DeLay Schools Lauer on MSM Bias: 'Amazing Double-Standard'

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.
By Mark Finkelstein | August 30, 2007 - 08:14 ET

It's rare to see a leading MSM light directly confronted over the liberal media's bias. But it happened in spades this morning as Tom DeLay (R-Texas) called out Matt Lauer on the MSM's double-standard in handling Republican, versus Democrat, scandals.

Video (3:29): Real and Windows, plus MP3 audio.

The "Today" co-anchor opened his interview of the former Republican congressman and Majority Leader with a laundry-list of GOP scandals.

MATT LAUER: By all accounts these are some tough times for the Republican party. Last fall Democrats took control of both houses of congress, largely because of opposition to the war in Iraq. In 2006 the Republican party was also hit with distracting scandals involving Congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate emails to male congressional pages and lobbyist Jack Abramoff's corruption case that brought down several prominent Republican congressmen. This year the phone number of Republican senator David Vitter turned up in the records of a Washington, DC escort service, and now recent polls show voters prefer a Democrat over a Republican by 51-27% and at least one poll found the most popular choice among Republican presidential candidates is "none of the above." The question now is can any of the damage be reversed? Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay served in congress for 22 years and knows personally how scandals can impact a party. He's also the author of a new book called No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight. Tom DeLay, congressman, good morning.

TOM DELAY: Good morning, Matt.

LAUER: So I went through a litany there, and maybe I should start by stepping back. We've got two members out of 49 Republican senators in office right now embroiled in controversy. So do we have a party embroiled in scandal or do we have two bad apples?

DeLay wasted no time in confronting Lauer with his bias.

DELAY: Well, I hate to say this Matt, but you just showed the problem, the double-standard, and you just participated in it. You listed a whole lot of scandals that involve the Republicans but you didn't mention one Democrat.

In response, and throughout the ensuing exchange, Lauer clung to the fig leaf of his "bad apple" query.

LAUER: But you didn't hear me. I also just said do we only have two bad apples or is there a case of an entire party embroiled in scandal?

DELAY: I think in your premise if you had listed all the Democrats that are having problems right now it would have been different. You see the Democrats re-elect the people with their problems; the Republicans kick them out. If you look at what's going on, it's how you handle it as a party and as a political group.

And later . . .

DELAY: The double-standard in the media is amazing. The feeding frenzy, the sharks in the water that's going on right now because of a Republican. Where is the frenzy on Alan Mollohan from West Virginia or William Jefferson from Louisiana?

LAUER: I think you mentioned William Jefferson. There was an awful lot of coverage of William Jefferson when that story broke, congressman.

DELAY: Yeah, for just a couple of days and then we went on. In the case of a Republican, believe me I've experienced this, it's day in and day out in the media, and they write this story over and over and over again. We all know the double-standard in the media -- it's amazing.

LAUER: I'm not going to let it, you know, end with that assumption, congressman, because I clearly don't agree with it, but why don't we just say . . .

DELAY: You exhibited it, Matt!

LAUER: You know what, congressman? I think it's unfair. Because I listed a list of problems and then immediately --

DELAY: All Republicans.

LAUER: Well we're talking about the Republican party. You just said, I invited you on to talk about the GOP.

DELAY: Because you don't want to talk about the Democrats.

LAUER: And I also started, congressman, and then said "is this a misperception that there is a party embroiled in scandal when we may just have two bad apples?" That's exactly how I started my first question.

DELAY: No, you started the first question by listing a bunch of Republicans and didn't mention one Democrat.

LAUER: Because we're talking --

DELAY: About the situation that's going on in Washington today and including both Democrats and Republicans. There are scandals that need to be addressed. Republicans address them, Democrats re-elect them.

LAUER: Alright congressman, I'll let you have the last word. It's good to have you on.

DELAY: Thank you.

When the interview ended, newsreader Ann Curry turned to Matt and said with apparent sympathy for his ordeal "Now-w-w, let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories," as Matt broke out into a big grin.

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.

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Little Matty the little man

Awwww. Big bad republican hurt little Matty's feelings, so big sissy Annie makes the precious little man feel better.

Kissy, kissy.

I was watching this exchange

I was watching this exchange and wish Delay would have asked why Matt doesn't do a story on Democrats in scandal.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the smackdown. 

 

LAUER: Well we're talking

LAUER: "Well we're talking about the Republican party. You just said, I invited you on to talk about the GOP.  Tomorrow, I'm going to air a list of Democrats who have had scandals, and invite a Democrat leader to discuss their image problem..."

OK, I made up that last sentence....

Brilliance!

"You see the Democrats re-elect the people with their problems; the Republicans kick them out."

That was simply brilliant.

Brilliant indeed!

It is high time every Republican interviewed took the time to express this most obvious difference!

So true, Republicans punish

So true, Republicans punish the offenders, Democrats seek to improve their image by "Rehabilitiation."

Suh-Wheet!!!   Matty boy,

Suh-Wheet!!!   Matty boy, you got CLOCKED!!!!  Congressman Delay, Thank you!

Now, who else in the GOP, currently IN OFFICE, is going to stand up and continue to dish it right back in the faces of these biased msm uppities?

FIGHT BACK!!

 

LAUER: You know what,

LAUER: You know what, congressman? I think it's unfair. Because I listed a list of problems and then immediately --

How does it feel to get a dose of medicine Matty. You were called on your blantant bias against Republicans and all you can say is it's unfair. WHHHHAAAHHH! 

I can't decide who's a bigger whimp, Matty or John Edwards.

DeLay

There are times he makes me quite happy to be from Houston. Not only did he have the balls to go onto a MSM show and say this, but he wasted no time in getting to the point. There's nothing quite like a Texan telling it like it is.

Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? Quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet?

Why don't the GOP folks

Why don't the GOP folks fight back against Dems and bias like this all the time??!! Soon DeLay will probably publically apologize to Matt, kind of what Tony Snow did after calling David Gregory biased.

Ugh, the Dems love to mention FOX all the time as biased media, but where is the GOP counterattack railing CNN MSNBC ABC CBS NBC NY Times LA Times, etc.?

While I am on this, is ANYONE going to bring up Hilary and her fund raising fugitive? (I know the GOP certainly won't).

 

Hillary's fugitive fundraiser?

Hillary's defenders have already said she didn't know anything about it.

End of MSM curiosity.

Now back to Sen. Craig!

Don't think we'll be seeing

or hearing a public apology from Tom Delay anytime soon!  Nor should he even consider doing so!!!!  It is high time someone took Matty to task!  

 Next?????????  Let's see who has what it takes to be the next one to request an interview with Tom :-)

Good job Mark

Excellent story - Delay's statement is so simple, I can't believe I haven't heard it before: "There are scandals that need to be addressed. Republicans address them, Democrats re-elect them." Maybe if Lauer and others get their hats handed to them a little more often, they'd think twice before doing their normal spin. But I'm dreaming - they will just ban Delay from future appearances.

Good Job Mark

You are right about this; the point made by Delay is simple and accurate. The overall quality of news reporting today is frivolous and unworthy of our time. I don't see Lauer, Matthews, Stephanopoulos, Gregory, or any of them making much of a change any time soon.

But I'm dreaming - they

But I'm dreaming - they will just ban Delay from future appearances.

Exactly, which is why we don't often see the GOP represented in the media to defend themselves. If they're not invited, they can't be on TV. Just another example of how the MSM controls the message.

I saw this as it aired this morning.

I found myself shouting 'YES!' after every comment Tom Delay made. I was so happy to see someone expose the leftists for what they truly are: Hypocrites.

It did my heart some good.

Tom Delay is my new hero!!

 

 

I really admire Tom's recent

I really admire Tom's recent fight to defend himself and the party. I think he just had a "I can't take this anymore" moment and finally took the gloves off and started dishing back what was being given to him... He's a brilliant man and I wish him the best.

VIDEO PLEASE

VIDEO PLEASE

I'm "efforting" the video.

I'm "efforting" the video.

FAS-TAR!  :cracking

FAS-TAR! 

:cracking whip:

>;)

Your efforts have not gone unnoticed Mark.  Thanks in advance.

-PJ

"Trake: Your lofty convictions are another blemish on the rump of congregational sectarianism." -Tumbler 5/15/07 

Agree

Excellent efforts by all at Newsbusters.

Neoteny

LAUER: I'm not going to let it, you know, end with that assumption,
congressman, because I clearly don't agree with it, but why don't we
just say .
. .all Republicans are evil and are the reason for all the suffering in the world.

Low Bar

Actually it has been a team effort made up of the democrats and their water carriers, the MSM, to lower the bar so far for dems, libs and minorities that they would have to dig a hole to get it any lower. And yes, it is also a blatant example of the unbelievable racism of these two groups of hypocritical phonies.

They, in turn, raise the bar so high for Republican Conseratives and Christians that we must have a ladder to get over it.

We have a higher calling than a ladder. Let them stay in their holes.

Wow, talking about flipping

Wow, talking about flipping the race card out of nowhere.

Race card?

Race CARD?  Point to something he said that isn't true.

 

The American Revolution Continued

About time!

I dont even like Delay but at least he didnt let Lauer get away with pushing his agenda.Republicans need to do a packet check.Whining is going to change anything.The press has been haveing a field day over Craig.They didnt spend this much time on Harry(I forgot I sold that land)Reed.Dont be shy bring up Jefferson/Mollohan.You know the MSM is bias then point it out.Use facts and put the information out there and keep it out there.

Tom DeLay...

I wish DeLay would have asked Matty when the last time they had a democrat on to discuss the scandals involving democrats.

Instead, when a democrat is on, it is a fluff piece that is usually an MSM sponsored campaign ad.

If conservatives are RIGHT, then liberals must be WRONG.
Thompson/Rice

What a swarmy little pr*ck

What a swarmy little pr*ck Matt Lauer is.He only invited Tom Delay on so he could embarrass him.

 That's the  new standard now.Is anyone familiar with an old Indian custom of "touching the buffalo"?

That was when a young Indian Brave would show his courage by running up to a stampeding buffalo herd and
"touch one "while it was running.That is what these talk show hosts do now. It is a big status symbol for them to embarras a Republican on T.V.now.

Matt Lauer is an idiot.

Can you imagine a gay man being treated like that?

"So...this AIDS thing...any ideas on that?"

 

Victory in Iraq.

Newt for President.

For Shame

You shouldnt insult idiots like that.

Sorry.

 

 I was mad.I need to lighten up.

Is it too early for a martini?

It's five O'clock somewhere.

Victory in Iraq.

Newt for President.

Thats it

Rehab for you.At your press conference make sure your apology to idiots is sincere.There will probably be law suits for comparing them to Matt Lauer.Doesnt look good.I think Germany is 9 hr difference.Close enough.

As my girls say, "You're a

As my girls say, "You're a scary cat". Lauer is scared to be exposed, to toe-to-toe with the hammer. So he ended up his interview just like that. Remember Rosie-the-fat-loud mouth-lesbian, got scared when Hasselbeck was on her case. Leftoids hide their momma's skirts when confronted with the truth...

I like Rep. Delay now that he's out of office, because he doesn't have to be politically correct and smooch around to smack some leftoid's behind. Good Job, Mr. Hammer!

Now let's find out who leaked this!

Now let's find out who leaked this prior to the correct officials seeing it!!  http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070830/D8RBB19G0.html  Just have to remember that last time it said none reached[the interim report], then the report came out and over half had been met.  So someone giving faulty leaking.....must be ROVE!!

Paw...

 3 or 4th post of this... off topic too.  but funny

The American Revolution Continued

Hold up folks...

...I whole heartedly agree with everything Delay had to say about about the "double standard" of the media, etc. The fact that NBC (and the rest of the MSM) feels it is necessary to cover the indescretions of Republicans ad nauseam, and completely ignore the constant and ongoing troubles plaguing the Democrats, is beyond incredible. Unfortunately for Mr. Delay, he was indeed invited onto the show to talk about the Republican Party. He should have answered Mr. Lauer's questions in that regard, and THEN he could have had his say about the double standard. I despise Matt Lauer and generally agree with Delay, but in this case I believe Delay was wrong to insist that Lauer read a list of Democrat problems when asking Tom to comment about recent Republican problems. Matt could have made a statement like: "To be fair, here are some recent indescretions involving Democrats..." And Delay would have been well within his rights to ask for that to be done, but he should have answered his questions as well. It would sometimes seem to be a cynical calculation on the part of some who invite Delay and others onto their various programs, so they can get them to retort and seem unable to engage in adult conversation, and then smirk at the portrayal at the end. This does not help the conservative case. AND... We here should be more concerned with how some Republicans are sullying our good name, than blindly defending the likes of Folley, Craig and Abramoff. We should rightly call for the MSM to spend as much time on Democratic scandals as they do on Republicans, but if they do not, that doesn't give Republicans a free pass from those of us who know better. Bad is bad is bad.

You just made the case!

So, you just made the case!  The MSM is to decide what is news and what is not news!  If it does not fit their template, then it is off bounds to discuss!  & who is calling the President "Hitler"??

Rastus, Think why NBC

Rastus,

Think why NBC invited Delay to the program? I've got a hint that Lauer is also going to grill Delay about his "cases". It just didn't get to it, because the interview got cut short. They could have asked the Minority Leader or Sen. McConnel to appear on the show, but they don't have a rap sheet on them. It was fair to answer the way Delay answered, I would! Fair and balanced. The leftoid media will never expose democracks the way they belittle the republicans. To be able to let the viewers know what exactly are the media's lefty agenda, it must be brought out front and center. When Lauer was confronted with facts, he chickened out...

Rastus, defensive apology is what we've been doing for too long

You want DeLay to concede that Lauer has framed the argument correctly and discuss it from that perspective.  THEN, if there's enough time he might be allowed to get in a point or two?   Your format has been the behavior of too many conservatives. 

 

RJ Damn straight

Right on RJ!  Had this been 20 years (at least) ago, the maybe Rastus would have a point.  It's time to get our priorities in line, and DESTROY the MSM whenever we have the chance.  This isn't some game, Rastus, that when all is said and done, everyone is friends again while clinking mugs.  This is about the fate of ths country.  More Republicans and Libertarians need to do this.  I want to see blood on the floor (figuratively speaking of course).  Matt Lauer invited Delay on to talk about his party's problems, and instead of playing nice, he kicked him in the balls.  Matt thought it was  going to be a slam dunk IF Delay talked about his party's problems.  They are hard to ignore.  I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of important issues being tabled by the self imposed (an apparently self elected 4th branch of government) MSM.  THey are there to do a job, and that job has not been done in a long, long time.  The bias is disgustingly transparent.  I want to see more of these types of poundings.  Lauer knows damn well exactly what Delay was talking about.  He chose to play dumb.  Again   As usual.  Hey Matt, why don't you put yourself to some good use and take over Merideth, and do arts and crafts coverage.  Wuss.

The American Revolution Continued

 Rastus:  It would

 Rastus:  It would sometimes seem to be a cynical calculation on the part of some who invite Delay and others onto their various programs, so they can get them to retort and seem unable to engage in adult conversation, and then smirk at the portrayal at the end.

 

 Please go back and re-read the set up by Lauer:

The question now is can any of the damage be reversed? Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay served in congress for 22 years and knows personally how scandals can impact a party...We've got two members out of 49 Republican senators in office right now embroiled in controversy. So do we have a party embroiled in scandal or do we have two bad apples?

Knowing the MSM & their political masters as we do, this is not what I would call "adult conversation".  It is more a case of Matt Lauer smarmily trying to set DeLay up, and getting gored instead.  "So do we have a party embroiled in scandal or do we have two bad apples?"  Translation:  "which is it? Huh? Huh? Scandal or rotten apples? Huh? Huh?  We all know there is not a good apple in the Republican barrel, right? (wink,wink,nod,nod)"   My God! What a choice:  party in scandal?  two bad apples?

What doesn't help the conservative case is allowing sniveling little yorkies like Lauer to nip at our heels by getting away with framing the debate when it would be so easy to flick them away with one good kick.  Example:  Bill O'Reilly allowing Michael Moore to frame the debate during his interview with him at the dem convention in '04(?)  Moore kept asking if he (O'Reilly) would want Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld to send his son to Iraq "to be killed or injured" if he had a son.  Instead of telling Moore to shove it and turn it around on him, Bill allowed Moore to enter the "spin zone" and keep asking that question over & over while he tried to come up with explanations.  This kind of thing happens too often.  When are the Republicans (especially conservative ones) going to learn that the mainstream press is NEVER going to treat you with respect?  NEVER!  Just look at how exercised they all got when Rove gave his first interview on leaving the White House to Rush.  MSM:  "Why, he isn't even a journalist!"  By the logic you've used, Rove should have gone to the Today show or some such MSM outlet and let them have at him, just so we could avoid the appearance of not engaging in "adult conversation" and thus further sullying the Republican image. 

Go Tom!  I'm still waiting for Ronnie Earl's comeuppance.  We'll see.

 

"The future is not set.  There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

Tom Delay is great!!

I love it when liberals are called out on their own networks.

Slogan Repeat!

As I stated yesterday, my new slogan, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can fool a liberal fool all the time!"

Don't attack a Texan.....they fight back

Tom Delay was very well liked by his Constituents, and hated by the Washington insiders.........now we see/hear why.

If the Washington crowd hates you, it's an excellant personal recommendation. 

What good is a Free Press, if it is a False Press ?   David Foote  GoE

Wow, Delay had a chance to

Wow, Delay had a chance to make a really great point with a much higher impact by addressing the question first, then dealing out his other statements.
But he had to get very push right out of the gate. A better response would have been:

 Clearly Matt, this is more of an issue of bad apples and in no way is it a crisis of the Republican party. We are talking about less than 2% of the Republican party in DC, and yet the media is magnifying the 2% and ignoring the 98% in an effort to twist and distort the truth. When was the last time you asked the Dems if they were self destructing over the behavior of 2% or less of their party?

Okay, so that could be tweaked some, but I didn't like Delay's approach of attacking Matt Lauer. I think the Republicans should hold themselves to a higher standard than the Dems. If we are going to whine about the Dems attacking O'Reilly or Chris Wallace, etc. then we shouldn't be cheering when a Republican duplicates the behavior. Delay brought up some great points, but their validity will be completely lost and ignored because of the manner he brought them up in being so similiar to a Dem style attack. Lets not let the Dems bring us down to their level.

The earth is on fire and it is YOUR fault for owning a car...

Based on the majority response here, xfast

DeLay's answer was the correct one.  He got Lauer and the audience's attention.  Yours would have had Lauer and the audience yawning before the end of the first sentence.  

P.S. If more conservatives take DeLay's

approach, then Lauer and his kind will have to be more careful in how they try to frame the arguments. 

Currently, they are allowed to get away with being  biased and/or lazy.  

Bravo, Tom!

I think the Republicans should hold ...

"I think the Republicans should hold themselves to a higher standard than the Dems"

Although I agree with that sentiment, it "ain't gettin us anywere!" I like the way Delay handled this, about time someone put Lauer in his place.

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

So the Republicans should

So the Republicans should follow the Democrat's model of behavior in media interviews??? That is what Delay did, and he looked as foolish as the Dems complaining in a rhetorical fashion about Fox or Limbaugh.

 Like I said, I liked Delay's points, but I think he just created a piece that went nowhere. I sincerely doubt Dems are thinking he made any good points, they are simply labeling it right wing noise.

 

 

The earth is on fire and it is YOUR fault for owning a car...

WAAAAAAH!

Lauer: "But you didn't hear me. I also just said do we only have two bad apples or is there a case of an entire party embroiled in scandal?"

"An entire party embroiled in scandal"  Jee, Matt, tell us what you really think. So he doesn't think Delay was fair. Cue violins!

Ha Ha this almost qualifies

Ha Ha this almost qualifies as "gay bashing"! Lauer is such a putz!

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

Matt; Jab Delay; Block,

Matt; Jab

Delay; Block, jab, jab, hook, jab, hook, hook!!

Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!

Matt is at his best

Matt is at his best (sarcasm) when he is fawning over a pediphile that happens to be an attractive blonde school teacher molesting underage boys.

When will the Today show do a segment on Democratic scandals!

Something like ask Chucky Schummer what he knows about his underlings criminal obtaining the credit history of a republican (Steele) running for congress?

And BTW William Jefferson barely made the news with his cash in the freezer!!!

 

I'm a refugee from the Democratic Party.

 

Newsreader...

Thank you so much for referring to Ann Curry as a newsREADER.  That was great.

As for Matty getting his panties in a wad for being called out on national television, that was fantastic and needed to be said.  This isn't the first time I've seen DeLay unleash on someone for obvious bias in the media.  I'm glad to see him do this.

These people are so fake and disingenuous that it makes me sick...the whole lot of them.  Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Ann Curry, Robin Roberts, Soledad O'Brien, Anderson Cooper...you get the point.

Gay sex scandals involving

Gay sex scandals involving republicans will trump money scandals with democrats any day of the week, any hour of the day--and visa versa.