Brian Williams Skips Bad ObamaCare Enrollment Numbers, But Bids Farewell to Retiring Liberal Congressman

On Monday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams ignored bad ObamaCare enrollment numbers for young people, but made time to announce the retirement of a long-standing liberal congressman, a development that neither ABC's World News nor the CBS Evening News deemed worth mentioning.

"Big loss for the Democrats in Congress," stated Williams, who said outgoing Rep. George Miller was "often called the Ted Kennedy of the House." NBC ignored the latest ObamaCare enrollment numbers which the CBS Evening News picked up on, highlighting the low enrollment among young people which is detrimental to the law's success.

[Audio here.]

"Young adults, 18 to 34 years old, make up only 24 percent of the total so far," reported CBS anchor Scott Pelley. "The system needs to sign up more young healthy people, closer to 40 percent, to subsidize older, sicker Americans."

Back in 2011, NBC was the only network to give respect to Rep. Miller's rant against styrofoam cups in the House cafeteria.

Below is a transcript of the NBC and CBS segments:

NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
1/13/14
7:20 p.m. EST

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Big loss for the Democrats in Congress. Representative George Miller of California, often referred to as Nancy Pelosi's right hand man in Congress, he is leaving after almost 40 years. The Bay Area liberal is often called the Ted Kennedy of the House. He made for a powerful chair of the Education Committee. He is 68 now, but he was 29 when first elected as a so-called Watergate baby in the first post-scandal, post-Vietnam wave of incoming House members.


CBS EVENING NEWS
1/13/14
6:38 p.m. EST

SCOTT PELLEY: Today, the Obama administration put out new numbers about who is signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. 2.2 million Americans have now enrolled in policies that will be subsidized by the government. Young adults, 18 to 34 years old, make up only 24 percent of the total so far. The system needs to sign up more young healthy people, closer to 40 percent, to subsidize older, sicker Americans.

— Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matt Hadro on Twitter.