David Gregory began Sunday's "Meet the Press" with a roundtable discussion about the future of our nation asking, "Are we having the right conversation about the best way forward?"
Given the subject, it seemed utterly preposterous that one of his panelists was a Congresswoman who just two weeks ago said, "As far as I'm concerned, the Tea Party can go straight to hell" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
DAVID GREGORY, HOST: Republicans and Democrats are having the debate. The question is: as a nation, are we having the right conversation about the best way forward? That’s what we’re going to attempt right here this morning. Joining me now…Democratic Congresswoman from Los Angeles Maxine Waters.
Is this the best person to be involved in “the right conversation about the best way forward" for our country?
Consider what she said at a high school gymnasium in Inglewood, California, on August 20:
Should this woman be rewarded for such divisiveness with an appearance on the nation's top Sunday political talk show two weeks later?
Didn't anyone at NBC get the slightest whiff of hypocrisy, especially given the subject matter?
They can't plead ignorance to what she said, for Gregory played it to his audience in the second half of the program and then asked Waters, "It's an applause line, but obviously, Congresswoman, is that really how you win the debate?"
When Waters gave an answer that had absolutely nothing to do with the question, Gregory responded:
GREGORY: Alright, but this is a little bit like fighting the last war. I mean, you know, times have changed. There's populism on the Left, Paul Gigot, and there's populism on the Right. That's what's fueling Rick Perry, that’s what’s fueling the Tea Party. But that's not necessarily what’s getting us to a place of some solutions.
And that's obviously what's fueling folks like Waters. If the host of "Meet the Press" finds it offensive, and doesn't think that's "getting us to a place of some solutions," why have her on?
Unless, of course, she was there specifically so that she could assist him in bashing the Tea Party thereby making the entire Kumbaya premise of this discussion totally hypocritical.
Sadly, it won't be the last time it happens on "Meet the Press" as long as Gregory is the host.
