At a press conference today at which Nancy Pelosi trumpeted all of the new Democratic women elected to the House and said she would run again for Minority Leader, NBC's Luke Russert asked her the following question:

"Some of your colleagues privately say that your decision to stay on prohibits the party from having a younger leadership and hurts the party in the long-term. What's your response?"

It was at that point that Pelosi's colleagues, standing behind her, reacted as if Russert had just asked Pelosi if she wouldn't be more comfortable in a wheelchair. Pelosi capped off the moment by saying, "Oh you've always asked that question except to Mitch McConnell." McConnell is the Senate Minority Leader who is 70 years old. (Pelosi is 72.)

Have a look...

 

Russert is taking it on the chin on Twitter, where, to be fair, everyone takes it on the chin, but here ya go...

I just saw the most offensive thing in a story about Luke Russert's question to Nancy Pelosi: it called him a reporter.

— Bearded Stoner (@beardedstoner) November 14, 2012

 

Bright Young Thing Luke Russert Asks Old Lady Nancy Pelosi Why She Won't Step Aside For Someone Young And Cute wonkette.com/489810/bright-…

— Wonkette (@Wonkette) November 14, 2012

 

Pelosi might have asked Luke Russert if his taking high profile job at NBC blocked a more deserving candidate lacking famous last name.

— roadkillrefugee (@rkref) November 14, 2012

 

Actually, Pelosi's reaction was not a surprise to us. Our very own Scott Shafer, host of The California Report, asked her sort of the same question before the election, to which she reacted in sort of the same way. Scott prefaced the question, which you can listen to below, with "forgive me for raising your age, I know it's not polite..."

Listen to Nancy Pelosi call Scott Shafer agist and anti-women (but in a nice way)

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