NBC: Are Obama Daughters the President's 'Secret Weapon'?
Trying to do some cheerleading for President Obama on Friday, NBC's Today
touted the First Daughters as a major boon to his reelection, as
co-host Matt Lauer proclaimed: "...with the ele
ction just about five
months away, Malia and Sasha are stepping forward a little bit. So are they a good way to connect with voters?...are they his secret weapon in the upcoming campaign?"
Introducing the pro-Obama fluff as legitimate news, co-host Ann Curry
talked about the President as if he were a summer action flick: "Like
most parents, President Obama loves talking about his kids. But during
an election year, those stories might also just help him out at the box
office."
White
House correspondent Kristen Welker began the fawning report by declaring: "President Obama usually leaves the family at home when he
hits the campaign trail, but he doesn't hesitate to remind voters that
he doesn't live alone here at the White House. In fact, political
analysts say with less than five months to go until election day, it
seems like we're hearing about the First Daughters more and more."
Welker proceeded to promote sound bites of Barack and Michelle Obama
using their children as campaign talking points: "On the campaign
trail.... During serious moments, like the President's endorsement of
same-sex marriage last month....And just this week, the First Lady got
emotional while talking about them in Colorado."
Welker seemed completely unfazed by the cynical tactic: "So are the
President's references a careful campaign calculation? Political
analysts say intentional or not, the mentions could resonate with key
voters." The Washington Post's Melinda Henneberger chimed in:
"The fact that he's pitching to women voters is a big reason that he's
been talking so much about his daughters in this campaign so far and
will continue to do so."
Citing those same "analysts," Welker explained, "[they] say the Obama girls humanize their dad, who has at times been criticized as being aloof."
Attempting to further bolster the case, Welker found another
left-leaning expert: "Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin notes
that Malia and Sasha are the youngest White House residents since John
John and Caroline Kennedy." Goodwin followed: "And we've had young
families in the White House, whether it was Abraham Lincoln's or
Theodore Roosevelt's or JFK's, there was a merriment in the White House,
a vitality, and the country responded to the presidents even more."
Welker did briefly highlight how Mitt Romney has put his adult children
on the campaign trail, explaining how the Republican presidential
candidate, "often seen as robotic, has turned to his five sons to help
show off his lighter side."
Welker also managed to work in former vice presidential nominee Sarah
Palin, as an example of how a candidate's children can cause problems
for a campaign: "But the spotlight can be harsh. As the mother of five,
Sarah Palin reached many soccer moms, but also faced scrutiny for her
daughter Bristol's teen pregnancy."
While NBC's Today found time to analyze the political impact
of the Obama daughters, the network morning show failed to offer a
single mention of the growing Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal. On
Thursday, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams was good enough to give a 30-second follow-up on the story, the only mention on the Big Three evening newscasts.
Here is a full transcript of the June 22 Today report:
7:31AM ET TEASE:
ANN CURRY: And coming up just a moment – in just a moment, the Obama girls.
MATT LAUER: That's right. The President and First Lady have kept them
largely off limits over the last several years. But now with the
election just about five months away, Malia and Sasha are stepping
forward a little bit. So are they a good way to connect with voters?
We're going to have more on that coming up.
7:40AM ET TEASE:
LAUER: Up next, are they his secret weapon in the upcoming campaign?
The President's daughters front and center right after this.
7:43AM ET SEGMENT:
CURRY: Like most parents, President Obama loves talking about his kids.
But during an election year, those stories might also just help him out
at the box office. NBC's Kristen Welker is at the White House this
morning with more on this story. Kristen, good morning.
KRISTEN
WELKER: Hey, good morning to you Ann. Well, President Obama usually
leaves the family at home when he hits the campaign trail, but he
doesn't hesitate to remind voters that he doesn't live alone here at the
White House. In fact, political analysts say with less than five months
to go until election day, it seems like we're hearing about the First
Daughters more and more.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Politics As Family Business; More Mentions of First Daughters In Obama Campaign]
With the exception of a occasional family appearance, the First
Daughters are typically shielded from the public spotlight. But lately,
we have heard a lot about them. On the campaign trail:
BARACK OBAMA: I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons.
WELKER: During serious moments, like the President's endorsement of same-sex marriage last month:
OBAMA: You know, Malia and Sasha, they've got friends whose parents are same-sex couples.
WELKER: And just this week, the First Lady got emotional while talking about them in Colorado:
MICHELLE OBAMA: That is what I think about every night when I tuck my
girls in. I think about the world I want to leave for them. And for all
of our sons and daughters. I think about how I want to do for them what
my dad did for me.
WELKER: So are the President's references a careful campaign
calculation? Political analysts say intentional or not, the mentions
could resonate with key voters.
MELINDA HENNEBERGER [THE WASHINGTON POST]: The fact that he's pitching
to women voters is a big reason that he's been talking so much about his
daughters in this campaign so far and will continue to do so.
WELKER: Analysts also say the Obama girls humanize their dad, who has
at times been criticized as being aloof. Presidential historian Doris
Kearns Goodwin notes that Malia and Sasha are the youngest White House
residents since John John and Caroline Kennedy.
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: And we've had young families in the White House,
whether it was Abraham Lincoln's or Theodore Roosevelt's or JFK's, there
was a merriment in the White House, a vitality, and the country
responded to the presidents even more.
WELKER: Adult children can be just as powerful on the trail.
ROMNEY SON: As you can tell, this is a family affair.
WELKER: Mitt Romney, often seen as robotic, has turned to his five sons to help show off his lighter side.
CONAN O'BRIEN: True or false, your dad's hair is chiselled out of imported African mahogany?
ROMNEY SON: That is true.
WELKER: Personalized accounts that can open a window into their parents
character, a window which might otherwise remain closed.
But the spotlight can be harsh. As the mother of five, Sarah Palin
reached many soccer moms, but also faced scrutiny for her daughter
Bristol's teen pregnancy. And first daughters going back to Amy Carter
have struggled growing up in the public eye.
Still, analysts say, the benefits likely outweigh any potential downside.
HENNEBERGER: People very much understand that politics is a family
business. And they expect to see and get to know the family. Because
after all, they're going to have the First Family in their lives, too,
and their living rooms for the next four years.
WELKER: Now analysts also point out that today's media-saturated world
plays a big role in all of this, with things like Facebook and Twitter.
Voters really expect to get an up close look inside a candidate's life.
Ann.
CURRY: Alright, Kristen Welker this morning. Kristen, thanks.
-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.
