As Guy Benson wrote, President Barack Obama will address the country on Thursday night to announce his sweeping, unprecedented decision to use executive authority to enact portions of an immigration reform bill that could not pass Congress. It will be, in fact, a move that Obama previously believed was beyond the realm of his authority to perform.
There’s just one problem. If you’re hoping to see this critical, all-important address to the public on a proposal that Just. Can’t. Wait… you’re going to be disappointed.
“President Barack Obama will announce his highly anticipated plan to deal with millions of illegal immigrants tomorrow night,” Media Bistro reported. “While the cable news networks will carry the 8pmET announcement, the broadcast networks — deep into November sweeps — will not.”
According to network insiders, the White House did not request time from the networks for tomorrow night’s primetime speech. But because it comes at 5pmPT the network evening newscasts will have to update their programs.
There is one tiny exception to the broadcast networks passing on the opportunity to carry Obama’s speech, however. While none of the major broadcast networks will cover Obama’s speech live, there is one network that will: Univision. And Obama’s address just happens to air right before the Latin Grammy Awards.
Surely, this is not about favoritism, though. Univision’s lead anchor, Jorge Ramos, does seem like an impartial actor without a political ax to grind.
It'll be difficult for Republicans to reject executive action on immigration and not to be seen as anti-immigrant and anti-Latino.
— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) November 16, 2014
…never mind.
Given their allies in all the right places, it’s hard to imagine that the White House is exactly inconsolable over their snub by the broadcast networks.
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