As the Biden administration tried to suggest everything and everything is infrastructure, ABC was more than happy Wednesday night to help both bolster support for the $ 2 trillion item backed by the tax increases, but also to mislead by presenting the plan as a traditional transport package.
Over the course of a 23-second tease and three-and-a-half-minute story, World news tonight made sure to sell the “Infrastructure plan” and tax increases as a net positive that, if Republicans accept it, will repair bridges in the Blue and Red states.
Nowhere did presenter David Muir or White House senior correspondent Mary Bruce mention how a scintilla of the package would be on roads and bridges (despite a shameless whiff of The Washington Post affirming Otherwise). If it was just that and not other poison pills as more federal control and social spending, it is likely that there would be bipartisan support.
Muir moved all-in for the tease, offering no criticism or reason to object:
President Biden tonight defending his $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan and his plan to raise corporate taxes to pay it off. He says he’s creating millions of jobs, fixing roads, bridges and power grids, expanding Internet access to small towns and rural America. Tonight right here some of the bridges in the middle of this country needs to be fixed and the local business owners who say, do it.
Just over ten minutes later, Muir doubled down and bragged that Bruce would highlight “Some of the bridges need to be fixed and what we hear on the ground.”
Making his best impression of Psaki, Bruce cheated on Biden “Brutal warning to the GOP” for their “resistance” plan and accepting as fact Biden’s assertion that saying it is “Not rational” at “Let’s say the only thing that constitutes infrastructure is a highway, a bridge, whatever.”
If Bruce had done her homework, she would have cited comments like these of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain in 2017, which by Biden’s own definition were irrational.
But alas, Bruce continued his report which looked more like a White House “fact sheet” by showing one of the crumbling bridges that make the Biden plan worth it (click “expand”):
BRUCE: The president is asking for $ 100 billion to extend high-speed internet to 100% of the country, small towns and rural America and $ 45 billion to replace every lead pipe. Measures, he said, that will create millions of jobs. Also $ 115 billion to repair 20,000 miles of roads. And over 10,000 bridges are in dire need of repair. Bridges like the Scudder Falls Bridge in Pennsylvania, or the Calcasieu Bridge in Louisiana and the ruined Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River. Over 50 years old, it is crucial for commerce across the country. So, we are now one of the more than 160,000 vehicles that cross this bridge every day. The point is, it’s only designed to handle half that amount. In the shadow of the bridge, Brad Slabaugh participates in the management of a concrete company. But the constantly dilapidated bridge ends up costing everyone.
BRAD SLABAUGH: If it takes twice as long to get to a project, that means either half – half the service or twice the amount of equipment and drivers to provide.
BRUCE: That old bridge is actually costing you time and money.
SLABAUGH: That’s right.
BRUCE: The bridge runs from Ohio to Kentucky, the home state of Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Even he wants the bridge fixed, but not Biden’s path.
And to help her cause, she seemed to be hinting that businesses might agree to such a raise, because not only Amazon Support her, but the corporate rate increase “From 21% to 28% … would be even lower than under the Obama and Bush administration [sic]. “
Back live, Bruce and Muir reiterated their talking points (click “expand”):
MUIR: Alright, so let’s move on to Mary Bruce. She’s living in Covington, Kentucky tonight. And Mary, the Biden administration, I imagine, clearly hoping that the people on the ground, like that business owner you just spoke with over there, will eventually help drive the policy on this in Washington, but it is a difficult hill to climb.
BRUCE: Well, David, the White House was quick to note that these types of investments are supported by voters from both parties. This businessman is telling me today that Washington should do whatever it takes, saying he’s ready to see some taxes go up if that means they can finally fix this bridge. David?
MUIR: Mary Bruce with just one of these bridges over her shoulder tonight. Mary, thank you.
More on NBC, Evening news spent less than a minute on Biden’s remarks. Anchor Lester Holt provided the most oomph, boasting that “Biden stepped up the pressure on Congress today to pass his massive infrastructure plan while saying he was open to compromise on taxes.”
White House correspondent Kristen Welker with a relatively balanced and straightforward summary, including a nod to the fact that most of the bill does not focus on roads and bridges:
Lester, President Biden tonight is defending his more than $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan that he says will create millions of jobs. To pay, the president says he will raise corporate taxes. Republicans say these tax hikes will actually cost jobs and they call the plan a spending spree with most of the money not going to things like roads and bridges. I urged the president to know if he was open to compromise. He said he was “wide open”.
And as with CBS, the Evening newspaper avoided Biden and infrastructure. In fact, Biden’s name was never even mentioned on the news.
This latest act of support for the Biden administration was made possible thanks to advertisers such as Allegra and loyalty on ABC and Farmer’s insurance on NBC. Follow the links to see their contact details on the RCN Conservative Wrestling page.
To view the relevant transcripts from April 7, click “expand.”
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
April 7, 2021
6:31 p.m. EST [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan]
DAVID MUIR: President Biden tonight defending his $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan and his plan to raise corporate taxes to pay it off. He says he’s creating millions of jobs, fixing roads, bridges and power grids, expanding Internet access to small towns and rural America. Tonight right here some of the bridges in the middle of this country needs to be fixed and the local business owners who say, do it.
(….)
6:41 p.m. EST
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Massive Infrastructure Plan]
MUIR: And tonight, President Biden defending his $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan and his plan to raise the corporate tax rate to pay it off. He says projects across this country will create millions of jobs, rebuild roads and bridges, bring internet access to all of America, to small towns in rural America and tonight here some of the bridges to be repaired and what we hear about. floor. Our senior White House correspondent, Mary Bruce, is traveling to Kentucky.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Massive Infrastructure Plan; Biden: Open to Compromise But Not Inaction]
MARY BRUCE: With his $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan in the face of Republican resistance on Capitol Hill, President Biden today issued a blunt warning to the GOP, saying he is open to compromise, but not open to compromise. inaction.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We will be open to good ideas and good faith negotiations, but this is what we will not be open to: We will not be willing to do nothing. Inaction is simply not an option.
BRUCE: The president pushes back against critics who say his plan is far too radical.
BIDEN: But to automatically say that the only thing that is infrastructure is a highway, a bridge, whatever, that’s just not rational. It really is not.
BRUCE: The president is asking for $ 100 billion to extend high-speed internet to 100% of the country, small towns and rural America and $ 45 billion to replace every lead pipe. Measures, he says, that will create millions of jobs. Also $ 115 billion to repair 20,000 miles of roads. And over 10,000 bridges are in dire need of repair. Bridges like the Scudder Falls Bridge in Pennsylvania, or the Calcasieu Bridge in Louisiana and the ruined Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River. Over 50 years old, it is crucial for commerce across the country.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Massive Infrastructure Plan; Studies: 10,000 U.S. Bridges Badly in Need of Repair]
So, we are now one of more than 160,000 vehicles that cross this bridge every day. The point is, it’s only designed to handle half that amount. In the shadow of the bridge, Brad Slabaugh participates in the management of a concrete company. But the constantly dilapidated bridge ends up costing everyone.
BRAD SLABAUGH: If it takes twice as long to get to a project, that means either half – half the service or twice the amount of equipment and drivers to provide.
BRUCE: That old bridge is actually costing you time and money.
SLABAUGH: That’s right.
BRUCE: The bridge runs from Ohio to Kentucky, the home state of Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Even he wants the bridge fixed, but not Biden’s path.
MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: This package they introduced at the start – infrastructure in style – is a Trojan horse for massive tax increases and a lot more debt and a lot of spending.
BRUCE: Tonight, the president defending his plan to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, which would be even lower than under the Obama and Bush administration [sic]. And tonight, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, which runs the nation’s largest company, says he’s in favor of increasing corporate taxes.
MUIR: Alright, so let’s move on to Mary Bruce. She’s living in Covington, Kentucky tonight. And Mary, the Biden administration, I imagine, clearly hoping that the people on the ground, like that business owner you just spoke with over there, will eventually help drive the policy on this in Washington, but it is a difficult hill to climb.
BRUCE: Well, David, the White House was quick to note that these types of investments are supported by voters from both parties. This businessman tells me today that Washington should do whatever it takes, saying he is prepared to see some taxes increase if that means they can finally fix this bridge. David?
MUIR: Mary Bruce with just one of these bridges over her shoulder tonight. Mary, thank you.
–
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
April 7, 2021
7:01 p.m. EST [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; President Biden’s Tax Push]
LESTER HOLT: President Biden unveils a plan to raise corporate taxes to pay for his $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan.
(….)
7:12 p.m. EST
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Pres. Biden’s Tax Push]
HOLT: President Biden stepped up the pressure on Congress today to pass his massive infrastructure plan while saying he was open to compromise on taxes. Kristen Welker is at the White House. Kristen, what does the president say?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Biden Unveils Plan to Raise Corporate Taxes]
KRISTEN WELKER: Lester, tonight President Biden is defending his more than $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan that he says will create millions of jobs. To pay for this, the president says he will raise corporate taxes. Republicans say these tax hikes will actually cost jobs and they call the plan a spending spree with most of the money not going to things like roads and bridges. I urged the president to know if he was open to compromise. He said he was “wide open”.