Introducing President MSNBC

No one pretends anymore that MSNBC is an objective observer to the news. Obviously, the decision was made to be aggressively progressive. With the exception of “Morning Joe,” where Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski co-host a roundtable of commentators, politicos and actors who dispense praise and criticism equally to Democrats and Republicans, the cable network’s other political shows are unapologetically pro-Democratic, pro-Obama.

Thus, the powers that be correctly imagined themselves as co-players at the Democratic convention. A section of downtown Charlotte was reinvented as MSNBC Plaza, which included an open-air studio, a cafe, a lounge and the “MSNBC Experience,” for which fans stood in long lines to enter, cheering as their favorite stars appeared. A looming tower above the outdoor stage featured huge head shots of the well-known anchors. The president’s visage on T-shirts here and there was a mere comma to the anchor’s exclamation points. …

What was clear in Charlotte is that Democrats attending their convention consider MSNBC to be their ally and mouthpiece. The network’s presence wasn’t nearly so prominent or ubiquitous in Tampa during the Republican National Convention. As one Charlotte fan quoted in the Times put it, “I feel they are part of this convention. They are in tune with the people here.”