Why Is Tom DeLay Even Allowed On TV Anymore?

Posted by Melissa McEwan at 1:00 PM on August 31, 2007.

First he shows up yesterday morning on The Today Show in the guise of an expert to speak with Matt Lauer about Republican corruption, and then he pops up last night on Hardball to discuss the Larry Craig scandal with Chris Matthews. In both appearances, disgraced erstwhile House Majority Leader DeLay--the prosecution of whom on money laundering and conspiracy indictments is still pending--spent most of his time grousing about Democratic corruption and the media's alleged double-standard in making hay over GOP scandals while ignoring Democratic ones.

That he blathered endlessly on these tired old raggedy-ass talking points is not a surprise; being a Republican shill unhindered by an ounce of integrity or regard for reality is all he knows how to do. What never ceases to amaze, however, is that there are still media outlets willing and eager to give him air time to disgorge his diarrhetic bloviations while treating him like a legitimate source of wisdom and perspective.

The guy is a crook to his core, and, far from being gifted with the sort of charisma and magnetism that makes one an irresistible TV source, DeLay is a whining, humorless wreck of a guest with nothing of substance to add, who delivers the same pointless dreck every time to boot.

Even aside from the extraordinary list of reasons that his own corruption-laden résumé should exempt him from the guest list of any serious media outlet for all eternity, he makes a terrible guest.

So, again, I ask: Why does anyone give Tom DeLay the time of day? He doesn't deserve it. And neither do we.

Tagged as: media, corruption, delay, matthews, republican hypocrisy, craig, hardball

Melissa McEwan writes and edits the blog Shakespeare's Sister.