Brian Williams on Friday night highlighted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s insistence “the Tea Party was born because of the economy” and it “will disappear as soon as the economy gets better,” a forecast Williams characterized as a “bold prediction.”
Williams set up the clip, from a pre-recorded interview for Sunday’s Meet the Press, by relaying how Reid “told David Gregory the Tea Party contingent swept into power in this last election may indeed have a short shelf life.”
From the Friday, January 7 NBC Nightly News:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: We're just back from Washington, of course, where we interviewed the new Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner – the newly GOP-controlled House. But remember, the Democrats still control the Senate. In an interview for Sunday's Meet the Press, the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, having just survived re-election narrowly in Nevada against a Tea Party candidate, told David Gregory the Tea Party contingent swept into power in this last election may indeed have a short shelf life.
SENATOR HARRY REID: The Tea Party was born because of the economy. The economy is probably the worst it's ever been except for maybe the Great Depression. The Tea Party will disappear as soon as the economy gets better and the economy is getting better all the time.
WILLIAMS: Bold prediction by the Majority Leader. You can see more of David Gregory’s interview with Senator Reid Sunday morning on Meet the Press.
— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
