June 15, 2015

I've handed Chris Hayes a lot of grief on this site for interviews where he gets filibustered by right-wing screechers, but he did it exactly right on his show tonight.

Former Senator and Governor Judd Gregg was the guest. The topic was the Affordable Care Act, and Judd Gregg was serving up the usual nonsensical talking points in a particularly vitriolic way. From his claim that the ACA was a mess that helped no one, to his mockery of Hayes' claim that the ACA has gotten health coverage to millions, Gregg was mean, nasty, and rude.

Hayes was having none of it, and he used that good old fashioned fallback to debunk Gregg: Facts, with a touch of math for good measure.

Gregg scoffed at Hayes' use of the word "plummeted" to describe the uninsured rate in this country. But in fact, it has plummeted.

I was taken aback by the nastiness and disrespect Gregg showed Chris Hayes, but Hayes persisted in simply using facts and math to contradict his claims.

Watch it, because a transcript won't do it justice.

Aside to Chris Hayes: This is one that your colleagues (particularly Chuck Todd), should study to understand how to use facts to stop these talking points dead in their tracks. It's what we expect from our so-called liberal media, and you delivered.

The other thing you'll notice is that Gregg never answered the question.

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