Voices from Fox News to MSNBC praise Joe Biden's acceptance speech

He began on the stage in shadow. Then he stepped into the light.

The staging matched his words. Joe Biden said — promised, essentially — that "the end of this chapter of American darkness began here, tonight, as love and hope and light join the battle for the soul of the nation." He used the word "hope" ten times. "Light" eleven times. "Fear" just five times.

Then he and his wife Jill walked outside for a late-night fireworks show — literally cutting through the darkness of the Wilmington night...

Good versus evil?

Oliver Darcy writes: "Arguably the most striking line of Biden's speech was when he promised to be 'an ally of the light, not the darkness.' It shouldn't be lost on us how extraordinary it was that a not-so-subtle theme of a speech by a presidential candidate accepting the nomination was that the election is about good versus evil. Not policy. Not even governing style. But good versus evil..."

A reminder about media consumption

Oliver Darcy writes: "While many readers of this newsletter will have likely invested the time in watching the various DNC speeches in full, it's worth pointing out: Most Americans did not. Instead, untold amounts of people will have encountered various pieces of the convention ripped from context to fit a political agenda. They'll see clips delivered via hyper-partisan outlets, commentators, and political operatives... Important to keep this in mind at all times..."

Cognitive dissonance?

I wondered as I watched Biden's fired-up-ready-to-go address: Did any of the Fox viewers who have been told, over and over again, that Biden is just a human blooper reel... a man who can't string a full sentence together... were any of them surprised by his passionate, articulate acceptance speech?

Fox's Bret Baier right afterward: That was "the best he's been, as far as his delivery." Chris Wallace: "It was an enormously effective speech. Remember, Donald Trump has been talking for months about Joe Biden as mentally shot, a captive of the left, and yes Biden was reading from a teleprompter and a prepared speech, but I thought he blew a hole -- a big hole -- in that characterization."

Instant reactions

-- WaPo's Philip Bump: "Trump's campaign invested an enormous amount of energy in suggesting that Biden couldn't manage to appear in public with any competence, which seems like a bar that wasn't useful to set."

-- Gloria Borger on CNN: "This may be the best speech Joe Biden has ever delivered. It wasn't a convention speech, written for applause lines; it was a presidential address, even kind of a fireside chat."

-- Joy Reid on MSNBC: "I think we found out tonight why Donald Trump feared him so much."

-- SF Chronicle's Tal Kopan in advance of Biden's address: "It's amazing how much of this convention has been making the case that Joe Biden is just a really, really kind, caring person. That normally isn't the basis of a presidential campaign, but it says a lot about their read on this moment in America."