The standard in what passes for elite legacy media doing their jobs is so eroded that we’ve almost allowed ourselves to cheer when they do something as rudimentary as ask a Democrat politician a question that might seem just a teensy bit uncomfortable. But, as we can learn from the latest episode of NBC’s Meet the Press, merely asking a question is not enough.
Watch as host Kristen Welker asks Illinois Governor and 2028 Dem presidential listee JB Pritzker about the blatant hypocrisy in criticizing the mote in Texas’ eye but not the beam in his own (click "expand" to view transcript):
NBC MEET THE PRESS
8/10/25
10:10 AM
KRISTEN WELKER: I do want to look at the map of Illinois. Let's take a look at this: despite President Trump winning 44% of the statewide vote in 2024, Republicans hold only three of Illinois's 17 districts. These districts seem to be to maximize Democratic advantage. What do you say to those who argue that it's hypocritical for you to criticize Texas for partisanship when your state also drew maps to boost your party's standing?
JB PRITZKER: Well, remember that what Texas is trying to do is, again, violate the Voting Rights Act. We didn't. We held public hearings, legislative hearings. People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map that was put out. There were actually changes made to the map and a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census, so that's how it's done in this country. You talked about rare it is to do what he's doing. Yes, it is. What’s even rarer is to do it at the behest of the President of the United States who is clearly attempting to, and says, that he deserves to have five more seats. He's wrong and he's attempting to change the game because, again, he passed this big, ugly bill. It's hyper unpopular in Texas, among people in Texas and across the country, and he knows he's going to lose the Congress in 2026. That's why he's going to his allies and hoping that they can save him, and we've all got to stand up against this. This is- it's cheating. Donald Trump is a cheater. He cheats on his wives. He cheats at golf, and now he's trying to cheat the American people out of their votes.
WELKER: Well, look, sticking on your state's map, every major group that grades the fairness of congressional maps gives your state an F. Common Cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog, even says your map, and I'm going to quote: “represents a nearly perfect model for everything that can go wrong with redistricting.” And I guess the question is: you talk about preserving democracy. How do you preserve democracy if you're using the same tactics that you’ve criticized Texas Republicans for?
PRITZKER: But as I say, what they're talking about is a distraction. The reality is that the violation of people's voting rights is what Texas is attempting to do. That's what's wrong with their efforts right now and the fact that the President of the United States knows it and, nevertheless, is asking them to do it. That is what's wrong with what we're seeing right now. Democracy is at stake and these Texas Democrats are standing up to what the GOP is attempting to do which is to -- to steal seats because they know what they've done is wrong. They know that they've made an enormous mistake.
WELKER: Let's turn now to foreign policy, Governor and the crisis in Gaza.
Yes, Kristen Welker asked a Democrat a facially uncomfortable question. Quick, give her a Pulitzer! What is most notable from this exchange is that which is missing therein. In order to find that, we are compelled to examine the (D)ifference between this question and similar questions asked of Republicans.
The slight twitch at the start of the question on Illinois’ map betrays a discomfort that Pritzker is never made to feel otherwise. This is so because Welker simply allows him to exhaust his talking point set pieces on Texas’ redistricting, without ever substantially pressing him on the issue or the hypocrisy of his outrage.
Welker does not interrupt Pritzker or cut him off mid-sentence in order to rebut his arguments or force him to respond to her specific framing of the question. There is no “to put a fine point on it” and pointing the pen at Pritzker. Both of these would’ve come the second a Republican had rebutted her follow-up with “what they’re saying I’m doing is a distraction”. Keep these in mind in the event of a Ron DeSantis appearance on Meet the Press subsequent to the Speaker of the Florida House convening a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting.
Having gotten the pro forma redistricting question out of the way, Welker moves on to Gaza. The question itself was all right but Pritzker benefited from an absence of significant followup never extended to Republicans. As is the case with double standards, it’s just (D)ifferent.
