On Wednesday night, perhaps the most powerful moment of any political convention ever unfolded. Centering on the servicemembers who lost their lives during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, the Gold Star families of those who perished one by one appeared on screen to name their loved ones and describe their experiences.
As RedState reported, they also spoke with great emotion about being abandoned by Joe Biden and his administration. Perhaps the most impactful point of the entire presentation was when the family members pointed out that the president had never said the names of those who died. They then took the stage in person to do so themselves, listing them off and leaving not a dry eye in the arena and millions of households watching.
As I noted back in June, those Gold Star families didn’t get a White House invitation. Others far less deserving did.
The parents of the service members who died in the Afghanistan withdrawal couldn’t get a White House invite, but this dude did. pic.twitter.com/mKMoQH2vHH
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 19, 2024
But while MSNBC chose to cut away from the segment entirely, showing a profoundly disgusting disrespect for those who died as a result of Biden’s political stunt, other left-leaning news outlets did cover it, and the responses were devastating for the president. It wasn’t just Republican anaylsts either.
Here’s ABC News’ Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran, with a transcript courtesy of Newsbusters’ Curtis Houck.
ABC’s @TerryMoran on the Gold Star families at #RNC2024: “David, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything like that at a convention. The connection between this crowd and those family members 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 experienced anything like that at a convention. The connection between this crowd and those family members of the fallen. It was just absolutely extraordinary. The emotions, the call and response, that the crowd started spontaneously, ‘never forget’, reciting and repeating the names as they were read out. And it wasn’t just a compassion and the sorrow that linked the crowd and go speakers. It was the anger. I’ve been out here this afternoon talking to veterans — Vietnam era veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. About the campaign in general, and without being prompted, they bring up Afghanistan and the sense of shame and anger that they felt for the country and — and in this campaign.
But while ABC News rightfully praised the power of the moment, CNN went right to the source of the problem, ripping Joe Biden and calling what he did “unforgivable.”
CNN’s @DavidJUrban on the Gold Star families at #RNC2024: “It’s just unforgivable. I mean, Hunter Lopez — his father. Andrew — I got choked up his father’s reading those names. As somebody who’s went to West Point, served in the military, has been deployed overseas, fought in… pic.twitter.com/H4xLAmykq9
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 18, 2024
URBAN: It’s just unforgivable. I mean, Hunter Lopez — his father. Andrew — I got choked up his father’s reading those names. As somebody who’s went to West Point, served in the military, has been deployed overseas, fought in the war, the fact that Joe Biden never met with those families the fact that Joe Biden forgot — forgot — that those kids died is just unforgivable. The fact that the White house has never bothered to cleanup or say we’re sorry, it’s just unforgivable. It’s unforgivable to me as an American.
At another point, CNN the Afghanistan disaster a “completely self-inflicted wound,” noting that it marked the beginning of the end for Biden’s presidency.
‘Completely Self-Inflicted’: CNN Guest Says Biden ‘Never, Ever Recovered’ From Afghanistan Withdrawal pic.twitter.com/NJL5o66F8S
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 18, 2024
ANALYST: I mean, you’re right that his polling has never, ever reovered. If you look at his approval/disapproval rating, in crosses at the time of the Afghanisan withdrawal, and it never recovered. In terms of what happened last night, this is a completely self-inflicted error on the president’s part, and the reason has nothing to do with his advisers. This goes to the president himself. The president is incredibly defensive about his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and the criticism that came after…
…It was clear at the moment that that happened that he did not meet the moment. He looked at his watch while the bodies came off that plane. Afteward the families complained that he was talking too much about his own son, not about their sons. And in response to the criticism from those families, he did not reach back out.
Perhaps the knives are out because there’s such a desperation to get Biden out of of the race by Democrats, but his feels different than the past tepid criticisms of the president. Something clicked last night, even if the awakening is only momentary. Everything claimed about Joe Biden is a falsehood. He’s not empathetic. He’s a self-centered, deranged man who would send service members to their deaths to try to set up a celebratory speech before the anniversary of 9/11.
The Afghinstan withdarawal remains a stain on American history. It is shameful that Biden still takes no responsibility for what he did. That no one was ever fired or disciplined only adds insult to injury. These Gold Star families deserve a voice, and they are finally getting one.
