Halperin: ‘Huge Double Standard’ Over Giuliani Comments

Bloomberg Politics Managing Editor Mark Halperin argued there was a “huge double standard” in the media over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s comments on Monday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.

After host Joe Scarborough remarked, “I think they [Giuliani’s remarks] were off the hook, too. But again, I just have to bring up, again, if Democrats are going to beat their chests in self-righteous indignation, I’m sorry, how many times have Democrats called George W. Bush or Republicans unpatriotic over the past 10, 15 years?” Halperin said, “it’s a huge double standard in the media…every reporter has to look at this as a case and say this ‘is a standard we’re going to hold everybody to?'”

Halperin added, “what if Dick Cheney had nuzzled the hair of a woman standing at a photo op at the White House for 23 seconds, what would the reaction of the press had been?…the media would have wanted charges brought against him.” Host Mika Brzezinski responded that she was unsure of how the media would have treated Cheney and joked “it’s how about you do it, it’s all in the delivery.”

Earlier, when Brzezinski asked if anyone thought Giuliani’s remarks were “off and random,”Scarborough shot back, “yes, it seemed off and random, but it seems off and random when Nancy Pelosi calls Republicans unpatriotic, but nobody in the mainstream media notices or cares…I didn’t hear you going on a tirade every time Democrats call Republicans unpatriotic. Keith Olbermann, on this network, said some of the most horrific things about the President of the United States. I didn’t see people’s hair going up in flames then. You were certainly here when Keith Olbermann would say things at night on this network that would make Rudy Giuliani look like he was at a tea party…I heard nobody in the mainstream media’s hair catching on fire, going crazy. He got away with it for years.”

(h/t Daily Caller)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett