On the subject of health care, Stephanopoulos recited, "And yesterday, the outgoing House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, really threw down the gauntlet in her speech, laying out the benefits Americans will get, she says Americans will get, thanks to the passage of health reform." After playing a clip of the ex-Speaker, he chided, "Do you think Americans really want to lose the benefits outlined by Nancy Pelosi?"

At no time did Stephanopoulos wonder about the cost of the "benefits" or where they came from. Instead, he pressed Cantor on the difficulty of cutting spending, asking five times for a specific number: "What is the target House Republicans are trying to meet this year in spending cuts? And can you lay out, specifically, how you're going to get there?...What's the number?"

Now, one could call this questioning a Republican from the right. But, Stephanopoulos and other journalists failed to highlight the depth and scope of the deficit when the Democrats controlled the House.