Staff Reports
The media landscape continues to demonstrate a deep and troubling partisanship as it hilariously rigs the game in favor of Kamala Harris. The once-candyman drawer for Democrats, SNL, rolled out the red carpet for the Vice President in a latest effort that even the most dedicated circus performer would find impressive. Harris made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” engaging in a skit where she exchanged pep talks with Maya Rudolph, who has perfected the art of impersonating Harris with an uncanny flair. The clapping seals of NBC and its extended family of liberal networks celebrated this strategic, albeit questionable, boost for Harris.
The audacity of this stunt has not gone unnoticed. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr fired back at the network, characterizing the segment as a blatant attempt to dodge the equal time laws in place for political candidates. These laws are designed to ensure that broadcast networks treat all candidates with a modicum of fairness. If a liberal candidate gets a golden opportunity for free airtime, there must be an equal offer for the opposition. It’s a simple rule meant to protect the integrity of the electoral process, but not one that seems to bother the folks over at NBC too much.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Discusses NBC’s ‘Blatant Effort’ To Bypass Law With Harris’ SNL Appearance pic.twitter.com/TGueDYGWBz
— Alexandra Datig | Front Page Index 🇺🇸 (@alexdatig) November 3, 2024
Historically, NBC knows these rules inside out, and even Lorne Michaels took the time to tell The Hollywood Reporter about his reluctance to involve main candidates like Trump or Harris in the show’s lineup, citing the complexity of the equal time system. Yet here they are, contradicting their earlier claims and turning a blind eye to their own policies. The sudden pivot to give Harris some stage time is not just a breach of protocol; it raises eyebrows over whether they consciously chose to undermine the competition right before the election at the expense of fairness.
What’s even more comical is that, in the wake of backlash from the public and certain corners of the Democratic Party alike, NBC has backtracked somewhat. They found themselves compelled to reveal that alongside a freebie for Harris, they had also tossed a similar gracious gesture toward Virginia’s Senator Tim Kaine. Realizing they had opened Pandora’s box, they attempted to level the field by offering Donald Trump some airtime during a Sunday NASCAR event. However, this situation was further complicated by the realization that Trump didn’t use up his time — leaving everyone guessing about whether NBC will escape their self-inflicted legal quagmire.
As the clock ticks down to the election, the mess keeps growing. NBC’s desperation to avoid giving airtime to a multitude of other candidates from parties like the Greens and Libertarians reveals the absurdity of the situation. Instead of honoring the integral democratic process that allows for a variety of candidates, they clumsily attempt to thread the needle of legality while pandering to the ideals of one party. And let’s be honest, no one needs a degree in political science to recognize that their approach reeks of favoritism.
Underneath all the bluster, NBC’s efforts to prop up Kamala Harris demonstrate a fundamental disregard for democracy—saying one thing while implying another. As they flaunt their progressive feathers, they engage in practices that effectively disenfranchise other voices in the electoral process, all while expecting the public to cheer on their apparent commitment to fairness. So much for the so-called impartial journalism, where having a liberal bias is now as common as wearing a team sweater at a football game. As it stands, the Peacock network has proven itself to be less a catalyst for democracy and more a cheerleader for the left.
