doing Russia’s Bidding by Saying WH Hid Biden’s Physical Decline!
“One thing that is going to be an attack point we’ve heard from Republicans so far, we also just heard from Russia. The Russian Foreign Minister coming out and saying all of this is a conspiracy of the American media and the political circles that they hid the true state of affairs. Russia telling Americans this message we’ve already heard from some Republicans, don’t trust your elected leaders. Not only is this system rigged, but they lied to you about the health of the American president. And now, they’ve been forced to be honest about it, manipulating this. And I make that point because we know it was just two weeks ago that senior intelligence officials briefed reporters and said Donald Trump remains Moscow’s favorite candidate in this election.”
— Brennan, 4:29 p.m. Eastern.
Mad Trump Has Already ‘Attacked’ Kamala’s ‘Laugh,’ ‘Personal Characteristics’
“And there’s also a belief right now inside Vice President Harris’s inner circle that they could put former President Trump on the ropes, that he has, so far, in the past few days, attacked her on personal characteristics, attacked her laugh at a recent rally, calling her Laughin’ Kamala Harris and they believe those kind of breaks, which are personal, will not stick with swing voters in the key battleground states.”
— Costa, 3:34 p.m. Eastern.
Hosts Hope Voters Will See Racism, Sexism in Trump ‘Attacks’ on Harris
“I wonder, though, how worried the campaign is. Donald Trump ran against a woman, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. It was personal. He called her nasty, her called her a lot of other words. I wonder whether those same types of attacks would work in 2024? There will be a different dynamic running against a black woman.”
— O’Donnell, 4:39 p.m. Eastern.
“There last time we saw a woman at the top of the ticket, Hillary Clinton, there was quite a lot running against Donald Trump — there were quite a lot of attacks against her. And there is a mind towards what is the lesson from then, how do we apply it now?”
— Brennan, 5:44 p.m. Eastern.
‘Just the Facts’ Only ‘A Woman’ Like Kamala Is Subject to Such ‘Personal’ Smears
Costa: “Donald Trump Jr., to CBS News, already attacking in a very sharply worded text message to me, Vice President Kamala Harris. If this is — this is an indicator — this is going to be rough and tumble like we’ve never seen it...[H]e’s already attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, saying he owns the entire policy of President Biden, even more liberal, and he’s saying she’s not competent.”
O’Donnell: “Oh, I remember — I remember the 2020 Republican national convention, not the one we had last week, but in 2020 and the attacks against Kamala Harris then were very, very personal. They continue to be and they were tough on her record and I can imagine that they’re refreshing that playbook.”
Brennan: “I can only imagine that and a woman at the top of the ticket will take slings and arrows that a male candidate won’t. That’s just the facts and we know it. So, they’re looking at the vice presidential candidate carefully. I will say, Bob, even last night, Donald Trump at his rally in Michigan was already taking aim here, talking not just about her, but saying Democrats have problems.”
— Panel discussion, 3:45 p.m. Eastern.
Still Bitter Bush 2004 Campaign Hit ‘War Hero’ Kerry With ‘Most Brutal Attacks’ Ever
“You know, I could remember the Bush-Kerry race. And when John Kerry became the nominee and I remember talking to a top official in the Bush campaign, and that official saying to me, you know, only about this small slice of America really knows who John Kerry is and as a Washington reporter, I said, ‘what? he’s a war hero. Everybody knows who John Kerry is. He’s been in the Senate. He’s a been prominent figure.’ And they said, ‘no, and we’re going to spend the next couple of months telling everybody what to believe about John Kerry, ‘which became the most brutal attacks against a war hero, the Swift Boat veterans just to recall that came of late. It is true not many people, even though she is the Vice President of the United States, know a lot about Kamala Harris. And so, we’ll begin what is an effort, as are — campaigns are, they are political war, as you said, to paint her in a way from a campaign, the Donald Trump campaign which is good at this type of political warfare.”
— O’Donnell, 4:41 p.m. Eastern.
We Have to Remember This Is So ‘Sad’ for Such a ‘Proud Man’ Like Joe Biden
“This has been a tortured decision, I am told, by President Biden...Think about why Biden decided to run for presidency in the winter of his political career. He has always cited Charlottesville and the white supremacists in Virginia as a reason to get in. He fears the rise of what he believes is an authoritarian streak in the Republican Party, the rise of white supremacy broadly...[B]ut as a longtime political operator and someone who has more of a political antenna than almost I ever covered that he was losing support fast from Democrats...I can’t underscore enough...how this is a sad moment for President Biden. He is a proud man in the eyes of his closest friends and family members, that this not someone who would ever want to leave the presidency and someone who has thought about in the ‘70s and ‘80s and through personal humiliation, political humiliation. You think about his run in 1988. He had a plagiarism scandal then suffered an aneurysm, but he came back — always coming back, always returning, never quitting, staying in the Senate, falls apart in 2008 politically when he runs for president and then...eight years as vice president...then he runs for president and, again, everyone counts out Joe Biden.”
— Costa, 2:09 p.m. Eastern.
Still Racist, Sexist to Attack Kamala, Even If It’s ‘Full Blunt Force’ on Policy
Costa: “In any other political cycle, if you had a female nominee suddenly become the nominee for a party, the other party would start asking questions about what does this mean in terms of effecting key voters in the suburbs...[T]hat is not how the Trump campaign thinks. They don’t think about gender as an issue that needs to be confronted and maybe danced around politically. They have a full blunt force political view of how they are going to attack the ticket on the Democratic side.”
O’Donnell: “But a top Democratic strategist....said they are eager to have Vice President Harris run against, in their words, a convicted rapist...I said, but, you can imagine what the attacks will be like. We have seen the campaign, remember the campaign between Trump and Hillary Clinton. And the strategist said bring it, we are ready...[H]ow will suburban woman in 2024 react to attacks on the first woman of color to lead a party’s ticket?”
Campaign and White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe: “It is already under way. Go spend some time on X or Instagram and TikTok. They’re already trashing her, both personally and from a policy perspective, so they have been seeing a sampling of it for the last three weeks, certainly even before then.”
O’Donnell: “And we saw it, a small slice of it at the Republican convention.”
O’Keefe: “Absolutely, so, she knows what’s coming.”
— Panel discussion, 5:47 p.m. Eastern.
‘Appreciate’ How Biden Ally Cried On-Air About How Great Joe Is
“Senator Coons, it’s — it’s Margaret Brennan, and I appreciate your emotion talking about your friend and in doing so in a way that really speaks to his legacy. I’m wondering, as you talk about how painful this decision was, this was a painful and drawn-out three weeks where it was death by a thousand cuts. And he was being urged, publicly, to — to make the decision he ultimately came to. I wonder if you have any insight into what ultimately shifted for him.”
— Brennan to Coons, 3:28 p.m. Eastern.
Fretting Joe Has Been So ‘Alone’, ‘Coughing’ at Beach House
“This was — in the minds — in the words of closest advisers, a ‘presidential decision.’ That’s how he frames a lot of things in his presidency and he did it very much alone. Yes, he conferred with some of this family members and adviser, but he has been in isolation in his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He’s been exhausted in recent days....The weight of this all as he’s been coughing all weekend alone has been enormous on his shoulders. He has felt wounded at times from how fellow Democrats....His son Hunter reportedly in California, not Rehoboth Beach this weekend. He’s talking to his sister Valerie, talking, of course, to the First Lady, Jill Biden, and they have all said to him in recent days, you do what’s best for you. This is your decision to make. And he has been alone because of Covid. Not because he wants to be alone. He’s actually been in a pretty salty mood, I’ve been told, because of Covid, he doesn’t have the ability to use his phone or have the kinds of meetings he wants to have.”
— Costa, 3:35 p.m. Eastern.
Anyone Thinking of Challenging Kamala Is Risking ‘Political Suicide’
“Anyone, I was told, looking to challenge her would be making political suicide to try to go head-to-head after Joe Biden had been so key making in very clear within just, you know, minutes of announcing he was not going to seek reelection that he was endorsing her. That’s what we’re looking at now.”
— Brennan, 2:58 p.m. Eastern.
O’Donnell: “And you have called this political suicide, Margaret, based on what people have said to you —”
Brennan: “Yes.”
O’Donnell: “— who could challenge what would be the first black woman and Asian American to become president of the United States? What would that mean for the disunity that already exists in the Democratic Party? Is there a collective thought that they must now unite as a party, in order to defeat Donald Trump?”
Brennan: “There is a desire to take this public embarrassment that has been the past three weeks of disarray and dispute within the party and in the next three weeks be able to clean it up, so that at the convention, they can shift the conversation to unity and to messaging. They just saw a are very well-orchestrated Republican national convention and a message of Republican unity...[t]he emphasis here, from those I’ve spoken to so far, at least there is the intention to try to make this about issues, to try to make this about next generation, about fresh blood, about understanding[.]”
— Back and forth between Brennan and O’Donnell, 3:09 p.m. Eastern.
To see the relevant transcript from July 21, click here.
