On Wednesday evening, perhaps the most powerful moment of any political convention ever occurred. The focus was on the soldiers who lost their lives during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. The Gold Star families of the deceased appeared on the screen one by one to name their loved ones and describe their experiences.
As RedState reported, they also spoke very emotionally about being let down by Joe Biden and his administration. Perhaps the most striking point of the entire presentation was when the family members pointed out that the President never named the dead. They then personally took to the stage to recite the names of the dead, leaving not a arid eye in the arena and in millions of homes watching.
As I noted in June, these Gold Star families did not receive an invitation to the White House. Others who were far less deserving did.
The parents of the soldiers who died during the Afghanistan withdrawal did not receive an invitation to the White House, but this guy did. pic.twitter.com/mKMoQH2vHH
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 19, 2024
But while MSNBC chose to omit the segment entirely, showing a deeply disgusting disrespect for those killed by Biden’s political stunt, other left-leaning news outlets covered it, and the reaction was devastating for the president. And it wasn’t just Republican analysts.
Here’s Terry Moran, senior national correspondent for ABC News, with a transcript courtesy of Curtis Houck of Newsbusters.
ABC’s @TerryMoran about the Gold Star families at #RNC2024: “David, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything like this at a convention. The connection between that crowd and the families of the fallen. It was just absolutely extraordinary. The emotions, the call and… pic.twitter.com/Nr8pTUT6mu
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 18, 2024
MORAN: David, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it at a convention. The connection between that crowd and the families of the fallen. It was just absolutely extraordinary. The emotion, the call and response that the crowd spontaneously began, “never forget,” reciting and repeating the names as they were read. And it wasn’t just compassion and sadness that connected the crowd and the speakers. It was anger. I was here this afternoon talking to veterans – Vietnam-era veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. About the campaign in general, and without prompting they bring up Afghanistan and the sense of shame and anger that they felt for the country and – and this campaign.
But while ABC News rightly praised the power of the moment, CNN went straight to the root of the problem, sharply attacking Joe Biden and calling his behavior “unforgivable.”
CNN’s @DavidJUrban about the Gold Star families at #RNC2024: “It’s just unforgivable. I mean, Hunter Lopez – his father. Andrew – I was moved when I read his father’s names. As someone who went to West Point, served in the military, was deployed overseas, fought in… pic.twitter.com/H4xLAmykq9
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 18, 2024
URBAN: That’s just unforgivable. I mean, Hunter Lopez – his father. Andrew – I was moved when I read his father’s names. As someone who went to West Point, served in the military, deployed overseas, fought in the war, the fact that Joe Biden never met those families, the fact that Joe Biden forgot – forgot – that those children died is just unforgivable. The fact that the White House never bothered to spotless up or apologize is just unforgivable. To me as an American, that’s unforgivable.
Elsewhere, CNN called the Afghanistan disaster a “completely self-inflicted wound” and said it marked the beginning of the end of Biden’s presidency.
“Completely self-inflicted”: CNN guest says Biden has “never, ever recovered” from Afghanistan withdrawal pic.twitter.com/NJL5o66F8S
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 18, 2024
ANALYST: I mean, you’re right that his poll numbers never recovered. If you look at his approval/disapproval rating, the crosses at the time of the Afghan withdrawal, it never recovered. What happened last night is a completely self-inflicted mistake by the president, and the reason for it has nothing to do with his advisers. That’s the president himself. The president defends his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, and the criticism that came afterward, unbelievable…
… The moment that happened, it was clear that he was not assessing the situation correctly. He looked at his watch while the bodies were coming off the plane. Afterward, the families complained that he was talking too much about his own son and not about their sons. And in response to the criticism from these families, he did not get in touch again.
Maybe the knives are out because Democrats are so desperate to knock Biden out of the race, but his criticism feels different than the lukewarm criticism of the president in the past. Last night, something clicked, even if the awakening was brief. Everything said about Joe Biden is a lie. He is not compassionate. He is a self-centered, deranged man who would send military personnel to their deaths to try to organize a victory speech before the anniversary of 9/11.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan remains a stain on American history. It is disgraceful that Biden still has not taken responsibility for his actions. The fact that no one has been fired or disciplined only makes matters worse. These Gold Star families deserve a voice and they are finally getting one.
