Laura Ingraham was invited on Tuesday's Today show, to plug her new
book
The Obama Diaries [1], and predict how the midterm elections will go
but she couldn't get out of the segment without Today co-anchor Matt
Lauer suggesting Republicans are just as unpopular as the Democrats.
During the segment Lauer read from a Washington Post poll that stated 6
in 10 Americans don't have faith in President Obama and 7 in 10 don't
have faith in congressional Democrats but then also pointed out that 7
in 10 Americans don't have much confidence in Republicans either as he
asked Ingraham: "So what's the message here? A pox on all their houses."
Ingraham agreed there's "a lot of cynicism out there," but went on to
point out the folly of assuming Democrats are somehow safe as she
retorted to Lauer: "I think that's a little facile to say, 'Oh everyone
who's in power is just a disaster and no one trusts anyone.' I don't
think that's true. I think what people are seeing, that the nation is in
debt. We have a lack of focus on things like the Gulf Coast." [audio
available here [2]]
In fact Lauer completely glossed over the
fact that the
Washington Post poll article [3]he read from clearly stated that
"Those most likely to vote in the midterms prefer the GOP over continued
Democratic rule by a sizable margin of 56 percent to 41 percent."
After
the poll question, Ingraham went on to poke fun at the First Lady's
appearance in the Gulf Coast:
I mean I know the First Lady dropped by the Gulf Coast. That was a beautiful image. She went to an ice cream shop. I thought dessert was not a right. But she had a, you know, a chocolate hurricane yesterday. That was a nice image. But we're losing part of the country, Matt. We're losing the Gulf Coast day by day by day. I hope the cap works. We'll see if it does.
Ingraham actually had a
lot of fun at not only the Obamas' expense, but also cheekily mocked
Lauer's colleague Brian Williams as seen in the following interview as
it was aired on the July 13 Today show:
MATT LAUER: Let me ask you about midterm elections. You heard in Chuck's piece that, that a lot of people are now talking about the possibility Republicans could regain control of the House and the Senate, likelihood of it happening is what?
INGRAHAM: Pretty likely in the House, not sure about the Senate. I should say that - this is actually breaking news today - Barack Obama in his diaries actually predicts gaining seats in both the House and the Senate, the bravado is quite something.
LAUER: That's because you write them as fictional entries in his diary.
INGRAHAM: Well what's fiction? What do you mean fiction?
LAUER: Let, let me ask you this.
INGRAHAM: Fiction?!
LAUER: If they do, if Republicans do regain control of the House and make substantial gains in the Senate, will it be a general dissatisfaction voters are showing with Democrats in Congress or the administration or would you point to a specific tipping point?
INGRAHAM: Well, who's in charge? I mean we were promised hope and change. We were promised turning the page. A transparent White House. These are, are regular people but they have a new vision for America. Well a vision is unfolding and it's not working out so well. That, that's not political. That's not ideological. That's factual. I think people are seeing that jobs are not the focus. We're doing a lot of, you know, fun partying at the White House, which is also cataloged in The Obama Diaries. There's a lot of partying. A beautiful family, wonderful image. But the image for the country is not a comedy, Matt, it's a tragedy.
LAUER: If you look, if you look at the front page of the Washington Post there's a poll and it kind of tells two stories.
INGRAHAM: Yeah.
LAUER: One it says, about 6 in 10 Americans are, do not have faith in President Obama. Almost 7 in 10 Americans don't have faith in Democrats in Congress. But it also says-
INGRAHAM: But? What's the but?
LAUER: -it also says that just slightly more than 7 in 10 Americans don't have faith in Republicans in Congress. So what's the message here? A pox on all their houses?
INGRAHAM: Well I think there's, yeah, there's, there's a lot of cynicism out there. But I think that's a little facile to say, "Oh everyone who's in power is just a disaster and no one trusts anyone." I don't think that's true. I think what people are seeing, that the nation is in debt. We have a lack of focus on things like the Gulf Coast. I mean I know the First Lady dropped by the Gulf Coast. That was a beautiful image. She went to an ice cream shop. I thought dessert was not a right. But she had a, you know, a chocolate hurricane yesterday. That was a nice image. But we're losing part of the country, Matt. We're losing the Gulf Coast day by day by day. I hope the cap works. We'll see if it does.
LAUER: So, so-
INGRAHAM: There's been a failure in leadership. That's why the polls are where they are. A failure in leadership.
LAUER: Let me put you in charge. So if I put you in charge of the campaigns-
INGRAHAM: Oh gosh, that'd be fun.
LAUER: -campaigns of all the Republicans running in the midterm elections, what's your bumper sticker? Is it, "We're not Democrats" or is it something more?
INGRAHAM: Well it might be "America First." It might be focus on American families and American jobs. Period. America. Reignite a love affair with our country! We don't need someone apologizing for America. We don't need someone saying, "Well, American exceptionalism yes but there's also Greek exceptionalism and British exceptionalism." We need to reignite a love affair with America. That's what I write about in The Obama Diaries. That's the, that's the comedy, the tragedy that's kind of unfolding today.
...
LAUER: The Obama Diaries. Fictional entries in Obama's diary.
INGRAHAM: First of all is it fictional to say that the, the President with the burger runs. Remember last, last year Matt, last June when Brian Williams was in the backseat. Now that was funny. In the burger run with Obama? I love Brian Williams at that moment. You know, petting Bo the dog. That was comedy. The Obama Diaries? It's revealing.
LAUER: But, but what, four months or three-and-a-half months before midterm elections-
INGRAHAM: Yeah.
LAUER: -what do you want people to take away from this? Is this a fun romp? Is this?
INGRAHAM: The book is revealing arrogance, incompetence, horror, and, Matt, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. You didn't know this, they're two of the funniest people on the face of the planet. You add Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama's mother? She is, this woman is one of the best people, funniest, common sense. And she wants those daughters to eat junk food when they want to eat it, okay?
LAUER: The book is The Obama Diaries. Laura it's nice to have you.
INGRAHAM: It's great to see you Matt, as always.
LAUER: Good to see you as well.
-Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here [4]